Zeroth

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

@Guy0fV4lorOh it's nothing like it used to be, believe me. But on Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach my Karate class and on Mondays I meet with a group of IRL friends, all of this after the typical 9-5 day, so it's just a case of me burning a candle from both ends and spearing an incense stick through the middle too.

The Little Hamlet

G O H

Interacting with: The Three Students

Western Forest Clearing || Training || Contentment

The old man threaded the fishing line through his calloused, wrinkly fingers as he brought the slender pole up with his opposite hand. With movements smoothed by long experience, he cast the line out into the air, then steadied both hands at the rod’s base. The corner of his mouth quirked in what might have been a smile as he waited for the first bite.

A wooden blade swept towards the lure---a plain tube of hollow wood, with the string fastened to a plug at its other end. Goh flicked his wrist and the target nimbly hopped over the horizontal slash. With the slightest movement of his hand, the line swung like a pendulum. His student gave a determined shout and chased after it, swinging vertically this time. Goh wiggled the pole to send a loop-de-loop through the thin string and the tube danced to one side of the attack.

“Do not give chase, Gareth.” he said in a gravelly voice. “Predict where your target will move, and cut it off!”

“Yes, Master Goh!” said the boy with the habitual tone of respect that’d been drilled into him. But his teacher knew he wasn’t listening, because he kept following after the swinging target as it drifted in a new direction. Old Man Goh chuckled and spared a glance to his other students.

“Miss Alyshia, slow down! It is more important that each sequence is correct, than it is for the whole form to be swift!” He continued to move the target with his fishing pole as he looked between the two of them. Though one was all wild energy and effort, and the other more controlled, neither of the two children escaped his notice.

“Yes, Master Goh!” The willowy little girl stopped and went back to her beginning stance. From a high guard, she swept her wooden sword down with focus much sharper than the practice weapon. In the same movement she turned her hips and brought it up, reinforcing the back of the blade with her hand for a simulated block. Then she circled it around her head to come down with a repetition of the first strike, but this one was followed by advancing one step forward and sweeping the tip for an upward, diagonal cut. Goh hummed and nodded as she continued the rest of the form, intentionally performing each movement at less than half her normal speed but perfecting the individual techniques step by step.

“Master Gooooh, am I done yet!?” A fourth voice whined. As the teacher once again pulled Gareth’s target away from him at the very last moment (causing the wooden tube to actually land on the boy’s head as if taunting him, before sweeping it somewhere else), Goh’s smile turned to a frown. He looked towards his third student. On three of the thickest trees at the edge of the clearing, white chalk lines had been drawn–one vertical, one horizontal, and two crossing like an X diagonally. These eight spokes had been drawn straight and smooth by Goh’s practiced hand, and the chubby Eric stood in front of one tree. He was propped on his sword and sweating.

“Have you traced each line ten times?”

“W-well…” Goh narrowed his eyes, and the boy gulped down his lie. “Um, almost…But my arms hurt, and—”

“Then you are not finished!” He turned back to Gareth’s training, but what Eric didn’t know was that his master could still see him from the corner of his eye. To his credit, the bigger boy took a deep breath and raised his sword again. He clearly wasn’t happy about it, but he had already learned that Goh’s punishments were worse than his training. Good. Eric began striking through the air, attempting to align the tip and edge of his blade with the direction of the chalk lines in front of him each time. Goh’s smile returned. Progress was progress, after all.

Goh moved his pole in a manner identical to a movement he’d made before. He saw Gareth’s stance change. Then a crack of wood against wood rang out, and the boy cheered.

“I did it!” He turned towards his master, where the old man sat on a long-dead and dried stump. “Master Goh, did you see?”

“I did. Do you?” he asked, as he moved his arm. His student tracked the motion with those bright eyes, and squinted in confusion---just before the hollow tube clinked against the back of his head.

“Gah!”

“Do not stop moving until your opponent does, boy!” Now Goh swapped the pole from two hands into his left alone, and began moving it more swiftly, whipping the line and the target around Gareth in haphazard circles. “Keep going!”

