[h3]Ash, Digbie, Mourningstar, Oberon, Reoth, Torrent[/h3]
Digbie's Tremor Sense told him that the goblins were soon gone and away for real and true, leaving the group safe for the moment. If the greenskins could be trusted, this bought them another day at least from that particular hindrance.

The Earthy Magical Demiblin began to follow the little mole's trail he found, soon wandering further away from the stream. The Rubber Frog watched him go with a croak. Soon he was out of sight of the camp, though probably not out of shouting distance. As he left Rock Spires behind him to mark his path, however, he only managed to leave three of them before he felt that familiar emptiness in the pit of his being.

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

Stone-Hardened Variance boost! Mystic Variance boost!
Skill Rank Up: Rock Spire I > Rock Spire II! (1.5 > 2.1)
MP Cost increased. Number of Spires per spell increased to 3. Each spire does the same amount of damage and has the same range as before.
[/quote]

He still had his Earth Vein and Meditate skills, of course, but if he were out here all alone at some point recovering mana like that might be risky...

The molerun looked like it led around and to the west, with a slight southern bend. He wasn't going back towards the cave, but he also wasn't heading straight up the slopes of the mountains either... 

In the distance, a Pixie seemed to be fluttering among the treetops. Right now it wasn't hostile, but it seemed to be eyeing Digbie warily...

Meanwhile, Oberon demonstrated his spells for Ash while she attempted to use her improvised vision-alteration again. As her eyes glowed softly Ash slowly began to see the shapes Oberon created in a different light. Rather than the semi-transparent, bright "energy," she now saw...static? Or something like it. Only occasionally would it flicker throughout the shape, and the aura around Oberon's hands as he manipulated his magic. And just like an old fashioned television, what she saw seemed to be made of thousands upon thousands of tiny squares. 

It became especially notable, however, when Oberon created his cube for the second time and tried to refine the shape even further. Yes, there were numerous "squares" making up the entire shape--but at the vertices of Oberon's cube, several of these squares overlapped to make another cube. These shapes were so small that up until now, Ash had only caught glimpses of them. Even now, to see these "larger," compound squares took a significant effort, straining her eyes as if she were trying to see something far too small for the naked eyes. The last thing she saw, before she had to blink and lost her focus, was that the tiny cubes at the vertex of each Mana Shape were connected to each other, like points on a mathematical graph, by a line...except that line oscillated like a sinusoidal image, or an EKG, or a--

When she blinked, the image disappeared. Oberon, too, decided to stop showing off his magic and instead headed for the trees. 

[quote=System:Ash]
You are experiencing Fast Skill Progress.
[/quote]

As the Sprite made his way to the tree top, he basked in the sun and looked around for any sign of the Broken Tower Tribe's home. And sure enough he soon found it--however, it wasn't stretching into the sky above the trees. He only saw it when he looked down, in more detail at the lands immediately surrounding them. From their encampment there was the stream heading off to the east, and further north--along that path they decided not to take because of the growling probably-badger in its den--he soon began to see places where the forest had once been cleared. Old tree stumps lay within holes in the canopy, and the clear ground had regrown grass and low brush. But there were signs, here and there, of something else. Gravel that had once covered a path. Wooden poles that once held up shingles of fired clay. Whatever "tower" had been here had fallen long ago, scattering its debris among the forest and leaving only the sturdiest walls around its base standing.

Oberon couldn't see enough details from this distance and through the trees to know much more than that--there was a ruin of some kind over there, not as far from their camp as they were from Crispy's cave, but still quite the distance. His eyes hurt and teared up after only a few moments of looking, due to the strain of observing something so far away.

After this he sat down to recover his Mana, and with two skills applied towards the purpose this was soon accomplished. Then he began his latest experiment. When his orb was formed, trying to keep it from becoming the Light Ring spell as he channeled the element into it caused it to pulse and wriggle as if it were an egg about to hatch. As he began to chant, light around the orb grew bright--and then, without Oberon's bidding, two light rings formed around the orb's middle. But these didn't seem the same as the spell--they weren't as broad and didn't crackle with the same energy. They orbited the sphere like the rings of a planet. And with each line of his chant they grew brighter.

Lines like the spokes of a wheel began to pierce the rings from outside, reaching into the center of the empty space between the innermost ring and the orb. But they never touched the orb itself, only pointed at it like the needles of a compass while their other ends extended outwards like the rays of the sun.

