[h3]Monster Party[/h3] [quote=SYSTEM] [[You'll each see these separately, just ignore whatever parts aren't part of the specific analysis you attempted.]] [color=lightblue]Digbie and Torrent used Monster Analysis I![/color] [color=blue]Ash and Oberon used Monster Analysis II![/color] [color=lightgreen]Digbie used Material Analysis I![/color] [color=pink]Digbie and Torrent used Magic Analysis I![/color] [color=red]Ash used Magic Analysis II![/color] [color=darkred]Oberon used Magic Analysis IV![/color] [color=darkred][u]Oberon used Magic Analysis IV![/u][/color] ---Giant Slime--- [color=lightblue]Giant Slimes have simply grown bigger, and their membranes have increased in strength so as to hold more mass without causing their bodies to split. Their digestive fluids also become stronger, but as a result of these advantages they require more food.[/color] [color=blue]Their general abilities are also increased, making them more dangerous than they appear as a simple evolution of a plain slime. In fact, their resistance to physical damage has become such that even a proper sword or mace might not kill them easily.[/color] [color=lightgreen]A Giant Slime's slime is difficult to harvest, as when they die the nervous and circulation systems keeping their membranes intact rapidly decay. If it can be extracted before the digestive fluids destroy it, however, it has some use as an adhesive or even a culinary gelatin. There might even be other uses...[/color] [color=pink]Giant Slimes have little to no magic to speak of; they have only slightly above the bare minimum of Magical Power for a Monster.[/color] [color=red]They have no elemental affiliation by nature, though Slimes that live in environments rich with ambient mana sometimes take on properties better suited for their habitat. This Giant Slime possesses no Magical Skills or Spells.[/color] [color=darkred]This Giant Slime is also not developing any Magical Skills or Spells. [u]Despite having no real affinities or alignments, this Giant Slime is vulnerable to most forms of magic. It could be considered stronger against Earth and Wind magic, but they will still do more damage than most physical attacks. It would be weaker against Fire, Lightning, Ice, and Metal magic.[/u][/color] ---Analysis Complete--- [/quote] Digbie laying back on the ground and using Earth Vein quickly pumped his MP up, though not quite to full yet. Torrent almost immediately disappeared into the surroundings, and Oberon took flight to get some distance while he analyzed the oncoming enemy. Ash stood her ground protectively over her materials, but also analyzed the slime--in fact, everyone had attempted to use at least two analysis skills on the creature. And while they were standing there watching it, it rolled over Digbie while he lay flat on the ground. He stuck to its naturally gooey body for a single rotation before it slammed him into the earth again, and now made for the smaller target of Oberon trying to get its attention. As it rumbled towards the smaller Sprite, three Venom Shots from Ash thup-thup-thup'd into its membrane. They left purple stains, but aside from a shiver of what seemed like pain the Giant Slime didn't react too much. When Oberon cast his Mana Slice, the creature's roll actually slowed down just before the crescent sliced into its body. Though the wound immediately suctioned back together, the Slime had recognized itself being hurt and let out a rumbling gurgle before it changed course. It was still heading towards Oberon, however, and from an angle it lashed out with a huge pseudopod to try and crush him... [hr] [h3]PixieSlime Party[/h3] As Asura and Ardur began to smother the flames with dirt--and in the slime's case, his own body--Steve seemed to pick up on their efforts and splattered a gooier form of her webbing onto Momma Slime's body, before Ardur ordered her to keep watch. Oxygen had ignited the substance from the Flak Beetle, but upon being deprived of it the flames died out instantly. The dirt that soaked up the bug's innard-juice grew somewhat hot to the touch, like rocks stacked around a campfire, but this soon cooled with the interesting side effect of turning the rocks a lime-white color. Momma Slime seemed slightly singed, but fine on the whole--which she expressed as a loud fart-sigh. Now that they weren't in the middle of fighting, the big blue slime was able to wriggle and jiggle her way out of the Flak Beetle's burrow. While Momma Slime wouldn't be able to fit all the way in, it was big enough for Asura to scrunch himself up alongside Ardur and Steve. They could potentially dig it out deeper as well...but now, darkness was rapidly falling and they would soon be blind. [quote=System:Asura] LEVEL UP! Your combined experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 7! Your Max Stamina has increased (this will not recover current Stamina levels)! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! Unspent Skill Points: [color=red]10[/color] Current Skills: Physical Damage Resistance I (1.86) Overwork I (1.8) Blunt Resistance I (1.7) Limited Shapeshift III (3.725) Smash II (2.15) Pierce Resistance I (1.25) Faster I (1.65) Magic Resistance I (1.1) Harder I (1.05) Counter I (1.25) Cling I (1.0) Slime Whip I (1.25) Throw Item I (1.0) Rabid Fit I (1.0) Iron Gullet I (1.2) Monster Analysis I (1.1) Stamina Furnace I (1.1) Earth Resist (0.7) Mental Resistance (0.9) Slime Shell (0.5) Charisma (0.5) Dextrous (0.2) Soil Manipulation (0.5) Stone Shot (0.5) Slime Coil (0.3) Magic Analysis (0.5) Bounce (0.5) Muffle (0.3) Poison Resistance (0.2) Dash Attack (0.4) Spiritual Awareness (0.2) Intimidate (0.3) Stronger (0.8) Blood Drain (0.5) First Aid (0.2) Acid Spit (0.2) Skewer (0.4) Slash (0.1) Fire Resistance (0.3) Water Resistance (0.0125) Focus (0.4) Alert (0.3) [/quote] [quote=System:Ardur] LEVEL UP! Your combined experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 6! Your Max Stamina has increased (this will not recover current Stamina levels)! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! Unspent Skill Points: [color=red]10[/color] Current Skills: Shield II (2.175) Lesser Flight III (2.24) Minor Heal III (3.6125) Physical Conditioning I (1.0) Fire Resistance I (1.35) Taming I (1.35) Fireball I (1.5) Stronger II (2.15) Crafting I (1.0) Muffle I (1.3) Inspire I (1.0) Guidance I (1.0) Spell Chant I (1.0) Use Light Equipment (--) Keen Sight (0.7) Keen Ear (0.3) Alchemy (0.5) Faster (0.5) Magic Analysis (0.55) Mana Orb (0.15) Focus (0.6) Throw Voice (0.1) Mana Strike (0.8) Point Strike (0.8) Charisma (0.2) Soothe Song (0.6) Harder (0.1) Alert (0.8) Reinforce (0.2) Throw Item (0.5) Meditate (0.2) Stone Shot (0.5) Iron Gullet (0.3) Soil Manipulation (0.3) Material Analysis (0.2) Rabid Fit (0.5) Lesser Cleanse (0.7) Fire Fist (0.2) Magic Resistance (0.2) Minor Regeneration (0.1) Flame Aura (0.1) Warcry (0.1) Immolation (0.05) Spiritual Awareness (0.3) Overwork (0.1) Monster Analysis (0.3) Your Tamed Creature has Leveled Up! Steve is now Level 2! Your Tamed Creature has Leveled Up! Steve is now Level 3! Oculus Spider [Steve], Level 3 Steve's Unspent Skill Points: 11 Steve's Current Skills: Web Spit I (1.5) Doze I (1.0) Muffle (0.5) Poison Fang (0.4) Blunt Resistance (0.1) Thread Control (0.5) Alert (0.3) Fire Resistance (0.1) Steve's intelligence, ability, and physical stats are not high enough to enable Skill Teaching. Do you wish to distribute your Tamed Creature's Skill Points? [/quote] With the fire put out on Momma Slime, a new shelter against the rapidly falling night, and some new skill points to play with, what would the party's next move be? Despite having recovered enough for that short brawl, they were still quite low on Stamina... [hr] [h3]Rat Party[/h3] The Bloodingfly accelerated as Ed acted like he was going to attack, but when the Ratman pulled off his feint the insect had too much momentum to stop. Though its wings flared out like sails, its needle-probiscus pierced into the ground rather than any furry flesh. It barely kept itself from crashing, slamming its spindly legs into the dirt with a deep buzz. The next moment Asteria was on its back, ripping and tearing at its wings and the fuzzy body underneath them. The bug thrashed, its buzz growing to a shrill creen as it tried to buck her off. A large section of one wing came off in Asteria's jaws just as Mother Rat tackled the creature from below, tearing into its side--the same side Ed had already injured. Unnaturally colored blood splattered the ground once more, and the bug pushed off to jump away. Its damaged wings couldn't lift its weight, however, and it tumbled on top of Asteria. With its belly exposed, either Ed or Mother Rat would be able to deliver a finishing blow--and it was highly doubtful either of them would pass up the opportunity. The Bloodingfly would die with one last, drawn out buzz that turned to a whine. Its legs, however, continued to twitch for some time after its death. But just as they finished with this creature, the three rats wouldn't be able to help but notice three white flashes of light. It came from back towards the forest. At this distance, it was little more than something like a momentary signal flare. It didn't rise very high above the ground--rather, it arced through the air, then traveled along the land. To them it seemed to only go a short distance, but if they were up close it might have been several meters. And following it, the earth spat dust and debris. Soil was hurled upward as if by some giant plough, and the flames those goblins had started sputtered and died. By the time each light finished--they seemed to be going in different directions, but every one was followed by a wave of earth--the smoke that seemed to threaten to consume the entire plain had dwindled to a wispy cloud. But now the rats could hear something else. From the direction of the village, it sounded like...shouts. Cries of alarm and of awe. Several figures were bustling around the different houses now...but they were watching the skies, for any other signs of the lights. The sun had set and the grasslands, too, were falling under the cover of night. With the villagers occupied by the sight far away, maybe the rats could sneak around the long way and enter that shed Ed had spied without being seen... [quote=System:Ed] LEVEL UP! Your combined experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 6! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! Unspent Skill Points: [color=red]22[/color] ((12 unspent from before Transformation, 10 from current level up)) Current Skills: Beast Sense II (2.625) Rabid Fit I (1.55) Stronger I (1.35) Muffle II (2.025) Use Light Equipment (--) Alert I (1.0) Material Analysis (0.4) Magic Analysis (0.65) Monster Analysis (0.9) Faster (0.7) Warcry (0.4) Dextrous (0.8) Tremor Sense (0.025) Mental Resistance (0.9) Telepathy (0.075) Mana Shape (0.7) Focus (0.8) Shield (0.5) Mana Shell (0.4) Soil Manipulation (0.7) Overwork (0.9) Harder (0.3) Crafting (0.25) First Aid (0.1) Meditate (0.4) People Sense (0.2) Plant Analysis (0.1) Swift Swimmer (0.4) Charm (0.025) Repel (0.025) Stealth Kill (0.3) Blunt Resistance (0.1) Prehensile Tail (0.3) Smash (0.7) Mana Strike (0.2) Minor Heal (0.05) Dynamic Eye (0.3) [/quote] [quote=System:Asteria] LEVEL UP! Your combined experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 6! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! Note: You are very close to another Level Up! Unspent Skill Points: [color=red]10[/color] Current Skills: Beast Sense II (2.875) Faster II (2.15) Monster Analysis II (2.325) Dextrous I (1.9) Poison Resistance I (1.0) Crafting I (1.625) Muffle I (1.65) Mana Sense I (1.8) Mana Drain I (1.4) Magic Analysis I (1.1) Stronger I (1.2) Prehensile Tail (--) Alert I (1.15) Use Light Equipment (0.6) Charisma (0.9) Telepathy (0.35) Mental Resistance (0.1) Soil Manipulation (0.9) Overwork (0.2) Lesser Status Heal (0.05) Minor Heal (0.05) Meditate (0.4) Smash (0.6) Mana Flex (0.1) Scribe (0.1) Spell Chant (0.15) Lesser Force (0.1) Stone Shot (0.3) Lucid Dream (0.3) Spiritual Awareness (0.2) Swift Swimmer (0.1) Suppress Presence (0.2) Plant Analysis (0.7) Alchemy (0.05) Tremor Sense (0.1) Throw Item (0.3) Stealth Kill (0.1) [/quote] [hr] [h3]Ghost Party[/h3] "Correct, these are spells, special attacks, and so much more... Honestly Bonie, I don't belong in this world, especially not as a monster.... So I think, that in a way, the rules and limitations of species, and usage of the system don't fully apply to me." [i]"If ya really be human and not a slime, Ja-Soon, den da world be different to ya. Skeelz, powahs, everyting different for humans and mobs. But if ya bes a slime too...I tink tings be even more not da same."[/i] As Jason read the Skill list out loud to the two goblin spirits, their windows continued to move around for a moment. Then Bonie's stopped, and Jason's began moving again instead. It really was like someone was clicking on a computer's browser and dragging it around the screen. "Bonie, tell me a bit about these dreams you had, and what you prayed to while you were alive." [i]"Gobs in da cave not be like dat. No big temples, no sack-fices. Maybe would if dere were Big Demons, but da cave tribe stay near da cave. Udda gob tribes force us here when even Bonie was youngling. Neva prayed. Told stories. Stories bout da Old Gobs, da ones come before. How dey hunts, how dey makes tings. Gotta make sure everything member'd for long time after we gones. Dat keeps Old Gobs around, and Old Gobs makes good magic for gobs still alive."[/i] [quote=System:Jason] Skill Activated: Meditate I! By concentrating and calming oneself, increase the regeneration of Magic Power and Stamina. This skill cannot be used in battle. Any distractions in the environment will drastically decrease the effectiveness of this skill. This skill cannot be used in conjunction with other skills. Your MP is recovering... [/quote] Even with using Mana Drain to reabsorb his attempts to cast Mana Orb, Jason's efficiency or lack thereof caused his MP to continue dropping with each attempt. What was more, ever since he had become a spirit, his MP would steadily decrease over time. It seemed to serve as both as his stamina and his HP in this form--this was probably the primary reason being an undead, spiritual creature seemed so uncommon. After all, the Dungeon was constantly creating Undead, yet besides Jason only Ghost Wisps seemed to be of the spirit class. But now that he had meditate, if he could maintain concentration without being interrupted then he could stabilize his existence...at least as long as there was ambient mana around him. Even without this skill, in the cave there had been times he was able to sense the concentration of energy. The fact that Mana Crystals grew in the cave was evidence that its magical atmosphere was thicker. Out here, in the open wilderness, the power was significantly less concentrated. He could still recover his MP...but it was a slow process. If he wasn't careful with his magical experimentation, he might end up in the same desperate struggle he had been to maintain his MP right after his original revival... "Hey Bonie, I need you to say 'System: Describe (Better) Spiritual Awareness V, and how it was gained.' That'll give us even more information on how we can bring ourselves more fully into the real world." [i]"Before dat, Ja-Soon--how do I be makin' da Skeelz betta? All my Skeelz, and Teef's too, got different numbahs you was readin'. Tell me dats, and I tells ya bout da dreams, and den we figures out dat udda Skeel."