Zeroth

Enter the Dark Realm - A Castlevania/Gothic Fantasy Inspired Dungeon Crawl (Re-VAMPed Edition)

*kicks thread back up top*

@Vlad Tepes

Still here for it! Awesome expansion on the concept by the way, love the BGM and the images (I assume AI?). My "weaponized holy barrier" priest-concept is still ready to go!

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Post is up! This'll be the last update until after New Year's, probably, since holidays are always busy! As always lemme know if something was missed or needs clarification--I'll be popping in and out every so often.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Forest > Orc Camp

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@ERode

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Obtained:
Skewered Tatzelwurm, Partially Frozen Harpy

Ingested New Substance: [Pimpleshroom] Mycellium Lash
Observed and Destroyed New Hazard: Pimpleshroom Colony
Observed and Killed New Creatures: Tatzelwurm, Harpy
Crafted Items
Gathered New Resources: Chalcopyrite Ore, Mycellium Lash, Jackalope Antlers [...]

LEVEL UP! Level 2 > Level 3!
Choose ONE:

• Increase HP
• Increase SP
• Gain 1 Skill Rank
• Gain New Empty Skill Slot

SYSTEM:Esfir

Esfir's trip back to the Orc Camp was mostly uneventful, as she was passing through territory that she'd already explored and there were signs of other Runts, like that big group she'd been part of before, running around as well. By this point many prey-level monsters had probably wizened up and decided to give the camp's surroundings a wide berth. But upon reaching the camp's entrance, she was suddenly stopped by the broad palms of the two guards.

"Runts can't come back til they finish the---" one of them started to say, as if following a script, but then he stopped and looked at Esfir with fresh, surprised eyes. "Damn, another one with two? And they're the same monsters? What're the fuggin' chances?!" But then, the guard noticed the tiny flakes of ice that hadn't yet melted off the harpy's chilled corpse. "Wait, how'd you..."

"Quit wastin' time, our shift's almost done!" said the other guard. "Get in there, Runt! Go to Auguz!" The bigger creature slapped Esfir on the back and ushered her down the camp thoroughfare.

When Esfir re-entered the camp proper, it wasn't hard to find the Head Warrior. He stood on a small platform right in the middle of the thoroughfare, made from a couple of barrels that propped up a few planks of wood. The hastily put together dais seemed to be solely for the purpose of making him stand out, as none of the other orcs seemed to be paying him much mind and he wasn't waving his arms or shouting or anything.

"Another one! Good!" said the Head Warrior as he hopped down. He took Esfir's kills from her without asking or even making any gesture for them to be handed over. Then he lifted them close to his face and examined them with a long, drawn out hum. He looked at the Tatzelwurm, first with both eyes, then just his right as the left high squinted closed. Then he sniffed it, up and down the Tatzelwurm's length. Then he opened its mouth and peered inside, humming as he pressed his thumb into the hole made by her spear. Then he turned the creature upside down and licked it somewhere that didn't seem sanitary.

Following this, he held the Harpy up by its feet, and looked honestly surprised. Then he noted the ice flakes all over its wings, and glanced at Esfir with narrowed eyes. But after a moment, he shrugged, and turned the body this way and that. He tossed the Tatzelwurm back to Esfir, then shoved his entire fist down the harpy's throat as if searching for something. After an unsettling moment of watching the bird-creature's stomach bulge, the Head Warrior removed his hand and wiped it on his chest. Then he used that same hand to grab Esfir's arm and hold it up in the air.

"ALL O' YOUSE, LISTEN UP! THIS HERE RUNT--" he turned his head and whispered "What's yer name?" and then upon receiving answer he turned back to the camp--"THIS HERE RUNT, ESFIR, HAS RETURNED FROM THE HUNT!" He then set the smaller orc down, and turned in a slow circle so that the entire camp could see the bodies of Esfir's prey. "SHE HAS HUNTED TWO CREATURES! TODAY, SHE LEAVES DA BROOD PIT!" Several of the adult orcs cheered or pumped their fists, and many more gave the youngster an approving half-smile or a nod of respect. A few even looked contemplative, as if they were quite impressed. Auguz returned Esfir's kills to her.