After speaking of a vessel, two lines had appeared. Speaking of life, Oberon witnessed two more. Speaking of will, he saw the final two--all six spaced out with mathematic perfection. And as he poured more energy into it, the light grew brighter, and two new lines started to form as the rings began to spin, repositioning themselves to fit the new spokes--

[quote=System:Oberon]
Spell cast canceled due to lack of MP.
You have overdrawn your MP.
You are experiencing Mana Burn. Natural MP Recovery decreased by 50%. External MP Recovery decreased by 25%.
You have no MP Remaining.

Skill Gain: Spell Chant I!
Magic is the unison of Nature, Spirit, and Will. Language is the expression of Will. Using personalized language as an aid in manipulating one's energy is the first step to conceptualization and understanding of what Magic truly is. Using a previously existing Spell Skill as the Base, you may enact one (1) alteration of the spell's typical qualities. --You possess the skill Focus, which allows a spell to increase either its power or range in return for increased MP cost of 50% of its initial value and delayed casting time of 30 seconds.-- Spell Chants will also delay casting time by a default of 10 seconds, as any chant shorter than this will be ineffective. --Skill Synergy between this skill and Focus will allow you to alter Power/Range + One (1) other spell quality, which may include Power or Range a second time.-- The more complex the chant, the greater the alteration, but also the greater the increase to MP cost; by default the spell's cost is increased by a further 50% of its initial value.

Skill Gain: Focus I!
By spending at least 30 seconds focusing before using an offensive Skill or Spell, you can increase its damage. At this rank it is comparable to increasing the power by one rank (eg Mana Orb I to Mana Orb II) while also increasing the MP cost by half again (spend 1.5x Mana Orb I's cost).
[/quote]

The orb exploded, or perhaps the better term would be shattered. With a sound like intense microphone feedback and a splitting headache, as well as a sudden rush of fatigue, Oberon saw his spell dissipate into myriad sparks like a firecracker had gone off in his face. Other than that, there were no harmful effects of the failed spell...He had, at the least, been doing [i]something[/i], and had gained some skills from it.

Back down on the ground, while Reoth questioned Ash about her experiments Torrent followed Digbie for a few moments, then branched off to wander about the camp. The Rubber Frog further down the stream finally decided it had seen enough of these newcomers, and hopped away into some bushes when the Lesserwurm seemed to be getting close. But Torrent only seemed interested in the local plantlife at the moment.

She soon came upon a bush full of Green Argeps, around a dozen bunches of unripe berries hanging from its branches. If she had ever spoken with Oberon or Ash about their own travels she might have learned the locations of a few Kele patches, Blue Argep Bushes, and Topapo plants, but in the area she chose to search she only found the green ones...until she caught the smell.

Whatever it was, it smelled like delicious, cooked meat. But she couldn't see any smoke from a fire, or hear the sounds of cooking on metal tools or the sizzling of an oiled pan. But that smell was practically mouth watering.

If she followed it, moving under the noon day sun as her shadow got smaller, she would soon find herself looking at a bright red, flowering plant. Its pink petals were very thick, almost fleshy, and at its center there was a leathery ball of some sort that looked the same color and texture as a fresh-grilled steak. A bunch of green, bushy leaves sprouted from its base, but they had prickles like some kind of holly plant, apparently to protect that strong-scented flower head. It seemed to have put out runners of some kind, bright red vines that were easy to see with little buds along their length. 

[quote=System:Torrent]
You used Plant Analysis I!
---Green Argep---
A sweet fruit that some would describe as a berry, since it is smaller and grows in bunches. Green Argeps are not ripe and the body of the fruit has not fully developed; it has a bitter, acidic taste that will turn sweet later on. The leaves of the Argep bush are sometimes used to brew tea and the fruit itself can be fermented even when unripe.
---Blood Snare Plant---
A large plant that, for some strange reason, forms its flowers and many other parts from tissue very similar to flesh rather than wood or greenery. Perhaps being made of the muscular substance is why its vines are so strong. It is a carnivorous plant, lashing out at prey, but it has very little stamina. It thus waits for a chance to surprise the unwary herbivore, but otherwise displays no intelligence.
---Analysis Complete!---
[/quote]
[hr]
[h3]Ardur, Asura, Momma Slime[/h3]
[quote=System:Ardur]
Inspire I's effects have worn off.
[/quote]
[quote=System:Asura]
This Command is already Active.

