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21 hrs ago
Current Phew, novel outline done. Now to tally how many characters I'll need, based on outline roles. Protag, Antag, yep, lackeys, support cast...Okay so in total I need to fill out--EIGHTY CHARACTER SHEETS?!
9 likes
14 days ago
@Kuro: Congrats, you've received the "Fully Developed Frontal Lobe" DLC!
10 likes
1 mo ago
Happiness is the acceptance of problems, not their solutions. *eats the fortune cookie*
6 likes
1 mo ago
If an argument/spirited debate/conversation takes up more than a handful of back-and-forth statuses maybe that means it should be in PMs instead.
4 likes
1 mo ago
Oh also, on art: If you feel you don't measure up to "the old masters," look up the camera lucida, Claude glass, etc. Dudes 100% considered tracing to still be real art. Just don't "steal" from IPs.
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Bio

On CST time, United States. Typically busy most of the week and do most posting/replying on weekends.

Most Recent Posts


K E N I C H I

Training Rooms > Infirmary?



"No one else got hurt." Kaida muttered to Kenichi as she crossed her arms under her cloak. He could tell by her face that she really wasn't pleased--he had seen her hanging out with both Roy and Jett at different times, and wondered if maybe there was something going on there. Two guys butting heads over a girl for some reason?

The girl urged Yukari and Dulga to come along as they left. Kenichi barely heard her parting whisper towards the two boys.

"Right. Everyone out. Let Ms. Mako handle this. Go back...wherever." Dulga looked irritated too, but Kenichi sometimes wondered if grim and moody was the multi-armed girl's default state. The sheep-girl left too, needing little persuasion from anyone else. Kenichi had seen her around, but he didn't think she was part of the Hero course. Since he had made such an effort so far to remember everyone's names she stood out at the moment as the only person he didn't know. But his self-appointed task was done, and he nodded back at Mako as he followed the girls out.

"How chivalrous of you." the teacher said. As he closed the Training Room doors behind him Kenichi's fist clenched and his nose wrinkled.

Kaida, Yukari, and Dulga were already gone. From how forceful their strides were it seemed like they were really pissed. Kenichi scratched the back of his head. He had really been out of the loop lately. He started towards the sheep girl, to ask her if she was alright. He saw her pause, as if she were thinking or waiting for something, but after mere seconds she made some kind of decision and headed towards the infirmary. But as Kenichi caught up to her, he didn't think she looked injured.

"Ah, s'cuse me a minute!" he said as he caught up, then matched pace with her. He stayed to one side, so as not to seem too pushy. "You okay? The others said they were fine, but I really got no idea what all that was about." He folded both hands behind his head and walked with a relaxed posture. He didn't want to seem like too much of a gossip, but... "What about you? Didja see what happened?"
@Silver Carrot


๐•ฌ ๐–“ ๐–™ ๐–† ๐–Š ๐–š ๐–˜


North Forest Clearing >>> Frontier Town, Maeda's Cottage



In his rush to get her somewhere safe, Antaeus's answers to the guards were a bit more fast paced than his usual speech. His experience had obviously flustered the normally confident boy, and while the initial fear had passed his face was still flushed and his broad shoulders shook with every heavy breath.

"It's me, Antaeus! From the mines! I was hunting up north, came across her and this fellow!" he would gesture to the orc. "Brought it down but she's hurt bad! The orc's helped me, he's a good guy so if we can get through--"

The soldiers passed them through and directed him to Maeda's college. Antaeus nodded and urged the orc onward. He knew roughly where the school teacher lived--though he couldn't help feeling a shiver at the thought of meeting her again. He didn't dislike Ms. Maeda, he really didn't--but something about all those legs had always just made him slightly uncomfortable. He knew it was kind of silly and wasn't really fair to the spider-woman. And he wasn't even that scared of normal spiders. He swept them out all the time at home whenever his sister or mother screamed. But it was just...

He shook his head. None of that was important right now.

"Ms. Maeda is an Arachne, by the way, so don't let that surprise you." he said to the orc as they reached the door. He carefully let down his end of the stretcher so that he could knock on the door. He hated to wake someone up in the middle of the night, but this was an emergency, so his big fist fairly boomed against the wood.

"Ms. Maeda! It's Antaeus! Someone's hurt, we need help quick!" he called. He looked back at the orc. "I don't know if she'll use medicine or magic, but I'm hoping she can save her. Are you one of her companions, or did you just come upon us happenstance?" It could be excused given the circumstances, but Antaeus hadn't even asked this fellow's name yet. He wondered if he and the silver haired girl were together in a party. Were they real adventurers who had been hunting the stag? That girl had picked the bloody creature up all on her own, after all. Surely that kind of strength had to come from hard training or some kind of heroic power...


Ash, Danny, Digbie, Mourningstar, Oberon, Reoth, Torrent, Orchid, and the Goblins

You used Monster Analysis II!
This is a new monster to you! Corpselight - This monster came to be by feeding on the ambient regrets, negative energy, and stagnant mana in environments suffused by the essence of death. It often hovers above such places, sucking out what little of the souls remain from corpses littering the ground. It prefers dark places and moonless nights, so that its glow can lure more unwary victims. This one is unusual. There's something uncomfortable you just can't place about her, but oh well.
---Analysis Complete!---
System:Danny


As Mourningstar used Mana Shape to change the color of the mana, her black aura caused the goblins to shrink back in surprise. Crispy, especially, seemed shocked--but there was another look in his eyes, one of...recognition?

Ash and Digbie added their own contributions, while Danny sneaked up behind the goblins so far unnoticed. Digbie's MP was restored to full by the Mana Crystal--even if he had increased his Max MP, compared to Wisps and Pixies it seemed a Goblin's natural mana pool wasn't large. As his spike of compressed soil formed, the normally kind and gentle goblin gave off a menacing air almost as effective as Mourningstar's, despite the lack of visual flair. The goblins began to look uneasy--Bigs and Wej readied their shields and stepped in front of Jezee. Crispy's minions glanced at their leader. The female hadn't drawn her knife yet, but the male who had kept his in a tight and wary grip. Crispy's eyes narrowed, and the fingers of one hand near his belt flexed.

Then Orchid interrupted the tense moment with an even more shocking action. Her thrown stone struck Crispy's unnamed minion on the side of the head, dropping him to one knee with a cry of pain. The others stared wide eyed, and now Crispy looked truly surprised.

"Crispy! I challenge you to being the boss of the goblins! Just you and me, whoever wins leads the goblins! And if anyone else wants to get involved, than we can all fight. You will all die. So stay out of it... This is between me and him."

From up on his perch, Oberon could see the fiasco down below--and he could also feel that his Mana was recovering faster than it normally did when he meditated. Again, as his pale skin reflected the sunlight, his Sprite sparkles intensified. There was probably no way he could do anything stealthily in the daylight now, but what was this? The Sprite information he had seen when he first transformed had implied a connection to the Light element, so maybe that was it. At this point his MP wasn't full, but he might have enough for a single Rank III or II spell, or maybe two of his Rank I abilities at most...

While all of this was happening, Torrent tried to escape the pain suffusing her entire body. Her scales peeled, her skin split open, she pushed herself forward...Her head split in half, and then a new head forced its way out. The rest of her followed, as she escaped her shell, and the dead skin quickly began to lose its color and sheen. She was coated in something like sweat, her skin itched, and she could feel herself growing light headed from exertion--but aside from a few black splotches where it seemed the burns had gone past the surface layers of skin, her wounds were almost gone!

Skill Gain: Minor Recovery I (Lesserwurm)!
A unique version of the Minor Recovery skill. Minor Recovery is normally a passive HP recovery ability. The Lesserwurm species possesses a variant in which their recovery is triggered all at once by shedding their skin. As a result, the healing-over-time effect is accomplished all at once, giving it the superficial appearance of being more powerful. Unlike other forms of Healing Spells, only wounds are addressed and the natural healing/immunity of the body is not boosted. However, all wounds, no matter how deep or severe, can be healed with multiple uses or higher ranks of this ability. If the damage is significant, this rank of the skill will not be able to heal them with one usage. A drawback of this version is that shedding the skin and healing the body requires the Lesserwurm to use a great deal of its body's nutrients.

You are Starving.
You are Parched.
Your HP is not quite full.
System:Torrent


"Orchid da Youngling!" Crispy shouted, pulling his Stone Knife out of his belt with one hand and his torch with the other. With a small Fireball--likely his first rank--Crispy engulfed the torch and held it aloft. "I, Crispy Bitz, accepts yore challenge!"

It was well known by this point that Crispy was cruel. He was mean, he was powerhungry, he was a bully, he had some modicum of intelligence, he had lived longer than the other goblins, he had a fair bit of experience, he wasn't a great leader. However, by this point many of the others had likely written him off. He was a goofy, pyromaniac, tribal dancing, tantrum throwing, pesky little goblin, right?

If the look on Digbie's face could have given Crispy a heart attack before Orchid challenged him...

The look on Crispy's face as he stepped an equal distance from Orchid could remind Digbie of his father. Not Rattleskull. The other one.

The Flame Touched Goblin was, perhaps for the first time since the group had seen him strutting around his bonfire and bossing younger goblins around, coldly, completely, deadly serious.

The other goblins immediately moved away, in a semi-circle around the combatants. Their eyes were locked onto Orchid and Crispy.

It might occur to Ash, Mourningstar, Torrent, and the others that now could be a good time to skidaddle...


Ardur, Asteria, Asura, Ed, Jason, Mother Rat, Momma Slime, Skelebois

Skill Gain: Muffle I!
This skill grants you the ability to be just a little bit better at being stealthy, with a focus on reducing the sound of your movements.
System:Ardur

Skill Gain: Slime Whip I!
A unique ability for slimes. Create a sturdy tendril from a pseudopod and lash out at the enemy. At this rank, your range of reach is 5 feet. -Skill Synergy- You possess Limited Shapeshift III. Range is increased to 10 feet and adding a shifted blade, bludgeon, etc to your Whip is more effective.
System:Asura

Skill Gain: Magic Analysis I!
You may now analyze magical energies or objects to learn their most basic magical characteristics. Less effective on Materials and Monsters unless they are magical in nature.
System:Asteria

Skill Gain: Bounce I!
A unique skill to Slimes and certain other monsters. Upon taking an impact, the userโ€™s natural elasticity allows them to compress their body further and bounce back. This will even work if an attack slams the user against a wall or other object. The bounce can be used evasively or to return the attack. However, the damage dealt will only be equal to the original attack. Using this skill without being attacked first renders it largely ineffective.
System:Jason


"Undead don't work for anyone but whoever raised em. I know for a fact you don't have necromancy, boy." Asura yelled as Jason, before forcing some his attention back on the skeletons in front of him. Leonidas had half stepped back to put more weight into a spear thrust while Gawain was going for a home run swing. Focusing on the pair, Asura's pseudopods snaked out and he tried to Counter their attacks.

"Leonidas! Gawain! Get out of his attack range! Focus only on dodging and defense!" Jason called to his remaining soldiers as he summoned a [Rock Spire I] in front of Asura, aimed not to pierce his gelatinous form, but to block his attempted attack.

However, things weren't happening so slowly.

Gawain swung. Leonidas thrust. "Leonidas--" The spearpoint and the club struck Asura, and his slimy tendrils lashed out. "Gawain--" The skeleblins had been addressed, they paused to receive orders, Asura's Counter struck. "Get out of his--" Gawain was knocked down, rolling over, and Leonidas's cracked sternum broke in half. "--attack range! Focus only--" The ground began to glow as Jason collected power. "--on dodging and defense!" The Skeleblins stood up--Gawain walked with a limp, as falling seemed to have dislocated one of his ankles, and Leonidas was still functioning, albeit his arms didn't move with quite as much coordination. Jason's Rock Spire sprang up in front of Asura, blocking his vision and entangling his tendrils as they started to draw back and found a new stone in their way.

