Is it really a good idea to train with fire while iinside a carriage!? That... That doesn't seem like something OSHA'd be okay with. o_o;
I did like how Sol thinks this is a tournament you can win, rather than an eaxm though. Made me churtle. :P
All exams are tournaments if you think about getting first place in em. If there are marks involved, ya get the highest marks. If there are solicitations from Magic Knight groups involved, you gotta be the fella who gets the most attention from em.
Anyways, all that said, the winner of the exam shall be I.
An impact from behind jostled her shoulder and instantly, Kreszenz’s mind flashed through an entire flow chart of possibilities. It could have been a thief. An assassin. An accident. Another asshole trying to pick another fight. An intentional impact made in order to draw her attention and initiate conversation. The words that the cat-like boy spoke registered, a banal apology unfitting of her position, but his intonation was genuine, if not somewhat dismissive. He wasn’t an enemy, and his companion had all the affects of a noble, so the boy himself must be a servant of sorts.
Or a friend. Some aristocrats were quite friendly with commoners.
Regardless, that singular impact was enough. Kreszenz flicked her cloak to the side and immediately drew out her grimoire from its leather holster. A three-leafed clover adorned its cover, intersecting an embellishment of a golden rose with a jagged stem. Was she seriously going to kill a child for bumping into her on accident? Lightning crackled, the grimoire’s pages flipping speedily, the build-up of mana bright through her veins.
“Caesura.”
Twinned orbs manifested, spinning around each other in conjoined orbits before the force of their cycles tore them apart. One merged with Kreszenz, the other flying up into a neighbouring rooftop. She set a glare upon the raven-haired boy, her head tilted slightly upwards and to the side. An accident was just that. And it was a failure of administration and city-management rather than mere individual carelessness.
But did she have to be accepting of that? Did she have to forgive that?
“A mere commoner deigns it necessary to console this esteemed self over such a trivial incident? Spare not another thought upon this, boy, and dedicate your concern instead towards the trial that shall determine your life’s worth.”
And with the manifestation of polarities, Kreszenz flew skywards, her feet barely clearing Ludo’s head (he should be thankful she had worn the soles of her boots down so heavily) as she skidded to a stop upon the roofs of the buildings lining the street. From her vantage point, she looked down at him once more, as if confirming that this was the proper way of interacting with the unwashed masses, before the haughty young lady continued through her exclusive avenue of travel.
Indeed, she supposed she may spare him a sliver of gratitude for confirming that it was upon solitary heights, rather than within the motley stream, that the Leichenberg heiress belonged.
It was tempting the spit at the idiot creature as her blood continued to rush through her brain, but Esfir held back the baser desires within her, managing to only tersely nod towards Auguz. She inspected the rat’s skull briefly.
“Same session tomorrow?”
Whatever the warchief’s answer, the ‘propah Orc’ would leave soon after, casting only a brief glance towards Akeno’s fight before striding towards the wooden house nestled in the crook of the mountain’s base. Xolkug was there alongside another, ostensibly guarding the rewards from any sticky-fingered runts, and she cast a nod towards him. As far as she was aware, Esfir had been one of the first arrivals, and thus had the pick of the litter. It didn’t take too much effort to decide either way. Considering that there was more mountaineering to be done on the day, the coiled length of rope was the appropriate choice, no matter how much have a fur pouch called towards her. As for clothing itself?
That wolf-fur cloak could serve as wonderful bedding. Wonderful as actual clothing too. Much better than the ‘cheap’ pelts she currently had wrapped around her chest and her groin. Bugs had gotten to her flesh, as did errant twigs when she was bushwhacking yesterday. While the cloak would bring up a different set of issues for marching through the forest, the comfort it brought presently…
Right, there was a Hunter or something in the Camp, wasn’t there?
Esfir would have to make a point of visiting them in the future. For now, however?
She turned her gaze up towards the peak of the mountain that oversaw the camp. Something higher up in the mountain. Either the underground was blocked, or something was plugged at the mouth. The Orc Runt let out a breath.
Water. Before all else, that would be what she wanted to solve today.
With that, she tightened the bracers around her arm, adjusted the cloak over her shoulders, held her spear as a hiking staff, and began to navigate up the mountainside, following the flow of water as best she could.
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.
Dusk Vision - Rank 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.
Equipment
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. [*Leather Shoes - Equip, Clothes - They're shoes.
Wolffur Cloak - Equip, Clothes - A simple fur cloak to be draped over the shoulders and pinned close with a jagged bone. Light Defense Boost!
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.
Bolas
Stomach-Bag - Small bag, improved from an Elwet's stomach.
Inventory
Gizzard Sparkstone
Elwet Feathers
Tungem Branch x3
Jackalope Point x3]
Tatzelwurm Fang x2
Tatzelwurm Claws x3
Tatzelwurm Coilbone x1
Crushed Tatzelwurm Eye x2
Harpy Tooth x1
Harpy Talon x3
Harpy Screech Valve x1
Rope (30 ft)
Shelter
Primitive A-Frame Shelter
Poisoned Bone Caltrops - Small Thrown Weapon/Trap - 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.
Despite the almost embarrassingly audacious storefront, Otis strode in without hesitation, his only expression of discomfort coming from the twitching of his nose as he was struck by a veritable tidal wave of perfume. It would take a while for him to adapt to this, no doubt, but the pieces displayed were a worthy distraction. Certainly, this was a step above his own capabilities as a tailor. The fabrics were high-quality and the stitching so seamless that he had to work to find them. It would be interesting to stress-test the products as well, though that’d be overstepping the bounds of a customer that had not yet paid. Still, the Strigidae allowed his gaze to linger for only a moment longer, before settling them upon the eclectically-dressed goblin.
“I intend on repairing a dress,” Otis replied, unfolding the scorched and punctured remnants of Chloe’s attire. “And I intend on doing so alone, while maintaining as much of the original material as possible. If you sell fabric here, direct me to the aisle and offer me your recommendations. In order to avoid future incidents, I have plans of weaving fortifying essence into the dress itself, as well as water-and-fireproofing it using various alchemical compounds. Do you deal with such reagents as well?”
There was a slight pause, as he took a step back and gestured towards his own clothing: a collection of brown and tan garments with ethnic patterns woven into it with brightly colored threads.
“I make my own clothing, and have my own tastes. This dress, however, is for a half-elf that has, if nothing else, the pretensions of nobility, so if you could point me towards resources that I could take inspiration during the redesign process, that would be appreciated as well. Also, in terms of names, I am Otis Tan Arillo. You are Hrunting?”
Ey Zeroth, mind going over what the reward is, so I can attach it as part of my post? Esfir's otherwise going to head off to the mountains to figure out the whole water situation.
Kronshi
Sky Blue
Majoraa
High Moon
Emberdawn2
VirgoDrago
CitrusArms
Soldat Elf
Estylwen
