Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Gardevoiran
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Gardevoiran The Forbidden One

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Nice! A good little bit of twine to string some beads on made this whole situation much easier. Now that he had something to string these beads on, he figured that he was just that much closer to figuring out how to make this thing for his quest. Maybe then he could ask Jehanne questions more directly? Heck, with the ability to create twine, Digbie could string a lot more twine to make proper rope for the group to use for traps, straps, even something to whap with! This was a pretty big breakthrough, if you had to ask the Palablin

But, he was getting ahead of himself. First things first, he had to actually string the beads together for his active quest, meaning he had to actually needed to make more than just one bead at a time. Initially, he took the bead he had from before and threaded the twine through it, which did take a few tries but it did happen, meaning that was one down out of eight. It was a start.

The next step for these beads would be to just make a hole straight through these stones he had. With a drill, this would be easy, but Digbie didn't have access to those means. Instead, he just needed something that he could use to gently start making a small notch in these rocks... hmm...

Wait, he didn't have a drill, but he did have magic.

Digbie looked down at one of the Hard Stones he had kept with him, and placed it on the ground in front of him. He wasn't sure if he could be very precise about how he was going to do this, but he figured that he was at least experienced enough with Earth Magic to understand that, at the very least, there was a chance he could do this. So he stared at the stone, let Earth Vein top off his magic just a little more, then began to concentrate on the stone in front of him.

He just stared at it, looking at the full stone from every angle that he could. Where it was thick, where it was thin, every aspect of it. Maybe this was Point Strike, maybe this was another skill entirely, he wasn't sure, but he had his intention with what he was trying to craft.

Slowly, he began to chant to himself. "Make a hole, make a hole, make a hole, make a hole, make a hole..." He had his intention with this attempt to Craft, and activated the Crafting Skill alongside Spell Chant. If this was a way to make a bead, then he needed to figure it out.

Then, as the tenth or so chant rang out, Digbie reenacted something that he had just remembered from one of his old friend's favorite shows. The people that mended Earth in that show always were kinetic with their movements, so Digbie thought that, just maybe, it would help him make this stone into a bead.

He stomped on the ground, breathing deep as he himself lowered, before he stretched his entire body up towards the sky in a strong and singular movement. At the same time, from beneath the stone, Digbie tried to channel a Rock Spire in such a way that would bore a hole straight through this stone and into the other side. Maybe Rock Spire wasn't the correct name for it, rather Rock Needle, but he hoped that it was going to work out with Crafting and Spell Chant running.

"MAKE A HOLE FOR THIS BEAD! ROCK SPIRE!"







Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by SilverPaw
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SilverPaw

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Asteria



Asteria got a powerful backlash of rage from her telepathy connection with the Troll, but thankfully it was a short one. She shook her head to clear it, focused her Beast Senses II on Hearing, and snuck out of her tunnel and away from the fence during all the commotion. She assumed Ed was the one to throw the stone as a distraction, and while the trio wasn’t currently paying attention to the side of the fence she was on, they were more alert in general, patrolling the area. With Suppress Presence I and Muffle II, she carefully maneuvered away from the camp, while also doing her best to stay out of the path of the patrolling enemies.
Hidden 4 yrs ago Post by Jollan
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Jollan "let's devide by zero!" / (queue apocalypse)

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Miiba fell to the ground as Lear used his warcry, shaking up the girl so much that she couldn't stand. All the hostility going on seemed to die right there on the spot, making everyone shut their mouths and direct their attention to the farmer. Miiba listened while he questioned them, and as he described the man who may have teleported them there, it was the same description Miiba had told him, what she called a 'shadow man' due to his appearance.

Miiba looked up to Lear a bit teary eyed, "Miiba no know monsters, but monster no attack Miiba, just talk. Miiba not know if good or bad......and blue glow-ball friend not a pink glow-ball....," she finished sounding quite disappointed. She looked back to the others, feeling much safer with Lear. She wanted to say something to Lear about what Geir said and did, but something held her back. Fear of what Geir would do or feeling like it wasn't the time to bring it up, she wasn't sure as both were very possible.
Hidden 4 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by Guy0fV4lor
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Guy0fV4lor Retaker of The Holy Land

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@Zeroth@Duthguy@Jollan

You used Soil Manipulation!
You are attempting to use Possession on an Inanimate Object!
This method is unusual, something unpredicted may happen.
Your Earth Affinity is increasing! Soil Manipulation's effect is boosted!
Your Spiritual Awareness has boosted your understanding of what is happening!
Your Ghost Touch contributes to manipulating the physical environment around you.
Your former variance, Stone-Hardened, has caused a synergistic affect!
...
...

YOU HAVE TRANSFORMED!
(Immature) Ectoslime > (Pseudo, Immature) Rokklit!
A much smaller, weaker form of Earth aligned elemental creature. You have attained a Pseudo-form, imitating a proper creature but lacking key characteristics or certain natural abilities and status. Rokklits are quite rare outside of areas charged with powerful Earth Mana, as they are essentially stones imbued with some form of life through concentrated forces of magic. Their bodies toughen as they mature, becoming as tough as boulders by adulthood. As a child, however, their bodies are light enough to be lifted and fragile enough to break when thrown.
Your Base HP has increased!
Your Base MP has been decreased by [Possession]! If the [Locked] MP is used up, you will no longer be able to maintain this body! Your MP has been reduced by roughly 25%.
Your Base Stamina has slightly increased!
Your Base physical strength-related stats have all returned to previous values.
Your Base physical defense-related stats have increased!
Your Base physical movement-related stats have decreased.
Skill Gain: Earth Affinity I (1.0)!
You have developed a bond with the earth. At this rank, MP/SP cost for all Earth-related skills is reduced. Earth-related skills will develop more quickly. Increase the rank of your affinity by deepening your understanding of the Earth element.

Your MP is Low!

Earth Vein: Active
System:Jason


Jason barely felt Miiba's small body bounce off his rocky form as he rose from the ground, between the further escalating situation, and the sheer disorientation from having shoved himself into a body unlike any he'd had before-- he didn't even actually notice any impact at all. Even if he didn't really know much about Rokklits, Jason found it rather odd that he could feel hunger as well as some form of fatigue despite not having any digestive or muscular system to speak of... The fuck would a Rock monster eat anyway? Other rocks? Minerals? Or perhaps it was related to mana? That would at least explain the instinctual activation of [Earth Vein] upon his completed transformation.

But he had more pressing issues to address.

As Geir hefted his axe to strike down upon the reincarnator, Jason shifted into a defensive stance; ready to attempt either avoiding or deflecting the hit. However, before Jason got the the chance-- a booming voice shattered his focus in an instant. It held such force and authority that Jason's entire posture went rigid by instinct, like a soldier ready to report to their superior. From but a single glance Jason could tell that the colossal man was no mere farmer. The sheer size of his bulk, the deep, jagged edges of his visible scars, and the veteran intuition he surveyed the scene with proved him to be a warrior of some kind... A barbarian like Geir? Perhaps some kind of knight like Zeiglar? The Rokklit wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"Yes sir." Jason responded to the first question as he glanced briefly at Geir, hoping to see a sign of whether the young barbarian recognized the sound of his voice. The second question caused Jason to hesitate for a brief moment as a chill passed down his proverbial spine. How much did this kid fucking tell them???

Seeing no other option; and not having the convenience of not remembering like Danny, Jason responded truthfully, mentally preparing himself for shit to immediately hit the fan.

"Yes, that was indeed my summoner."
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Zeroth
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Zeroth

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Monster Party

The feminine Shadow, Deceiver and Liar, chuckled seductively as Torrent gave her answer. The studious Shadow, the Seeker of Secrets, hummed and turned the softly illuminated pages of his great book when Torrent spoke. The Accomplice of Injustice snorted, and caught the knife he had been idly tossing up and down. He turned away from the reptile--or, was she a little girl?--and began to fade into the void where she could not see him, no matter how hard she looked. Torrent sought to go further into the shadows as well, pulling against that strange tether that intensified...and then, began to tear free, as the figures around her suddenly flinched in surprise. Their gaze upon her became more intense with wonder as she strained against the pull, which now began to feel like tearing off bandages sticky with gore...

"Bad move."

A hand, humanoid in shape yet thrumming in every aspect with power, closed around Torrent. And now someone held her, as if she were a pet, in the crook of one arm as they stood on an endless black plane. The Demon King, his crimson cloak shifting like the nebulae surrounding the stars, leaped backwards--back through the Void Torrent had pushed through, back into the light of a thousand thousand stars.

