[h3]Nira and Femus[/h3] [quote=System:Femus] You used Magic Analysis I! ---Blue Yill Flower--- The Yill species of flowering plants are adaptable and conducive to magic, so depending on where they grow and what kind of ambient energy is present they often change forms. The Blue Yill has absorbed a great deal of raw mana. ---Hollow Old Kao Tree--- This Kao tree is very old and has been damaged in the past, creating a hollow. It has more magic than other trees in the area, but nothing that stands out too much. ---???--- An altered Mana Orb spell. The magical energy focused within it has begun to change properties. It smells of ozone and seems relatively unstable. Your MP is Full! You have gained Temporary Extra MP. [/quote] Femus chose to ignore the Pixie in the hopes it would go away, and instead experimented with his new analysis skill. Unfortunately, at this rank it didn't seem like it would tell him a great deal of information. But it at least confirmed that the Blue Yill were magical, and that he could probably refill his power from them in a pinch. And it did tell him that [i]something[/i] seemed to be working with the Mana Orb. After meditating to refuel himself--and finding a little bit more Mana than usual in the area, or maybe it was that his techniques were growing more efficient--he headed out to confront the Pixies, two Blue Yills that grew on the side of the tree's mossy bark "clutched" in his Lesser Force. The Wild Pixie watched in curosity as Nira picked up the wilted, now blackened flower, and cast Shield on it. It tilted its head, and the expression on its face seemed to say [i]what would ya do a stupid thing like that for[/i], but then as Nira circled around it the creature began to follow her. When she motioned towards the flower, then towards the Wisp, the pixie's expression brightened and it began to giggle. With a nod, it flew down along the side of the old tree and began plucking all the flowers it could find. There were a handful of the blue yills, but also some more normal looking white and pink flowers, and the creature even grabbed some of the leaves from the tree's branches. By the time it came back to Nira, assuming she had gathered her own flowers, they had a fairly decent amount of plantlife between them. As soon as Femus floated out of his shelter, his own flowers in hand, the Wild Pixie gave a squeal of delight and let loose a flood of colored petals over the top of his head. If Nira did the same, Femus would find himself blinded by color and possibly sneezing in a douse of pollen. [hr] [h3]Monster Party (Rejoined by Digbie!)[/h3] [quote=System:Ash] You used Magic Analysis II! You used Mana Sense! You used Mana Vision! ---Poison Splash--- Much like other elemental spells collecting trace elements, surrounding impurities and toxins are synthesized with Mana as a catalyst to produce this sphere of liquid poison. Its nature as a poison causes severe nausea, vomiting, and caustic tissue damage. Upon impact, it splashes for a small Area of Effect. It may poison an organic target, and deals corrosive damage to most objects. If a target ingests the poison, the amount of damage it inflicts is roughly the same but the chance to inflict Poison damage over time rises greatly. This is your own Mana, but it has an incredibly forboding sense of danger. Its coloration itself almost seems to serve as a warning. It feels sickly or unsafe, like a plant that causes an unpleasant rash to deter herbivores. STRUCTURE: [color=blue]M[sub]?[/sub][/color][color=lightblue]W[sub]?[/sub][/color][color=green]N[sub]?[/sub][/color][color=gold]E[sub]?[/sub][/color][color=red]F[sub]?[/sub][/color] = [color=purple][u]P[/u][sub]3[/sub][/color] Skill Rank Up: Mana Analysis II > Mana Analysis III (2.975 > 3.0)! Gain more detail about observed magic skills, objects, etc. Lose less effectiveness when using this skill on other things, even if they aren’t magically inclined. When analyzing a spell you have seen at least one time before, you may learn information such as its element or function depending on various factors. LEVEL UP! Your learning experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 9! Your Max MP has increased (this will not restore current MP levels)! