[center][h1][color=darkred]Jason[/color], [color=F0E68C]Asteria[/color] & [color=chocolate]Edward[/color][/h1][/center]
[hr][@Zeroth][@SilverPaw][@Searat][@Kazemitsu]
[color=F0E68C]“Oh, I understand perfectly well what your motivation as well as reasoning behind such an arrangement would be,”[/color] Asteria stated rather business-like though also with a hint of sarcasm in answer to Jason’s attempt to persuade her to get her to accept his last term of their alliance.

Deciding to be open about her hesitation, she continued. [color=F0E68C]“However, what we have agreed on so far for this group is sharing information and protecting each other. There was no mention of sharing resources whatsoever with the exception of you pretty much wanting those crystals for yourself. And no offense, but even if they [i]are[/i] renewable, they are still a precious resource as far as I can tell, and as such [i]technically[/i] beneficial for anyone to have even if they can’t use them,”[/color] she took a moment to pause in what has come across as a slightly aggressive diatribe, which wasn’t exactly what she’d been going for. Asteria sighed and modulated her tone back to neutrality.
 
[color=F0E68C]“Whether you mean well with that clause or not I simply have several concerns. For one, I don’t fancy spending my time mining those crystals for your benefit. Even if you make a case that [i]we[/i] as a group should stockpile as many of those as we can, we can’t disregard the possibility of other former humans being around, which I am fairly certain is the case. And personally, carelessly depleting resources and then getting blamed and resented by the other magically inclined human-souled monsters is [i]not[/i] my idea of fun. Not to mention we all know back from Earth what the costs of trying to create a monopoly are, don’t we?”[/color] She finished, a hint of challenge in her tone.
 
Asteria shook her head slightly, thinking on what she’d said. [color=F0E68C]“I apologize if I came across as weirdly hostile. Nonetheless, the point still stands. And we haven’t even had time yet to discuss whether we have any short-term or long-term common goals beyond survival,”[/color] she sighed, hoping to get some of these issues resolved. There were so many things to consider with a potential alliance. Though if they managed to get these things sorted out and organized themselves, they could surely reap benefits worthy of the effort it took.

Ed gave the slime a very perplexed and slightly afraid look as the two pseudopods on each side of his head vibrated thrice as intense as before. The vibrations were strong enough to vibrate the young dire rat's head with significant force. If Ed had describe the feeling, it would be having two electric massagers pushed together with his head in the middle of the two...minus the pain the hard plastic would have done to his skull. [color=chocolate]"I don't think your experiment is working, Jason."[/color] The experiment itself may have been a unsuccessful one but if Jason was correct, even failed attempts would help improve the skill none the less.

Ed then tries to speak with Asteria. [color=chocolate]"Don't worry about it. All your concerns are really good points to be discussed if we are going to be something of a party."[/color] Ed was not sure but by the way she spoke and reasoned out the possible flaws in the alliance even before the cases arose, he could easily guess that Asteria was a very intelligent individual and quite possibly going to be the brains of the party.

[quote=System:Jason] 
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression. 
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression. 
[/quote] 

[Color=darkred]"Oh, to the contrary my dear friend"[/color] Jason chuckled, [color=darkred]"I've just received two system messages saying quite the opposite... As for you Asteria, I believe you mistake my intentions with that request. I have no wish to deplete the crystals, and I am not asking that you mine the crystals for my benefit. The reason I ask for them; in the event you happen across some, is that I may better protect my allies and friends. For you see, once my mana is depleted, I lose access to nearly half of my abilities, and will become a burden upon the group. However, if you do not wish to accept such a request, I shall not forcefully hold you to it."[/color] he stated before focusing his mind once more on the 'invisible connection', allowing mana to pool once more, and shoving the thought [i]'test'[/i] into the mana, through the 'connection and completely out of Jason's mind.

[color=F0E68C]"If you still have more than half of your abilities even without mana I wouldn't worry about it too much. I might occasionally bring you one but honestly you are probably much better suited to getting them yourself when you need them. It's not like I can carry more than one what with being a rat, and even if I tried doing so I might put myself in harm's way. So I'll just be using my own judgement on that,"[/color] she shrugged, kind of brushing him off - partly because she wasn't impressed at the way he either actively avoided discussing her worries or was too involved in his current experiments to do so.

[color=F0E68C]"Another thing. Mother Rat just brought to my attention the fact that those other monsters, presumably not human,"[/color] she nodded towards the lake [color=F0E68C]"are avoiding us. So they do recognize our numerical advantage and do not wish to attack us. If we happen to want to hone our combat capabilities we might have to split up. That would have its own risks however."[/color] She paused, taking some time to think about Jason's magical attempts as well as to observe the Monsters among their group, who were strangely but thankfully peaceful - and did that monster slime just try to speak?! Shaking her head, Asteria decided to ignore them for now and addressed Jason again. 

