Hidden 6 yrs ago 4 yrs ago Post by Zeroth
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Zeroth

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Water drips. Strange crystals shimmer in clusters upon columns of natural stone. A pool, ice cold and so clear it appears black as one looks down into its depths, springs forth from the ground. Moss creeps here and there, only where the pale fingers of sunlight poke through cracks and crannies. The only unnatural sound is that of a crackling, spitting bonfire. The smell of smoke, trapped by the high, stalactite-covered ceiling, permeates this area and drives away many of the cave’s denizens.

And they are many. Almost too many for such a space, despite that at first glance one would think it to go on forever. Creatures of all shapes and sizes, reptiles and mammals and flying things. Yet to call them beasts would be too simple. They are too varied in form to be classified by the same typologies one would use for nature--they do not follow the same rules in their beings, nor in their interactions. They are...aberrations? Deviations?

Monsters.

@ReusableSword@Gobby(?)
Different pairs of small, humanoid figures with gossamer wings and brightly colored hair, fluttered in and out of a crevice in the rocky walls. Too narrow for larger creatures to fit, too high for those bound to the earth to reach, and too out of the way for most fliers and climbers to bother with. It made the perfect hiding spot. Yet when each pair had hidden away something wrapped in a small bundle of leaves--yes, small even for a Pixie--they darted away, laughing and giggling. Pixies, after all, are not well known for their parenting skills. They are tiny creatures, so perhaps it is befitting that they are small of character as well. Why bother raising a child? Even giving birth to the thing is laborious and very not-fun. And to a Pixie, if it doesn’t feel good, why bother? So off they went, to do the things they wanted to do without a care in the world for silly notions like consequences, long-term planning, or compassion for their fellows. And the bundle stayed right there in the crevice, at the very least out of the open air. Along one wall, a vein of crystalline blue peeked out of the rock. It pulsed rhythmically, but as the leafy bundle began to stretch and gossamer wings unfolded for the first time, the crystal’s light began to bleed away.

@Duoya
Hidden under a large rock, an almost equally large Dire Rat--the biggest, meanest looking rat one could imagine covered in fur so black it almost looked blue--shivered as she panted. Her nose dripped with moisture as her breathing grew heavy and ragged. Her distended belly rose and fell as she fought for every gasp. For twenty minutes this went on...and then, finally, her ordeal was over. She lay still for some time. Then she felt six tiny, wriggling bodies pressing against her, and she rolled over to answer their pitiable squeaks. She never questioned any of the whys or hows surrounding these actions. A beast needs only its instincts to survive, after all, and something deep inside told her that creatures who did not reproduce simply ceased to exist. When every day is a struggle simply to live, why bother developing troublesome things like complex thought? But that does not necessarily make one stupid. For she certainly knew, perhaps the most important truth of all, that she did not want her existence--nor that of these little ones--to end. Not even that of the one with patchy, missing fur and red, rough looking skin...

@Rune_Alchemist@Tatsu
Under a thin layer of dirt, in a hollowed out pit, a clutch of gray spheres about as big as golf balls sat huddled together. Their mother had gone off, likely to find food or a heat source, with little concern for what might happen should the clutch be discovered--they were already fully formed inside the eggs, after all, and all that was left for them to do was grow. Suddenly, all at once, they began to wiggle. Then they began to crack. And soon the shells were splitting apart, their gooey insides dampening the dirt, and the scaly little critters inside immediately realized that they had broken free of a prison only to become exposed, vulnerable, out in the open. Each reptile acting on its own impulse, they began to scatter or lay flat on their bellies, shifting from side to side to toss a layer of camouflage over their scaly hides. For now they would hide, until they recognized the need for a heat source, and got hungry enough to try snapping up some unfortunate beetle or spider. Some might even get lucky enough to sink their fangs into an unwary predator’s foot, and let loose a stream of potent, paralyzing venom into its veins. Then all of them would gorge themselves, even before the creature’s heart had beat its last.

@Kazemitsu@Guy0fV4lor
A particularly large, rotund ball of moving goop, colored the dark and desaturated green of a dead but not quite withered leaf, slowed its already ponderous roll across a flat rock ledge. This particular Slime had eaten quite well as of late...perhaps too well. The excess mass was not being converted fast enough, and it had nothing to do as of yet with so much. It was time to shed the weight, quite literally. The blob began to undulate, and then with an oddly familiar movement a human would have called “straining,” the Slime’s back end began to swell up. Or rather, its body was beginning to separate. With a wet squelch, a much smaller ball of putty was deposited over the side of the ledge, dropping a few inches onto the next level of the cave floor. But this goo, unlike its spawner, was bright red! The parent Slime had now become a brighter shade of forest green, and its upper edge seemed to wobble in relief. But it still wasn’t quite enough. It inflated for a moment, as if sucking in air, then repeated the process. A much more saturated little blob popped out this time, colored an even more vivid green, but now the parent was back to its original, healthy blue. Warbling incoherently, the Slime began to roll away, leaving its offspring to immediately begin receiving new information through their own independent pseudopods. There was a surface under them, hard and cold, and it was not food. But tiny particles on the cold, hard surface, told them that food would be in a certain direction…

@UltraCraftGames
A sphere of glowing pink light, feather soft around its edges and leaving a trail of shimmering ozone, rose up through the darkness of the cave's far corners. It wobbled, rising and dipping in its flight like a drunkard, before it finally came to roost on a rocky outcrop. It pulsed once, twice...then, much like a sneeze, it gave a sudden movement that propelled it backwards against the rock. This fit dislodged a much smaller light, almost like a dustmote, of pale blue. With a sound like a tinkling bell, the yellow light nudged the blue in a familiar fashion. Then it darted off before stopping again some distance away, and despite its lack of a face it evidently turned to look back. Again it chimed, bobbing up and down, as the smaller light began to drift on its own...

