ERode

Iris Ascendis

_{@Nanaya@Psyker Landshark@AThousandCurses@Sifr@Estylwen}

The Mannekins were a touch more fragile than he envisioned. If they could break so easily, even with Personal Barriers, perhaps a focus on disarming and restraining them wasn’t necessary after all. Otis reckoned that a bullet or two could solve the conundrum of these constructs just as easily.

No matter.

The rumbling of uprooted trees signified the start of the second round as their trunks smashed against the earth. The weight enough would’ve made for a lethal collision: even if one’s Personal Barrier held out, they’d be pinned against a weight that’d gradually crush them. Otis stepped forwards as the trunk separated him and Davil, who had barely managed to survive himself. The boy’s pain tolerance was something special. Usually, the flailing of broken bones would cause internal wounds from jagged bone slicing through veins and flesh underneath the skin. And there was no way that all his other injuries would’ve been fully healed by the rudimentary first-aid performed upon him as well. An odd breed of human, that one was.

“Chunji, take care of Davil,” Otis spoke, eyeing the stance taken by Alto. “Ideally, just carry him far from here.” The Strigidae noticed too, how the bullet kept its speed even when it was fully stopped. Useful to know for the future. It didn’t look like Alto was going to try his hand at destroying the bullet either. Ethos operated under unknown laws. Who knew if the individual pieces of the bullet would simply continue to bore against the Personal Barrier or not?

Well, if their instructor wasn’t going to risk it…

Symbols were traced in the wind and essence was drawn from the forehead, before being sent in a selective wave over Otis’s surroundings. That familiar ‘knock-knock’ echoed through his classmate’s minds, a telepathic channel connecting any willing participants.

Hildegunde, fire two of those Ethos-shots of yours. One for each eye. It’ll block off the majority of his vision. Rio, be prepared to intercept a counterattack, but also explain to me your capabilities. Chloe too, if you wish to partake. If not, join Chunji and Davil. Iraleth, you’ll be our vanguard. Coordinate with Ciara so that the two of you are always opposite of each other. Great light creates deep shadows.

The Strigidae flicked the chamber of his firearm out, making a show of counting the six rounds still inside. Then, he settled his gaze upon Alto.

“If a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, of course it makes a sound. And whether those trees fall due to silent casting or your own prime essence, Instructor Alto, is similarly meaningless. The primal conduit, in this moment, is you, the same as your prime essence.”

He locked the chamber in once more, flicking off the safety.

“I would like to ask though. Outside of our personal satisfaction, would you be willing to give any extra reward to us if we’re able to break through your Personal Barrier?”

Expedition to Isekai

---

//Day 2 | Location: Nameless Forest - Lakeside
_{@Vertigo@baraquiel}
“Ah, th…”

She trailed off when she noticed the expression on Asahi’s face. For all the charisma the pink-haired student council member exuded, they had all gone to the same schools and been to the same classes since childhood. It was a stretch to call them childhood friends, but Mayumi wasn’t blind. Taking the fish from Asahi, the treasurer set the catch down on the rocks, before promptly shuffling it over to Kunio, who was busy chewing away at his own bundle of fish.

“What?” The wild-haired youth stated, rather than asked.

“Cook ‘em up,” was Mayumi’s response.

“Can’t do it yourself?”

“You did it before. If you’re not gonna do it again, then teach me.”

Kunio clicked his tongue. There was a reason why he was the badminton club’s ace, not their captain. He had no interest at all in that sorta stuff, and while he didn’t want to do either cooking or teaching, he knew that Mayumi was the biggest pain-in-the-ass amongst the student council when it came to nagging. Without another word, he staked his unfinished meal to the side and got to work descaling.
With that settled, Mayumi turned her attention back to Asahi, patting a portion of the log that had been used as a seat beside her.

“Warm yourself up then,” she said. “And whatever you’re thinking right now about Sasuke, Asahi, you’re overthinking.”