"Now, for the rest o' the day ya can do whatever the hell ya feel like...but tomorrer mornin', you be at the Trainin' Circle before first light! And after that, we'll figure out some more duties for ya!" Auguz crossed his arms as he nodded. "But no more babyin'! Don't be goin' back to the Brood Pit---from now on, you find yer own food, yer own shelter, and whatever else! If somebody will trade ya for it, or ya take it in a fight, then more power to ya! Just be willin' to work if somebody's willin' t' give ya somethin' for it!" With that, the Head Warrior hopped back up on the dais.

QUEST COMPLETED!
Quest: Find Something to Eat and Bring it Back Whole

• Kill a Creature x2
• Keep the Target in High Quality Condition [Partially Frozen]
• Return to Camp Uninjured

A New Quest is Available:
Quest Giver: Head Warrior Auguz
Quest Details: Fulfill Duties within the Tribe (1/2 Minimum)

• Be at the Training Circle before sunrise tomorrow morning
• Find your own food (3/3 meals provided for) [Elwet, Tatzelwurm, Harpy]
• Find your own shelter
• Accept an optional Quest from another Tribe Member

SYSTEM:Esfir

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Orc Camp

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@King Cosmos

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"'Ey, where ya goin' little BAAAAY-BEEEE!?" came Builge's call as Akeno turned on her heel. "Doncha wanna tell us 'bout yer big hunt?! Huh? Hey!"

She could hear them laughing behind her, but it didn't seem like any of them were going to pursue. Although Builge sounded a little put off by the end--like most bullies, he probably wasn't pleased he couldn't get a reaction out of her.

But, now she'd seen that cause of one set of rumors. An orc was trying to build a farm, and either had problems getting the plants to grow, or a problem getting water regularly from a stopped up spring.

What were the other two? Ah, something about the blacksmith needing fuel for his forges, and better ore? And then...missing orcs in a cave down south?

Aside from that, it seemed she'd just have to find other Orcs to talk to if she wanted to do her Quest's "optional" objectives. The major players like the Shaman, Hunter, and Head Warrior were all that were left if she didn't want to get involved with the big-shot warchief, and she'd already picked up on the Blacksmith's needs...then again, maybe asking him directly could still bear some kind of fruit?

As she continued through the camp, there came a roar from further away, back towards the main thoroughfare. Apparently another one of the Runts had returned?

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South Caves

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@Kazemitsu

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"What, you think Orcs don't have their own forms of martial art? Big difference in fighting for survival and fighting for a trophy, pal." The dark runt chuckled as he held the torch aloft. But as the two began moving deeper into the tunnel, the jokes stopped and those orange eyes swept the tunnel cautiously. The unnamed orcling placed his looted dagger's antler handle between his teeth, and with his freed hand now slowly slid his Wooden Stick out of his loincloth's belt. Though it wasn't exactly sharp, he held it like a ready javelin thrower.

Then they heard the scuttling above them.

"You THOUGHT, em-efffeeeeeer!" yelled the Runt through a mouthful of antler as he held the torch higher and hurled his stick. The giant spider above them drew back as the reflection of the flames glittered in all of its eyes, and recoiled again when the thrown stick cracked against its head point-first.

It was hard to see whether it had done damage, but the spider frantically brushed it away from its face nonetheless. With its own ambush now turned on it, the dark runt allowed magic to crackle in his hand.

"[Miasma Bolt]!" A lance of solidified shadow and smoke leaped at the spider's eyes, and it put one leg up in defense. The elemental magic made a much louder cracking sound and the monster started backing up into the darkness, dripping a thick blue fluid. The greasy haired orc spat the dagger back into his now-magicless hand, and shouted at Grunthor.

