---

@Zeroth@Old Amsterdam
Still somewhat recovering from the effects of the strange crystal, Jason suddenly heard Rain call his name. Though he wanted to tell his comrade about his discovery, he hesitated. This crystal had strange properties, ones that were potentially volatile... He had to intensely study it first, "Whaaaaat Rain? I'm trying to sleeeep." he said, feigning a groggy voice. He would tell her about it once he knew it was safe.

Once he managed to get Rain to leave, Jason reached out and lightly touched the stone for a bit before activating [Tremor Sense I] as he began doze off once again. He intended to have the skill running all night long to warn him of any intruders attempting to invade his hideaway, research on the crystal would have to wait until the morning.

Ardur The Pixie

poking the Bear >>>> Home sweet home /// day 14 // Dusk?

Ardur stayed perfectly still and listened, at this time he no longer believed he could get a friend out of the monster. Although he now knew the creature’s plans, and they would definitely have to deal with this one and the others before pressing on. The pixie continued to wait until the goblins foot falls where no longer around. The energy in the cave also seemed to have died down a little, and he could feel himself beginning to feel sleepy but still hungry.

With the coast being clear the pixie began to work his way back to his ceiling home. Dodging this way and that through the stalactite maze. The pixie snatched more than a few flying insects out of the air for dinner. As he neared his home he began to use his healing magic to again heal the muscle fibers in his body and wings as he flew faster just outside his home. He wasn’t trying to hide himself and would seem quite erratic to anyone who was watching.

Just before he felt his stamina running out Ardur grasped the ledge of his home and made his way inside. He was instantly greeted by Steve’s watchful gaze on the other side of the small hallow. Tossing two of the five wingless and squirming insects in front of his roommate he watched the spider pull and entangle the insects into his web and further back into his room. The spider was the equivalent size of a dog to him. Maybe one day he could make it his friend or pet. But for now Ardur would simply eat the insects he had before curling up in the small leafy bed he had made days before. A combination of spider silk and vegetation, “good night Steve” Ardur spoke as he drifted off to sleep.

@Zeroth

"They aren't fake names!" Mourningstar called out when Oberon mentioned how they were using fake names. "Not for me anyways! Way I see it, the person I was is dead. Now I have a new, much cooler name! Besides, this is probably normal in this world." Immediately afterwards Oberon approached to try and figure out what she was doing, to which Mourningstar shrugged. Or she gave her best version of a shrug anyways. It was kinda more of a quick hover up and down. "Trying to create a new spell. Hopefully I can make a semi-permanent weapon with pure magic." The lizard gave his name soon afterwards, introducing himself as Orochi.

Orochi quickly asked what the plan for the day was and Mourningstar paused for a moment. "Well then. This actually fits with my plans perfectly. Let's go hunting." Digbie agreed as well, just in time for the system to tell her that what she was doing was fucking pointless. Well, not completely pointless. Her spell had potential, but she needed more mana if it was gonna work. Or at least more practice. Meanwhile her observation only lead to her activating Magic Analysis I. Useful, but not what she was going for. Oh well, time to grind the shit out of this skill!

She turned towards the group and did a quick Magic Analysis on everyone, trying to learn as much about her new subordinates as she could. "It's decided then! This shall be our base of operations for the time being, unless something better is found, and we shall go hunt for food. Preferably food that isn't Wisps! Between you and me I don't think I'm that edible."

Asura was pleased to know what allocating the skill points did net him something. Magic Resistance I, something that would undoubtedly be very useful. Especially against wisps who had already attacked him. The piercing resistance made him think. It said regeneration required, but blunt resistance hadn't required that. Maybe he needed to fully heal? Unfortunately his thoughts were interrupted by the strange feedback trying to call up his hit points had caused.

Gurgling angrily his body ached after that, it was like getting hit with an immediate migraine! He had unfortunate run ins with those every so often back when he was human. No pills to help him now, only time and potentially sleep. He wasn't quite tired enough to sleep despite his exploration and the two kills under his jelly belt. He had one experiment left to do and it had to do with the rat corpse. He was slime, mostly liquid, could he possess dead bodies by forcing himself into them?

