[h3]Ash[/h3]
[quote=System:Ash]
You used [Analysis]! You have already analyzed this creature before, effectiveness boosted!
---Rubber Frog---
This frog's magical evolution certainly took an odd turn somewhere. The elasticity of its form, from its skin to its bones, is ridiculous. With a tongue that will stretch over twenty feet it has no trouble snagging flies, and it can expand its mouth wide enough to swallow anything up to twice its own size whole. To intimidate predators it sometimes puffs itself up to enormous size. It has no magical abilities that you can tell. The Rubber Frog's hide retains its elasticity even after its death and after the hide dries. It is Extremely Elastic, Organic, Flame-resistant, Very Insulating, Slightly Durable, Water Repellant, Slippery, and Thick. It might be suitable for crafting. Its flesh and bones, aside from being rubbery, don't seem that different from other amphibians and thus might be useful as materials.
---Analysis Complete!---
[/quote]

Ash hunted in the immediate area around the campsite, first heading downstream where a few Rubber Frogs had been within sight. They were gone now, likely scared off either by Zawisza or by the rest of the group, but they left tracks in the softer banks of the creek and then spots of mud on the leaves. Ash only had to leave the path for a minute or two (in the opposite direction Torrent ended up going) to find a Rubber Frog sitting on top of a log. As she watched, its tongue snapped out to grab an insect of some kind--a normal sized, probably non-magical and hopefully non-dangerous one.

Taking a few moments to use all of her observational skills on it once more, Ash prepared to strike. A rubber frog would likely be resistant to blunt damage from its rubbery skin..., so waiting to get the jump on it, Ash fired a Mana Slice in the creatures direction.

The white crescent of magical energy zoomed forward, striking the frog from the back. It let out a squeal as it toppled off the log, rolling across the leaves and leaving a blood trail. Turning back towards Ash the creature opened its mouth wide and began to inflate--but a rapid hissing from its back indicated that it couldn’t hold its increased size for long. Without even waiting to see if its intimidation tactic worked on Ash, it opened up again and lobbed a ball of greenish spit at her. If this creature was related to other reptiles like the Fanged Lizard, could this be poison or acid!?
[hr]
[h3]Asteria, Ed, Mother Rat[/h3]
The rat pack quickly gathered their loot and continued on to the south. Not too long after they had left the site of the ant attack behind, they noticed large clouds of billowing black smoke...that didn’t bode well. Had one of those goblins set the grass on fire? If either of them had any knowledge of grass fires, they might realize that all it would take was a shift in the wind for the flames to rapidly overtake them like a tidal wave.

Whether they increased their pace or not, they were getting used to moving through the tall grass by this point. They had also left the two mismatched human footprints behind. All three of them had heightened senses, and Asteria’s Alert skill didn’t seem to be giving off any more foreboding feelings...for some time, they simply walked through the grass.

At one point, a large shadow passed overhead. Mother Rat immediately squeaked and dove under several thick stalks...but no attack ever came. If they looked up, they would see a large bird from the underside. As it flew into the distance--towards that black smoke--they would catch a glimpse of the sun reflecting off its feathers. It seemed to be pure white in color, unusual for a predatory bird of that size. But it never paid any notice to the rats.

When they had gone a far enough distance that it didn’t seem like they might be consumed by flame at any moment, no doubt at some point Asteria or Ed would poke their heads up above the grass for another proper view at what was around them. When Asteria had observed their surroundings from the top of the tree, way back before they had even entered the grasslands, she had been able to see for quite some distance. On the horizon back then, she had seen several dark shapes--nowhere near big enough to be mountains, but some kind of [i]something[/i] distinct from the rest of the relatively flat landscape.

Now those shapes became much more clear. The three rats were still a few miles away, but their sharp eyes could pick out smaller columns of white and gray smoke, and rounded, brown slopes…

[hider=Your Rat Eyes See][img]https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/suikoden/images/a/a4/Gs3-004.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090920212756[/img][/hider]
[hr]
[h3]Asura, Momma Slime, Ardur, Steve[/h3]
[quote=System:Asura]
ERROR. You do not have access to that information under current conditions.

