[h3]PixieSlime Party[/h3]
The deer squealed when Asura drove his body, in spike form, into the bottom of its jaw. He broke the skin, and pierced deep as blood coated the creature's fur, but couldn't get into the bone. As the creature struggled to free itself it inadvertently cut its own neck further, and the bloodflow thickened as it bleated pitifully--

Luckily, Ardur cut its suffering short as he dropped like a rock from above. Right along that shaft of the morning sun, he struck precisely along the vertebrae of the Bowhorn Deer's neck and spine. With his new skill and all the momentum behind the attack, he felt it shatter under his weighty blow. The deer dropped immediately--though its legs weakly kicked, and its body shuddered with a last gasping breath, the light was gone from its eyes. 

"Ahsoowa! Big fud!" Momma Slime bubbled as she let go of the deer's antlers. She rolled around to one side and immediately started to envelop one of its meaty haunches. "Ahdoo, gud!" Meanwhile, Steve reacted with something that might have been alarm, waving several legs at Momma Slime before the Oculus Spider began trying to spin a web around the front leg it had pinned. Perhaps she was afraid the big slime would eat the deer before she got a chance to do so herself.

With this threat addressed, Asura and Ardur were now free to do...whatever they wished. The cave was back to the east, but so far they hadn't heard any more of that chopping noise, or anything from those goblins. Maybe that tribe had finally moved on? The smoke from last night was all gone as well...something had put those fires out. Back to their west, there was still that mountain, and that nest of Dire Rats perhaps...Up north, they would be following the base of the mountain range, but heading into the forest. If they went south, they would have to skirt around the edges of the mountains to get over the hills and cliffs where the cave was, but then they might be able to go...who knew yet?

They had secured some food to refill their bellies after last night's rest, and they were full on their health, stamina, and magic. They had recently leveled up, and their non-human allies were still proving quite good teammates. The only thing to limit them now...was their own imagination.
[hr]
[h3]Rat Party[/h3]
[quote=System:Ed]
You attempted to use Monster Analysis!
...Analysis Failed. Even with Beast Senses II, Target is still too far...
---???---
Due to the creature's size, despite the distance you can tell that, whatever it is, it has at least two wings and a long tail. Its body is very large--it seems to have at least one set of limbs.
---Analysis Failed---

You are attempting to Process an Item.
You do not have the Crafting Skill, the Item will degrade.
Gnarled Stick + Rough Stone

You have Processed the Item successfully!
Gnarled Stick > Short Cudgel!

You feel this weapon can swing slightly faster than the Gnarled Stick. However, this weapon doesn't feel very tough at all.
[/quote]

[quote=System:Asteria]
You used Plant Analysis I!
---Healing Herb---
This green herb does not thrive on sunlight, but on ambient Mana. With good nutrients and clean water in its surroundings, it will synthesize pure healing energy. Low-grade item.
---Analysis Complete!---

You used Crafting I!
Your method of crafting is highly advanced given the nature of your materials and species.
You possess the Dextrous I skill, increasing your ability with your tools despite your species limitations.
Crafting is boosted.

Bugward Flower + Kilm Blossom + Indented Rock + Rough Stone
New Item Created!
Obtained: Medicinal Salve!

This item has disinfectant and pain inhibiting properties, and seems to increase the natural healing rate for an affected area. Restores a small amount of HP, equivalent to half of a Healing Herb from your experience. This batch is thoroughly mixed--its healing properties are boosted.

You used Crafting I!
Your method of crafting is highly advanced given the nature of your materials and species. Your Dextrous skill increases your ability with tools. Crafting is boosted.

Medicinal Salve + Nullven Cone + Indented Rock + Rough Stone
New Item Created!
Lost: Medicinal Salve
Obtained: Antidotal Salve!

This item has disinfectant, pain inhibiting, and antitoxin properties! It seems to increase the natural recovery rate for an affected area. Cures Low-rank Poison and temporarily increases Poison Resistance. This batch is thoroughly mixed--it will also restore a very small amount of HP!

Skill Rank Up: Crafting I (1.8) > Crafting II (2.0)!
Crafting Complexity Increased. Stamina Requirement Decreased.

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
[/quote]

When Asteria ground the Bugward Flower against the rock, its petals were quick to fall off. The majority of the juices that mixed with the fibrous matter to make the paste came from the dark center of the plant. The body of the paste, on the other hand, came mostly from the stem. Though the plant was longer than Asteria's body, it only provided enough gooey matter and juice to make a small amount of paste--it probably wouldn't have covered more than a bandaid on a regular sized human. The Kilm Blossom's sour smelling sap mixed in easily, though as she ground the roots they seemed to be more powdery or starchy. As the two substances mixed, the paste turned a minty green color and the sour smell faded in intensity, instead turning a little sharper and more acrid, like strong toothpaste. Her tests using a small scratch on her tail, along with her Crafting Skill, told her everything she needed to know--this mixture would indeed work as medicine.

