STATUS:
Do you ever think Sadako is like "Ghost girls died after 2010 can't haunt...all they know is Subway Surfer, vine boom, remake games, be yandere, make lewd moans and lie!"
19 hrs ago
Current
Do you ever think Sadako is like "Ghost girls died after 2010 can't haunt...all they know is Subway Surfer, vine boom, remake games, be yandere, make lewd moans and lie!"
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7 days ago
"The Founders of Hogwarts could've never foreseen multi-casting wands or auto-swish-and-flick grips! Curses today are far too powerful!" "NON INFRENGIUS!" *blinding flash of light*
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12 days ago
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you give a man a rat, then you satisfy his R A T D E S I R E.
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17 days ago
Maybe people just shouldn't screech and be assmad over politics in the Status Bar in general. Nothing anyone says here wins "the great cultural war of our time." Go RP or something, shit.
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21 days ago
I AM AN ELF AND I'M PLANTING A TREE! PLANTY PLANTY TREE, PLANTY PLANTY TREE!
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Bio
On CST time, United States. Typically busy most of the week and do most posting/replying on weekends.
Potentially interested! I have a few questions, though:
Since you mentioned Jojo, is the implication meant to be that our Summoned Demon is sort of "one of a kind" like a Stand or a Persona? Or will we negotiate with other Demons to build a multi-person party, and if so does the Player control their subordinates as well as their own character?
Does anything keep the players from leaving the city, like a barrier of some kind? Is this sudden invasion of Demons something that only happens in the given location, or is the whole world suddenly plunged into an apocalyptic scenario of some kind? If it's the former, will this play out similarly to the Devil Survivor games?
@ERode As Esfir left the cave, she would find that the other Runts had either retreated, or simply split apart from the group. She was now, it seemed, alone in the valley. To the west, she could see the slopes still rising up to the waterfall where the paths grew rockier and more winding. Back east, and then down the southern edge of the mountain range, would be back the way she and the others had come. Straight ahead and across the narrow, shallow stream--which would be north--the other side of this ancient watershed pathway ended in a straight rock wall, which rose for many feet before the first cracked ledges appeared.
If she dared, she might climb further up and see if the area around the waterfall's pool bore any new discoveries. Climbing the smoother, more sheer northern wall would probably require tools she didn't have at the moment, like a pickaxe or rope, but if she went east back to the treeline and then continued north there might be another path up into the mountains proper.
Or, she could return to the forest for another, likely easier hunt. No matter what way she went, she still needed to find intact prey to bring back to the camp...
"Ooooi!" A deep, gravelly voice suddenly rang out from further up the slope. Following the line of the waterfall upward, and then to one side, a large shape appeared to lean over one of the stony shelves. "You, Runt! Stay right there!"
An axe, not made of stone but metal, was wedged in between two rocks before its handler began to descend the cliffside. A second tool was used the same way, before his big green foot found a proper place to stand so he could wrench the first axe out and repeat the process. Soon there was a heavy thump, and with much longer strides than her own the heavy figure came jogging down towards Esfir.
This was an Adult Orc that Esfir didn't know personally, but from his size alone she'd be able to deduce he was one of the "variant" types of the species scattered in smaller numbers throughout the camp's population. Known as "Brutes," these Orcs had either been genetically gifted with great size or had somehow managed to acquire such mass through copious amounts of food, body-enhancing Skills, and other methods. They were among the most respected of the tribe's warriors, and the first pick for any raiding party.
As he approached Esfir, hooking his axes through a broad strap of leather around his gut, he towered over the Runt at six feet and a handful of inches in height and what had to be over three hundred pounds. He looked down at the runt with one thin brow raised and a half-scowl on his cracked lips.
"Wot's a liddl'un loik you doin' all dis way out?" He glanced back at the cave, and seemed to take note of the scorch marks and scattered rubble left in the wake of the explosion the others caused. "...Is you wot's made dat camazot scream, a minnit back? If'n yo're on da hunt, ya've dun scared away anyting ya coulda caught!" He turned his gaze skyward for a moment, looking at a particular spot further up the mountain. If Esfir squinted, she might be able to make out some dark areas that looked small and vague in the distance. Was it just the shadow of the rocks? Or were there more caves, further up? In any case, the Brute sniffed the air, then grunted something under his breath before returning his attention to Esfir. "M'name's Koughat. Who're you?"
