[center][h1][color=chocolate]Edward Marsh[/color][/h1][/center] [hr] At normal strength and with the help of Asteria, Ed would have dealt with the bug in a couple of swings. But this was not the case. He was beyond the point of exhaustion and while his body no longer cried in pain at every movement, his body and limbs still felt like they were completely made of lead. Each strike was a feeble strike compared to his average and it took the young ratman a total of [u][b]ten[/b][/u] strikes to finally bring down the giant insect. It was only after it died that Ed allowed his body to fall flat onto the blood stained grass beneath him. Ed finally earned a few moments of respite after a hard fought battle that demanded his 100% and then some. His heavy breathing caused the blades of grass in front of his muzzle to violently flutter back and forth against his ragged and labored breaths. He would have died then and there if Asteria was not there to help. He should thank her properly for that in the future, though for now he would hold his tongue and simply enjoy this brief few moments of placidity. In the passing of a few more moments, Ed was able to regain control of his breathing and regain a small fraction of his stamina back. It was in that span that Ed realized something terrible. This wasn't a chance encounter. These things were like the ants back in his native Earth. They followed the trail of pheromones left behind by the one they killed yesterday. If they killed them, even more would just come after. If these bugs were anything like the ants, they would number by the [u][b]THOUSANDS[/b][/u]...and those were just workers. A chance thought passed his mind: [color=chocolate]'Things couldn't get any worse, can it?'[/color] And on cue, his ears swiveled and picked up the conversation between two individuals. Villagers most likely due to their fight not being the most discreet of fights. The young ratman closes his eyes for a brief moment and lets out a tired, weary sigh before slowly pushing himself up from the ground. [color=chocolate]'Ain't no rest for the wicked, huh?'[/color] He mentally gripes to himself. It take a herculean effort to lift himself off the ground and onto a sitting position. He began thinking of the possible solutions to their predicament. Escape was out of the question; Mother Rat had an observable limp and even if they could, his body still felt like it was made of lead. Fighting them, even at their peak state, was outright suicide. That only left one option...stealth and subterfuge. [color=chocolate]"Asteria. There are some villagers are closing in on us. I-I think they saw the bug I sent flying when I punched it. Place what you can in the Den, and hide with Mother Rat."[/color] Ed was still unsure on what he was going to do, but he had to try. Ed collects the discarded Flint and Striker and places it inside of the Den. He then approaches the bloodstained great club and tucks it underneath the grass, obscuring the weapon completely. Finally, Ed smears blood and dirt all over his body. Making sure that his slightly healed ass wound stayed clean before he lies near the three corpses and plays dead. If he was lucky, the villagers would just put it off as monsters killing one another; leave it at that and go away. If not, nothing short of a miracle can save him as if they got close enough, they would see that he was still very much alive and breathing. [hider=Stats] LVL: 6 HP: [color=Yellow]Hurt[/color] SP: [color=darkred]Very Tried[/color] MP: [color=Black]Empty[/color] Effect/s: PECKISH, THIRSTY [b]SKILLS:[/b] Unspent Skill Points: [color=red]0[/color] Current Skills: Monster Analysis (1.0) Overwork (1.0) Dynamic Eye I (1.0) Rabid Fit I (1.2) Smash I (1.0) Beast Sense II (2.4) [color=yellow](PASSIVE)[/color] Alert I (1.0) [color=yellow](PASSIVE)[/color] Harder I (1.0) [color=yellow](PASSIVE)[/color] Faster I (1.0) [color=yellow](PASSIVE)[/color] Stronger I (1.05) [color=yellow](PASSIVE)[/color] Muffle II (2.0) [color=yellow](PASSIVE)[/color] Use Light Equipment (--) [color=yellow](PASSIVE)[/color] Dexterous I (1.0) [color=yellow](PASSIVE)[/color] __________________________________ SKILL PROGRESS: Material Analysis (0.4) Magic Analysis (0.65) Warcry (0.4) 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) 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) Mana Strike (0.2) Minor Heal (0.05) [b]Inventory:[/b] - Vine Belt (Shoddy Quality) x 1 [color=green][b][Equipped][/b][/color] - Healing Herbs x 1 - Bundle of Sticks x 1 [b][In Den][/b] - Flame touched crystals x 2 - Flint and Striker x 1 [b][In Den][/b] - Tainted Crystal x 1 - Short Cudgel (Unknown Quality) x 1 [color=green][b][Equipped][/b][/color] - Great Club (Unknown Quality) x 1 [b][Dropped][/b] - Assorted Insect Parts x 1 [b][In Den][/b] [/hider] [hider=Action Summary] -Helps kill the Myrminor Worker finally manages to catch a small break. -Manages to regain a small fraction of his stamina back and realizes that this was not a chance encounter. -Realizes that Myrminors would be like native ants of Earth and killing one just brings more. -Things get worse and he hears the villagers approaching them. -Gripes but none the less formulates a plan and explains it to Asteria. -Gets the Flint and Striker and puts it inside of the den. -Hides the Kanabo underneath the grass and smears himself with blood and mud, but avoiding getting mud into his healing butt wound. -Positions himself near the three corpses and puts on an act that he is dead. -Hopes that if the villagers spot the place, they will see the scene and just leave it as a 'monsters killing monsters' type of event and go away. -If not...well then shit. [/hider]