Avatar of Zeroth

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1 hr ago
Current The damned wizards are back! Grab your torches and pitchforks! Somebody get the pyre ready, and call the Inquisitors!
4 likes
5 days ago
"You're me from the future, and you came back to the past to keep me from suffering like you did?" asks my childhood self. "Something like that," I reply as I load the gun.
5 likes
6 days ago
That bot left a number and email. Someone should cast "Unending Newsletters" for them.
2 likes
28 days ago
Writing horror is super difficult because it requires telling a story while shutting up at the same time. It's fear of the UNKNOWN, not fear of the well-written descriptions.
9 likes
2 mos ago
Say "thanks," when they compliment you and smile. Watch more of what's going on around you instead of staying inside your head. If eye contact's hard, stare at her forehead.
1 like

Bio

On CST time, United States. Typically busy most of the week and do most posting/replying on weekends.

Most Recent Posts






The Fangs and Claws Vola had taken off the Tatzelwurm were about as one would expect--quite sharp, the fangs also seemed to have hollows for venom, and the claws were almost as broad as a pocket knife's blade while being just about as long. What the system called a Coilbone seemed to be the creature's spine, except parts of it weren't really bone at all, but something with a fatty, rubbery texture---in certain segments, the vertebral column could even rotate nearly 170 degrees before the rest of the bones began to twist along with it. Given how thin and flimsy the connective material was between these sections, maybe it had something to do with the creature's catlike nature---supposedly, the reason cats always landed on their feet and could fit into tight spaces was because some of their bones "floated" instead of being firmly attached to the skeleton. The eye was like a cold, icky, glassy marble. A bright, venomous green with a night black pupil.

With the Tungem Stick and a few extra handfuls of its leaves in their possession, the two runts headed for the smoketrail they'd seen earlier. A short walk brought them through some thick underbrush and into a small clearing, where they saw four other Runts seated around a fire and eating what smelled like some kind of spicy chicken---though by this point there wasn't much of the beasts left, and their fire was beginning to die down too since it had taken a while to cook their kills.








SYSTEM


While Lazash and Akeno made small talk and acquired their skills, Esfir began cleaning out one of the Elwet's stomachs and Grunthor examined the changes in his bird's feathers and scales. Each of the runts saw the results of their Ingestion, and thankfully once they had chosen a skill it seemed the System provided more knowledge about it---and, in fact, even more information that wasn't "spoken" by the strange interface began to throb inside their skulls. The method to call up the power each of them had absorbed...with room for personal preference, even, and a mixture of their psychological intent with the resources of their new bodies as fuel. Magic Power and Stamina Power, it seemed, were the primary sources that Skills needed in order to work.

As Esfir moved on to gathering leaves and seedpods from the gnarled, foul smelling bush, some of the plant's black sap happened to drip onto her hand from the broken stems. It smelled exceedingly foul, like fresh dog droppings or the stomach bile one regurgitates when there's nothing left in their digestive tract. What was more, it was sticky like a fresh drop of acrylic paint, and attempting to wipe it off just smeared it the first few times before finally removing it. Yet even once the gunk was gone, the scent remained. Her skin also itched slightly, but it didn't seem to be an allergic reaction of any kind.

Grunthor examined the blackened feathers and expanded scales. The "fire hardened" Elwet feathers felt more like plastic than actual feathers now, and the individual downy fibers seemed to have melded together into an even surface. It was as if they'd turned from "real" feathers into those fake ones most sport archery arrows had. Meanwhile, the scales just seemed...harder, than before. And ever so slightly warped in their expansion, so that their outer sides were slightly convex. His finger found that they weren't really sharp (though maybe they could be, considering how thin they were) but they had a cold, almost metallic feel now. They were still only about twice the size of a human thumbnail...but if they were put onto something else, like say leather, in large enough numbers, maybe they could actually be used as lamellar of some sort?

The four began bundling up their belongings in preparation to head North, to the Camazotz caves---but just before they were about to leave, two more Runts entered the clearing. One of them was carrying the remains of a snakelike creature, and the other had a primitive looking stone hatchet...





Despite the Slime's panic, Agar was able to quickly catch up with it---the blobby monster didn't seem very fast given its lack of legs. Maybe if only one Runt had been around, it'd have staged an ambush attack from the tree, but faced with two it chose flight instead of fight. But Agar wasn't going to let it get away that easily!

The vengeful Runt leaped into the air, bringing down his body weight and his sharp rock onto the spherical monster! The Slime made a high pitched, phlegmy warble as the knapped blade sank deep into its body. It lurched with all its might to throw Agar off, but as the runt rolled through the grass, the Slime wobbled from side to side. It moved forward only a few more inches before, with a pitiful sound like a deflating balloon, it stopped moving and...seemed to leak some kind of plasma, shrinking down as the fluid formed a shallow puddle underneath it.