When she broke up the Nullven Cone as well, it came apart in crumbly flakes. Once these were mixed into the original salve, the minty green color began to look like some kind of mint-chocolate chip ice cream, save that the chips were purple in color. And of course, it wasn't nearly as appetizing in appearance. Again, her tests proved successful--and she got a skill rank increase to boot.

However, given that she had used only one of each plant--and only half the Nullven, at that--she didn't have enough salve to last beyond her original tests. Maybe it was better that way anyhow. She had nothing to carry such a salve in, and given how sticky it was she would probably need some kind of container that would keep it from getting mixed with dirt or any other items.

With that done, she instead spent her time trying to obtain the Meditate skill. Her Mana Sense couldn't tell her much...she could feel the energies around her like feeling water in the air after a hard rain. But the magic was just...there. No feeling of danger, yet no comfort either. There were slight differences between the Mana she felt in a breeze, or from a fresh blade of grass, and from the exposed dirt...Nonetheless, she could feel it buzzing across her skin. Rolling over her and through her, being drawn in with every breath...In this world, magical energy seemed to flow like blood through one's veins. 

After Ed took his place on the watch and attempted to craft a wedge or point onto his Gnarled Stick, it seemed the system didn't think highly of his attempt. But even without a Skill it wasn't impossible--all he was doing was trying to sharpen the stick, right? Though the stone didn't have a good edge, and the knotty stick wouldn't shave evenly...It took some time, a great deal of effort, and there were a few times when the stick would crack or splinter, but eventually Ed had at least smoothed the surface of the stick out and formed a narrower edge along the striking surface. It didn't come to a point and wasn't fine enough for a blade, but it had made the stick a little smoother in the hand and better balanced for his swing. Maybe swinging it faster would help increase the force of impact, driving it into the smaller surface area along the wedge.

[quote=System]
[color=orange]Ed[/color]
Your Stamina is Full.
Your HP is Full. 
Your MP is Full.
You are Peckish. 
You are Thirsty.

[color=yellow]Asteria[/color]
Your Stamina is Full.
Your HP is Full.
Your MP is Full. 
You are Peckish.
You are Thirsty.
[/quote]

[b][[Rat Party is now on Day 5]][/b]

Once the sun was up, the rats made their decision to investigate the village. When Asteria tried to use Telepathy and tell Mother Rat to stay in the shelter, the elder rat looked confused. She creeped out of the burrow, and put her nose to the ground. Making one circle around it, she looked back at up at Asteria and squeaked...but the other two rats were already heading off.

Mother Rat looked back the way they had come, and her ears flattened against her head. She crouched at the mouth of the burrow, watching the surroundings intently...she only paused to glance back at the bug parts that were left, sniffing at a piece of the Myrminor for a moment before she turned back to her watch. Her fur bristled.

Ed and Asteria slowly drew closer to the village. As they did, they could now see more detail about the villagers themselves...

The guards wore a mantle or cloak of some sort made from the grass of the plains, simply woven together and tied with string. A few of them wore shoes that looked to be made from straw as well, but then others wore shoes made from proper leather, even with laces. All of the guards were men, and wore pants made from canvas cloth or spun wool. Their shirts were the same, but the majority were sleeveless--only one man had a tunic that looked to be of a better material. Knitted belts wrapped around their waists, the ends hanging down in front of their groins like loincloths. Given the mixed nature of materials, the widely varying quality, and the patterns on some of their clothing...it wasn't clear whether this was a primitive village or something more advanced. Did they live out here similarly to Native Americans or other tribal peoples? Maybe they had gotten the other clothes or different materials through trade?

Most of them were deeply tanned, but their musculature tended towards lean. They were still much bigger than the two rats, but none of them looked burly. Still, they held proper weapons with steel blades--spears for the most part, and long knives. 

The village was laid out in a circle for the most part. The thatched, rounded cottages were of varying sizes, but the smallest seemed to be about 10 feet high and probably about that large in diameter. Here and there wooden posts had been hammered into the ground to make rough fences, mostly for keeping in livestock--though it seemed only a few chicken-like creatures were currently poking about their enclosures. One pen a little further around the village from where Ed and Asteria creeped looked like it had been trampled recently--it was broken open and a few things that looked like tools and scraps of cloth were scattered about.

The wooden shed was a simple A-frame hut, with no walls. Its roof was made of thatched grass, and on each side reached all the way down to the ground. Its triangular shape, open at both ends, gave it the appearance of a tent. Inside, there were several stacks of firewood. They had been cut and stacked in a square fashion, each layer perpendicular to the other, so that they would dry out more efficiently and bugs or rot wouldn't get in between the logs. There were also several large clay jars, a few with lids, and some woven grass baskets. Up on a wooden shelf made from lashed sticks, there were a few rolls of something colored pale beige...it wasn't paper, but something thicker.