@Knox@Renny
The Goblin infants opened blurry eyes for the first time. Strange, guttural voices spoke in a language they could not comprehend. But a few of those tiny minds were not those of infants, and though at first the sounds didn’t match up with the movements of the mouth, soon the souls within the tiny bodies began to comprehend the new words as they once had their old speech.

“More boys, boss.” said a green figure with odd, bright red markings. Were they scars, or tattoos? As the infants blinked, the adult goblin came into focus. A dirty hand with long yellow nails loomed over the babies, a wriggling grubworm dangling between his fingers. Then, with a pop, the first of the infants found his first “bottle” being poured down his throat.

“Good! Tell my womens to make ‘em strong! When they gets a little bigger, put ‘em to work!” The second voice came from another creature of some kind. Bigger than a Goblin, covered in thick black fur, arms rippling with muscle, he sauntered away without a second glance at his offspring.


It has been one week since your new life began. Or at least, that’s what you believe based on what natural light you see here in the cavern and the apparent sleep cycles of other creatures you’ve observed. For some of you the first few moments were as if coming out of a deep sleep. Groggily, you acted on auto-pilot until those first few primal needs were met, but now you have truly awakened to your predicament. Some of you had to grow a bit before you could really accomplish anything. Some of you had to find a place to hide, or a source of easy food and water, before you could relax and really begin to examine your surroundings. But now you think you’ve got the hang of it. You’re probably not fully grown yet, but all of these creatures are the type of lower life forms that live fast and die faster, so your maturation rate matches that pace. And now, with an understanding of what you are...it seems like it’s the right time to figure out where you are, and where you’re going from here…

Of immediate note in your surroundings are four things: The strange blue crystals, which pop up here and there in clusters among the rocks or catch the eye every so often from veins within the walls; the pool of water and the odd green herbs growing so thickly around it despite the lack of light; the small, distant light that seems to be the exit; and finally, the large bonfire around which you see the shadows of a few goblins...
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by UltraCraftGames
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Peter started looking around the caves and saw some strange looking blue crystals. Nothing he had ever seen in the caves he lived in before. He slowly lifted himself up and started to slowly levitate towards them. Examining them by looking at them touching them and firing a mana orb at them.

After he has examined the crystals Peter decides to try to doe something with them. Then he starts carving out small eye shaped pieces out of the crystal using his lesser force and maybe a few mana orbs. Once hes done carving he puts the crystal eyes on himself. Thinking: "Maybe in this weird new universe this will doe something funky."
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Guy0fV4lor
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Guy0fV4lor Retaker of The Holy Land

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JASON


@Zeroth
At first, Jason found his lack of senses... Unnerving... However, over time, he managed to become somewhat accustomed to this strange new existence. As he was exploring what he assumed was some sort of cave, he crawled onto what appeared to be a cluster of crystals, though he didn't know WHAT they were, Jason quickly concluded that they were not your average, run-of-the-mill crystals; he couldn't put his finger on it (partially because he no longer HAD fingers), but there was something special about these crystals. Curious as to the nature of such crystals, Jason stretched around as much crystal as he could and attempted to remove it. Though it took both time, and effort, he managed to break off a fair size chunk before continuing on his way. After travelling for a bit, Jason felt the ground beneath him beginning to grow moist; there was water nearby. During his time as a warlord, Jason quickly learned that logistically, water is above all else, no living creature could survive without it; these would be his hunting grounds. As the ground became more and more wet, Jason felt some sort of plant beneath him. Interested, he eagerly sucked up a few plants before reaching the water's edge.

In his childhood, Jason had observed how crocodiles hunted; waiting, biding their time in the water, and when another animal came to drink.... SNAP!!! The crocodile would strike! This is how Jason would hunt; he would not need to seek prey, but instead, prey, would come to him. Slowly slipping into the water, Jason began to map out the pond, making certain there were no other opportunists in his midst.

Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Rune_Alchemist
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Rune_Alchemist Absolute Depravity

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~~Ash~~


@Zeroth

Warm.

That was the first thing Ashlyn felt as she felt herself floating in some dark, cramped void. It was difficult to think very much, suspended in this tight prison, and she might have felt a little claustrophobic if she could think clearly. The only thing she could feel now, though, was an urgent need to break the walls of this prison and free herself. The egg began to wiggle and crack, the young lizard inside using its claws and body to beat and scratch against the edges of the prison - she didn't have to try for long. The egg tumbled over, the top of the egg splitting open and spilling its yolk and the young lizard within onto the ground.

"Urf..."

Ash's first memory of her new body was of sputtering, hissing lowly, spitting up some of the goop that had been filling the egg as she struggled to her feet, getting a feel for her new body. She quickly looked around, feeling something was...off but not entirely registering what before scrambling off into the shadows with her brothers and sisters.

Her next memory would be far less pleasant.

For the next few hours, the lizard worked purely on autopilot, simply waiting and listening along with a few others for the chance to nab food. They had gotten lucky - a larger predator hadn't noticed them waiting quietly underfoot, camouflaging themselves with dirt from the caverns floor. As soon as its foot hit the floor, they swarmed the large beast, one of her brothers getting the first bite in, paralyzing the careless larger beast, and letting the others swarm it, devouring it whole as it's distressed cries began filling the air.

"H-huuh?" It was around this time, Ash reclaimed her senses - the beast in front of her still alive as it was being devoured by the others. A large gash in its underbelly, ripped open as they feasted. The lizard leaped back in shock at the gruesome scene as she tried to make sense of the situation, green eyes flitting from each of the reptile to the predator they were devouring.

