[h3]Monster Party[/h3]
The near miss was so close that the wind from its passing nearly spun Oberon in place, but the Sprite managed to recover and buzz up higher, out of reach of the growling slime. The monster seemed to be collecting itself for an attempt at jumping, but before it could do so it recoiled in shock. Oberon's hand had erupted in flame, and he hurled the Fireball. The slime squealed as the magical attack struck it, short-lived flame spreading across its membrane and leaving a charred spot in its wake. The slime began to move away from the Sprite, rolling to hide its wound from the other enemies...

As Ash activated her Mana Vision, her eyes would visibly glow within their pupils. As she watched Oberon's Fireball arc through the sky, where it left its hand--the "center" of the flame--she could see a single square like those she had observed before. Two oscillating lines were connected to it, one on each side, and at their ends were other squares...It became more difficult to make out details, as the flame hurtled towards the slime. But there were a few other structures within the flame, shifting and moving and changing. The single structure she had already observed had only one other feature that stood out. The square in the center was a deep, metallic gold color--so deep in fact that maybe calling it gold was inaccurate. Was it a dark brown instead? Maybe even a black? Then why did it seem to glow like that? The two squares connected to it by those oscillating lines, however, were red and vibrant like the flame itself...

Just as the slime began to roll away from Oberon, the Sprite saw the lightshow as Ash cast Shield I on him. He had already dodged the first attack, but maybe now he could risk getting closer for a followup--

Torrent suddenly attacked from her hiding spot, completely blindsiding the Giant Slime. This attempt at a Stealth Kill caught it completely off guard, and her combined Poison Breath II and Fire Breath I unleashed a powerful blast. Thanks to her new Dual Cast skill, she suddenly found it much easier to maintain and control this attack--whereas before it didn't last more than an instant and rapidly expanded, now she could keep it concentrated just like the Fire Breath. The flames turned dark, almost purple, and actually pierced through the Giant Slime's membrane! Its insides rapidly began to bubble and steam, and the creature's squeal of pain rose to an agonized, screaming wail like that of a crying infant--and they only rose higher as Torrent immediately dove into the blast hole she had created, slashing and tearing with her claws and fangs. The slime's insides were beginning to darken as well--she had Poisoned it! With this, however, came a self-defeating side effect--the Slime suddenly reared up, then, for lack of a better word...vomited.

Torrent was thrown to the ground, covered in a sizzling concoction of her own poison and concentrated stomach acid. Her body burned all over, though not quite as badly as that time she had literally charred her entire skin--but Fire Resistance wasn't doing much to mitigate this, and she could feel her scales beginning to crack as the acid ate away at them--!

The System informed Digbie that his MP was already full as he tried to keep using Earth Vein--but it did seem that he had gained something called "Temporary Mana Overfill," and he felt full to bursting with energy--some of which he put into a Spell Chant to cast an enhanced Shield II on Torrent. She was already taking some damage, but as the Shield increased her body's natural defenses, the acid seemed to burn less and the wounds weren't progressing as quickly. Then Digbie activated his Sacred Ground ability, trying to catch the entire party in its radius. Oberon, being in the air, wasn't affected. Ash and Torrent felt the shift in the ground underneath their feet as healing Mana began to flow through them.

But the Giant Slime was desperate to survive, and didn't seem ready to give up on its prey just yet. The monster rose up above Torrent, then brought two psuedopods slamming down--!
[hr]
[h3]PixieSlime Party[/h3]
[quote=System:Asura]
ERROR. You have not yet met the conditions to develop the skill Better.
[/quote]

[quote=System:Ardur]
INVALID COMMAND.

INVALID COMMAND.
[/quote]

As the group was quite rudely awakened, Asura was the first to act. Per his norm, the immediate reflex was to attack with all his might. Now that he had recovered his Stamina, the only limit on his Smash was the relatively small space he had in which to build momentum. Nonetheless his blow sent the creature reeling--dragging him with it as he Clung to its snout!

The creature pulled Asura out and up, shaking him back and forth. Now that he was in the light and out of the burrow, he could see what it was--a large deer of some sort? It had a deer's shape, but its fur was a grayish blue the color of twilight mist. Its hindquarters were speckled with darker spots of green and a dash of black. Its horns had an elegant curve, almost like looking at a recurve bow drawn to full tension across its skull, but they had only four points--two near the "middle" on either side of the skull, and the other two at each tip.

