[h3]Rain/Mourningstar’s Party[/h3] [@floodtalon][@Gardevoiran][@King Cosmos][@ReusableSword][@Old Amsterdam][@CriticalHit] [quote=System:Mourningstar] Used Monster Analysis I! ---This is Digbie.--- You have analyzed him before with a different skill. Effectiveness at 100%. Skill Boost from Magic Analysis II. This is a Goblin, named Digbie, who has joined your party. Goblins are a semi-intelligent monster with the limb dexterity and mental capacity to use tools. Digbie is using a pickaxe made from sticks. By comparison, most Goblins are usually as large, strong, and intelligent as a human child, but far more vicious. Digbie does not display this behavior in most cases. He likes to dig, and is generally cheerful and curious. Goblins are capable of using magic, but do not possess it naturally in most circumstances. Digbie possesses a semi-magically oriented skill, and is in the process of learning several others. Digbie has stronger magical stats than most other Goblins you have analyzed, with one exception being Crispy. [color=red]Digbie is unusual. He is like you.[/color] ---This is a Fanged Lizard. You think Orochi said her name was Rain.--- You have analyzed this type of monster before with a different skill. Effectiveness at 100%. Skill Boost from Magic Analysis II. Fanged Lizards are a reptilian monster with potent venom. When injected via a bite, it acts as a neurotoxin to paralyze the prey. When exposed to the air, it becomes a highly acidic liquid. The lizard can spit at a distance. Fanged Lizards are capable of magic but most do not naturally possess it. Rain has not yet unlocked at least one magically oriented skill. Her magical stats are normal for a Fanged Lizard, which is weaker compared to Wisps and Pixies but about the same as anything else you’ve seen. You don’t know her well enough yet to deduce any mannerisms, but you know that she does not behave as is typical of other Fanged Lizards. [color=red]Rain is unusual. She is like you.[/color] ---This is Orochi.--- You have analyzed him before with a different skill. Effectiveness at 100%. Skill Boost from Magic Analysis II. This is a Fanged Lizard, named Orochi, who has joined your party. Fanged Lizards are a reptilian monster with potent venom. When injected via a bite, it acts as a neurotoxin to paralyze the prey. When exposed to the air, it becomes a highly acidic liquid. The lizard can spit at a distance. Fanged Lizards are capable of magic but most do not naturally possess it. Orochi possesses one usable magically oriented skill, and is developing a few more. Orochi’s magical stats are normal for a Fanged Lizard, which is weaker compared to Wisps and Pixies but about the same as anything else you’ve seen. Orochi does not behave as typical Fanged Lizards, and seems rather serious and cautious. [color=red]Orochi is unusual. He is like you.[/color] ---This is Oberon-- You have analyzed him before with a different skill. Effectiveness at 100%. Skill Boost from Magic Analysis II. This is a Pixie, named Oberon, who has joined your party. Pixies are a tiny humanoid Fey-type Monster. While somewhat intelligent, they lack empathy towards one another even compared to beasts like Goblins. Capable of flight and healing magic, but not physically strong or skilled enough to fight or use weapons well. You have seen, however, that Oberon is not like this. Oberon behaves in a very sensible and caring manner towards others. Oberon has 3 magical skills and 1 semi-magically oriented skill, and is developing several more. Among these are skills similar to your own. His magic stats are strong even for the normally magically oriented Pixies. [color=red]Oberon is unusual. He is like you.[/color] ---This is a Pixie. You haven’t caught his name yet.--- Pixies are a tiny humanoid Fey-type Monster. While somewhat intelligent, they lack empathy towards one another even compared to beasts like Goblins. Capable of flight and healing magic, but not physically strong or skilled enough to fight or use weapons well. This Pixie is different from the others, he seems somewhat detached, yet well meaning, but also opportunistic. He left your party momentarily. He seems much more physically fit than most pixies. His magic stats are slightly above average for his species. He has 2 magical skills, one of which is fairly strong for his level, and is developing several more. [color=red]This Pixie is unusual. He is like you.