ERode

Iris Ascendis

Looks like they've been gone for the last three days.

Expedition to Isekai

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//Day 2 | Location: Nameless Forest - Lakeside
_{@Vertigo@baraquiel}
“Ok.” Was Rin’s flat response, before she pointed at the tree that Duncan had punched a hole through but otherwise left standing. “We’ll start by splitting that in half.”

…

They ended up splitting that one tree into quarters afterwards. Each quarter was jammed into the earth itself to serve as guideposts for the walls. Thicker logs were brought in afterwards, cut out from the treeline that was slowly ebbing away from the campsite they were in. Duncan was regulated with the heavy lifting, while Rin settled to using her tools instead. It was, perhaps, the only sign that she had been drained from her work yesterday. No magical slices this time.

But with two Awakened, the weakness of one didn’t matter. A few other students could only gap at amazement over the speed in which the tower was built, Duncan first lifting, then jumping and dunking the logs in place. Within the span of an hour, the skeleton of the watchtower was complete. Crossbeams on the top served as a makeshift tower, while a second felled tree with steps cut into it served as the ladder for more physically-mundane folks to reach the top.

It had taken strenuous effort, certainly, enough so that even Duncan was sweating at the end of it, but there he stood, ten meters up upon a surprisingly solid structure, the vantage point enough to afford a view on the entire lake, enough to grant a naked view of the mountain in the distance.

Was it a peaceful, up this high? Was it nice, having built something? Was this a good enough distraction, with an hour gone by constructively?

Only Duncan would know how he himself felt. Only he c-

Someone seized him by the waistband of his pants, lifted him up in the way that only an Awakened could. Before he could register what was happening, before time could dilate as a sense of danger overcame him, Duncan found himself flying through the air, limbs flailing madly, before belly-flopping into the lake and catching Asahi in the splash zone.

Standing upon the watchtower, Rin looked down at the scene impassively. She understood that dopamine struck people during two particular moments: physical exertion and sensations of excitement. With the building of the watchtower, the former was covered. With a surprise ten-meter bellyflop into cold waters, the latter was covered. With this, Duncan would probably be okay now.

…she had clearly learned nothing from her past experiences with Kumi.

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//Day 2 | Location: Nameless Forest - Forest Trails
_{@Yankee@Nakushita}
A flash of anger, but one settled down swiftly.

Masato took to the front, as if physically denying Oros’s own implications, while the girl herself stayed behind, indulging in the madness of her own mind. They passed through smaller streams, clusters of fungi upon trunks, the occasional bird-like creature flitting overhead. If not for the lunatic behind him, if not for the responsibility at hand, perhaps it would even be a peaceful hike for Masato.
He could not let go of his responsibilities though.

Flowers dotted their path, bright and vibrant dots that broke up the monotony of brown and green. The tracks they followed were at times hidden or indistinct, but careful observation brought it back to focus. It must have been an hour or two, the silence only leaving when Masato left another mark on the trunk or Oros brought up another grim or delusional point.

A sweet smell wafted in the air.

And, perhaps fifty meters away, they could both see it.

A moving mound of white, unlike any of the monsters they had encountered before. Six stubby limbs stomped through the forest at a deliberate pace, while a craggy back hid many holes and crevices. An estimate would place the chalk-turtle perhaps the size of a truck: larger than the wolf-bears but smaller than the hulk-phants. If it was as meaty as those creatures too, that was a substantial amount of food.

The only question then, would be of the approach, when both of the Awakened present only had their physical strength and a single weapon to share between them.

---

//Day 2 | Location: Nameless Forest - The Den
_{@AThousandCurses}
Instantaneous impact!

A titanic force rattled Shun’s bones as her right shoulder collided with the rubbery mass. She could feel it, the rippling of energy being transferred from her body into the monster’s, too large to have become a bullet, too light to have become a true meteor.
Powerful enough, however, to kill that hulk-phant.

In dilated time, she could sense its organs within its body popping like balloons, bones rattling then rupturing out from its flesh. Blood sprayed, a visceral shower as the beast let out one gasping cry, no air escaping its ruptured lungs, before it fell over. Shun collapsed over it, her own heart still beating like a war drum as blood drenched the entire front of her body. Hands went up, wiping away the scalding blood, the viscous bits and globs of flesh. Her shoulder ached with a wretched pain, but that injury ebbed away. Her self-inflicted wounds would heal. Her healing would speed up once she ate.

But there was no opportunity yet, to eat.

For as her vision cleared, Shun saw her surroundings clearly as well.