The two skeletons clattered angrily, but only began to circle Asura from further away as they followed Jason's orders.

Up in the air above the group, something flickered. A green light appeared, first somewhat transparent, then becoming brighter by the moment until it could be clearly identified as a wisp--though not a normal one.

A crackling Mana Orb shot down at Asura!

And immediately after launching the rock spire, Jason would notice Momma Slime bearing down on him.

"Mother Slime ignore it, come over here!" Asura hollered. Jason compressed his body, and popped one of the remaining Mana Crystals, bringing his stash down to 4 as he used up the last of Ed's gatherings.

Momma Slime barely slowed, already having too much momentum to stop.

Jason tried to launch himself into the air with a chant.

"Let this--"

Not enough time to chant a full spell in the midst of battle. Momma Slime hit him just as he came off the ground. As they bounced together like two gooey pinballs, Jason was sent flying with a distinctive sproing. It felt like getting walloped with one of those dodgeballs that make that ever-so-memoriable THWUNK sound in middle school--it wouldn't kill him, but it definitely hurt. Perhaps of more concern, however, was how high he had bounced thanks to Momma Slime's contribution to his momentum. He hit the ground and bounced again, unable to stop himself just yet, and by the time he did so he was much further from the entrance. Even with his maximum speed it would take several seconds to get back to the battlefield...

As Ardur sought out a nearby cluster of Mana Crystals, he found three of them growing close together and then another not too far off. As he gathered them, he would soon notice Steve making her way along the ceiling towards him at a hurried pace. Perhaps she had been drawn by the sounds of battle?

He would find that it only took two of the four Mana Crystals to bring him back to full MP. Although his Max MP had increased some due to levelling up, it didn't seem like he had a huge pool just yet.

However, just as he plucked the last crystal, a green light came flying towards him! As the Ghost Wisp neared, it fired a Mana Orb at the buff pixie!

Asteria immediately saw Mother Rat catching up to them, and the other Adult Dire Rat immediately sniffed and squeaked around Asteria and Ed, especially the smaller male who seemed absolutely terrified. Putting one paw protectively on his head--and practically standing on him in the process--Mother Rat raised her hackles and growled at the other monsters in the distance.
Ash, Digbie, Mourningstar, Oberon, Reoth, Torrent

YOU--
System:Torrent

Nononononononsgkklp9gswy9jvsy

Jumping slightly from being startled Ash fumbled with the Agrep, turning around and looking back in the direction she had come in. That was back in the direction the others had come from...!

His ears were ringing and everything hurt; those were the first things that came to mind as Oberon came back to his senses.

Digbie quickly ran to the aid of the situation, trying to utilize {Soil Manipulation} around the area to extinguish the flames by overturning and covering dirt. Specifically, he saw that Torrent was really busy dying, so he was constructing a safer path for Oberon to move across. Oberon could heal, and that was litERALLY THE ONE THING HE NEEDED TO DO RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD TORRENT IS DYING!

Oh christ what the hell happened. One second she was getting ready for a follow up assault on the beetle thing, the next she's face down on the ground while the whole world is on fire. Why is fire such a common thing in her new life, in her old one she never had to deal with random fires. Jesus christ, what is even happening right now.

Fire burning melting loss can't thought it's wrong all busy terror

--HAVE--
System:Torrent


Quickly stuffing the berry in her backpack, the Pygmy Drake made a dash back to where she had come from. Who was shouting? She didn't recognize the voice, but something about Torrent and dying? It didn't take her long to reach the clearing where they had been previously fighting the beetle.

He was still in the air, somehow, and he couldnโ€™t have been dazed for more than a couple seconds at most but the world was suddenly on fire, both literally and figuratively as the flames spread further and wider and his body continued to feel like he was covered head to toe in sunburn.

Scared

"OBERON HEAL TORRENT NOW--!"

Dying

But there is no time to be stunned and confused, people are yelling and someone is dying. At least, Mourningstar is pretty sure someone is dying. She can't really hear anything right now, other than a persistent ringing in her ears, but she can see that Torrent needs help badly. And so, despite the insane amount of fire everywhere around, Mourningstar rushes in to be the hero once again.

--NO--
System:Torrent


Oh no. Nonono. What did those idiots do?!

Fire. So much fire, like someone lit a campfire in a drought. Was...Torrent burning? It was difficult to see everything clearly through the flames. The heat from it was enough to feel from even all the way here.

"--OR SHE'S GONNA KICK THE BUCKET!"

He heard someone shouting but couldnโ€™t make out the words, though the urgency they carried was still clear even now.

He cast Minor Heal II on himself at it seemed to help; without the pain covering his whole body he was able to concentrate more at least and it seemed to lessen the ringing in his ears as well.

Fire is ignored as Mourningstar flies directly over it, keeping her breathing to a minimum and her eyes narrowed to minimize the effects of the rampant fire. Luckily Digbie was making a pretty good path for her, extinguishing as much of the flames as possible in a direct line to Torrent, which sped things up quite nicely.

Can't
Need more stop no plea


--HP--
System:Torrent


Urgh, this wasn't good. Flapping her wings, she lifted herself into the air with little grace.

The heat licked her claws, but she paid it no mind. For a moment, Ash attempted to hover there, bewildered, trying to piece together how it happened.

"Oberon! Get yourself together--!"

Broke missing lost mommy where kill you not fair not wright mesh fear

He heard shouting again, a different voice this time, and he finally caught on to the fact that Torrent was hurt. He looked around urgently, taking in the scene; Digbie and Ash were here, unhurt and helping to clear a path to Torrent, Mourningstar seemed fine as well as his Shield or some resistance kept her relatively safe, but the Lesserwurm wasnโ€™t so lucky.

In his heightened state of awareness, brought forth by the anxiety due to the stress of the situation, Digbie began to follow in the footsteps of Jason as he began to chant... well... no that wasn't the right word. He began to repeatedly speak out the same sentence over and over as quick as he could.

"RECOVERTHEEARTH--"

When she arrived at Torrent's seemingly lifeless body, the first thing she noticed was baked potatoes. Strange detail to latch onto, especially when one is in front of a dying body. But something about those baked potatoes really spoke to her, they reminded her of a game she really hated back in her first life.

--REMAIN--
System:Torrent

"--and try and heal Torrent!" The beetle? But it was dead. Something else? Didn't matter. Anger quickly punted any sort of sadness she was feeling out. Just how badly did they have to fuck up to explode something?!

"--ANDSAVETHEWURM--"

The evolved lizard had been the closest to the blast and was still trapped within the inferno; the Sprite could just make out her body from where he hovered. Casting Shield III on himself Oberon began to fly towards her, the temperature rising as he approached the edges of the nearest flame and counting on his shield to keep him from bursting into flames.

You could just pause in the middle of combat and eat a bunch of random food junk you had on you, and it would heal you almost instantly. While she doubted it would do much in a real world setting, especially since you can't pause the real world, it was honestly the best idea she had.

Suffering no not don't stop please

--ING. YOU--
System:Torrent


Suppressing a growl, she did quick mental check. Oberon wasn't looking too good himself, but didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. Some goblin trying to put out the fire.

"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"

He kept a healthy distance from the fire as he flew above it until he was hovering above the lizard, lowering himself down as low as he could until the heat became unbearable, before casting first a Shield III on the Lesserwurm to prevent further damage--

This is so incredibly stupid. On one hand she really hopes this works, because that means she saved her friends life, on the other hand if this works than she will have lost so much respect for this world.

--ARE--
System:Torrent


Darkness. Blissful darkness as her mind fled the horrors of her body. She was going to die.

"Mourningstar! See if you can find any healing herbs--" She shouted, trying to give them some sort of direction, hoping a voice might be good enough to spur them into action.

So with Lesser Force, she opened up Torrent's mouth and shoved a Baked Topapo in there, forcing her to chew and swallow with one invisible hand while she picked up the next Baked Topapo with the other.

"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"

--before casting Minor Heal II as many times as he could manage.

But Oberon had, since his meditation, cast Shield III on Mourningstar...Mana Dart I on the Beetle...Minor Heal II on himself...Shield III on himself as he rose above the flames...he had felt his MP dropping even as he extended his hand to try and cast Shield III on Torrent to keep her from taking further damage...

As the Sprite flew up above the flames, he was in the direct light of the sun. His body glimmered like a fairy-shaped diamond. Down below, Digbie's frantic mud-slinging had succeeded in dousing most of the flames on the ground--and oddly enough, in his kicking and running, he seemed to have traced a circle in the ground around Torrent unintentionally.

The circle started to glow.

Oberon felt a trickle of Mana added to what he had left as the sun beamed down.

--Recover--
System:Torrent


She couldn't believe it. Even as she had thrashed in torment, her mind fleetingly grasping at understanding, it had seemed almost unreal. But she knew this darkness and what it brought far too well.

"Shield III!"

"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"

"--like in the cave, but if you can't return immediately!" They could worry about the remnants of the fire and explosion later, saving Torrent was their first priority.

"Minor Heal II!"

As Mourningstar attempted to force feed the Lesserwurm, who was on the verge of unconsciousness, Torrent's body instinctively tried to keep its airways clear by coughing. A mix of blood and warm vegetable pulp spattered the Corpselight's glowing body.

You have no MP Remaining.
System:Oberon


--ing HP slowly--
YOU ARE BURN--
System:Torrent


She was going to die. A final end, perhaps. The bastard Demon King hadn't even felt fit to answer her demands... She didn't expect him - it - to save her.

"You, Goblin! Clear a ground path to Torrent!" He seemed friendly, so perhaps he was another one like them? He seemed like he was trying to help.

"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"

Torrent's body was shrouded in green sparkles, the same which swirled around Oberon's outstretched hand...then the light died away.

The golden light filling Digbie's circle, however, began to emit secondary sparkles as well--once more the color of emeralds.
--. You were--
--ING SEVERELY--
System:Torrent


She didn't want to be saved. She wanted to survive through her own means. All that anger had to be worth something! DAMNIT WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE?

Oberon knew his tank had run dry. What else could he do? Even if he used a Mana Crystal--did he have one?--would he be in time? In a way he felt...too calm. He had never experienced death before. Never had to save a life before. And Torrent...Torrent was...or wasn't...

This fire, the others, the goblins, the cave, the danger, there was so much going on...

Digbie's Soil Manipulation had succeeded in smothering the flames, leaving only a few smoking embers, but still the goblin chanted. He had to make this place safe--the flames, the danger, had to go! He had to make it safe so Oberon could come here--because Oberon could do what he couldn't, Oberon could heal, Torrent, his friend was going to die--!

--healed by Minor--
--.
Your Severe Burn has partially healed. You are still Burning.
System:Torrent


"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"

The Shield III around Torrent's body shattered. The glowing circle grew brighter, and the blackened grass began to shiver as its base began to poke up a little higher, revealing new and green growths...

You are recovering HP slowly. Your HP is now full.
System:Oberon


Her body fell still.

Once again, that white room. Four non-existent walls, a non-existent floor, and non-existent ceiling. White, void, empty. No shadows, no feeling, no sound...

No, there was feeling. Something heavy on her chest and in her hand--claw? Something she was gripping onto so tightly, because she was just so angry! A chain of iron, but coated in rust, the links cracking and stretching...It felt like before...didn't it? What was before? Blue eyes. Forcing herself back...back...into her body? Her body! Burning!

"I didn't make you weak."

A looming shadow. He--it--wasn't going to save her. He just watched--but just this once. Just this once he spoke.

"I picked you because you can become strong." She would remember that.

She had just enough strength for one more pull, even if it was so weak...one fragile, trembling claw holding on...