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! Unspent Skill Points: 8 ((3 from last time, 5 from level up)) Current Skills: Stun Stinger II (2.05) Poison Spray II (2.025) Alchemy II (2.85) Overwork III (3.2625) Charisma I (1.65) Venom Shot II (2.0) Crafting I (1.65) Lesser Force I (1.8) Magic Analysis III (3.0) Alert I (1.3) Lesser Flight I (1.3) Muffle I (1.55) Monster Analysis II (2.35) Material Analysis II (2.25) Meditate II (2.2) Poison Glob I (1.2) Poison Breath I (1.05) Plant Analysis I (1.05) Tremor Sense I (1.05) Mana Orb II (2.175) Shield I (1.05) Mana Slice I (1.6) Mana Shape I (1.5) Analysis (--) Rabid Fit I (1.05) Mental Resistance I (1.5) Mana Vision I (1.6) Mana Sense I (1.4) Minor Heal I (1.075) Prehensile Tail (--) Poison Splash I (1.1) Blunt Resistance (0.2) Scribe (0.6) Faster (0.3) Intimidate (0.6) Acid Volley (0.1) Venom Claw (0.2) Dragon Affinity (0.45) Stronger (0.95) Dual Cast (0.8) Slash (0.3) Fireball (0.2) Dextrous (0.5) Mana Dart (0.4) Mana Control (0.8) Use Light Equipment (0.05) --- EXP: 100% > 20% You are Tired. You are Peckish. Your throat is Dry. Your HP is Full. Your MP is Very Low. Your Health is Fine. TRANSFORMATION STATUS: Fanged Lizard > Immature Pygmy Drake Known Currently Possible Transformations: 3 1. Adult Pygmy Drake* 2. Adolescent Lesserwurm* 3. Adolescent Kobold** Unknown Currently Possible Transformations: 3 Previous Transformations Lost: 1 1. Tailed Frog [/quote] After taking in all of this information, as Ash Meditated to regain her Mana she also experimented with the slow, calming exercises of Yoga. However, as soon as she felt any muscle strain from the movements or her breathing became harder than normal, her MP would stop increasing. If she found a position she could easily hold without moving, Meditate would begin working again...but, if such a thing were so effortless, then what would be the point of Yoga? In order to get the full effect of Meditation, at least for now, it seemed like physical exercise had to be done separately. Her next experiment with a new Mana Orb, after several minutes to refuel her MP, was to break apart the various elemental pieces orbiting the raw magic and see what happened to the environment. The gold, silver, and darker green particles once again gravitated to the floor and disappeared into the ground. The lighter green particles, and blue particles, merely floated around...though they did seem to be pulled by a draft current towards the outside of the shelter. Once they left the cavern, the wind particles were swiftly carried away while the blue particles began to drift down lower to the ground. Once they dipped into the stream, they disappeared completely. The red particles seemed to orbit around Ash herself, near the core of her body. A few were caught up with the other pixels and floated outside, at which point they seemed to pointedly move [i]away[/i] from the blue squares. Neon purple particles were drawn to different places--sometimes they moved with other magical atoms in groups, other times they moved to a wall or the ground. Whenever they made contact with something solid, they seemed to lose their glow and disappear. The very few purple pieces Ash had been using previously drifted to the ground, but then simply rolled along it rather than sinking into it. Watching all of these different particles disperse became more and more difficult after the first few seconds, though. They were so small, and some of them moved quite quickly--and in addition, there were other squares all around Ash. Most of the other energy particles she could see were gold in color, but looking around with her Mana Vision was starting to get trippy, to the point that making out the actual landscape was becoming difficult... Eventually she had to blink, whether because of dry-eye or because of the hallucinogenic colors swirling all around her. Or maybe it was that loud scream that sounded suspiciously like Digbie... [quote=System:Torrent] You used Magic Analysis I! ---Gather Light--- This skill allows the user, under full sunlight, to convert solar energy to Mana. Skill Rank Up: Magic Analysis I > Magic Analysis II (1.95 > 2.0)! Gain more detail about Magic oriented Skills and Spells. Lose less effectiveness when analyzing Monsters, Materials, etc so long as they are magically inclined. [/quote] As Torrent tried to produce the Gather Light skill for herself, she found the experience of sunning to be quite pleasant. Her reptile body didn't seem quite so sluggish as lizards and snakes back in her Old World, but maybe that was just because the temperatures here were warm enough that she could stay comfortable. Still, either she was cold blooded, or it was just nice to lay here for a little while. Her entire body felt shrouded in warmth, and she could feel her MP increasing...though it was