Considering he couldn't get dirty, not really anyway, he did what he wanted. Which was pushing his goo body into the dead rats mouth. Any opening within its body he pushed his liquid body through, sometimes with difficulty. Slightly complicated shapes were tough but not beyond him thanks to Limited Shapeshifting I. Once all his sludge was inside he tried moving the body in any way he could. He was making a big assumption with this but hey, he could technically sleep in the body if he wanted to. A sort of shelter if his experiments failed and an alarm system if something started to eat the body.

A nightmare is born. The world will tremble. All will love it and despair!

The bringer of desire congealed upon a cave wall and fell to the ground with a very unpleasant splat. It sat there for a time, feeding off the tiny bits of cave mold and mildew for its first few hours of its soul tearing life. Occasionally it would bubble. Occasionally it would shake and temble just a little. Birth was slow, agonizing, and life was dead before it takes its first breath.



A cricket, in a cave. It was minding its own buisness, too small for the goblins and the lizards and wisps and the pixies to take notice. It was just a cricket. Surely it would be of no importance. Surely it was just a bug, and strive for nothing less.

But the Mother of Monsters thought differently. It just barely could see that the cricket was near, but it preened in an instinctual way. A soft luring purr with a bit of itself jutting out. The red liquid looked like strawberry jam, maybe it was even trying to smell like it. It wanted the cricket, to it, the cricket was desired, needed.

It loved the cricket.

The cricket felt this love on a universal level. It's tiny little tummy saw the red delicious sheen of its body and jumped for joy at the feast it would partake in. It loved food, and thus it loved it. It scampered close, its manibles nibbling at the slime's flesh, and then the slime rolled over it.

They would be together forever.



The slime that will envelop the world realized hours later that it could move. What an intriguing novelty. It didn't even have thought processes yet, and the fact that it could pull it's little jelly body around, meant it could sup at more of the cave floor. Most of it was understandably pretty nasty and based upon its own needs, it would migrate towards tasty molds and away from guano and other foul things. Even at it's young age it seemed to have a preference. Such intelligence would truly make the world quake.



The slime came to a puddle today. It was cool and still and tranquil. There was just enough light for each to catch a reflection. The slime stopped its rolling, its sliding, and pulling. The charcoal and grays and blacks of the cave were no splashed with the faintest hints of Red. A Red that was deep and alluring, reminding one of love, lust, rage, blood.

The slime was taken, so breathtakingly awed by the sight of its own reflection that it remained at the pool, looking deep within. Looking deep within itself. Images formed in head. A hairless thing, preening, and combing itself. It applied paint to its face and pushed up its bust. The slime knew not what it was, it was also staring at its reflection. This it knew. What was it? Who was it?

_{"There we go. I am ready. Hello Sir, I'm Edith MacKlaren and you are going to love this house."} It came as such a shock to the slime. It was a serious of noises it never heard before and it seemed to come from inside itself.

"I---I---I'mmmmm...." The slime actually burbled the words.



"Heeeeellll----oooooo.... Iiieeeeee....aaaammmm Eeeeeeedd-ith." It took hours but the slime began to figure it out. It was a she. It felt right that she was a she. And there were other things too. She remembered that she was beautiful. She still is beautiful. What is beautiful? Logic and memories came slow to the slime, an entire lifetime bubbling and broiling around in its congealed goo. An entire psyche and personality and a lifetime of knowledge. It was all a jumble, a terrible roiling soup of her former self. She couldnt make sense of it, but somethings came easier than others.

She could control herself enough to speak. It came as bubbles and it was hoarse at first but speaking was easy, and she could slide her form in such a way to change the pitch and timber. It became more sensual, more melodic and she was almost as entranced by her own voice as her own image, or memory there of.

"Hello. I. Am. Edith." She spoke slow, saying it a few hundred more times and each time she did so, she could remember another dozen or so words to her vocabulary, though their meaning seemed to something she didn't quite get. She was satisfied that they will come. She had been there for too long, time to go and seek more food. She'd need the energy.



"Hello there little bug, won't you come inside?" Edith had been scampering and almost sing songing to herself as the power of speech came to her. She'd been scavenging whatever she could find but mostly just rolling over whatever remains she could uncover. Most of her efforts were to putting words together and figuring out her own mental faculties. She had alot to catch up on and alot to uncover but speaking seemed to be a talent she had, even if she had no face to emote with, her voice did more than enough.

