[center][h2]The Forest[/h2][/center] [hr] [@Rune_Alchemist][@Timemaster] [hr] [b]Svarok managed to nimbly evade the low strike[/b] from the hatchet-wielding goblin, and [b]launched another Holy Bolt at the spear-gob[/b]. The glowing sphere [b]struck it[/b] like a fastball to the face, smashing into its cheek and seeming to “spin” in place for a moment as its jaw was slightly distended. The creature went down spluttering through bloodied lips—it wasn’t dead, but [b]dazed[/b] as if by a heavy punch to just the right spot on the chin. [b]In the process it clumsily dropped its weapon![/b] The hatchet goblin looked much more nervous now, but still flourished its crude instrument. [b]Then Carmina’s voice rang out[/b], and the creature yelped as it turned to look at her. [b]But as the notes of her song rolled over the three creatures, both goblins suddenly seemed to wobble slightly on their feet. Svarok, too, felt an oddly calming sensation spill over her, like a warm hand rubbing her shoulder.[/b] [quote=SYSTEM:Svarok] Warning: Your MP is Low. You have been Soothed. You are already non-hostile to the caster; no negative Mental Status Effects to disperse. [/quote] The goblins’ movements slowed, and while the one Svarok had hit twice now slowly began to gather itself up off the ground, the one with the hatchet looked between Carmina and Svarok as if it saw them with new eyes. That anger it had before wasn’t [i]gone[/i], but it almost seemed like it had taken ten breaths to calm down in a split second. “Ah, um—haha! Hee hee, silly orclings, you fall for classic goblin joke!” It gave them a lopsided smile and put its hatchet behind its back. “We’s only pretends! Not really gonna kill yas or, um, eat yas!” Its eyes darted back and forth, towards the goblin still picking itself up and then towards the bushes that goblin had come from. Then back to the runts. Then back to those bushes. “Uh, um…so…how’s uh, how is orclingses’ day going?” In a moment, that other goblin would have its wits back enough to [b]grab its spear.[/b] Moving to [b]take the spear themselves[/b] would put an Orc Runt at the mercy of the hatchet wielding goblin…but maybe they were fast enough to avoid him if they knew a surprise attack was coming? Maybe he really didn’t intend to attack again, now that it was a more even fight? Or maybe they’d just get him out of the way first… [hr] [@ReusableSword] [hr] From the bushes, where he’d watched all this time with the patience of a true hunter, Agar lunged! Both arms, scrawny as they might be, held his stick firmly and brought it down on the Harpy full-force! The creature was none the wiser until the last instant, and with a meaty crunch the piece of wood slammed down on its already injured shoulder! The stick let out a loud crack as it splintered—but so did the bone under the bird-like monster’s mottled gray skin. It screeched and tried to leap away. Its wing, however, sagged in the joint socket, and it stumbled and fell before it could attempt to fly. The fall only aggravated its injury, prompting another screech of agony as it thrashed and flopped on the ground— Perhaps this sudden pain and panic sped up the flow of poison through its veins. The purple bruise, under the Tatzelwurm’s teeth marks, grew darker. The creeping, ivy-like color reached the monster’s throat and upper chest. It suddenly spasmed, spat up thickened, dark blood… And then it died. [quote=SYSTEM:Agar] Victory! Loot Obtained: Mangled Tainted Harpy x1 Eviscerated Tatzelwurm x1 Quest: Find Something to Eat and Bring it Back Whole[list] [*][s]Kill a Creature[/s][/list] Ingested New Creature: Slime Learned Skill: Blunt Damage Resistance Explored Areas: Orc Camp, Forest New Creatures Observed: Tatzelwurm, Harpy New Creature Killed: Harpy [b]LEVEL UP![/b] Choose ONE:[list] [*]Increase HP (Health) [*]Increase MP (Magic) [*]Increase SP (Stamina) [*]Gain 1 Skill Rank Point[/list] [/quote] With everything besides Agar in the small clearing now dead, and that one life sign he’d seen with Field Scan long gone, the sudden silence of the forest was almost eerie. No birds chirped and no bushes rustled… If he strained his ears he [b]might[/b] hear something that sounded like singing—or screaming—coming from somewhere fairly far away, but probably still within the forest. Or, he might hear something like…a firework, going off in the distance up to the north, back towards the mountains. Now he had to decide what to do with the two corpses in front of him, and whether he would continue hunting, investigate some other point of interest in the area, or simply return to the camp with his spoils. He’d been pretty lucky so far…would he continue to push it? [hr] [h2][CENTER]North Caves[/CENTER][/h2] [hr] [@Unkown58][@Lucius Cypher][@King Cosmos][@Kazemitsu][@Crusader Lord] [hr] When [b]Vola[/b] saw the Flak Beetle shoot another flaming projectile, her [b]first[/b] instinct was to throw something back—namely, a [b]Short Wooden Spear[/b]—using her [b]makeshift launcher[/b]. [b]Lazash, on the other hand, immediately dove for cover[/b] even as her companion shouted the same. The beetle’s blast struck the ground between them, and released an explosion that would [b]throw Vola off her feet and catch the edges of her ragged clothing