[h3]Farmstead[/h3]
"Hmm...that might be difficult for you, right now." Lear said as he and the goblin girl walked around the farm. The explosion had been far, far away--what the farmer seemed concerned about wasn't any damage it had caused, but whether the sound had caused his animals to panic or try and escape their cages. Though feathers and fur were ruffled, ultimately it seemed none of the livestock had harmed themselves or their enclosures. Still, they continued to check the defenses--they could see various creatures running or flying through the trees at the edges of the farmstead, no doubt terrified by the explosion. "When we Level Up, it's the Maker's recognition of our efforts and the skills or knowledge we've accumulated. But if you don't have a good understanding of Order and the Laws--the things that the Maker created to make the world run the way it's supposed to--then you have to go to someone who does. A lot of novice adventurers, or citizens with jobs that require them to develop a certain level of expertise, have to go to the Maker's Temple regularly to get a special thing called a Status Tablet." He said the word Status like "state-us," not "stat-iss." "It shows you your Skills, Level, and lots of other stuff. But...hmmm..." Lear stopped and thought for a moment. They came to the gate of the farm, and he opened it before gesturing to Miiba to exit first. He followed her, closing the gate behind him and latching it with a big padlock--he slipped the key onto a cord around his neck and patted it underneath his shirt.

"Actually, if you saw it in the first place...I didn't know Monsters could see the Maker's Vision. But you said as much yesterday, didn't you? You asked about the Defender and Smash skills. Huh..." The farmer rubbed his head. All this thinking seemed to make him uncomfortable. "In any case, I'm sure you understand why taking you to the Maker's Temple wouldn't be possible right now. But, maybe for Monsters it's different. You might be able to find another way." They walked around the wall from the outside now. It was Miiba's first time being back out in the wilderness since she had been "captured" almost two days ago now. But Lear didn't seem concerned that she would run away--or maybe he just wouldn't care if she did. 

Suddenly, out of the treeline, something rushed towards them! By the time Miiba even registered the sound, Lear had already turned and taken three steps towards the thing--but now he relaxed with a relieved sigh.

"Oi, Pixie, this place ain't for you. G'on now, shoo." The farmer waved his hand like one might ward off a mosquito, as he turned back to Miiba. "Haha, did that scare ya? I bet a bunch of critters are running around after that blast. But they probably won't attack us--they're just trying to get to safety."

Meanwhile, Scott--at a whopping one foot tall--looked up at the three foot goblin girl and the enormous bear of a man. He had just come across his first Human in this world--and it was one that looked like they could crush him with just a finger, much less their humongous boot.
[hr]
[h3]Monster Party[/h3]
Torrent's first step in modifying her method was to breathe in more air than before. She visualized compressing the air inside her mouth as she held her breath tight. As she felt her Mana shifting, the idea of a solid ball of air changed to one of a lance, a sharp-tipped, pressurized stream. Forcing Mana into the breath once more, she exhaled in a tight stream, and tried to pay special attention to the result.

[quote=System:Torrent]
You used Magic Analysis I!
---??? Breath---
You are developing a breath related skill using the Wind element. It is not yet fully formed. It seems that filling the lungs to full capacity and using Mana to pressurize and project the air has helped develop this skill. As your current species, however, your lungs can only hold so much. Moving larger quantities of air will likely require using Mana on external quantities.
[/quote]

This time her attempt rippled in the air, like heatwaves rising from asphalt only turned in a different direction. From her mouth outward the stream pressed forward, and expanded rapidly. She felt the Mana leaving her body along with it, in a similar pulsation. But the skill still had not triggered yet...the "waves" of air didn't stay in their pressurized stream for long, especially once they hit the "still" air outside of Torrent's body. The clash of air currents created a small dustup, or sent eddies lapping along the stream, and a few fallen leaves were pushed by the breeze. They landed on the surface of the water, and were pushed like sailboats to its other side.

Torrent could feel she was on the verge of another breakthrough, but just what was missing this time...?

She decided to turn her attention to the attempts at an icy breath. Combining water with air, she added the mental component to physical materials. Once again she visualized the cold she felt, in that old world. When she felt her scales shiver, when the mixture in her mouth began to chill like mint, she put more force into her exhalation.

Another fog rolled out of her mouth, but it wasn't the damp, watery vapor she had learned minutes ago. This was light, airy, more like an aerosol spray than a rolling bank of mist...and tiny, icy crystals shimmered within it. It traveled only a short distance across the stream, quickly falling across the water's surface like fine powder. Where it landed, microscopic veins of snowflake patterns began to form--but the stream was a much higher temperature, and these crystals soon melted away.