"Did you see? It was already wounded, towards the back side! You hug that wall, I've got this one, we can corner it!"

But just then, a ball of sticky web the size of a softball came flying at them--!

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Deep Forest

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@ReusableSword

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As Agar stealthily crept away from the monster enjoying its meal, choosing discretion as the better part of valor, he soon disappeared into the brush once more. After a few minutes he came out in a very different space--the trees had thinned out for quite a ways, creating a large clearing that, somehow, remained mostly in shadow beneath a very few trees' extending, overlapping branches. In the center of the clearing where the sunlight actually fell all the way to earth, a few bushes had sprouted. Other than that, it was mostly loamy soil covered with a blanket of dried needles and a few other things...

• 6 Fragments of a strange substance that seems like petrified wood. It looks like all 6 were once part of some long, singular object?
• Red Cream Colony! (6 mushrooms)
• The 2 bushes at the center are pointy, cone-shaped shrubs with deciduous leaves that curl in tight around the plant. Beneath the leaves are clusters of blue and green berries--the blue ones look ripe enough to be edible.
• Turtleshell Mushrooms x2!
• Two supernaturally large beetles with vicious looking mandibles.

The two beetles didn't seem like they'd noticed Agar yet. They were moving towards the Red Cream colony, clicking their mouth parts like some kind of machine. As the Orc Runt observed, one of them fluttered its wings and produced a soft, bunsen-burner-blue glow in its abdomen for a moment.

The Turtleshell mushrooms were in two different parts of this clearing, near two different "corners" of the circular area (if that made any sense) diagonally from those berry bushes at the center. He might be able to get to both of them without rousing the beetles' suspicion, since the red creams were across the other way...but, then again, these were just bugs, right? Would he attempt to just squash them and freely harvest to his content?

The Book Of Thoth (A Shin Megami Tensei Inspired Roleplay) (CLOSED)

Made an update post, i'm planning on finishing the battle on my next update post.

@Eviledd1984

Lham Dearg was also attacking Satoshi from behind, sort of like using Miyuki as a distraction. Is there any response to that?

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Considering the harpy's current distance, is it within range of Frost Arc?

@ERode

Not yet, no. Frost Arc's effective range is just a smidge over ten feet, but it's also at its strongest the closer you are to the center of the cone. I imagine the harpy being somewhere closer to the thirty foot range.

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

A bit late but post is up!

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Forest

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@ERode

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As Esfir waited in the bushes, she would see the harpy continue to circle for several minutes. First it expanded outward, then crossed back over its previous path and corkscrewed inward, all centered on the tree it had been perched in before. But it landed in a different tree, looking at the tatzelwurm's skewered corpse.

Then its gaping maw lifted upward as it fluttered its wings, and it released a call of some kind--except that it was completely for silent for several seconds despite a visible vibration in its throat.

A shrill, grating ring began to rise in volume. It reached a nearly ear-splitting pitch, before the harpy clamped its jaws shut. The bird-monster fluttered a little lower--perhaps low enough that something thrown would reach it--and landed in a different tree.

Again, it trilled. The sound spread over Esfir like an itch, and even the grass next to her shivered. The harpy's head suddenly snapped in her direction, and it straightened up on the tree branch with wings snapped shut. Aside from a fidget as its weight shifted back and forth, it stopped moving.

Thus time went on. After another few minutes, the bird creature would look over its shoulders and sweep the rest of the area with its gaze. It looked down at the tatzelwurm again and hunched, as if it were considering leaving the tree after all.

Then it trilled again, and once again its head turned in Esfir's direction. So again it straightened up, and waited...