You have no MP remaining.
Your Stamina is Low.
System:Digbie


"She's dying. She's dying and I can't help..." Digbie's heart sank. He felt powerless to do anything. He wanted to turn away from the sight of what was happening, but he couldn't bare to take his eyes off of what was going on. It was terrifying to watch, yet despite the sickness swelling up from within, Digbie kept trying to extinguish the flames around Torrent, determined to get her a way out of the hell she was experiencing or someone else a way in to heal her. He had seen Oberon managed to do something, so maybe...gently, he tried to gather the loose soil in his bare hands and smother the flames on Torrent's body...

Heal II. You are recovering HP slowly.
WARNING! YOUR HP IS LOW!
Your Burn was doused.
HP Recovery has ceased. Your HP is still Very Low.
System:Torrent


She felt, all over, her shriveled and blackened skin. She smelled her own blood, copper and rust. Her own flesh, somehow sickly sweet like pork. Her scales were cracking, popping, peeling like scabs from the heat. But the roar of the flames was gone. She didn't have enough voice left to scream, no matter how desperate the pain. Her throat was raw and it felt like there was something sticking in her windpipe. She tasted the blood too, warm and iron. Her tears had dried; her eyes were crusted shut with blood. Even though her throat was seared, it was the only way she could breathe, as blood had also caked her nose shut. She couldn't hear her own wheezing, for the same had blocked the earholes on either side of her reptilian head. Her skin was splitting apart.

But her spirit remained.

Torrent was alive. For now.


Ardur, Asteria, Asura, Danny, Ed, Jason, Mother Rat, Skelebois

โ€œTwo lives of trying to keep people alive, a lifetime spent helping others and you falter to something like thisโ€ฆ this evil and unnatural thing?โ€ Ardur practically screamed, rage spilling from him like froth from the mouth as the three Skeleblins approached with murder in their eyesockets.

"You might wanna take flight, kid." Asura tried to channel the same strength that he used to activate the Smash skill into his tendril as he hurled the stone. The elasticity of his limb, his slightly increased strength, and the use of the melee skill caused the stone to flash red for just an instant before it took flight. The light immediately drew the attention of the three skeletons as they registered what had to be an attack.

Leonidas, as the tallest and broadest of the three, had been leading the charge due to its longer stride even though the three were roughly the same speed. But with a sudden burst--a lunge, as opposed to a sustained run--Gawain jumped in front and swung its Wooden Club. The stone struck the weapon and was batted away, but there was a noticeable cracking and splintering of the weapon and the joints of Gawain's arm made several popping noises.

"Assist the pixie there, Ardur, if the goblins get nasty." Asura said to Mother Slime. "Don't eat him and don't attack unless they do first." The Amorphous Slime surged forward to meet the skeletons in closer combat--

โ€œCome, let me show you the Sun's mercy, Let me cleanse you of your sins so you may rest eternally--โ€ without skipping a beat Ardur cast Shield I on himself and focused it into his hands. Similar to before when he had punched a stone, the golden orbs tightened and became smaller and denser around his fists...

"ALL NEARBY UNITS, MOBILIZE AND HEAD TO THE DUNGEON ENTRANCE!!!" That had to be Jason's voice booming out, echoing within the cave. The three Skeleblins' eyes flashed. They were already at the entrance and mobilized to attack the intruders--having "approval" from the Boss only increased their tenacity.

Leonidas hefted his Wooden Spear like a javelin--

Within five feet of the skele-blins Asura lashed out. Stretching his 'limbs' as far as he could to sweep as hard as he could across the three skeletons. While that went on another pseudopod went straight, acting like a ball on a gooey rope to nail the middle skeleton with a blunt strike. Again Gawain moved into the path of the sweep, stopping Asura's tendril at the cost of another chunk of splinters flying from its weapon. As the pseudopod naturally began to retract, the Skeleblin followed it in and raised its club as its teeth clattered.

โ€œFire cleanses and inferno purifies.โ€ Ardur began to chant again but this time like the shield spell, he tried to focus on keeping the fireballs just on the outside of the shield. The Fireball formed around his fists with the shield glowing at its center--but rather than the Shield absorbing the damage from the flames, it was the fire that fed on the shield like charcoal. Yet once the shield was completely burned away, Ardur somehow didn't feel that the fire was going to burn him next. Again, red veins began to spread up both of his arms...

Jason cast [Stone Shot II], using himself; his whole self, as the projectile. Not to soar through the air, but to use that same magical force that propelled his first magical attack to drive himself faster. He focused all of his mental capacity into feeling himself become one with his stone magic for the purpose of increasing his speed, chanting inside his own head...it felt like he might be going faster, but he couldn't be certain, and either way the battle was already starting...He just needed to get close enough to use his Warcry and maybe--

You used Monster Analysis II! Magic Analysis I boosts the effectiveness of this skill!
This is a Monster, with almost no magical energies. This is a new monster to you!
---Asura---
Amorphous Slime - Slimes that have a preference for shape shifting sometimes develop a weakened membrane. Their defensive abilities stop increasing so quickly compared to normal slime types, but their shapeshifting and movement skills rise more quickly. These slimes avoid water, as it has a much stronger diluting effect on them. They are also vulnerable to temperatures of either extreme, as their primarily liquid bodies can freeze or boil. They have an easier time healing after attacks, as their body tends to just flow back together. You know this Amorphous Slime as Asura, a fellow Reincarnator. Asura's only magically oriented skill is a Magic Resistance to attacks, and his MP is about half of yours at full value. However, there are a small number of magical skills he is developing.
---Analysis Complete!---
System:Asteria


Asura's straight-tendril struck Leonidas in the sternum as the skeleton was about to throw its spear, knocking the creature back a step and cracking the bone. But it was still "alive," and it clattered angrily as it hefted the weapon again. Meanwhile, Y'tahl's gaze was suddenly drawn to Ardur for some reason, and for a moment the skeleblin simply stood there stock still--then, angrily chattering, it raised its own stone spear and charged the Pixie...

Danny and Ed were still some distance away from the others--they could see Jason and Asteria from the rear, and not too far ahead of the Wisp and male Dire Rat, Mother Rat was running full tilt as well. Would they make it in time to be of any help?

โ€œMy soul is fire, my heart is of the sun, Burn and envelope the evil within these lost souls!โ€ With that he leaped forward and flew towards the closest skeleton as fast as he could intent on punching the creature with his fists of fire!

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
System:Ardur


Y'Tahl stopped its run and started to position its spear for a thrust--but for some reason the skeleblin seemed awkward with the weapon's weight, and by the time it got the point into position--

Ardur had exercised his entire body and made use of his Healing skills as a Pixie to "cheat" his species' natural limitations, and thus acquired Physical Conditioning to raise all of his base physical stats. Focused training after that had granted him Stronger, increasing solely his muscle's ability to generate power. His Lesser Flight skill had improved over time, granting him more speed, and driving in from the air like this his momentum had the added weight of gravity. His Shield spell protected his fists from the stress his own body was about to put on them--and they were on fire to boot.

Though he wasn't able to arrive fast enough to stop the engagement from starting, Jason made it on scene just in time to see Asura lash out at his soldiers. He activated [Warcry II]--

Y'TAHL KILLED BY INTRUDER_PIXIE!
Dungeon:Jason


Ardur's flaming fist, like some kind of mage who could harness the power of dragon's fire, shattered Ytahl's skull and carried on downwards with the pixie's dropping momentum, also shattering the clavicle and destroying a shoulder socket. The Skeleblin's arm spun off into the distance, clattering on the rocks where it continue to twitch unnaturally. The Badly Made Stone Spear clattered to the floor as well...

But at that same moment, Asteria suddenly barreled into Ardur!

โ€œListen to me! I know this is weird, alright, but theyโ€™re allies for now. So, could you just back down and ignore them?โ€ Her tail wrapped around Ardur and squeezed, and suddenly he felt his strength draining away! He had already used quite a bit of Mana, adding the various chants to his Fireball and now to this odd combo spell, and as the Rat drained him he felt the last bit of it ebb away, followed by the usual System Notice.

"ASURA, DON'T ATTACK THEM, THEY WORK FOR ME!"

Asura suddenly felt as if he HAD to look--it was like that feeling when something, a bug perhaps, lands on your shoulder and you IMMEDIATELY have to turn your head and swat it away. Like the moment something truly startles you and you JUMP without fully intending to. All of his focus--and his aggression that had previously been focused on the skeletons--suddenly shifted towards Jason. The same was true for Momma Slime, who had already started rolling towards Asteria after what Asura told her about protecting the Pixie--now she was rumbling towards Jason like a giant blue boulder!

With Asura distracted, Gawain swung the Wooden Club and Leonidas stepped forward to thrust with the Wooden Spear. The club hit hard enough to jiggle his body mass, and the spear sank a few inches into his membrane with a wet fart sound, but as both weapons were withdrawn Asura didn't feel all that injured. Still, the two Skeleblins clattered angrily and continued to attack, Gawain swinging the club like a bat in both hands and Leonidas taking a half step back in order to drive as much weight into the next thrust as possible...


Orchid and Goblins

"Dammit you pixie, you just really want to be a thorn in my side don't you?"

"OI! Dat muskle Pixie stole me spell!" Crispy snarled. He looked like he was about to cast his own Fireball, when suddenly the explosion from behind them sent a wave of smoke over the group.

"Follow me and get ready for a fight." came Orchid's voice. Crispy wasn't going to listen to her--he was the Boss after all--but he couldn't see anything. So he had to follow the voice in order to keep the tribe from getting split up. Yeah, that was it! The other goblins, save Clod who had hung back, did the same. Orchid needed to get her goblins out of here before things get any crazier. "Oi! Bigz, Jezee, get over here!" Orchid didn't have any healing herbs for the wounded, so she couldn't help them. She just needed her goblins out of this mess, and then she'll figure out what could be done to assist. For starters, Orchid tried to stamp out some of the grass fire with her shield, making sure to strike hard and fast to snuff out the embers and prevent her shield from catching flame.

She didn't have to do much, as by the time the goblins all grouped together again Digbie had pretty much handled the flames. It looked like that one monster was still alive after all...

"Oi, how Digbie doin' magic now!?" called out Wej as Bigs and Jezee came jogging up. The female was practically shivering from fear and Bigs' eyes were wide as dinner plates.

"Digbie, ya gots to get ways from dere! Come wiv us!" shouted Bigs.

"All dese udda mobs crazy! Dey made dat big beetle go BOOM!" cried Jezee.

"LOOK! DAT ONE ALMOST DEAD!" Crispy practically danced in glee as he pointed at Torrent. One of Crispy's minions pulled their Stone Knife from their vine belt...
Asura, Momma Slime

As Asura led Momma Slime towards the entrance of the cave, they soon came close enough to see Ardur standing just outside with his hand outstretched. So it looked like the disturbingly muscular pixie was testing out his own magic. However, they could also see three skeleton goblins--now armed with weapons--heading their way, and they looked none too happy.

Before Asura had made a decision on what to do, however, another fireball appeared--this time, more like the kind one saw back in his old world on a daily basis in the Middle East. He couldn't see clearly due to the flames and smoke, but it looked like some of those other monsters had been caught in some kind of blast...

And now, from behind Ardur instead of in front, several Goblins were approaching. That female former-human was armed with a vicious looking bladed club alongside her shield, and appeared to be giving it a few test swings...


Ardur, Ash, Bigs, Digbie, Jezee, Mourningstar, Oberon, Reoth, Steve, Torrent

As Ash wandered deeper into the forest, she would find that the light rain from the night before seemed to have pacified the forest somewhat. Most creatures would no doubt take shelter to avoid getting wet, and in this early morning hour as the sun was just beginning to shine few things had stirred--at least, above ground. It seemed that several critters beneath the earth, like worms and grubs and tiny insects, were scurrying about to find a dry place or push wet dirt out of their holes. And of course there was that nasty beetle she had left Torrent and the others to contend with.