[quote=System:Torrent]
You used Magic Analysis I!
---??? Breath---
You are developing a breath related skill using the Ice element. It is not yet fully formed. It seems that combining Wind and Water and viusalizing extreme cold has helped to develop this skill. Unlike your other Breath skills, however, your primary focus has been to lower the temperature. More force, both physically and magically, may be required to complete it.
[/quote]

So one Breath skill had as much force as she could put behind it, given her species' physical limitation, while the other seemed to have developed as much as it needed to magically but needed more oomph to get past this last hurdle. What should she try now?

Meanwhile, Oberon healed himself from the results of his last experiment and took further precautions for the future. The Sprite had to think deeply on what to do next, given what he had discovered so far. In his next attempt, he pushed his Mana Orb away from himself before he tried to have the whirling wind currents orbit a central concentration of power. When he felt the wind growing in power, he gave a sudden shove towards his target.

The modified mana orb didn't get very far from the Sprite, but the results this time were far more pronounced. Roughly five feet away from Oberon, before it actually made impact with the tree, the air roared as what seemed like invisible blades clashed. They were only visible thanks to a vague haze of magic and the dust they kicked up, but it was like someone had taken multiple Mana Slice spells and overlapped them until they formed a vague sphere. Still spinning with their own momentum, they converged towards the center--the "boom" was caused by this rush into the center and the subsequent backlash after the vacuum was filled. Despite this dramatic display, however, it seemed the ultimate result wasn't all that damaging. The "explosion" hadn't covered a large area at all, not even touching the ground despite hovering over it at roughly the same level as Oberon's gaze.

[quote=System:Oberon]
Skill Gain: Wind Break I (0.7 > 1.0)!
A basic level Wind spell. Charge air currents with Mana to increase their speed and change their direction. The overlapping winds create different areas of pressure, and when they collide the target is sliced by the vacuums as the atmosphere restores equilibrium. Deals Slashing and Wind Magic damage. This spell is ranged, but does not travel like a projectile. Rather, it is cast on a point within the range equivalent to something like a Mana Orb.
[/quote]

Back in the shelter, Ash conducted a few more minor experiments of her own. After testing out her newly crafted spear, she formed a new Mana Orb. She searched for the pixel-like particles that were the same purple color she had seen before...however, among the rainbow of particles radiating from the Orb, purple seemed extremely rare for some reason. There were reds, blues, lighter blues, greens, lighter greens, a more neon violet, deeper golds and lighter yellows, off-whites that were almost pink, silver, black, purple, darker purple, and maybe others that she just couldn't pick out yet...

As she removed the colors she didn't want, pushing them to one side, she felt her Mana being strained. She had to exert more power to keep the Mana Orb from fading away, affecting her concentration--and bringing with it a whole new number of all the differently colored particles.

And at the corner of her vision, something else was happening. Inside this hastily constructed, earthen shelter, there seemed to be a higher number of the golden particles in what little ambient Mana Ash could sense around her. The gold, silver, and green particles she cast off from her Mana Orb seemed to fall towards the ground once they broke free, and they collected with the clusters of ambient mana. They seemed to be combining, though they didn't always change their colors like those particles Ash had seen earlier when she added poison to her orb.

But now, her Mana Orb was beginning to change as well! It had become a very light shade of purple, not the neon violet color but nonetheless quite faded and transparent. But it was also getting smaller, and beginning to fade...

[quote=System:Ash]
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.

Your MP is rapidly depleting!
You used Mana Vision and Mana Sense!
---??? ???---
You sense your own Mana, altered to a state that feels tainted and harmful to a potential target. 
STRUCTURE: ERROR, NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION
[/quote]
[hr]
[h3]Digbie[/h3]
When Digbie cast Minor Heal, the Lizard twitched. Its large eyes flickered towards him as the glow spread over its body, and the Demiblin could feel its rapid heart beat calming down. He also felt his Minor Heal traveling underneath it--it must have been wounded on its belly or the underside of a leg. The creature seemed confused and tense now, just from its body language. After all, its prey had just discovered it. Normally it would attempt to flee before the predator became the prey, but it was being healed and while it had clearly been discovered, the leaves it was under hadn't been moved. Its tiny lizard brain was very confused, but since it had been seen it didn't risk attacking Digbie once he finally decided to move on.