While Svarok gathered some of the more useful looking stones and a handful of the berries, Carmina experimented with the strange tree she'd found, hacking into a few of the lower branches. Her Sharp Stone was suitable for cutting off smaller sticks, which hadn't even blossomed any foliage yet, while the Stone Hatchet she'd just acquired from the Goblin allowed her to get a few decently sized branches off the trunk.
And as soon as she'd wrenched the fresh wood away from its parent tree, she could see the oozing stumps start to change in color. As she popped one of the fresh twigs into her mouth and chewed--crunching through the wood and fibrous insides with great difficulty--she saw the tree's off-white inner wood darken to gray. As she finally managed to pulp the wood between her teeth, the chopped ends of her harvested branches did the same, and the wounds in the original trunk oozed a dark-colored, oily sap. And once she'd swallowed the pulpy mouthful, there was a low, ever so slight crackling noise as the sap on the Stonewood tree hardened like a scab. It too, began to rapidly turn gray and dry until it matched the petrified growths she had seen on the other tree.
Carmina started to cough as something stuck to the inside of her throat. It didn't clear, and her ribcage instinctively heaved as the coughing intensified. She couldn't swallow. Her throat felt painfully dry. She couldn't get air into her windpipe either. There was something scratchy stuck at the back of her tongue--
She finally hacked out a small, crusty, gristle-hard gray lump. As if she'd swallowed a pebble.
The branches she had chopped off were still somewhat flexible, woody, and had a wet heaviness to them like fresh wood tended to. Only the ends where she'd cut them from the tree had the hardened sap scabs--although, in the case of the smaller twigs, they were starting to feel a little less springy by the second.
The two Runts headed back to the place Carmina indicated, where unbeknownst to them four others of their kind had shared the spoils of their first hunt in much the same way Svarok and Carmina planned. Within a few moments, red-hot coals at the very bottom of the charcoal pile were discovered, and from these and a few handfuls of grass, leaves, and dead wood that could easily be harvested around the area the orclings soon had a fire of their own started. The smoky spiral soon rose into the sky above them--and it carried a slight hint of barbeque? Maybe it was left over from whoever had cooked something here before.
Lightly Tainted Goblin has been disassembled! Lightly Tainted Goblin has been disassembled! Some items have been damaged or are unusable. Useful Items Obtained: Goblin Ear x4 Goblin Fang x3 Cracked Goblin Fang x3 Goblin Tibia x4 Goblin Femur x2 Cracked Goblin Femur x2 Goblin Humerus x3 Broken Goblin Humerus > Bone Shards x5 Goblin Rib x8 Cracked Goblin Rib x1 Goblin Head x2 Small Bones x3 Goblin Liver x1 Tainted Goblin Liver x1 Goblin Heart x2 Lightly Tainted Goblin Meat x53lbs (Goblin A: 61 lbs pre-disassembly; Goblin B: 59 lbs pre-disassembly)
Consumed: Stone Slime Gel Consumed: Cracked Stone Slime Flakes
Current Ingestion: Stone Slime - 50% > 85% Ingestible Skills [Geo Slime]:
[Blunt Damage Resistance]
[Danger Scan]
[Stone Shot]
[Tough]
[Camoflauge: Rock]
Skill Gained: Tough - Rank 1 - Increase defenses for a short time by tightening the body, and resist flinching or being knocked back by strong impacts. Movement is slightly slowed while this Skill is active. Consumes Stamina.
You have filled all Skill Slots!
...
Victory! Loot Obtained: Punctured Slime x1
Consumed: Slime Membrane Consumed: Slime Gel
Activate [Ingestion: Slime] (>Y/N)? Approximate Ingestion: 0 > 100%. This will ERASE previous Ingestion Progress [Stone Slime]. Current Ingestion: Stone Slime - 85% No Ingestible Skills remaining [Stone Slime]. Ingestible Skills [Slime]:
[Blunt Damage Resistance]
[Danger Scan]
[Scavenge]
You are Bloated. You cannot eat any more food until bloating has decreased. Rate of weight gain has increased. Stamina Consumption has temporarily increased.