Torrent saw the obsidian geometry crack. Something she could not describe with mathematical shapes or the physiological senses burst through for an instant, snapping down where they--where she--had just been, and then fell back through as space bled darkness to seal the gap.

"You won't remember this, hopefully, but I guess I'll say it anyway. This doesn't count as "help," got it?" The Demon King turned, and like releasing a fish he sent her back towards the spinning, colorful world far below. "You aren't from this world. Keeping you here requires chaining you with an anchor. So I don't care what you do--get yourself killed, or climb over corpses, fine by me. Grow strong, or cower in fear, how you live makes no difference, nor what Spirits you commune with. But if you're going to break those chains--don't leave them lying around for someone else to yank themselves up with. Got it?" Then, the Demon King turned back to the Shadows slinking around the void.

"Morgen. Selomo. Don't get the wrong idea. You can do as you like with them, if they come to you...or even otherwise. As long as..."

And now Torrent plummeted, rejoining her body in a violent jerk as if waking from a nightmare.

Her bloated flesh had dried, turning gray and lifeless save for the shadows squirming beneath the skin. Now the flesh-sac cracked and peeled, as her body instinctively thrashed.

She could remember nothing, save feelings of discovery, immense terror, an odd warmth...half blurred images of a dream...and two shadowy figures, with names.

The body that emerged from the Lesserwurm's skin was longer, more serpentine, but she had increased in width as well. Her forelimbs had disppeared, and in their place were two limbs that felt utterly alien to anything Torrent had possessed before. It was somewhat like wearing oven mitts or thick gloves, but the sensation of fingers, and the fine-motor skills and coordination that came with them, were gone. Or...were they? If she focused, like stretching a stiff limb or performing a difficult new exercise, she could move a single digit...yet this, too, was not a finger. It did not have joints made of cartilage or bone. Its sense of touch was vastly magnified...to the point that it was somewhat unpleasant. It was raw muscle, with a thin layer of mucus...

A tongue.

Two heads, growing from the base of Torrent's "real" head, extended on longer necks that seemed to have a uniquely formed musculature, granting them enough support to rest comfortably in a position mirroring half-raised arms. These heads had no eyes, but there were sensitive spots upon the tops of their snouts and the back of their skulls that seemed to "sense" light. There were a pair of working nostrils, though they were not attached to lungs--rather, they simply transmitted scents, and even the sensation of temperature. What the heads did have, were thick and flexible forked tongues, and double rows of savage teeth. And they could swallow, though apparently their throats were somewhat more narrow due to the larger amount of muscle mass surrounding it.

YOU HAVE TRANSFORMED!
(Immature) Lesserwurm > (Adolescent) Stone-Hardened Forked Snake
Your Base HP has increased!
Your Base-Power and Base-Defense stats have increased slightly!
The Minor Recovery Skill has been boosted. You have not reached your full Potential, the boost is [reduced] (1.0 > 1.25).
You have lost your foreclaws and gained pseudo-heads.
By random chance, one of the magical energies within you have come to the forefront. You gained the unexpected variant, Stone-Hardened!
Skill Development: Earth Affinity (0.0 > 0.5)
Stone Hardened - Your Base-Defense stats have very slightly increased! Increase your Earth Affinity by deepening your understanding of the Earth element.
System:Torrent


Indeed, this was perhaps not the expected variance Torrent saw herself achieving. While she had made use of her Tremor Sense and digging abilities, and had the spell Rock Spire, her magic development had branched out into many paths and she likely did not see herself as particularly "earthy" in nature. But, it didn't really seem to come with any downsides. Her coloration had changed somewhat, as had the quality of her scales, and there were now some earthy growths that had not been present before, but nothing that would hinder her movement. If anything, these better defenses would give her even better survivability. [[Feel free to describe these cosmetic changes in whatever reasonable fashion you wish.]]

Meanwhile, Oberon contemplated his new spell. Indeed, it seemed like the majority of skills he had learned in this world were only good for fighting something, or at the very least hunting prey and surviving in hostile environments. But the Sprite would not be satisfied with that and continued to imagine new possibilities for his magic. Rising high above the trees, he cast his new spell and used his highest rank Analysis ability.

You used Magic Analysis IV!
---Gravity Well, Rank I---
Within 30 feet of the caster, create a spherical area with a diameter of 5 feet. Magical force infuses the physical phenomenon of gravity, increasing its effect upon the target at the center of the sphere. More accurately, the caster's Mana takes on the properties of Gravity itself as in the case of other Elemental Magic. Therefore, the amount of "gravitational energy," being applied in the same area of space has increased (your Old World would perhaps theorize this as "the conversion of Mana "particles" into the hypothetical particle, the graviton, increasing the number of gravitons and thus the gravitational force present"). The target experiences a crushing force roughly equivalent to a fourth of its own weight concentrated into a single instant. This force is not applied from a single vector of direction, but rather within the center of the sphere equivocally. At higher Ranks, the amount of weight increase this magic can cause might make the target's movement much more difficult or cause other forms of indirect damage due to gravity's many effects on biological functions.
System:Oberon


When the Sprite flew back down, his next experiment was to observe the reaction of a Shield spell cast upon a normal rock. Infusing the stone with mana caused the mana to become Earth-element aligned, but would pre-set spells react in the same way? He observed the result with Mana Sense. The description of that skill had mentioned that different users would experience this "sixth sense" in different ways, and Oberon had already seen that to him, Mana appeared in a visual form like a cloud of fog. The Shield spell upon the rock took the form of a white-and-green tinged cloud, with a very slight hint of gold, but then this cloud took a more defined shape as a sphere. The sphere, like a vaccuum sealed plastic bag, then shrank to cover the rock like a perfectly stretched skin.

There was, perhaps, a very slight metallic glint of golden smoke. No more than a wisp, coming from within the stone itself. But though it drifted around under the surface of the Shield, the Shield itself did not change in color or, seemingly, in function. Although...what exactly did it mean, to cast a spell that "increased natural defenses" on an inanimate object? Did rocks have "defense" or "power" stats like what were sometimes mentioned in the Transformation notices the System gave them? Did this just mean the stone wouldn't take damage until a certain point? Did it mean the rock was actually harder? And how could the Sprite test such theories?

Ash worked on experiments of her own, attempting to force the Earth mana she had finally learned to generate into some form of workable spell. By adding more magical energy, she hoped to create some sort of lattice for this yet unformed ability. As her mana pooled between her claws, the "tiles" continued to grind back and forth...At first the only change was that they seemed heavier.

But as she kept at it, her eyes growing sore from the constant use of Mana Vision, she gained a greater feel for the magic--literally, it was quite a tactile sensation. These pieces seemed to not fit correctly because they were...too big. Obviously there was no visible mold for them to be pushed into, and one would think that this free floating mass of energy directed by her own will could take any shape she willed. One would think. Yet that was the only feeling she could describe. It was too big, though its current heaviness felt right somehow.

You combined Grass Twine and Smooth Bead!
Obtained Item: Beaded Twine
Is this perhaps a bracelet? A rosary? A simple, primitive piece of jewelry. Improving it is as simple as adding more to it at this point.

Ding! You are making Quest Progress!
System:Digbie


Digbie stared hard at the Hard Stone in front of him. It was somewhat round, but also lumpy. Not quite a square, definitely not a sphere, but somewhat circular too. A three dimensional object, with some decent heft to it. It had an edge that might make a good knapping surface to smooth it out on one side. One quarter of its rim was smooth to the touch. Save for one place near its center, however, its thickness was close to uniform, as was its density and hardness. It did not have any shine, or even a sheen. Its coloration was gray speckled with a bit of non-metallic blue here and there. There was one squiggly line like the types formed by sedimentary layering of materials.

The not-so-little goblin's continued chants, as he sat with crossed legs and tried to draw power from the earth, was almost meditative--though not in the sense of the actual skill, Meditate. His Mana had soon topped out, but he could feel it buzzing inside him as he chanted.

A golden circle spread out from Digbie like ripples on the surface of water. It didn't travel far, just enough to surround both the Palablin, and his chosen Hard Stone where it sat in front of him. The third and fourth repetitions of his chant caused a second circle to form within the first, around the Hard Stone, and shapes began to spark and sputter around the edge of the two rings. As Digbie stood to his feet, he felt his Mana plummeting--but, he had significantly more Mana now than he had when he first tried chanting to save Torrent. He kept repeating himself--and a triangle expanded under his feet, its longest point spearing the circle which contained the Hard Stone. It was as if it signified the flow of energy from where Digbie stood, from him, to the circle upon which his chosen material sat.