No matter how great the summer vacation vibes seemed to be, they were still on the Otherside, a place filled with danger. There was no fucking way she was going to let teenage romance drama be added onto the stack of dangers that already threatened to fall over them.

...

“That’s…huh.”

“What?”

“Just a lot more than I expected.”

“Tch. Listen, this changes nothing, yeah?”

“I’ll respect your confidentiality. But Akito, I mean, it’s just such a sad thing, isn’t it?”

“It’s my thing.”

“But I mean, Father’s a cop, and I’m sure the others would support you with this, s-”

“Your dad’s a cop. That’s why I told you.” A breath. “But that’s it. If I had it my way, I want it to hurt as much as possible.”

---

//Day 2 | Location: Nameless Forest - The Den
_{@AThousandCurses@Nakushita}
Consumption wasn’t the same as digestion.

The energy that may have been promised from devouring the most tender flesh upon the hulk-phant’s face simply couldn’t reach her body in time to fuel that last Overdrive. So, where did it come from?

Regeneration. Durability. Strength. Perception.

Every aspect that Shun possessed as an Awakened was peeled away in that instant, a ball of pure energy coursing through her back muscles. Regardless of her own interpretations of it, her Overclock was still simply a form of physical boost, just one that took the increase to the maximal limit within a short burst. Shun could still do it, of course. She could still force it.

Perhaps, she even understood the consequences of it. Or perhaps, she was simply long past caring about such things.

Regardless, her senses were no longer sharp enough, her perception no longer dilated enough, that she could comprehend what had happened. There was only the sensation of her back muscles rupturing, the bone-fracturing pain of impact twice-over, and then the stomach-churning vertigo of her as she fell. Branches cracked beneath her, scoring her skin but slowing her descent. She crumbled there, nothing but a broken bag of pain, kept alive only by the vestigial remnants of flesh slowly being digested in her stomach. She bled out nonetheless. Her wounds were not healing, not fast enough by any measure. She needed to eat more, but she couldn’t even crawl, not with brutalized arms, a ruptured back, and broken legs.

Crimson giblets poured from the skies, the last of the monsters slain; the grotesque rain did not fall upon Shun.

It fell upon Oros.

Was this a promise of salvation?

Or simply the last stages before the finale?

Iris Ascendis

Triple-posting smh.

Mods, rotate his testicles.

Iris Ascendis

Iris Ascendis

Now watch Nanaya activate Phase Two on those Mannequins.

"YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD AUTO-HIT US?!?!" as their eyes flash crimson and Ancient Rekordian chanting fills the air.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Esfir out here just doing her Primitive Cooking Show huhuhuhu.

If it all goes well, Zeroth, you can safely presume that she eats the sausage she cooks.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

It wasn’t a lot of water, and it wasn’t the cleanest water either, but she wasn’t exactly doing things in a very clean manner either. The cloudiness must come from the minerals that the spring had picked up from its underground path. Esfir approached the reservoir, using her hand to scoop up some water to taste regardless.

There was definitely a grittiness to it. Unfiltered, it tasted hard.

Shouldn’t kill her though, probably. Worst case scenario, she’ll make herself throw up. And tomorrow, she’d find time to head up the mountains again to mine for the ores and get her pot. If she could trace the blockage of the spring and solve that, that was two birds in one stone.

But first?

Esfir emptied out the contents of her stomach-bag nearby, before using it to scoop up some water herself. Bringing the dripping sack away from the pool, the orc grunt looked over what remained of her kill. It was all organs, blood, and intestines, and it was the intestines that she went over first. Pinching at the organs, she tugged at them to check for how durable they were, before promptly sectioning off only the parts that did not tear. Next, she emptied out the contents of the intestines best she could, sliding her fingers against the length of the organ, before squeezing some water from her bag down them to wash out what she could. Inverting the intestines came next, a process that involved sticking one of her Tungem branches against the outside, before threading it through the hole. It took a bit longer due to the thickness of the branch itself, but the intestines, fresh as they were, stretched well enough to accommodate it. With it turned inside out, the vestigial contents were fully exposed, and Esfir scraped away at it with the ‘handle’ of her sharp rock while emptying out the remaining water in her bag to clean up the intestines.