with smoldering sparks[/b]. She scrambled for cover herself, but if she didn’t do something quick her former swaddling rags would soon ignite and take the rest of her with them! But as luck would have it, [b]her spear actually hit the beast[/b]! The Flak Beetle let out a shrill screech as the hard carapace over one of its wings cracked open under the wooden javelin. Normally, such a weapon wouldn’t have a hard enough tip or enough force behind it (not from an Orc Runt, anyway) to penetrate the chitinous layers—but [b]Gren’s clever spear launcher multiplied Vola’s strength[/b] more than twice, and the weapon struck true! It drove right through the shell and into a crag between the rocky wall, [b]pinning the beetle in place![/b] Its mandibles clacked angrily, and its thorax swelled as that [b]glow[/b] intensified again! But [b]Lazash had prepared to throw another Fire Bolt if she saw it attack again[/b], and this definitely seemed like it planned on further hostilities! So she let fly! [quote=SYSTEM:Lazash]Warning: Your MP is low.[/quote] The Flak Beetle inhaled, and its mouth parts began to glow. Lazash’s Fire Bolt flew through the air. Vola’s spear continued to hold between the stones. The Runts had both taken cover, previously. Thus, between them was open space. The Flak Beetle had also backed up earlier. Thus, the “path of least resistance” was contained by the narrow opening in the back of the cave, directing it forward in a less widespread path. This was all very good. Because when Lazash’s Fire Bolt hit it in the face and the flames went [i]in,[/i] instead of [i]out,[/i] the Flak Beetle [url=https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TYVeI2qPw5o][b][i]exploded[/i][/b].[/url] [b]Both Vola and Lazash, from their cover across from each other, watched a shockwave of flame, dust, and rock powerful enough to indirectly rattle their bones thunder past them in an instant.[/b] The heat felt like opening an out-of-control oven and nearly losing their eyebrows. Their vision was seared white for a few painful seconds as the flames passed. Their ears rang painfully and then all sounds seemed as if they came from underwater. Up ahead, Gren happened to be lucky that he was standing to one side of the cave’s entrance. Most of the flames had died down, [b]but a powerful, roaring aftershock of dust, debris, and heat spewed into the open air[/b]. Grunthor and Akeno had moved away to deal with the slime as well, otherwise at least one of them would’ve definitely been caught in it. Nonetheless, the blast certainly caught their attention—as well as sending most other critters in the local area running for cover, including the [b]rock-crab and the dire rat[/b] up above. They almost fell off their ledge, before scrambling back up and skedaddling in opposite directions. The explosion lasted a mere fraction of a second, and in its wake as their hearing slowly recovered, Lazash and Vola would notice the sound of rocks crumbling and crashing to the ground…[b]but it wasn’t a cave in[/b]. At least, not the kind you saw in the movies that threatened to kill everyone and seal off the whole tunnel. Only the most fragile bits of rock had shattered or fallen down. It made a bit of a mess and spilled slippery gravel and sharp shards all over the ground, but if anything it had actually widened out the narrow tunnel a bit…[b]Because a big chunk of that shiny, green-streaked substance in the side of one wall had been blasted into much smaller fragments that clackity-clacked all over the cave floor[/b]… [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1094242197211185182/1146264360541487244/TR236269chalcopyrite3_540x.png[/img] And then, of course, there were a few…bits and pieces…of the Flak Beetle left. The rest of the shriveled, burnt mushrooms had been apparently vaporized. [quote=SYSTEM:Lazash_Vola]Victory! Loot Obtained: Flak Beetle Chunks x4 - Harvest Potential reduced by 70%[/quote] [hr] Meanwhile, [b]Akeno’s Fire Bolt hit the earthen slime[/b] at an angle, blasting the little monster a few feet across the ground! It let out a gurgling yelp as it tumbled, and its rubbery membrane smoked from the impact. As it shook its head—or rather, its whole body—and blinked its eyespots, it screeched again as Grunthor had already stormed up to it! With both hands the male Runt brought his Spiked Club down right on top of the slime’s own spiky, stony carapace. [b]Both one of the bone spikes, and one of the stones, chipped as the impact wobbled the slime’s whole form.[/b] It rolled backwards, and shook itself yet again. [b]But before Akeno or Grunthor could follow up, a sudden BOOM behind them would shock both of them.[/b] Even the slime was lifted off the ground by the sudden explosion. Considering that it was outnumbered, taking considerable damage, and now the earth itself seemed to be making too much noise, [b]the stony jelloball decided now was the time to get the hell out of Dodge.[/b] With a squeak, it turned away from the two orclings and began rolling towards the nearby shallow stream, bouncing along the way as if it were getting ready to try and jump the waters. Would the two runts pursue their quarry, or run back to make sure their friends hadn’t just been splattered all over the rocks?