Yeah, I am going to go with Heracles to hunt.  I do have my o ther weapons, but I'll try to just use the spears.  For one, it will give me a feeling for how much of a threat they are to the locals.

To be clear, Heracles isn't going Raptor hunting. They don't live in this area. They live nearer to where Noah lives. He's just going to go hunt some wild game for dinner. An antelope or something. But if you want to join him on that, you're more than welcome to. I just wanted to be clear on what you were going to be hunting.

(Doing Therapy)

Oh, ok.  Yeah, that actually sounds like a good idea.  Start with something less lethal than a raptor to hunt.  I'll go with him.

Whilst you're walking together, Heracles confides in you:

"How I wish there was an easier way to hunt for game. Spears are fine, but so limited. To have some alternative, any alternative to them when it comes to hunting would be finer than Jurrassinite in Parkland."

But in the dim light, the HUD on your helmet lets you see fine. You switch it over to night vision.

Heracles sees the first target of that evening. A fine dog-like four legged beast. Similar to a wolf. Heracles says they're decent eating. "You can live on it, but it tastes like dung."

You both throw at the same time. Both of your spears hit at exactly the same time and penetrate the animal through and through, the tips of the spears stick into the ground with the shafts sticking out of the other side. Unfortunately you missed any vital organs and it's still alive when you get to it.

Heracles asks if you want to do the honors, and offers you a copper knife. If not, he will slit its throat himself.

That done, you make your way back to the camp. The Neanderthal warriors are sitting around a campfire. One of them is speaking to the rest. Although you cannot understand the language, it sounds like he's telling a ghost story from the reactions the others have.

"And to arm them with something other than spears...... How joyous that would be."

He asks if you know of any other weapons, whilst he guts and skewers the wolf thing.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 74):

Jurra?  What??  I shake it off.

I'm pleased that my throw went well.  And when Heracles offers the knife, I grimace, but do it as quick as I can while still making sure it gets done.  No need to extend its pain.  I clean the blade on the grass, and give it back to Heracles.  Not my favorite thing to do, but it needs to be done, and I need to pull my share of unpleasant duties.

I toss the carcass on the sled after taking out our spears.

"Maybe we can give it to some unfortunates we meet.  Let's hunt for something more edible."

Heracles looks at you like you've got nine heads.

"Some unfortunate? We give it to the Neanderthals. You will be amazed how tasty they can make this beast."

And you present it to them. Grateful they are.

The next morning, one of them will be wearing a brand new wolf skin coat, and they will offer you smoked and seasoned wolf meat. It's far tastier than what Heracles described.

OOC) I heard that it was the American slaves who figured out how to smoke and season pork ribs. They would obviously be given the worst cuts of meat, so they had to figure out how to make it palatable. And that's why you pay 25-30 bucks a plate for the worst cut on a pig.

Going out again, you find a small dinosaur. Heracles says it's a Dilophosaurus.

"Be wary. They spit venom which will render you unconscious."

But you spear it. Heracles this time does the honor of slitting its throat. You take it back and Heracles cooks it. After you've both eaten your fill, the rest is offered to the Neanderthals. The meat is sweet and tender. Heracles covers it with some manner of seasoning.

He removes the venom sack and uses it to cover your spear points.

"The animal will be rendered unconscious if our throws do not kill it immediately."

So what are you doing for the rest of the night?

(Doing Therapy)

I start taking off my armor, and put on my new wolfhide jacket.

"Say, Heracles, interested in a wrestling match?"  I grin at him.  "No eye gouges, or bonebreaks or below the belt...?"

I figure I'm going to lose, but I need the practice.

It's not "your" wolfhide jacket. The captain of the guard made it for himself. I mean, unless you're taking it from him. And in that case it'll be the Neanderthal warrior you have to fight. To the death. Besides, the Neanderthals are about the size of your youngest son. It wouldn't fit anyway.



Heracles takes a spear and draws a circle in the dirt about 10 feet diameter.

"Out of the circle loses. I should warn you my wrestling experience is rather limited. I've only ever wrestled Raptors. And once a giant princess, but that's a story for another time."

Then he takes off his gauntlet and the rest of his leather armor and stands in the center of the circle, waiting for you.



In Mortal Kombat voice "ROUND ONE, FIGHT!!!!!"