You are Tired; your stamina is low and your body needs rest. Stamina Recovery has temporarily decreased.
Given all of his activity and that he'd eaten three different monsters over the course of the day, Grunthor would soon feel like a cartoon character being followed around by a tuba player. A long sit down, maybe even a nap, would be warranted as well. Nonetheless the Runt pushed onward after defeating the slime he'd stumbled upon while making his way back from the Northern Caves. He re-entered the forest, perhaps taking note of Akeno using her magic on new prey of her own, or maybe noticing a thin curl of smoke coming from the place where he and the others had feasted on their spicy chickens.
It didn't take long to find a few tracks and a tuft of fur caught on a briar patch. But, when he found yet another prey, it seemed something else had beaten him to it.
The beast stood as tall or taller than an Orc Runt at its shoulder, and was easily three times heavier. A broad chest and powerful forelimbs rippled with muscle beneath not only thick fur, but hard, fleshy armor akin to that of an armadillo. Gripped in its fanged jaws, a Jackalope bled out the last of its life as bone and cartilage snapped and popped.
Even an adult orc wouldn't dare to hunt one of these beasts alone; the foggy memories of pre-awakening in the Brood Pit brought flashbacks of hearing the horror stories, or hearing particularly adept hunters brag about a scar they'd gotten tangling with such a beast. Grunthor made the smart decision to get the hell out of dodge as quietly and quickly as possible...
But the Wompus Cat watched him go with green eyes that glimmered in the shadows of the trees. It slowed its chewing for a moment...then went back to its meal with a low, undulating growl...
Soon after, Grunthor returned to the camp but was roughly denied entry. However, in lieu of going back into the forest alone, it seemed an opportunity had arisen...
"I have no way of killing that thing, nor if there were a dozen of us little Runts. But having a second set of eyes doesn't hurt since I need to get another kill, which if I get I will hunt something with you and you can claim the whole thing for yourself." Grunthor replied before holding his hand out for a shake.
The darker Runt simply looked at his outstretched hand, then wagged one finger while smirking.
"Ah, but I already got my kill for the day! And I wouldn't exactly need your help to hunt something just for the sake of a meal, like a Dire Rat or Slime, yeah? So, how's about this, my grumbly friend?" The greasy-haired Runt threw his arm around Grunthor's shoulder and turned him towards the south, before gesturing towards the distant rocky slopes. "I happen to have heard, by exhausting the NPC dialogue around here," at this, he glanced side-eye at the guards, who were pointedly ignoring the two 'children', then continued, "that three out of the hundred-something lumbering idiots in this tribe recently went missing! Supposedly, in a cave one of them claimed he found down that-a-way!" Breaking away from Grunthor, he rubbed his hands together as those orange eyes glittered.
"So, if you come with me to the cave, we're sure to encounter something along the way--or hell, maybe inside! And, if we find the three lost orcs dead, we can take their stuff and split it down the middle! Or, if we find them alive...maybe we still take their stuff! You know how these games work, I'm sure! The Quest only says I gotta find out what happened to 'em! Doesn't say anything about them coming back!"
An Optional Quest is now Available! Quest: Three Lost Orcs Supposedly, three Orcs went missing in a Cave to the South of the Camp. It's suspected they might already be dead. Find the Cave and Investigate, then Report Back to any VIP within the camp (Warchief, Head Warrior, Etc).
Discover the South Cave
Find the Three Orcs or any Remains
Investigate
Would you like to join [???]'s Party?
@King Cosmos As the fire bolt hurtled through the air, the Tatzelwurm's eyes fluttered open an instant before impact. Then its underbelly, as well as a few leaves and pieces of bark, caught alight with a fwoosh! The creature screeched and dove off the branch, its hide still smoking as it hit the ground and rolled, scattering dirt this way and that with its claws and lashing tail!
Though its body would soon be spared the searing heat, now it was on a level playing field with Akeno! She had a mere instant before the creature had its bearings back--could one of her weapons, or another fire bolt, end the conflict before it had a chance to fight her?
Warning! Your MP is Low.
If she was going to use her spell again, she could feel in her gut she'd need to make it count...