"ROCK SPIRE!"

Digbie stomped the earth and extended his arms upward. It was somewhat similar to the Warrior I pose of Yoga. With a flash, the Rock Spire shot upwards. It was thinner, coiled tighter. Faster, and longer. The various shapes and sigils exploded into sparkles of light as the Hard Stone was sent flying upwards like a coin flipped on a giant's thumb.

Digbie felt his Mana deteriorate to almost nothing as sweat broke out on his brow and his leg muscles trembled. The Hard Stone fell back to earth, with an almost perfect circle punched out of its center.


PixieSlime Party

Skill Gain: Dextrous I (0.9 > 1.0)
Your practice with fine manipulation and using your pseudopods has earned an unusual skill for your species! Your body can now be used to more effectively manipulate small objects and tools, though you still aren’t strong enough yet to “wield” weapons or pick up very large things without other Skills.

You are out of Stamina! HP Drain is active!
You are taking Poison Damage!
System:Asura


You used Monster Analysis! You used Material Analysis! The target is not a Monster, but is related to a Skill used by a creature. The target's Material components cannot be fully analyzed, as the Skill's use has been completed.
---Depth Charge---
You have learned the name of this Skill and its user, the ?Enchanted Sword? Aegeus, inhabited by an Undine due to unknown circumstances. It seems to be a Water aligned elemental spell. It used a large amount of moisture from the environment and intense pressure to create a simplified, but powerful attack. Further analysis unavailable without the Skill: Magic Analysis.
---Analysis Complete!---

Skill Gain: Throw Item I (0.5 > 1.0!)
Using an item from your inventory, you hurl it at the opponent by expending Stamina. Different items may have different effects and some are more suited than others as projectile weapons. At this rank, the chance to destroy the thrown item is very high. Damage type depends on the item.

Skill Gain: Stone Shot I (0.6 > 1.0!)
You have learned to charge a piece of stone with your energy before hurling it at your opponent. This attack does blunt, piercing, and Earth-elemental magic damage. It consumes less MP than most spells, but requires ammunition.
System:Ardur


Asura suddenly felt his pseudopods loosen up, as if his limbs had suddenly been freed of some kind of shackles, and he was able to drag Trent backwards along the ground. Their rear had been cleared of opposition thanks to Ardur and Undine taking the Wisps out earlier, and Asura himself had disposed of the zombified lizard. Steve laid down a spattering of webs as the group began their retreat, and several charging Skeleblins tripped over themselves as they were caught. But as many monsters as were coming, they would soon simply climb over their companions like a bridge...

Ardur's sinewy limbs churned as he tried to force his essence into the stones he threw. One of them sparked red as his Point Strike skill seemed to trigger, but it fizzled out before it hit the enemy. Nonetheless, a Zombie Rat's skull was crushed as it crawled over a Skeleblin's spine.

"I've, huff, never seen, huff, a Dungeon develop this quickly, huff..." Trent barely hung onto the blade in his hands. The glow was gone completely but the strange steel kept its watery gleam. "...No." he said under his breath, shaking his head. Only Asura could hear him because of how close they were. "I'm, I'm not. Not yet...But, but I will be..."

Ardur's handful of rocks found their marks here and there, forcing the weaker undead like the lizards and pixies to halt their advance. The Skeleblins and Slimes were having a harder time getting through the traffic jam and over the wall of corpses--new ones had been stacked on top, as Steve continued to lay down covering fire. It was like adding a layer of mortar, before new bricks were dumped on top of a wall, and then laying down yet another. The first few climbers only added to the heap and confusion.

The group managed to get back to the open area of the cave, but Ardur wound up for one more shot...and felt Mana surge through his arm. It wasn't fiery and hot, but stern and solid, as he planted his feet for one last act of defiance against this wicked place. A golden glow suffused his projectile as Stone Shot activated, and his aim was true. The stone passed a javelin in mid-flight, deflecting its tip just enough that it fell into the pool well short of the party. The javelin throwing zomblin, its armor cracked and face torn off by Asura and its body battered by the Depth Charge, went down with a bile-filled gurgle as the Stone Shot cracked its already pulpy head like a melon.

"Dis way!" Momma Slime burbled, pointing towards the distant light of the entry. The group had already pretty much cleared out this part of the cavern, if they took a dead run (or as close as they could get, hauling Trent's exhausted form) that they could probably get out without issue. Or, did they want to risk trying to regroup and take another shot at overcoming that horde...?


Rat Party

Careful and observant of their surroundings, the rat trio made their way to a short distance from the campsite and regrouped. From here, though the Myrminor blood-scent and their sharp eyes still told them the story, they were far enough to avoid notice by either Monsters or Bandits. And as the scene unfolded...

At the place where Ed's trail met the ring he had made around the camp, the disturbance under the ground became more pronounced. With a rumble, a hole fell in followed by an upsurge of armored bodies. Two Myrminor Scouts emerged first, antennae raised as they looked one direction and then the other. While their mandibles clicked and they each began crawling up one side of the circle, the hole behind them coughed up another clod of dirt. The larger, more thickly armored hide of a Worker appeared. It turned its broad head this way and that, but after several moments no other giant insects had left the tunnel. It seemed like only this group had been attracted by the death of their companion, but then again the Workers were quite formidable on their own.

The bandits on watch had finished their patrol around the perimeter, and met up at the fencepost where Ed had thrown the rock. The Hobgoblin was examining the chipped mark on the wood.

"'Tweren't no arrer or knife." he growled, before turning back to the others. "So if'n it's a rock, I thinks it had t'be thrown from ovah dere..."

The sound of scuttling legs, snapping madibles, and hard chitin brushing past the grass drew their attention. One of the Scouts stopped several yards away from the bandits, but it began to make an odd sort of hissing sound and rearing up on four of its legs. Its antennae and the other two legs waved in the air, clearly a signal to the other scout and the Worker.

"Da hell'd dat come from!?"

"It's dem big bugs, watch it! Always more'n one of 'em around!" One of the Bugbears hefted his stone-tipped club and started towards the insect. It began backing up, and its hisses grew louder. Ed had already seen firsthand that the Scouts weren't that strong if one could catch them offguard, or had a weapon suited to crushing or piercing their armored flesh. However, Ed himself had several strength-enhancing abilities. Bugbears were bigger than him, and they were strong, but how would one fare in open combat against the Myrminors?

It side stepped the goblinoid's first strike and darted in to snap at his legs. The Bugbear kicked it, pushing the insect backward, but stumbled back when its mandibles almost closed on his ankle. The other two bandits were moving to back him up, but the other Scout and Worker were charging towards the fray as well...

Would the Rat Party try to sneak inside the camp while the guards were distracted, or would they wait until the battle was finished and hope the victors would be weakened enough to make them easy prey?



Deep Forest

"Ayedunna!" The green haired pixie imitated Nira, turning a loop de loop in the air as her wings fluttered. She began looking around, apparently for Femus--but luckily for the Wisp, he had figured out that meditating and being stealthy at the same time weren't going to work, at least not with this particular combination of skills. The pixie moved vaguely in the direction where the wisp was, but now that he was fully focused on suppressing his own glow she couldn't find him among the herbs and flowers. She puffed out her cheeks in a clear pout, and circled back around to the other fairies.

Nira made it look as if she were deep in thought about how to help the blue haired pixie make another dress, but in reality she deeply considered how to further her skills. However, regardless of the subject, "deep thought" was not something that the pixies were familiar with. After only a few moments of sitting and waiting, the blue pixie patted Nira on the shoulder and made an impatient sound. Then she began to buzz around the area, as if trying to coax Nira into moving again. In doing so, she almost ran into the redheaded pixie that had taken this time of stillness to slowly approach Nira again. The two pixies both yelped as they collided mid-air, and the blue one reacted irritably with a catlike swipe of her hand. The red one avoided it, and glared at his counterpart with bared teeth. The blue one stuck her tongue out at him, but he gave a "hmph!" and flew away from her to sit down next to Nira. He peered at her face, observing her focused expression, but if she ever gave him a glance back he would immediately dart off again.

The blue one landed in front of Nira, stomping her foot. And the green one had returned now as well, babbing something incoherently as she pantomimed the circle and made wisp-noises again.