A primitive job, all things considered, but it was a process that would give her sausage casings. And as for the filling?

Placing the remaining organs and blood of the Tatzelwurm and Harpy upon a flat rock, Esfir sat down cross-legged as she took out the Flint Hatchet she got from Bowbh. She alternated between the edge and the back while she struck away, keeping each individual blow gentle enough that there wasn’t too much of a splatter. It was a rhythmic, skill-less process, one that could almost be considered ‘rest’. Old habits did not disappear with new environments. Perhaps she would never be able to shake off her need to cook every part of the animals she catches. She gave away the harpy’s meat for a tool, but if she could help it, Esfir never intended to go hungry again.
Organs and blood mashed together into something that could serve as filling, Esfir finished things off by using the screech valve she had collected from the Harpy as a funnel to push it into the casings she had made. Aiming for sausage links the length of her hand, she twisted them where necessary until there was no more filling left. It was unseasoned, and lord knew how tasty the organs even were, and she wasn’t even going to have a pot to boil them in, but…

Sausage was sausage.

Esfir stood up, sausage links wrapped around one arm, and returned to the communal fire, where she intended to cook them.

Skills

• Ingestion - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
• Frost Arc - Rank 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.
• Murderous Intent - Rank II - 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. At Rank II, 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.
• Empty Skill Slot

Equipment and Inventory

• Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - 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.
• Antler Bracers - Equip, Armor - 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. Light Defense Boost!
• Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.
• Flint Hatchet - Equip, Weapon/Tool - 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.
• Borrowed Antler Pickaxe - Equip, Weapon/Tool - 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. High Quality. On Loan from Bowbh.
• Jackalope Spear - 2H Weapon - 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.
• Stomach-Bag - Small bag, improved from an Elwet's stomach.
• Rotleaves x5
• Rotleaf Seedpods x6
• Gizzard Sparkstone
• Elwet Feathers
• Raw Chalcopyrite Ore x3
• Bufonite x3
• Tungem Branch x3
• Jackalope Point x3
• Broken Jackalope Point x2
• Pimplestool Mushroom x2
• Crushed Pimplestool
• Mushroom Shreds x3
• Mycellium Lash x2
• Frayed Mycellium Lash x2
• Cracked Tatzelwurm Fang x1
• Tatzelwurm Fang x2
• Tatzelwurm Claws x3
• Cracked Tatzelwurm Claws x2
• Tatzelwurm Coilbone x1
• Crushed Tatzelwurm Eye x2
• Harpy Tooth x1
• Harpy Talon x3
• Broken Harpy Talon x1
• Harpy Wing Membrane x2
• Harpy Screech Valve x1

@Zeroth

Iris Ascendis

_{@Nanaya@Psyker Landshark@AThousandCurses@Sifr}

He trusted Ciara. Trusted that if she was out of her depth, she would know to escape.

The rest? He trusted less, but only because he knew less about their skills. Chloe had a good heart, but seemed to lack the physical ability to affect any particular change. Rio was hot-blooded and vengeful, but it was twice now that he displayed a sense of justice. Hildegunde didn't need further instruction; he had heard her shots, and only one of them made the sound expected of a bow snapping in half. Chunji was a greater anomaly still, possessing special eyes but not much else. Davil, of course, was a non-factor at best, a liability at worst.

And Iraleth? Iraleth was done.

"Focus on forming your Personal Barrier," the Strigidae said, without even turning to face his roommate. "You can't help with anything until then." Harsh words, but he moved on without a pause, as if only checking such a statement off a list of many. "Rio, intercept the one charging at Hildegunde. Chunji, spot the one that she missed." His tone quieted, somewhat. "And analyze Instructor Alto afterwards."