Right, something about some demon lord reincarnating her after she died? Huh, fancy that.

After the initial panic wore of, her much more rational mind took over as she calmed herself, eyes narrowing at the whole scene in thought. Well, she was hungry and it seemed she regained her senses in the middle of a feast. It was gruesome, but at the moment she didn't feel a need to so readily change the status quo at the moment. Free food was free food after all.




After the initial surprise at her new situation, Ash spent the rest of the week exploring her new body and surroundings, content with merely observing everything from the shadows. She first thought the other lizards might be hostile, but for the most part they seemed perhaps a bit like pack animals - or perhaps opportunistic would be a more apt term. Ready to gorge themselves on any food they could find, and that one feast they had thanks to a careless predator. For the most part though - she found herself eating bugs and beetles from the ground and occasionally scavenging from other, larger predator's meals after they were done. For the most part, it was easy so long as she didn't get nabbed by some bigger predator, but perhaps she was simply being optimistic. She made sure to lay low and avoid other creatures too - especially the goblins, staying clear from their bonfire. She had no desire to become food or to test her lucky with something like a straight fight anytime soon.

Now that a week had passed though, she had far bigger concerns to worry about - like how to get out of here and how to possibly use this new life of hers to her advantage. She had always been one to go with the flow, do whatever it was others told or wanted of her without much fighting. Got her nowhere aside from a few hollow awards few places in life until she literally died of overwork.

...she wondered how many people attended her funeral?

...

"Now that's a horribly depressing thought. Here I am with a new life and I'm already being a nihilist. Aren't I just a wonderful ball of scaly sunshine." She shoved the thought out of her head as she skittered along the floor of the cavern, heading for the pool of water in the area as she resting at the side of the pool. Today, she was going to go about things on her own. None of the other lizards seemed too interested in anything other than eating, sleeping, and well...being animals. She reached the edge of the pool, glaring at her reflection in the dark pool.

"Oh good, I'm hideous." She grumbled in thought to herself, holding the side of her scaly face with a claw as she shook her head. "Ugh, I swear to whatever gods exist on this place if I speak words with an annoying 'ssss' sound I'm going to save them the trouble of killing me." Could she actually talk? She hadn't tried it, but she doubted she could with a body like this, and she didn't want to bring unnecessary attention to herself so she didn't try. Instead, she was more curious about those green plants growing here - plants needed sunlight. That was third grade science right there...so why were they growing here? Those blue crystals were also of interest, but she'd investigate them later.

She walked silently over to the herbs, giving them a sniff to see if they had any particular odor before trying to pluck a leaf from one and realizing quite quickly, claws were not going to be very helpful. Well, she supposed she could always try eating one - but it might also be poisonous, which for obvious reasons would be bad or her health. What were some things she could do to observe its effects? She'd need to see what it's chemical composition was made up of before anything, but she didn't have the technology to do anything here with it, and outright eating it would just be too dangerous.

...Well, for now she'd just wait and watch. She was getting a little hungry, so ambushing something roughly the same size as her should be easily done. She crouched low among the herbs, letting the grass settle around her before beginning to wait.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Zeroth
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Zeroth

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@UltraCraftGames
As Peter experimented with the crystals, he found them to be a bit like hard candy—they could certainly chip a tooth, if the Wisp had possessed any, but with a bit of effort they were easily broken or cracked. Too easily, in fact—they didn’t seem like they would be of any long-term use as building materials, weapons, or even jewelry.

When he blasted one with his Mana Orb, however, two things happened. First, the crystal let out an odd ringing sound, like feedback on a microphone or speaker, and went dark as the light inside it died. Secondly, a floating screen suddenly appeared as if he were in a sci-fi film—except the screen wasn’t in front of his eyes. It was inside his mind.

Your MP is low.
System


And when he used his Lesser Force after that, carving himself some crystal eyes, it appeared again.

You have no MP remaining.
System


Suddenly he felt himself becoming exhausted, and he began drifting down towards the earth—then, the crystal eyes flashed. Like sugar crystals in water they began to dissolve, sinking into Peter’s body!

You have used a Mana Crystal. MP is fully restored.
System


And then he felt fine.

But before the newly reborn Wisp had a chance to consider all of this in detail, he heard a pair of crude voices. Two Goblins wandered up to the wall, right beneath Peter and his crystal cluster. One of them held a knapped stone in its fist, and growled at the Wisp.

“Get way from theres, you!” It waved its other hand as if shooing a fly. “These our shinies!” The second Goblin began to gather up fragments from the crystals Peter had broken off the ground, clutching them in its arms the way one might hold valuable coins.


@Guy0fV4lor
As Jason broke off a chunk of crystal, he found that he could hold things inside his body without them being instantly dissolved if he focused on wrapping them in a membrane beforehand. The same occurred with the plants—and then, like Peter, he experienced the odd sensation of a digitized hallucination.

1 Mana Crystal has been added to your Inventory.
1 Healing Herb has been added to your Inventory.
System


When he entered the pool, he discovered two more things—but neither of these were to his advantage. First, the equilibrium of water pressure on all sides of him and the air he was breathing through the membrane of his skin rendered him unable to actually submerge himself. Like a ball, he floated as a perfect sphere, his pseudopods only barely able to move enough water for him to slowly, ever so slowly, paddle along.

Second, the pool was very deep. The clear water did not look black because of the stone or a lack of light by itself. It looked black because it’s depths stretched down far, far out of sight. And was it Jason’s imagination, or was there something in those depths, flickering at the corners of his vision?