"Yum yum yum. Okay, now I think we're getting somewhere. Lets see if I can get out of here." She wasn't quite knowledgable of her own little predicament.



An interesting day.

Edith came across the remains of a battle. A battle that had left a green... thing dead and torn open like a cow at a slaughter house. Edith saw the remains, no bones, that was good, the organs were missing, but there was some tatters of muscle and flesh that she'd be happy to carry along

Acquired: Remains of Goblins

This would be digested as the pieces floated in her enzymes and digestive juices so she wouldn't have them for long, but it was a feast for her. She'd probably grow a little bit thanks to all that muscle. Still the meat was pretty awful, but she couldn't just let it go to waste. She even tried to make the remains of the face in the direction she was facing, merely to have 'something' to match what she looked like long before. She'd tried forming her face, her hands, but it took alot of effort just to make a mound. She would find herself almost panting from the strain. Her body wanted to, but it was like doing a dozen chin ups. In fact she found herself going from hopeful to quite bitter as things sank in.

This isn't right, this isn't right at all. She shouldnt be what she was and in some dark dank cave alone, eating meat. It was a weird juxtaposition to the prim properness of a life time ago, and just an animal rummaging for scraps. She pouted, complained, but kept her eyes on the prize. Edith was adaptable, conniving, intelligent. She'd figure out something to improve her situation. Survive first, what she was best at, and then improve.

She noticed the blood trail, and the bit of iron tasting foulness was atleast invigorating. She rolled over the trail, attempting to see where it led. Maybe there was another being like her? Maybe they were better off and would be willing to share. She could plead a good case, contribute to shared survival. She could share the fruits of her labor... If only the scraps of it.

Another lucky find. A big rat. HUGE! But more importantly, dead. Edith seemed pleased with this. "Maybe whoever I find also wont be picky." A sign of good faith, Edith enveloped the rats tail and attempted to pull/drag the carcass.

It was quite heavy...

Acquired: Dire Rat Tail- maybe?

@Kazemitsu

@Zeroth @SilverPaw @Searat @Jobst @Bishop
When the other Wisp revealed itself Danny's first instinct was to chase off, away from the crystals. He restrained himself though, both because the Wisp needed the crystals as well and the act of driving it off would still require him to use one. It quickly turned out that it was a good thing he restrained himself. Apparently this Wisp was from Earth as well, though it was a bit surprising that it -he- was able to talk so well and the question was a bit strange to open with. Still he saw no reason not to reply.

"I was a gare...gardener and hu..handyman." He talked slowly to make sure he said every word right but still messed up somewhat. Still there was progress as well as evidence that he could eventually learn to talk normally.

---

Rain frowned at his words, but decided to let the Slime be. As much as she's have enjoyed the added protection his hole could give, she wasn't concerned enough to simply push for it.

She had survived plenty in the open before.

Carefully she slithered around the area, looking for a safe place to rest. Well, safer anyways. There seemed to be a little indent in the wall nearby, a few rocks around the area providing minor safety.

It would work, she supposed as she curled up for slumber.

The pixie didn't do much for the first days of his life. He had the near-overwhelming urge to cause trouble, to make mischief, to sing and laugh and dance. But most of him objected to it. He stayed in his little hollow in the wall, most of the time, sustaining himself from the crystals. They didn't fill his stomach, but they kept him alive. Eventually, though, the crystals near to his 'home' were drained, and he had to venture further afield. It took him some time to work up the courage.

In fact, he only emerged when he noticed that dusk was on its way. Instinct - or was it logic? - told him that most predators would be resting at this time. The goblins, most certainly. He'd seen them once or twice, and their grabbing hands - watched as they tortured a captured moth, twisting off her wings, one by one. He didn't watch them after that. But by the sunset, the pixie darted out and began a search for the soft-glowing crystals; or better yet, something to ease the ache in his belly. And he did. He spied a lizard carcass, some time dead, and gnawed at by what must have been rats. Cautiously, he ripped off a piece and bit down. It might have been raw and unpleasant, but nothing else appeared to happen. His head darting from side to side, he grabbed as much as he could carry in his arms and flew back to the hollow.