hard to tell whether or not it was just her normal Meditate skill. Maybe if there were a way to absorb more sunlight, or to do so faster? But, what could one do to "absorb" more light, like a plant or...some other object that could take solar heat? Meanwhile, Oberon attempted to do the opposite--to remove heat, to create an absence of energy better known as cold. His Aqua Sphere floated in his hand as he imagined the flow of thermal energy, and tried to pull it with his will. He soon noticed that the Aqua Sphere's smooth blue surface rippled a tiny amount. He felt his fingertips, then his palms, getting warmer. It seemed his theory was spot on. However, as he "pulled" at the heat, he was also slightly pulling at the Sphere it seemed. Maybe the flow of energy was producing a current. Whatever the cause, the water was no longer a perfect orb--it had begun to lengthen, being pulled towards Oberon, and became more of an oval or elipse shape. He could feel his palm growing warmer...and then, where the liquid barely touched his fingers, it was indeed a few degrees cooler than before. And then both Lesserwurm and Sprite were shocked out of their thoughts by a familiar voice. "TORRENT! OBERON! ASH! HELP MEEEEEEE!" Flashback to a few moments ago. Digbie had managed to duck under the Giant Rat, and as he lunged away he barely avoided getting knocked over by its bulk even as its jaws missed him. He took off running for everything he had, though he spared one glance back to try and Analyze the creature. [quote=System:Digbie] You used Monster Analysis I! You used Magic Analysis I! You used Material Analysis I! ---Giant Rat--- Giant Rats are rodents of such unusually large size, many people don't believe they exist. Their behaviors are virtually the same as the Dire Rat, but they often shed many of the usual "prey" animal behaviors of rats due to their much greater size and strength rendering them difficult for predators to bring down. As a result they can often be quite calm, and some humans even keep them as pets. They lack magical power and usually don't develop any magical abilities unless their environment is very rich in ambient energies. Their fur is very thick and, once cleaned and treated, actually sells for a decent price. Their bones, being much larger than some animals, and their teeth, being much sharper, make decent materials for primitive societies. Bone ornamentation made from their teeth is present in many Unenlightened tribes as a symbol of strength. [/quote] But that single glance back nearly ended him--he nearly tripped over a piece of low scrub growing out of the ground. In a panic as he tried to cast earth wall, he called out to the Maiden of Mercy. [quote=System:Digbie] Skill Rank Up: Earth Wall I > Earth Wall II (1.9 > 2.05)! MP Cost increased. Maximum thickness increased by 6 more inches. A second wall can now be created without destroying the first, but the mass of both walls must be maintained by the same total. Example: You make a wall half the normal height and width that is six inches thick. The second wall can thus also be half the normal height and width, and also six inches thick, or it could be even smaller. The wall can also be shaped differently so long as total mass is still conserved, but only basic geometric figures. [/quote] The Giant Rat's body made a heavy thud as it crashed into Digbie's newly thickened wall, and he just barely managed to keep himself from falling. As he ran, he could hear the objects in his newfound satchel rattling around--that wooden effigy he had found sounded like a taiko drum as it beat back and forth. Despite his perilous situation, as Digbie ran he felt himself gaining a second wind of sorts--adrenaline rushed through him and it felt like his vision sharpened, so that he could more easily avoid tripping again and make his way through the forest. But the Giant Rat was soon on his heels again--it had lost quite a bit of ground after crashing into the wall, but it was a simple thing to go around the construct. Its heavy body didn't accelerate quite so fast as Digbie's, but once it got going its powerful muscles propelled it at speeds nothing that size should have been able to reach. There was about ten feet between it and the Demiblin as they ran along the bank of the stream... Digbie burst back into the clearing where the others had made camp. He could see Torrent and Oberon standing near the stream, and Ash was probably in the shelter or off looking for materials. The Giant Rat was about five feet behind