The enemy was vanquished!

Loot:

  • Punctured Slime
SYSTEM
Got the day off from work tomorrow thanks to the holiday, so I'll be making a full update!

EDIT: And it's up!
@Coltshan Do you have any examples of the power ceiling in mind? Like, what would top-tier human beings in the setting be able to accomplish? Would they be able to use Qi/magic for things like elemental manipulation and such? And since Monsters and Beasts are mentioned, does this refer to supernatural/demonic/etc creatures?
Small clarification: Nibiria's webs were discarded into the compost. It was the plants that told her that Goh was approaching. Because she takes care of them, they warn her of danger in return. It's an extension of her heritage magic. It's very hard to sneak up on her within her domain, as a result, unless you can understand the plants speaking.


Right, in the first post where Goh approached her property, when he stopped and slowly stepped over "something" it wasn't meant to be the webs she'd discarded, but a separate one around the border of her property rather than right up in her yard. I was just assuming that, disliking people as much as she does and being protective of her secrets, that Nibiria would have some kind of security around---such as a "trip wire" web that she'd feel when someone stepped on it or brushed past it or whatever. It was my attempt at a small IC detail to continue foreshadowing Goh's "clearly not a regular old man" vibes as well as the attempted comic relief of said old man sneaking up on the paranoid recluse. Now that he's failed, however, he'll just have to find another way, lol!
G O H

Interacting with: Nibiria @Enkryption
Garden || Conversation || Amused Curiosity

Interesting. Those odd trip-wires---silk? Not fishing line or string---aren't the only means she has to detect those who cross her territory. Goh had never become familiar with magic, even in his homeland...at least, no more familiar with it than he might be with any enemy's weapon. No doubt they did it differently here as they seemed to do most other things. He glanced at the watering can in the woman's hand, and then at the plants around her.

"Yes, well," the old man joined her as she continued, ambling slowly by her side, "I just happened to think, I had not seen you out and about...lately." Actually, had he ever seen her out and about? It would make sense if Wormwood or Miss Mary were the ones bringing the reclusive woman groceries and other supplies. Goh had trouble recalling if he'd ever met her in the village itself before. Anytime he or the children had needed treatment, they'd always come here---which was why he knew about the tripwires and a few other little odd tidbits about the place. Even as an old man, he took pride in never falling for the same tricks twice.

"So I thought I'd invite you to see the hubbub for yourself. Mayhaps some of the odds and ends the travelers bring in would have use for your practice?" He closed his eyes and softly leaned over one of the plants they'd already passed by, taking in its deep herbal scent. But, in his own way, he watched for her reaction beneath his eyelids. "Or...maybe it'd be an opportunity for you to sell your own wares? It's a great shame, I think, that most folks outside our humble hamlet simply don't know there's a doctor of your caliber among us. Don't you agree?"




Potentially interested, but I have some questions. Would this story include any specific focus on things like Cultivation, Chi/Qi manipulation, or supernatural martial arts? Or is it meant to lean more towards something grounded and less over-the-top in its magical elements?
Damn, Zeroth straight up blasting out IC posts as OOC updates now.


Yeah I debated just going ahead with a "full" update but I'd like to see some more posts in IC. Although, does anyone want to chime in on how the pace has been thus far? Too slow, too fast, etc?
@King Cosmos@Crusader Lord@ERode@Kazemitsu
G O H

Interacting with: Eventually, Nibiria @Enkryption
Heading to Nibby's Cottage || Wandering || Neighborly Concern


As his students scampered down the village thoroughfare, Goh folded his fishing pole and used a familiar, slightly curved piece of wood from his belt to steady his walk. He didn't really have any limps or old injuries, but it helped when he got tired out...and, truth be told, it just felt proper for a man his age to have a "cane," after all. The little ones' parents and neighbors were no doubt among the various little groups that gathered around the market stalls, so as long as he kept a sharp ear out he had little fear that they'd get themselves into too much trouble. Even Eric had learned quite quickly that if he was going to commit some mischief, he'd best not let the elder find out about it.

But, Goh himself had little need at the moment. He did not often buy the fancy spices or unusual delicacies brought to market--he preferred the simplicity and ease of plain rice, meat, and home-grown vegetables to the wistful treats and cakes the children were so fond of. He could find someone in the village to repair his clothes easily enough, or do a passable job himself, and cared little for fashion. Thus, neither did bolts of colorful cloth or the pleasurable feel of far-away silks hold any interest for him. All in all, Market Day was really more about wandering, watching, and listening for him...and he noticed a few things here and there.

It looked like Boro, the librarian, had decided to bring his precious tomes outside. That was good---people really didn't appreciate how lucky they were to have such a collection, this far away from a major city! Goh had never even seen books growing up, and even if he had, he wouldn't have been allowed inside some place as grand as a library. Such things were reserved for---

Let's not remember these things.