The Personal Barriers formed a conduit for barehanded martial arts, but none of the Mannekins present displayed a penchant for casting, and they converged upon Iraleth with a simplicity that reminded him once more of their artificial nature. Intelligent and capable, better than a good portion of the 'geniuses' that Wingram Academy accepted, but artificial all the same. He let out a breath, a ritual to clear out his mind. Primal Overcharge dictated reversed incantations; he had more than enough time to slow the pace of his spellcasting in order to handle that requirement. The essence of fluidity, found in Strigidae blood, flowed from his heart to his extremities, reaching his vocal cords as he traced symbols that only he could see in the air.

"Sea at drowns what land with submerge and
Flow quickly, flow quickly.
Flats glassy upon recede tides the
Earth living for roots fluid."

He clapped his hands, as if capturing spoken word between his palms, and pressed them against the earth.

Beneath Iraleth, the earth gained the quality of fluidity, a quicksand that sucked at the limbs of all the mannekins that rushed for her. The one that swept with their legs found themselves half-swallowed by earth already, while the one that bobbed and weaved tripped when their feet stalled in the quagmire. Attempts to free themselves caused them only to sink deeper, and that same fate would await Iraleth too.

She knew how to fly though.

And that was the difference in ability Otis had accounted for.

Iris Ascendis

Oh babyyyyy.

I'll get a post up relatively soon. Davil should sit the FUCK down though. Dude doesn't even have functioning arms smh.

Symphony on High

[+]

22 y/o | Female | GEMINI | See-Through Bangs
Dai-Katana | Greatsword (2H) | Physical | STRONG PARRY
GEMINI Agent Uniform | GEMINI Insignia
Witch Hunt | Light | SACRED PROHIBITION
[Reveal (2), Purity (4)] Mana Burn (6), Magic Sense (4), Blink (4), Dispel (6), Damage (2), Stabilize (0), AoE (2), Scatter (2), Full Extend (4)

DAMAGE: D | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: A | 750

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: E | CHAOS: D | 750

Glass-like eyes looked out at Pax Septimus as the minivan drove through the historic district. The scars left by the Holy Diver persisted, not through damage to infrastructure, but rather damage to the populace. The streets were almost completely emptied out, a month insufficient for healing the physical and mental wounds left by that supernatural disaster. It was once known as the city of blood, Pax Septimus, but perhaps it was the case that even such sinful a city would end up becoming a ghost town. Her first few days in the city had been strictly above-the-board work, helping out with building shelters, distributing aid. Busy work, considering the nature of mana and the concentration of monsters, but important work all the same.

Her smartphone buzzed. She flicked through the notification, a faint smile creasing her features as the minivan rolled to a stop.

The Golden Platter Casino. It had more monstrous guests than human ones as of late, and if Dr. Moller’s information was good, it held one of the most powerful GEMINI agents around as well. Plenty to do, and plenty of resistance too. Her eyes flickered between one of her teammates to the other. Miss Avenir was the most experienced of them here, a veritable veteran of Light Magic. Miss Belrose looked well-suited enough for drawn-out firefights; regardless of the inefficacy of bullets against monsters, there was still nothing better for suppressive fire. Miss Fang was a bit of a black box compared to the others, but there were more than a few rumors surrounding her own capabilities. You didn’t survive the Holy Diver without being special in one way or the other.

Whether that would be enough to take on a cadre of weretigers was a question all on its own. A mission like this felt more suitable for someone like the illustrious Silhouette, the shadowy hand of Dr. Moller, but perhaps a point was to be made here instead.

She frowned. Slipped her smartphone back into the pocket of her trousers. Folded her arms, allowing her Instrument to nestle in the crook of her elbow. Her eyes, like glass, cast an inquisitive glance towards Miss Avenir’s direction.

The others already asked. Was just a matter of waiting for a reasonable answer, really.