Right now the trio was peaceful enough, even though they were clearly quite high strung and growing irritated with the lack of anything fun. How long they would stay like this was anyone's guess...


Farmstead

You used Monster Analysis III!
---Adolescent Human Female, Magic Class ???---
Humans are not technically considered Monsters, and seem fundamentally opposed to them. They are of the Enlightened Races like Elves and Dwarves, highly evolved creatures considered truly sentient, though this may depend on definition. Nonetheless they are a technologically and magically advanced race in control of multiple nations, with a varied history across most of the interior continent, and distinct cultures in different biomes. This one is a late adolescent entering early adulthood, and seems magically inclined. You have learned that others call her Mira. WARNING, DANGEROUS!
---Adult Human Male, Warrior Class ???---
(You have analyzed this Creature before, effectiveness boosted!)
Humans are not technically considered Monsters, and seem fundamentally opposed to them. They are of the Enlightened Races like Elves and Dwarves, highly evolved creatures considered truly sentient, though this may depend on definition. Nonetheless they are a technologically and magically advanced race in control of multiple nations, with a varied history across most of the interior continent, and distinct cultures in different biomes. Unlike Monsters, Humans can be born with various affinities for many combinations of stats, Skills, Magic types, and so on. However, their connection with the World is not the same as it is for Monsters...This Human is a fully adult male, and seems very physically powerful. WARNING, LETHALLY DANGEROUS!
---Jason, Immature Rokklit???---
A much smaller, weaker form of Earth aligned elemental creature. Rokklits are quite rare outside of areas charged with powerful Earth Mana, as they are essentially stones imbued with some form of life through concentrated forces of magic. Their bodies toughen as they mature, becoming as tough as boulders by adulthood. As a child, however, their bodies are light enough to be lifted and fragile enough to break when thrown. You know Jason to be a fellow Reincarnate, though not how he attained this form.
System:Danny


The Poltergeist was the first to answer, and he kept it short and simple. Lear nodded with a grunt and turned his attention to the Rokklit. That one, too, answered immediately just as the Farmer had demanded. Lear hummed, though in his broad chest it sounded almost like an engine starting up, and held his broad chin between thumb and forefinger. Miiba still sat stock still next to his trunk-like leg, and as she sniffled he reached down to pat her head with one broad palm.

"So you don't remember much about the summoner, but you can confirm it was a male humanoid. And you believe that this description does indeed match the summoner. I believe Miiba when she says she doesn't know you, so for all three of you to have the same story is pretty strong evidence." Lear opened his eyes and instantly shot a glance at Geir. The redhead's attempt at saying something else died in his throat. "Mira, did you scan either of them?"

"The, the Poltergeist." stammered out the magic user. "He has way too many skills for his level, and the Source Lens had the same weird error message that it did when I used it on Miiba."

"And Geir." The farmer put his hands on his hips. "I could hear your yelling from the other side of the house. How'd they answer your question?"

"It's too convenient and vague, has to be a lie--"

"Geir. How did they answer?" The barbarian looked at the dirt with tightly clenched fists.

"Said he had some kinda incurable disease, and the medicine he took was going to kill him either way. Said his world didn't have magic or monsters, but they're technologically advanced." Geir gestured with his head at Danny, and once again Lear looked at the Poltergeist. The air of intimidation had begun to clear, and now the farmer had a mature look about him.

"True, dying of disease and wishing for a healthy body isn't too uncommon in the backstories of these Summoned or Reincarnated Heroes. From that description, I'm betting you had a form of what we call Tumorus Oncos--or, as the Otherworld terms it, cancer."

"Aha! That's definitely a lie! Tumorus isn't incura--d'oh!" Lear had flicked Geir's forehead with one finger, causing him to stumble backwards a step.

"It can't be treated with traditional Healing spells, because it's a malfunction of the body's natural growth." Mira said, looking at Danny with what seemed to be a new appreciation. "But Unorthodox Medicraft--what we call healing spells that use different elements--and High Rank Otomancy have a high rate of success...though there are certainly rare cases where it's too far gone or other complications can make the procedures unsurvivable. But..."

"Remember, their world doesn't have magic. Instead, they have to use something similar to Alchemy--and, if it was killing you just like the disease, it probably involved "radio waves," right?" Lear nodded his head as if he were presenting great, sagely knowledge, and both Mira and Geir looked at him with clear admiration. "And what's more, their world doesn't have Skills either--I bet their healers can't do procedures as precisely as ours, or that their equipment isn't as well made." Then the farmer snapped his fingers.

"But we're getting off track here! The point is--I don't think these three are lying. And if they were all summoned by the same person, and if they really were humans who have now been shoved into Monster bodies...then we have something entirely unprecedented on our hands."

Crouching down so that he was at the same level as Jason and Miiba, Lear now waved at Danny to come down from the Cluckel coop.

"If you two newcomers will swear to me, whatever way you know how, that you aren't going to cause me and my family any problems or hurt any Humans, then I'll let you stay the night in my shed. My name's Lear, and this is Geir and Mirabelle." He gave them a grin and a thumbs-up. "But if ya try anything funny, just know that I was a big-shot in the last Demon War, and I will literally backhand your heads off. Got it? Good. So with that settled..."

His eyes hardened, and that serious aura returned.

"Miiba, this is a question for you too. Do the words "Heilicht Empire," "Ashyran Sultanate," or "Benevoire," mean anything to any of you? And do any of you ever recall seeing a city with lots of gold, an enormous black tower, or a desert?"
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Duthguy
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Duthguy Someone who can't spell Dutchguy

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The part about the humans being dangerous was unnecessarily in this case but Danny understood why the system included it every time. When the adult human gave his opinion on Danny's story he couldn't but react to the word cancer and his glow decreased somewhat. "Pretty much, if found in time cancer can be cured depending on type/location. In my case I was declared cured once but it came back in my brain."

He didn't feel like giving more detail but at least the humans seemed willing to give him and Jason a change. Danny was willing to accept it but wondered if he should tell them about his gear and the other incarnates. First things first he decided to address the question Lear offered, before the humans got impatient or suspicious. "Those names mean nothing to me. As for the desert, city and tower Jason and I were "born" in a cave near the edge of the forest and didn't see any of that stuff."

Hoping his telepathic link with Jason still existed Danny tried to silently reach the Rokklit. "Should we tell about the others? And how about my gear? On the one hand keeping it hidden can prove useful since I don't trust Geir, but if they find it they will likely stop trusting us."

Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Guy0fV4lor
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Guy0fV4lor Retaker of The Holy Land

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@Zeroth@Duthguy@Jollan

Jason nodded in a gesture of quiet appreciation as the bear of a man quickly put an end to the imminent danger presented by Mira and Gier.  Although Jason was very much interested in what Lear had to say about the medicinal prowess of this world's healers, that was the least of Jason's current worries. Unless they had forgotten about it in the heat of the moment, the group of humans had yet to address the fact that there had been an undead on the property-- and if the attitude toward undead was as poor as Jason suspected, it would be preferable to keep them in the dark about his 'condition'.  As it currently stood, his current level of coordination with this newly made body would likely be a dead giveaway at to his true nature. If possible, he wanted to delay having to disclose that information until he and Danny had had built some level of trust with farm's residents. As the old warrior spoke, Jason casually tested his range of motion, disguising his attempts as nothing more than some simple stretches.  Newly formed joints of cracked and popped as Jason went through basic motions. With any luck, the farmer would be to preoccupied to notice his movements for what they actually were.

A slight tinge of annoyance flared in Jason's chest as he quickly realized a glaring flaw in his new form.  Whether it was due to the body's hasty creation, available materials, or other factors-- Jason's left leg was shorter than his right.  In hope of finding a solution, the Rokklit consulted his skill list.
[Skill list here]
Seemingly, luck was on his side.  Both [Tremor Sense] and [Lesser Shapeshift] were at (0.9).  This left him two options: find another stone to attach to his body, or try to reshape himself with what he already had.

Jason elected to do a bit of both.