For a good minute, you're just two guys pushing against brick walls. Nobody is moving. Heracles tries to get under you to sweep your legs out but he loses his purchase and you take the opportunity to sling him out of the circle.

"Ah, good match Tadeusz. But I warn you. I've never lost a fight in my life. Best two out of three, yes?"

ROUND TWO FIGHT!!!!!!

You grapple and fight. He does much better this time. But in the end, your superior size gives you the advantage. You toss him from the circle a second time.

He rises to his feet and roars "BEST THREE OUT OF FIVE!!!!!!!!!"

It's clear he's not going to let this go until he wins.

Determined and on the edge of anger, he takes his place again.

This time he goes straight for your legs, knocking you off balance so that you basically fall into his hands. He just carries you to the edge of the circle and drops you onto the ground. It hurts. You've got the wind knocked out of you.

He's not going to accept the wind knocked out of you as an excuse to not continue. "In battle, there are no rest breaks. Get back in here!!!!"

So you do. He doesn't waste time. He just grabs you and suplexes you out of the ring. You land on your back.

The match is two to two. You can stop now, with honor satisfied, IF you agree to forfeit and declare him the winner. But just understand that if you beat him again, he's not going to let it go until he either defeats you for real or he is physically no longer able to continue.

(Doing Therapy)

"You win." I grunt from the ground, in pain. Ow, my back. Still, I need to learn...Sigh. "Maybe we can do this again tomorrow night."

And yes, I'll pass on the jacket for a couple very good reasons you explained.

Yeah, he can be a little bit of a sore loser. But he helps you to your feet, gives you a congratulatory nod and then grabs his iron spear and walks triumphantly to the center of the ring, and slams the butt of the spear into the center of the ring. It's an "In your face, I won" gesture.

Then he looks around at the circle, and at the spear. A puzzled look crosses his face as he studies it. A circle with a point in the center. Then he has a clear EUREKA!!!!! moment.

He grabs two copper battle axes and says quite excitedly "Come with me. We've got work to do."

And whether or not you follow him, he walks over to a rather thick tree and begins chopping it down. He expects you to help him.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:37, Fri 25 May 2018.

I'll help him.  I expect he wants to make a wheel.  The milk is spilled, no use crying about it.

OOC) Why are you so reluctant to spread technology? To be fair though, something somewhere would have inspired it.

But you chop the tree down. Then you cut a disk out of it that's about three or four inches thick. Heracles starts pummeling the center of the disk with the butt of his axe until he's got a hole drilled in it. Then he sets it on the edge and starts rolling it around with the axe handle through the hole. The tree is far from a perfect circle and the hole is not centered or perfect. But the concept is there. It's a wheel alright.

Heracles is in awe. He says "Have you ever seen such a marvel? So simple yet so elegant. Why did this never occur to me before?"

You can see he's already thinking of how to improve it. He asks if you've any suggestions, then he takes the makeshift wheel over to the sled and examines them. Trying to figure out how to use it. Once satisfied, he gathers up all of your belongings and says "We must make haste. Noah has the tools to do this properly."

It's the next morning. Heracles says you've another day of travel ahead of you. You should get to Noah's camp about midnight tonight.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:11, Wed 30 May 2018.

"Cool, man." Is all I say as I help him.  It is interesting to be in a world when the Wheel is invented.  Its a notable turning point for Mankind.

Heracles says "So what should we call this wondrous new invention?"

He's going to suggest something like the Heracli or the Tadei.

Anyway, you're riding in the sleigh. The forest is slowly but surely becoming more lush and full. Heracles tells you that Noah spread out the Ark animal feces when he landed. That's why this area is so fertile. It's growing in excrement from thousands of different animals species.

And unless you've something you'd like to do, you will arrive at Noah's camp sometime after dark. By now, the forest is so lush and full that you've only got a foot on each side to navigate through. Someone obviously cleared a path.

OOC) And I'm going to leave it there for the moment.

"the Heraclii sounds good." And we go up to visit Noah.  As I go, I gawk at the splendid trees and bushes, the bright flowers, and the vines some of which make me wonder if I could try Tarzan on them.

Heracles ponders and finally says "I think the Wheel would be a better name. After my good friend Joseph Wheeldon."