@Rune_Alchemist
As Ash watched and waited, she could see other creatures going about whatever business they had all around the cave. A Wisp seemed to be playing around a cluster of those glowing crystals, until two Goblins began to growl and flail their arms at it. And as she hid, a green slime flopped along past her, picking some of the herbs and seemingly enveloping them into its gelatinous body. Was that how they ate? Surely if the herb were poisonous that slime would keel over soon? But as she watched, the slime simply plopped into the pool of water, then began to drift in slow circles as its pseudopods paddled near-uselessly. If she were so inclined...it might make easy prey.

But then—!

A buzzing sound reached Ash’s ear holes as something approached from behind her. If she turned, she would see another Wisp, glowing an angry shade of red. It seemed to swell up for an instant, then it discharged an orb of crackling light at the Fanged Lizard!
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by UltraCraftGames
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Peter leaves not wanting trouble with the goblins. Seeing that alot of things are going around at the pond he levitates over there.
He says: "What the hell is going on here" While looking confused at all the stuff going on around the pond.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Kazemitsu
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Kazemitsu The Dragon

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Asura's consciousness finally rose to the surface after the week long instinct binge. He could feel the liquid within his 'skin', read membrane, shift to make movement. A sort of rolling motion, or occasionally a surging forward one, with little pseudopods to help guide where he's going. With his mind finally intact he observed his surroundings. A cave, minimal light, small pond in the area surrounded by plants, odd glowing blue crystals. If he went by game logic he could guess what those were, but this wasn't a game.

For now he tested his own body. Shifting and moving about while trying to change his shape. He didn't want to be some shapeless slime blob. A flex here, a shift there, and a good while later he was a little 'better' shaped. An odd shaped blob with mild facial features and flipper-like 'arms'. While he messed around with his own body others were messing around with the environment. Messing with the blue crystals, floating on the pond, looking at themselves in the pond.

Slowly he undulated his way over towards the pond. He'd be hard to miss given his bright coloration and the audible sloshes and gurgles coming from his liquid form. Opening his 'mouth" he uttered a simple blurble. It'd take a while for him to form words while he got used to his body that wasn't an instinctual level. It showed he was annoyed by the odd grimace on his 'face'.
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Renny
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Renny S E A S O N E D

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Yoda had devoted most of his rebirth to staying out of the way. At first he thought to himself, that he was a fool for thinking he could command such gruesome, barbaric creatures. But soon afterwards he learned that the Goblins had a certain order to thing, something that outwardly would look simple but inside the system, was extremely efficient. Weed out the useless and old in order to keep the machine working and strong.

Even if weeding them out meant decapitation, fatal beatings, or the like.

Even still, Yoda couldn't help attempting to grasp what he was a cog inside of. From behind the ember shadows of adults, Yoda peered at the sickly green figures and the raging flames between them. He snuck a tad closer, hugging the larger boulders, creeping around the Goblin women and other children. Upon closer inspection of the adults he wondered what he'd spy.

Pops ... Which one of these are my dad?

And wasn't there another child with me? my brother or sister maybe.
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Guy0fV4lor
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Guy0fV4lor Retaker of The Holy Land

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JASON


@Zeroth@Rune_Alchemist
Entering the water was particularly careless action, if he could, Jason would have groaned "Now how the fuck do I get out of this predicament?" he thought, frustrated at the situation. Suddenly, he noticed that something in the depths... WAS MOVING! Wheather it was a threat or not, Jason wasn't going to stick around to find out, but his body was fucking useless in water!!!

Then Jason had an idea, filling himself with water, he then carefully squirted it out in a thin, focused stream, propelling him forward. It took a bit of practice, but Jason managed to master this technique at least well enough to reach the edge of the pond. Upon exiting the water, he quickly took note of his surroundings, quickly realizing there was a fight nearby. Rushing over as fast as his pseudopods would take him, he saw that a fanged lizard was getting attacked by a red wisp.

"Perhaps this is an opportunity to make an ally," Jason thought to himself. Sucking up a small rock, he compressed what little water was left in his slimy body, doing so until he could hold on no more. With a loud 'POP!' Jason used the accumulated pressure to fire the rock at the wisp.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Knox
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Knox

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The first week of Eric's life felt oddly familiar to the one he had before, with him doing everything in autopilot, and just like before he managed to truly feel in control, this time much faster than before thankfully. Now with all his mental faculties, it was time to do some exploring. At his current form it would seem foolish to go too far given that the whole cave was filled with numerous and possibly deadly creatures, which combined with the fact that he didn't know the area, meant that it could be pretty easy to get lost and end up as food. Limiting himself to the things near him, two things caught his attention; the blue crystals or “shinies” as they were called by his fellow goblins that were.on the walls of the cave and the green herbs that grew around the pool of water. How they grew in a place with little to no light piqued Eric’s curiosity and so he decided to grab some herbs and examine them.

Before he headed out, Eric grabbed a small rock with a sharp end, just in case he would need to defend himself. Very cautiously and slowly he made his way down to the herbs. Briefly seeing his face in the reflection, Eric realized he wasn't the prettiest goblin around. Eric knew that goblins weren't good looking, but he was painful to look at. One of the few things he remembered from when he was born was that his brother looked better than the average goblin, so Eric thought that being brothers, he would share his looks.

Eric was brought to reality by the sounds of a wisp throwing an orb of light. Immediately crouching and hiding between the herbs, he tried to find the attacker. Not too far away from him it seemed that a wisp and a fanged lizard were fighting amongst each other, with a slime exiting the water and joining the fight. They hadn't taken notice of him, which was a good thing, but he was in a position where moving would probably attract their attention of at least one of them, so it was a better idea to wait for them to tire themselves and then run away. For the moment he would try to examine the herbs to see if they have any special properties.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Knox
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Phone posted it twice, sorry for that.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Tatsu
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◼ Nathanial ◼




For the first few days, he knew nothing everything was blurry and lost to him. All he had was his instinct to survive. Over time his memory started to come back then there it is clear as day, his death. At first, he didn't know if what he was seeing is true but eventually he accepted that he died and reincarnated into this lizard body. After regaining his scented he stated to test his new body, getting used waking on all four and seeing from the ground. Everything felt strange but eventually, he got used to the body and started to explore.