him. "TORRENT! OBERON! ASH! HELP MEEEEEEE!" [hr] [h3]PixieSlime Party[/h3] [quote=System:Asura] ERROR. System is already monitoring Skill Growth. Skill Progression is already visible. Skill Gain: Slash Resistance I! Take less damage from Slashing attacks. Skill Synergy Has Occurred! Pierce Resistance I, Slash Resistance I, Blunt Resistance I have Synergized! You have gained Physical Damage Resistance II (2.0)! Reduce damage from all Physical attacks! Pierce Resistance I has degraded (1.55 > 0.55). Slash Resistance I has degraded (1.0 > 0.1). Blunt Resistance I has degraded (1.95 > 0.95). --- Charisma (0.5) - This skill seems to develop by learning how to interact with others, and using your force of personality to get a favorable outcome from said interactions. Dextrous (0.8) - This skill seems to develop when you use fine-tuned or precise motor skills, which proves difficult due to the nature of your species. Soil Manipulation (0.6) - This skill seems to develop by moving soil when digging or constructing. Stone Shot (0.55) - This skill seems to develop when using small stones as a projectile weapon, especially when you put all your energy into it. Slime Coil (0.4) - This skill seems to develop when attempting to use your body to restrain a target. Magic Analysis (0.6) - This skill seems to develop when you are observing magical phenomena. Bounce (0.6) - This skill seems to develop after taking heavy impacts that move your entire body, or by bracing yourself against attack. Muffle (0.3) - This skill seems to develop when you attempt to be stealthy. Poison Resistance (0.3) - This skill develops as you recover from taking poison damage. Dash Attack (0.4) - This skill seems to develop when you move fast while attacking. Spiritual Awareness (0.2) - This skill seems to develop as you experience supernatural phenomena. Intimidate (0.3) - This skill seems to develop when you interact with others in a forceful manner. First Aid (0.2) - This skill seems to develop when you try to help an injured ally. Acid Spit (0.4) This skill seems to develop when you spit acid from your body. Fire Resistance (0.3) - This skill seems to develop when you recover from burning. Water Resistance (0.0125) - This skill seems to develop when you recover from taking water damage. Focus (0.4) - This skill seems to develop when you take extra time to put effort into another skill. Alert (0.3) - This skill seems to develop when you stay aware of your environment. Fortify (0.1) - This skill seems to develop when you construct free standing structures. Point Strike (0.3) - This skill seems to develop when you strike accurately at weak points. Cleave (0.2) - This skill seems to develop when you use a heavy, edged attack meant to split a target. Crafting (0.3) - This skill seems to develop when you make things. Material Analysis (0.1) - This skill seems to develop when you carefully observe different materials. Telepathy (0.1) - This skill seems to develop when you attempt to communicate non-verbally. Defender (0.4) - This skill seems to develop when you brace yourself for attack. --- Skill Rank Up! Blunt Resistance has been restored to Rank I (0.95 > 1.0)! Take less damage from Blunt attacks. ERROR. You do not meet the requirements for Skill Point Reset. You have been Poisoned! You are taking damage over time! [/quote] [quote=System:Ardur] ERROR. Target "player" not recognized. Defaulting to recognized target "Ardur." NOTE: INFORMATION MAY BE OUT OF DATE. [hider=Ardur] [b]Name:[/b] Ardur [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Species:[/b] Pixie [b]Appearance:[/b] Ardur looks like a small person with light fair skin, shoulder length green hair, Golden glimmering eyes, and wings that look similar to green leaves. A few things stand out on his person. There are three round dark spots on his chest and back. Also his hands are stained purple up to his wrists. [b]Goals:[/b] Ardur simply wishes to be Strong. Strong enough to protect others and take care of them. He will do what he must to push others so they can also grow and be better. - become worshiper of the sun and spread its influence. New personality traits: Impulsive, Slightly crazy, Inquisitive, Courageous, Maybe a bit stupid, Opportunistic, lacks empathy towards most others. [b]Transformations:[/b] Pixie > (Immature) Mighty Hipixie [hider=Past Life] Ardur was once known as Travis Smith and worked and lived in the weird city of Portland Oregon. Now Travis had a rather normal upbringing with nothing too significant happening to him. He