Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Guy0fV4lor
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Guy0fV4lor Retaker of The Holy Land

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@Zeroth

"Shut up and let me focus!" Jason hissed at Bonie as he slid out of his lifeless body. He realized that there was indeed truth to her words, but right now, he needed absolute focus if they were going to survive. Time itself seemed to slow to a near halt as the cogs of Jason's mind whirred vigorously to think of something. Mana was currently the key to maintaining his existence. Maintaining his form outside of the spirit world cost mana and could be broken down into two parts; the mana cost of staying OUT of the spirit world, and the mana upkeep for the various functions of his spectral body.

Immediately, Jason 'deactivated' all senses save for sight and touch, as he to chase down the dire rat. Then, mustering all his courage, Jason allowed himself to begin slipping back to the other side, but not completely; trying to 'walk the line between worlds' in order to conserve more mana. Subconsciously, Jason's mistlike body elongated, like a hand reaching out to take hold of the rat. With all the will he had left, he reached for its soul, to pull it into him, for it to become PART of him.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by SilverPaw
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SilverPaw

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Asteria



Asteria felt her mana returning slowly, and though she realized her attention was split, she didn’t consider the danger might come from in front of them rather than from behind them. And so, she’d noticed only at the last moment that a fucking humongous burst out of the underground and knocked Mother Rat over. Seething, Asteria immediately tackled the enemy to distract the ant from its intent of stinging Mother, though only knocked it slightly off balance – but the lull in the fight was enough for Ed to join the fight! He came lunging in a fury, prepared to swing his club at the ant at full power. He was obviously gearing up for what could be a decisive hit, but his preparation took some time. Seeing the need to keep the ant from avoiding Ed’s attack, Asteria did all she could think of in the scant milliseconds she had to keep the fire ant’s attention on her instead. She hissed loudly at it, and proceeded to swing her tails rapidly at three of its legs, aiming to break the appendages in a flurry of tail-swipes to lower its mobility. Even if that failed, the ant would presumably be so preoccupied with her swift lashes that it wouldn’t realize Ed was going for the kill.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Lucius Cypher
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Lucius Cypher Looking For Group

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Orchid's jab was a clean hit, though not enough to put the beast down. Suddenly, Orchid's body felt exhausted. Was it because of her fight with Crispy? Or perhaps some magic? This was a hex cat after all, she wouldn't be surprised if it knew some sort of magic. But that just meant it was all the more dangerous. Crispy and Biggs seemed to be doing well enough but Squal didn't listen to Orchid and kept trying to fight the Hex Cat she was suppose to deal with, and ended up getting pinned. Orchid needed to move fast or else Squal was going to end up in kitty litter. Running ideas through her head Orchid thought maybe she could try to swing low and swipe the cat off of Squal, but it might be fast enough to avoid the attack or worse, end up making Squal take the hit instead. No, striking the little bugger wasn't going to work without some serious risks.

But Orchid had another weapon, one that she hasn't used yet. Now was as good a time as any.

Shaking off the fatigue Orchid reached into her pack and took out the garrote she had made a few days ago. She let her sharp club loose, hanging off her wrist thanks to the strap she had put onto it, allowing her to grip the garrote by it's handles. She moved swiftly towards the hex cat as it was about to chew on Squal's neck and Orchid would try and loop the vine around the feline's own neck. Orchid had crossed her arms before she attacked so that when she would pull the garrote taut, she'd be pulling her arms apart from each other and hopefully put more torque into strangling the cat. Orchid would try and pull it off Squal with as much strength as she could muster and ideally snap it's neck in the process. If successful Orchid would glare at Squal and roar at him, having no patience for his ego. "Go you daft motherfucker! Go with the others!"

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Zeroth
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Zeroth

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Danny

TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!
Wisp > (Immature) Poltergeist
You have Transformed!
Base power stats have increased!
You have not reached your full Potential. Stat increase is reduced.
Lesser Force has been increased!
You have not reached your full Potential. Skill increase is reduced. Current total of Lesser Force is (2.75).
You have gained New Limbs! Readjusting may take some time…

Skill Gain: Blunt Resistance I! (1.0)
Reduce Blunt physical damage by a small amount; a Rank I attack skill would be reduced almost completely, depending on your own base defensive stats.

Skill Gain: Focus I! (1.0)
By spending at least 30 seconds focusing before using an offensive Skill or Spell, you can increase its damage or range. 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).

Skill Gain: Faster I! (1.0)
Your base physical speed is increased! By gaining the skills Harder, Better, and Stronger, Skill Synergy will occur and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.
System:Danny


Upon examining himself, Danny would now find that the pale, fleshy sphere-shaped body he had possessed as a Wisp had grown and changed. In fact, it was almost like he had simply...sprouted a body from the neck down. The Wisp’s filament-like hairs that conducted magical power, giving them their glow, were still present but were much shorter all over his new body. He looked like a pale, chubby, alien infant...His new hands and feet barely feet the criteria as such. He had no toes, no nails or claws, and his hands seemed more like mittens than anything with only a thumb as a definite digit. He was only about a foot tall in total, though still much heftier in weight than a Pixie.

Toddling out of the cave’s exit, he found keeping his balance and moving with any kind of speed quite difficult. He hadn’t actually walked anywhere in over a week, after all, and compared to his Old World the proportions of this body weren’t right at all. Still, now he didn’t have to spend any of his MP on Levitation. Every little bit he could conserve would help.

As he searched for plants he soon saw a bush near the treeline, bearing a few bunches of round, green berries. Though he didn’t have the proper Plant Analysis skill yet, by looking carefully at it he could tell that the berries didn’t seem quite ripe, but might still be edible. Nothing about it stood out as being poisonous or dangerous, as it had no thorns and no strange colors. The shape of the berries, and the way they grew in bunches, reminded him of grapes.

But a commotion would soon draw his attention--and luckily it seemed the same events were distracting the other creatures around the Poltergeist from paying any attention to him. The remaining Goblins of the cave were jumping about and pointing, rapidly chattering among themselves. They seemed to have seen something just over the top of the cave…

“I’m tellin’ yas, it was jus’ one of ‘ems! A little one!” a shorter, squatter goblin was saying. He had a shield that looked like it was on the verge of being nothing more than a pile of splinters, and a crudely fashioned spear of wood with a stone tip.

“I saws ‘im too, but he had shiny sharpstuff!” a taller and more mature looking male was saying. “Might be little, but prolly still a Venture! We needs ta tell da Boss!” He looked over towards another goblin, a female who also seemed a bit more mature than most of the others. “Right, Tiddies?!”

“If it’s just one by hisself…” broke in another, this one holding a rather vicious looking weapon made by lashing two blades of stone to a stick--almost like a sword. “We’s could prolly kill ‘ims.”

“Yoona gots a point.” the female, apparently Tiddies, said, waving the squat one down as he started to agree with the one holding a sword. “But so’s Clod. An’ Ventures likes to sneak rounds, put an arrer in yer neck then hide til ya gets comfy again.”

“Humies dun like to leave da little ‘uns by dereselves tho!” The other older male, apparently Yoona, “What if’n he ain’ts by hisself?”

“Dat’s two pointies.” The sword user, Clod, adjusted his grip on his weapon. “I dun care if we kills it or not, I just dun wanna let it get us firsts. I guess if Boss ain’t here, it’s up to da Midbosses…”

“Oi! I’s a Midboss!” broke in the fatter one. The one with the sword growled at him.
“Maybe not no mores, Wej. Crispy wuz tellin’ da Boss you wuz too dumb to be Midboss, he prolly gonna steal yer jerb. Dat means I’M da only Midboss aroun’, and I sez…” Clod stopped for a moment, looking around at the rest of them. Then he looked back up at the top of the cave, where it seemed the humans might be hiding…

“Hmm...lemme tinks about it fer a minnit…”

They still hadn’t noticed Danny yet. Nor had they paid any attention to the three creatures now approaching the exit of the cave behind the Poltergeist--the red slime Asura, the blue Momma Slime, and the now even bigger and buffer Ardur, along with the tamed Oculus Spider running along behind him like a dog…


Asura, Momma Slime, Ardur, Steve

With the sword having denied Ardur, and the group turning their focus to getting the hell out of Dodge, the trio soon made their escape from the poolside battlefield. As they headed for the entrance, Asura was a bit slow because he was trying to restore his stamina--but that was exactly why the sword was buying them time. So far it seemed to be working. No more enemies had appeared…

During their race for the exit, Ardur would have time to eat the Herb Asura had given him, which would restore him to Full HP and stop the bleeding from his forehead. He would also soon see a dark shape darting amongst the stalactites on the ceiling--Steve! The spider soon dropped down on a strand of web, chittering and hissing in an inquisitive manner. She seemed to understand that something dangerous was happening, but until now Ardur had pretty much told her to stay back and hunt on her own. Upon dropping down to the floor, she scuttled after the Hipixie’s heels.

