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NyahahamehaOur Gobby Boi is Growing Up
Once Digbie had made his decision, he suddenly felt a deep fatigue come over him. He didn't even remember falling to his hands and knees, then curling into a ball, but the next thing he knew he was on the verge of consciousness, curled up on the ground. He clutched the tiny flower close to his chest, and lay within the circle of minorly enchanted ground he had created. As he drifted to sleep, the mana supplying the circle was cut off and its meager HP recovery ceased...and the flower that had temporarily perked up wilted once more.
Digbie could see EVERYTHING.
Not in crystal clarity, of course. But he drifted upwards, out of his body, rising enough that he could look out over the forest. He could see the mountains to the west, and they stretched both north and south forming a wall between two lands. He could see the forest stretching out for miles to the east, broken by a series of square clearings where a large house of stone, wood, and thatch sat calmly puffing smoke. To the south, he could see the cave where all of this had begun, and the barest hint of a great, grassy plain...
"Traitor of thy kin...Slayer of thy father..."
Digbie rose higher, but something felt wrong. Fear began to creep around his heart and up from his toes. He could see further to the south where wave upon wave of grass spread over the plains, towards a place where the sun beat down upon the earth. Further to the east, a large body of water glistened with the rays of the morning sun. Upon its shores sat a vast city of wood and stone, banners flying from castle towers. To the north, a thundering river spilled out of the mountains and down into a great valley, and further beyond that another thick forest grew, darker and colder than this one...
"To kill is to eat, to carve hides is to fashion leathers...but for what this desecration? Ineptitude alone? No..."
He rose higher. To the south beyond the grassland, deserts and canyons, windstorms sweeping over 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. Here, Digbie felt an eye upon him, and the fear that gripped him threatened to choke him. Spreading up from the tips of his fingers he felt an icy burn...
"You would pray to a Demon King? Swear your allegiance to one whose existence is forbidden? Are you a fool...or do you, too, despise the World?"
He 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 he but brushed a fingertip against it. The lured him, cried out for him. The island's red skies held him in sway...
And unseen hands grabbed him, turned him to look away from that world, and into the Void.
The moon and stars? Outer space? A galaxy, a universe? In this void there was nothing...and between the nothing, they were. Dark clouds of matter that did not exist. Heavier than gravity, they passed between atoms. Negative numbers, fraying strands of time and space, they did not exist.
"Yet despite all of these things, you only stand before us because you chose to take on the Taboo. Few in this world would do such a thing. Though you are ignorant of this world and its ways, ignorant of us and even of your Demon King, is that truly any excuse? Could you not feel the menace of such a thing? Does a man who stands next to the fire, who can feel its heat, truly need to thrust his hand into the blaze 'just to know what it feels like?' If you could somehow save a moment in space-time, and freely return to it...Would you kill everyone in sight, and then return them to life none the wiser? Would you steal until you got caught, and then try again until you succeed? Such hubris...we shall reward it."
The Abyss gazed into Digbie, and though he no doubt wanted to blink as terror strangled him he could not shut his eyes.
You have 1 Offering. To gain greater Offerings you must commit Taboo.
With your available Offerings, only these have taken pity upon you:
Ashen Fiend's Protection (Petty) - Increase resistance to the powers of the Earth. (1 Offering)
Ashen Fiend's Gift (Petty) - Increase your powers of the Earth. (1 Offering)
Dedication to the Ashen Power - If you dedicate yourself to the Ashen Power, you shall be marked. You may no longer make offerings to other powers or receive their favor, but the favor of the Ashen Power towards you shall increase. Please the Ashen Power, and you may Quest in their name... (1 Offering, Cancels out any non-Ashen Favors, Displeasure may result in Infernal Torment)
Chaos Fiend's Protection (Petty) - Increase resistance to the powers of the Dark. (1 Offering)
Vengeful Fiend's Protection (Petty) - Increase resistance to the powers of the Curse. (1 Offering)
Wrathful Fiend's Gift (Petty) - Increase your powers of Physical Destruction. (1 Offering)
Wrathful Fiend's Brand (Petty) - Increase your Strength. (1 Offering)
Digbie was given several choices. But as the unseen hands let him go, an unheard voice beckoned to him.
He did not have to make this choice. He could still turn back. If he sought forgiveness, the Taboo could be lifted from him...
Slowly, he felt himself being pulled back towards the world below...
Ardur, Asura, Danny, Ed?, Jason, Momma Slime, Mother Rat?