To learn magic, you must visit the mystic cave of mirrors, traverse the minotaur's lanyrinth inside, find the sacred moth viillage and eat the silver coconut.
ur gonna feel real dumb when I just hold out my hand and think about it really hard
Since Kenji was reincarnated as an Elf, which are usually a very intelligent, sophisticated, magically inclined species, and he was chosen by Morganna, who's willing to give her followers a more direct helping hand, it's likely that wherever he "spawns" would be somewhere that'll help him get his bearings.
If you wanted to expand on @ERode's suggestion, and on what @TheNoCoKid said about the Status Screen that every Otherworlder has, maybe the Elven Priest would be waiting in the chamber where Kenji opens his eyes and would try to ease him through an explanation of what's happening, and instruct him on checking his own Status so that he can learn what each of his Skills do. They might even ask Kenji what he wants to do with his new life: Be an adventurer and slay monsters? Learn about magic and become an arcane scholar? Just go out and see this new world?
Whatever his new goals are, maybe they could point him in that direction--the nearest Wizard or Fighter's Guild, or maybe they spot him some money to go get a room at the local inn. That kind of stuff.
Posted! I was originally going to wait until I had my Skill summaries, but decided to go ahead while I had the time. I made some assumptions about how Primal Rage worked, and used the info @TheNoCoKid gave me about the NPC via PM, so I hope that's all okay! If not, let me know what I need to edit, or if any part of the post needs to be re-done entirely!
Just like something out of his Japanese anee-mays, a glowing, data-green screen opened up in front of Dalton. At the same time, he caught a whiff of something on the air. It reminded him of a...dog? But somehow, maybe subconsciously, he knew it wasn't. His ears twitched again at a sound in the underbrush. Nonetheless, in that brief moment before his instincts screamed at him, he read what was on the screen.
SUMMARY | >> [SKILLS] | MAP | INVENTORY [*][Combat Sense] Your keen senses allow you to detect and predict where potential attackers are hid--
In a single second, Dalton's reading speed proved its worth. He didn't have time to register the numbers beside his different stats, or the other two tabs, but "potential attackers" immediately contextualized the new smells and sounds he was picking up. His head was already turning when the brush in front of him parted--!
A silver-furred wolf, as graceful as she was deadly, leaped out in front of him! Fangs bared, the animal snarled and glared with storm-gray eyes as the fur on its neck bristled.
Look big! Look big! screamed Dalton's analytical side, its mental voice breaking and rising a few octaves in terror. Right, he'd always heard that if you made yourself look bigger than you were, and made intimidating noises, that animals would back off! Ambush predators like wolves and mountain lions weren't supposed to attack if the prey knew they were there and looked like it would put up a fight!
HURRY IT UP! yelled his emotional side, before dumping a load of coal on the fire surging up in Dalton's guts.
Dalton did not usually allow himself to have outbursts of anger or fear. Strict self control, a desire not to rock the boat, rigid courtesy training from his parents...for whatever reason, he'd allowed himself to be chained up all his life.
But he had just died. He'd lived his whole life without meaning, letting himself be trampled on at every turn. He'd allowed himself to be tied down by worthless rules that no one else followed. Some dumbass kid had been looking at their stupid phone, and some idiot trucker had been going way over the speed limit, and the freaking vice president had been on his ass all morning, and that rich bastard had heaped nothing but abuse on him over the phone, and then some Final Fantasy reject had thrown him out here with no pants--!
>> [Primal Rage] activated!
Dalton screamed back at the wolf, at the top of his lungs. As he raised his arms high above his head, fingers curled into claws, and tried to make himself look as imposing and dangerous as possible, he screamed. Though he didn't know it, his pupils narrowed to slits and the whites of his eyes turned bloodshot red. His own fangs were bared wide. Though his body wasn't exactly huge and buff, he didn't have much fat on him either. Every muscle stood taut against his flesh, and veins pulsed in his forehead and along his forearms.
As his Skill surged through him, his muscles pulsed as if they were growing of their own accord. His skin flushed red and his voice rose in volume yet again. Something like steam, or maybe an aura, rose from his body as he shook with unbridled fury. A vibration, a thrumming resonance deep within his chest, caused his words to reverberate.
"BACK! OFF!"