You are experiencing a Fast rate of Skill Progression.

You are still experiencing HP Drain.

Developing Skill: Focus
Focus is a skill that seems to have triggered when you concentrated on the performance of another skill, taking time to perform it which rendered it slower but more effective.
System:Asura


Asura didn’t seem to be on “low” HP yet, but he could still feel it much like feeling down after a rough bout of sickness, or being exhausted after a tough sparring session at his old boxing gym. But now the light from outside was shining on all of them...once they were outside, as long as those stupid goblins didn’t bother them, maybe he could finally and safely recover…

As the four monsters now headed outside, they soon saw...a glowing baby of some kind? Was this some mutated form of Wisp? Or maybe an evolution of such a creature? Its coloration and mannerisms seemed kind of familiar…

But perhaps more importantly, something had the Goblins all riled up…

[[You guys will overhear the same conversation Danny does.]]


Digbie

Tentatively, the Demiblin asked the powers that be if this was still the right way. He could still see the mole hill running into the cavern...but his own fear kept him back. A fear of the unknown. A reliance on his own knowledge, his own eyes. A lack of faith.

He sent a Tremor Sense of the third rank into the darkness. In a rush the vibrations came back to him, traveling up his arm, and for a moment he “felt,” rather than saw, everything they had passed through.

Solid rock, packed earth. The winding, labyrinthine tunnels beneath filled with wriggling, digging grubs and little bugs. An empty space that echoed between the walls, descending along a gentle slope...deeper into the mountains. It went beyond the range of his tunnelling senses, but it seemed no creature larger than a mole had been through here recently…

When Digbie attempted to channel the Mana Orb through the White Yill flower, with no real goal in mind save experimentation, there was a crackling sound. The magic ran up the stem of the plant like electricity--and moments later, the green stem, the roots, and the leaves of the flower fell away from his hair in little flakes of ash. Only the head of the flower remained, with its white petals fluttering...though without a stem it would likely begin to wither soon…

There weren’t any threats that Digbie could detect, and it seems the mole’s tunnel led deeper into the cavern...so Digbie would likely proceed into the darkness…

The floor was smooth, or at least as smooth as a natural slope of dirt and stone could be. Digbie’s footsteps echoed...but he heard nothing else in response. As he got further away from the entrance, pushing his larger body through the narrow spaces, scraping here and there, the path opened up...and the light started to fade. But there were only two directions to go here, deeper in, or back out. With his Tremor Sense being more powerful in its passive form, he didn’t have much of an issue with his sense of direction. So, with no danger thus far, it seemed Digbie’s only real choice was to go deeper…

Walking in darkness, he soon saw nothing. Walking in emptiness, he soon heard nothing but his own footsteps. Walking into the earth, he soon smelled nothing save damp soil. Walking with baited breath, he could taste nothing. And without his senses, he soon began to experience an odd disconnect...or perhaps a harmony...with the world around him…There was nothing on any side of him but stone.

In the Old World, tourists who visited grand natural caverns were often told the dangers of lone spelunking by their guides. The explorers who discovered many of these same caves often lost their lives or suffered damage in the depths of the earth--one could go blind from lack of light, or lose their sense of time, or go insane from isolation…

So, alone in the depths of the mountain as he now found himself, it wasn’t quite clear to Digbie when he started hearing things. Or if he heard anything at all. Or if it was really all in his head, a paranoid over-imagination...

“What is the Earth? Why pray to an Earth god? Why seek its stalwart strength?”


Ash

As Ash formed a Mana Orb and concentrated her still-developing magical sight ability, once again she found herself staring at what seemed to be nothing but a pulsating mass of static. Upon looking more closely, her brain was eventually able to tune out the static--much like the way you can’t see your own nose--and then she saw…

Nothing?

No, not exactly nothing. She just didn’t see any of the odd squares that she had seen in Oberon’s spell. She could still see some kind of movement, though...staring harder, she began to see the lines. In Oberon’s different Mana Shapes, she had seen lines connecting the squares at the vertices of his geometric forms. These lines had moved like EKG graphs or a sinusoidal chart, constantly shifting. Now in her Mana Sphere, the lines merely formed circles...they still fluctuated, but unlike Oberon’s more defined shapes the ones making up her sphere were overlapping from a variety of angles, almost like a 3D depiction of the old Rutherford model of atomic structure…

Where were the squares? What were they?

Straining further than she had with Oberon, Ash finally saw the first square. It seemed...flat. Like a flake or tile...But now the vertices became clear--it wasn’t that this circle didn’t have them, it was that this wasn’t a circle at all, it was a constantly fluctuation stellation of...a hectodron? A chilliagon? Was it a--

She had to blink again. The Mana Orb in her palm/paw fizzled out as well...how long had she been maintaining the magic for…?

You have no MP remaining.

Your Stamina is low again.

You are Peckish from lack of food.
Your throat is dry from lack of water.
System:Ash


That damned Zawisza had really thrown off her day, and it was barely noon now…


Asteria, Ed, Mother Rat

Asteria collided hard with the large ant as it lunged at Mother Rat. Though hitting its carapace felt like hitting a hard sheet of wood, her mass and leverage rolled the two monsters over. Asteria flipped over to the other side of the ant, and now faced its back as it tried to get up off its side. Mother Rat tried to dart in and bite the insect, but the ant’s mandibles snapped at her and she pulled up short with a squeak. The ant saw Ed coming with its compound, multi-faceted eyes, and started to push itself up and reposition its stinger--only to have three of its legs lashed out from under it. The limbs were hard-armored, but splindly, and by attacking the joints with her muscular tail Asteria could at least make the enemy stumble.

As Ed charged forward, swinging his stick, he felt the bloody fury coming over him once more. His muscles bulged as his vision went red. The last few coherent thoughts he had focused on trying to find his Mana, trying to put it, and everything else, into his blow. A single red, crackling spark jumped from his hands to his club.

When Ed had chosen the Dire Rat for his new vessel, so long ago, the limited information the Demon King gave him identified it as a beast type monster. Beast types were particularly suited to physical strength and speed, and had naturally sharp senses as well. Though Goblins could use tools and had more dextrous limbs, no doubt Ed had seen that pound for pound Dire Rats had much greater muscular strength, especially in their jaws. If slimes were tanks, wisps were mages, and so on, then Dire Rats were the brawny fighters. And since his rebirth, Ed had gained the Stronger skill, increasing his already naturally greater strength. His evolution into a Rat Man had pushed it even further, as did the Rabid Fit skill even if it was at the cost of his defenses. And now, just like the Goblins, he had a weapon in hand…

With a loud crack and crunch, Ed’s blow struck the ant’s thorax. A large piece of its chitinous hide shattered and the creature let loose a shrill, creening screech as green blood and a chunk of flesh spattered the ground. Ed’s pulverizing attack knocked the creature backwards, rolling it over away from Asteria and Mother Rat. Its legs spasmed as its head thrashed, mandibles snapping the air. It was swiftly on its feet but moving with what might be called a limp, and immediately began digging its way back into the ground.

Would the rats let it escape, or finish the job here…?


Jason

Jason heard the world growing muffled, then silent. He hadn’t even tried to taste anything in this body yet, but even the vaguest awareness of his own tongue--did he even have a tongue?--left him. His vision began to shrink down to a tunnel ringed by darkness. He suddenly felt a cold wind pulling at him as even the world within his pinpoint vision became shades of black and white. He felt as if he were suspended in water, swimming rather than levitating. But he could see it. The Dire Rat, and the soul inside its body, up ahead.

Somehow moving faster, he caught up with it. The color came back to the world as the two of them collided--and then it was gone again.