The next three days were spent in a similar fashion. At dawn, he'd fly up to the cave ceiling, and practice flying through the jagged stone teeth that hung from it, learning how and when to turn, how to dive, swoop, glide and dodge. There were a few mishaps, but a healing spell or two fixed them. Once the other cave dwellers began to move, he would fly back to his little burrow. And when they returned to their dens and their camps and such, he would fly back out, and search the cave floor for any forgotten meals or recently deceased. Mostly bugs.

And earlier today, just as he was waking, and stretching out, he remembered. All of it at once. Not in an orderly way, mind. It was jumbled and disordered, and nothing made sense. His morning routine forgotten, he sat down in the dust and began writing, remembering what he knew, trying to piece it together. Name. Species. Personality. Human childhood. Pixie 'childhood'. He could sketch and write. He can cast spells and... make enchantments. And... his death. The last was the one he spent the longest dwelling on. He had, quite literally, made a deal with the devil. What that meant for his soul or his past, he didn't know. But he knew that he needed to get to the Palace.

His decision made, he stood, brushing the dirt off of his leggings. That's about when he realised it was dusk. Well, a better time than never to start exploring. He'd need to gather some resources, maybe find something or someone to protect him in case he ran out of mana, things like that. Taking a deep breath, he stood on the threshold of his 'home'. He was leaving behind pretty much everything he knew, in both of his lives. Such was the task at hand. Taking a few steps forward, and a few flutters of his wings, he began the search. Food. Crystals. A weapon. And maybe, just maybe, he could find an ally.

---

---

Just before the encounter with the male Dire rat, Asteria received a system notification about Mother joining their party. The fact that this world actually had game elements was something she would have to consider later. Right now, she had to deal with the situation on hand, which involved a Wisp floating to them and revealing he was from Earth. The male Dire rat answered first, and told them of his status as an ex-human as well. Asteria frowned and glanced at her sister. Were all of them from Earth? Even their Mother? She wished she could talk to her sister in private, since she was an established ally, but unfortunately, that was currently not possible. Asteria had some vague memories of playing MMOs and the like as a young adult, and that experience led her to believe that if a party system existed, other people could be invited as well. However, she was hesitant to try it out with strangers.

The male Wisp who had asked of their origins declared his intention to be an ally. Well, whether that was truly the case would yet to be seen. As far as Asteria was concerned, actions spoke louder than words, especially about trustworthiness. For now, the only ones who had proven to be dependable were her sibling and her Mother. Just as she was considering joining in the conversation, yet another Wisp approached them and introduced himself as Lorek. For some strange reason, he also wanted to know their former occupation, of all things. Why would such a thing matter? Nonetheless, the other Wisp answered, though without providing his name. So much for getting priorities straight.

Asteria huffed and made a careful effort to articulate her answer properly. “I’m Asteria.” There, practice and some concentrated effort and she recognized that she spoke in a way they would understand. Though how exactly that worked was a bit beyond her; it could have been via magic or their inherently human perception or something else entirely. “Not that I see much point in knowing what we used to be, but I was a lawyer,” she wasn’t certain if her grasp on conveying tone was as it should be just yet, but the brusqueness of her statement was probably apparent enough. She did want to discuss several things with these strangers, but her past certainly wasn’t one of them. After all, the present they found themselves in was much more important. Speaking of… “After our introductions, why don’t we share information on this world with each other?” She recommended.

@Jobst @Searat @Duthguy @Bishop

@SilverPaw @Duthguy @Bishop @Jobst

Ed was still lying on his back, expressing his desire for friendly and non-aggressive relations. In the short span that he had been discovered and forced to show his soft and unguarded underbelly to the others present, a number of things had transpired. It seems that the voice he had spoke to initally was interested in friendly relations. The news eased his beating heart, knowing that he had one less enemy and one more ally. Then another voice made itself apparent, introducing himself and asked their previous profession back on Earth.

The idea of 'previous occupation' made it sound like he actually wanted to quit. Farthest thing from truth, he was happy with life and was in his senior year...He actually wanted to keep on living. Others answered Lorek's question. One was a gardener/handyman and the other was a lawyer named Asteria. Peculiar bunch. None the less, he answered the voice known as Lorek. "College. Student. Senior. Year." Ed felt confident that he was getting more and more familiar on how to vocalize and pronounce words using this body's vocal chords. "My name is Edward Marsh, b-but you can call me Ed if you like." He wanted to make the somewhat tense situation a little less tense and thought that maybe a joke would help ease things over. "Wanna hear a joke about paper? Never mind, its tearable." It was a terrible joke. What more a pun. The feeling of embarrassment was too much and Ed simply covered his face with his front paws. Hoping to God, or who ever was listening, that the feeling would pass quickly.