Skill Gain: Stamina Furnace I (1.0)!
A form of physical and mental cultivation akin to meditation. Similar to concentrating on the beat of one’s heart to calm it, you have accelerated the rate of physical recovery. Expend Mana to restore Stamina. This effect is increased if you have recently eaten, as it speeds up digestion--however, this may require larger amounts of food.

HP Drain has ceased. Your stamina is recovering.
You have no MP remaining.
[/quote]

As the group of slimes, spider, and fairy moved to the West they found themselves fairly ignored by all the other creatures around them. The goblins seemed to be leaving, whatever in the bushes had either skedaddled or burned to death, and those odd noises they were hearing...well, they didn’t see the source of that in the end, as by the time whatever it was came around the hill side they were already heading into the trees.

Asura soon noticed that he felt much better, as the System relayed what had happened. He also noticed that the food he had absorbed was now completely gone--much faster than what it usually took. Already he felt kind of empty. He wasn’t hungry, but he could eat, that kind of feeling.

Now the ground began to slope, and almost as soon as they had entered the treeline it began to thin out. The forest floor covered with low greenery and dead leaves began to give way to patches of bare dirt, and these became rockier and rougher as the slope grew steeper. Soon they found themselves at the base of the mountain proper, in a sort of valley between the sheer rocks and the more gentle, grass-covered slope of the cave. If they looked back, however, they wouldn’t be able to see the clearing anymore due to the trees.

However, right now if there were anything looking down at them from up on the mountain, it would have a clear and unobstructed view. Where would they go from here…?
[hr]
[H3]Danny[/h3]
Danny soon turned and bolted, a smart decision given the goblins’ pyromania. He was lucky enough that Orchid’s fireball wasn’t a direct hit on his bush, and that he had seen it coming in time to get out of the direct path of the resulting explosion--it was small, but even so the rapid consumption of the flames gave off a hot wind. It almost singed his weak, unbalanced body as he rapidly waddled away.

For right now he was still hidden among the trees--or maybe not directly hidden from sight, but either way the goblins weren’t paying attention to him. It seemed like they were leaving. He caught the tail end of Asura’s party heading to the west as well, just before they disappeared into that little strip of the forest.

As for the human boy, he had entered the cave completely at this point...and now quickly rushed back out. Upon seeing that the goblins were gone he relaxed somewhat and stopped trying to be stealthy--he hadn’t noticed Danny yet.

“Master!” It was a quiet voice, but still loud enough to be heard in the immediate clearing. Kind of like a forceful whisper. “The Goblins set the forest on fire!” The boy began scrambling back up the hillside as another figure stepped out from behind the large rock. “A-and th-the, the cave is a dungeon now! Wh-what do we do!?”

The second figure was clearly an adult, tall and broad of shoulder. He wore full plate, with the vulnerable areas covered by maille. Trunks of the chain mesh seemed to be attached to the doublet worn under the armor--of a similar style to the heavy garment the boy wore--and the underarms had small curtains of it actually riveted to the cuirass and pauldrons. The armor had a gothic style with fluted decoration and articulated joints, but it did not gleam in the sun--rather, it seemed to have been painted or burnished with something that kept it smooth, but dulled its sheen. A bit to the opposite that one might have expected, the only places where the metal underneath gleamed in the sun were places where small scratches and pockmarks, perhaps older dents that had been buffed out, showed through under the burnishing. Despite this seemingly impregnable gear, the man also carried a kite-shaped shield. It was split into two colors, blue and cream, and bore a black sigil shaped like a portcullis. Like the boy he wore a sword at his hip, but it was much more splendid in design. At the same time, another loop on his belt held a flanged mace, and hanging from the leather on a chain was a slightly ornate dagger.