had parents that worked in industry. His father, worked with shipping containers as a foreman. His mother, worked with air cargo as a manager. Both did rather well for their family and kept them in a modest home. He had two younger sisters, twins actually. Both were dead set on joining the navy after they graduated. Now Travis learned early on through volunteer work with his high school, that helping others was what he wanted to do. So instead of joining up with the military, was able to get a few scholarships and went into paramedic courses and physical trainer classes. Both of which he excelled at, finding his purpose in helping others. He did adopt a strange and sometimes dark sense of humor through this to deal with the stressful work environment of a paramedic. he filled his down time with listening and singing along to a variety of different modern and classic music as well as watching nature documentary's to help him relax. For a time his life was good. He did what he could to help others through work and volunteering. Travis learned more about himself then he expected too. Working one week on one week off was a bit of a pain but it allowed him to work with some local athletes in his free time. Travis eventually found himself to be quiet in the company of others, always with a smile on his face. He did tend to be a bit pushy toward the people he was working with. He wanted to see them grow and be great. Somehow he adopted a protective side to him as well, especially towards his friends or the people he loved. This protective instinct would eventually lead to his down fall. Travis, now 32, was going to be married in three months to a beautiful short red head named Sara, who just so happened to be a couple months pregnant. Sara was the one person who could really light a fire under him and get him to do anything. She was his motivation to be better, she was his muse. The last night he would be working was a stormy one. Just past midnight with rain, wind, and thunder. A strong winter storm. He was called out with his partner to a domestic. Apparently the husband beat his wife up pretty bad then ran out into the night. The two paramedics didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t the first time they had been called out to something like this and it wouldn’t be the last. The police officers that stayed at the residence called out that the scene was safe as they approached. A severely beaten female sat on the hood of one of the police cars. Travis and his partner approached her and began to asses her injuries. The police officers were nearby interviewing some neighbors when it happened. He saw him out of the corner of his eye. A man brandishing a revolver came at them from in between a few houses intent on killing the woman. Travis didn’t think he only reacted. Grabbing the woman and turning away from the man he tried to push her away and around the ambulance. He remembered hearing thunder and a scream. The thunder rang out three times but all he felt was cold as he hit the wet pavement. Several other flashes of lights and thunder rang out into the night as the last thing he remembers was thinking that Sara was going to kill him for this. The blurry and muted voice of his partner and the other officers continued in his head until everything faded, and he was alone and cold. Then suddenly there was light and a voice talking about rebirth and demon kings. He thought he was hallucinating and thought this was just some sort of way his body dealt with the sudden loss of function, so he decided to play along. So many choices he wondered which one would suit him? The slime seemed nice but strange, the dire Rat just reminded him of filth and garbage. Then there was a wisp it seemed more of a loner and mysterious. The goblin simply reminded him of stories of greed and madness, both things he dealt with regularly before and wasn’t too keen on continuing that. The serpent seemed interesting but seemed more designed to inflict lasting pain or torture and that wasn’t what he stood for. Finally, he was introduced to the Pixie. A strange creature sure, weaker than the others but a healer. Something that supports groups without inflicting too much pain. This is what he decided on and in an instant he felt cold again but also strange like waking up from a bad dream. [/hider] [hider=Companions] [hider=Steve] Tamed Creature Status: Name: "Steve" Gender: Female Species: Oculus Spider - A low-ranking Arachnid-class Insect-type Monster. While it possesses venom, it is