She soon came upon a couple of bushes, their leaves glimmering with the sheen of misty droplets. The bright green leaves of one bush concealed lumpy roots much like those Torrent and Oberon had been digging for when that beetle attacked, and the other plant's branches hung low with round, swollen bunches of blue colored berries.

You used Alchemy II! You used Magic Analysis I!
---Blackworm---
This target has not been harvested, dissected, or otherwise broken down into useful components. Without more Analysis Skills, at its current rank the Alchemy Skill is unable to analyze the traits of this target or its reactivity. This Creature has no Magical Properties whatsoever, not even MP.
---Lampworm---
This target has not been harvested, dissected, or otherwise broken down into useful components. Without more Analysis Skills, at its current rank the Alchemy Skill is unable to analyze the traits of this target or its reactivity. This Monstrous Creature has few Magical Properties, and barely any MP.
---Common Spider Species---
This target has not been harvested, dissected, or otherwise broken down into useful components. Without more Analysis Skills, at its current rank the Alchemy Skill is unable to analyze the traits of this target or its reactivity. This Creature has no Magical Properties whatsoever, not even MP.
---Wild Topapo---
Plant, Root. Firm exterior. Low taste value. High in carbohydrates. Slight toxicity in the skin and leaves. Soft, slightly crunchy interior. Relatively non-reactive. Very low magical properties.
---Blue Argep---
Plant, Berry. Firm exterior. High sweetness. Very High Vitamin Content. Slightly acidic juice. Negligible toxicity in seed pits. Soft, weak, pulpy, juicy. Slightly reactive. No magical properties.
---Alchemy and Analysis Complete!---
System:Ash


Then, from behind her, something roared and a hot wind rustled the trees...

You used Monster Analysis I! You used Magic Analysis III! Effectiveness boosted!
---Mourningstar---
This is a new monster to you! Corpselight - This monster came to be by feeding on the ambient regrets, negative energy, and stagnant mana in environments suffused by the essence of death. It often hovers above such places, sucking out what little of the souls remain from corpses littering the ground. It prefers dark places and moonless nights, so that its glow can lure more unwary victims. You know this one as Mourningstar, a fellow Reincarnator. There's something you just can't place about her, but oh well. You know she has the Spell skills Mana Orb II, Lesser Force III, Levitation, Magic Analysis II, Mana Shape I, and Mana Slice I. It seems she has gained a rank in some kind of concentration skill, and she is developing several other magical abilities. Some of them feel...predatory.
---Flak Beetle---
An aggressive insectoid monster known for the glowing sac hidden under its shell. The shell hides a gland in the bug's thorax that, similar to a firefly, contains a substance that produces light. Unlike the firefly, the Flak Beetle can use this substance as a weapon, firing it with explosive force equivalent to a Fireball spell--from either end of its body. It also has strong jaws, capable of cutting through leather given enough time. Despite its tendency to viciously attack almost anything, it only eats plants. Its MP is much lower than your own. It has no magically oriented skills, though it is developing a few elemental resistances.
---Analysis Complete!---
System:Oberon


As Mourningstar tackled the beetle, she displaced its charge at Torrent and allowed the Lesserwurm to move away. When she opened her mouth, her orb-like body almost split completely in half! Unlike the weak jaws of the Wisp, for some reason the Corpselight had a full set of teeth--most of which seemed to be canine in nature, instead of a mix of types like a normal human mouth. Indeed, her jaw seemed more like a trap made from sharpened bone shards than a true mouth.

But despite her slight stat increase, it seemed like her bite strength still left something to be desired. Though she bit down hard on the beetle's carapace, her fangs barely left a scratch on its hard carapace. It felt like biting down on hard, smooth plastic. Still, her teeth were sharp enough that even this smooth surface could be gripped, and with her newly enlarged size she was able to push the beetle somewhat--until it got its six spiny legs underneath it. It gave a single buck and hurled the Corpselight off with ease--insects were always proportionally super strong, and it seemed even as a monster that case would hold true.

But now that it had been pushed away from Torrent and thrown Mourningstar off, it was wide open. Oberon's Mana Dart flew slightly over its head and struck its back at an angle. This time the hard shell cracked, and the creature gave a hissing squeal of pain--but there was no blood, despite a view of an odd blue glow from within a small break in the chitin. Oberon had done enough damage to break through its defense, but even with Mana Dart hadn't penetrated all the way to the flesh!

The beetle's four mandibles opened wide again, and the interlocking plates around the mouth parted to reveal a drooling maw--from within which, the blue light began to glow even brighter. At the same time the insect's back shell parted--shedding another broken piece--to reveal a pair of translucent wings that flared out and glimmered slightly in the sun. This also revealed the creature's thorax. The exposed part looked somewhat like a wasp's stinger, with an opening instead of a barbed tip, but the upper half was covered with a pulsating sack inside which something akin to the fluid in a lava lamp began to boil angrily.

After it had braced itself for recoil, the beetle--

Was hit by Torrent's Fireball.

Attempting to contain the spell within her mouth worked--the fireball was much more contained and focused, easier to cast with accuracy. However, there was one problem. The inside of her mouth now felt like she had taken a big gulp of coffee straight from the pot. Nonetheless, Torrent's Fireball spell went off without a hitch, striking her target's exposed rear end. The flames spread with a whoosh, and the beetle--

Exploded.

The flames struck its side and washed over it, hitting the thoracic opening and the glowing sac. According to Oberon's earlier analysis, it could fire the chemical in its body as a weapon. This was somewhat similar to a bombardier beetle, back on Earth. But the bombardier beetle and the Flak Beetle used these natural weapons in a very particular way--that is to say, not all at once. They only had a limited amount of the chemicals needed for this defense mechanism, and using it presented a danger of burning themselves as well. In the bombardier beetle's case, it used its weapon like a machine gun, in short bursts with cooldown in-between. And though Oberon's analysis hadn't mentioned it, the Flak Beetle used its own body somewhat like a rocket launcher--whichever end it wasn't firing from would release a sort of back-blast, venting the excess force and heat. So Torrent's Fireball had inadvertently set off the entire ammo depot at once, as a manner of speaking.

Oberon was the furthest away from the battle. Mourningstar was slightly closer, but had also had the sprite's Shield spell cast on her. Torrent, however, had planned to attack at close range after her spell.

The blast went off with a sound so loud, Torrent never heard it as the wave slammed into her like a double helping of Rattleskulls. The flames came an instant after that, searing her scales so fast she barely had time to register it before the nerve endings in her outer skin were completely fried. The senses of hearing, sight, and smell were obliterated, feeling consisted of only agony, and taste was sulfur and blood and hot. Oberon was bowled over by the shockwave, and though the flames went up and out before they reached him the sheer heat scalded his sensitive skin. Mourningstar was knocked away like a pinball, her Shield shattering the first time she bounced against the ground. She could feel the uncomfortable heat as she struggled to regain control of her levitation, but it seemed she hadn't taken quite as much damage as Oberon--and certainly not as much as Torrent.

WARNING: YOUR HP IS LOW!
System:Oberon

WARNING: YOUR HP IS LOW!
YOU ARE BURNING SEVERELY!
YOU HAVE ONE HEALTH POINT REMAINING!
YOU ARE DYING--


Obtained Item: Baked Topapo x2
System:Torrent


The flames were catching on the grass and the side of the nearby trees--anyone trying to get close enough to touch Torrent would have to either be brave enough or tough enough to get through them. The Lesserwurm had literal seconds as her ears and nose streamed blood and her body burned--


Orchid and the Goblins

As Orchid ignored Crispy and Wej's questions and Clod's mixed looks of both irritation and disappointment, she headed for the place where the sound of that Fireball going off had come. Crispy shouted at his two minions, who quickly hopped to, and Wej precariously followed Orchid while hiding behind his shield. Clod hung back, instead taking the two blades of rock he had created and beginning to work on his remaining Wooden Club the way he had seen Orchid do, first smoothing off its bark and ridges and then hardening it in the fire. Sqwal was still up in the tree, sawing away at a large branch--until he saw something else, and immediately began pointing and shouting.

But Orchid didn't need his signals, as she was close enough to see it happen. The other monsters were struggling with something as they tried to gather food--something to take note of in the background, but not what she was after. She wanted to know what that buff pixie had done to cause that explosion--

Then another explosion went off in the background, making her ears ring...


Jason, Asteria, Mother Rat, Danny

As Jason literally sprung into action, he managed to grab Dire Rat A tightly around the neck. As Mother Rat bristled next to Asteria, her hair going up much like a cat's and her hackles snarling like a dog's, Jason ordered the assimilated monster to stand down. He then started to explain why Asteria and Mother Rat were not to be considered acceptable targets--

And while he was doing that Mother Rat leaped on the Dire Rat, who had been ordered to stop fighting. With no resistance, she bit deep into its side and began to savagely twist and shake before Jason could stop her, opening the other rat's belly to the air.

COMMAND INVALID. DUNGEON CANNOT REGISTER A MID-BOSS AT CURRENT LEVEL.

DIRE_RAT_A WAS KILLED BY ADULT_DIRE_RAT_123! REGISTER ADULT_DIRE_RAT_123 AS AN INTRUDER?
Dungeon:Jason


Emptying out the last of Ed's sack of Mana Crystals--which by this point had pretty much degraded and could no longer be used--Jason urged his followers to high-tail it to the cavern. Maybe he hadn't even noticed his subordinate's death. It was hard to pay attention to things like that when one was so busy.

Even though his Limited Shapeshift improved his ability to travel, granting him more control which in turn gave his rolling more speed, the fiasco with Dire Rat A took some time. Add that to the travel time towards the cave's entrance, and Jason might just miss whatever was going on...

Yes, he might not get there in time to stop the Skeleblins from attacking the intruder. The intruder that was shooting Fireballs into his dungeon. His dungeon, that the Skeleblins protected. What was this idiot thinking--because there were only a handful of creatures Jason knew could create a Fireball, and to him they were all probably idiots. They almost deserved to get attacked by the Skeleblins. After all, he was working so hard on this dungeon, trying to fix it, trying to make it better, and what did he get for his efforts? How dare they do this to him? How dare they BETRAY him? This...this...intruder! Intruder! Intruder!

Meanwhile, as Danny repeated the process of trying to Mana Shape a Mana Orb, then used Lesser Force to try and hold the shape together, he did feel a shift in the Mana. Not a large one, but noticeable. The shaped Mana, under pressure from Lesser Force, began to distort somewhat. The flat faces of that triangular prism began to bend and flex as he tightened his grip on them--the end shape was somewhat like a broad-headed arrow. But it still felt...hollow. And too big. Even though it held its shape until it hit the target, the tip immediately seemed to "bend" and the Mana now exploded in the same fashion as a normal Mana Orb. It was almost like the shape was a paper plane--it didn't have enough weight or density, or even speed, to "pierce" an object.

You have no MP remaining.
System:Danny


And then just as he decided to go look for Ed, he ran out of MP. Slowly floating down to the ground as his levitation died off--at least he hadn't plummeted this time, maybe it spoke to the increased control he had been practicing--he now found himself immobile for the moment. Unless he wanted to mimic Jason and try rolling around, anyway.


Ed

Ed stealthily pounced on his unwary target, taking the Fanged Lizard's rear flank completely by surprise. Before the creature even finished jolting upward, he sank his fangs into the base of its neck. As the Rat began to savagely tear at his opponent, the Lizard couldn't turn its head enough to use its own fangs or spit its poison. All it could do was buck back and forth, which didn't stop Ed for a second. Finally the lizard desperately flopped over off the rock it had been laying on, sending itself and Ed tumbling down the slope. By the time they hit the bottom, however, it was dead--Ed could feel the bones of its spinal column under his teeth, and its head was hanging by ragged flaps of flesh.