Focusing his power, Jason sent a singular pulse of magic into the ground, intent on locating a suitable addition to his body for later, before reactivating [Earth Vein] to continue regenerating his mana.  Unfortunately, before to could attempt to shift around some of the stones Lear seemed to finish his lecture on this world's medicine, and now crouched down in front of him and Miiba.  The deal he offered was increadibly generous for the circumstances under which they'd met, and spoke volumes about how strong the old soldier must've been to feel comfortable extending such an offer.  Despite the fact that the large man's added threat provoked a slight chuckle from Jason, the reincarnate took the threat quite seriously, and doubted the demon war veteran would need more than an especially strong flick to dispose of either Danny or himself.  If Lear wanted them to swear to the presented terms in any way they knew, Jason would do him one better; he'd swear in a way Lear did know.

Pressing his hands together in a gesture of prayer, and making a slight bow, Jason activated [Guidence], "Onogoro as my witness, I swear that I shall do right by your family, and do no harm to humans."

With the massive farmer clearly knowing  much about both worlds, it was likely he'd recognize the deity's name, and hopefully be more open to giving up more information on the surrounding area and what exactly might lie beneath those western mountains. 

Standing straight once more, Jason listened to Lear's question, as well as Danny's response.  Turning slightly toward Danny, he nodded in agreement with the poltergeist's psychic message.  "I... Can't say I recall anything like that myself-- and of the ten or so others like us that I've met haven't mentioned anything like that."

Turning fully away from Lear, and toward his companion mimicking the farmer's gesture to come down from the coop. "Come on down Danny, we can retrieve our gear and try to get that wound treated before you bleed out."
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Old Amsterdam
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Old Amsterdam Coven Witch

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Torrent stretched, her heads reaching out in three different directions, before she flinched as her mind wandered. Something.....she couldn't remember it, but it made her scales kinda itch in a weird way.

"I think I almost died..." she said out loud slowly. Something about figures, names....Had she almost figured out the Void before she'd done something without thinking again? But something saved her?

She didn't know, but she was convinced she should've died. Shaking her head, she took stock of herself. These heads weren't quite right, something that was really odd, but she was pleased with them. The scents coming in when she opened them, the feeling. It kind of made up for the lack of legs. Which was even weirder than when she had lost her back ones. Would she call this slithering? She felt powerful, in a way.

With a jerk she had a realization. These things were connected to her. She could mix more elements this way, couldn't she? What if she started combining three of them, one from each head, and saw what happened when they were pushed together? Would it be just multicasting or could she make something unique happen?

She needed to try it eventually.

Wiggling excitedly, she looked over the rest of her body that she could. She was now a blue-ish green color, fairly dark, and she thought her scales looked more like stones than they had before, and between them almost looked like lines of dirt. It was kinda amusing how flexible she still was, really.

Looking around, she went ahead and used all of her various Analysis skills on her friends. After whatever she'd just gone through, she felt like she needed to. And while she was at it she went ahead and used Magic Analysis on whatever the hell they were working on. She needed to learn more if she wanted to start messing with more elements, after all.

"I think we should hunt before it gets too late," she said as she moved towards the stream, gulping from the water, before she turned her attention to the little food that they had left. If there was any left by the time she was done, it would not be enough for them to finish the day off of. "Perhaps we can all go together. Get something big like that plant I found before or something?
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Gardevoiran
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Gardevoiran The Forbidden One

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Breathing heavily, Digbie stepped forward to pick up the small bead he just exp- "Holy crap, it worked!" He looked at the near-perfect hole he made in the Hard Stone he just tried to work with. Without any hesitation, he strung the new hard stone onto the Beaded Twine. Nice.

He was actually really impressed with how that was done, too. He had managed to conjure a rune around his feet as he attempted to create the hole. That... was really interesting. Maybe that was all a part of one major skill? It'd be interesting to see if he could figure out how to recreate it... though, he did remember the sequence.

For a moment, he wondered if he could...

"System, create linked skill on those last actions." He asked of the System. "We'll call it 'Bore'." Digbie placed the twine into his pocket as he turned around and faced the rest of the group, sitting on the ground after to remedy his now-depleted mana reserves. Interestingly, Torrent had finally woken up from her evolution! Neat!

"Hiya, Torrent! Did you see the runes I made during my test?!" Digbie wasn't actually sure if she did, since he was a little occupied. He was pretty sure Torrent could feel through Tremor Sense that his heart was still pumping. "I really like the heads, by the way! Seems like you had quite a big glow-up!"

Digbie raised an eyebrow at Torrent, though everyone could kind of tell that he was just Analyzing her with everything but Plant Analysis. Then she brought up something about hunting, and Digbie did nod. The group was low on food, after all, and though he didn't want to kill an animal for no reason, he needed to eat something and he needed to help keep his friends alive and fed. "Yeah, we should probably find something before nightfall. We can experiment tonight, but we probably need to leave to go find those kobolds after." Digbie paused for a moment. "... think these Kobolds are gonna be the fluffy ones or the scaly ones...?"







Hidden 3 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by ReusableSword
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ReusableSword The Mighty.

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Ardur The Mighty Hipixie
Tactical Retreat > Let there be light /// Adventuring day 5 // Night / Location - Hopeful moving toward the exit

Seeing the stone fly off and hit its mark was very satisfying. That dammed zombie had been a pain in the butt since we got here. Perhaps it was a mini boss or some kind of elite but at the very least he got a few skills out of it. Maybe once they were finally free from this place they could relax and train these skills properly but now was not the time. Now they had a choice, retreat or fight.

Steve had been doing very well at keeping the undead at bay and had created a very large pile at this point. It was almost akin to the stories of the piles of dead bodies during the civil war. Mother slime seemed to be leading the others out toward the entrance with Asura helping Trent get out of the way. If he kept throwing these stones he could keep the weaker ones from advancing with the pile of undead at the choke point growing larger. Ardur was not sure how much longer Steve could keep going or how long the undead would be held down by her.

A sudden memory crept back into his mind with one of the first things he remembered destroying with Steve. That wisp burned far longer than it should have when it was lit up with the combination of fire and web. Looking to the growing pile all he could imagine was a bonfire. With a smile the high pixie moved quickly to the torch that Trent had dropped when they first began their assault. It was easy to tell that it was still burning as it was their major light source for the fight.

Ardur gripped the torch with his dominant right arm pointing the flame forward and used Throw Item I with Point Strike I to hit the pile of squirming bodies with the torch. just as he saw the zombie throw his javelins Ardur threw one of his own at a much bigger target. At the very least it would give them some time.

@Zeroth
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Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by King Cosmos
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King Cosmos

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The Shield spell, once in place, did not change colour or shape; though it was in contact with the stone and the faint mist of golden colours Earth Mana that came from it, it remained untainted and unchanged as he had hoped. This meant that it was possible to use a spell on an object that contained Mana without that spell being compromised, meaning it was possible to use a spell to buff or alter said object, like he was increasing the defence of the stone in his hand at the moment.

It made sense that it would work that way, of course, but he wanted to see it first hand before he went any further.

Now that he knew he could do that though, what could he do with it? The description of the rank I Shield spell said that it increased the natural defences of whatever it was cast on, while the higher levels seems to work more like barriers that surrounded the target and absorbed some of the damage for them until it broke. But did the Shield he had just applied actually make the stone harder, or was it just some nebulous ‘damage resistance’ effect that was applied to it?

The easiest option was just to put it to the test. Oberon flew over to the nearest tree, enhanced stone still in hand and raised it above his head before hitting the trunk of the tree as hard as he could. He repeated this two more times, waiting to see if the Shield had broken before striking again.

Was it simply a defensive buff, or could it be used to make a weapon more effective? Could he take a simple wooden stick and turn it into the equivalent of a quarterstaff or a steel pipe by magically increasing its hardness or durability? Could he maybe use the same principle to apply other effects to an object? It was in theory possible to cast a Shield spell using Fire aligned Mana to create a flaming weapon, but whether he could do so without burning the object or himself to a crisp was another thing. Or, if that didn’t work, what about Metal Mana? He knew it existed, though he had yet to use it himself. Could he create a Shield spell, or some equivalent, with a sharpened edge?

If he remembered correctly there was a dagger at the camp that had been taken from the Goblins earlier. If no one had claimed it then he could use it for some experiments, both to try and learn Metal Mana and also to try and use buff spells on a weapon that hopefully wouldn’t be rendered useless by them.

Speaking of the camp, he was now close enough to it that he could see and hear the others. Torrent was awake again, or at least he presumed it was Torrent, having finished her evolution and was now suggesting that they go hunting for food before dark. “Hunting sounds fine to me. Did we have a dagger around here somewhere? I want to try something.”



@Gardevoiran@Old Amsterdam@Zeroth@Rune_Alchemist
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Stabby
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Stabby Flicker/Fall (A Devourer)

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~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
@Haeo@Zeroth
. . .

