[h2]Orc Camp[/h2]
[hr][@ERode][hr]
[quote=SYSTEM:Esfir]
You've attempted to Craft several items!
Used Flint Hatchet to gather Dry Wood!
Materials: Dry Wood + Mycellium Lash x2 + Frayed Mycellium Lash x2 + Harpy Wing Membrane x2
Process: Handicraft

...
You've created [Primitive A-Frame Shelter]!

Used Wooden Stick to mix Materials!
Materials: Rotleaves x5, Rotleaf Seedpods x6, Pimplestool Mushroom x2, Crushed Pimplestool, Mushroom Shreds x3
Process: Handicraft - Rot-Shroom Paste + Broken Jackalope Point x2 + Cracked Tatzelwurm Fang x1 + Cracked Tatzelwurm Claws x2 + Broken Harpy Talon x1

...
You've created [Poisoned Bone Caltrops]!
Small Thrown Weapon/Trap - 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.

Quest Detail: [Find Shelter] Optional Objective, Completed![/quote]

As Esfir settled in for the night, time would of course continue to pass. It was likely that other Runts, like the ones she'd teamed up with earlier this morning, might still be doing...whatever they needed to do, to survive. But as she watched the sun set in the west, and some of the orc fires dim, she would see an entirely new sky of stars--complete with their own nebulae visible from the surface of the planet, even!--that made no sense to her as of yet, compared to the familiar constellations of Earth. 

But alas, sleep would come soon.
[hr][b]Esfir, When/If Next Morning[/b][hr]
Regardless of how well Esfir would be able to sleep in this new world--especially if someone or something ended up interrupting her--morning would eventually come regardless.

When it did, she would awaken to a sight not entirely unlike what she'd fallen asleep to; the adult orcs were still gathering around cookfires, though many of them had smoldered out overnight and were now being sparked back to life. Other tasks, such as sharpening spears, patrolling the camp's borders, and forcibly conscripting the Grunts into hunting parties also occupied the snaggle toothed brutes all over the primitive settlement.

Esfir would be able to see other Runts--perhaps including some of the ones like her--all heading in the same general direction, sometimes followed by jeers and laughter from their elders and betters. If the foggy memories before her release from the Brood Pit were any indication, Head Warrior Auguz's Training Circle was somewhere near the center of the camp. The light was still twilight blue, but not for long--and she'd been told to be there before sunrise...
[hr][@King Cosmos][hr]
"Oh, aye." Yambagorn nodded, working her mouth in the way of elders who have few teeth left. "[b]Meself, for one.[/b] Yamabagorn's last 'prentice, a foolish ting. Didn't make it, poor gul." She shook her wrinkly head, causing the many bone talismans she wore to jingle. "[b]Shamar, Head Hunter, need more orcs too[/b]. Too many males tried her patience--or just dun respect 'er, so dey don't follow. Not enough hands to tan hides or lay traps. Less meat and leather to go 'roun'." The shaman's eyes lingered on Akeno's vest appreciatively. "If'n ye did a task already, den she prolly take a shine to ye. [b]Den dere's Bowbh[/b]." 

The shaman's voice lowered a bit.

"Ain't been right since he returned, dat one. Nuttin' wrong wif 'im, mind, but he ain't like udda orcs no more. Mayhaps you undastan' 'im betta den da rest of us, eh?" The old orc looked towards the distant blacksmith's hut, where smoke still billowed into the air and the distant dull thud of a hammer still rang out. "Can't no udda orc in da tribe craft like 'im. And most don't 'preciate gud crafts--dey dun realize, yet, dat our stones and sticks are only good for da little critters in da woods."

With that she leaned back against her cave wall again, and fixed Akeno with her searching eyes.

"Uddawise, it won't really be a 'prentice-shippin', but ya could ask any of da Brutes and warriors t'train ya. 'Course, all dey knows about not gettin' beat, dey learned by gettin' beaten." She smiled again, moist breath making a phlegmy sound in her throat.
[hr][hr]
[h2]South Caves[/h2]
[hr][@Kazemitsu][hr]
"You know they're gonna dock you a shitload for not bringing back the body?" said the still-unnamed Runt, despite dutifully helping Grunthor hack off the other legs. "They'll probably accuse you of just having found a corpse, too. Even if I vouch for you, that asshole Auguz might not--"

Something down the dark tunnel that big monstrosity had retreated into made a heavy thud sound. Much like a body being dropped down a hole.

"--Remember how we talked about burning that web on the way back?" the greasy Runt hoisted an extra pair of legs so that Grunthor could make sure to hold the torch. His speech sped up considerably, as did his feet. "I bet Anthogs don't like fire, so why don't we giddyup!?"

[quote=SYSTEM:Grunthor]
Harvested [Ven Spider]!
Ven Spider Legs x4
Cracked Ven Spider Legs x4
Ven Spider Pedipalps x2
Ven Spider Claws x5
Broken Ven Spider Claw x1[/quote]

It appeared that nothing had changed in the rest of the cave--the campsite from before was still ruined, that chunk of ore on the floor was still somewhat shiny, and that wide tunnel back to the outside was still shining with red-tinged afternoon light--!
[hr][hr]
[h2]Deep Forest[/h2]
[hr][@ReusableSword][hr]
As Agar headed back into the forest, he now found himself heading up a gentle slope between the gnarled roots of the trees. It certainly wasn't as tall as the mountains around the orc camp, or the cliffs near that lake in the distance, but from here he could look back at some of the areas he'd already explored. The thicker trees where he'd encountered that horned alligator monster didn't afford him a view to see whether or not that creature was on the hunt again, but he could barely make out that one open clearing where he'd encountered the two large beetles, and the area where he'd first entered the deeper part of the woods--making it easy to retrace his steps and perhaps quicken his path back to the camp.

Of course, being up high enough to easily see your surroundings might mean being visible to other creatures looking up from below, as well.

Nonetheless, at the top of this gentle rise amidst several broad, dark limbed tree trunks, he could see a few other things: A single [b]Red Cream mushroom[/b] growing between two roots; a pair of those [b]other mushrooms that looked like a small weeping willow tree[/b]; a [b]skeleton[/b], picked clean save for some long dried gristle, that had once been a [b]Harpy[/b]; and...

[b]3 Turtleshell Mushrooms[/b], more than he needed to finish his quest!

If he hurried, he would still be able to make it back before sunset...although, using Muffle would slow him down. It had been a huge help keeping him out of combat with the creatures he seemed to randomly encounter, though...decisions had to be made. Some risks couldn't be avoided. How would the orc runt weigh his options?