[/i] Teef was strangely quiet, but her system window was moving more erratically. It even rotated in slow circles and spun around in three dimensional space, as she were looking it over, up and down, and all around. Meanwhile, Danny meditated calmly for several minutes. He could hear the sound of wood being chopped, but only distantly. More clearly, he heard one more rumbling sound, and there was another flash of light in the distance...The smoke coming from the grasslands grew thinner, and looked less foreboding. Whatever Zieglar was doing, it seemed to be controlling the fire if not putting it out entirely. And after that third flash, nothing else happened...would the Knight return to his apprentice? Once the system informed him his MP was full, he recharged the Source Crystal. Doing so drained a decent chunk of his MP again, about as much as one of his spells would have. But now, as he held it up to his eye and looked at Jason through it again, when the green light began to form words and numbers he also activated his Monster Analysis. The effort of keeping Mana flowing into the Crystal was like trying to force yourself to exhale longer while not blinking at the same time--Danny felt his MP rapidly dwindling after only a few seconds, but the information he was gaining definitely increased. [quote=System:Danny] You used Monster Analysis II! You used Source Crystal Shard! ---Jason (???, ???)--- Ecto Slime: An extremely rare undead monster. Spirit-class Undead are formed when a soul is unable to leave the corpse or reenter the natural cycle of life and death; composed entirely of the energies left within the body at the time of death, Spirits without Will cannot maintain a form for long. When they lose cohesion, they are returned to the world in another way that cannot be undone. Slimes do not normally have enough intelligence or magic power to revive as undead, and even when affected by outside sources they are usually extremely unstable. Like all undead, they seem to harbor an instinctive need to consume the living. Like many Spirit-class Undead, they are driven to feast on other souls even to the point of losing themselves. You know this Ecto Slime as Jason, a Reincarnator like yourself. [color=red]Jason has committed a Taboo against the world by denying the cycle of life and death.[/color] There are two other souls Jason has consumed, but they have not been completely devoured. Spirit-class monsters sometimes attempt to absorb other souls strong enough to maintain their own sense of self--as these spirits intermingle, their memories and personalities often begin to mix as well. Yet an individual can only maintain one sense of self...even a legion must move as one... Jason currently can't interact through normal physical means with the world, but some of his skills can cause physical reactions. Due to this a direct comparison isn't available through normal means. However, your stats are currently higher than his. He currently has more MP than you; Spirit-class creatures do not possess an upper cap on the amount of magical power they can hold. In order for them to grow and maintain themselves, they must continue to amass magic. Using too many of their own spells can cut their only remaining tether to this world short. Jason possesses the Spell Skill Mana Drain, allowing him to drain magical power from other creatures and objects. This is common among Undead creatures, as their own vitality is no longer enough to allow their existence. Jason possesses other skills like Meditate, Spiritual Awareness, Transparency, Levitate, and Guidance. Because of his death, many of his old Skills are locked away or unusable due to his lack of a physical body. ---Analysis Complete--- The Source Crystal Shard has no charge remaining. Restoring the charge will consume the remainder of your MP. Do you wish to recharge it? [/quote] With everything that had happened today, now that the two were finally out on their own, the forest seemed very quiet. Maybe it was the large number of goblins that had passed in this direction earlier, wielding weapons and fire. Maybe it was the presence of two humans in the area. Maybe it was the nearby fires that belched acrid smoke into the air. Or maybe, now that night was falling, other creatures were also turning in to their dens. Whatever the case, Danny and Jason seemed to be alone out here in the wilderness...They had escaped the cave, the Dungeon Core, and all of the Undead. They were completely left to their own devices...but the sun had dipped below the mountains, and the stars were beginning to peek out between the branches up above...