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Orc Camp

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@King Cosmos

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As Akeno headed towards the voices that were mocking the same Orc who had been carrying all those baskets, she soon rounded a tent that revealed Builge, an Orc Grunt known for bullying the Runts still left in the Brood Pits, as well as slapping around any other young orcling that would let him get away with it. Standing next to him was a taller, yet much skinnier, orc grunt with mottled ochre-and-brown tones, and a shorter, fatter grunt with lots of blue warpaint slathered over his stubby limbs and a mohawk that looked like it was kept aloft by copious amounts of animal fat-grease.

"Gyar har har!" hooted the bully and his two lackies. "Whatcher plantin' dere, Farmer Grukh-head? Some more o' dem tasty fish'eads from last toime?" The fat one wiped a tear from his eye as he chortled and called out afterward.

"Did da foist batch grow inter trouts yet?! Maybes ya gotta water 'em some mores!" The lanky one exchanged a round of backslaps with his fellow stooge, and all three continued laughing uproariously.

"Da fish don't grow, ya idjits!" snapped back the one with the baskets as he placed them next to the plot of cleared ground. "Dey rots in da ground, and da plants grow betta on top!" He sneered at the three grunts, despite being rather puny himself for an adult, and knelt down to dig at the earth with his hands.

"Oi! Who's ya callin' an idjit, IDJIT!?" Builge cracked his knuckles as he stepped forward. He glanced over his shoulder to see that his two followers were also showing signs of aggression--and in the process noticed Akeno approaching.

"'old up bois! Lookie 'ere!" The grunt smirked, tongue darting over one of his tusks. "One 'a da babies FINALLY got back to camp!" He pointed, prompting quizzical looks from his minions as they also noticed Akeno.

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South Caves

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@Kazemitsu

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The Runt described the beings in the northern caves. Giant bat-like creatures that were in colonies. That was not a good thing to fight out in the open. In a cave it'd probably be easier to deal with. The other Runt was excited by the footprints and drag marks. Grunthor was more interested in the stuff left behind.

In the abandoned 'camp' there were a few items, mostly junk that wouldn't interest anyone with half a brain. Ear necklace? Really? Useless. The gloves however, he picked them up while keeping an eye on the cave depths and the ceiling. Since he had his club he used his foot to scoot the stone dagger closer to the other Runt along with the bandana.

"If you know how to make a torch we'll go make one and proceed. I only know how to hit things really fucking hard and how to hurt organs with my fists." He said quietly before looking back at the exit. The light caught some minerals, all round bumps with a black luster. He knew jack shit about geology on earth nevermind this place.

"Maybe grab some of that and get going if you can't make a torch? We technically have evidence that they were here and I'm not hearing anything from deeper in..." Grunthor stated, he was naturally wary of giant web slinging scuttling things that could potentially take out three adults.

Kaze

"Well, at least you know something that's actually useful." The orange-eyed runt chuckled. Taking his Wooden Stick out of his loincloth, the other runt wrapped the Red Bandana around it and then began digging around the remains of the fire. After at least two days it had no red embers left, but he was able to find a few bits of wood that hadn't burned and, upon digging up one of the bedrolls, a little piece of flint and a rusty steel striker. "Not like these other rubes with their "modern ejumacation" they can't actually reproduce."

The bandana was rubbed into the charcoal to give it a coating of the dusty substance, and then the other Runt slipped one of the grass-fiber handwraps over it as well. Within a few strikes, a torch blossomed to life. When Grunthor mentioned possibly investigating that shiny black material, and then getting out of the cave with the evidence that clearly the other orcs were dead, the greasy-haired runt "hmmmed" for a while.

He picked up the dagger Grunthor had slid his way, then used its antler handle, rather than its stone blade, to strike hard at the section of floor with the bumpy round bits.

"It's definitely--" he struck it again, "--some kind of ore." And again. "If we came back with some actual tools, we could get a good bit of it!" He struck one more time, and then made a breathy sound of triumph. He picked up a piece, turned it in his hand, then tossed it to Grunthor. "You ever met Bowbh yet?"