Continuing the read as he walked, he passed the area where Torrent had fought the Blood Snare and headed back up the stream. He still had a ways to go to get back to the shelter, and the afternoon was growing on. He finally found another page that was still legible...

[center][i][b]Confession of Evil[/b]
[sub]The Avatar says to the people:[/sub]
Dearly beloved, we have come together in the presence of the Maker who keeps all Order, to render thanks for the great benefits we have received, to set forth praise, to hear the Laws, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life's Guidance. And so that we may prepare ourselves in heart and mind to worship, let us kneel in silence, and with heavy hearts confess the evils we have done, that we may obtain forgiveness by the Maiden given us by the Maker. Her goodness and mercy is infinite.

[sub]Or this[/sub]
Let us humbly confess our evil unto Lady Jehanne

[sub]Silence may be kept. Effigies may be presented. Candles or other sources of light may be present.

Avatar and people together, all kneeling:[/sub]

Kind and most merciful Lady,
we have erred and strayed from the ways of Good and Order like lost sheep
we have followed too much the Demons and desires of our own hearts,
we have offended against the Maker's holy Laws,
we have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.
But thou, O Maiden, have mercy upon us,
spare thou those who confess their faults,
restore thou those who are penitent,
according to thy promises declared unto Mankind
upon the Pyre that ye laid upon;
and grant, O most merciful Lady, for our sakes,
that we may hereafter live a goodly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of the Maker and thy holy name. So it be.

[sub]The Avatar alone sta--[/sub][/i][/center]

And here again the page was smeared with blood...

So far, nothing else had jumped out at Digbie. He was coming up on the place where they had first discovered the stream...his Tremor Sense wasn't picking up anything that seemed out of the norm yet. But, he could probably remember the creature that had been denned up nearby, and how it had growled and snarled at the group when they came here before. He was on the same side of the stream as that creature's abode. Would he wade across to avoid the possibility of coming across it, even though his Tremor Sense didn't seem to indicate it was around? Would he continue to read, taking advantage of this more peaceful leg of the stroll? Or, with the sun's journey across the sky almost complete, would he close the book and focus on getting back to the shelter at a quicker pace?
[hr]
[h3]PixieSlime Party[/h3]
[quote=System:Ardur]
---Tamed Creature Status---
Oculus Spider [Steve], Level 4
Steve's Unspent Skill Points: 5
Steve's Current Skills:
Web Spit II (2.05)
Doze I (1.025)
Thread Control I (1.025)
<UNUSABLE>
Muffle (0.5)
Poison Fang (0.5)
Blunt Resistance (0.1)
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?
---Status Complete---

Obtained Item: Kao Tree Sap!
A sticky sap from the Kao Tree. It produces a scent that is slightly repellant to some types of insects and other creatures that might prey on the tree.

You have processed an item!
You possess the Crafting I skill. Item degradation is decreased.
Raw Tendon + Kao Tree Sap
Processing completed. The Skill Material Analysis is not complete, you cannot determine the quality of your item.

Obtained Item: Resin-coated Rawhide Cordage!
[/quote]

[quote=System:Asura]
Skill Gain: Blood Drain I (0.9 > 1.0)!
Through physical contact with whatever body part or orifice the user needs to eat and drink, drain the target's blood through an already open wound. In addition to dealing damage, this skill also restores the user's HP. The amount of HP restored will not be the same as the amount of damage dealt or the same as the amount of blood consumed. Any disease, poison, or other danger contained within the target's blood may also present a threat to this skill's user. At this rank the user is limited in how much blood they can drain and how quickly, as well as the target's defense, healing factor, and other circumstances.

Your HP is Full.
[/quote]

It seemed that, for the moment, Asura and Ardur would remain here. They had moved a short distance away from the den they dug into the ground, but they were still relatively West of the Cave. Among the thinner trees, not quite rising onto the slopes going into the mountains, they didn't have a lot of cover but they also didn't have to deal with thick foilage moving around. They weren't quite in a clearing, but the canopy wasn't overly shady overhead. Exposed, but not entirely vulnerable.

When the Amorphous Slime ate the Rubber Frog's insides, he gained a new skill. Ardur, using the clever idea of coating the tendons with tree sap--was he aware that, in the old world, something similar had led to the discovery of rubber?--had gained a new item. Momma Slime seemed pensive after Asura instructed her, through images and memory, how to spend her Skill Points. Had she felt his slight annoyance through their link?

Steve looked up when Asura said her name, then turned to Ardur and tilted her head. Her mandibles clicked lightly as her many eyes blinked. 