The upraised areas of dirt were not sleeping undead--at least, probably not all of them--as Asura surmised. Jason had been following the cave wall on one's right when facing the entrance. In terms of overall orientation, the cavern's mouth faced south--when one entered the cave, they were walking to the north. So the right-side wall was the eastern wall. And along this eastern wall, there was an area where the earth had been upturned into the raised areas. The reason being that the cave's denizens shoved this dirt out of their tunnels and lairs.
Jason and Asura were in the Nesting Area, where Fanged Lizards and Dire Rats dug their burrows. It had been Jason's intent this whole time to lead Asura into this area for one reason alone--he knew that the Dungeon Core had assimilated at least a few of those creatures, and the Fanged Lizards could use their poison spit from range.
Asura's pseudopod shot straight out at Jason, who was still trying to outrun his brother. Jason, having felt the presence of a few monsters with his Tremor Sense, abruptly stopped and hurled himself backwards. The blow only grazed him, and Jason tried to use Mind Wave through the telepathic connection the two monsters shared--
But Mind Wave didn't work like Telepathy. The wave shot out from Jason, but as his "aim" was at that telepathic connection, thus at the pseudopod connecting himself and Asura, the mental wave simply blasted the extended limb. Asura would feel a sudden pang "behind his eyes" somewhat like the start of a migraine, and his "limb" suddenly felt abuzz as if it were on pins and needles ater falling asleep, but that was all the damage he took from it. Much like Jason, it was the equivalent of a graze, and the next moment the feeling was gone.
"ALL UNITS! ENGAGE THE INTRUDER! USE RANGED ATTACKS ONLY!" Jason let loose his Warcry.
You are out of Stamina. You will soon experience HP Drain without rest.
Your MP is Low.
A slight, slimy smirk spread across Jason's "face."
Another Slime Whip from Asura rocketed out and smacked his brother across the "face."
And at that same moment, three figures appeared over the edges of the dirt around them. Two Fanged Lizards, their eyes glowing an eerie violet, hissed before launching two lobs of Poison Spit. One arc was coming at Asura from each side. Behind Jason, a very angry Dire Rat had been drawn by Warcry, and it leaped towards the Slime Mage's back with fangs bared.
Meanwhile, Ardur had explained himself to Momma Slime. It was questionable how much she understood, but at the mention of Asura's name she blurbled excitedly.
"Ahsoowa! Want Ahsoowa!"
When Ardur headed towards the battle she followed him, rolling into a ball and then thundering along as usual. The Pixie gained quite a bit of ground on her, especially once he started flying, but as long as she could see him she would follow. Using Muffle, Ardur was able to move unseen by enemies--but it seemed at the moment there weren't really any enemies to be seen by. Leonidas and the Ghost Wisp had disappeared back towards Jason's Cave and the Dungeon Core, and it didn't seem like most other creatures were even out and about at the moment. Not that there were that many of them left in this part of the cave anyway...
Danny's attempt to make himself more aerodynamic seemed to work, or at least it felt like he was going faster. He soon overtook Momma Slime down below, who was too focused on where she was rolling to notice him, and was coming up on Ardur's six as the pixie would no doubt slow down once he was above the battleground.
They arrived just in time to see the aftermath of the Fanged Lizard and Dire Rat's attacks on the two slimes, and then...
Ash, Oberon, Mourningstar, Torrent
You used Monster Analysis I!
---Rubber Frog---
This frog's magical evolution certainly took an odd turn somewhere. The elasticity of its form, from its skin to its bones, is ridiculous. With a tongue that will stretch it has no trouble snagging flies, and it can expand its mouth wide enough to swallow many things whole. To intimidate predators it sometimes puffs itself up to an enormous size.
---Analysis Complete!---
Skill Rank Up! Magic Analysis III > Magic Analysis IV!
Gain more detail about observed magic skills, objects, etc. Lose less effectiveness when using this skill on other things, even if they aren’t magically inclined. When analyzing a spell or creature you have analyzed at least one time before, you may learn information such as its elemental affinities and weaknesses and its magical abilities' elements and functions, depending on different factors.
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
Skill Gain: Fire Breath I!
Inhale to gather oxygen, then use magic to ignite it as you breathe outward. At this rank this spell can only take one form, a cone that widens as it extends from the user. Your range is roughly 10 feet. This skill has roughly the same MP Cost as Fireball, but its damage depends on the target's range. A target at the edges of the cone will take less damage than they would from Fireball, whereas one that is in the center and close to you will take a fair amount more.
Skill Gain: Rabid Fit I!
This skill will activate once you meet certain battlefield conditions, and afterward may be toggled at will. Fly into a mindless rage, and destroy the enemy! A sudden burst of fury grants you increased strength and damage, but you’ll become more vulnerable to damage yourself.