Seated a few inches in front of their mother, Mei quietly listened. The situation she found herself in was an interesting one. Among the six creatures that were present, including herself, four had revealed their ties to Earth.

"So I was the only one then." Mei thought to herself. It was a conclusion merely based on an assumption, but given their current circumstances, Mei believed that they all came from the same world.

Honestly though, aside from knowing that they were previously human, was there any other merit in knowing which world they came from? Probably none, but at least this gave Mei a clue on the possible social norms they possessed.

As their conversation shifted from introductions to casual speech, Mei noticed how articulate they all were. She had initially planned to maintain the facade of a lowly Dire Rat and to remain inconspicuous, but doing so might prove to be disadvantageous given the revelations she had just heard. Aside from her wits, at her current state, Mei had little to offer their group. She wasn't as large or fast as Mother or her siblings, nor did she possess magical capabilities like the Wisps. All Mei had was her wits, but in actuality, it was all she needed for the time being.

"Edward and Asteria, huh?" Being observant and meticulous was essential in Mei previous life and she knew that this time around, she'd still make use of these skills. She was good with faces and names, and although she personally cared little about these, it was helpful that she had something to call her siblings instead of thinking of them as just other Dire Rats.

"Lorek." Mei took a mental note; now all that was left was the name of the other wisp. She had no plans on asking though; she didn't want to come off as too curious or prying.

Initially, with Mother on their side, Mei wanted to test the waters and let out some of her pent up aggression on the floating orbs of light that had appeared before them, but with how calm everything has turned out, some hostility might end up being counter productive. For now, Mei just had to listen and take in as much information as she could. The violence could wait for now.

From what she knew so far, unless proven otherwise, only Mother was a true creature of this world. It was understandable that she remained silent. Mei on the other hand didn't have that luxury; being to quiet might make her seem suspicious. Slowly creeping forward, it was her turn to make herself known. Squeaks and teeth chattering shifted the throat clearing before it turned into coherent words.

"A-a-a-i'm Tan Mei." She tried her best to stutter and feign nervousness as she spoke in a faint whisper-like voice. It was unlikely that non-chinese would be familiar with Mei's reputation, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

"B-b-but you can ca-call me M-m-mei". She shuffled her hands while staring on the ground, only taking occasional glimpses at the others around her.

"I wa-was a nu-nurse back at Ch-china." It wasn't a complete lie though. There was point in time where Mei was forced to pretend to be one for what seemed to be over half a year. If she recalled correctly, it involved stealing files on certain patients at a local hospital in Guangzhou.

Exploring Near Crystals and Cave Walls
@SilverPaw@Jobst@Bishop@Searat@Duthguy

---

Mother Rat watched these going-ons with a wary curiosity. The male rat being submissive was not surprising to the mother--this one was still small, no older than her own offspring. When he rolled over to show them his belly she leaned in for a cursory sniff, then turned away. So long as he was no threat, there was no reason to fight. He had submitted, so his territory could be safely passed through. When the Wisps showed up, however, she raised her hackles and the hair on her back with a hiss. But the Wisps didn't attack...and then, they began to make some strange noise! Her offspring even answered in kind! Mother Rat's head turned this way and that in confusion. Were they not going to fight these other creatures that had entered their territory? Or hunt them? Hunting the Wisps was dangerous, though--they could fly above where the rats could jump, and they could shoot painful orbs of magic from far away. Mother Rat knew this from long years in the cave. Were her children distracting the Wisps, keeping them low to the ground so they could hunt them more easily?

Mother Rat reared up onto her hind legs, and looked about their surroundings. She didn't see any other Wisps approaching, so it didn't seem like these ones were with a pack. She also didn't see any other monsters, aside from those in the distance near the hurt-lights or hiding among the rocks. It was night time, now--prime hunting time, but she and her offspring had already hunted and eaten their fill. It might be better to go to ground until morning, to conserve their energy.

She turned and squeaked at the three rats, once for each of them.