And Rabid Fit hadn't even triggered.
Orchid and Goblins

As Orchid demonstrated why the Creeping Vine wouldn't be of any use, Sqwal's scowl grew deeper. When the female goblin sat down to focus on her own crafting, the male torchbearer turned to look back at the tree with all the vines on it.

"Dun need dum rope to make gud wep'n anyway..." he grumbled to himself. Using the vines to get a better handhold, he began climbing up into the tree. Once he had perched himself on a branch large enough to support his weight, he began using his own Sharp Stone to start hacking at it--coming dangerously close to neutering himself a few times. But still, the branch shook and cracked until it finally fell to the ground--almost landing on top of Wej as he returned with another shield/basket full of the blue colored berries, a few roots, and what looked to be an entire nest of grubs still trapped in a clod of dark colored mud.

"Oi! Watch it up dere!" Wej yelled, struggling to keep the basket upright as he stumbled away. He sat it down next to the fire and Crispy.

"Where Bigs an' Jezee?" said Crispy, immediately grabbing the biggest grubs and a handful of berries for himself.

"Dey went ova to dem udda Mobs. Dat diggy Gob was ova dere."

"Hmm...Dat one, Digbie. He been wiv 'em dis whole time?" The Flame-touched Goblin looked towards Orchid, who was just finishing up her stone-knapping...seemingly unaware of the way Clod had started throwing dirty looks at her occasionally.

You Processed an Item!
Smooth Stick (Average) - Using Sharp Stone (Good) + Wooden Club (Good)
Your methods of crafting are more refined compared to your materials. Effectiveness boosted.
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of Processing.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented the deterioration of your processing item.
Your Crafting IV skill could not prevent the deterioration of an item used to process the target.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented the deterioration of an item used to process the target.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your processed item!

Obtained Item: Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average)
Item Deteriorated: Sharp Stone (Good) > Sharp Stone (Average)
---
You Processed an Item!
Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average) + Fire Hardening
Your Crafting IV skill prevented damage to your target item from this processing!
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of processing!
This type of processing improves your target item!

Obtained Item: Fire-Hardened Notched Smooth Stick (Very Good)
---
Obtained Items: Hard Stone (Good) x2, Hard Stone (Average) x2

You Created Items!
Hard Stone (Good) + Hard Stone (Average)
Hard Stone (Good) + Hard Stone (Average)
Hard Stone (Average) + Hard Stone (Average)
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of this crafting!
Your Crafting IV skill prevented deterioration of your crafted items.
In the process of crafting, one item has been destroyed.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your created items!

Obtained Items: Sharp Stone (Good) x2, Sharp Stone (Well Made), Sharp Stone (Excellent), Sharp Stone (Average)
---
You Created Items!
Sharp Stone (Good) + Sharp Stone (Average)
Sharp Stone (Well Made) + Sharp Stone (Good)
Sharp Stone (Excellent) + Sharp Stone (Above Average)
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of this crafting!
Your method is inefficient. Effectiveness decreased.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented deterioration of some of your crafted items.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of a few of your crafted items.

Obtained Items: Sharp Stone Shard (Below Average), Sharp Stone Shard (Average) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Above Average) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Good), Sharp Stone Shard (Very Good) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Well Made), Sharp Stone Shard (Excellent)

---
You created a Weapon!
Fire-Hardened Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average) + Fiber Cordage (Average) + Fiber Cordage (Well Made) + Sharp Stone Shard (Below Average) + Sharp Stone Shard (Average) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Above Average) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Good) + Sharp Stone Shard (Very Good) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Well Made) + Sharp Stone Shard (Excellent)
You are using a large number of items. Effectiveness decreased due to current Crafting rank.
Your method of crafting is more refined compared to your materials. Effectiveness increased.
You are creating a more complex weapon. Effectiveness decreased.
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of your crafting!
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your item!

Obtained Item: Sharp Stone Club! (Well-Made)
A viciously designed club, it's hard to believe this was created by a Goblin. Sharpened shards of stone have been inserted into it, allowing it to be used much like a sword or a saw blade. Combined with its weight, it can deliver powerful strokes. It can deal Slashing and Blunt damage. This weapon feels stronger than your current Wooden Club. This weapon can swing faster than your current Wooden Club. This weapon is tougher than your current Wooden Club. This weapon has a chance to cause Bleeding damage to an enemy! This weapon is slightly vulnerable to fire.

((Your Hard Stones, Sharp Stone, and the Average and Well Made Fiber Cordages should be removed from your inventory.))

Skill Rank Up: Material Analysis I > Material Analysis II!
Obtain more detailed information about the qualities and traits of Materials. If you know of a currency value, you can make a rough estimate of an object's worth. The more detailed your knowledge of the local economy, the more accurate the assessment.
System:Orchid


But just as Orchid finished, all of the goblins gave a yelp of surprise and turned towards the cave, where the buff pixie had just unleashed a fireball into the open mouth of the tunnel...


Asura, Momma Slime

Skill Gain: Cling I!
As a Slime you are naturally suited to sticking to objects. By expending stamina, you cling to any surface and are able to climb or stick upon it. At this rank, the type and texture of the surface will change the skill's effectiveness. At this rank, you are much slower when moving on objects while clinging. At this rank, this skill cannot be used save to climb or stick to surfaces.

Current Skills:
Physical Damage Resistance I (1.86)
Overwork I (1.2)
Blunt Resistance I (1.1)
Limited Shapeshift III (3.525)
Smash I (1.3)
Pierce Resistance I (1.05)
Faster I (1.05)
Magic Resistance I (1.0)
Harder I (1.3)
Counter I (1.5)
Cling I (1.0)

<UNUSABLE SKILLS>
Earth Resist (0.7)
Mental Resistance (0.4)
Monster Analysis (0.7)
Slime Shell (0.5)
Charisma (0.5)
Slime Whip (0.5)
Dextrous (0.2)
Soil Manipulation (0.3)
Stone Shot (0.1)
Slime Coil (0.1)
Iron Gullet (0.7)
Magic Analysis (0.3)
Bounce (0.4)
Muffle (0.1)
Poison Resistance (0.1)
Dash Attack (0.3)
Spiritual Awareness (0.2)
Intimidate (0.15)
Stronger (0.6)
Blood Drain (0.3)
System:Asura


"But hungreeeeeee." Momma Slime slurped up what little remained of Rattleskull's torso all in one gulp and sat there, wobbling stubbornly as she slowly digested it. It figured. That was pretty much all wild Slimes did, eat and sleep and every so often move around. And at Momma Slime's larger size, that probably meant eating quite a bit more than Asura usually did. Would they leave the cave with the others in search of more food, or try to finish off Asura's grinding quest here in the cave?

The answer to that might be delayed somewhat, as a flaming trail of magic shot through the air not too far away from them, hitting an outcropping of rock in a bright flash...


Danny

As Danny used his Mana Shape to try and further his development of Mana Dart, he found that it wasn't quite so simple as it first appeared. Then again, maybe he wasn't going about it the right way--he had obtained Aqua Sphere rather quickly, after all. What was he doing differently compared to when he had practiced yet?

His attempted dart had been shaped correctly, now that he had an actual spell to do that...but it didn't feel right. It was as if all he had done was take a plain piece of paper and fold it a few times into a cone or triangular prism. The "dart" didn't feel like it had any weight or sharpness. And when he fired it, it quickly came undone and blossomed back into a regular Orb. The effect it had on the rock was the same as well.

Just then, however, from his position near the pool he could see a bright light from the cave's entrance--something arching up, then coming down in a trail of fire. It landed far away, but what in the world had that been? One of Crispy's fireballs?


Ardur, Ash, Digbie, Mourningstar, Oberon, Reoth, Steve, Torrent

Yo! You have reached the Demon King's Prayer Hotline. Please hold, your prayers are NOT important to me.

I kindly request that you STOP IMMEDIATELY. Do not EVER pray to me again. Prayers are for deities and I don't want that kinda fuckin' responsibility. This is an automated response system, do not reply to it or I'll send somebody to fuck you up.

--Beep--

Update: If you're one of my Damned Heroes, this is for you. If you can prove your strength to me and survive, find my Palace. Protip--it ain't in that shitty cave. Try the Dungeons.

--Beep--
OI, YOU! TELL THE OTHER FUCKHEADS TO CUT IT OUT WITH THE PRAYING. LAST WARNING.


Obtained Item: Wild Topapo x2
System:Torrent


You used Alchemy II! You used Magic Analysis!
These are Plants, and have little natural magic properties. Without other Analysis Skills, you cannot determine the Quality of the items, only their Alchemical traits.
---Green Argep---
Plant, Berry. Crunchy Exterior. Low Sweetness. Acidic Juice. Negligible Toxicity. Soft, Weak, Pulpy.
---Argep Leaves---
Plant, Leaf. Limited Caloric Value. High Vitamin Content. Negligible Toxicity. Fibrous. Low Tensile Strength. Acidic Juice. Reactive with Water.
---Alchemy Complete!---
System:Ash


Skill Gain: Meditate I!
By concentrating and calming oneself, increase the regeneration of Magic Power and Stamina. This skill cannot be used in battle. Any distractions in the environment will drastically decrease the effectiveness of this skill. This skill cannot be used in conjunction with other skills.
System:Oberon


Skill Gain: Crafting I!
You may craft very simple items from simple materials. Your knowledge and understanding of mechanics, workmanship, and other such things enable you to craft better items. The process of creating many items is still an unknown to you, but if you ever succeed in such a creation its Sub-Stat Enhancements will be higher than normal.
System:Ardur

As the others were distracted with their various tasks, Digbie would find himself being approached by two of the goblins from before--one was smaller than him, and clearly a female, while the other was a little bit larger than himself and male. They both carried shields made somewhat like a woven basket, and the male had a dangerous looking spear.

"Oi! You a Gob like us, why you ova here?" called the male.

"Y-you should come wiv us! We needs all da Gobs we can get!" said the girl goblin, in a more gentle voice.

Torrent received a rather surprising response from the Demon King as she "prayed" in the loosest sense, expecting a direct answer. This seemed rather pre-canned...but at the same time, it was much more direct than anything thus far. After all, the Demon King hadn't even spoken to them since they had been dropped here...or had he? She couldn't quite remember...

As her claws found purchase in the loose earth, she soon revealed the two large tubers Oberon had caught a glimpse of before. As the rest of their oblong shapes were revealed, they were each about the size of a human's fist, which meant they could probably serve as a meal for most of the party if split up evenly. But something else had been digging in the dirt--if only Digbie hadn't neglected to mention it thus far!

With an angry buzz, an enormous beetle with four sharp mandibles suddenly shot out of the dirt, snapping at Torrent--!

Ash found the berries and leaves to be rather plain, at least by the standards of this world she had experienced so far. They weren't poisonous, magical, explosive, or really even that good to eat if her Alchemy skill was any judge. Maybe the berries just weren't ripe enough. That comment about water for the leaves might bring to mind the possibility of tea, but they would need a fire for that...

As Ardur fastened his new silk and leaf loincloth around himself and headed back towards the cave, a System notification let him know that he had finally unlocked the Crafting Skill! He had been making a few things thus far regardless of actually having that skill...but maybe having it meant those Sub Stat Enhancement things would come into play...

Oberon, too, felt an internal "click" as his Meditate skill unlocked, and new Mana flooded his system! Whatever glee he might feel would probably be short lived, however, as something burst out of the ground at Torrent and...

As Ardur focused, he felt his palm grow hot.