When Asura turned two of his tendrils into knives and stabbed himself, he felt the pain much more sharply than usual. He had actually gone through with the act of cutting himself, something that even back in his old world had been a sign of a terrible mental state. Even through the high HP and defensive abilities of a Slime, he felt the cutting and tearing of each blade. It hurt worse than most of the attacks he had taken from enemy monsters, save those that had blasted him with more powerful magic. When Ardur commanded Steve to go along with this crazy scheme, the Oculus Spider stood in contemplation for a moment. Then she shot a strand of her web to the side of a nearby stone. With four of her legs she tugged it out of the ground and reeled it in, attaching a few more threads as she did so. With enough leverage, she began to manipulate it with her Thread Control skill--despite the limited proportional strength of her limbs, she was able to twirl the web and the rock around her head like a flail. With an audible click from her limbs as she put in more effort, she slammed it down against Asura's body. It made a rubbery thump and bounced off--it hadn't hurt nearly as bad as Jason's Stone Shot, but it was something. Steve began reeling it back in for another go-round, but Momma Slime didn't seem so eager.

"Ahsoowah! Bad!" The blue slime moved closer and wobbled from side to side. "You, not hurt you!"

Meanwhile, how would Ardur decide to go about building his armor given his materials? His crafting skill wasn't very high level yet, so would using more complex or efficient methods help increase it faster so he could make better gear? And what purpose, exactly, would he use each piece for? What kind of armor did he have in mind, and how would he make it?
[hr]
[h3]Rat Party[/h3]
When Ed wrapped Mother Rat in a cuddle hug, the adult Dire Rat wriggled for a few moments. Her pudgy rear end wobbled from side to side while the rest of her was caught under Ed's arms, but after her tail whipped back and forth a few times she settled down. Her nose poked out over the Ratman's forearms, and she let out a defeated chuff as Ed snored away.

Meanwhile, Asteria took this time to take inventory. The ratpack had gathered several useful items, though some of them might be somewhat volatile or perishable.

[quote=System:Asteria]
You used Magic Analysis I!
---Tainted Mana Crystal---
This Mana Crystal has been tainted with a poisonous substance. If it is ground into powder, broken, or otherwise forcibly used on another creature, the tainted energies will deplete their mana rather than restoring it. This crystal is Unstable, it may break if tampered with...
---Flame Touched Mana Crystal---
Mana Crystals that have been exposed to a large amount of elemental Mana associated with Fire. Forcibly breaking this crystal produces a small-scale, fiery blast similar to many low-rank Fire Spells.
You used Monster Analysis II!
---Four Horned Goat Horn---
Magical mutations have made this herbivore's temper extremely volatile and given it the nasty benefit of a natural poison in its horns. They have been observed to eat grasses and other plants that are poisonous, and it is thought the food it has access to will affect the strength of its venom. 
---Hex Cat Eye---
While not highly intelligent, this feline has some native talent with magic. It's known as an unlucky omen among most races, and some say a Hex Cat looking through one's window can curse a child in the cradle with heterochromia. A dark, unpleasant aura radiates from this object when looked at for too long...
---Tanned Leather (Goat Hide?)---
A piece of processed and tanned leather made from the skin of some animal. Relatively tough, somewhat rough to the touch. The Skill Material Analysis has not activated, so you cannot determine its quality. Its dimensions appear to be about one square foot.
---Analysis Complete!---
[/quote]

As she worked to refill her mana, sate her hunger, and dissect the Myrminor Scout, Asteria left Ed to sleep off their hard fought battle...though, using her Telepathy, she tried to help her fellow rat along somewhat. It was hard to tell if anything was really happening...when she connected to his sleeping mind, it was like sticking one's head underwater and listening to a TV full of static. She soon returned to her crafting.

She was able to pry off parts of the Scout's exoskeleton with just her claws if she found the places where it had been cracked by the fighting, but for unharmed areas and to get the limbs off or actually split open the body, she had to use the tiny hatchet she had taken from the shed. Nonetheless, she was able to cut off [b]3 plates of the exoskeleton, the mandibles, and two of the legs[/b] without those parts breaking or chipping. Upon opening the creature, she found that its anatomy resembled that of a regular ant (if she even knew what the interior of a normal ant looked like) save that everything was quite enlarged. Drinking the equivalent of the insect's blood helped somewhat to quench her thirst, but it had a bitter, unpleasant taste and she got the feeling it likely wouldn't keep her from getting dehydrated much like sodas didn't really help in that regard. However, she was also able to cut off the stinger entirely from the body--she hadn't found a poison gland, but maybe she could just remove the barbed tip itself? Doing so without protection for her hands might prove dangerous, however.

