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[h3]~The cavern~[/h3]
[hr]

Certainly, her approach wasn't the best, but what else could she do? Wasn't like she had books or manuals to teach her magic theory. Perhaps she could find such a thing somewhere in the world. All she could do now, was to try and 'feel' it. Bend it forcefully to her will. But perhaps there was a better method. Until she learned more about magic in general - this was the best she could work with. Or at least, she thought. She didn't have complicate formula, books to reference, notes to write to work with.

The night began to drag on, with Ash not sparing a second thought for anyone else around her. Perhaps she should have taken a break, said something to Danny or Reoth. Perhaps they could offer insight, but she wasn't quite used to being able to have others around her to help so she didn't think of it. Instead, she did what she did best. Tackle a problem alone until it was solved, whether it took her a day or an entire week of sleepless nights. It wasn't like she didn't know what she was doing. This magic seemed incredibly simple, in theory. She just needed to do it. Frustrating, when you used to be able to name chemicals and do complex problems in your sleep to have something so seemingly simple elude you.

A familiar feeling this was. Loneliness. Working on her own, sleepless and even forgetting to eat at times as she worked tirelessly. That's all she was good for, after all. Didn't have friends. Didn't have a life, outside of work. Her family was no better, always measuring her by her achievements. At least this was simple. Feel the magic, attempt movement. Nothing else too it. She just needed to keep her growing frustration under control. The familiar exhaustion was shoved to the back of her mind. In a way, it was familiar even.

[quote=system:Ash]Skill Gain: Magic Analysis I 
You may now analyze magical energies or objects to learn their most basic magical characteristics. Less effective on Materials and Monsters unless they are magical in nature.

Skill Gain: Lesser Force I
Use a type of magical telekinesis to manipulate objects a short distance from your body. Objects cannot be finely manipulated, and the strength of this Spell is comparable to your physical ability. It works better if the object is also within your sight. This Spell has low MP consumption.
[/quote]

And suddenly, it seemed she succeed.

[color=598527]"Aha, yes!"[/color] She opened her eyes, letting the focus slip from her mind as she made a rather comical attempt at doing a victory jump, only to wobble over and fall face first onto the ground. [color=598527]"Urf...oh I haven't been this tired since I was studying for college exams..."[/color] She grumbled, panting lightly and catching her breath, letting her body rest on the ground. Lesser Force and Magic analysis! How useful! That would be an excellent skill to study and understand more forms of magic. Hopefully she could opt for a less tiring approach in the future the more magical skills she developed and understood.

[quote=system:Ash]Skill Rank Up: Overwork I > II
Stamina consumption increased. Self-Buff increased. When Stamina is fully consumed, this Skill can be kept active by sacrificing HP. This skill will automatically deactivate when HP reaches dangerously low levels.

You have no MP remaining.

WARNING! You have run out of Stamina! You will be Exhausted until you recover through rest--abilities are significantly decreased. You are Thirsty.
[/quote]

[color=598527]"Ah...thank you...I couldn't tell that myself."[/color] She moved her mouth, smacking her lips a bit to try and get rid of the dry feeling. Overwork leveled up too, huh? No surprise there. The skill would be useful later on, in both combat and study. Now that she had Lesser Force, she could manipulate objects fairly easily. More importantly though, she should find something to drink. The pool was a fair ways off, and from the continuing sounds of combat echoing through the cavern she'd probably not want to go that way. First things first then. Get her stamina back up, then find a source of water, but the system wasn't done quite yet.

Another level up?

And seven skill points this time, too! How nice. What skills should she put points into? Taking a moment to consider, Ash scrolled down the list to the bottom until she reached the next section. Her body was beginning to change? What?

[color=598527]"Darwin would be rolling in his grave if it was this easy..."[/color] The lizard mused to herself. But what was this? How should she go about this? The options to choose from all seemed fairly standard. There was the adult Fanged Lizard. An obvious choice, and likely one that could get her a pack of lizards easier than the others. A kobold was up next. Hands and feet would be very useful, though now that she had developed lesser force, that was much less of an issue. The tailed frog was the most unattractive option. Seemed like a strength based option. Hm. That left the Pygmy Drake.

[color=598527]"Slight increase to base stats...Increase to MP, Gain lesser flight, and gain Mana Orb and Dragon Affinity..."[/color] By all accounts, that seemed to be the most attractive one of the options. She could continue developing Lesser force to achieve more fine manipulation, and with Mana Orb she could easily gain a better understanding of how magic worked with Magic Analysis. The more magic she learned - the better off she'd be. Perhaps she could even find a mage? According to the system info, mages kept them as pets sometimes. She wouldn't mind finding such a person to learn under. It'd be an excellent way to gain a better understanding of the world.

[color=598527]"Hmm, what to do..."[/color] Should she do it now? It said it would leave her temporarily vulnerable. How long was temporarily? She cast a glance over to Colchain and then towards the direction of the cavern entrance. [color=598527]"...hm, put [b]Five points into Alert[/b], and [b]two into Charisma[/b]."[/color] Muffle, while useful, wasn't going to be doing much for her at the moment. Perhaps later, it could be something useful but for now it'd be far better to be aware of the people sneaking up on you, and it was difficult grinding Charisma in a place where no one even understood what she was saying. Deciding that for now it'd be best to rest, Ash walked over to the other fanged Lizard, feeling at least safe enough to rest near the other as she let herself lay on the ground near him. [b][color=598527]"Pygmy Drake."[/color][/b]

[hider=Inventory]
[i]Throat Pouch:[/i]
- 5x empty slots.
[i]Rawhide Backpack[/i]
- 5 slots
[/hider]

[hider=Current party]
Dominated Fanged Lizard - Colchain

[/hider]