Ardur chanted behind Asura as the buff fairy cautiously approached. Momma Slime seemed to be having trouble getting back out of the burrow, as she had "uncompressed" in her sleep--and Steve was stuck behind her, chittering anxiously with waving legs.

With a muffled snort as Asura tried to suffocate it, the animal turned towards a nearby tree and charged, lowering its head. The red slime was slammed into the sturdy trunk with an impact that echoed like a drum beat. Even through his Blunt Resistance and Physical Damage Resistance, he felt that like he would have felt a blow as a human. Specifically, one of those blows in a boxing match that hits you right center of the face, drilling an impact that feels like it went all the way through your skull and rattled your brainpan. Such was the force that it dislodged him from the creature, and as the two separated the deer backed up, shaking its head. It reared up in a threatening display, kicking its hooves out as it made some kind of bleating sound... 
[hr]
[h3]Rat Party[/h3]
Aside from a few scrapes due to the general roughhousing during the encounter, Asteria found herself little the worse for wear. No blood had been drawn, and the bug's stinger hadn't made contact with her. When the lights drew her attention, she tried to use her analysis and sensory skills to figure out what exactly was happening. However, the System would only inform her that, at this distance, she couldn't make out enough about the magic for the skill to draw any conclusions. Whatever it was had stopped, and in the process it had either put out or severely dampened the flames those Goblins had started. If some creature had done that intentionally, perhaps its goal was only to put out the fire before it could be whipped across the grasslands by the next strong wind. It didn't seem like any more flashes of light were forthcoming. 

The humans from the village had quieted down, but they were still milling around in groups. They might be discussing what had just happened, but regardless they hadn't noticed the rats yet and likely wouldn't, given the distance and the rapidly falling night. Asteria relaxed for the moment and distributed her skill points.

[quote=System:Asteria]
Skill Gain: Telepathy I!
Channeling Mana through thoughts creates Psychic-type abilities. At Rank I, this skill can only be used when you are in physical contact with another creature. This skill can only send simple thoughts or emotions. This skill is currently only one-way transmission. This skill is an Active Non-Offensive Spell and consumes MP.

Skill Gain: Plant Analysis I!
Basic field knowledge of botany. At this Rank, using this skill only grants you "generalized" information.
[/quote]

After testing her new communication skill on Ed, Asteria moved over to Mother Rat in the hopes that Telepathy would finally allow her a full-proof method of getting information across to the non-human-souled Monster. Rather than any fully formed sentences or concrete thoughts, Asteria sent her mother simple, pure emotion. Affection, Calmness, Soothing, and Concern for the other beast's wellbeing. Mother Rat gave a start, hopping as her fur bristled and she turned towards Asteria. With a curious squeak, Mother Rat stood on her haunches and began running her tiny forepaws over Asteria's face and snout. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she then ran in circles around Asteria while occasionally sniffing her. When she again found that nothing had physically changed, she squeaked again and calmed down. Mother Rat paused long enough to scratch one ear with her hind leg, then waddled over to Ed and began a similar inspection. Meanwhile, Asteria now moved to examine the dead Bloodingfly.

Though it took very careful handling to avoid pricking herself on the barbed stinger and the probiscus, Asteria was able to use her claws and teeth to pry away pieces of the insect bit by bit. When it got difficult or she didn't want to risk directly handling the body, she searched around for a bit until she found a small flat rock. With her teeth she was able to knap out a rough blade, and using this to hack off the more dangerous bits of the dead monster was much safer. Before she started another dissection on the ant, she analyzed it for more information.

[quote=System:Asteria]

Skill Rank Up: Dextrous I (1.9) > Dextrous II (2.0)
Despite the limitations of your species, you have continued to develop skill and coordination in your digits! You can now manipulate small things, relative to your size, just as well as a human hand or comparable limb with opposable thumbs. Slightly larger objects can be manipulated the way small objects could at the previous rank, but only if you have high enough physical stats to do so. Learning Equipment skills with certain weapons or tools is now less difficult despite your species' limitations!

You used Monster Analysis II!
---Dead Myrminor Scout--
Myrminors are a low-tier species of insectoid monsters, though despite this they produce several different subtypes to fulfill various roles in the species. Digging enormous underground tunnel networks, some larger than a city sewer system, Myrminors behave much like mundane ants and have only grown to such a size and threat due to absorbing large amounts of ambient Mana. The Scout Myrminor is the weakest of the subtypes, and its only purpose is to gather food, explore territory, and sacrifice itself in waves against enemies. A Scout leaves a trail as it travels that other Myrminors can follow to find resources. It has strong magical senses that lead it to Mana-rich resources.