Jason found himself within a monochrome void, tumbling upon a floor that didn’t exist. As he stood, his gelatinous form wobbling, and clenched his fists, feeling his knuckles pop, then braced his pseudopods as physical sensations began returning to his senses, the dire rat--no, the bitchy goblin--turned to face him and charged, screaming incoherently.

“Is battle of wills now!” Bonie faded in and out behind him, whispering into his ear. “Fight!”


Orchid

Orchid leaped onto the cat’s back and got her choking vine around its neck in a beautifully executed maneuver. So focused was the animal on tearing out Sqwal’s throat that it never saw her coming, and with her weight she was able to roll it like an alligator grabbing onto prey. Sqwal, freed from under its weight, gave the cat’s belly a hefty kick before Orchid screamed at him. Eyes wide in shock, the smaller goblin ran towards the others. Orchid was under the cat now, but in a reverse position--the cat’s legs were flailing up at the sky and its stomach was exposed, while she was clinging tightly to her garrote with her arms and had her legs wrapped around the cat’s middle. With her considerable physical strength, the blood vine drew tighter and tighter. The cat’s eyes were bugging out of its head as it thrashed, but it couldn’t get to her. Without oxygen, it was less than thirty seconds before the cat’s movements grew sluggish…

But then, something else came charging out of the grass. Another ambush?! How would Orchid defend herself from another opponent without letting go of the cat--

“Yaaaaaaagh!”

Jezee fell on the Hex Cat with a fury Orchid had never seen in the younger female. There were tears in her eyes, and her lips were bleeding lightly for some reason, and her legs had what looked like little nip marks on them here and there. Her expression was wrinkled up in some kind of mix of helplessness and anger, like something had frustrated her to the point of breaking.

She dug her Sharp Stone right into the Hex Cat’s eye, drawing a gurgling yowl from it as it choked out the last of its air. When she pulled the stone back for another go, the blood spilled like a waterfall over the creature’s snout, drenching Orchid’s hands--and her garrote. It suddenly drew even tighter in her grip, almost to the point of bruising her fingers.

The cat jerked once and went still.

“YAAAAAAAAGH!” Jezee practically dove onto the animal as Orchid worked her way out from under it, and began stabbing it repeatedly everywhere she could reach with her stone…

The cat that was trying to put out the flames spreading over its fur was suddenly stabbed hard in the side by Bigs’ spear, and when it whirled with a hiss to swipe at him its claws dug into his shield and stuck there. It was still strong enough to pull the goblin off balance--but in so doing he almost fell on top of it, and gave Crispy an opening to run foward and slash the creature’s side with his knife. The cat yowled and yanked its paw out of the shield, and tried to back up--only to find its retreat cut off by the wall of fire now beginning to encircle the three combatants.

“Yaaaaagh!” Sqwal jumped through a place where the fire wasn’t too hot yet, catching the cat by surprise as he swung his club at its rump. It quickly leaped aside, using the fallen Bigs as a stepping stone before he could get up, and leaped. With agility befitting its species it sailed over the ring of flames, landing and rolling through the dirt. Still smoking, still singed, and still bleeding, it looked back over its shoulder to give the goblins one last disdainful hiss before it darted off, back towards the woods.

But the crackling fire continued to spread, whipping up a draft of hot air in its wake...
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Gardevoiran
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Gardevoiran The Forbidden One

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The darkness wasn't as unsettling to Digbie as it would've been to others. For someone who loved to dig and stay underground, this was kind of natural for him, being unexposed to light and to be alone in the darkness of this cave. Alas, he was still unsettled when he heard a voice call to him from... nowhere but everywhere, basically.

“What is the Earth? Why pray to an Earth god? Why seek its stalwart strength?”
System:???

Digbie was scared of the voice, but he imagined he knew where this would go if he continued to converse and speak with the voice. After all, it was asking questions that he was seeking out and trying to discover. Maybe this was the way to achieve true potential with the Earth. Maybe it was a way to get heads and tails figured out of the world that he was still very new to.

Maybe it was a way to purge the Taboo from his system.

Digbie took a deep breath and sat on the floor, criss-cross style, and he locked his fingers in a meditative position. Afterwards, the goblin steadied his breathing, taking deep breaths only, and activating {Earth Vein} to try and better commune with what he figured was the Earth God he was seeking.

As he sat there and meditated with {Earth Vein}, he spoke aloud.

"The Earth has been my closest ally since I started my life in this world. I wish to unravel the secrets of its utility so I may become more aligned with it and become stronger with it's alliance and fortitude."





Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Rune_Alchemist
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Rune_Alchemist Absolute Depravity

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~Temporary Campsite~





At first, Ash was mildly frustrated. It was completely different. The shapes Oberon was making with 'Mana Shape' seemed to have some sort of structure to them. Mana Orb however, was utterly without it. There were no squares as she had previously observed. Just more static that took more effort to see through. These lines simply formed a circle. Still moving, but simply overlapping at a variety of angles. Overall the shape seemed intimately familiar, but she was too focused on the shapes in front of her.

There it was, a square!

Wait, no, that still wasn't quite right. It wasn't a square at all. This wasn't even a circle. It was more of polyhedron, fluctuating constantly creating an intricate pattern.

Blink

"Gah!" Ash gave a slightly startled shout as her magic fizzled out, a system message popping up telling her she was out of MP, thirsty, and slightly hungry. "Argh-damn it all!" The irritable Pygmy drake took a moment, shaking her head as she exhaled a long breath through her teeth. Bah, the frailties of the physical condition, once again, interrupt her work. She had been so close to a break through she could feel it! Just a little more and she would have had it -

Wait a minute.

"...Really?" Ash blinked, sitting up straight. She remembered the shape clearly. That was exactly what that was! The atomic model! And that meant...Oberon's was more akin to viewing the atomic structure of something. So that just meant the sphere was lacking in complex structure. Could it be something as simple as that? If she were to take real life chemistry and apply it to this, then all she'd need to do is add a 'proton' or 'neutron' to it to change it from one element to another. Nuclear Transmutation, as it was called on earth.

The only problem with that however, was that you required an exorbitant amount of energy to do it. The kind of energy you'd find in a sun or nuclear reactor of some sort.

"...aha," With a quiet giggle, Ash began laughing, squealing excitedly like a girl who had just gotten asked out on a date by the guy of their dreams. "Oh this is wonderful! Fantastic! Arrrgh if only I had a proper lab to test in!" If the basic building blocks of magic worked like atoms, then this was...well, this was amazing. Being a chemist in her previous life meant this should be a breeze! Chemistry after all, was heavily involved with the nature of atoms and the scientific makeup of the natural world.

Okay, first things first. She needed to get her Mana back.

Calming herself, Ash began meditating to recover her lost MP. Couldn't do magic without that, could she? She would do this until her MP was completely restored. She'd work more on getting her tail stronger later. For now she needed a full stomach and something to drink. As soon as her MP was returned, Ash made her way to the stream, drinking until she was no longer thirsty.

Now...how did frogs taste?
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Old Amsterdam
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Old Amsterdam Coven Witch

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Torrent wandered curiously, ignoring the little rubber frog that hopped away from her, as she searched for something interesting. Something to eat.

When she stumbled upon the edible plant, she was content enough to just dig it up quickly and eat her fill before moving on.

From there she stumbled across the odd blood plant. She stayed well away from its odd flesh-vines as she considered how best to approach it. It smelled amazing, but her analysis indicated it was dangerous. Getting caught would likely end badly for her, and she didn't want to simply start a forest fire by accident.

Again.

Instead she thought how best to handle the thing. She was still kinda close to base camp, even if they were going to move soon, and that made this thing a danger. At least, she thought that made sense. Fire might attract predators, what with the burning flesh. Cooking meat always smelled good, from what she could remember of it.

Instead, she started making a puddle of her venom near the thing with carefully aimed globs. Not close enough that it should splash onto it, but close enough for what she was hoping would work.

From her little experiments back in the shelter, she knew that the fire could....it was almost like it had ignited the venom. At least, that was the best way she could understand it.

Once a small puddle had formed, she opened her maw and was about to release a torrent of Fire Breath forth towards it before stopping to think. She carefully canceled the spell and stopped to think for once.

She'd be on guard, taunt at attention for any sign of a change in the plant or anything else showing up unexpectedly. Instinctually she found herself activating Scale Shift to blend into the ground beneath her feet while she thought. “In the name of the shadows, may this bring about the darkness that my master might desire,” she thought as she set her plan into motion.