Obtained: Small Leather Gloves
Obtained: Raw Goethite Ore x1

SYSTEM:Grunthor

The black mineral was weighty, but rather smooth due to its "bubbly" formation. Underneath its dark luster, some of the earth that had come out with it had a rusty red dusting.

"But!" the runt continued, taking his torch and pointing into the still-forboding darkness, "If we're gonna mine in here, we gotta make it safe, right? So what's say we soldier on and at least figure out what else we've got to worry about in here, right? If we make it quick," he glanced at his burning torch, "we can probably roast those webs on the way back! Eh? Eeeeh?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Grunthor conspiratorially.

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Deep Forest

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@ReusableSword

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Current Skills:

• Ingestion - MAX - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
• Field Scan - Rank II - Ingested Skill. Detect life signs around the user within 30 feet, and remain aware of them for 1 minute.
  • At Rank II, one can roughly sense the silhouette of the creatures within range.
• Blunt Resistance - Rank I - Ingested Skill. Passive Resistance against Blunt Damage is increased.
• Muffle - Rank I - Ingested Skill. Muffle the sounds of your movements to become stealthy. The user's footsteps will be significantly more quiet, but this is only a deduction from the normal amount of noise they would make. Therefore, one's armor, weight, etc may still produce sounds beyond a certain level.
• >> Empty Skill Slot!

SYSTEM:Agar

With a mental "ding!" Agar's System gave him the level up reward. As he deliberated what to do, the Field Scan's effect wore off, but it didn't seem like anything else around him had moved much. All of the creatures should still be in their places...

The Orc Runt hurled his piece of debris. The movement startled the Jackalope, which sprang out from its hiding place. The noise attracted the large, vaguely-gator shaped creature. The red bird, which was the only creature he had a clear view of since it was brightly colored and high off the ground, drew itself up to be larger and ruffled its feathers, but made no sound.

The gator, with unusual swiftness for something of its size, lunged with a deep, rumbling growl that escalated instantly into a vicious snarl! But it wasn't coming at Agar.

With a meaty crunch and a high squeal, the Jackalope was seized mid leap. Despite its impressive speed, the explosive forward plunge of the larger creature was faster and covered more ground. The beast shook its horned head back and forth even as its jaws clamped down, and even slammed its prey into the earth with a great deal of violence. There were some shrill noises further on--the goblins, perhaps? These noises were followed by thumping sounds that grew more distant by the second.

Agar's vision of the other monster became more clear as it moved around. Once it had the entire Jackalope's body in its mouth, it then ran like a Komodo dragon towards a tree--headbutting it? No. It was shoving the entire, larger-than-Earth's sized rabbit down its gullet, whole.

HODAG

There was even more distance between the creature and the tree that Agar was aiming for, so if he dared to run past it he could definitely make it to a safe place. There was also the option of trying to attack the beast while it was eating, as well...By this point, the Jackalope was a slightly twitching bulge in the monster's throat, which it began to rub back and forth against the ground to further force its unchewed meal down. And then...it went...very still...

The Book Of Thoth (A Shin Megami Tensei Inspired Roleplay) (CLOSED)

Posted! Both Miyuki and Lham Dearg are attacking Satoshi in hopes that stopping him will either de-summon or distract his demons.

By the way, is anyone else getting as much of a kick out of Lham Dearg's accent as I am? I just find the mental image hilarious. XD

The Book Of Thoth (A Shin Megami Tensei Inspired Roleplay) (CLOSED)

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Inokashira Park

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Despite Lham Dearg having just deflected its last attack, the Cyclops's reaction to the undead soldier was almost non-existent. Instead, it only responded to the words and gestures of Satoshi Miura--immediately turning from Lham Dearg to try and attack the muscular man wielding those flail-like weapons.

"Ye feartie-cat! Come back 'n' coupon mah sword!" yelled the angry Sidhe. But then his mistress shrieked as more cultists surrounded her--some had cut her off before she could reach the stage, and others were closing in from behind! Lham Dearg paid no more mind to the one-eyed giant--it looked like Jack Frost and the martial artist were holding their own well in any case. The swordsman leaped off the stage, as the dark blood spilling from his hands trailed in the air!