Feeling a pat on her shoulder followed by an annoyed sound, Nira started tuning back into the world around her as she finished up her thoughts. Looking up in time to see the collision and brief squabble between the redhead and blue haired pixies, she internally winced slightly.

Though the situation resolved like it might between children, the interaction provided a bit more info on both pixie communication and the lack thereof. Getting ready to fly up to them, Nira was surprised to see the redhead directly coming down towards her, free of his skiddishness from earlier. A little curious about it, she made eye contact with him for a split second only to watch as he suddenly regained his nervousness and zipped off.

Left at a minor loss for words, she shifted her attention to the blue haired pixie as she landed in front of her and stomped her foot. The green haired one was back as well, still curious about where Femus went. Things were working out somewhat, but Nira had a feelinh it wouldn't last for much longer if she didn't decide on doing something soon. After reshifting the pieces of cloth she had tucked under her arm, Nira decided to try showing them one of her new skills. Holding up a finger and then backing up a little, Nira used Aqua Sphere and tried to slow the process down somewhat so that they could all watch as the water condensed out of thin air as a mist, and then coalesced into a ball of water. Having had to focus before when learning the spell, Nira had also wanted to use this moment to see how mystical the process looked. It was one of her first learned spells after all.


Nira
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Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Searat
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Searat The Aqueous Rodent

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Edward Marsh



Ed smiled as their plan was falling into place. The bugs could not have arrived at a more opportune time; allowing the attention of the bandits to be focused on the new arrivals instead of finding out where he, Asteria, and mother rat were hidden. They could even enter the base proper if they so chose to. Maybe the base had more information about the world and perhaps better gear...but that seemed to be a double-edged sword. They would be able to enter the structure but if the battle goes awry they would be stuck inside the enemy base, between a rock and a hard place. Literally. No getting out of there alive.

There's no respawn or continues as far as he knew. If they die. That's it.
But he can at least mitigate the risk.

"Both of us sneaking in now would be too risky. There may be information and better gear inside but getting trapped inside would mean a death sentence." Ed whispered to Asteria as he observed the bandits fight. Learning their moves and trying to identify possible weaknesses they could exploit. "But if one of us goes and the other stays to make an opening, we can lessen the risk of getting trapped. You're smaller and sneakier than I am, so I'll stay behind and do my damnedest to give you an opening if shit hits the fan inside." Ed finishes proposing his suggested course of action for the situation.

His eyes never leave the fight as he grasps his great club. Psyching himself up for the task at hand and gathering as much information as he can against his opponents.



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Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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@Zeroth@Stabby

Success was often the reward of determined effort wisely placed. Femus had managed to stay hidden. But, pixies are fickle creatures and Nira seemed to lack any actual plan for managing their attention span or forming a tamer’s bond with them. In short, this encounter had occurred before she could prepare for it. The antics of the pixies were becoming more agitated as their extremely limited patience began to wear thin. If things get bad enough, Femus might have to take action. But, for now he needed more information.

He began studying the pixies individually, using his own observation skills as well as his Monster Analysis skill. He also studied the surrounding plants, looking for anything that might have healing or injury treatment properties and using his Plant Analysis skill on them. While information was important, he maintained his concealment and presence suppression.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Jollan
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Jollan "let's devide by zero!" / (queue apocalypse)

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Miiba watched on, though she was fully set on leaving earlier, Lear’s sudden arrival had her practically stuck by his side. While she was still sniffling, trying to regain her composure she felt his hand pat her on the head, which oddly seemed to help calm her down as she leaned into him. She listened to what the others had to say, but most of their conversation was over her head. She knows that she has heard of the word cancer before, but she didn’t really know much about it.

As for Lear’s new question, she simply shook her head again. “Miiba sorry, do not know that too…,” she said solemnly. Every time he asked her a question like this, she was a bit upset that she never had an answer, like she was missing common everyday knowledge that she should know, but doesn’t. Not that she should know it anyway, considering her circumstances. It probably didn’t help that so far till she arrived here she had stayed away from nearly everyone and everything she could. “W-what things mean?” she asked curiously, thinking another history lesson was coming, though she wasn’t sure that he was too keen to give one at the moment.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by SilverPaw
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Asteria



Yes! Asteria thought triumphantly when she saw the Myrminors emerge. However, despite things going to plan, it soon became obvious that the goblinoids might not have as much trouble with the bugs as they’d thought. That meant they could join the fight to get rid of them for good (perhaps after the insects were done for) or use the opportunity to sneak into their hideout and explore. Moreover, a Hobgoblin discovered that a rock had been thrown to distract them, and while they were all currently preoccupied by the newly emerged bug enemies, if he remembered that there might be someone else afterwards, the rat trio could be in trouble.

Asteria was still considering the options when Ed offered his opinion. “Yeah, that’s alright. I’ll sneak in, and come back when I can, but in the meantime, the two of you should leave the premises and hide somewhere. Maybe just far enough that you can still observe, though depending on whether they remember to search for other enemies when they’re done with the bugs, that could be dangerous,” she expressed her worries. “Anyhow, I’m heading off now. By the way, I think I’ll try and free the troll if I can, because that may cause the chaos we need,” she said, making an on-spot decision about it.

Then she did as she’d said, sneaking towards the previously dug hole by the caged savage troll, passed into the camp, and began to fiddle with the cage. If the lock were something she could easily dismantle while remaining unnoticed, she would do so. Otherwise, she’d immediately head to the hideout’s main entrance while trying to avoid being observed from above – where she knew the leader and possibly some others resided on that ledge. All the while, she used her Beast Senses, Faster II, Muffle II, and Suppress Presence I to get around as quickly and sneakily as possible.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Zeroth
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Farmstead

Skill Gain: Charisma I (0.9 > 1.0)!
Like other charismatic skills, your personality is almost a magical charm unto itself. You’ll have greater luck convincing others to go along with your suggestions, but only within their own natural reasoning. This skill may not work on those with stronger Wills.
System:Danny

Skills [Limited Shapeshift I (1.6)] and [Tremor Sense II (2.425)] have been unlocked!
System:Jason


“Don’t worry about it, Miiba...not knowing about those things may actually be good for you.” Lear said, again patting the goblin girl in a reassuring manner. He looked at Danny and Jason and chewed his lip for a moment. When Jason mentioned Onogoro’s name, Mira and Geir looked at each other with surprise, and the Farmer raised his eyebrows. However, for now that wasn’t the thing he wanted to address. “But, if none of you have any idea what I’m talking about...and did you say there were ten others like you three? Yeesh.”

“A cave on the edge of the forest...I’d bet anything that’s the cave where that goblin tribe lives. The one that Bugbear and the fire-variant took over a few months ago?” Geir said. He idly twirled his knife in one hand, but he didn’t seem as on-guard anymore. The young man was still far from friendly, but the gears in that stubborn head of his were starting to turn. “I haven’t been there since I was a Brass-plate.” His eyes narrowed. “Guild training be damned, and that rules-lawyer Trent too. Me and Wulf knew we should have wiped that whole place out.”

“Sir Lear, were you thinking about who might have performed the Worldcalling Ritual, to try and summon heroes?” Mira put away her Source Lens and smoothed out her dress and cloak. “But...there’s so much here that doesn’t make sense. How do we even start to figure this out?”

“We don’t. I learned that in the army.” Lear knocked against his head with his knuckles as he winked. “You report it to somebody smarter up the chain and let them figure it out. Although, we do know enough to make some educated guesses....but I don’t think it’s best to talk about that right now. It’s late.” He looked back at the various monsters. “Come on, Miiba, unless you’d like to stay in the shed with your friends. Let’s get them some leftovers too, I suppose. Adventurers! We’re gonna alternate shifts tonight, and don’t forget about checking the wall.”

[[The Farmstead Group, if I remember correctly, is still on Day 5 while most other groups are nearing the end of Day 6. To try and resolve timeline issues, catch Miiba up a bit, and give Jason and Danny some time to recover after their hectic adventures, let’s figure out what the group would like to do for a time-skip before the next update. In the meantime, everyone’s free to do/gather/speak/whatever they need to before sleeping.]]