She followed this up with trying to forcefully concentrate like she had in the shelter, attempting to harness that dual breath attack again while keeping it directed and focused forward. It had burned, kinda, but that had been on stone. She wanted to see if it would be enough to ignite her venom as she envisioned, as it had been a more controlled stream instead of an almost cone shaped attack.

When she felt like her concentration was about to waver, she released. But she didn't open her mouth fully this time, instead trying to use her mouth as a kind of hose to direct the ability where she wanted it to go.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Lucius Cypher
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Orchid huffed as she got out from under the hex cat. It was feisty, but it was down for the count. Suddenly Jeeze popped out of nowhere and started stabbing the thing, but that only made Orchid even more annoyed. While she was glad Jeeze was alive she was literally beating a dead cat. Orchid tossed aside the garrote and grabbed Jeeze's dagger arm before she ruins the pelt. "ENOUGH! It's dead! Don't ruin the pelt, it'll make for some good clothes." Orchid's voice was commanding, using her natural charisma to hopefully intimidate Jeeze into controlling herself. But at the same time it's authoritative tone was meant to provide some sense of stability for the no-doubt traumatized goblin. A feeling of security now that Orchid and the others were here.

Speaking of the others, they managed to fend off the other hex cat. While they couldn't kill it, it at least retreated. Everyone was alive if somewhat wounded. They still had herbs back at camp they could use to patch up anything serious, but minor cuts and scratches would just need to heal naturally. That bring said, Crispy's fire was spreading. They needed to get out of here if they didn't want to get caught up in a bush fire. Orchid knows how dangerous those things can be from her time at the farm; occasionally her father would have to set his fields on fire due to diseases infecting the crops. It was a big effort that took all the neighbors and the fire department to control safely, and Orchid doubt there's any service like that here. But instead of fear, Orchid saw it as an opportunity.

"Jeeze is here. We can go back to the others now. But first, a warning to those rats."

Turning towards the trail that they were following, Orchid channeled her magic through her hand. While conjuring a ball of fire was easy enough, throwing it needed more focus and some magic words, or at least that's what Orchid felt she needed. She wasn't sure what incantation was needed but she had one in mind already. Perhaps those demons implanted the memory in her head, or maybe Orchid just always had a touch of heresy within herself. Either way she chanted slowly before loudly verbalizing her spell. "Like fire, Hellfire." Flexing her hand, small spheres of flames appeared around Orchid's wrist before combining into a singular ball of flame floating half an inch over her palm. "This fire in my skin." Clutching her hands closed the fireball engulfed her hand, but it didn't burn her. Instead it enveloped around her hand, like a flaming fist. "This burning desire..." She pulled her hand back and tucked underneath her armpit, like a bullet sitting in a gun chamber. Picking her target with her eyes she finished her incantation. "Is turning me to sin!"

Punching her fist outward as she made a quick smooth step forward with her foot, she launched her fireball with her punch and sent it far over the reeds and grass. While her fireball probably wouldn't explode as big as Crispy's, it should still catch something on fire and help spread the flames. It should only take a minute at most; these things can get pretty crazy with a strong wind. With that finished Orchid put the bloodied garrote away in her bag, picked up the hex cat corpse, and looked back towards her minions. "Let's get out of here. I saved some pixie for you two by the way. If your don't eat them, I will." Orchid tossed Squal and Jeeze their grilled pixie bits. They were no doubt cold now, but at least she made sure that they get something to eat.

Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by ReusableSword
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ReusableSword The Mighty.

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Ardur The Mighty Hipixie
Monty python "Run away!" > Safety? /// Adventuring day 4 // Afternoon / Location - cave

Ardur looked at the slimy green herb on his arm and felt its soothing properties; quickly the Hipixie ate the herb and turned back to the sword as it spoke once again. “A hero? I am not worthy of it then? At least not yet.” His thoughts were quick and short as his attention went back to the wall of water between the three of them and the undead horde.

Looking to Asura for just a moment as they made their way toward the entrance. He listened dutifully to the slime, as he assessed the situation and gave a basic plan. Ardur interjected when he mentioned wanting to stay inside the cave. “I know you want to stay inside, but I do not believe that to be the best action right now. As far as Jason was concerned, the whole cave was his territory so we should not stay inside the cave if we want to rest for a long while. Who knows how long that spirit will keep the undead at bay.”

He was being cautious but was aware that the slime more than likely was not aware of the cease-fire with the goblins. “At the end of the other day, some of the other reborn and myself formed a truce or a cease fire with the goblins. One of them uhh Orchid I think her name was. She is like us and I think she was trying to move up the chain of command last I checked. That and Steve is waiting out there for me.”

He could see the opening of the cave now and continued to head for it. “I’m going to take the chance that the more level headed of our group haven’t pissed the goblins off yet and stay just outside the cave but still in one of the smaller outcroppings so I’m at least a little out of sight. If they are hostile again at least then we will be able to run into the forest instead of back into here. Better chances of survival that way.” He would stick to his words. Otherwise, Ardur just wants to get outside the cave and sleep. barley noticing the excited Steve or words being spoken outside.

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Duthguy
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Duthguy Someone who can't spell Dutchguy

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When Danny came across the berries he decided to pick the ones that were closest to being ripe, since he did't trust his underdeveloped hands Lesser Force II seemed the way to go. Wanting to practice the skill he tried to pick them two at a time. Before long though some kinda sound drew his attention and he did his best to hide in the bush while also trying to conceal his presence.

Fortunately the Goblins didn't seem to realize he was there as they were talking about something they called a Venture. It took him a while to figure they meant a human and since it was a little one they no doubt meant a child. The whole conversation reminded him about the dream in which he saw two humans, and he wondered if it really was just a dream. Either way it sounded like they wanted to kill the kid.

Danny wondered what to do, part of him wanted to warn the boy, but he had no idea where to find him or even if humans were able to understand the monster language. Eventually he decided that he should at least try. Wanting to distract the Goblins while he sneaked back the way they came from he used Lesser Force II to telekinetically start snapping twigs until they were all paying attention in something in the opposite direction, completely unaware of his four "friends" behind him.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Guy0fV4lor
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Guy0fV4lor Retaker of The Holy Land

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@Zeroth

Jason raced towards the dire rat, almost as if surging through a shadowy funnel to reach his prey. As their two forms collided, color returned to the world and the Warlord suddenly found himself in some form of arena within a void; a place that both did, and didnt exist. All at the same time. The goblin charging him was no doubt in confusion, lashing out at everything; they were out of control. If this truly was a battle of wills, he who had greater control was going to win.

A hardened soldier knew how to keep their head during intense situations, this was no different. Jason's form launched forward, stabilizing into the hulking shape of a large, dark skinned man. His hand; filled with the drive to survive, shot forward to tightly grip the bitchy goblin's throat. With a cold, piercing stare, he hissed at his foe with deadly authority "Resist, and you die." With the force of all his will, and the natural instinct of his new form, he moved to wrap his arms around the goblin; pulling her into his torso, to consume, not destroy, just as he had accidentally had done with Bonie.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Searat
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Searat The Aqueous Rodent

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The madness had caught his consciousness by surprise and overwhelmed it in a rapid flow of anger and blood-lust. Letting his emotions gain control for only a moment seemed to have alarmingly severe consequences in his ability to reel himself in while he berserked. The blue ratman's eyes were unfocused and whatever was was left of Ed's consciousness and awareness seemed lost. Drowning in the tidal wave of madness within his own mind. Causing the blood-drunk Ratman to slowly turn his head and stare at the Dire Rat duo. But before his body could take a few staggering steps forward towards Asteria and Mother Rat. His body smelled something sweet in the air. An intoxicating aroma that his maddened mind could not get enough of. A smell that originated from the wounded ant's shattered thorax plate.

