Auguz wasn’t stopping this.

That didn’t make sense. What the hell was that orc thinking? If they were using real weapons, which this whole training session was supposed to simulate, a thrust like that would have killed her opponent. Even if it didn’t kill her opponent, it would have destroyed their ability to breathe, and they’d have spent their time wheezing and bleeding until she finished them off a few moments later.

But instead?

The little shit was clutching his chest with one hand and half-charging, half-stumbling towards her with what remained of his strength, swinging wildly. Momentum built up by the third, and soon, the hefty ‘imbalance’ of the wooden mace worked in the weapon’s favor, building up greater and greater speed. With such a difference in mass, there was basically no hope that a direct thrust with her ‘spear’ wouldn’t be swatted away again. Clearly though, if her ‘spear’ wasn’t a spear, she didn’t have any need to treat it as one either.

And between two sticks, the longer one was always better.

Esfir continued to retreat, sliding her hands to the very base of the spear’s shaft. She watched the patterns of the runt’s swings, got the measure of it, and then, in a position more like a baseball player than anything else, retaliated with a swing of her own. The wind whistled as the spear swung diagonally, grazing the dirt as she aimed for her opponent’s shins.

[hider=Skills][list]
[*][b]Ingestion[/b] - [i]After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.[/i]
[*][b]Frost Arc[/b] - Rank I - [i]An expanding spray of icy cold, over 10 feet in one direction and 5 feet wide at its furthest edge. The cold is more intense the closer the target is to the origin, reaching its lowest temperature within a span of about 2 feet. It constantly expends Magic Power the longer the cone is maintained.[/i]
[*][b]Murderous Intent[/b] - Rank II - [i]Focus hatred and the desire to kill through the subtle senses. A creature that is weaker than you must exert its willpower or be Intimidated (Intimidated creatures suffer reduced speed). A creature that is already Intimidated, Shocked, or Unaware may instead become Fearful and be unable to act for 5 seconds. Creatures that are stronger than you can only be Intimidated by this Skill if they are already Shocked or Unaware, but their willpower threshold is higher. [b]At Rank II[/b], creatures weaker than you will be made Fearful instead of Intimidated. If they are already Intimidated, Shocked, or Unaware, the effect of Fearful will be extended to 10 seconds. Creatures that are equal to you will suffer Rank I effects.[/i]
[*][b]Dusk Vision[/b] - Rank I - [i]Orc Inheritance. One's eyes need less light to see by, allowing them to see normally in dim light conditions and half as well in darkness so long as it is not completely black. Color perception is half as accurate in dim light, and in darkness the perception of color is lost. This Skill does not apply to other vision-related Skills.[/i][/list][/hider]
[hider=Equipment, Inventory, Shelter][b]Equipment[/b][list]
[*][b]Swaddling Pelts[/b] - Equip, Clothes - [i]Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.[/i]
[*][b]Antler Bracers[/b] - Equip, Armor - [i]A type of bone armor used to protect the arms. Materials such as fangs, teeth, horn, antler, etc can be quite tough, but typically aren't as hard as metals. They are somewhat resistant to physical damage, though less so against Blunt impacts. [b]Light Defense Boost![/b][/i]
[*][b]Sharp Rock[/b] - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - [i]A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.[/i]
[*][b]Flint Hatchet[/b] - Equip, Weapon/Tool - [i]A sharper edge than a Stone Hatchet of equivalent size, but lighter and more brittle. Requires more strength and proper alignment to get a good chop, but most wood will be cut faster.[/i]
[*][b]Borrowed Antler Pickaxe[/b] - Equip, Weapon/Tool - [i]A pickaxe made with a sturdy piece of wood and a sharpened antler. Can harvest softer stones and some ores! It can be used as a piercing weapon, even on hard shelled creatures, but it wasn't designed for that. [b]High Quality. On Loan from Bowbh.[/b][/i]
[*][b]Jackalope Spear[/b] - 2H Weapon - [i]A decent, if primitive spear. Not suitable as a throwing weapon due to its weight, but made of tough, sturdy materials. Jackalope horn is surprisingly sharp, almost as much so as metal.[/i]
[*][b]Stomach-Bag[/b] - Small bag, improved from an Elwet's stomach.
[/list]
[b]Inventory[/b]
[list]
[*][b]Gizzard Sparkstone[/b]
[*][b]Elwet Feathers[/b]
[*][b]Tungem Branch x3[/b]
[*][b]Jackalope Point x3[/b]]
[*][b]Tatzelwurm Fang x2[/b]
[*][b]Tatzelwurm Claws x3[/b]
[*][b]Tatzelwurm Coilbone x1[/b]
[*][b]Crushed Tatzelwurm Eye x2[/b]
[*][b]Harpy Tooth x1[/b]
[*][b]Harpy Talon x3[/b]
[*][b]Harpy Screech Valve x1[/b]
[/list]
[b]Shelter[/b]
[list]
[*][b]Primitive A-Frame Shelter[/b]
[*][b]Poisoned Bone Caltrops[/b] - Small Thrown Weapon/Trap - [i]These bony, unevenly shaped shards have been coated with a poisonous mixture. If stepped on hard enough they'll likely break skin, delivering poison that causes a painful reaction in the nervous system as it spreads. If ingested or inhaled, can cause severe coughing or digestive distress.[/i]
[*][b]Raw Chalcopyrite Ore x3[/b]
[*][b]Bufonite x3[/b]
[/list]
[/hider]
[@Zeroth]