This Myrminor Scout is dead, apparently struck by multiple blunt force blows and torn apart once a crack in the exoskeleton formed. It has been this way for less than an hour, so its trail is still fresh.
[/quote]

Asteria quickly shoved the various monster parts and plants into the burrow, further reducing what little room they had for Ed. The Rat Man, during this time, had to think for a few moments about his new Skills. He had saved up quite the number of points...and as the System notifications rang out one by one in his mind, he also heard the rumble of his stomach. He began to tear off pieces of the two bugs to eat, finding the flavor somewhat like shrimp or crawfish but with a slightly more acidic flavor and almost greasy texture. As he had to use his claws and teeth without any tools, figuring out how to get at the succulent bug meat inside the shells was a matter of trial and error--though, perhaps it might be useful to remember what weak points he could figure out and think about the bug's body structure...

[quote=System:Ed]
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.

Skill Gain: Harder I (1.0)!
Clenched muscles or hardened flesh can be an effective shield--your base defensive stats increase! By gaining at least one rank in Faster, Stronger, and Better, Skill Synergy will occurr to increase the rank of Physical Conditioning.

Skill Gain: Dynamic Eye I (1.0)!
A Special Vision skill, Dynamic Eye expends Stamina to allow the user to sharpen their kinetic vision. For a single instant, time seems to slow, granting better reactions against incoming attacks--especially projectiles traveling over a distance--or allowing the user to better respond to other things. At this Rank however, no other Skill can be used in conjunction with Dynamic Eye if it is not a pre-established passive skill, such as using a buff beforehand. It uses much more Stamina than one might expect.

Skill Gain: Smash I (1.0)!
A Physical Skill that consumes Stamina instead of MP. One blunt type attack deals increased damage!

Skill Gain: Dextrous I (1.0)!
Your practice with fine manipulation and using your forepaws, as well as the natural physical strength of a Dire Rat, has earned an unusual skill for your species! Your paws can now be used to manipulate small objects and tools, though you still aren’t strong enough yet to “wield” weapons or pick up very large things.

Skill Gain: Monster Analysis I (1.0)!
Gain basic biological information about a monster by actively observing it.
[/quote]

It seemed the villagers were soon heading back to their homes as the stars began to appear in the sky. A few vague figures were still moving around, perhaps watchmen. Maybe the magic from earlier had put them on alert. Would the rats decide to attempt finding somewhere among the huts and sheds to hide, or would they stay with their burrow? It still didn't quite have enough room for all of them, but maybe if Ed was just mostly hidden something wouldn't come along and bite off the exposed parts of him...
[hr]
[h3]Ghost Party[/h3]
Danny searched among the dark forest for a place to hide...and luckily for the Poltergeist, it turned out that not too far away was a great hardwood that, at some point, must have been split by lightning or something. This split had dry-rotted, and been worn away by time and the weather, creating a hollow opening into the wide trunk. It was just big enough for the toddler-sized Monster to climb into...except, if he attempted to do just that, a sudden black shape lurched at him! 

The Slime lunged, spreading its mass wide to try and catch its prey--!

Despite wanting to protect Danny, Jason had been so weakened and disoriented by Bonie's treachery that it took him some time to even work up the energy to shout in fury. By this time Danny was gone--though it wouldn't be hard to follow his trail, since Jason could see souls. However, this ability was currently dimmed. Jason didn't have "eyes" to close, but he was focused on his Meditation. While zoned in on the task at hand, recovering his mana, he didn't have any idea where Danny had gone. As the Poltergeist traveled a short distance, found the tree, and then also found the slime, Jason spent the whole time trying to recover his power...It would be at least half an hour, however, before his MP was completely full. Not only did his state between life and death continually drain his energy, but on top of this his Meditation's effectiveness was reduced by his Mana Burn. It had taken quite a lot of Mana absorption to finally get rid of the Mana Disorder, and it would likely take a similar recovery process to get rid of the Burn...Still, by minimizing his movements and actions like this, almost as if he were sleeping, it seemed he could mitigate a great deal of the natural MP drain...