In a word, it was brutal.

Esfir had faced exhaustion before, but it had been far too many years since she had experienced the exhaustion of constant, high-pace physical activity. She had selected Dusk Vision, expecting it to be useful when she went spelunking later on in the day, but once Auguz’s bootcamp truly went under way, the runt decided that she was naïve.

She should have saved some food for breakfast. She should have taken the SP Up bonus.

Then it turned out that the jumping jacks weren’t even the end of it, and Esfir decided that it was a good thing she hadn’t eaten after all. A branch clipped her skull, leaving a bruise and a bleeding wound, and in the haze of pain, she swung back, cracking her own branch over the temple of the offending idiot and knocking them out cold. Unfortunately, that just meant more beatings and screaming, the sort that almost reminded her of her own youth, of the abuse endured in order to be ready to join the frontlines. More than a dozen bruises and welts decorated her body by the end, and she felt every one of them when the wrestling began, as a more creative (or perhaps cruel) runt sought to force compliance via pain. They pressed their knuckles or their toes or their knees into her bruises, and she responded by chomping down on their shoulder, then using her feet to kick away her opponent’s other legs as she wrapped her arms around their neck and squeezed [i]hard[/i].

Was she pissed?

Yes, she was.

She was hungry and she was thirsty and she was wasting far too much energy, when she had so much more to do this day, and these brats thought it right to mouth off still, like this training was going to accomplish anything except make obedient, vicious brutes out of the runts.

The break, at least, allowed Esfir’s blood to cool. Some of her bruises were worse than the others, but she could still push herself. She [i]wanted[/i] to push herself, to wrap all this up quick and get out of this stinking, festering pit and return to the forest and the mountains. Find herself a stream with clear water to drink and wash in. Find herself another one of those scaled chickens to make a good meal out of. Her appetite ate at her, and when it was finally her turn, she picked up a two-handed spear from the rack, fixing Auguz with a hard stare before she faced her opponent.

One breath. Two breaths. Three.

[b]“Ok.”[/b]

She was going to [i]kill[/i] him.

Esfir sprinted forwards, a burst of [b]Murderous Intent[/b] emanating from her gaze as she fixed the point of the wooden spear upon the shield-bearer. Even as terror replaced bravado though, he didn’t lose his wits entirely. He had a shield, and what was a shield good for, if not for being raised up to block the thrust?

So that was what he did, of course, and that was what she expected as well when she leapt up, coiled her legs, and drop-kicked the shield with all her might, intending on sending her opponent flat on his back and stunned. The impact of the fall bloomed right over her tender side, but she had braced for it, and scrambled back up to her feet.

If all went to plan, she would be up while he still struggled to, and in that moment of vulnerability, the range of her spear would allow her to skewer his stomach before he could come up swinging with his club.

[hider=Skills][list]
[*][b]Ingestion[/b] - [i]After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.[/i]
[*][b]Frost Arc[/b] - Rank I - [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.[/i]
[*][b]Murderous Intent[/b] - Rank II - [i]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. [b]At Rank II[/b], 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.[/i]
[*][b]Dusk Vision[/b] - Rank I - [i]Awaiting Info[/i][/list][/hider]
[hider=Equipment, Inventory, Shelter][b]Equipment[/b][list]
[*][b]Swaddling Pelts[/b] - Equip, Clothes - [i]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.[/i]
[*][b]Antler Bracers[/b] - Equip, Armor - [i]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. [b]Light Defense Boost![/b][/i]
[*][b]Sharp Rock[/b] - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - [i]A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.[/i]
[*][b]Flint Hatchet[/b] - Equip, Weapon/Tool - [i]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.[/i]
[*][b]Borrowed Antler Pickaxe[/b] - Equip, Weapon/Tool - [i]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. [b]High Quality. On Loan from Bowbh.[/b][/i]
[*][b]Jackalope Spear[/b] - 2H Weapon - [i]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.[/i]
[*][b]Stomach-Bag[/b] - Small bag, improved from an Elwet's stomach.
[/list]
[b]Inventory[/b]
[list]
[*][b]Gizzard Sparkstone[/b]
[*][b]Elwet Feathers[/b]
[*][b]Tungem Branch x3[/b]
[*][b]Jackalope Point x3[/b]]
[*][b]Tatzelwurm Fang x2[/b]
[*][b]Tatzelwurm Claws x3[/b]
[*][b]Tatzelwurm Coilbone x1[/b]
[*][b]Crushed Tatzelwurm Eye x2[/b]
[*][b]Harpy Tooth x1[/b]
[*][b]Harpy Talon x3[/b]
[*][b]Harpy Screech Valve x1[/b]
[/list]
[b]Shelter[/b]
[list]
[*][b]Primitive A-Frame Shelter[/b]
[*][b]Poisoned Bone Caltrops[/b] - Small Thrown Weapon/Trap - [i]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.[/i]
[*][b]Raw Chalcopyrite Ore x3[/b]
[*][b]Bufonite x3[/b]
[/list]
[/hider]
[@Zeroth]