It had been impossible to ascertain this when she was still far into the brush, looking only at the mountainous form of the hulk-phant. Once she had Overclocked, she had been moving too fast to catch anything more than a blur of her surroundings. There had been no opportunity for her, perhaps no desire either, for her to confirm anything.

But her vision was clear. She saw her surroundings.

Two hulk-phants loomed before her. A sinuous shadow of a Short-Tail. And a wolf-bear, lurking in the outskirts. The remnants of the pack that had attacked the students.

Her legs were like jello, fatigued from that first burst of Overclock. Her heart was out-of-control, adrenaline and anxiety mixing together. Her core was burning ashes, her all-or-nothing effort giving her both all and nothing.

The monsters bared their fangs.

Iris Ascendis

_@Nanaya

That was Wund?

Otis’s face twisted slightly as he went and reformed his expectations and presumptions once more. Paired with Leuvalt, and aligned with the historical, the mythical Shaktis Wund had seemed like another individual from a storied family, but to see that it had that sort of origin instead…

Interesting!

And it was interesting too, the way that the note was crumpled and then stored in the pants pocket of the teacher. Otis’s amber eyes traced Rio as the boy returned to his seat, then settled back upon Alto’s hip. If the opportunity presented itself, then he would have to see if he could slip that note out, if only to satisfy his curiosity. Secretive things such as these certainly would be difficult to obtain with just an open-hearted question, after all. Especially when there were those ruffians that assailed Rio in the morning too. Curious, curious, curious!

Less curious was the demonstration of the Personal Barrier.

The showmanship didn’t accomplish anything for Otis, after all. The subjective of a paper-thin yet powerful personal barrier was interesting only in its construction. He never intended on becoming a warrior in the same way that some others desired to, but if that was how Valen was able to thwart the attack of over a hundred students? Well, it was somewhat disappointing. The most boring answer around, really.

Still, if disinterest along was enough to stifle his ability to learn, Otis would have never reached the academic heights that he did.
“I can form a Personal Barrier,” the Strigidae spoke, with unerring certainty. “Though my own life is not one in which there is a demand to refine and improve it in the manner that your barrier has been, Instructor.”

Iris Ascendis

It’s from a Chinese web novel that’s big in specific niche circles. Not a surprise that it’s otherwise unknown kekek.

Iris Ascendis

Eyo, that the Evernight Goddess?

Iris Ascendis

Oh hey, Nanaya, I was curious. Do you have a picture of the Clockwork Empress or something?

Iris Ascendis

Posting today.

Iris Ascendis

Alto gonna be like “cool intros. Now block this.” Before drawing his sword and revealing it’s a mini gun.

Iris Ascendis

That comes with having a relatively simple prompt for once kekek. Don't got conspiracies or melodrama to react to, after all.

Iris Ascendis

_@Nanaya

Hm, perhaps he misread her.

“If you wish to remain in the front, then I will take a seat to your side instead,” the Strigidae spoke, offering his own compromise. He had presumed her to be the type to slack off and sleep, considering how she had spent the entire entrance exam like that, but if the elven girl truly wanted to learn? In the face of her spite, of her defiance, of her resignation, Otis responded with only a neutral flexibility.

It was up to her whether or not she ultimately decided to join the boy who signalled her at the back or remained in the front row. Regardless of her decision, his own was set in stone.

Indeed, it was that particular exchange that prevented Otis from entirely judging Alto as well, despite his own clownish behavior. There was a certain vibe present, one that reminded him heavily of his roommate, but the acrobatics displayed proved a certain amount of martial prowess, at least, while the soup that was brought…well, how interesting. The aroma of meat was strong, but to mix those with bitter herbs, the type that more often accompanied medicinal soups? A curious choice indeed.

Still a question was poised, and unlike some, he made a habit of answer questions as often as he asked them.

“I am Otis Tan Arillo, from the Rekordian Empire. I should be 16 years old, but that’s knowledge gained second-hand. In terms of facts that are fun, I would have to say that one of my long-term projects is the crystallization of emotional essence into consumable powders, which can be utilized to forcibly induce a mental state conducive to casting certain spells, even in situations where achieving that mental state may be bothersome. Unfun facts are harder to uncover, but I suppose it’s somewhat annoying that the nature of Ethe is such that restrictions exist only on a case-by-case basis, making experimentation with them involve far too much guesswork."

He allowed himself to think a bit more about the last question. His ultimate goal wasn’t going to be accomplished within a year, so what would be a good milestone?

“As for this year, I intend on entering the Ascendis Dormitory through official means and defeating Valen Leuvalt. The former is the priority, but the latter would be more satisfying. Now, Instructor Alto, I’ve a question as well. Is Alto your first or last name?”