The wolf's ears suddenly flattened back against her head in surprise. The animal's tail, which was sticking straight out, lowered ever so slightly. She still snarled, but an unsure tongue darted out between her teeth as she crouched lower to the ground, hiding her vulnerable throat.
"I WILL $%&@ YOU UP, BUTTERCUP!" Dalton stomped one foot on the ground, and the impact seemed much heavier than it should've been, leaving an impression in the dirt under his sandal.
The wolf took a step back, and the snarl faded to a low growl...then a whine. Dalton felt relief wash over him--and then, a cold, nervous realization. What was happening to him? He'd triggered a Skill of some kind? He could barely think straight--it didn't make any sense for him to try and attack this animal unarmed. All he wanted to do was scare it and make it go away, but he felt like if it actually turned tail and ran, his first reaction would be to chase it!
Anyone else might've given into that rage, and damned the consequences. Dalton was certainly tempted. But his habit, the one he'd lived his whole life by, was one of self control. And so he was able to temper, just the little bit, this power that he had only barely tapped into before it could overwhelm him.
>> [Primal Rage] deactivated.
"Yeah, that's right!" He kept his arms upraised, and yelled loud enough to shake the leaves on the trees. But the red glow began to fade from his eyes as he wrinkled his nose at the wolf in imitation of its own hackles. "You don't hurt me, I don't hurt you! So walk away!"
The wolf blinked as it took another step back. Then, slowly, it nodded...and spoke.
"You're the one in my tribe's territory! Identify yourself!" said the beast, in an unmistakably female voice. This time it was Dalton's turn to blink as his ears flattened against the sides of his head, and both eyebrows flew up.
"What the hell!? You can talk?" he blurted out. The wolf looked at him in confusion, pulling back to a sitting position and tilting her head. Dalton relaxed as well, lowering his arms, but he still stared at her with his jaw gaping.
"What's wrong with you?" The wolf shook herself out--and then started to change.
Dalton's face changed as well.
"WUUT THA HAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIL!?"
Somehow, this scream was even louder than the one powered by years of repressed rage and hatred. Above the treetops near the two Merrick, flocks of birds fled their perches and flew over the forest.
"Enough!" shouted the girl as she covered her ears--her actual ears, not the two tufts of hair on her head that resembled ears. "J-just tell me who you are!"
"Uh. Oh. R-right." Dalton nodded dumbly. "I'm Dalton." His shoulders slumped as he pointed at himself with one thumb, as his voice had gone completely monotone.
"...Dah-ru-tun?" She tilted her head again, and the reincarnator gulped. "What kind of name is that? Where are you from?"
"Ohio."
The two of them stared at each other for a long time, as they each faced the difficult decision of whether they were more intimidated or confused by the person across from them.
Okay, so how do we play this? Analytical Dalton pushed his non-existent glasses up. Most isekai protagonists tend to keep their original background under wraps...
I might have blown that already.
Yeah, but she's first girl! Emotional Dalton pumped his fists. First girl is always on your side! And she's a WOLF girl!
"...What? Do you hear something?" The girl looked at Dalton one way, and then another, but he just stood in place, staring at her. She gulped and stepped back again. "Hey! Are you listening to me?"
The Status screen said we're something called a Merrick. Should we assume the omega is a reference to a hierarchy? If she's also a Merrick, and she turns into a wolf, then it's possible her tribe works like a pack-- Normal Dalton interrupted himself mid-thought.
Wolves don't actually have alphas and omegas and all that stuff, though. At least, not in the wild. The guy who did that study realized he messed up cause he used wolves that were raised in captivity.
EARTH TO NERDS, SHE'S TALKING TO US!
Dalton blinked and realized the girl had gotten closer. She was lowering her head and sniffing directly in front of him. He glanced down--then jumped backwards with a squeak. The girl, too, flinched in surprise.
"What?! What is the matter with you!?"
"I don't know!" He exclaimed in a panic. But, taking a deep breath, he tried to concentrate. "Okay, so look. It's not by choice that I ended up in your territory--I kinda got...dumped here, I guess? Long story. So, if you're not planning to kill me...would you be willing to help me, instead?" He held out his hand--which was already starting to sweat--and gulped before smiling at her nervously.
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