โ€œFire burns, Inferno rages," he began, and the Fireball already sprang into existence within his grasp. "Consume and destroy, Cleanse and Purify," he continued, and the ball began to struggle as if it were trying to escape him. "Feel the wrath of the sun and rejoice in its light." Ardur's veins along his arm suddenly began to glow bright red, and he felt the heat growing more and more intense--but just before it could scald him, he released the power! "Fireball!"

He felt another chunk of MP leave him, more than he had ever used with Shield and almost as much as he had used with the higher ranks of Minor Heal. The Fireball had grown larger and was glowing brighter, and as it shot off into the distance his arc added a little range on it as well. It illuminated parts of the cave as it went, the flickering light casting long shadows among the rocks, before it struck a stalagmite and went out in a flare-like flash rather than an explosion.

Meanwhile, Mourningstar's body had continued to swell with the odd pulsations...only now it had also begun to change color. Her pale white flesh turned an almost sickly green, while the wispy hairs all over it grew longer and more yellow. If one didn't know better, they might even say she was starting to rot...Then, suddenly, light blazed inside the flesh. Like electricity it began to spread through the long fur, and as Mourningstar came back to wakefulness she crackled back to life. She was now about the size the Wispmother had been, but her light was an eerie glow that constantly shifted between various shades of green, white, and yellow. Though in the sunlight it wasn't quite so noticeable, at night she would have certainly appeared to be quite the spooky spirit.

Speaking of sunlight, it felt rather uncomfortable...much like turning on the bedside lamp right after waking up, except all over her body instead of just in her eyes...

TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!
Wisp > Corpselight
All base stats slightly increased
Skill Gain: Taboo I! (1.3)
You have gained a "cursed skill." Those with sharp senses may detect your true nature...Even now, the evil seed of what you've done germinates within you...
You have not reached your full Potential. The Skill Mana Drain has been Reduced. (0.5)
You have not reached your full Potential. The Skill Blood Drain has been Reduced. (0.5)
System:Mourningstar



Ed, Asteria, Mother Rat

You used Crafting I!
Without Material Analysis, you cannot determine the Quality of the Item you have created.
You created an item!
Small Rock x3 + Mud

Created Item: Earthen Dummy

This Item is too large and heavy for your Inventory.

Skill Gain: Stronger I!
You have grown stronger through tough training! Tear muscles down, and rebuild them anew! Your physical power stats have increased! By gaining at least one rank of Faster, Harder, and Better, Skill Synergy will occurr and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.

Skill Gain: Prehensile Tail (--)!
Your tail has developed enough muscle and coordination that you can use it as if it were a fully functional limb--minus fingers and toes of course. Any stats, skills, items, spells, etc that could be used or applied by your limbs can, with a few exceptions, also be used by your tail.

Skill Rank Up: Faster I > Faster II!
Further increase your base speed stats and movement rate. By gaining at least one rank of Stronger, Harder, and Better, Skill Synergy will occurr and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.
System:Asteria


Asteria's training seemed to be paying off quite well, though her Earthen Dummy ended up falling apart after only a few blows. Once she had gained her new stat boosts and the added dexterity of her tail, she found it much easier to catch fish and soon had enough to not only fully satiate herself, but also her Mother. Whether she intended this or not was unclear, as Mother Rat simply waddled out of the cave as Asteria was throwing some of her catch onto the bank and immediately grabbed some of the fish for herself. Upon noticing Asteria's growth, Mother Rat squeaked several times, then mimicked her offspring by standing on her hind legs and looking around. When she dropped back to the earth she sniffed around Asteria suspiciously, as if she didn't believe this was the same rat she had slept next to last night. But, finally convinced, Mother Rat simply tilted her head as if to say "now what?"

Before Asteria could answer, however, a third Dire Rat was suddenly running towards the two of them--it was the one that had been curled up, asleep on a rock, as they came out of Jason's cave this morning. And as it charged at them, they soon saw that its eyes had begun to glow with an odd light...

As Ed took off, shame and embarassment practically setting the ends of his whiskers on fire, he focused on staying out of sight--not just from Asteria, but any prey that might be in the area. As he hunted, soon his enhanced senses picked up on the scent of something reptilian...and then, of course, he came upon tracks. A Fanged Lizard had been through here recently...Ed would find it rather quickly, as it was sitting on top of a flat rock under one of the small holes in the ceiling, sunning itself as the morning light began to grow warmer and brighter...

Kind of like that fireball way off in the distance...


Jason


WARNING! DUNGEON STRUCTURE IS BEING DAMAGED BY AN EXTERNAL SOURCE!

CHANGING DESIGNATION: SKELEBLIN_003...
NEW DESIGNATION REGISTERED: LEONIDAS

REGISTERING ORDERS:
GAWAIN, LEONIDAS, Y'TAHL
{SEARCH AREA H-10 AND SURROUNDING AREAS
-LANDMARK; LARGE, FLAT ROCK / 3 GOBLIN CORPSES
-SEARCH FOR; GAWAIN:CLUB, Y'TAHL:BADLY MADE STONE SPEAR, LEONIDAS:SPEAR
RETURN
-IF- EQUIPMENT NOT FOUND
RETURN}

ORDERS REGISTERED. EXECUTING...
Dungeon:Jason


Ignoring the notice, as Asteria was still in view by the pool, Jason barely caught the wandering skeletons in time, but his orders were successfully received this time around. The three began walking in an odd unison around the pool, heading towards the specified area. As they left, Jason attempted to open his own menu.

EXP: 52%

Skill Rank Up: Warcry I > Warcry II!
Range of Effect increased. Enemies will focus their attention on you immediately. Very Low Chance to Intimidate enemies.

EXP: 65%
System:Jason


His training paid off for at least one of the skills he was working towards, and as it happened during his perusal of his menu he was able to see the EXP meter tick over just before the "notification" went away. It looked like he was over halfway to his next level--and he had finally confirmed something he had no doubt wondered up until this point. Fighting monsters wasn't the only way to get experience in this "game."

But as he finished his short training session, he too would be able to see the arching flame from the distance...

WARNING! AN INTRUDER HAS ENTERED THE DUNGEON! AN INTRUDER HAS ATTACKED!
Dungeon:Jason



The Skele-Trio

Running full tilt, their bones a-clacking and teeth clattering the whole way, the Skeleblins soon reached the area they had been ordered to search and began looking around. Though they ended up having to dig around parts of Jason's makeshift grave in order to find them--causing the peaceful "aura" to disappear--they soon found the three weapons left over from the Brawny Goblin Team. Gawain took the Wooden Club in one hand, gripping it tightly and giving it a test swing...the skeleton tottered awkwardly with its weight, despite how it held the club as if it knew what it was doing. Y'Tahl took the former Bitchy Goblin's stone spear, and although it was the shorter of the two spears it was still much taller than the shortest of the three skeletons. It also didn't seem like Y'Tahl had ever used such a thing before, as its bony fingers couldn't seem to keep the long weapon in a balanced grip. Leonidas picked up the former Brawny Goblin's Wooden Spear, and though it didn't seem quite at home with the weapon either, it was far better off than Y'Tahl.

The Skeletons, too, saw the flaming light...and immediately their eyes flashed. Their order would be suspended for the moment, it seemed...

How ironic that Jason didn't find a way to include that "don't fight" clause.

Clacking and clattering, the three skeletons headed for the intruder...

K E N I C H I

Training Rooms



"Weโ€™re just working through our differences..." Jett said irritably, wiping his nose of blood. "Through our fists..."

"Ah." Kenichi nodded sagely and stepped through the doorway, crossing his arms. "Yep, sometimes we men--"

"You're right about one thing, Jett. I think emotions have run a little high for everybody in this room, the girls included. A heated clash of egos isn't anything new, and certainly nothing worth crying over. I ask everybody to calm down." Ms. Mako said, sighing through a gentle expression. Which Kenichi didn't trust one bit. "Now, Jett. Think what would have happened without people intervening. You're both bleeding, and Roy was charging a light arrow. Do you really think that in five minutes the air between you two would have been cleared and all would be well again? Or, would you two just be even bloodier than you are now, genuinely resenting each other due to whatever was said to start this fight, on top of beating the crap out of each other?"

Kenichi wondered if he could say something, but then thought about the last time he'd had an extended interaction with the Villainess and how she'd tricked the class into getting detention. He didn't feel like getting slapped with some bullcrap punishment...besides, all he really would have said was that Roy and Jett probably should have just put protective gear on before they started the fight.

"No. You two need to actually talk about this. I am fairly sure it was a failure to truly understand each other, or a misunderstanding of some sort. Now, Jett, Roy. What started this fight? And it is a fight. I won't call this a spar for that would be an insult to sparring."

"Uh, Ms. Mako?" He couldn't help it. At least he raised his hand. "I think uh, all of us other students should probably get out of your way, huh? If any of the girls got uh, caught in the middle, I'll take 'em to the infirmary for you." He looked towards Roy and Jett and gave them both an understanding nod--then he glanced at Mako. He didn't like her, but at the moment she was the teacher, so...

Don't make two dudes who just got done being macho with each other spill their guts and show their emotions in front of a bunch of girls. He hoped, with all her claims of being able to psychic...psychopathy...psychologically analyze Villains, she'd be able to see what he was trying to do.
@Norschtalen@Ryonara@Heartfillia@Lucius Cypher@pkken@Silver Carrot@liferusher@Conscripts@Aerandir

K E N I C H I

What Was Our Main Character Up to During the Time Skip?



Wednesday, April 12th



Kenichi slapped his alarm into silence as he slowly opened his eyes. He hadn't slept well after the return from the hospital. It didn't feel right. Like they had all just...suddenly been cut off in the middle. The orderlies had rushed them out at the end of visiting hours, and there hadn't been any further time to talk to Yashiro, or any of the others. Kenichi had wanted to check on Roy and Donny too, and while he didn't know the girls that well it wouldn't have hurt him to show some concern as their classmate. But Yoshida-sensei had ushered them all back home like a flock of little chickens.

Today he would try to get back to his usual schedule. He couldn't work out again just yet, with his fractured ribs still sore and several of his other wounds only beginning to heal, so he had to settle with lightly doing curls with his dumbbells and squeezing a grip-machine as he ate his breakfast down in the dorm dining hall.

It turned out to be a rather off-day in general, as with Takeshi, Kaida, Roy, and Reina all absent the class felt much emptier. Their lack of presence, and the dour mood of the other students, made the classroom feel small and cloudy. Komei was being assaulted by the press at all hours, so the teachers could barely focus on teaching their classes. In a way, though, the slack they were getting helped. Kenichi still had a ton of work to catch up on, after all, and he had been told that he would need to take a sort of "make-up" test since he had missed the last field exercise. But of course, that would have to wait until he was healed. So aside from some general conversation, trying to catch up with other students besides Fumika, and a check-up with Nurse Kiwi, Kenichi stayed to himself and tried to cram his brain and finish his homework.




Wednesday, April 26th



The victims of the assault were discharged from the hospital. Kenichi and the others didn't hear about it until they were already in class, and the returning students were only supposed to stay in the dormitory. It seemed they would have to be on bed rest today and tomorrow as well as throughout the weekend. Even after classes were done, Yoshida-sensei and Retha-sensei made sure that no one could disturb them save for the roommates that had to share space. But no matter how he tried, Kenichi couldn't stop thinking about the last time he had seen Yashiro. That smoldering fire from the day before suddenly kindled to full strength again.

Someone had hurt his friends, his classmates. Someone had cut off a young man's arm, possibly ruining his chances of ever being a pro-Hero. Somewhere out there were Villains who hadn't been punished.

Kenichi really, really wanted to be the one to do it.

That evening Arsenal would probably wonder what had happened to light the fire under his student's ass. Kenichi pounded the bag to the point that, even with his breathing mask, his Quirk was starting to pump up his muscles. Though Arsenal warned him to keep it down, by the end he couldn't help it. He sucked in a breath through the mask, the veins along his arm flashed bright red as his skin began to form a sheen of sweat...Then his shovel hook to the body tore out the entire side of the bag, spilling its padding and sand like the innards of an eviscerated body.