He made his way up on a little hill to get a better look at his surrounding. There were several things that caught his eyes. The biggest was the glowing crystal that grew out of the cavern wall. He hopped off the perch he was standing on and made his way towards the crystal. As he got close the bigger the crystal got. They were giant compared to him. He tried poking the crystal but nothing happened. Then he broke off a piece and still nothing happened. He had no idea they did so he moved on to the only plant life that seems to be growing in the cavern. They didn't resemble any type of plants back on earth so he didn’t try to do anything with them thinking they might be poisonous. After looking at everything that was in reach he went and found the highest spot he could reach and studies his surrounding, trying to make sense of everything.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Duoya
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Duoya

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Marc Nadler





The first few days were unknowable. Primal, unrestrained instinct were what guided Marc for the first few days of his new life. He was pink, fleshy, and for the first day, completely blind. On some level he might have known that this was normal for a newborn rat, but at the time, all he cared for was securing a position on one of his mother's teats. He could feel the wriggling bodies of his siblings next to him, smell the musky yet calming scent of his mother, and feel himself grow stronger by the hour. He relied on pure instinct, nursing and cuddling closer to his siblings and mother whenever his hairless body felt the cold sting of the air. Mother occasionally left to feed, but she always returned, and was always willing to provide nourishment to the growing children. For the first 4 days, Marc fed and fattened, nearly doubling in size in an incredibly short time.

On the dawn of the 5th day, Marc realized something extraordinary - he could remember. He could think clearly, and he could consider his existence. Life wasn't solely dominated by instinct anymore, rationalization had finally begun. His form was far from normal, at least as much as he could tell in the dirty puddle he used as a mirror. He was missing fur, and while it didn't hurt, his skin was inflamed and almost looked raw. Comparatively, his siblings were normal looking - furred, quickly developing their fangs, and some were even beginning to leave the nest. Marc realized his unnatural growth - all of the rats were developing far too quickly in comparison to normal rats. He was about the same size as a normal rat, and he was only 4 days old, if his sense of time was accurate in the cave. Eventually, fatigue over took Marc, and he fed once more, before drifting to sleep.

Upon awakening, two of his siblings were gone - seemingly left the nest. Marc calmly took note, as this implied a sense of independence among the dire rats. They sought to strike out their own, not rely on others - Or, perhaps it was a survival strategy. Separate as quickly as possible in order to ensure a predator does not consume them all instantly. Either way, it seemed completely based on instinct, with no real thought put into it, if the hurried claw marks on the stone floor were anything to go off of. Marc, however, was not a normal dire rat.

Two days passed calmly, and more and more of his fellows left without a sound - usually in the dead of night. On the 7th day, he as the only one remaining, and was already nearly 3/4ths of his mother size. Marc knew that his growth was faster than his brothers and sisters - a mammals milk is the perfect diet for a growing offspring, and with them leaving so quickly, they risked malnutrition. Marc planned on staying and consuming as much as he could before he was forced away. He would not let a second chance at life go without a fight, and he needed to be able to give a good fight if he wanted to survive. However, it appeared that 7 days was beginning to annoy the mother - she growled slightly whenever Marc fed, and he quickly realized her maternal instincts were most likely temporary. As he finished feeding for the final time, in fear of the larger and obviously stronger female, Marc left his home and scouted the cave he would now live in - at least for the time being.

The first thing he found was the nearby pool - one of the most prominent and easy to reach features for the large rodent. Swiftly, Marc scanned the surface and the shore - water meant life, and life was his next meal. Small fish were visible, but with a lack of coordination, Marc did not feel confident trying to fish for his first meal. Instead, he spied the small herbs that lined the border of the water - there was a large number of them, and they were the easiest meal he could find. The fact they grew in the depths of the cave, with the only light being faint and in the distance was suspicious, however. It wasn't until a small, gelatinous sphere moved over a patch, assimilating it into the creatures being, that Marc was convinced. If it grew in the Dire Rat's environment, and was clearly edible to some species, then more likely than not, it was edible for the dire rat. Quickly, Marc devoured as much as he could possibly stomach.

After gorging himself, Marc filled his mouth with the herb and attempted to carry as much as he possible could - the strategy was far more effective than it should have been, most likely due to the fact that the Dire Rat was a rodent, and seemed to possess a cheek pouch. Marc quickly realized how energized he felt, full of life - he was free from restrictions for the first time. No taxes, no responsibilities, simply him learning to carve his own way into the future.

...No, that could wait. Marc had to grow as fast as possible, and once he reached adulthood, he could begin his journey to the demon king. There was a loud popping sound as the slime, whom Marc had carelessly forgotten, launched a rock at a smaller, floating light. Marc immediately hissed in surprise, and only barely managed to suppress the urge to run. It appeared dire rats, like their normal counterparts, preferred flight over fight. Marc kept himself alert, ready to leave as soon as violence started going down. After all, he could always come back to the pool later - it was an excellent source of water and food, and predators couldn't stay around it forever.

It was just as the adrenaline started pumping that his Beast Senses went into overdrive - he saw a small, green humanoid, crouching only a few dozen feet away. Slowly stalking into the grass, Marc hoped that his hiss did not alert the others to his presence.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Rune_Alchemist
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Rune_Alchemist Absolute Depravity

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~~Ash~~


@Zeroth@Guy0fV4lor



In her hiding place, she could see quite a bit of the large cave. A wisp, playing with some of those crystals while two goblins irritably flailed at it in an attempt to attack it. Well, it seemed like that was a fruitless endeavor on their part since the little wisp could fly about and quite likely evade them effortlessly as are as she knew, but perhaps normal logic shouldn't be applied in this world? More notably was a gelatinous blob that flubbed along past her, picking up some of the herbs and a few other things in the process. Was that hey they ate? Curious - assuming that it was, then the herbs likely weren't dangerous in any way.