His body quickly reacted to the enticing stimuli, snapping Ed's head towards the fleeing arthropod. His eyes were transfixed on it's injured form as well as the trail of viscous green blood that it left behind. His sharp sense of smell was flooded by the sweet fragrance of blood. Oh how his need to spill more sang to his maddened mind. His lips curled outwards as Ed bared his teeth at it, giving the ant a twisted parody of a grin, before letting out a hoarse and guttural chuckle. The ant practically begged for slaughter. Sickeningly so, and Ed was in no position to refuse. His muscles flexed and air filled his lungs to the brim as he let out a feral and predatory roar. Letting the gnarled stick fall to the grass with a soft thud, Ed forwent his weapon; wanting to feel and taste the blood and viscera himself. Ed then made a beeline rush to the ant where he would pounce upon it's back, his jaws and claws ready to rip and tear his prey apart.

Starting with the weakest, most vulnerable, and damaged spot it had. The thorax.



Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by SilverPaw
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SilverPaw

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Asteria



Ed’s frenzied attack sent the ant sprawling away from the mother-daughter rat duo, and exposed its chest area as part of its chitinous armour was shattered, chunks of pulverized meat flying away from it. The ant was ready to escape, but Asteria, for one, wasn’t ready to let it go. Like hell! And with that one thought, she dashed at the ant, hooking her tail around its neck from behind, as if trying to rein it in. If she only got it to stop from burrowing into the earth–

The moment Asteria had a good grip on the ant’s neck despite its trashing and the attempts to sting or otherwise injure her, she was startled by Ed’s suspiciously crazed chuckle and the subsequent roar accompanying his lunge attack. He didn’t seem to care that she was in the way, practically frothing at the mouth in his determination to tackle the ant and probably chew it to death if the glint in his eye was anything to go by. Startled, Asteria released her tail from the ant, backing away a pace or two, just in time for Ed to land on the insect. At this point, Asteria figured she’d be surprised if the ant would be anything but squashed as a result of Ed’s forceful attack.

Instead of trying to assist, the blue-eyed dire rat went to check on her biological mother, sniffing at her for any injuries. Ascertaining the older rat was more or less alright, she peered up at the grass and flowers she’d ignored till now, inspecting each different one. Mana sense had given her the information that at least one of these plants – if not more – most likely had a medicinal effect similar to the healing herbs. Without knowing which flower did what exactly, however, Asteria could only do the next best thing – gather one type of each flower for closer inspection by gnawing through the base of them one by one, then lying them on the floor in a row.

Once she had them all set out in front of her, she scented each, trying to ascertain which might be the most similar to a healing herb, and what the others were like. In case any were highly poisonous, she didn’t dare taste them, but she could – and did – use mana sense on each. Besides, the time she’d spent fiddling with the local foliage was surely enough to get Ed down from the manic high he’d been riding, regardless of whether he’d managed to kill the ant or if it simply escaped. Wanting to make sure, Asteria focused her gaze back on him, observing silently for a moment. Then she calmly and firmly addressed him. “Ed? You were on a rampage. What was that about?” She refrained from any hints of accusation to seep into the question, but she did have to know what was going on with him – if Ed even realized that something was.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Kazemitsu
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Kazemitsu The Dragon

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The system actually gave him information instead of just giving an error or a lack of permissions. System, Analyze Unavailable Skill: Better. He thought as the group moved further away from the undead and the pond and closer to the light that was the entrance to the cave. As the moved a huge spider monster dropped down and chattered at Ardur. There were monster bugs in the cave? It followed the evolved pixie like Mother Slime followed Asura. Interesting.

While Ardur spoke, Asura listened to the goblins. Ardur wanted to leave, but there were apparently humans in the area. "We're kind of screwed either way. In the cave we know what we fight. Outside could be stronger monsters, and the goblins are going nuts about humans being around." Asura said, actually lost on what to do. Before he just kept trudging ahead despite what the cave threw at him. But he could feel himself growing weaker, this lack of Stamina sucked. So he tried to rekindle that strange burning from earlier, trying to force his body to metabolize what he had eaten at a faster rate.

Asura didn't think he had any mana left, if any was burned at all, so he tried to convert that as well while slinking along behind Ardur. A pseudopod snuck out and touched Mother Slime. Try to stay quiet. Don't attack goblins. He thought to her, trying to cut back on how much they were killing. Maybe later when they were all rested up.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Zeroth
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Zeroth

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Digbie

"The Earth has been my closest ally since I started my life in this world. I wish to unravel the secrets of its utility so I may become more aligned with it and become stronger with it's alliance and fortitude."

Digbie sat, still and calm. His breathing deepened, his muscles relaxed, the rise and fall of his chest...slowed. Here in the darkness, sight and sound and smell and sense began to fade, and as he felt his connection through the Earth Vein soon it seemed as if he were sinking deeper and deeper into the stone itself…

Skill Rank Up: Earth Vein I > Earth Vein II (1.95 > 2.1)!
This Skill can now be maintained with only one point of contact with the bare earth. The speed of MP recovery is the same as Rank I. This Skill still cannot be used in conjunction with any other active skills.
System:Digbie


And the voice resonated through his very bones…


“Ally? The Earth is no Being’s ally, nor its enemy. Secrets? The Earth’s secrets are not hidden, merely there to be found. The Earth simply Was and Is, and one day Will Not Be.”


In the darkness, Digbie began to perceive...something. Was it coming from the earth mana he was absorbing, filling his body to the brim? Was it a hallucination brought on by too much time in the dark, a trick of his eye on a willing body that wanted to believe?

The darkness lifted, as a hole opened up. A hand, lifting a stone from the earth. Primitives crowded around as the hands reached back into the hole, digging and churning the dirt with sticks and simple stones not at all unlike the one Digbie had been clinging to all this time. As the earth was stirred, seeds were placed in the holes. As their roots reached through the earth and found nourishment, they opened up their buds and put forth fruit. As long as the earth was there, the plants would grow. As long as the humans had stone, they could build tools and shelter. From grass to animal to predators, through life and death, all came from the earth and all returned to it.

The moon rose. The night fell. The darkness, the ocean, the sun, the wind, the mountains...they were constant, always there. The stars might fade, but they would always return--and the Earth would always be waiting for them. All of these things and many more existed long before the primitive came out of its cave. What were they? What dangers did they bring? What wonders?


“Beings have given the Earth many names and many meanings. For many Beings, understanding agency, creating reason, forever seeking, and always asking were the methods of their survival. Did the Wind rustle the brush, or the Lion? The Being who assumed Wind did not always survive. If No Man threw the stone, did the Unseen Unknown Being cause the stone to fall? Why is it Unseen and Unknown? The Man who did not seek to understand did not always survive.”


Digbie saw the primitives through the hole in the earth again, now wearing clothes made from plants and sitting around a fire. They cooked a slain beast, and carved its flesh with knives made from stone they had taken from the Earth and shaped for that purpose. Their children sat around them as the elders told them what they needed for survival--the tales of sun, and moon, and night, and ocean, and Earth. How they were dangerous and wonderful. How to understand them. But the children did not understand. How could Earth give them food? Why was the Cave safer than the open plain? So the elders changed the tales, made Them “like” other things that the children understood--fathers, mothers, warriors, healers, chieftains. And Earth and Sun and all the Others were not praised--they Were. They always Were. And they were needed to survive. It was necessary that the children understand them.

As Digbie watched, the children of the children’s children appeared. They were many and they were different. Some of these children were now Men, and their cities and walls were built of great stones. Their dead were taken to great tombs dug into the Earth, and were sealed up in it with prayers and dances and dedications. They gave thanks to the Earth, for its protection and preservation. They tilled the earth and planted seeds, and buried their refuse. The Earth was “like” a reliable friend, and friends were always there for you no matter what. In return you also had to be a friend to them. But they understood that the Earth gave materials, and food, and rich jewels, and history, so they had to give other things to show their gratitude to the Earth. The others, like Moon and Sun and Wind and Ocean, gave other things, and Men gave them different things in return.

As Digbie watched the stone towers rose higher, and he saw that some of these children were Not Men. One of them, their great king, made fire and water appear from his hands and moved earth with his words. They wanted him to shape the earth at their will, to raise their crops and build their homes, but knowing the limits of his power he instead told them he grant them each the strength of the earth. He taught them to make bricks from mud, to make their own stone from loose soil and shape it in the way that they pleased, and to turn it into pots and bowls. Not Men and Men alike began to think and do and be different than they were before as the world turned. The Earth and the Sun and Others stayed as they Always Were.