[color=F0E68C]"By the way, if you are attempting telepathy [i]magically[/i], we might actually need to develop some kind of magical abilities ourselves first. Though..."[/color] she trailed off, wondering if there was a way to find out what someone's [i]skill[/i] did. A higher level of the Monster Analysis skill or a [i]different[/i] kind of analysis skill could do something for them, but she didn't think anyone here had that. There was also the fact that this world [i]kind of[/i] worked like a game, and system messages tended to appear in reaction to doing something significant - as Jason had just confirmed - but she hadn't a clue if there was a way to access more information of that nature the way one would if they were actually playing a game. If there was, that would have [i]more[/i] worrying implications which Asteria honestly didn't want to contemplate too closely.

Slightly annoyed with Asteria's seemingly constant attempts to skew the portrayal of his intentions, Jason let out a heavy sigh, [color=darkred]"Look Asteria, I can already tell that you don't trust me, or want to. Y'know what? Just scratch the whole fuckin mana crystal clause, because even when I say it's not an absolute priority, you seem to want to portray it as one..."[/color] 

[Color=darkred]"Just have a little faith in me, that's all I ask. I know I might not be the best communicator, but I'm a lot smarter than you'd think. Though you seem to think I'm purposely not telling you things, It's just me assuming you already know or understand what I'm talking about or trying to say...[/color] he explained, pausing for a few moments, [color=darkred]"Now, in terms of training our combat abilities, that may be a time we need to split up. However, once the goblins come back to the cave, being in a group such as how we are now would be vital for overthrowing Rattleskull, the 'Boss Monster' of the cave. As for telapathic communication, most slimes can communicate between each other naturally with a weak form of it. Also, knowing slimes, it is unlikely that normal slimes wield magic abilities, but until I can figure out how the mechanics of this telepathy work, we won't know for sure. All I know is that I'm close to gaining a new skill, if you wait just a bit longer, I promise it will be worth the wait, and afterward, I can show all of you our base of operations."[/color]

Turning his attention back to Ed, and clearing his mind once more, Jason deeply focused  on the 'invisible connection'. As mana built up, he held it back, not allowing it through until five times the normal mana had built up. Picturing The sound of someone saying [color=darkred][i]'Test'[/i][/color], Jason pushed the thought into the mana amassed, and drove both as far as he could through the 'invisible connection' until he could feel the presence of the thought no more.

[color=F0E68C]"Fair enough,"[/color] she blinked at his outburst. [color=F0E68C]"I don't actually have that much info on this world, so I assume [i]a lot.[/i] And from what you've said, mana or rather those crystals are one of the things that could be construed as the equivalent of oil, so..."[/color] She didn't think further elaboration was necessary. [color=F0E68C]"And the trust will come as we work together,"[/color] she shrugged again. When she spoke again it was in reference to what Jason's current experiment. [color=F0E68C]"So, once you are close to a skill, you just try doing the same thing until it succeeds? With added variation I guess. Is your telepathy also a proper skill then? And maybe not even magical, that's interesting."[/color] For now, she decided to wait until whatever it was he was attempting to do succeeded. Though now that she had the time to do so, she used Monster Analysis on Edward, Mother Rat and even tried to do it on herself to see if she'd get any notion of whether a Dire rat could learn magic if it turned out that's what they needed or wanted to do.

The time Jason had finished his discussion with Aesteria, He had already seemingly amplified the vibrations five fold. Initially there was only slight tingles, but now there was a static like sound in his head. Was this the end goal of Jason's experiment?

Ed couldn't be sure and chose to stay silent. Though Jason said something about 'System messages.' Was that random thought in my head about that 'level up' not a delusion of his? Was it something part of the world they were in or maybe we are all just delusional and slowly sinking deeper into the proverbial rabbit hole? Ed then stared at the slime as it focused intensely at him. [color=chocolate]'He's really focusing hard trying to do that telepathy thing...'[/color] Ed thought While Jason tried to make results, Ed had began reasoning on how the mana and magic thing worked. [color=chocolate]'Maybe that's how you use magic in this world? You just focus really hard on something.'[/color] 

Ed then tried to relax and imagined the mana as an invisible force. Ed then imagines the force surrounding his body to create something of a cover around his body, nothing too complex. Only a cover surrounding his body. Once he finished visualizing it, Ed then imagines the mana surrounding his body go rigid and hard, like a protective layer of armor of some sort. He didn't know if it would work, but at least he was trying.

[Color=darkred]"That is correct Asteria! Now be quiet for a moment, I think I've nearly got it!"[/color] Jason said as he focused his mind once more. 

[quote=System:Jason]
You have no MP remaining.
[/quote]

Grumbling, Jason begrudgingly used another mana crystal.

[quote=System:Jason]
Used a Mana Crystal. 
MP is fully restored. 
[/quote]

With his mana now restored, Jason once again deeply focused  on the 'invisible connection'. Letting his mana build up, he held it back, not allowing it through until three times the normal mana had built up again. Picturing both the sound of someone saying [color=darkred][i]'Test'[/i][/color], as well as the word itself, Jason pushed the thoughts into the mana amassed, and drove it all as far as he could through the 'invisible connection'.