[[Past this point, you're free to interact on your own until you're ready for time skip or unless you're looking for more random encounters.]]

---

Unknown Location
@Kazemitsu@ShwiggityShwah
Asura was able to force himself into the rat's body, but his shapeshifting skill wasn't quite so good yet at the precision work required to fit into articulate spaces like joints and organs, nor was he able to condense himself as well; that is, he could not "squeeze" himself tighter past a certain point. A metaphor would be that, no matter how much a fat man sucks in his guts, he cannot give himself a six pack. The red slime would need more control before he could achieve his dream of a meat puppet, but at least he had pulled a Ton-Ton on Hoth maneuver and found himself a relatively safe place to sleep.

At least until someone tried to eat the body he was in.

[[Past this point, you're free to interact on your own until you're ready for time skip or unless you're looking for more random encounters.]]

---

The Hole in the Wall

---

Upon using Tremor Sense on the odd green crystal, Jason received a sharp, high pitched ringing like a tuning fork in return. It wasn't quite enough to be painful, but it didn't relay any immediately useful information either. By touching it, however, he could feel that it was virtually the same kind of crystal as the Mana Crystals--the only difference was how much bigger, and therefore thicker and sturdier, it was. It could probably still be broken into smaller pieces, but it would require significantly more force. Pulling the whole thing out of the ground was definitely a no-go, it had to weigh at least a hundred pounds. It also felt similar to a Mana Crystal, in terms of its aura and the pulsating energies within it, but it also felt...different. Less...refined, perhaps?

But soon he, and Rain as well, were fast asleep...

---

On the Hunt
@Rune_Alchemist@Lucius Cypher

---

As Ash and Orchid collapsed, both exhausted, they might have begun to wonder idly why the System hadn't seemed to respond yet. Could it be that there was some sort of timer in place, or that it wouldn't trigger in mid-battle? Or maybe they just hadn't garnered any results yet? Or, could it possibly be the other way around--what if it were possible to outpace the system, to accomplish things at such a rate that the notifications effectively "lagged?" But if there was lagging...what other implications did that have for this world?

Or maybe they didn't wonder any of that, and simply slept like logs. Regardless, they certainly had plenty of messages in the morning.

You have gained a Crafted Item: Rawhide Pack! This item may rot or tear if not preserved correctly. This object can hold 5 Small Items; in total with your Throat Pouch, you may now hold 10 Small Items!

LEVEL UP!
Your experiences have culminated into new power! You are now Level 3. You gain Skill Points to spend as you please!

Unspent Skill Points:
10

Current Skills:
Stun Fang I (1.4)
Poison Spit I (1.8)
Alchemy I (1.6)
Overwork I (1.3)
Charisma I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.8) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Crafting (0.5) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Alert (0.5) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Venom Shot (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Blunt Resistance (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.3) <UNUSABLE>

You have eaten well and gotten a good night's sleep.
HP Fully Restored.
MP Fully Restored.
SP Fully Restored. Your venom sacs were Very Low. They are now Full.

You have learned a new skill!
Skill Gain: Crafting I. 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.

You have learned a new skill!
Skill Gain: Material Analysis I. You have developed an eye for determining the qualities of inorganic or non-living objects. At this level, you will only be able to gain surface information about an object. When used in conjunction with a crafting skill, it may help discover more compatible items.

You have gained a Title!
New Title: Cannibal. You have eaten a member of your own species. The effects of this Title aren't yet clear. Current Title Rank: I

You have gained a Crafted Item: Rawhide Pack! This item may rot or tear if not preserved correctly. This object can hold 5 Small Items. In addition to your limbs, you can now hold up to 12 Small Items!

Skill Rank Up: Crafting II! Crafting Complexity Increased. Stamina Requirement Decreased.

You have gained a Crafted Item: Fanged Sword! This weapon makes you feel slightly stronger and allows you to attack slightly faster! Deals Slashing and Piercing Damage. Requires two hands.

LEVEL UP!
Your experiences have culminated into new power. You have gained Skill Points to spend as you please.

