[h3]Danny[/h3] [quote=System:Danny] Skill Rank Up: Lesser Force I > Lesser Force II! MP Consumption decreased. Range slightly increased. Force strength slightly increased. Rather than more powerful, it would be more accurate to say this skill is now more efficient. Skill Gain: Mana Shape I! You can shape your raw Mana into the appearance of something. At this rank, your Mana does not have weight, force, or other physical qualities. Your Mana cannot produce sounds. Your Mana cannot move freely. Your mana can have its color changed. Your shapes must be relatively simple with no moving parts. The shape cannot be held for long without more MP. [/quote] After satiating his thirst, Danny once more practiced using his Lesser Force to manipulate the water. This turned out to be the last push he needed to trigger the growth of that skill. As he held his water sphere in place, however, and attempted to infuse/fill the water with his Mana Orb or vice versa, this bit of forced mana manipulation [i]also[/i] caused his Mana Shape skill to reach its activation point! But Danny's good fortune didn't seem to be over just yet. As he watched, his Mana and the sphere of water overlapped one another...and then, the glowing energy seemed to just...dissolve. Like a cloud of chocolate powder being stirred into a glass of milk, Danny's mana suffused the water! The liquid--normally clear, as once he removed it from the pond most particles of dirt or bits of greenery could be filtered through his telekinetic grasp--now became an almost neon shade of [color=lightblue]blue[/color], and the Mana no longer felt like pure, unbridled energy...Now it felt like it had weight, like it wanted to flow and twist. He couldn't hold it for more than a few seconds, however, and with a sound like a wet raspberry the sphere of glowing water burst. What had just happened? And what else could he try...? [hr] [h3]Ed[/h3] As Ed barreled across the cave and charged right into the pool, he would find himself instinctively beginning to doggy-paddle...or rat-paddle...doing [i]something[/i], at any rate. He could keep himself afloat and, oddly enough, using his tail as a makeshift rudder and paddle seemed to come second nature as well. Maybe it was his new body's instincts, or maybe he had just gotten used to it enough to use his own swimming skills from his previous life...if he had any? At first, the rat's loud splash scared the small fish away, but once he began to calm himself they slowly began to return. The smallest ones just seemed curious, poking their heads out before darting away back into the deep. But one or two seemed like they might be big enough to take a little nibble of the water-treading rodent, if they got brave enough... Deep beneath the surface of the pool, Ed might notice something glitter. And he could feel something pulling at him, ever so slightly, like a current...was it Torrent's monster-made creek, flowing back towards Jason's cave? He could easily satisfy his thirst in the pool, but now his stomach began to grumble loudly... [hr] [h3]Mourningstar, Torrent, Oberon[/h3] As the wisp, the lesserwurm, and the sprite began to explore their surroundings, Oberon explained what he had seen from above while Mourningstar experimented with using a stick as a tool, despite having no limbs. She snapped one off from a fresh branch, producing more of a twig than a stick. But its end was quite sharp where it had splintered from the tree, and thanks to its lighter weight she had no problem lifting it with her Lesser Force. However, for Wisps, the Lesser Force spell acted as their limbs. The effort of keeping it active was much like continually using the same muscle--carrying this stick around with her would be like carrying one's umbrella all day long, while awkwardly trying to do other things without dropping the umbrella. While it wouldn't be too troublesome if she rested every so often, it seemed Wisps just didn't have the options for inventory space that most of the other monsters had...then again, she had that Cane Wrap she had taken from Rattleskull's body. Maybe she could somehow tie the stick with it so that it would just hang off of her body when she wasn't using it? But as she held the stick, examining it with Magic Analysis II, she felt a sudden rush... [quote=System:Mourningstar] Skill Rank Up: Lesser Force II > Lesser Force III! Strength of Lesser Force increased, dexterity of Lesser Force increased. MP consumption and range are the same as Rank II. You used Magic Analysis II! This is not a Magical item, but it can be used as Material. Effectiveness decreased to 30%. Wooden Spike - This fragment of a Sharp Stick isn't very long. It's already been broken, so it will continue to split, splinter, or break easily. It's currently fresh and green. LEVEL UP! Your learning experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 5! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! Your Max MP has increased! Unspent Skill Points: 5 Current Skills: Mana Orb II (2.2) Lesser Force III (3.0) Levitation (--) Magic Analysis II (2.3) Mana Shape I (1.5) Mana Slice I (1.4) Monster Analysis II (2.125) Focus I (1.05) Muffle (0.2) Smash (0.2) Defender (0.2) Deception (0.3) Charisma (0.35) Blunt Resistance (0.2) Mental Resistance (0.1) Point Strike (0.1) Fire Resistance (0.2) Rabid Fit (0.1) Dextrous (0.3) Suppress Presence (0.2) Taboo (0.3) Crafting (0.1) YOUR BODY IS BEGINNING TO CHANGE! You are undergoing Transformation! Based on your life experiences, your ability to survive, and the strength of your will, new paths have appeared! Choose carefully--there is no going back! [color=red]WARNING. THIS PROCESS WILL LEAVE YOU TEMPORARILY VULNERABLE.[/color] OPTIONS (* Indicates Suitability): *(Adult) Wisp - More magical manifestation than biological creatures, Wisps nonetheless possess physical bodies. Their ability to cast spells from range makes them a foe that should not be underestimated by the novice. Wisps are magically oriented monsters, normally possessing two spells.[list] [*]Slight increase to all Base Stats [*]Increase HP [*]Increase Potential[/list] (Immature) Pyrofly - This creature is similar to a large Wisp, however it appears as if its entire body has been set alight. These flames do not cause it harm, however; rather, it thrives on both warmth and ambient flame mana, and is always attracted to sources of these things. It is often energetic and volatile, but tends to have a short life-span not only due to its high energy expenditure, but also its vulnerability to things like water and cold.[list] [*]Increase MP [*]Increase Fireball (reduced) [*]Increase Fire Affinity (reduced)[/list] **(Immature) Poltergeist - This monster is still fueled by Magic, but its hold on the physical world has become stronger. Though its chubby, infantile body isn't particularly large, its grasping limbs, levitation ability, and its manipulation magic make it quite the prankster. However, its defensive abilities don't grow as fast as some other species. For the already physically frail mage-types, this can be a dangerous weakness.[list] [*][color=blue]Gain Arms w/Hands, Legs w/Feet, Head w/Eyes and Mouth[/color] [*]Increase base power-stats (reduced) [*]Increase Lesser Force (reduced)[/list] *(Immature) Corpselight - This monster came to be by feeding on the ambient regrets, negative energy, and stagnant mana in environments suffused by the essence of death. It often hovers above such places, sucking out what little of the souls remain from corpses littering the ground. It prefers dark places and moonless nights, so that its glow can lure more unwary victims.[list] [*]Slight increase to all base stats [*]Increase Mana Drain (reduced) [*]Increase Blood Drain (reduced) [*][color=red]Increase Taboo[/color][/list] [/quote] As the three monsters looked for food, they would find near the roots of one larger tree a small space where several shoots of something green and white were growing. If they had seen the goblins' collection of food last night they would recognize these plants as being the things that looked similar to wild onions, maybe leeks or parsnips. Another leafy plant sprouting up nearby appeared to be similar to a tuber of some sort, producing a large root in the dirt that they might be able to eat...Then again, did any of them have any sort of survival knowledge...?