...that said, the blob seemed to make a bit of a fool of itself as it tread water lamely, having difficulty moving about on the waters surface.

"Huh..." She mused silently to herself. "...is that thing edible? Would it taste like jello?" Perhaps she was too easily forgetting her previous life, but after a week the thoughts of survival trumped anything else she might have felt towards these creatures. Whatever the case, there was only one thing she could do to find out. She had mostly fed on - ew - bugs and whatnot up until now, and whatever else she could get her fangs on but something like a jelly monster would be a nice change of pace. It would be an easy fight - all she'd have to do is lob some of that corrosive poison spit she seemed to be able to make at it.

Before she could put that plan into motion, there was a sound of buzzing behind her. Ash quickly stood from where she was hidden among the herbs, pivoting around to face her attacker, a low hiss escaping her mouth as the red colored ball of light swelled only for an instant before launching a ball of light at her.

Ash reacted, moving as swiftly as best as she could to the side, away from the orb as a poisonous, corrosive liquid filled her mouth. A lizard should be fairly agile on the ground, so she was fairly certain of her ability to at least avoid the main part of the damage from that orb of light. If she was successful even in a little bit, she'd lob a ball of poison spit at the wisp. If she was hit, she'd immediately leave as soon as she recovered.

She was only vaguely aware of the slime monster trying to help her.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by ReusableSword
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ReusableSword The Mighty.

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Ardur The Pixie
Conducting an Experiment over the pool /// week 2 // Daylight?

Cold. It was the only real sensation he could think about when he first entered the world. That and weakness. Surprisingly not hunger. His small frame had been placed near a blue crystal that just sort of pulsed into him. A strange thing to describe. But as the days went on he slowly explored the small crevice he had been placed in.

Small patches of moss that harbored water and small insects proved to be a source of food and water as well as a comfortable bed. The small opening into the crevice expanded into a rather spacious room for a pixie. A few small blue crystals illuminated the burrow. The only other occupant of the room was a small spider. The spider he so lovingly named Steve was injured when he first saw it.

Although being slightly aggressive, the spider was far too injured to truly do any damage to him and did not seem to have a venomous bite at least it hadn’t tried to bite him yet. So far they had a rather rough but peaceful arrangement. Something Ardur found very hard to do for something that can’t communicate with him. After he healed the spider and gave it part of a flying insect he found, all he took in return was some of its webbing to block the entrance to their burrow.

For the most part the two stay away from each other. Steve does have a smaller way out of the burrow he uses to hunt. While Ardur spent the first week barely getting out and around from his home. He figured out quickly that he could fly. It wasn’t the best, the slightest bit of wind could knock him off course and almost send him to the ground. He could also use some spells, just as the demon king said he could. The shield was interesting to figure out. He couldn’t push things or hit things with it, or at least not right now. But it could deflect things that were coming at him.

The healing one was self-explanatory, and mostly instinctual. The first time he used it on Steve it partially regrew a few of the lost spiders limbs. But other than making him feel weak and light-headed didn’t do much else that he could tell. For the most part however, Ardur spent his time examining his new home and the landscape below. Trying to figure out all the new sights and sounds of the creatures going as far to see if any of them moved when small pebbles were dropped on them from above. One thing was for sure, this cave was absolutely teeming with life of all kinds.

Today would make for another experiment. He could see the pool of water below his home and the slow waterfall that poured into it. Ardur had a strange urge to see how deep it was. Honestly he wouldn’t gain anything from it, but he thought it would be a fun thing to do. So keeping up with his flying skill he bobbed and weaved between the stalactites in the ceiling of the large cave. This was something he would do whenever he could.

Although being careful not to take the same path twice through the limestone maze to make it harder for predators. He also tried to train himself to be stronger and exercise. One would think gaining muscle would be hard for a pixie but it’s actually quite easy. To grow stronger muscles you must first tear them and break them down, so they can heal over with scar tissue and grow stronger and bigger. This normally takes months to have a noticeable impact. But, not when you can heal yourself. he wouldn't go as far as saying he was superman but there was a definite difference from day one.

However, it was time for the experiment. Ardur left his hollow and flew quickly along the ceiling. The fairy quickly spotted part of the experiment and stopped. A small blue crystal that he could easily dislodge and carry with him to the next spot. That spot being a small ledge above the dark pool. There wasn’t much in the way of insects or predators near his perch and the only things he could see nearby where more than a few creatures gathering around the pool. He waited for a little while longer before dropping the glowing crystal into the water and watched what would happen to it.

@Zeroth
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Zeroth
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@UltraCraftGames
When Peter left, the two goblins smirked to each other before cackling and pointing. They were apparently making fun of the other creature for giving up without a fight. But soon after that they turned back to their task--they began purposefully digging at the walls, pulling as many Mana Crystals out of the cluster as possible until they had depleted it entirely. Placing the crystals in a sack that looked to have been made out of some other creature's fur, they then began to haul it off. They noticed quite a bit of commotion going on over at the pool, and gave it a wide berth. It seemed they were headed for the bonfire...


@Kazemitsu
Asura seemed to move at his own pace, simply taking things in and not worrying too much about what else might be in the area. He was a fair distance away, then, from all the hullabaloo going on near the pool.

Then suddenly--!