[/color] [/quote] As Mourningstar ate, her new analysis skills were giving her a great deal of information to process all at once. It made her head hurt, but perhaps the silver lining would be that it distracted her from the taste of the burned rat. As Digbie and Oberon tried to “analyze” the rat themselves, they came to an impasse--Digbie had no analysis skills and Oberon’s skill dealt only with magic. Like Mourningstar, when he analyzed monsters he still got some sort of result--but when he tried it this time, the System instead gave him an ERROR message--No Magic Found. Was it because the Rat was dead, or because it had no magic to speak of? But in the end, by their regular non-systemized observation abilities, they determined that even if it probably would not taste good the singed Dire Rat was likely okay to eat. The burns had not gone very deep, so only the outer layer of flesh was burned--they weren’t going to eat the fur and leathery hide anyway. The meat inside was actually fairly well cooked...for about a third of an inch down. Then the layers got tougher and rougher and gamier until the taste and musk were nearly overpowering. Still, their digestive systems didn’t seem to raise too much of a fuss--wild animals ate things raw, after all. [quote=System:Oberon] Skill Rank Up: Lesser Flight II! Flight speed slightly increased. MP Consumption slightly decreased. Maximum height slightly increased. Maximum distance slightly increased. [/quote] With 5 skill points left over, Oberon’s level up menu had disappeared for the moment. But as he continued his experimentation to form a piercing projectile of Mana, he became more adept at shaping it, controlling it, and generally feeling how the energy behaved in accordance with his will. He wasn’t getting any new skill notifications yet, but based on what he had learned thus far he could certainly call these experiments successful. [quote=System:Rain] Skill Rank Up! Stun Fang II! Chance to inflict Paralyzation increased. Stamina consumption slightly decreased. Skill Gain: Poison Glob I! Compare to Poison Spit: Projectile speed decreased. Projectile range slightly decreased. Acid Damage increased. Stamina consumption equal. Chance to inflict Poison equal. [/quote] Rain would now find herself even more deadly with her venom in both forms of its use. It seemed like Poison Glob had a few drawbacks, but perhaps with more skill ranks those could be mitigated, or at the least she now had a bit of variance in her venomous arsenal. Plus, these two skills might go well together--even if Poison Glob was slower, a Paralyzed target wouldn’t be able to dodge so easily. [quote=System:Ardur] Skill Rank Up! Minor Heal III! MP Cost increased. HP Heal increased. Healing can now be used on deeper wounds, but is still less effective on bones. As an Active Spell Skill, you may use any rank of this spell you are capable of within the limits of your MP. Your MP was boosted at level up. At current MP levels, you may use (4) Minor Heal Rank I from full MP; 2 Minor Heal Rank II with leftover MP from Full; 1 Minor Heal Rank III with leftover MP from full; (4) Shield Rank I from full MP. Your MP is currently not full; you do not have enough left to cast more than one Rank I spell. Skill Gain! Physical Conditioning I! You have used a unique and effective method of bodily strain combined with your healing magic. These exercises have culminated in this passive skill: All Physical Attributes are slightly increased. Note: If you obtain ALL of the passive skills Harder, Better, Faster, and Stronger, Skill Synergy will occur and Physical Conditioning will rise by one rank regardless of its Progression. [/quote] This was good news for Ardur, as he ended up not even having to spend a skill point from his level up to get a new skill in addition to increasing an old one. However, even though this was a “passive” skill, Ardur immediately noticed something actively change-- He buffed up. It was not an enormous change. He certainly didn’t go from a wimp to a jerk. He didn’t suddenly have a six-pack, or a barrel chest. But his body mass actually did seem to increase a bit, as did the definition of his muscularity. If he stood next to another Pixie, like Oberon, it would be like looking at two relatively average people--one of whom simply stays skinny via a high metabolism, and one who actively works out at a beginner level. But the real oddness about it was how suddenly it happened. It was like someone had stuck an air pump into him. Just “pop.” Just like that. [b]Aside from all of these things, it soon became clear to the various members of the group who bothered to look just what exactly had been buried under the bonfire’s ashes, likely having been coated over each time the fire’s coals had to be raked.[/b] A huge pile of Mana Crystals had been placed in a hand-dug pit, and then covered with the ashes layer by layer over time. Whether this was part of some kind of cooking recipe or just a method of hiding them wasn’t clear yet, but this was most certainly Crispy’s stash! [quote=LOOT!] 58 Mana Crystals Discovered. 7 Flame-Touched Mana Crystals Discovered. 