Strange stars with yet-undiscovered constellations.

But when was the last time she had been able to look up at them without her neck or back protesting from the effort?

Esfir sat at the entrance of her shelter, watching the sky darken, then brighten, as summer stars sparkled and the moon rose. When she felt her body slide back, when the fatigue and silence brought with it an alluring sleep, she let herself fall back into her shelter.

Sleep was not comfortable, but it was deep and it was dreamless.
[hr]
The runt rose before daybreak, rubbing the crusts out of her eyes. The ground had left strange indentations and points of soreness on her back, but everything was as she had left it the night before. She sat there cross-legged for a moment, going over her inventory once more, thinking about the day ahead.

She wanted a proper pot, so she’d have to go up to the mountains to mine for Bowbh. She wanted proper water too, so she’d have to take a look at what was blocking the flow. There was training to be done, and there would be cooking to be done too. She wanted the meat of bigger beasts, and right now, the only way to do that would be to trade with the Adult Orcs. A better bag would be good too. And better clothes. There was the hunter, perhaps, who she could trade with there.

Her Jackalope Spear was still there, the lashings having not frayed. She had replacement points for them. The hatchet and the pickaxe were both going to be useful, and her bracers, while they itched against her forearms, could maybe withstand a Slash or two before breaking. As for the ore she currently had? Esfir dug a hole beneath her shelter and buried the Bufonite and Chalopyrite in it. The less she needed to carry, the better.

Was that all?

It was hardly a shelter. She wanted at least a bed by tonight too. Maybe a blanket, because she swore that her joints ached in the cold of night, even when her body couldn’t have been more than a month old. A chair with back support. A sharp knife to work wood with.

Esfir closed her eyes.

There were plenty of wants, weren’t there?

For now, though, there was only one need.

She crawled out of her shelter, checked that all her tools and weapons were in place, and beelined for the Training Circle.


[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]
[*]Empty Skill Slot[/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]