not that much more potent than a normal spider and thus is virtually harmless to humans save in very large doses or in the case of specific allergies. However, because it has adapted to Mana in its environment and thus become a Monster, it has gained a large eye that works differently than its normal eyes. It will swing from a web in a hypnotic manner to entice prey. Appearance: [img= 494, 332]https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/zelda_gamepedia_en/a/a1/TP_Armogohma_Render.png?version=8345cddb60fbd042b23be133d42be405[/img] Abilities:[list] [*]Level 4[list] [*]Web Spit II - Spit a glob of sticky web at an opponent. Deals very little damage, but may Slow an enemy's movement. >> Stamina Consumption of this skill has decreased. Range of this skill has increased. [*]Doze I - For the Oculus Spider, this spell is cast using their eye as a catalyst. May inflict Sleep on a single target. [*]Thread Control I - Manipulate threads, wires, hair, etc with unnatural skill by channeling power through it. At this rank, only one simple manipulation can be passed through a single medium, for instance causing a strand of web to change direction once. Depending on the quality of the material, this skill may cause it to break or degrade.[/list][/list] Transformations: Common Spider Species > Oculus Spider Inventory: Stomach Sac - 0/3 Slots Filled. Small Items only. [/hider] [/hider] [hider=Stats, Skills, and Spells.] [b]Level[/b]: 6 Shield II (2.2) Lesser Flight III (2.3) Minor Heal III (3.675) Physical Conditioning I (1.0) Fire Resistance I (1.4) Taming I (1.7) Fireball I (1.7) Stronger II (2.15) Crafting I (1.95) Muffle I (1.3) Inspire I (1.1) Guidance I (1.55) Spell Chant I (1.2) Use Light Equipment (--) Meditate I (1.2) Point Strike I (1.05) Monster Analysis I (1.05) Keen Sight I (1.05) Keen Ear (0.3) Alchemy (0.5) Faster (0.5) Magic Analysis (0.7) Mana Orb (0.15) Focus (0.6) Throw Voice (0.1) Mana Strike (0.9) Charisma (0.2) Soothe Song (0.7) Harder (0.1) Alert (0.9) Reinforce (0.6) Throw Item (0.5) Stone Shot (0.6) Iron Gullet (0.5) Soil Manipulation (0.3) Material Analysis (0.8) Rabid Fit (0.5) Lesser Cleanse (0.7) Fire Fist (0.2) Magic Resistance (0.3) Minor Regeneration (0.1) Flame Aura (0.1) Warcry (0.1) Immolation (0.05) Spiritual Awareness (0.4) Overwork (0.1) Lucid Dream (0.1) Blood Drain (0.1) Dextrous (0.1) Mana Sense (0.2) Mana Drain (0.1) Mental Resistance (0.1) [/hider] [/hider] --- Skill Gain: Material Analysis I (0.9 > 1.0)! You have developed an eye for determining the qualities of inorganic or non-living objects. At this rank, you will only be able to gain surface information about an object. When used in conjunction with a crafting skill, it may help discover more compatible items. Skill Rank Up: Crafting I > Crafting II (1.95 > 2.0)! Crafting Complexity Increased. Stamina Requirement Decreased. Obtained Item: Cooked Bowhorn Meat! Cooked Bowhorn Meat is currently Processing into a new item... [/quote] As Asura formed himself a shield using his new shapeshifting abilities, he found it helped significantly and he could manipulate it just like having an actual shield strapped to an actual arm. Momma Slime's heavy blows reverberated against it, though Steve's fangs didn't seem to make much of a dent--although he could still tell by the prickling sensation that some of the spider's venom was getting through. As they attacked him repeatedly, the next time Ardur healed him it seemed that Momma Slime's attacks had pushed his Blunt Resistance to the next level...or rather, it would have, but it seemed that Physical Damage Resistance had drained his other resistances in Rank! Still, he had some progress left over in each skill, and his actual resistance hadn't seemed to decrease. The attacks were still doing less damage than before. Up until Steve bit an area of the shield that Asura had relaxed just a little too much. The red slime felt the burn spreading up his pseudopod, as a cloud of poison inside his membrane began to spread like a nasty bruise... And in addition to that, after all that information the system had given him, he suddenly had a crippling headache. Like those really sharp migraines that feel like your eyeballs are going to explode, even though he didn't have eyes. Meanwhile, Ardur spent some time cooking up the meat they had taken from the Bowhorn deer, and did some information gathering of his own. Yet he too, was not ready for the flood of images and words and other sensory information that overloaded his mind. Like Asura, a skull