A bright green light came shooting down at him, its magical trail making a sizzling sound in the air. The Wisp stopped just above the red slime, before firing a sphere of magic at him!


@Renny
As Yoda crept around the edge of the bonfire, it soon became clear that this was not a "campsite" for the goblins. It was some kind of...shrine? The cave wasn't that chilly, and the goblins seemed to stay well clear of the flames' radius, so they weren't using it for warmth. Nor were there any "beds" of smooth stone, dug out pits, or piles of dry herb leaves like the little green creatures seemed to prefer, so they didn't really "live" around the fire. Indeed, only one goblin ever got close to the fire--and he was clearly not like the others.

This goblin wore a basket-like hat of some sort made from woven cane, and a belt and loincloth made from vines and leaves. He even had sandals made from straw. All of his "clothing" was primitive, but the fact that he had it at all--and that it all seemed made of materials that did not exist here in the cave itself--placed him as a figure of some kind of importance. In one hand he carried a stick that had been dipped in what looked like pine resin, and then wrapped with straw. He shoved this into the fire until it lit, then began to wave his torch and cackle madly.

He turned, whirling in a mad dance, and Yoda saw his face.

At some point this Goblin had been burned--severely. One of his eyes had gone completely white, and the bubbly, purplish skin on that half of his face stretched down his neck, winding along one shoulder and then spreading across his chest like gnarled roots or infected veins. But then, around the edges of that scar tissue where it should have healed the most and faded back to green...instead, it was a bright, fiery red. Like a tattoo--despite there being nothing from which to make ink in these caves, so far as Yoda knew.

"More! More wood for Crispy's fire!" laughed the dancing goblin. A few others came onto the scene then, carrying bundles of sticks under their arms. They had come from the direction of that distant light--from outside the cave? And not long after these, two more with a sack made of animal hide approached. They dumped the contents of the sack in front of "Crispy," and several handfuls of blue crystals tumbled out. The flame-touched goblin grabbed some of them in one fist, raising the torch high in the other. He crushed them to dust, snorted them, and then cackled even louder.


@Guy0fV4lor@Rune_Alchemist
Ash's quick and intelligent action paid off, as upon instantly whirling to her back she saw the Mana Orb coming in time to dodge it. What was more, her counter attack was slightly faster--the Poison Spit doused the red Wisp with corrosive venom, and the glowing puffball let out a creening cry of pain.

And unexpectedly, the very slime she had been contemplating attacking now came to her aid. For who knew what reason, it decided to launch a rock at the attacking Wisp. Weakened as it was by the poison coating it, the foe couldn't get out of the way in time. The rock hit it with a soft impact, like punching a pillow--except the pillow was the Wisp's frail body. The puffball was pulverized, exploding into a cloud of sparks before something like a very thick dandelion head fell to the ground. The "head" in the middle seemed composed of white, featureless flesh, almost like the meat of a coconut.

And just like that, the Wisp was dead. Why had it attacked? For territory? For food? Who knew. And who cared? But now the Fanged Lizard and the Slime were no longer alone...


As Eric armed himself, he too would experience the strange mental "screen" informing him of what he had just done with his own self awareness.

Sharp Rock added to Inventory.
Sharp Rock Equipped.
System


As he sneaked around the battle between the Wisp, the Lizard, and the Slime, he began examining the strange herbs. Once again a message appeared.

1 Healing Herb added to Inventory.
Used Skill: 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---
System



@Tatsu
As Nathaniel struggled to make sense of his surroundings, watching the other creatures moving around below his perch, he eventually came to a number of conclusions:

The various monsters seemed highly primitive, and if there was any communication at all between them it was mostly between those of the same species. If any form of “social interaction” existed among these beings, it was no more than what the earliest of cave men must have used to communicate the necessities of life and the willingness to kill in pursuit or defense of them. However, it seemed that a particular group near the pond was beginning to defy these things--had that Slime intentionally helped that Fanged Lizard? Or was it simply a free-for all? What would they do next?

In addition, the blue crystals seemed quite valuable. Here and there around the cave, the Pixies and Wisps especially seem to gather about them. But the Goblins also seem to be actively mining them. And they always carry their spoils back to the bonfire. What could they be, and what were they used for? If he remembered the circumstances of his "childhood," so to speak, the energy inside these crystals had somehow sustained him as a substitute for mother's milk or actual food.

And finally, the cave was either very deep underground, or very large. The distant light only seemed to shine for a few hours out of each "day," and any shafts through the ceiling or walls seemed rare and far between. Just how far did this place stretch--and where was the exit?


@Duoya
A strange message inside his head interrupted Marc's vegetarian feast. Perhaps for the best, as it didn't seem to be the most filling thing for a Dire Rat to eat, and its minty flavor was almost overpowering to his sensitive nose.

Used 5 Healing Herbs. Your HP is full.
2 Healing Herbs added to Inventory.
System


But now he had realized he was not alone. As he watched, the Slime and the Fanged Lizard killed the red Wisp, while he and the Goblin looked on as hidden observers. Yet, how long would they stay hidden? Now that they had killed one creature, would the lizard and slime pair kill again? Meanwhile, the goblin seemed more enamored with the strange Healing Herbs, looking at them intently for several long, silent moments. And as Marc himself examined the creatures around him, another message appeared.

Used Skill: Monster Analysis I
---Slime---
A monster made of living bioplasm, able to adjust its shape and membranous forms at will to a limited extent. It is resistant to physical damage. This one is unusual.
---Fanged Lizard---
A reptilian monster with potent venom. When injected via a bite, it acts as a neurotoxin to paralyze the prey. When exposed to the air, it becomes a highly acidic liquid. The lizard can spit at a distance. This one is unusual.
---Goblin---
A semi-intelligent monster with the limb dexterity and mental capacity to use tools. By comparison, usually as large, strong, and intelligent as a human child, but far more vicious. This one is unusual.
---Analysis Complete---
System



@ReusableSword
During Ardur's little "training sessions," at one point he realized something had happened inside his head. And he wasn't the one that caused it.