As Ed slept, deep and restfully, he also began to dream...

Foggy memories. Trees, earthy soil. Darkness. Grass. Footprints. The smell of metal, and leather. Hints of smoke on the air, but not from the fire in the plains. Not from what he had seen up in the tree, back in the forest. Humans, but not the villagers. Was he floating? Was this a memory? He could see so much from up here. Lights in the darkness, but not stars. A campfire near a hillside, among the trees. Figures sat around it. He didn't go so high this time. Back to his body. He couldn't remember the last time, before he changed. The things that were outside of his mind but in his senses, they started to fade. 

And the dream ended.
[hr]
[h3]Ghost Party[/h3]
As Jason expanded his senses throughout himself, he tried to follow the flow of his Mana. He expected to find a hole or breakage of some sort, expected a trail of magical energy that he could grab hold of and pull back. But this he did not find. When he focused inward, he felt a sort of burning sensation. It wasn't painful, but it tingled in a way not unlike...scratching an itch? Pineapples on the tongue? Whatever it was, this burning sensation was constant and ever present. His MP continued to passively decrease as he and Danny wandered the forest, but he couldn't find any kind of trail, no cloud of loose Mana drifting away from his body. He seemed to simply be in a state of constant consumption--every effort he undertook just to exist required some form of energy, much less what he expended to do magic or use other skills. Oddly enough he was more aware of it now than the first time he had been a spirit. Perhaps it was because he had just vacated a physical body, and while in that body this sensation had ceased whereas before it was something he had gone "sense blind" to, like spending a lot of time around unpleasant smells or sounds and learning to tune them out.

But, he had another problem besides just the leaking MP. They were properly into the afternoon now, and though there were plenty of shadows under the forest canopy, they were not solid black shadows nor were they especially plentiful. Jason's MP drained just that little bit faster, and every time he passed a shaft of sunlight through the branches or glanced up at that great big ball of light in the sky, he felt a burn that [i]was[/i] painful, painful like a constant sunburn...and in fact, it seemed it might be growing even more intense over time. His efforts to "hold himself together" did seem to slow the process somewhat...but only in the same way that slowing down from a jog to a walk lessens the pain of a cramped muscle. The "injury" was still there, after all. Even as a Necroslime, he had felt some of this pain from the daylight. Why? Whatever the reason, it seemed the Undead reincarnator still had many inconveniences to deal with...

When Danny used his Mana Vision, the Poltergeist began to see the world in a whole new light. Not only did Jason's foggy, unstable form reappear, but every so often he would catch a glimpse of other things as well. It was as if everything around him, or at least most things, took on just the faintest glow. And like dust motes in a bright ray of light, every so often he caught specks of color drifting lazily through the air. Some seemed carried by the wind. Others orbited him, or Jason, or other things. Still others seemed to be flowing in some current all their own with little indication as to whether they followed gravity or some other natural law. Trying to look at everything at once made his head hurt, but looking at just one thing at a time wasn't so bad unless it was Jason.

Despite already struggling to make out the Ectoslime's foggy shape, Danny locked his eyes with a squint and began to slowly cut off the flow of his own Mana. Soon all those little particles had disappeared entirely, and Jason became even more indistinct. If the Poltergeist was trying to acclimate himself to using less magic for the same effect, it seemed he had at least reduced the strain on his eyes...but, ultimately, he had to blink.

[quote=System:Danny]
Skill Gain: Spiritual Awareness I (0.9 > 1.0)!
You have become more aware of the spiritual side of the world. This will affect your interactions with certain types of spiritual monsters such as non-corporeal Undead. At this rank, you can only detect a hint of the spiritual world. There may also be other affects of this ability...
[/quote]

Danny's Mana Vision had deactivated...but he could actually still see the foggy image of Jason! Well, Jason wasn't really foggy anymore--he was just the barest wisp in the air, more like a thin, watery film over one's glasses, or the little floater in the corner of their eye. If Danny didn't absolutely focus, he would lose sight of the Ectoslime, especially any time they came to an area where the sunlight was bright. If he were to use Mana Vision again, however, Jason's form would become much sharper than it had been before when he had solely been using the magic detection skill. 

Did this new awareness skill mean he might be able to hear or touch Jason as well? What were the limits of the "interaction" the skill mentioned?