The three children continued their training, and the old man continued barking orders. Gareth dutifully did everything he was asked, regardless of whether he had the skill to accomplish the task or not. Alyshia's grace and finesse grew keener with every repetition of the form---her talent was such that, in the time it had taken Gareth and Eric to learn a single sequence, she had learned three. She was a joy to watch, though every so often Goh was reminded that he hoped to never see her actually use these techniques. Eric did as he was told, or else he was given something worse to do. This wasn’t a matter of favoritism---Garetha and Alyshia had to do the exact same exercises, and were given the exact same punishments whenever they misbehaved. What Eric was only just starting to figure out, was that they misbehaved less often. And once he understood the link between his own actions and the consequences he endured, then Goh could begin teaching him why that distinction was important.

But for now, perhaps, they had learned enough.

"Alright, everyone line up!" He called, reeling in Gareth's target. The boy had managed to catch it a few more times, but it was more a matter of continuing to charge after it until he caught up rather than predicting the lure's path. Goh decided to get a little more "serious" with him next time. Alyshia had just completed her last form, and Eric moved as fast as his chubby legs could carry him despite having complained a moment ago about being "so sore he couldn't move." Goh looked at the three children sternly...and then nodded.

"Very well. We'll end training early today, since it's time for the Market." Three little voices raised in cheers. "But!" They all snapped back to attention. "I expect you all to be on good behavior! Remember that this training isn't just for your sword---it is also for your spirits!"

"Yes, Master Goh!" they all recited in unison. He nodded and pretended to be reluctant.

"Very well! Bow! Dismissed!"

They left the woods as a group, Eric and Gareth running ahead in a stubborn race while Alyshia skipped and frolicked just a few strides ahead of the old man bringing up the rear. As they walked down a gentle slope towards the village, Old Man Goh stopped for a while just to breathe it all in. He shook his head, the movement causing his white beard to whip back and forth in front of his chest.

"I wish times like these didn't fade so quickly..." he muttered, before continuing after the children.

---

---

Skills and Actions

"Though one was all wild energy and effort, and the other more controlled, neither of the two children escaped his notice."

>Dynamic Vision: Track fast moving objects

"The three children continued their training, and the old man continued barking orders."

>Training: Swordsmanship applied to Gareth, Alyshia, and Eric.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Can we expect a post from you today, Zeroth?

@ERode

Not today, unfortunately, this time of a new month is rather hectic at my job. It will likely be Wednesday or Thursday before I've had enough spare time to get a proper update finished. At that time, though, regardless of whether everyone in the RP has posted or not, I'll go ahead and make a full GM post to move everything along.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

@Lucius Cypher@Unkown58 Feel free to post again since you have more to go from now, but I'm going to try to do just one short response per player/group to keep everyone on the same timeline.

@ERode@King Cosmos I can do a short response for you two, but since the Elwet that fled your group ran into Rik, I'd like to see if @SubjectVision is currently working on anything?

@Kazemitsu also, have you got anything in the works? Might be better for yours to go up and that way your whole group can get one response together.

@ReusableSword@Such A Birch I have confirmation via PM that @Guy0fV4lor is working on his post, but if your group chooses not to see what all the hubbub his character's making is or just want to go ahead and jump in there, feel free!

@Crusader Lord Your shamefur dispray is forgiven...for now! *sweeps demon king cape ominously*

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

@Lucius Cypher@Unkown58

I'll have you know my cheeks are solid as a rock and not in anyway sweet, thank you! The Demon King NEVER skips leg day!

Gren and Vola

As Gren looked around for material that could be used for cordage, and for woods that might serve in weapon crafting, he found only short leafed, scrubby grasses this close to the camp but many tall trees. If he went deeper into the forest, he would likely improve his chances of finding things like vines and fibrous plants to use for ropemaking, but no doubt there were plenty of dangerous things in there, too. Of the trees around them, he could only deduce that some seemed very similar to hardwoods like oak, while others resembled pine or fir. They were quite tall, and some were almost as thick around as the Runt himself, but many of their branches were out of his reach…unless he wanted to take the risk of climbing.