Unspent Skill Points:
5

Current Skills:
Use Light Equipment (--)
Pacify Animal I (1.0)
Stronger I (1.3)
Crafting II (2.7)
Material Analysis I (1.15)
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.5) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Deception (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Charm (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.9) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Alert (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Stone Shot (0.3) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Shred (0.3) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Warcry (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Pierce Resistance (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Blunt Resistance (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Blood Drain (0.3) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Taboo (0.5) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Smash (0.5) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Skewer (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Mental Resistance (0.1) <UNUSABLE>

You have eaten something and have gotten a full night's sleep.
HP is mostly restored.
MP is Fully restored.
SP is Fully restored.

And soon, the pair would awaken to a new day...

---

The First True Party!?
@King Cosmos@CriticalHit@Gardevoiran@floodtalon

---

You used Magic Analysis I!
Effectiveness reduced to 75%. This is a Monster using Magic.
Pixies are a magically oriented monster. This pixie has three spells and one magically oriented skill. This pixie is using the skill Magical Analysis, which you also have.

You used Magic Analysis I!
Effectiveness reduced to 25%. This is a Monster.
Goblins are capable of magic. This Goblin is unusual; it possesses one magically oriented skill.

You used Magic Analysis I!
Effectiveness reduced to 25%. This is a Monster.
Fanged Lizards are capable of magic. This Fanged Lizard is unusual; it possesses one spell.

[[Past this point, you're free to interact on your own until you're ready for time skip or unless you're looking for more random encounters.]]

---

A Pixie to the Bonfire
@ReusableSword

---

Your practice has increased one of your skills!
Skill Rank Up: Lesser Flight II! Flight speed slightly increased. MP Consumption slightly decreased. Maximum height slightly increased. Maximum distance slightly increased.

Ardur slept peacefully, and his spiderbro faithfully defended him from all manner of bedbugs, flies, or other such things that might dare threaten his roommate. And when the first rays of light began to creep through the cave, the pixie would awaken to find...

---

A Short Search [[If you'd like you can join up with any other Day 1 groups. You could also skip ahead fairly easily since you aren't interacting yet.]]
@CollectorOfMyst

---

As Scott searched, he would be able to find the easier food--the small insects and the moss--without much trouble. However, the green herbs that grew in abundance near the pool had begun to thin out considerably. It looked like many other creatures had been searching for resources too. The same was true of the blue, glowing crystals along the walls. There might be enough left to find one or two, but unless he wanted to venture into other creatures' territories it was unlikely he would be able to find more than that, or any cluster big enough to scavenge enough shards from to make up for it.

As for weapons...no matter what he tried, the pixie would soon find that it just didn't seem like any of the materials available to him would work. Rocks were either too big, too heavy, too awkward to fly with, or some combination of all three. Sticks could only be found among the Goblins, who certainly couldn't be messed with at the moment as they were gathered up in bunches around that bonfire. Even then, in order for the foot-tall pixie to use one it would have to be practically a toothpick or drumstick sized. Although his form was vaguely humanoid and, like the goblins, he actually did have opposable thumbs, he was simply too physically small and frail to make any use of even the lightest of weapons. Maybe there was a way to get around this, but he would have to put some effort into it, it seemed...

---

[[Skip this if you are still interacting.]]

---

The rest of the night inside the cave was relatively uneventful. A few monsters chose to hunt nocturnally, but more often than not they ran into each other rather than the other sleeping species. Being a lone wanderer in the cave environment didn't seem to pay off as much for the normal monsters as it had for some of the Damned Heroes. The goblins took turns sleeping in shifts around the bonfire; Crispy and Rattleskull, however, likely by virtue of being the biggest and meanest, did not have to do such menial tasks as keeping watch. They slept soundly throughout the night, but they were each guarded by a handful of goblins who seemed just a little bit meaner or more experienced than the others, likely older specimens.

But as those few shafts of sunlight changed to moonlight, and as the environment calmed down, the Mana Crystals began to glow a little bit brighter. With sounds like quietly tinkling glass, a shard that had been broken off by some adventurous Wisp pushed up from the ground a full inch. A cluster that had been reduced by one head brought forth another, though it was quite tiny. The remaining crystals in the bunch also grew another inch each. The veins of deeper blue minerals glowed like circuitry in a machine, in rhythmic, silent pulses here and there. Something that seemed like a charge ran through them, traversing the entire maze of the cave. Another hour, another partial inch.