"Wah, wh-what's w-w-wrong with you!?" Miyuki's entire body trembled as the cultists closed in, wielding knives or box cutters, batons--things that they must've been hiding on their person or under their robes the whole time. But her shakes were only due to the fear of direct social confrontation--such a shy girl could barely tolerate crowds to begin with, much less such a hostile environment as this one. But when one cultist lunged at her with the knife, she sidestepped without even thinking and slammed her wooden sword down hard on the back of his head. The man let out a sharp cry before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Then another one grabbed her hood, yanking her back as the point of a knife glittered above her--!

"Unhaun th' lassie!" Lham Dearg's own blade passed a mere hand's breadth away from Miyuki's face, and the Cultist holding her cried out in pain. She twisted her whole body and kicked off with both legs, jerking free just before her contracted demon shoulder checked the robed figure--who was now crying through bloodshot eyes as they gripped the bleeding stump of their arm.

"D-don't k-k-kill them!" She gasped, though she immediately had to defend herself again. Her wooden blade clacked loudly against the Cultist's baton as they swung in clumsy, drunken fits.

"Och, Ah'll juist invite thaim ower fur a plook o' cuppa then!" spat her Demon as his sword deflected another knife. "Whit else dae ye expect in th' midst o' battle?" Nonetheless, rather than maiming this enemy he simply punched them in the face with his off hand. They still screamed and bled from a clearly broken nose, but as they writhed on the ground at least it was a debatably better outcome. The soldier immediately turned to another foe and caught their wrist mid-swing before clubbing them over the skull with the pommel of his sword, dropping them like a sack of potatoes.

"I don't know what is going on, but we have to stop them before these people get hurt!" came a shout. Miyuki had just finished her opponent with a thrust to the gut that knocked the air out of their lungs, and turned to see Mr. Wong gesturing over the stage. It looked like the Cyclops had been knocked off the dais, and that crystalline angel was gone too--but that was because it was attacking another girl!

This girl had a demon with her too--a much cuter looking one than what Miyuki had ended up with! In a moment of self-consciousness, she looked back at her contractee--only to see the Scotsman headbutt another Cultist. Multiple times. Until they lost consciousness.

But Miyuki understood what Mr. Wong had meant! These cultists weren't in their right minds, and those other demons seemed a great deal stronger than the other three individually. Maybe by teaming up they could defeat them...but, those demons had also been summoned!

So what if they took the summoner out instead?

"Lham Dearg! We have to stop Satoshi Miura!" shouted Miyuki as she charged the stage again. Her partner grunted in assent as barreled through another pair of Cultists. He outran Miyuki with his supernatural athleticism, stopping below the stage to hold out one hand.

With a sudden realization that, in only a short amount of time, she'd come to implicitly trust this inhuman creature, Miyuki stepped up. Her foot, small by comparison to the much taller demon, planted against Lham Dearg's palm.

"Chlanna nan con thigibh--" Muscle and veins stood out in the demon's arm as he heaved, "--a' so 's gheibh sibh feòil!"

"WHAT DOES THAT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAN!?" Miyuki wailed as she soared into the air, above the stage, above the lecturn where Satoshi Miura stood watching Xavier Wong fight his demon. The politician's head would probably snap around just in time to see all one hundred ten pounds of angry nerd girl swinging a wood sword at his face with both hands!

"Sons of The Hounds, Come Here and Get Flesh!" translated Lham Dearg with a bloodthirsty smile as he too mounted the stage, coming at Satoshi from behind with his own sword, this one made of real and deadly steel--!

Why Were We Reincarnated as Orcs?!

Kaze's informed me due to computer issues he likely won't be able to post for a few days. Might need to correspond with him and do a GM-character-post. I'll see about getting an update going this weekend!