“Digbie. You wish for allies, for those that will care about you despite your flaws and will not push you away. You yearn for knowledge, for purpose, to understand this new life you have been given. And strength, to survive in this new world. The Earth Is and Has Been only soil, and sand, and stone. The Earth is only a receiver of That which has spent its power, and become inert. The Earth has Potential, but is not Activated. The Earth cannot give you friendship, knowledge, purpose, or strength. But Beings have imposed their Wills upon the Earth for these and many others. What was given to the Earth, the Earth has held in concentration, until gathered Power took on Will. To give and receive Power from another Will--is that your Will, Digbie?”


The images around Digbie began to crumble like sand. The hole in the earth began to fill, as if he were being buried alive. He was left once more in darkness...but as unseen things moved around him, he felt more than heard the whispers of many voices, echoing through the depths of the caves…

“The earth brings forth fruit and vegetables, trees and grass…” “The earth gives and gives but is never used up...its generosity is like that of a man who works tirelessly…” “The earth is firm and hard, but sometimes also soft…” “If the earth brings forth these plants, and generously gives its strength yet never exhausts itself, and is firm and rough but also reliable...the Earth must be a Father!”

Digbie saw the voices overlapping, each vibration and tremor taking on a new shape like a three dimensional representation of radar waves. The sound took on form, and he saw a strong, rugged man holding a mattock in one hand and a bundle of grain under an arm.

“The earth sometimes shakes and destroys everything, but is usually so calm…” “No one can destroy the earth, with its great stones we can build invincible walls…” “It is soothing to sit among the mountains or upon the grass, and think deep thoughts…” “If the earth can destroy but remains calm, and is invincible, but soothes the mind in meditation...the Earth must be a Wise Monk!”

This time the voices took the shape of a broad shouldered figure, sitting cross-legged with clasped fingers--exactly the way Digbie was doing now. A strange ringing sound, like a stroke upon a tuning fork, emanated from an iron bell around the figure’s neck, and the clay beads looped around his arms rattled.

“The earth is slow to move, but always steady…” “The earth hides great riches in its depths, and goes down and down…” “Sometimes, great rifts open up in the earth like a mouth that devours everything around it…” “If the earth is great and cumbersome, but has treasures hidden away like an animal that steals things, and can devour everything else...the Earth must be a Great Beast!”

This form towered over Digbie, an enormous...Elephant? Tortoise? Its claws were like ploughs and its hide encrusted with gemstones. Its great head came down over him, and cold air like the draft of a cave blew against him from its nostrils.

There were many other voices, and other Figures, but Digbie felt as if he were suffocating or being crushed. Just like a drowning man gasps for air when he breaks the surface of the water, Digbie pulled back from the depths of the Earth. The figures watched him surge upwards through the stone, patiently waiting...or perhaps listening? Waiting for him to call out…

Digbie’s eyes snapped open, though there wasn’t any light to see by...and yet. Yet, he somehow “felt” his surroundings. Perhaps this was a passive effect of Tremor Sense at its upgraded rank? He felt almost as if his eyes had adjusted to this darkness--the path behind him was clear, he would not get lost if he headed back out. But as Digbie stood up from his meditative pose, his foot lightly brushed some pebbles on the ground. They rattled and rolled like beads down the slope, further into the darkness...


Torrent

After creating three puddles near the Blood Snare Plant, Torrent took her time and thought carefully about her next move. Once she had decided what she would do, she said a small prayer--or was it a chant?--in the back of her mind.

She felt the magic surging just like before in the cave. And, using her mouth to guide the flame, she released it in a narrow stream to ignite the venom puddles…

Was it just her, or had the fire become a darker tinge around its edges? Was that from the poison, or her concentration of the flames?

The thinner, controlled stream arced perfectly to strike the puddles. But though the flames spread across the surface of the liquid, it only lasted for a few moments. The fumes rising up from her poison, however, ignited with a sharp hiss. Unlike something like gasoline or gunpowder, however, this effect didn’t create a powerful explosion--the poison, or some layer of it, just seemed to burn, and the overall liquid of the puddles didn’t catch fire at all. Nonetheless, three separate clouds of flame blossomed around the Blood Snare, plus the condensed stream of fire Torrent spread in an arc as she moved her head.

The plant’s reaction was immediate. Its fleshy petals drew close, drawing up into a tight bud, and with whiplike snaps and cracks its vines jerked free of the earth and began lashing out wildly! If Torrent couldn’t evade or defend, these flailing appendages would deal a hefty blow--but they were coming from so many angles!

Despite this, several of the vines and other parts of the odd plant were singed and burned, and some embers still clung to life. As the flames caught up, the smell of burning flesh and cooking meat began to waft in the air, but the plant writhed even more with an eerie lack of screams yet no less agony...


Ardur, Asura, Momma Slime, Steve

ERROR. You have not yet met the conditions to develop the skill Better.

Skill Gain: Monster Analysis I!
Gain basic biological information about a monster by observing it carefully.
System:Asura


As the Hipixie, Amorphous Slime, Oculus Spider, and Momma Slime stepped over the threshold of the cave, into the open sunlight, they would soon see Danny disappear into the woods. And moments later, noises were heard and all the Goblins turned their attention to that. The group could use this opportunity to easily get away from the goblins...but where would they go?

And though, at the moment, the edge of the hill hid them from view...they soon heard something shifting and rustling nearby. Was that...the sound of rustling clothes of some kind? Was that...a footstep? And was that...the sound of metal sliding across leather?

Momma Slime suddenly bristled as Asura withdrew his pseudopod, like a spooked horse. She blurbled in a low voice and began edging towards the west, away from both the goblins and the noises.

"Ahsoowah, bad feelz!"

And then, from the south, billowing clouds of smoke could be seen rising into the air as the treeline rustled again...

[[See Danny and Orchid's sections]]



Asteria, Ed, Mother Rat

As Asteria's tail latched onto the giant ant's neck, its body twisted to try and get an angle where it could use its stinger on her. Before it had the chance Ed crashed into it like a freight train, ripping and tearing with his powerful claws while roaring in fury.

In the old world, many humans were injured at zoos or other animal sanctuaries for underestimating the power of primates like chimpanzees. Though they were much smaller than an average man, only the size of a child, they had almost three times the strength of adults. Why? The two primary reasons were that their muscles were made of denser tissues, and the fibers of these muscles were elongated in their structures, especially where they latched to the bone. Like a longer lever on a fulcrum, this allowed them to produce far more power when contracting.

As a Rat Man, Ed's body was much like that of a chimpanzee. Yet in addition to that strength, he had a beast's claws and fangs.

The edges of the ant's broken chitin were grabbed and torn with a meaty crack, peeling away from its exposed and bleeding flesh. The creature let loose a high pitched creen just as Ed plunged his snout into the wound. The ant rolled and twisted, trying to get its stinger or its mandibles at the creature on its back, and screeched again as Ed's jaws came out of its side with a mouthful of the soft flesh beneath.

If Ed were aware enough to think about it, he would notice the meat tasted oddly citrus-y. Like shrimp marinated in very strong pineapple or lemon juices.

The ant thrashed for a few moments more, spilling green blood and blue colored innards on the ground--then finally went still, save for its twitching legs and antennae.

Mother Rat seemed fine, simply dazed for a moment by the sudden surprise attack. After brushing off her fur and sniffing herself and Asteria for injuries, she huffed and turned back towards the Ant that Ed was still brutalizing. Approaching it slowly with hackles raised, she sniffed until the air until she realized the creature was dead.

Then, she suddenly glanced back at the hole the Ant had come from. As the creature's last creen died away, she glanced back at it. When its antennae twitched, she turned back to the tunnel. Then she looked below her own feet, and lay flat on her belly on the ground. She was still for a moment...then jumped up and began to squeak at her packmates.

While this was happening, Asteria had gathered up one of each distinct plant they had noticed thus far, but her Mana Sense was quite vague and she hadn't yet developed a Plant Analysis skill...
You used Mana Sense!
---??? Flower---
You sense a natural Mana in small amounts. It feels soothing, yet also somehow unpleasant. It is as if it is incomplete.
---??? Plant---
You sense almost no mana here, or perhaps it is simply indistinguishable from the environment. The grass and the soil share this ambient, stable sensation of Mana.
---??? Blossom---
You sense a natural Mana in small amounts. It is slightly prickling to the senses, but also contains a form of warmth. It is as if it is incomplete.
---??? Cone---
You sense a burning mana within this plant. It is slightly prickling to the senses, but somewhat soothing as well. It is as if it is incomplete.
---??? Thorn---
You sense little mana in this plant, but it is of a stiff, sharp nature. It feels potentially harmful, but not volatile.