1 Source Crystal Discovered. [/quote] As Mourningstar used her Magic Analysis on it, she found… [quote=System:Mourningstar] Used Magic Analysis II These are Materials, but they are of a Magical Nature. Effectiveness reduced to 80%. ---Mana Crystal--- This crystal is a physical manifestation of ambient and excess Mana built up in the environment. When enough Mana collects and suffuses impure physical material, it takes on this crystalline form. Usually found in places of high magical activity or concentration. Breaking or consuming these crystals can restore a small amount of Mana to a creature. ---Flame-Touched Mana Crystal--- Mana Crystals that have been exposed to a large amount of elemental Mana associated with Fire. Forcibly breaking this crystal produces a small-scale, fiery blast similar to many low-rank Fire Spells. ---Source Crystal--- Mysterious forms of Mana Crystals. The ore veins of the crystals can be traced back to a root system. These Crystals are closer to the Source of the World… You have No MP Remaining. LEVEL UP! You have faced dangerous odds, and survived. Your experiences have culminated into new power! You are now Level 3! Your Max MP increases! You have new Skill Points you may distribute as you please! Unspent Skill Points: 5 Current Skills: Mana Orb II (2.2) Lesser Force I (1.7) Levitation (--) Magic Analysis II (2.5) Mana Shape I (1.4) Mana Slice I (1.05) Monster Analysis I (1.5) Muffle (0.1) Smash (0.2) Defender (0.2) Focus (0.8) Deception (0.2) Charisma (0.2) Blunt Resistance (0.2) Mental Resistance (0.1) Point Strike (0.1) Fire Resistance (0.2) Rabid Fit (0.1) Dexterous (0.1) [/quote] The Mana Crystals were their usual [color=lightblue]blue[/color], the flame-touched crystals glowed with a warm [color=orange]orange,[/color], and the Source Crystal was an almost hypnotic shade of [color=darkgreen]green[/color]... [hr] [h3]Pool Party[/h3] [@Searat][@Kazemitsu][@Guy0fV4lor][@SilverPaw] [hr] Ed took his discovery of a Mana flow within himself in stride, though as he practiced he found himself growing tired. It wasn’t quite the same kind of “tired” as, say, running a mile and being out of breath. If Ed had ever spent a full workday in front of a computer screen, or watched a long movie with its brightness settings not quite adjusted to the right level, or been unable to get enough rest on a weekend off before returning back to work, it was a similar kind of strain to that. A strain that makes a person say, “I haven’t [i]done[/i] anything today, why am I still so tired?” At the least, though, he had made some kind of progress thus far. As Jason and Asteria continued their telepathic experiments, Jason too would feel his mental strength ebbing. And after his last transmission to the Dire Rat, the slime suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his “head,” like a mild migraine or a stress-induced headache. He could feel his MP draining too, but he wasn’t out of it quite yet and it seemed like Telepathy didn’t use a great deal of it...perhaps it was because the skill had implied it was too low a level for more “complex” usage? He had been “thinking” in full sentences, and even a couple of paragraphs, after all. Maybe that was pushing it too much at this rank? Asteria, much like Ed the first time, did not see any noticeable “skill” activations. No flashing lights, no surges of power. But she did become “aware” of an odd, warming flow through her body, a second circulatory system. And as she focused more upon it, it became more noticeable--though as soon as she stopped, much like when someone stops thinking about their own heartbeat or their own breathing, it would fade to a bare minimum of awareness in the back of her head. Asura tried to help Momma Slime by relaying his memories and experiences to her as she struggled to speak. But even if he only used “images” or “sensations” rather than words and detailed descriptions, he only got through a few hazy moments of memory from his first attempts at giving himself a mouth to speak with before Momma Slime drew back, with a quick thought passing through to Asura before she broke their link. [i]Careful of hurt, you give too much.[/i] Then she settled down again and once more undulated her surface membrane. “BlrblrblbrbeeeeeEYE. Blllwwwwblwah.Wah.” At least she was making new sounds. Mother Rat seemed somewhat reassured by Asteria, and none of these monsters thus far had gotten aggressive with one another. Seemingly willing to relax for now, she instead returned to perching up on a higher rock and scouting their surroundings. Once again, she soon squeaked at the group, then turned back to the direction she was looking at. The distant glow from the [color=orange]bonfire[/color] seemed to have faded. Had it gone completely out? If the group thought about it, they might realize that not once since their new existences in this cave began had that fire gone out. Not for a whole week, and then some. Why would it do so now? Had something happened to that odd goblin that kept it going?