Ed and Asteria were able to creep up under the lip of the shed, and it seemed no one at all had noticed them...would they continue to investigate the village and try to learn more about these people? Would they attempt to steal some of these items and then head back to the burrow?

As they considered this, more villagers began to leave their huts. Several of these were women, and their style of dress was similar to the men save that they only wore dresses and skirts, no pants. They did, however, wear jewelry that looked to be made of woven flowers...and bits of bone that clattered and jangled. None of them carried any weapons either, but some had primitive brooms or other such tools. 

One elderly woman with a pudgy build walked to the center of the village. Here a large dirt circle of some kind had been designated, and built upon a mound of packed earth. The circle's border was marked by thick woven rope, far too big to serve any practical purpose tying things down, so it must have been made specifically to mark out this circle for some reason. On four sides of the circle, forming the corners of a square that fit the ring in that mathematically perfect way, were small structures that seemed like shrines or displays of some kind. The pudgy woman walked around these four objects, chanting something in a low voice.

Smoke began to curl towards the sky as fires were lit, both inside and out of the houses. Fires would mean that wood was needed...But if they were getting ready to cook, that would mean food might appear soon as well...
[hr]
[h3]Ghost Party[/h3]
[quote=System:Danny]
You used Monster Analysis II! You used Magic Analysis I!
Slimes are amorphous creatures more similar to undeveloped egg yolks, yet they are able to move on their own and digest prey. Their bodies are highly resistant to physical damage and malleable. Slimes can sometimes store objects inside themselves or change the shapes of their bodies. When they become too large, they reproduce by division. Slimes usually do not have any magical abilities. This Slime has much lower MP than you do and no magical skills. Its MP is currently being drained by Jason...
--Note--
As a Spirit-class Monster, Jason is consuming the soul of this creature and its magical power. Without this sustenance, most Spirit-class creatures quickly pass on.
---Analysis Complete!---

You used Plant Analysis I!
---Kao Tree---
A hardwood tree common all over the world within the temperate ranges. They produce a woody nut that is somewhat edible, though it requires processing and has low nutritional value. When dried and treated the wood is very sturdy, so it is commonly used as building and crafting material. The leaves and bark of this tree contains a sort of acid that isn't harmful to most creatures, but simply deters some kinds of predators.
---Analysis Complete!---
[/quote]

After finally finding a safe place to settle for the night, Jason and Danny were able to get some much needed rest. Though Jason couldn't really sleep, once there were no more threats he was able to deeply submerge himself into meditation. The "trance" of sorts let him pass the time almost as if he [i]were[/i] asleep, with just the barest sensation of awareness. There was, at different times, something unusual...a growing and sudden sense of dread? The feeling of something pressing in all around him? A pulling sensation, or a dull roaring sound? Whenever he sunk into trance and his "awareness" grew dark, he somehow knew...that black, monochrome, empty world of the void was still waiting for him. The first chance it got, it would take him back...

[b][[Ghost Party now enters Day 5]][/b]

Morning came. The black slime corpse had deflated, and it looked like its own digestive juices were eating at the membrane of its body. Trying to pick it up from the bottom of the tree hollow would probaby be like trying to handle a very fragile water balloon...filled with acid. Other than that, nothing had changed for the Poltergeist and Ectoslime's little camp. The trees rustled in a gentle morning breeze. The dew glistened and dripped from leaves and branches alike. The soft, misty blue hues of early dawn brought with them a slight chill. 

Jason was brought out of his last trance by an odd prickling sensation all over his body. It was like when a limb had gone to sleep, and the "static" and numbness had reached that uncomfortable point. But it was all over him, no matter what form his mist took or what he was "touching..." Right now it wasn't painful, but...was it him, or was his Mana depleting just a point or two faster? Nonetheless, he had filled himself to the brim and then some over the night, so right now it wasn't really a problem for him.

[quote=System]
[color=lightblue]Danny[/color]
Your Stamina is Full.
Your HP is Full.
Your MP is Full.
You are Famished.
You are Thirsty.

[color=darkred]Jason[/color]
Your MP is Overfull. Mana Density has increased.
Your Mana Burn has subsided. Natural Mana Regeneration returns to Normal Levels.
Your MP is being affected by environmental factors.
You experienced a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
[/quote]

A sound would immediately draw attention in the quiet forest morning. Something had come along and started to dig around the roots of the hollow tree. It was...a bug of some kind? A big black beetle, with snapping mandibles...but it looked like it had been injured recently. One of its legs dragged, and the shell over its wings was cracked. Jason could see its soul, smaller than that of the Dire Rat or the Slime...yet there was also an outline of sorts around it, as if the gray light was inside a soap bubble. As it began to chew on one of the tree roots, tearing away the bark with its mandibles, the gray light flickered like a candle and grew a little bigger within the bubble...