Monster Party

You used [Analysis]!
---Ash, (Adolescent) Mystic [Winged] Kobold---
Small, reptilian creatures with odd primate characteristics like upright spines and grasping limbs. Quite similar to Goblins, often competing with them for the same territories and resources. Kobolds on average are more intelligent than goblins, but if goblins lack empathy and impulse control, Kobolds are much more lacking in emotional content and personality. Some individuals have other characteristics--the Winged Kobolds are often said to have Draconic power in their veins, and are often revered in their tribes. Ash has gained the Mystic variance, increasing her affinities for various magical skills. She has many magical skills, some of which you also have, and several of her skills use Poison.
---Oberon, (Adult) Sprite---
A highly territorial, but otherwise relatively friendly type of creature. Quite similar to Pixies at first glance, they are much more empathetic and even altruistic than other types of Fey. Unless an enemy presents a threat to their homes and families, they often prefer to flee rather than fight, but if something enters their nesting area they are known to swarm much like wasps. Sprites are aligned with the light element and their wings have scales similar to some types of moths. When these scales fall they sometimes glitter, and the Sprite's body is often covered with them. Oberon has many magical skills, some of which you also have, and his array of elemental skills is quite diverse.
---Digbie, (Adolescent) Mystic Stone-hardened Palablin---
A never-before seen Goblin-subtype, created under circumstances that have not been replicated. It may be impossible for other Goblins to achieve...or is it? If the Demiblin is a Goblin that has garnered the favor of Demons, this Goblin has instead gained the favor of something else. However, even if it is not a Demon, there is always a price for power. Fair trade is the means by which two parties prosper. The Palablin's skin will lighten, from greens to whites or yellows and in between, or a lighter hue of any other pattern such as that of a Blue- or Redcap. They are of a similar size to hobgoblins and demiblins, but their eyes seem to gleam with a greater intelligence. Digbie is more magically inclined than many goblinoids, and has a particular affinity for Earth-elemental skills.

You used Magic Analysis II!
---???????? Earth---
Ash seems to be using her magical manipulation skills to try and force an Earth-elemental spell into the right configuration. Something is lacking, but she seems to have a lot of energy packed into it and has the necessary skills to manipulate it. Maybe it has something to do with the properties of the Earth element itself, and how it differs from other Elements?
---Gravity Well---
Within 30 feet of the caster, create a spherical area with a diameter of 5 feet. Magical force infuses the physical phenomenon of gravity, increasing its effect upon the target at the center of the sphere. The target experiences a crushing force roughly equivalent to a fourth of its own weight concentrated into a single instant. Oberon’s experimentation and analysis has likely given him a greater understanding of this skill than your own.
---Rock Spire---
A basic Earth-aligned spell that creates a sharp spike of stone by drawing loose or broken fragments of earth out of the ground. It deals more damage than most level one spells for the same MP cost, but requires that solid earth be within the user’s range of sight or perception. Solid earth can include soils and sands, but if the ground is too soft or solid it increases the MP cost of the spikes as new fragments of stone must be broken off or compressed. The spike is created beneath the targeted area, object, or creature. One drawback of this is that the flash of Mana produced as a side effect of driving the energy into the earth might alert the opponent. Does Piercing and Earth Magic damage. Digbie has somehow amplified the spell by adding physical force to the projection of his Mana in an unusual technique, but the process seems fairly exhausting as well…
---All Analysis Complete!---
System:Torrent


The Forked Snake learned quite a bit about her allies’ newly evolved forms, and what they were practicing. Digbie’s, in particular, seemed to be something that this world had actually never seen before...given some of the odd g̶͔̣̋̂̀̀̏̎͜͝l̶̄͜ǐ̵̧̬̥͇̼͎͜ţ̶̟̰̦͔͕͝c̷̹͎͕̒̊̾͒̓͠͝h̷̡̳͍̥̺̙͎̉̿̈́̌̿̐ë̴̝̉͋̀̃̚̕ś̷̞̪̰̤̥̦̈ they had experienced with the System up until now, was it actually possible that the group of Reincarnators might somehow be changing this world?

While she watched, Torrent would also see the other reptilian of the group continue to struggle with her new spell. Ash forced more Mana into the glowing yellow, geometrically shifting orb. The tiles had seemed too big, so she tried to make them smaller...condensed. They needed to be further condensed, in order to fit the slots? What shape were the tiles even going to make? A cube, perhaps, instead of a sphere? Digbie’s yelling about his Rock Spire was a reminder that the Earth element spells she had seen--Soil Manipulation, the spire, Sacred Ground--usually worked within defined areas. Circles, cones, triangles, geometric shapes with defined vertices and sometimes three dimensional volume.

Something “clicked.” The Mana Orb, changed by her Mana Control and Mana Shape into Earth-elemental Mana, became a cube that didn’t quite fit together right. She had put much more Mana into it than most of her spells required at this point, and it was still getting smaller as she condensed it to try and perfect the fit…And as it got smaller, it got...heavier? How could energy with no physical mass get heavier? Ash was starting to lose her concentration. She could feel her eyes straining, and her MP draining, and now she had to physically make the effort to keep holding onto this damned stubborn spell-in-the-making! The golden glowing cube dropped toward the earth, almost magnetically drawing in dust motes around it.

Then she blinked and it all disappeared.

"Holy crap, it worked!"

Digbie grabbed his new quest item, and looked for the remains of that glowing circle. It was gone, now, but with it still fresh in his memory he could just barely imagine the general shape and size of it. He asked the System to create a new Skill…

ERROR. You do not meet the Prerequisites to Create Skills. Proposed Skill:Bore denied.
[Bore] not recognized as Developing Skill. You are Developing the Skills: Rock Spire, Spell Chant, Focus, Mana Surge, Mana Control, Mana Shape, and Condense Earth.

You used Monster Analysis II, Magic Analysis II, and Material Analysis II!
---Torrent, (Adolescent) Stone-Hardened Forked Snake---
A deceptive creature, said by many to be a degenerated form of the various multi-headed serpents like Hydra, or even the great Balaur. At first glance, it appears to be a snake with three heads--but two of these heads are actually modified forelimbs. While they have some use as sensory organs, they do not contain an actual brain or their own wills. They lack fine motor skills, but can still be used for some forms of grasping and grappling prey. Like a mundane lizard's tail, in times of crisis they can be detached and will eventually grow back. They also have working mouth and digestive parts, and can even be used for Breath attacks. You know Torrent to be a Reincarnator like yourself, and it seems she has gained a variance. She has a multitude of magical skills, some of which you also know. If her Hide were to be harvested, it would likely make a strong leather. Her fangs would also make good material for weaponry or armor.
System:Digbie


As Oberon hit the tree with his shielded rock, the shield shattered immediately upon impact. The bark was left with a deep gouge, and when the Sprite hit the tree in a different spot with the same rock, the damage wasn’t as great--and the rock, a simple stone of something like quartz or maybe shale or basalt, given their proximity to the mountain, cracked. The stone had, of course, been fine while shielded, so the defense increasing properties were confirmed for non-organic targets. So, by extension, an object that was harder to damage...was it really able to hit harder as a result? Or did that depend on the object being “reinforced” in question?

If the group wanted to hunt, they would need to do so in swift fashion. The sun was already turning orange and red where it filtered through the trees, and night would be upon them soon…


Deep Forest

Skill Gain: Charisma I (0.9 > 1.0)!
Like other charismatic skills, your personality is almost a magical charm unto itself. You’ll have greater luck convincing others to go along with your suggestions, but only within their own natural reasoning. This skill may not work on those with stronger Wills.
System:Nira

You used Monster Analysis II! You have analyzed this creature before, effectiveness boosted!
---Pixie x3---
A tiny humanoid Fey-type Monster. While somewhat intelligent, they lack empathy towards one another even compared to beasts like Goblins. Capable of flight and healing magic, but not physically strong or skilled enough to fight or use weapons well. They communicate mostly through body language, but are quite moody. Their mating pairs don’t stay together long after the birth of the young, nor do they stick around to raise their offspring, but like humans they don’t have a designated estrus cycle so their reproduction is constant. The superstition of “fairy rings” and wild dancing inside them is derived from pixies getting...rather frisky, as a swarm.