Command [Form Party] acknowledged.
You are already in a Party with Adult_Slime_123 [Mother/Momma Slime] and Ardur. You have not established a special connection with Ardur; his Status (such as HP Warning) cannot be shared at this time. Some forms of Experience are being shared.

You have no Stamina remaining. HP Drain is active again.
[/quote]
Ardur was struck hard by the stick-wielding Skeleblin, after two more of the bony monsters had joined the fray. The buff Hipixie crushed the remains of one Zombie Pixie just as Asura surged into the skeleton that had attacked him with a powerful Smash, shattering several of its ribs and knocking it to the ground. Momma Slime followed up her original attack on the jawless Skeleblin as it and the other undead it had crashed into tried to disentangle from each other. She rolled into a tight ball and bowled into both of them. The one with a broken jaw had the rest of its cranium smashed under her weight against the rocks on the ground, and the other was tackled hard enough to crack several bones. It fought back with a flurry of punches, but they seemed to be leaving only the barest of marks on Momma Slime's blue body.

As Ardur flew up he managed to evade a thrown rock from one of the necomer Skeleblins, and he drop kicked the second Zombie Pixie just as it too was trying to fly up after him. With his increased strength and the force of gravity, this blow was devastating to a normal, frail pixie's body. Its neck and spine were crushed under Ardur's feet, and its dead body ruptured against the ground to spill stinking viscera everywhere. But then a second stone hurtled through the air, striking Ardur hard in the head. Blood spilled down across the edge of one eye as he stumbled backwards. 

[quote=System:Ardur]
[color=red]WARNING! YOUR HP IS LOW![/color]
[/quote]

Asura circled to intercept the Dire Rat, and slammed another Smash into its jaw as it opened up to try and bite him. He felt bones and teeth breaking as the creature was tossed to one side, but where a normal creature might react in shock to the pain or even give up the fight and retreat, this monster only continued to move with jerky, mechanical motions. The purple light in its eyes was still bright. Despite that strong blow, Asura could feel his HP lowering again.

Momma Slime used another 'mash of her own, crushing her second Skeleblin of the battle. But the one Asura had knocked down was getting back up, gnarled club still held at the ready. The two that were throwing rocks at Ardur were gathering up more ammunition. The Dire Rat was still alive. Coming from the direction of Jason's cave was a Slime with a purple, glowing core like a lava lamp. From a mound of dirt on the other side of the pool, a Zombie Pixie began digging its way free. The flickering lights of Ghost Wisps shone in the distance as they approached, preparing their crackling orbs...

Suddenly, from the pool, a surge of water rose up. It was not like an ocean tide or a white water current, but still it washed over the edges of the rocky bank. It swept across the battlefield with purpose, taking the feet out from under the Skeleblins and forcing the Rat and Slime to back off. Strangely the water parted completely around Ardur, Momma Slime, and Asura--and a soft blue light beckoned to them from the center of the water. A sword, somehow floating with blade upright, listed in the ebb and flow.

[color=lightblue]"Cursed Souls, hear me! There is no Mana nor sustenance here! Even with Asteria's gift, I have little Mana--Flee, and I will hold them a short moment!"[/color]
[hr]
[h3]Asteria, Ed, Mother Rat[/h3]
Jezee quickly hurried away from the rats, sobbing and scared. She left a distinct trail as she ran through the long grass without any heed for brambles or brush. The two rats moved away much less perceptibly, ignoring the various flowers and plants for now as they continued southward. The plains seemed much less vast up close, but only because their vision was much more limited. In the thick of the grass, Asteria and Mother Rat might as well have been in the thick of a jungle. Without jumping, only Ed could naturally see over the tall plant stalks. It was a good thing that he kept low, as his blue head would no doubt stand out like a sore thumb among the sea of green.

While Asteria took stock of their position, Ed had to put much more effort into being stealthy because of his size and the fact that, unlike Asteria, he couldn't use his tail as well. With Asteria's sharpened senses, she determined that save for Jezee now crashing away far in the distance, it seemed they were alone. Mother Rat seemed to think the same, as she stopped alongside the others and began pawing and licking at her fur to remove bits of bramble.