Thursday, April 27th



Though it wasn't Friday yet, with the week coming to an end the moods of the students were slowly beginning to brighten. Those injured had seemed to recover for the most part and were now allowed to move freely through the dorms. Everyone else was looking forward to the weekend, and it seemed that the teachers were going to cut them some slack this time around as far as homework went.

However, Kenichi still noticed some downers here and there among his friends, mostly just from watching them from the back of the class--in the Main Character's seat, of course. For some of these folks it actually seemed as if all the drama of three weeks ago had actually happened just yesterday. As he thought about it, he too felt his mood become dampened somewhat. Yeah, it definitely felt as if all of that had been cut off in the middle. No one had any closure. And he was sure everyone else had been doing extra training just as hard as he had, to make sure they were prepared for the next time.

Though he went to training with Arsenal as usual--this time working on more combinations to various targets on the bag and with Arsenal on the mitts--he then decided to go talk to Yashiro-kun. After all, the other boy had promised him martial arts training...and though Kenichi didn't expect him to make good on it right then, he had at least wanted to set something up. Or find out whether Takeshi could still even do such a thing.

He hadn't expected the other boy to be ready to go right then, right there. But Kenichi, having been in a very similarly dark place himself--that feeling of weakness, of helplessness--immediately recognized that Yashiro, like himself, needed this. So they had their first impromptu lesson that night. For some reason, despite having only one arm, Yashiro thought the best thing for Kenichi to start with--since Budo was kind of a combination of unarmed tactics--was traditional Japanese Jujutsu. It sounded super cool to the bluehaired boy--using your opponent's own strength to throw them, making it look super smooth as they went flying through the sky while you did practically nothing! But it wasn't going to be that easy. The first few things were, sure--the basic punches of Jujutsu, being virtually the same as Karate, weren't all that different from boxing and Kenichi picked it up immediately, perhaps even faster than Yashiro might have expected. Then there were two types of sweeping blocks--Kenichi wasn't really sure how to incorporate these into striking, but Yashiro explained how they would keep an opponent from grabbing you in order to execute a throw. The last thing, for that first night, was a kick. The Front Kick, to be precise. It was so simple it almost seemed stupid, but thus far Kenichi had never used kicks. Yashiro had to correct him a few times--first it was too much like a soccer kick, then he was putting too much swing in it rather than the snap and thrust, then he wasn't holding his foot right--but just like with boxing he soon began to pick it up.

Yashiro offered to spar, so long as Kenichi didn't use his Quirk. Kenichi, knowing the boy didn't have his arm and was still recovering, started to refuse...but once again he saw a look he recognized in Takeshi's eyes.

It wasn't full force. Probably not even 50% speed or power. And of course they stopped any strikes short of full contact, and Yashiro took it easy on throws. Kenichi walked away grateful for the learning opportunity, but more than a little unsatisfied--after all, the only time he had come close to landing anything had been the times he had attacked with a left hook or jab. The side that Yashiro couldn't defend himself on.


Friday, April 28th



4:00 AM. Two mile run at top speed while Quirkless, 7 minutes and 56 seconds. Kenichi practically made himself vomit with that one, but he followed it up with only a bodyweight routine, no need for the gym. 100 situps, squats, pushups, and jumping jacks, followed by shadow-boxing and practicing the new moves Yashiro had shown him. He wondered if he had overdone it again this time, as even after breakfast and a shower he still felt exhausted.

As the day went on though he started to feel better, just a little sore in the legs. But now, while wondering if he ought to try sparring some more in the Training Rooms, he suddenly found himself coming up on a large crowd gathered in the halls. It didn't take long to piece together that something had happened, probably a non-sanctioned fight between students.

In his typical manner, Kenichi poked his head through the door with a cheery grin and energetic wave.

"YO, what's up--" Then he saw the bruises and blood and tense Mexican standoff. "--every...body..." He glanced around at the various players involved. "Uh...can I change that to a 'what the hell happened' instead?" The rest of him stayed firmly behind the doorframe while he waited to see if anyone would answer.

@Norschtalen@Ryonara@Heartfillia@Lucius Cypher@pkken@Silver Carrot@liferusher@Conscripts@Aerandir


๐•ฌ ๐–“ ๐–™ ๐–† ๐–Š ๐–š ๐–˜


North Forest Clearing



"Y-yeah, I just...Sorry, I just want them to believe me!" Antaeus stammered. There was no way he could do this the way he wanted to...much like this entire Quest. It hadn't gone anything like he wanted. There wasn't a glorious story to tell about this. There was no way he could be a legendary Hero after this...but dammit, he had to bring back something!

Antaeus tried to twist the Stag's head so that he could get a better angle for taking off the horn...but as he did so, he heard a meaty crunching sound. That...didn't seem right. He looked to see dark spot under the fur at the base of the creature's neck, and suddenly remembered how the silver haired girl had repeatedly slammed this monstrous creature. Had she...fractured part of its spine?

Antaeus was seized by a wild idea. He hefted the knife up high in both hands. His arms hardened, coils of muscle standing out against bronze flesh, then he brought it down with the decisive power of a professional stone-breaker. The blade went deep, hit bone, and kept going. With a twist the boy wrenched vertebrae away, jerking the blade out through the flesh in a spatter of blood and severed tissue. Quickly pocketing the knife in his pack, then he grabbed the White Stag's head by both horns--

Antaeus's entire body swelled as he pushed with his legs and thighs, straightened his back, expanded his chest, and PULLED!

The White Stag's head, or at least the upper part of the skull and antlers, came off with a horrifying crackle, snap, and RIP! The miner held it over his head for just a moment, shocked by his own strength and brutality.

Then he hooked the horns into the loop of his pack alongside his pickaxe and javelins, and grabbed the other side of the stretcher.

"Okaywe'regoodlet'sgo!" he whispered in a hoarse, panicky voice. Time to, as his father often told him, get the fuck out.


Ardur, Ash, Digbie, Mourningstar, Oberon, Reoth, Steve, Torrent

Obtained Item: ??? Berry x5
Obtained Item: ??? Leaf x5
Obtained Item: ??? Worm x3 - NOTE: This Item is a Creature!
You have too many items for your inventory.
---
Your Tamed Creature is Well-Fed.
Your Tamed Creature is Hydrated.
---
Item Removed From Inventory: ??? Berry x5
System:Ardur

You used Alchemy II!
---ERROR---
This target has not been harvested, dissected, or otherwise broken down into useful components. Without more Analysis Skills, at its current rank the Alchemy Skill is unable to analyze the traits of this target or its reactivity.
---Alchemy Complete---
You used Magic Analysis I!
This is a Monster. It has limited magical abilities. Effectiveness reduced to 30%.
---Lesserwurm---
This Monster is developing a handful of magically oriented skills and spells. It has at least one usable spell skill.
System:Ash

ERROR. ENCOUNTERED FOREIGN OBJECT...
--Comment: Installed Conditional Response to Foreign Object Error--

ERROR REPORT CANCELED...
System:Mourningstar

You used Magic Analysis III! You used Monster Analysis I! Your targets are plants. Effectiveness of Magic Analysis reduced to 35%. Effectiveness of Monster Analysis I reduced to 25%.
---Wild Kele--
This plant has no magic qualities. This plant is not dangerously toxic or otherwise harmful in its current state. You can eat this plant.
---Wild Topapo---
This plant has no magic qualities. This plant is partially toxic or otherwise harmful in its current state. This plant can be eaten.
System:Oberon

Skill Gain: Muffle I!
This skill grants you the ability to be just a little bit better at being stealthy, with a focus on reducing the sound of your movements.
System:Reoth


As Ardur bit into the first of his three worms, its flesh easily burst in his mouth. The juicy pulp tasted terribly bitter and acidic, and the flesh was so suffused with this sour tang and the flavor of wet mud that no comparison to other meats came to mind. Though it wasn't at all pleasant, at the least it didn't seem toxic...then again, he had only eaten one thus far. He ended up giving the other two to Steve, which lessened his load somewhat. Thanks to his enhanced strength Ardur hadn't struggled too much to carry all these items, but there was almost no room left on his spider silk covered body to stick something--and these threads didn't seem like they were going to last much longer, being wispy and dry at this point and losing much of their adhesive.

Steve didn't seem to have much issue eating the worms either, but perhaps her venom did something to her prey's body to make it safer for her to eat. It looked like she had snagged a few small insects, like moths, in her web as well. She wasn't entirely dependent on Ardur to feed her, but as the System soon let him know she was very much sated.

Depositing the odd berries he had found fixed the rest of Ardur's inventory woes, though it seemed Ash hadn't heard his request to analyze them...Maybe that was because she was currently staring rather hard at Torrent in her attempt to use the Alchemy Skill on the Lesserwurm.

Unfortunately, Ash wasn't able to find out much. Alchemy had, so far, only told her the traits of items she used it on and their reactive nature with other items. She might need more of these Analysis skills in order to gauge the quality of items, and get any non-alchemic information about them.

Then, Ash felt what could only be described as an "itchy" feeling inside her skull. Something...was not right. This was the feeling of being watched, the feeling of hearing a sound you couldn't quite place, the feeling of a vibration underfoot that just didn't seem right. Now Alerted to the presence of...something, Ash would likely feel the compulsion to look around more carefully at her surroundings...

If she looked straight up in the sky, she would catch the tail-end of a dark shadow circling over the clearing, before it headed back over the tops of the trees...

Meanwhile, as Digbie practiced his Soil Manipulation, he would find that for some reason despite suspending it in the air like zero gravity, the earth did not want to form an orb like most loose materials would. Instead the clump seemed to stabilize the most in harder geometric shapes, like cubes and prisms. Keeping it stabilized passively while actively attempting to use another skill, however, was much more difficult--like trying to balance a stack of plates in one hand without looking at them.

As his Tremor Sense spread out, however, it soon reached the small plants they were currently considering as a food source. And slightly deeper into the forest, underneath and a bit beyond those plants, something was tunneling. Something headed for the tubers with a slow but purposeful speed, digging through the moist soil easily. It was about a foot long, and as big around as an average human's upper arm. Several appendages stuck out all around it, likely legs, so as to imply some kind of insectoid form...

As Torrent sprayed a nearby tree with her Poison Breath, the bark began to hiss and produce purple fumes as the acidic cloud ate away at it. When the first layer of bark had been burned away, the wetter and greener layer underneath began to rapidly darken and shrivel, peeling off as the acid continued to eat away at it. It wasn't enough that she could immediately cut down said tree, but the acid certain seemed to work on it.

While the others went about their various tasks, Mourningstar had decided upon her Transformation. Almost immediately after doing so, she felt a deep fatigue overcome her. Despite sleeping all night, it felt as if she had been injected with a powerful sedative. Lightly floating down to the ground, the Wisp's light went out entirely, leaving only a pale white ball of flesh covered in fine, delicate hairs like some kind of electrical filament.

The others would see this fleshy body begin to pulse, as if its heartbeat suddenly grew stronger. With each pulse, it would swell just a bit. But inwardly, in the realm of her mind, Mourningstar saw something else...

Mourningstar could see EVERYTHING.

Not in crystal clarity, of course. But she drifted upwards, out of her body, rising high enough that she could look out across the forest. She could see the mountains stretching far into the distance both north and south, forming a wall between two lands. She could see the forest stretching on for miles to the east, broken by a series of square clearings where a large house of stone and wood and thatch, with various smaller buildings around it, sat calmly puffing smoke. To the south, a vast grassland stretched for what seemed like eternity, but it seemed that even looking that far cause the sun to grow brighter and hotter...