With his free hand he pushed up his visor, revealing a white face with light brown hair, and strode confidently down the hill to meet the boy half-way. He started to speak, but he kept himself under control compared to the boy and thus Danny couldn’t hear him from this distance...
[hr]
[h3]Digbie[/h3]
Digbie left the cavern in peace. A light draft somehow blew at him from behind--from within the earth?--but he felt it no more than he might a reassuring pat on the shoulder. When he once again entered the outer world the sun’s brightness made him blink rapidly. How long had he been down there, in the dark? But once his eyes adjusted, he could easily make out the trail he had left himself, and headed back towards the camp. When he tried to give some of his magic to the Yill flower, he might note that despite having its stem destroyed it didn’t seem to be wilting too much yet...however, a single petal fell off as it was jostled in his hair. This petal drifted on an unseen wind, headed up on a swift gust before floating off towards the east...

On the way back, however, he might have found himself a problem.

A lone Flak Beetle--the same type of creature that had nearly caused Torrent’s demise--was coming along the path in the opposite direction as Digbie. When the two spotted each other, the beetle immediately flared up its wings with a buzz and clacked its mandibles. Was it just an intimidation tactic? Or was it getting ready to spit fire at him, just like Torrent? Only a few tense seconds would pass before one side had to make a move...
[hr]
[h3]Jason[/h3]
[quote=System:Jason]
Skill Gain: Mana Drain I (1.0)!
You have experienced the flow of mana inside your own body, and felt the energy of other creatures being used upon you. Like siphoning water through a tube, this ability allows the user to draw the energies of others into themselves. [s]By using Stamina,[/s] you will drain MP from an opponent and add it to your own. However, certain factors may come into play--you are not guaranteed to restore the exact same amount of MP that you drain. At this rank, in order to use this skill you must be touching the creature or object to be drained. While you are using this skill you cannot use any other spell or skill that is offensive in nature or requires complex movements.
[/quote]

Jason reached into the Dire Rat’s body with Transparency, and began trying to find its Mana like a doctor trying to find a patient’s pulse. Soon he felt some form of resistance...and upon pushing harder, was able to make it give way...and soon after he felt some trickle of power returning to him! Yet it only lasted a scant few seconds before, as the System notified him of his new skill, he couldn’t maintain his focus--his Transparency skill canceled itself automatically while it was still inside the rat. The creature suddenly lurched like it had been hit with a physical blow, and was knocked onto its side. It squeaked and scrambled to get back onto all fours--this would give Jason only a short window in which to “grab” it and try to continue draining Mana. He didn’t have any physical grip on the creature. As it recovered and sat up, looking around in confusion for a threat of some kind, it merely slid through his incorporeal presence. But as long as he was “in contact” with it, his Mana Drain skill worked. And when the rat stood up and shook itself off, it began moving very carefully, sneaking about instead of running. It couldn’t see any threats, but it had certainly been hit by something, so it was exercising caution, remaining at the ready...Jason would be able to keep pace with it, though it caused his Mana Drain to start and stop as he moved.

[quote=System:Jason]
Your MP is Full. You are still suffering from Mana Disorder.
Your target has no MP remaining.
[/quote]

Dire Rats weren’t very magical, but this creature still had enough that after devouring Bonie, the lizard eggs, and Teef that Jason was now topped back up. However, something was odd…

He didn’t feel like he was recovered.

Normally, when he restored his Mana, he could feel the energy surging and he kind of had an idea of what he was capable of. Like an athlete who knows about how much weight they can lift, or how far they can run, when they’re not tired or when they’ve just been refreshed. But now...he couldn’t feel that. He knew he could probably cast some of his spells again, if he could unlock them, but he didn’t feel…full?

[i]”Need to fix Magic-sick, Ja-Soon. Spirit and Body have different limits--now dat yas got dat skill, needs ta use it lots!”
“Go kills dat rat! Den find dem udda mobs, kill dems too!”[/i]
[hr]
[h3]Orchid[/h3]
[quote=System:Orchid]
Obtained Item: Green Switch x1
A fresh limb from a tree. It’s not that sturdy, but its flexible and fibrous nature might give it other uses besides having something to whip an unruly child with.
[/quote]

The goblins scrambled at the sight of Orchid’s fire, and could tell from her mood that she was not to be trifled with at the moment. They quickly obeyed her orders, looking back uneasily at the fire before gathering up what few items they had left in the clearing.