You are experiencing a fast of rate of Skill Progression.
You have no MP remaining.
System


But just as he comprehended the meaning of that message, he dropped the blue crystal into the water. Down, down into the depths it went. With a small bubble of light around it, it illuminated simple walls of smooth stone, an occasional drifting mass of some kind of plant matter...

And then something large that flitted out from under the rock wall at some point, across the open space of the pool, and then back into the wall. Or perhaps just a tunnel that opened up down there. It did not look like a fish.

At this point, perhaps the sounds of battle would distract him from his little experiment. It seemed like a slime and a lizard had just ganged up on one of those little floating balls of light--and from his higher altitude, Ardur could see what looked like a mangy rat, and a green imp-like humanoid.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by ReusableSword
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ReusableSword The Mighty.

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Ardur The Pixie
Conducting an Experiment over the pool >>> watching the others /// week 2 // Daylight?

Such a strange occurrence. The small crystal had revealed the shroud of darkness that permeated the pool. His experiment showed him that the pool was actually quite deep and there was what looked like some sort of plant matter clinging to the walls. A large shadow seemed to move from one side of the wall to another, it was eerie and ran a chill down his spine. He wasn’t afraid it was just off and definitely too big to be a fish.

The commotion at the pool side did catch his eye for a moment. At his vantage point he could see a green child in the grass, “must be a goblin” he thought as he remembered the choices he had earlier. There was also what looked like a lizard and a slime going after a one of the floating orbs. Such a strange instance, not once did he observe these creatures so close together before. They all seemed to keep their distance from one another unless they were eating. Yet it almost seemed as if they were helping each other.

“This place sure is strange” he thought as he looked back to the pool. The light from the crystal had gone and the pool was dark again. Ardur took a minute to think about what could have happened to the crystal before seemingly remembering the small pop up from earlier. What a strange way to announce things, he did remember these sort of things from the video games Sara would play but this sure was strange. Ardur didn’t want to think of Sara right now and instead took off from his perch finding a nearby crystal to hang off of while he watched the creatures down below.

@Zeroth
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Gobby
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Puck the Pixie

Puck's eyes sluggishly opened as if waking up from a year long slumber. With his vision still blurry and senses numb, he was unable to appreciate his surroundings. Although, as drowsy as he was, he couldn't help but smile; he was thankful. He was too weak to speak or even actually move; Puck wanted to express his gratitude but sadly, he couldn't do much. As eerie as where he was had appeared, it was still a whole new world that was just waiting to be explored. Just not yet though. For now, he needed more sleep. With that thought, his eyelids slowly fell and the day simply continued to go on.
The number of days that had passed since Puck went back to sleep was difficult to determine. Apparently, rebirth hits one's orientation to time quite hard. Luckily for Puck, the second time he had woken up, he was able to muster up enough strength to break free from his leafy contraints. With wings fluttering, his entire body was thrown forward into the air before harshly landing face first unto the murky and moist floor.

Rolling over to his back, Puck let out a laugh - it was more of a giggle - as he lied on the cold ground. Given his current predicament, Puck found it strange that he was so ecstatic. It could have been his genuine cheerfulness or the whimsicality innate to all pixies. Whatever the reason was, he didn't care too much about it. Instead of questioning this world, he knew that he had to embrace it.
Puck wanted to spend the next few days wandering around; he wanted to get a brief idea on where he actually was. Unfortunately, his body wasn't quite ready yet. Puck's problem wasn't his strength, but coordination. Not only did he need to get used to his body, he had a pair of wings that he had to learn how to control.

The next few days Puck spent slamming into walls, crashing into the ground, and having multiple mouthful servings of dirt. It wasn't the greatest of time, but it was definitely a learning experience. Puck had several discoveries during his brief ordeal with himself. His persistence eventually made his skills with flying become more natural. His ability to use healing magic appeared after sustaining multiple bruises and cuts over the course of his practices. As for his capabilities with protective magic, it could have been his inborn talent for it or his body just not wanting to get hurt anymore. Either way, whenever a major crash or fall was about to take place, as long as he focused, glittering energy would suddenly envelope Puck's body, effectively shielding him from the impact.
Puck was finally ready. After limbering up, the young Pixie took to the skies and darted towards the small distant light he saw from a distance. It might lead him to the outside world or something he'd later regret. There was only one way to find out.

@Zeroth
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Kazemitsu
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Kazemitsu The Dragon

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Asura wasn't the fastest being in the cave, having to use his liquid form to push himself along with the help of pseudopods to keep him on his path. A soft whoosh and sizzle interrupted him though making him glance up. A ball of magic, he had to guess magic, was coming right for him. His first human instinct was to duck down, his slime instinct was to drop down into a shallow puddle so the mana orb passed by harmlessly.

The trail behind the orb led his 'eyes' to a wisp. An agitated blurble came from him as he surged upward. Using the force of coming back into his self made form he surged up to try and hit it with his sludgy mass. The wisp was much smaller than him but he honestly had no idea WHAT it was actually made of. He could pass through it for all he knew but it was better than just sitting there and taking its abused.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by UltraCraftGames
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Peter noticed that the commotion at the pond had stopped and left back to the crystals. When he left he had heard the goblins talking about how he didnt put up a fight. Since they have no expectations now he comes behind them and shoots em with some mana orbs. Since two mana orbs would probably run him out of mp he quickly grabs a piece of the mana crystals and uses em to regenerate his mp. If the goblins still can harm him he launches more orbs at them.
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