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
System:Asteria



Danny

Obtained Item: Green Argep x4

Skill Gain: Plant Analysis I!
Gain basic information about the properties of a plant by carefully observing it.
System:Danny


As Danny sneaked about, first securing some food (though the berries weren't quite ripe and would likely be a crunchy and not-so-sweet meal) then moving away from the direction all the goblins faced, he could more clearly see back towards the cave's entrance--and the hillside up above it. He could see Asura, Momma Slime, Ardur, and Steve emerging. And up on the hill, he could see a large, familiar looking rock...a rock big enough for someone to hide behind...

When he began to break sticks with his Lesser Force, making as much intentional noise as possible, several of the Goblins looked his way.

"Oi! Is dat da human!?" Wej pointed, voice wobbling with panic. At this shout they all turned towards Danny, and even though the Poltergeist was among the thick brush of the forest it didn't take them long to start picking up odd signs.

"I tink I sees somethin' glowin'! It might be a major!" Yoona said, pulling out his knife and crouching low to the ground.

"Wut's a major?" Clod whispered to the female as he picked up a shield in much better condition than Wej's. He shifted his stone sword to his other hand, but it was hard to hold a weapon made out of actual rock with only one grip.

"Humies dat gots jerbs where they do magics, like Crispy's fire." Tiddies replied, holding her own knife in a tight grip as she fanned out to one side. "But majors is squishy, not like warr'yers...and I tink he's by hisself after all..."

"Errybody spread out!" Clod shouted, waving his shield hand. The goblins began to make a loose semi-circle, watching the bushes where Danny continued to make noise.

And while having the goblins slowly close in on him might make Danny very nervous, it also gave him a more unobstructed view of the hillside.

Where a small human soon creeped out from behind the rock.

The boy was too tall for a child, but too scrawny to be an adult. He lacked facial hair, but had a subtle athleticism and maturity in his features. Most would probably place him somewhere between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. He wore a thick, long sleeved garment that didn't look exactly like wool or cotton, but wasn't made of leather either. It was a dark, earthy brown color, while his trousers were a lighter shade. His gloves and boots were matched, leather laced with rawhide, buckled with metal, and dyed solid black. Over all this he wore a thick cloak colored a rough forest green, patched here and there with bits of brown or other shades of green. It might have been a bad attempt at blending in, but seemed more likely due to the age of the garment.

Slowly, carefully, he moved in a low crouch down the hillside. He kept looking at the Goblins, but seemed more focused on the cave's open mouth. He held his shield, a smaller round piece of wood covered with leather, in front of him. It wasn't small enough to be a buckler, nor large enough to be considered a proper round shield, and was strapped to his forearm in such a way as to leave his hand free. His other hand hovered near his hip, prepared to draw the sword holstered there. Its blade wasn't apparent yet, but from the length and small, rounded shape of the handguard it must have been something meant for use in a single hand, not the great longsword of a knight or some great battlefield weapon.

Again the boy glanced towards the goblins, and adjusted himself as he moved towards the base of the hill. He was sneaking at an angle, so that he could watch the green skins while getting closer to the cave's entrance...

But now, all the goblins and the human glanced towards the south as a cloud of thick, black smoke became visible over the tree tops. And from that direction came more rustling...

"Boss, is dat you!?" yelled Clod. His voice cracked somewhat.


Jason

As Jason lunged and grabbed the goblin ghost by the throat, her misty mass spread out around him like dropping a pinch of sugar into water. He felt sudden, ice cold pain surge through his body where she clawed out a chunk of his ribs and one arm--but there was no blood nor torn flesh, just fog that became more incoherent between the two of them. Not really knowing what he was doing, just mustering his will and focusing his intent, Jason struggled with the goblin. Their forms whirled together in a storm--

He hated himself, he cheated, how could that slime--no that was him--how could that slime cast magic like that? She hurt so bad, she couldn't breathe, the sharpy rock was going all the way through. No that wasn't her, she's too young, he was already dead by the time she was even born, Crispy wasn't her boss he was Jason's son--no, that wasn't right either--this was a youngling, she remembered those other younglings, especially that dumb one that kissed her, wait whaddya mean girls can kiss girls? Younglings dese days, dat ain't how it was back in our day, back when he was alive he didn't worry about that because he had wars to fight. Yeah, she was a warr'yer, had her own stone spear and everything, until he--until you--until I--cast Rock Spire and killed her.

"You killeds me! Hates! Hates! HATES!"
"Ja-Soon Mag, if yous can't do dis much, yas ain't gonna last much longer!"

Ja-Soon Mag, he--I--became a Slime Mage, and cast Rock Spire and killed the bitchy goblin--"Teef! My name was Teef!"--

And his name was Jason.

Jason "woke up" to the world once more, no longer trapped in the monochrome void. He could feel his MP, and the warning from the System was gone--if he had to guess, he might be about half-full. But there wasn't any notice about his conditions going away either, that damned Mana Disorder was really throwing a wrench into things...

But right now, it seemed like everything was peaceful around him. There were the sounds of something that might be a fight in the distance, towards the pool, but right now there were no enemies to bother him and no immediate threats--

No, scratch that. The Dire Rat was still here!

...But it didn't seem to pay Jason any attention at all. The purple glow was gone from its eyes. And the purple light he had seen within its body was now replaced by a gray one. It was smaller than the purple glow had been, but it was larger than the ones Jason had seen in the Fanged Lizard eggs. The Rat shook itself, as if coming out of a daze, and scratched itself with one hind leg absently...

"Still needs to eat, Ja-Soon!"
"Kills it! Kills it!"


Orchid's Tribe

When Orchid grabbed Jezee, the younger female simply gawked at her leader with wide, scared eyes, hyperventilating through her open mouth. Numbly she followed as Orchid went to the others, who were just about trapped in a ring of flame thanks to Crispy. The fire resistant goblin, however, had no problems stomping his way through without a care for the others behind him. He still clutched his injured arm close, but his crooked smile was back now that he had gotten to show his dominance over some other creature.

"Hahahaha! Burns, fire burn! We's should start cuttin' grass for fires too, not just wood! Burns good!"

Bigs beat at himself with his hands as he hurried out of the flames, hooping and hollering. Despite Crispy making a small path, it still wasn't enough for him to get by without being singed. Still, ultimately he wasn't much the worse for wear. Sqwal hurried through after him, and the two larger males had made enough room for the run to get by without harm. Still, all three of them coughed in the smoke as Orchid and Jezee rejoined them.

"Jezee! Wut happun to yas?!" Sqwal barked as Orchid said something about sending a warning to the rats. Crispy looked towards her with that curious look he sometimes gave her as she began to move and chant.

"Da rats caught me, made me go wifs dem! They was sayin'...Well, I dun really get it. But dey just lemme go after a whiles!" She scowled as she rubbed at her legs. "But dat big one dat couldn't talk kept bitin' me..."

"Rats? Talkin' rats?" Bigs questioned as he checked his Wicker Shield. It was cracked, but not broken like Wej's or Orchid's had been.

"Ya! Musta been some o' dem da Boss met in da cave...but one was diff'ernt!" Jezee held her hands up to approximate the height of the creature. "Walked on two feets, like a Gob! And had a big stick!"

"Dat's called a Rat Man." Crispy said in a lower voice than usual. The others looked to see him watching as Orchid completed her spell. They all oohed and ahhed appropriately as the flames arced from Orchid's fist, causing her sign of the Hellish Fiend to glow like a fresh brand. Soon flames were spreading wildly, both up ahead of them and to one side. The updrafts from both fires caused a swirling draft that ruffled what little hair and clothing the goblins had.

As Orchid handed Sqwal and Jezee their rations, the little group headed back towards the camp. Bigs spoke up next.

"Wat's a Rat Man, Crispy? An' how you knows bout 'em?"

"A Rat Man's a rat man, ya dum." The former Mid-Boss snapped back. "Sumtimes Dire Rats turns into 'em if dey gets strong enough. Used to see 'em every so often back when me and Rattleskull was li'l. Da old Gobs killed a bunch of da rats in da cave one time so dat there wouldn't be as many of 'em. Rat Men almost as smart as Gobs and makes clubs and stuff almost as good too."