She could see the sunlight reflecting off of something, south of the forest but east of the plains, yet before her eyes could adjust she was rising higher. Now she saw a river further north, spilling out of the mountains and heading into the distance. She rose higher, drifting through clouds that stretched over the cave and further beyond, over curling smoke trails and unnaturally shaped structures of wood and stone that could only be civilization. Somewhere to the east, a large body of water sat glimmering with the last rays of the setting sun.

She rose higher. To the south beyond the grassland, deserts and canyons, windstorms sweeping over the dunes. Further to the east, a bright light cutting a path to safety for those in need of guidance. Over the mountains, to the southwest, a grand city stretching for miles. Still in the west, but far further north, a tower like a mighty tree reaching up to the heavens with roots stretching deep, deep into the earth. So far to the east that it became west again, a lonely, cold, desolate island where red lightning split the sky. Further beyond that, marshlands and mountains and untamed, wild lands.

She rose higher. A world, a planet, rotated thousands of miles an hour, yet from this distance appeared as no more than a soap bubble, as if it would pop if she but brushed a fingertip against it. The city lured her, cried out for her. The island's red skies held her in sway.

Then she began to plummet, and the feeling of fear, the experience of a dream in which one dreams one's own death, began to swallow her up...


Asura, Momma Slime

As Asura explained things to the big blue slime, she wobbled and made a low gurgling sound. Especially when he scolded her for misusing her skill points; she even seemed to deflate a bit. Then he showed off his Smash skill, and began to trade her memories of how he had learned it--but after a few moments Momma Slime pulled away.

"Too mush...yoo." She rocked from side to side. "Me...not yoo. Too mush." What exactly was she saying? That he was showing her too much information at once? It seemed related to sharing his experiences with her, at the least.

By this point, what remained of Rattleskull's arm had disappeared into Momma Slime's gelatinous innards. She turned and looked towards the nearby entrance to the cave, then turned and looked back towards the distant pool.

"Wanna eet. Where eet?" she asked.


Asteria, Danny, Ed, Jason, Mother Rat

TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!
(Immature) Dire Rat > (Adult) Dire Rat
All Stats have Slightly Increased!
Base HP has Increased!
Potential has Increased!
You have still not reached your full Potential.
System:Asteria

Skill Gain: Aqua Sphere I!
By charging a small amount of water with mana, create a sphere of pressurized liquid to be launched at the target. While it does not require ammunition so to speak, this spell works better if there is water in the environment or in heavy humidity. Its range, damage, and MP cost are virtually identical to Mana Orb, but its nature as a Water spell varies its power based on elemental properties of the target.
System:Danny

CHANGING DESIGNATION: SKELEBLIN_003...
NEW DESIGNATION DENIED. ERORR LOG: DUNGEON DOES NOT UNDERSTAND "AND/OR" STATEMENT, "LEO FOR SHORT."
RECCOMENDATION: USE LESS COMPLEX ORDERS

CHANGING DESIGNATION: SKELEBLIN_004...
NEW DESIGNATION REGISTERED: Y'TAHL.

REGISTERING ORDERS:
TRAVEL NORTH BY WEST - LANDMARK: LARGE, FLAT ROCK. 3 GOBLIN CORPSES. 1 CLUB AND 2 SPEARS.
EQUIP 1 CLUB AND 2 SPEARS.
RETURN
-IF- EQUIPMENT NOT FOUND
RETURN
--
ERROR

ERROR LOG: TOO MANY CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS FOR CURRENT LEVEL
RECOMMENDATION: USE LESS COMPLEX ORDERS

DUE TO ERROR, ORDERS FAILED TO EXECUTE.

OPENING DUNGEON MENU...
Dungeon:Jason


As Danny took his experiment in steps, the first thing he pondered was the odd reaction between his Mana and the water. Using his new and improved version of Lesser Force, he was able to collect more water than before, and put it under much more pressure to hold its shape and direct it where he willed. Remembering the previous reaction, he tried infusing it with Mana more slowly, in a controlled fashion. While Mana Shape only controlled the shape of the Mana itself, Danny would once again feel the change within the energy as it and the water began to join. Water, as a fluid, took up the shape of whatever container held it. Danny had felt this before, as his Mana became more fluid than a crackling discharge of energy, and now he could more accurately identify it as his Mana Shape and Lesser Force gave the water a sphere-shape to take.

Then, taking aim and pushing outward, he tried to fire the water the same way he would a Mana Orb. The "field" of his Lesser Force gave way--but the water held its shape! The "shell" of his Mana Shape dissolved, but again the water stayed in the shape of an orb. With a blue flash, the sphere of water shot forth across the pool. When it struck the surface of the water it penetrated and kept going into the depths, still glowing. After a few feet it lost its form, however, and quickly dispersed as the light faded. But Danny received a new system notification: the spell Aqua Sphere was now his!

Ed fairly bolted out of the pool, practically beaching himself on the bank like a furry ship as his frenzied strokes kicked up small waves in his wake. Between Danny and the Dire Rat's splashing, the pool's surface had become quite stirred up. The water lapped around the edges of the bank with soft slapping sounds. But while the fish that nibbled at him was small, only a few inches long, one might not think it entirely harmless. The rats couldn't know anything about Torrent's earlier encounter, but these fish had quite the set of teeth in their tiny heads.

When Asteria looked at her reflection, she would see that she was now much larger in build, as much so as Mother Rat. Her fur had grown a good deal thicker, and her fangs and claws seemed longer and sturdier. Overall, she had simply matured, much as the Transformation's name implied. As she lowered her tail into the water, for a few moments nothing happened. Danny and Ed had probably disturbed the water enough to send the rest of the fish into hiding. But as the male rat shook himself off on the bank, slowly a few of them once again began to poke their heads out of the depths. Three in particular seemed intrigued by the wriggling tail nearby. They slowly approached...two of the three gained the lead...slowly, they came closer...One of them got closer just as Asteria's tail twitched, and immediately darted away at the slightest movement. But the other continued...

Asteria would feel a sharp series of pricks in her tail, which would no doubt speed up her "reeling." But she successfull hauled a very small fish out onto the bank, where it flopped and floundered uselessly. By observing it she could see it really was nothing more than a small fish, like one of those mini-piranhas some people got as exotic pets or because they liked throwing other animals into the tank like psychopaths. It could probably have given her a nasty bite, but outside of the water it was no threat. It would likely suffocate soon outside of the water, or a nip from her fangs could easily finish it. Easy pickings.

Meanwhile, Jason commenced giving a number of orders to the Skeleblins. A great number of orders with several conditions. It seemed that at its current level either the Dungeon Core or the Skeleblins themselves couldn't process this much information, as they returned a System error to the Slime Mage. When this error message was finished, the light in the Skeleblins' eyes dimmed and they headed off on their own, apparently to do...something else besides Jason's task. Gawain and Y'tahl, however, headed in the direction of the pond...Leonidas, or Leo although the Dungeon didn't seem to recognize that, instead turned towards the Dark Corner...

When Jason instead attempted to open the Dungeon Menu, he had more success.

DUNGEON MENU OPENED

Monster_Roster:
Dire_Rat_A - Resting...
Dire_Rat_B - Searching...
Dire_Rat_C - Wandering...
Fanged_Lizard_A - Searching...
Ghost_Wisp_001 - Wandering...
Ghost_Wisp_002 - Wandering...
Ghost_Wisp_003 - Resting...
Pixie_A - Resting...
Pixie_B - Resting...
Skeleblin_001 - Destroyed. Reassign?
Skeleblin_002 [Gawain] - Searching...
Skeleblin_003 - Wandering...
Skeleblin_004 [Y'Tahl] - Searching...
Skeleblin_005 - Wandering...
Skeleblin_006 - Wandering...
Skeleblin_007 - Wandering...
Skeleblin_008 - Resting...
Skeleblin_009 - Resting...
Slime_A - Wandering...
Slime_B - Wandering...
Slime_C - Wandering...
Zombie_Pixie_001 - Resting...
Zombie_Pixie_002 - Resting...
Zombie_Pixie_003 - Resting...

Monster_Assignment:
Auto-Repair - Currently No Monsters Assigned
[Create New Task]

Dungeon_Map:


Dungeon_Resources:
Healing Herb - 34
Healing Herb Seeds - 4
Healing Herb Sprouts - 5
Poisoned Herbs - 4
Mana Crystal - 35
Tainted Mana Crystal - 5
Stone - 999999
Water - 22,134 Gallons
Wood - 6
Flame Touched Mana Crystal - 2

Dungeon_Stats:
Level - 1
EXP - 43%
Floors - 1
-Traps - 0
-Doors - 0
Bosses - 1
Mid-Bosses - N/A
Mini-Bosses - N/A
Hidden Bosses - 1
Damages - 36%
Assimilation - 26%
Core Status - Emaciated
Core Mana - Depleted
Accumulated Value - 63
-Hidden Value - 1200

MENTAL_MAP INCREASED TO 0.3
Dungeon:Jason



Orchid and Goblins

You have Disassembled an Item!
Stone Spike Club
Sharp Stone (Average Quality) Removed
Your Crafting IV skill prevented deterioration of the item!
Your Crafting IV skill prevented deterioration of the component item!
Your Stone Spike Club doesn't feel as Strong anymore. It can no longer deal Piercing Damage.
Stone Spike Club has changed to Club (Good).
Obtained Item: Sharp Stone (Average).
System:Orchid

As Orchid explained how to make rope to the goblins who didn't know how to make it--which apparently included all of them except Crispy--they watched her with various expressions of awe and confusion. At one point, Sqwal snorted as he stood up and went over to a nearby tree. Grabbing a creeping vine wrapped around the trunk, he began to pull until a length of it finally snapped off.

"Dis make gud rope, and lot fasta! Why do it dat dum way?" he said, holding up his own rope to Orchid. At the moment she was handing stones to Clod, and the longer she took to respond to his question the more frustrated Sqwal seemed to be getting for some reason.

Clod took the Sharp Stone and one of Orchid's two Hard Stones that she offered, along with the Wooden Clubs she had bored holes into. She had used the Wooden Clubs that the Goblins had been using during the Raid, since they were of better quality than the wood the greenskins had found last night for the fire. He stared at these objects for a little while, trying to figure out how to do what Orchid had told him. He too was already a bit confused from the rope-making lesson, but he merely scrunched up his eyebrows and sat down, spreading his materials out in front of him.

Orchid used her remaining Hard Stone and began scraping the bark from a stick in an attempt to make it more suitable for crafting, while thoughts of what she might make later danced through her head...

Obtained Item: Gnarled Stick (Average)

You Processed an Item!
Gnarled Stick (Average) - Using Hard Stone (Good)
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of Processing.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented the deterioration of your Processed Item
Your Crafting IV skill prevented the deterioration of the Item used to Process the target item
Your Crafting IV skill was unable to boost the quality of your Processed Item.

Obtained Item: Smooth Stick (Average)
System:Orchid


While Orchid did this and, presumably, answered Sqwal, Crispy tended to his fire. It was soon roaring up again, and ready to cook whatever food Jezee, Bigs, and Wej would bring back. Clod finally seemed to come to a decision, and began his own work. Using the Hard Stone Orchid had given him and one of the better Sharp Stones he had produced from his own knapping, he began to adjust the notch in the better of the two Wooden Clubs to make it larger. Then, using the lumpier, not-quite-so-sharp Large Sharp Stone he had produced by breaking one of his big stones in half earlier, he inserted this into the Notched Wooden Club. The end result was a Stone Celt similar to what Rattleskull had possessed--however, the notch had not been fire-hardened, the stone head had not been fixed in place with anything like resin or rope, and the wood had been degraded during the crafting process. It showed a few cracks and splinters where the head notch had been widened, which would likely weaken the haft. Still, Clod held the item up triumphantly, staring at its stone edge as if it were gleaming.
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