However, one tree in particular looked promising. Its main truck was about as big around as an average human’s thigh, but only grew up to around six or seven feet. This trunk put out smaller branches that reached a bit higher, with those at the bottom being thicker than the ones at the top—ranging from the thickness of a finger to a wrist. The fullest branches also held small clusters of round, green, woody-shelled nuts. Gren would be able to climb a tree like this if he wanted to take a smaller, springier branch or just cut one of the thicker, hardier boughs from near its base.

And, was that…What luck! Something green and vine-like wound about the tree’s trunk and branched out onto one of the limbs! Gren couldn’t see where it ended or started, but maybe if he could pull it off the tree he’d have the cordage he wanted?

Meanwhile, when Vola looked in the direction she assumed to be North, she would see that the orcs’ settlement was essentially on the bottom of a wide, ramping valley that only went a short distance vertically up the mountain base—but being backed into the rockface at least seemed like a good defensive strategy. The rocks to the north of the camp looked scalable, with switchback trails over ledges and a few worn paths that could be seen even from a distance. Both sides of the valley stretched tall enough that, as she craned her neck back and blinked against the haze in the sky, Vola would be able to make out snow atop several peaks and a few that even reached cloud cover.

Then, as she watched, among some of the rocks not far from the two Runts’ position, something small and furry—at least, it looked small from this distance—emerged and began scampering over the ridge. It would’ve been easy to mistake for a large squirrel or even a racoon…save that its tail was pink and hairless. If they didn’t give chase soon, though, it would likely disappear among the crags and crannies in the rock…

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Could i join this roleplay thread? I would like to play an elf that joins up with them.

@Kaga Classs

Unfortunately, we're full at the moment and there are some others who've expressed interest if spots ever open up who would be ahead of you on the list. What's more, the premise of the RP is that players take on the role of Orcs, specifically, even if they end up evolving into other creatures later on. So a character starting out as an elf wouldn't really work. My apologies.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

@Crusader Lord You FOOL, your lack of desire for the Desire Sensor guarantees you will have it! Every MonHun player knows that to get the carves you must cease to want them! Only through this enlightenment can you complete your armor set!

Also Orcs can eat stuff raw about the same as any wild animal can, but whether they like the taste is up to preference. Are they more likely to get sick, maybe so, but they're also far more adapted to it than the modern "jaws can't even hold all our teeth" human is.

The Little Hamlet

Lol

I just noticed the Villagers are "cautious" of Nibiria, despite her being top-billed as their only professional doctor. XD

@Enkryption

This is a medieval rural village, you think these Constitutional Peasants can afford insurance!?

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

@ERode
Rather than stuff exploding into coins and whatnot, yes it's basically carving stuff out of other stuff. Monster Hunter style--including everyone's favorite Desire Sensor ;)

An Orc Runt's "everyday strength" is about as strong as an average 12 year old on an adrenaline rush. So carrying a single Elwet, or even 2 at a time, is definitely doable. Carrying one would make climbing, fighting, etc more difficult, obviously. Can't just shove it into a Hammerspace Inventory...yet.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

@Crusader Lord@ERode@Kazemitsu@King Cosmos

"As Akeno leaped after the fleeing monster, she almost landed right on top of it. At the same time, she grabbed one of the fowl beast's antlers, and using that for leverage she put all her weight behind each strike! The first elbow to the back of its head stunned the already disoriented creature, and it crashed to the ground before they reached the tangled pile of other runts and fiery chickens. The second came down with enough force to crack the horn where she held it. The third made a deepier, meatier sound, and Akeno felt bone give way under the strike as the horn came off in her hand. The Elwet's screeches ceased, and its legs feebly kicked the air slower and slower.

The enemies were vanguished!

Loot:

• Elwet Horn (Akeno)
• Lightly Bloodied Elwet (Lazash)
• Damaged Elwet (Grunthor)
• Mostly Intact Elwet (Akeno)

SYSTEM

As the Runts lay there, some still on top of their prey and all catching their breath, the forest around them was quiet...at least for the moment."

---

The Quests don't count as complete until they turn their hunts in to Auguz, but at this point all of the group save Esfir have basically fulfilled what they were supposed to do along with the "kill something" and "bring it back in decent condition" optionals (although Grunthor's will depend on Auguz's evaluation). As most of you have realized by this point, there wasn't a time limit given, so now the next move is up to you...