splitting pain rocked his body. Steve immediately left off attacking Asura, seemingly not aware that she had poisoned him, and ran to the Hipixie as her mouth parts hissed in concern. "Ahsoowah? Wut happun?" Momma Slime asked, coming close and putting a pseudopod on Asura's "head" as if she were checking him for fever. [hr] [h3]Rat Party[/h3] [quote=System:Ed] LEVEL UP! Your combined experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 7! Your Max HP has increased (this will not restore your current HP). You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! Note: You are very close to your next level! Unspent Skill Points: 5 Current Skills: Beast Sense II (2.775) Rabid Fit I (1.9) Stronger I (1.7) Muffle II (2.275) Use Light Equipment (--) Alert I (1.15) Faster I (1.05) Harder I (1.0) Dynamic Eye I (1.1) Smash I (1.3) Dextrous I (1.15) Monster Analysis I (1.25) Overwork I (1.35) Material Analysis (0.5) Magic Analysis (0.9) Warcry (0.7) Tremor Sense (0.05) Mental Resistance (0.9) Telepathy (0.1) Mana Shape (0.7) Focus (0.8) Shield (0.5) Mana Shell (0.4) Soil Manipulation (0.7) Crafting (0.6) First Aid (0.1) Meditate (0.4) People Sense (0.3) Plant Analysis (0.2) Swift Swimmer (0.4) Charm (0.025) Repel (0.025) Stealth Kill (0.3) Blunt Resistance (0.1) Prehensile Tail (0.5) Mana Strike (0.6) Minor Heal (0.05) Iron Gullet (0.4) Taming (0.1) Suppress Presence (0.5) Use Medium Equipment (0.4) Inspire (0.2) Point Strike (0.3) Strengthen (0.3) Pierce Resistance (0.2) Double Skill (0.1) Deception (0.2) Lucid Dream (0.2) [/quote] [quote=System:Asteria] Skill Rank Up: Beast Sense II > Beast Sense III (2.975 > 3.0)! Senses are further sharpened. Passive senses are now equivalent to the enhanced sense of Rank II. Focusing on a single sense at a time will still enhance it, now to a level beyond that of Rank II. LEVEL UP! Your combined experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 7! Your Max MP has increased (this will not restore your current MP). You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! LEVEL UP! Your learning experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 8! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please! Unspent Skill Points: 10 Current Skills: Beast Sense III (3.0) Faster II (2.275) Monster Analysis II (2.7) Dextrous II (2.175) Poison Resistance I (1.0) Crafting II (2.175) Muffle I (1.95) Mana Sense II (2.075) Mana Drain I (1.65) Magic Analysis I (1.3) Stronger I (1.45) Prehensile Tail (--) Alert I (1.4) Telepathy I (1.65) Plant Analysis I (1.4) Use Light Equipment (--) Charisma (0.95) Mental Resistance (0.1) Soil Manipulation (0.9) Overwork (0.7) Lesser Status Heal (0.1) Minor Heal (0.3) Meditate (0.8) Smash (0.8) Strengthen (0.2) Scribe (0.1) Spell Chant (0.15) Lesser Force (0.1) Stone Shot (0.3) Lucid Dream (0.4) Spiritual Awareness (0.2) Swift Swimmer (0.1) Suppress Presence (0.5) Alchemy (0.7) Tremor Sense (0.2) Throw Item (0.3) Stealth Kill (0.1) Material Analysis (0.4) Iron Gullet (0.3) First Aid (0.9) Quicken (0.1) Skewer (0.4) Point Strike (0.2) Warcry (0.1) Mind Wave (0.2) Curse Word (0.1) Rabid Fit (0.2) Mana Gift (0.1) [/quote] The trio of rodents made their way across the plains, staying some distance away from the road but within sight. Soon, the village was out of sight behind them. The treeline of the forest, however, grew a little closer. They were still heading away from their starting point, but it seemed that around here the forest's edge had extended a little more to the south, so they could once again see the thicker wilderness a much shorter distance to the north. There were also a few rising slopes near the forest now--one of them looked particularly rocky and rose up a little higher than the others. The rats could see a column of smoke rising up from behind it, not thick enough to be a chimney but perhaps a campfire. Ed was reminded of the smell of leather, smoke, flames, and metal from his dream, and the humanoid figures crouched around it. The plains, too, began to slope. It was a much gentler rise, however, one that the rats hadn't really even noticed until a backward glance showed that they could see the village much more clearly now due to its lower elevation. They had left it far behind at this point, though, and it was only a dark collection of shapes in the distance. The grass was still long, and they were more than far enough away that the humans shouldn't be able to see them. Oddly enough, given their luck lately, no wild creatures bothered them for quite some time. They