"Why all da Mobs in da cave startin' to change like Rattleskull did?" Sqwal piped up. "An' why dey all talkin' now?"

"Why ya askin' me, ya dum?!" Crispy made a half-hearted swipe at the youngling. He seemed like he was deep in thought about something. "Figger it out fer yaself!" He then turned to Orchid.

"Oi, Boss, ya think dis has to do wif yer dreams?"

The smoke was rising behind them as they trudged their way back through the treeline between the plains and the cave. As the bushes parted around them, however, they would emerge to an unusual sight...

[[See Danny, Ardur, Asura group postings]]
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Kazemitsu
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Kazemitsu The Dragon

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Asura growled internally at the systems message. They were doing so damn good to. System, what are requirements for Unavailable Skill: Better. He thought, trying to word things a little differently. He did acquire a skill though, one that would be useful later on in combat once it was ranked up some. Outside the cave the goblins were distracted by something.

That something was making a rustle, stip steppin, and the quiet rasp of metal on leather. Yeah it was time to leave, they couldn't contend with even low powered humans in their condition. "Relax...keep quiet and lets go. We're to weak to do anything right now except observe... He whispered to Mother Slime, Ardur, and the Spider Monster. As quietly as he could he moved West.

Away from the smoke, the goblins, and this rustling sound. While they moved Asura continued to try and get that burning tingle sensation back, and if he got it he'd be trying his damnedest to make it 'burn' hotter. It felt like it was all mental games and that wasn't necessarily his strong suit. He was incredibly direct and straight line thinking.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Lucius Cypher
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Lucius Cypher Looking For Group

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"Don't know Crispy. I remember seeing monsters fighting Rattle then fighting each other. If I had to guess though, those monsters are on the 'fighting everyone and each other' part. Doesn't matter either. Once we meet back with the others we're leaving that cave behind, and anyone that wants to hurt us dies. Simple." She had put the hex cat's corpse around the back, using it's own tail as a rope. She had also put her bloodied garrote away, planning on trying to dry or make it usable again. She made sure that Jezee and the others were okay too with some rudimentary leaf-and-vine bandages, but she was mostly focused on getting back to the others. She made sure that everyone was keeping an eye out for any sort of threat that might try to ambush them or come out from the burning grass. While they traveled back Orchid made sure to pick up another stick; she'll need a new shield a a sturdy stick would make for a decent base to work off of.

As the group returned she heard Clod call out to her. His voice cracked; was he scared? "Yeah it's me. Let's move out! I'm tired of living near this shit hole." Orchid roared as she arrived back to her camp. When she did arrive though she noticed from their weapons at the ready that they seemed to be spooked. Or either that, ready to pounce an enemy. She was getting more annoyed at these random encounters but at this point her blood was boiling and she didn't particularly care to tolerate anyone who would keep trying to harm her or her goblins. Grumbling quietly she snarled. "Of course there's trouble. Everyone get over here and take cover!" Orchid made sure to also hide behind a tree or something solid as she chanted a spell to summon another fireball. She wasn't sure if this was a random monster or one of the reincarnated humans, so Orchid figured she'd give them a bit of a courtesy with a warning. If they were a monster they wouldn't understand her anyways, but if they were, they should heed her words.

"Getting real tired of you humans, monsters, or whatever you want to call yourselves now! Tired of you bastards always starting shit that I have to deal with! We're leaving, you got a problem with that, then burn!" Orchid chucked her fireball at the bush that her goblins seemed to have been surrounding, knowing very well that it would catch fire and possibly spread. If her goblins listened to her, they would be on the opposite side of where the fire would start so they could get away. "Now let's get out of here and let them kill each other. This isn't our home anymore."

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by ReusableSword
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ReusableSword The Mighty.

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Ardur The Mighty Hipixie
Safety? > almost safe /// Adventuring day 4 // Afternoon / Location - cave > Cave entrance

Ardur followed Asura’s lead and began to crawl on all fours to press himself closer to the ground. Noticing Steve pressing herself towards the ground as well and glancing over at him occasionally. The high pixie found this adorable but now was not the time to be cute. However, he was glad to figure out that Steve would still recognize him after an evolution. One less thing to worry about in the long run.

He could see and hear the same thing Asura could and the mere uneasiness of Mother Slime put him on alert as well. He still had no mana but at least his health and stamina seemed to be holding strong. The red lime seemed dead set on moving into the forest to the west to get away from everything happening here. Couldn’t blame him, even Ardur could sense things beyond their power were moving and happening.

Whispering to Asura, “Come on, let’s make like hokey sticks and get the puck out of here.” He was obviously waiting far too long to use that one by the smile on his face. Even with his comment and holding back a laugh, he continued to move around the small hill after the slime. Before they could move any quicker or farther, he could hear a familiar goblin yelling towards the other side of the clearing.

“That sounds like orchid. I don’t think she’s having a very good day but kind of sounds like Jason right now.” He whispered towards Asura. “Probly best to leave her be for now and just find a safe place to sleep because I am tired.” His trusty eight-legged companion brushed up against them seemingly starring at the other two. “Oh also before I forget, this little guy here is Steve I tamed her. Hey Mother Slime this one is not food she is a friend.” He hopped the slime understood him as he kept moving with the others.

It was not long before Orchid shouted a threat and threw a fireball into some nearby brush. It did not seem like she was aiming for them particularly but maybe a diversion. “Hey this seems like a good chance to run if you want to take it.” He wasn’t about to run off on his own, right now Asura was the closest thing to a friend or party member he had. At least he did not seem to bossy or selfish for the most part.

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu

Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Duthguy
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Duthguy Someone who can't spell Dutchguy

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While Danny's use of Lesser Force did succeed in breaking twigs and making noise the him becoming the center of the Goblins' attention wasn't planned. Luckily going by what he heard it seemed they overestimated the threat he posed making him hope he had a good change to escape without a fight.

When the kid got out from the rock and slowly made his way to the cave he didn't do anything, hoping the Goblins would't notice that they were both relatively easy prey. He wondered what business a human could have in that cave but he figured that with no longer there the kid would probably be fine, still part of him wanted to follow if only to satisfy his own curiosity despite the risk of running into Asura and his crew.

Any plans of stealthily going after the human disappeared from Danny's mind when he heard the female Goblin that challenged Crispy say something about burning shortly before the bush caught on fire. Moving away from the Goblin he left his hidingspot as quickly as he could before running away with Faster. Man, I really have to get Fireball." As he ran he tried to pick up any vibrations in the ground that might mean he was being followed or that there were other threats nearby.

Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by King Cosmos
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King Cosmos

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Oberon opened his eyes. Despite his fatigue, his mind just wasn't tired enough to fall asleep even though his body desperately needed the rest at this point; too many thoughts buzzing around his head to just let himself drift off.

He sat up and climbed to his feet before walking out of the cave. If he wasn't going to be getting any sleep he might as well do something productive with his time instead; though with his stamina still drained and his mana reserves depleted, not to mention this Mana Burn condition he had, there wasn't much he could do.

The first thing he needed to do was recover his lost mana. His rest in the cave had restored some of it but he was still low, so he found a quiet patch of grass in the sun and sat down with his legs crossed before using both Meditation and Gather Light until his mana was fully restored. Once that had been done he just needed to decide what to work on now; given that his last experiment had proven that it was possible of overexert yourself magically it was probably best to keep things simple and not push himself any further. At least not until this status condition went away.

With that in mind it was probably best to focus on practicing his current skills or maybe try and complete a skill he had in progress rather than try anything new and potentially dangerous. Continuing to improve Mana Shape could prove useful in the future, both for creating new spells and also for creating more complex images. Working on developing more Shield spells using different mana types or trying to cast Shield on multiple targets at once was also an option. But what he eventually decided on was trying to complete a spell he had first cast accidentally back before all of this madness had started.

Like he had done back then, what felt like months ago at this point, he formed an orb of mana between his hands and then cast Shield on it. The nascent Mana Orb should absorb the additional mana of the Shield spell, perhaps also taking on some of its qualities and becoming solid as a result. Through repeating this process Oberon hoped to complete the development of the Wall spell.



@Zeroth
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