When you arrive at Noah's camp, as he said, it's dark. You see a hugely lush forest, and to the left of that is a clearing that goes into the side of a mountain. In the side of the mountain is the Vaults of Isis. It's got the hand print scanner in the middle. It's the door you opened in your last world. It's framed on each side by torches.

The people live in tents for the most part. There's torches and other fires lit for light.

In the middle of it all is a flagpole, which bears the symbol you've got on your money. It's the Flag of the Giants.

Noah and most of the others are sleeping. You'll have to wait till morning to meet them. But there is one giant. About 9 feet tall. He's watching over everything. He's also wearing a full suit of armor.

He calls you over. Tells Heracles to stay where he is.

(Doing Therapy)

I shrug to Hercules.  "I'll be back. Its okay."   I hope.  Then I walk over to the giant who I am pretty sure could take me out.  I do make sure to check for a path to retreat if needed.

The giant looks you up and down, then says "You are the prophesied one."

And he briefly kneels before you. Not that it matters. Even kneeling he's still over 6 feet tall.

When he stands erect he says "Do you know how to tame the iron element?"

And he offers you a blacksmithing hammer which is made from the bluish Isis iron.

You get the feeling lying to him about your blacksmithing skill would be hazardous to your health.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 88):

"Yes, I do, but I am not sure it is wise to give this skill to the Men of this Earth at this time."  I hand him the hammer back.

"I agree. Why do you think we have not shared this knowledge with them? I am going to give you the key to unlocking the secrets of Isis iron. What you choose to do with that knowledge is up to you."

And he stares hard out into the forest and places a gauntlet hand on your shoulder. You are instantly transported out into the forest. You can see a straight line through the trees back to Noah's camp. Back to the exact spot you were standing, actually. The HUD counter for your chest piece has dropped in power about a thousand points.

And you're standing in front of a blacksmithing forge. It's far too large for you to use, so you have to stand on stone blocks. But he hands the hammer back to you and just says:

"Blacksmith."

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 90):

"I see." I had not considered that point.

I take the hammer, and put it on the anvil.  Then I get out coals or charcoal, and start up the fire.  It takes a while and I have to scramble around like a kid at his father's desk.  Up and down, again, and again.  Fumble trying to get the fire started, but eventually, I hope....

Then I look for a bit of scrap iron to begin work with.

After that I check if this forge uses blowers to heat up the forge.

So you get the forge going. When you start hammering though, that's when things start to get interesting. Every time the hammer strikes, you see the counters on your HUD drop a little. Since it's dark and there's no sunlight, it's not recharging.

The piece of iron that you're striking gradually begins to turn blue.

After a time, you've made a crude iron blade. It's bluish in color. When you pick it up though, it changes in shape from a blade to a spike. You feel like you can will it to change shape. That also lowers your energy counters.

The giant tells you that an entire suit of armor is required to make the Isis iron, so Heracles couldn't do it even if you showed him. You're infusing the iron with nanotechnology. When you become proficient at it, you'll be able to make iron with whatever powers you want it to have, within certain limitations.

The giant asks you what you'd like to make now.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:29, Sat 09 June 2018.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 92):

That is a good question.  I could try to make something that Hercules is missing.  Or, well, it would probably better to focus on the simple things.  I'll make a sphere.  It was said to be a test for blacksmith's to make a perfectly smooth sphere.  I may not be able to get it at first, but I'll also work on wire.

The giant suggests making a perfectly flat, perfect circle, about 4 inches in diameter. He says he'll show you something when you get there.

So you work for the rest of the night on this. Your HUD counters drop. But you don't get tired. Sleeping seems to be optional when wearing the armor.

When you've completed the perfectly flat, perfect circle, the giant tells you to manipulate the hammer over it. When you do so, it expands into a perfect, hollow sphere. Like blowing up a metal balloon.

"Very good. You have promise as an Isis Smith."

The sun is just beginning to peak over the horizon.

Your HUD counters have dropped by about one third.

OOC) You do know HUD stands for Head's Up Display, right? Just checking, ya know.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 94):

I toss the ball up and down lightly in my hand.  Fantastic.  Its a crazy world full of bizarre things I have stumbled into.


"Thank you, sir."


I go and take a nap before Hercules is up.  I figure even if my body doesn't need sleep, my mind might.