“Boss, dat might have been a Venture!” Wej said as they began to push their way through the trees. The smoke billowing up behind them was beginning to throw shadows over the area like storm clouds.

“A major, even!” added Yoona.

“We saws it on the top of da cave, but it hided, den it somehows got roun’ behinds us!” Clod explained. Tiddies had moved closer to Crispy, seemingly checking his arm while he bit his lip and pretended it didn’t hurt. 

“You guys dum! Can’t even kill one Venture!” Sqwal broke in, puffing his chest out. “We killeds two o’ dem big black cats! Like dat one da boss got!”

They had only killed one and driven the other away, but neither Bigs nor Crispy were going to correct him if it made them look better, and Jezee hadn’t seen the whole thing. The other goblins, having only the corpse Orchid carried as proof, looked at the green runt with slightly more respect--or at least some kind of reappraisal as to his stature in the tribe.

“Oi, Boss. We headin’ to the farm?” Crispy finally spoke up, chewing on a Healing Herb that Tiddies had given him.

With the fire and their large numbers and force of arms, the goblins made far too much of a threat for any forest creature to risk attacking. They would be seemingly left alone as they trekked, so they could likely cover quite some ground before night came on...
[hr]
[h3]Oberon[/h3]
After fully restoring his MP and a fair chunk of his stamina, Oberon once more began a round of magical experimentation.

When a more fully formed source of Mana, like Mana Orb, was exposed to the Shield spell the two would "absorb" into each other like two soap bubbles colliding. The result, under Oberon's watchful eye as the skill developed, exhibited a few qualities that he was now more familiar with. In the way that Mana Dart had required some more focus and the eventual development of Mana Shape, the Wall spell didn't seem like it had enough "mass" concentrated into it. If a wall was meant to be a defensive structure, after all, it would need to be solid. Also like the Light Ring, however, the spell itself seemed to want to expand into a different shape. Now that he had Mana Shape unlocked, what could Oberon do with this unformed Wall? The Mana Orb-with-Shield, of its own volition, seemed to flatten out until it was paper thin--giving more credence to that idea that it wasn't "thick" enough yet.

Mana Slice, Light Ring, and Mana Shape all gave Oberon some experience with making a spell "flat" like a blade or a thin sheet of paper. But had he ever made anything "hard" before? Mana Dart had a focused tip on it, maybe that was the closest thing. 

What other experiences from the various spells he had developed could he use here, to further his understanding and unlocking of a new skill?
[hr]
[h3]Torrent[/h3]
When the tendrils of the plant struck her, the thing seemed to get a better idea of Torrent’s location. As she dug down, she felt and heard several heavy blows hit the ground on top of her, shaking the already loosened dirt down on top of her. But she was better at digging by now, and made her way slowly towards the plant. After several heavy thumps the vines seemed to realize they weren’t hitting anything, and it became somewhat quiet…

Yet, while Torrent planned her next mode of attack, she had forgotten something--plants had roots.

She launched her poison-tinged flame from below the Blood Snare, now fully igniting its entire body with a direct hit. The entire plant went insane, lashing wildly, tearing limbs from trees, sweeping across the ground and plunging the vines into the earth in a desperate attempt to destroy her. And at first she was safe--then, from underneath her tunnel, an enormous root lifted up. She was forced against the dirt for several moments before it burst out of the ground--the plant’s entire root system seemed to be moving. They weren’t nearly as flexible or forceful as the vines, they seemed limited to only contracting and relaxing movements. But this was enough for the plant to essentially pick itself up out of the ground--maybe it intended to move somewhere else to try and get away from her flames?

But because of the root on her body the plant knew where she was again. This time when the vines lashed out they ensnared her, and began to squeeze--could she get away? Would she last long enough for the plant to burn? It was already beginning to blacken, but its grip was getting tighter...