You used Plant Analysis I!
---Healing Herb---
This green herb does not thrive on sunlight, but on ambient Mana. With good nutrients and clean water in its surroundings, it will synthesize pure healing energy. Low-grade item.
---Wild Kele---
A long cylinder of bundled leaf sheaths surrounding a seed pod. Once established, Kele is hardy; many varieties can be left in the ground during the winter to be harvested as needed. The leaf sheaths, especially those closer to a cream white in color, are the most edible part of the plant with a somewhat mild flavor.
---All Analysis Complete!---
System:Femus

The pixies were absolutely mystified by Nira’s magic, letting out oohs and ahhs and clapping their tiny hands. The blue and green haired fairies began trying to touch the droplets of water as they materialized, condensing from the air, before they were drawn into the orb forming between Nira’s palms. The red one seemed more wary, but circled around as if observing Nira’s movements from every angle.

Femus learned quite a bit from his analysis, and correctly identified which of the plants might be useful as medicine--as well as finding one variety mixed in among the herbs that would be edible. Speaking of edible, there was still that crispy-lightning fried Hobgoblin over there.

But, as the sun drifted lower and cast fingers of red through the trees, a birdcall from somewhere startled the three pixies. Waving and chattering at Nira, they pointed at the trees on the far side of the clear, and then headed off in the opposite direction. It seemed they had been sufficiently entertained, at least, so nothing bad had come of their interaction. Femus and Nira hadn’t really seen any nocturnal predators yet, but logically they had to exist.

However, night time might also be a good time to make use of their stealth abilities and scout around, perhaps...Would they further explore the remainder of the goblin camp, since it seemed the warriors still hadn’t come back? Or would they head for the treeline to try and scout beyond the clearing itself? Or would they simply eat and go to bed, after a long day of training, fighting, and discovering more about this world?


Rat Party

The Hobgoblin lunged with his Stone Knives, and managed to carve a chunk of the Scout’s chitin from its side. The insect had managed to get hold of one Bugbear’s leg, however, and its mandibles drew blood as the brute screamed. The third bandit brought his club down hard on the Monster’s midsection, forcing it to release its grip with a squeal of pain.

By this time the second Scout and the Worker had joined the fray, and Asteria had crept back to the Savage Troll’s cage. She looked for the locking mechanism, and quickly found it. It was made of wood, unskillfully carved, but actually seemed very similar to a pin-and-tumbler padlock. No doubt a wooden key would be needed to unlock it...however, this lock was much bigger than the typical metal padlocks, even the cartoonish ones a person might expect this “middle ages” world to have. Unless one had tiny, dextrous rat paws.

She was able to reach inside and push at the three pins inside, until they finally clicked! The padlock popped open, and the troll immediately turned its head. Being blind, it was probably more sensitive to sound.

Asteria’s Faster Skill carried her out of there. Moving at higher speed made her Muffle and Suppress Presence skills less effective, but at this point it didn’t seem to matter much. The Troll practically slammed itself through the now-open door, swinging it wide open and tumbling out onto the grass.

Meanwhile, the wounded Scout had already been killed by the Hobgoblin slamming his knives into the segments of armor between its body and head, crushing the tiny neck. Ed had noticed, while watching him, that he often tried to cripple or wear down his target instead of going for a killing blow. His two knives were fast, but didn’t offer much in the way of fighting defensively. The Worker, however, used its bulk to knock the smaller goblinoid over, and they wrestled as it tried to eat his face. The two bugbears grabbed it and heaved it into the wooden fence, stunning it with the force of the blow. The Ratman could easily see they had little in the way of strategy, merely brute force. Still, the two seemed to work well together, perhaps because they were brothers or from the same tribe? Fighting both together would be harder than fighting one alongside the Hobgoblin, perhaps. The other Scout harassed them, circling and biting, and now both of them had bloody ankles and calves and moved slower.

The sounds of snapping jaws, angry yells, and the thud of weapons on bodies drew attention from two sources. A Hobgoblin wielding a bow peeked over the edge of that rampart Asteria had spied earlier. And the Savage, Blind Troll let out a bloodcurdling roar before charging towards the fight.

“Th’hell’s goin’ on down dere!?”

“Who let dat big fug out!?”

“Gaaaah, me leg!”

Chaos had erupted, the lights inside the cliff’s caveside entrance began to flicker with movement...
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Kazemitsu
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Kazemitsu The Dragon

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Asura hardly noticed the change in his body, the System message let him know a bit more than just the limber feeling. But his Stamina was gone, so he couldn't use any skills until the Poison was gone. But the more poison damage he took the more of a resistance he built. There was too much shit to keep track of, nevermind retreating from a horde of undead. Trent was pretty much out of it, huffing and puffing while trying to speak.

"You can blame the previous boss of it. He was like us except he fucked with the wrong guy." He growled out, that was probably the only difference. A typical dungeon probably didn't have so much mentality to work with, Rattleskull hadn't exactly been the most intelligent of beings. A human mind probably fed a dungeon core better than 'Smash all dat not gob.'.

Still despite dragging the human teen they were making good progress. Mother Slime was leading the way, Ardur and Steve were keeping the undead slowed in the back. The spider making it hard for the monsters to move while Ardur pelted them with rocks and the critters kept piling onto each other. Well the dungeon core may have had some intelligence, but it clearly couldn't make its minions smarter. Probably only provided basic commands.

Ardur decided to get fire mixed into it, so he chucked Trent's torch at the writhing pile of undead. He didn't know how long that would last, it took a lot to get a body burning. "Don't fall behind, we need to leave and recuperate!" He called out to the pair, getting separated would be dangerous since they had some dead weight right now. Hell another good push at full strength would probably finish this place up and return it to normal. Assuming the habitat would ever recover from such heavy slaughter.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Duthguy
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Duthguy Someone who can't spell Dutchguy

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Danny agreed with Jason that some healing was in order for him."YNow that you mention it I'm surprised this wound hasn't killed me already." He turned to show it to the humans, not thinking about how Miiba might react to it, before making his way off of the chickencoop. When he was down he thought about his equipment and how it might be a good idea to mention it before anyone found it and got the wrong idea. "Oh yeah, I left a bunch of improvised armor and weapons close to where Geir att..."

Not wanting to anger the barbarian Danny changed what he was going to say mid sentence. "Close to where we fought, didn't want to give the wrong impression after all." He wanted to get it back but decided it might be smarter to let the humans look it over as a sign of trust. The fact that having it or not probably wouldn't matter in a real fight against Lear was the only reason he didn't ask Jason who seemed to be doing some stretches and most likely trying to get used to his new body. "If you prefer I'm willing to let you decide what to do with it for the night "

Hidden 3 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by Searat
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Searat The Aqueous Rodent

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Edward Marsh



Ed simply nodded and kept his position as Asteria left and the chaos ensued. While the battle raged on between goblinoid bandit and bug, the ratman and Mother Rat snuck towards the mouth of the cave, so that his heightened senses could pick up any signs of trouble and react accordingly, but far enough for them to still get a good overview of the battle. Ten meters should suffice. Not too far to lose the accuracy of his senses but not too close to get easily spotted by the combatants.

Just as Ed and Mother Rat were settling down in their new hiding place the sound of wood against wood caused him to quickly swivel his head to the source of the sudden noise. The sight was quite to behold, the pale and emaciated form of the formerly caged troll barreled itself towards the din of battle. "Holy shit...Asteria really did it." Ed muttered to himself in awe of the display of cunning and sneakiness done by the younger female dire rat. That awe was short-lived as his ears picked up the sounds of movement from above the fighting. There he saw the form of the hobgoblin bowman, ready to turn the tide against the myrminors and the newly freed troll. The rest of their buggy reinforcements were just about to be wiped out and the troll they set free didn't look too healthy to begin with. The archer would make short work of them...but judging by the amount of blue blood spilled near the camp? More myrminors were soon to come.

Thus, Ed decided that he wouldn't allow the hobgoblin archer another second of life before it could provide any ranged support.

Ed set down his club and grabbed a rock, small enough to fit inside his hand comfortably but large enough to have some considerable heft. He then imagined himself at the pitcher's mound during one of his games when he was younger. The hobgoblin archer was the substitute for the umpire. And its head, the mitt. With everything set up inside his mind, he began to wind up the pitch and activating his offensive skills. He was unsure if his current body could even handle that amount of power, but he had to try.

[Focus I], [Dynamic Eye I], [Breath Control I], [Rabid Fit II], [Smash I], , [Mana Strike I], [Point Strike I], [Strengthen I]. The surge of magical power manifested in small arcing bolts of red crackling electricity while his physical skills caused his muscles to swell from barely contained might. It was painfully obvious that activating all these skills in one go was putting a major strain into his still weak adolescent ratman body...but to ensure that the Hobgoblin would not toss a wrench into the plan? The pain was a small price to pay.



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