[quote=System:Asteria]
You used Mana Sense I!
You can feel Nature Mana all around you. There is some Wind mana in this area as well. This feeling is pleasant and natural. There are no exceedingly strong magical energies.

You used Mana Drain I!
You have absorbed a small amount of MP from plantlife around you.

Skill Gain: Alert I!
Skill Gain: Alert I! (0.9 > 1.0)!
Though this skill is limited by the strength of your senses, and does not sharpen your senses on its own, it allows you to become more aware of your surroundings. Without conscious effort, you will pick up on signs in your environment more easily, especially if they present some form of danger to you. Essentially this is an anti-ambush skill.
[/quote]

While Asteria tried to restore her MP, both through calm, relaxing meditation and by using her Mana Drain on the flowers around her, she could feel the energy ever so slightly trickling back. After Undine had drained her completely she never had fully recovered, and while it wasn't hindering her as much as Stamina or HP loss it was notably refreshing to have this energy back.

Ed, meanwhile, observed his Gnarled Stick not with any kind of analysis skill, but simply his enhanced vision. With his Beast Senses at the second rank, however, this did give him a significant amount of information. The stick's "handle" had a slight curve to it. Self-evidently, the stick would thus generate more force if swung in a fashion following this natural curve, like the edge of a scimitar or katana. He could see some cracks near the knotty end of the cudgel, so he would know to try and align the weapon's head to not put as much pressure on that piece. He could also see that the stick was very dry, so it would be a good idea to keep it away from fire. When he had held the stick in his mouth earlier he had gained a sense for its balance, feeling its weight on either side of his jaw, and now that he had it in his hand he found himself getting a feel for the same thing, the leverage his grip had on it...It felt like something just sort of clicked, as he turned the stick in his grasp.

[quote=System:Ed]
Skill Rank Up: Muffle I > Muffle II! (1.9 > 2.0)
You are now even more effective at remaining unseen passively. Activating this skill by using Stamina will noticeably reduce, but not eliminate, the sounds of your movement.

Skill Gain: Use Light Equipment (0.9 > -- )
The use of small tools, and lighter forms of armor, weaponry, and other items.
[/quote]

Mother Rat alerted the duo with a sudden squeak, however, as she pawed at something on the ground. She moved in rapid circles around it, sniffing and huffing as the hair on the back of her neck rose. If Asteria or Ed looked, they would immediately see what was wrong.

Not too far ahead of them, in a trail of bent grass that looked fairly recent, a footprint made its mark upon a patch of bare earth. It was somewhat deep and well defined--and human-sized. It was solid and had a distinct shape toward the heel, and a pointed toe. A boot of some sort, reminiscent of cowboy boots or other leather footwear from their home world. The deep print and the size implied someone fairly tall and heavy...maybe a man? And near it a set of smaller, softer prints--someone smaller, wearing some kind of shoe that wasn't quite so rigid. They probably had to jog along to keep up with the larger being's stride--a child? Or maybe some smaller race of being?

The tracks were heading towards the northwest--perhaps towards the cave, but more likely towards the mountains. They seemed to be making a long arc, if the grass trail in either direction was to be trusted...
[hr]
[h3]Danny[/h3]
Though Danny wanted to ask the system how close he was to his next level, as he thought about this he was still levitating further away from the Slimes--who were also retreating, having given up on their meal. Almost as soon as he had asked the question, the notice popped up.
[quote=System:Danny]
LEVEL UP! Your combined experiences and survival have culminated in new power! You are now Level 5! Your Max HP has increased (this will not heal your current HP)! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please!

[color=red]Unspent[/color] [color=green]Skill[/color] [color=red]Points[/color]: [color=green]9[/color]

Current Skills:
Mana Orb II (2.45)
Lesser Force II (2.25)
Levitation (--)
Monster Analysis II (2.25)
Meditate I (1.2)
Mana Shape I (1.2)
Aqua Sphere I (1.1)
Magic Analysis I (1.1)
Mana Dart I (1.05)
<UNUSABLE>
Plant Analysis (0.8)
Blunt Resistance (0.4)
Mana Strike (0.5)
Focus (0.8)
Faster (0.9)
Mana Shell (0.1)
Point Strike (0.8)
Suppress Presence (0.6)
Muffle (0.5)
Spell Cancel (0.1)
Aqua Stream (0.1)
Magic Dash (0.2)
Spell Chant (0.1)
Material Analysis (0.2)
Mana Drain (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) Bubble - This creature is similar to a large Wisp, however it appears as if its entire body has been caught in a bubble of frothy liquid. This liquid somehow stays suspended around its body. It is often calm and non-hostile, but tends to find its way into things it shouldn't, like various containers humans use to store foodstuffs. It is resistant to Fire magic, yet remains vulnerable to both extremes of temperature.[list]
[*]Increase MP
[*]Increase Aqua Sphere (reduced)
[*]Increase Water 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]
[/quote]