didn't see anyone on the road either, though as they kept going at one point they saw a place where someone had recently made camp. It was set just a little off the road, enough to be out of the way of any travelers who might pass. All that was left now was a campfire, responsibly covered over with dirt, and the footprints of the people who had been here. They looked the same as the footprints Ed and Asteria had found the previous day, back when they first left the forest. This seemed to be the place where they had left the road, though they had taken that wide, sweeping arc before entering the forest...had they been avoiding those hills, where the smoke had come from? The smell of water was growing stronger. The landscape had dipped again somewhat, and now the rats headed downhill again. But as they reached the lowland, they noticed that up in front of them was another rise--this one much sharper in slope. And...it also seemed a bit unnatural. As they got closer, they soon noticed that this wasn't just a grassy knoll. Rocks had been stacked up and mortared into a fairly sturdy wall, forming a long rectangle of sorts. Earth had been layered up overtop it, producing a smoothly rounded mound where grass grew thick and green--natural grass, not the thatch of a rooftop. It seemed more like a man-made mound of earthworks rather than a dwelling. Up on its top, a small structure made of megaliths--large stones, carted from who knew where--had been set up. They couldn't see what it consisted of from here, as one of the large, flat stones was obstructing the view. Maybe if they climbed up there they would have a better view of the surrounding lands--the amount of moisture their noises were picking up had definitely increased. But what exactly was this huge mound for? Why would people--presumably people--have built it? There was an entrance to the mound, though the rats would have to make their way around to the side facing the road in order to see it. It had no door...it was simply an archway in the earth, peering into the darkness... The day was getting late. The red sun was dipping in the far distance, and light was beginning to fade from the sky... [hr] [h3]Ghost Party[/h3] [quote=System:Jason] Your MP is Full! You have gained Temporary Extra MP! [/quote] Jason's punch actually seemed to push the goblin away, and the vision of Limbo broke as Jason's Transparency bounced him away from his target's body. He felt like he had been slapped in the face, but it was clear the goblin had taken a much heavier hit from the backlash. It fell to the ground as it had been punched hard in the gut, and writhed in agony as it struggled for breath. Its soul was still there, though diminished, and it wasn't glowing as brightly--had Jason drained all of the Goblin's MP? "Heeeeeeeelp!" the Goblin cried pitiably, getting to all fours and trying to scramble back into the bushes. "Dun wanna diiiiiie!" [quote=System:Danny] Skill Rank Up: Lesser Force II > Lesser Force III (2.9 > 3.0) Range increased, total radius is now 5 feet. Power extended at this range is the same as Rank II. Power at arm's length is now stronger. [/quote] With a unique use of his Lesser Force power and his beetle armor, Danny was able to deflect the Spear Goblin's attack without even touching it--the stick barely scraped his shell coated forearm, and the goblin itself acted as if it had run into a wall. It stumbled back as it thumped invisibly against Danny's magic. In this brief lull the Poltergeist checked on his ghostly friend, and could see that Jason was okay--better than okay, actually, as the Ectoslime seemed to brimming with magical power. Danny then used his levitation skill, and though it was much heavier than before his body lifted off the ground. Moving like this wasn't as easy as when he was a wisp, more like swimming than flying, but the Spear Goblin was just now getting back up. He delivered a heavy kick to the off balance greenie, with both feet. He heard and felt bones crunch from the impact as the goblin lost its grip on the fishing spear, and the monster tumbled backwards head over heels. However, the cudgel goblin got the drop on Danny from behind, and swung for the stadium! Danny's side exploded in pain as he was knocked out of the air and to the ground--if he hadn't yelled out "Take this!" when he attacked the spear goblin, no doubt the air would have been knocked from his lungs. Still, he was somewhat dazed...and his opponent approached with a toothy grin, raising the club up for another attack...