It was enough to know that the library was a great boon, and that the people of Hearth should appreciate it more.

Goh continued wandering aimlessly. He also noticed the...scarecrow...with a wheelbarrow full of what he could only imagine were the creature's attempts at gardening. If critters like Wormwood struck Goh as odd, and that strange creature William sometimes talked about as suspicious, then the word he would use for the scarecrow was perhaps...unnerving. The old man folded his arms behind his back, letting his cane trail above the ground, and passed on.

Speaking of Wormwood, the little lizard-thing was splashing around on the riverbank, either playing or trying to catch his dinner. Goh started to head that way--before he saw the enormous figure of Ingrid rise up out of the water like one of the fabled monsters of his distant homeland. Had...had she fallen into the river? No, wait. She took her duties as village guard very seriously...perhaps she'd been waiting, the whole time, under the water's surface in case any shifty-eyed n'er'do'well tried to make off with the village's fish! Ah, poor Wormwood, then. But she probably wouldn't be too hard on him. Goh nodded to himself and continued his peaceful walk.

But of all the villagers he saw out and about, waving and exchanging pleasant greetings, there was another missing. Of course, it wasn't anything unusual for this particular person to be absent...and yet, a thought began to creep into Goh's hoary head.

When he'd first come to this village, the people had been rightly suspicious. He hadn't been quite so old, then, but old enough that it struck folks as unusual for a man like him to be out and about; alone, homeless, wandering...and, perhaps, dangerous. It had taken a great deal of time...and a large amount of money, which he'd never told anyone how he attained...to get himself settled here. And it had taken longer for the villagers to accept him. Now, though, if he could be permitted to pat himself on the back somewhat, he felt that the villagers had come to like him. He'd made an effort, to behave the way he thought an old man in a foreign land should, and to speak kindly to those around him. He'd spent a lot of time with the children he'd taken under his wing, of course, and gotten to know their parents, and every so often he shared excess spoils from his snare traps or his little root cellar with the neighbors.

Nothing that could really make up for his past, perhaps, but...a start.

And yet, despite being of far more importance to the community than he, he'd noticed that the local doctor--or at least, one of the two people in town capable of brewing healing draughts, and able to set bones and do other things besides alchemy--was treated by the villagers with much the same air Goh himself felt towards the scarecrow. Maybe he was simply an old fool putting his nose in where it didn't belong, but he couldn't help wondering about it. And, after all...if he was making the effort to behave as a kindly hearted, wise and gentle old man should, then shouldn't he make this effort as well?

Thus his wanderings took him down the southern road, still waving and exchanging a few pleasantries with the peddling carts still trickling into town. His "cane" saw more use by the time he passed what passed for a "lookout," Ingrid's usual place of business, but he still moved with remarkable ease for an old man. As he left the road and headed into the gentle, grassy pastures, he enjoyed the warmth of the sun sinking into his dark coat. A gentle breeze rustled the grass in waves around him. He spared a glance for the skies, marveling in their blue, curving vastness. A pang of regret pinched Goh's heart---why had it taken him so many years to appreciate peace like this, in such a humble place? He sighed, as he came to the edge of the forest, and a humble cottage set on its doorstep.

Goh stopped. He looked down at his feet, and followed...something...with his eyes. Then, picking up one foot very carefully and unusually high, he stepped over the...something...and with equal care brought his other foot along. As he continued towards the cottage, he took in a quiet breath through his nose, and then his weight shifted.

A sweeping, crescent shaped step. Not fast, not slow. The weight of the foot focused along the edge of the whole extremity, not in the front or in the heel. His mass, distributed evenly. Knees bending, just enough to blur the moment between the rise and fall of each step. His voluminous clothing, and the slight breeze, gave him the appearance of a spirit that floated above the ground, rather than walked on it. And thus was the sound of his coming silenced.

“I guess, he's out and about,” Nibiria says, fetching her can, and summoning a rain cloud inside it to produce water infinitely. Dragging on her pipe, she hummed merrily, as she watered her plants; listening to their appreciation for her attendance.
Nibiria
As the woman rounded one row to begin on another, a puff from her pipe trailed behind her. Goh lifted a hand to wave it away without rustling the sleeve of his garments. Then, politely, he put the same hand over his mouth and coughed to announce his presence.

"Good morning, Doctor." He smiled at her without showing his teeth, folding his hands behind his back again. "Did you know? It's Market Day."




CONTINUE BIOMASS ACCUMULATION

Just to confirm though, how much Elwets are left to be eaten after the 20% mark? Or did we not actually start eating yet?


Lazash has currently only consumed blood, cooked skin, and uncooked scales, if I've been reading the post right. The cooked meat of the main body, legs/wings/etc has not been consumed.
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