When he flew into the dust from the Mana Crystals, Danny felt some of his MP being restored, but not nearly as much as he would have gotten from a Crystal. He would still need to Meditate if he wanted to recover--or perhaps leave the cave entirely. It didn't look like there was going to be anything left here soon...could it have something to do with that Core back at Jason's cave? Then again, even if he left the safety of the cave, at this point he had no idea if there would be Mana Crystals outside. As he also had no real way to recover his HP at this point except perhaps by sleeping, he was left with a tough decision...
[hr]
[h3]Jason[/h3]
As Jason's immaterial body passed over the Fanged Lizard eggs, with a flex of his will he felt the sensation of food and drink as if he were eating at the table. The gray colored pinpricks within the shells shivered, then dissipated like mist within Jason's ectoplasmic form just like food within his membrane had digested. Though there was a moment of what could only be called "resistance," it was no more than the wriggling of a fresh grub before one bites down. 

Though each egg was only a fifth the size of the soul within the rat, Jason ate all ten of them. There was an unwhole feeling, as if he were biting into a piece of bread with part of the dough missing due to an air bubble during baking. Maybe that was his Mana Disorder--even external sources of Mana were reduced in their effectiveness until he could figure out a way to overcome it. Still, he could feel Mana--so much more strongly than before--surging through his being.

Now he attacked the Rat--he wanted its Mana, but not its soul. As he collided with the body, the Dire Rat gave a startled squeak. Its fur bristled and its flesh pimpled with goosebumps as if an arctic wind blew against it, and it whirled. Its purple eyes finally seemed to "see" Jason, and the creature snarled but was unable to disentangle itself from Jason's own "body" as it thrashed and bucked. He could feel a small amount of MP coming back--but he was starting to lose it just as fast.

The purple light within the rat "touched" him.

The world flashed black and gray again. Jason and the Rat were both frozen in time. A misty figure struggled to take shape, screaming and thrashing in rage. It crashed against the Rat's body from the inside, striking at the parts of Jason that were wrapped around the rodent. Jason saw a face snarling in front of his own. That bitchy goblin he had impaled.

Jason's own hand reached out instinctively, ike swatting a bug that has landed on your shoulder before you're even sure what that prickling sensation on your shirt is. It grabbed the goblin by her scrawny neck and squeezed tight.

[i]"End it! Eat! Can't drain, kill, eat!"[/i]

The world flashed back to normal and Jason's will was his own again. The Rat was starting to run now, and he found it growing exceedingly difficult to "hold" on. His MP was still dropping and recovering at a balanced rate, but he was less than halfway "full" at the moment...
[hr]
[h3]Orchid's Tribe[/h3]
Sqwal held the club in both hands like a bat, while Bigs wrapped his sling around his arm and switched to using his shield and spear. Both of them followed Orchid warily, and Crispy went out in front. He kept his body turned, as much to assist with crouching and moving through the long grass stealthily as it was to keep anything from hitting his injured arm. With Orchid in the middle, she was well protected--but if something came at them, she might also have trouble getting around the bodies of the other goblins in order to address the threat...

"Yargh, gerroff gerrof!" Sqwal cried out, beating at himself as black smoke suddenly blossomed around him. Bigs held up his shield just as the same smoke erupted from the wicker object. As Orchid and Crispy turned, two large black cats lunged from the grass--an ambush!

Bigs had one of the better Wicker Shields Orchid had crafted, and it had held up well even through the raid in the cave. But when one cat's claws struck it as the black smoke billowed--without any visible flame--from its weave, she heard the shield cracking. Sqwal swung his club wildly, and the cat halted its charge and nimbly danced out of the way. Its two differenly colored eyes gleamed, almost like the damn thing was smirking...