And as the crystals seemed to increase, ambient mana building inside the cave, the Healing Herbs seemed to shiver. A handful of seeds, dropped by some curious creature, sprouted roots. A tiny leaf emerged from each one. Herbs that had been picked off, but hadn't had their roots damaged, sprouted new buds. A few that had been snipped at the leaves grew thicker in their stems and their remaining leaves grew broader.

By the time morning came, and the first few rays of the sun began to creep through cracks and crevices, the cave's resources were probably about half-way recovered from the previous day's harvest. Save for a few parts of the walls where the goblins had completely mined away every last crystal, at least.

Rattleskull awakened the earliest of the goblins, and was the most alert upon first rising. He kicked the rest of them into awareness, quite literally, and gathered up some of the meaner looking ones. Once he had a band of about half a dozen, plus himself, they headed towards the entrance of the cave--only to find it blocked off. Soon a commotion of confusion--about the cave-in, about the dead guards, about their next course of action--began to echo around the area.

Crispy, along with another handful of goblins, began poking at the burned down embers of his bonfire. It had burned well throughout the night, but now was merely the size of a small cookfire. He began adding wood to it, but his pile was growing low. He barked at the mining parties he had been about to send out; today they would join Rattleskull in gathering wood. The crystals still needed time to regrow, after all. As the miners-now-lumberjacks grumbled about their fates and were helped along by a series of angry kicks in the rear, Crispy was soon left with only three guards, whom he seemed to be giving a different kind of instructions...

All around the cave, other monsters began to stir. Because most of them had not hunted during the night, they were hungry. And because they were fresh from sleep, these first few hours would be a time in which they had the most energy. Now, then, would begin a feeding frenzy as they all sought to take advantage of their own healthy state and the still-groggy condition of any late dozers...

Orchid had dreams of today, vague dreams, and she intended to act on them. Dreams of things to come and stuff she could make. She imagined a home for herself, somewhere more comfortable than the dirt she laid her head on. She wore fine clothing adorn with armor. She looked strong. She was older, bigger. A vision of what she can become, if she just keeps striving forward. And then Orchid woke up. She opened her eyes and yawned loudly. Her body no longer felt sore but she was a bit hungry. The place stunk but she didn’t really register it until she saw the mess of meat a couple of feet away from her. Unfortunate but inevitable. She stood up and looked down at her feet and smiled. Her Fanged Sword. It wasn’t the best, but right now it was her masterpiece.

”Yosh. Time to get to work. I still need new things and… Skills? So this is like a video game.” Floating before her eyes were messages of sorts detailing skills she gained, abilities she could use, and a title she has obtained. She ignored the title bit and decided to use her skill points now. 1 points into Material Analysis, 1 points in Stronger, and 3 point in Crafting II. But before she accepted the skills she looked at the the skills that were unusable. She didn’t think much of t at first, but she wondered if she could put points into them. So she put 1 point into Monster Analysis instead of Material Analysis. It seemed like a useful skill to have.

With that out of the way it was time for Orchid to plan her day. First she needed to find out what sort of resources she had available to her aside from rocks and wildlife. Goblins were getting their sticks somewhere despite living in a cave; there must be a tree or some roots around here. And if Orchid wanted to make a fire for herself, she’ll need wood. Not only that, but she also figured that if there were ponds inside of these caves, there might be some clay she could use too, or at least mud. If she could get a fire and some clay, she could make some crude pots to cook food and help her crafting by boiling the hides and guts to make them stronger.

She looked around for the fanged lizard. Orchid realized she never actually introduced herself to the lizard, nor had the lizard told Orchid her name. Part of her didn’t want to as Orchid didn’t want to develop feelings for someone she might have to kill soon. But then again, perhaps Orchid won’t need to kill her. Maybe they could forge a partnership together. Grabbing some meat that wasn’t too rancid Orchid looked for the fanged lizard, holding her Fang Sword in her free hand.

”Hey. You awake? I plan to spend most of today gathering and stockpiling materials. We need a plan to kill the goblin leaders so I can take them over.”

@rune_alchemist

@Lucius Cypher@Zeroth - Plans and Crystals

---

Sleep was surprisingly easy. Exhaustion made for the best sleep medicine usually. She may have thought briefly about why the system hadn't yet to say anything, or perhaps she was just so focused on getting to a good place to rest she didn't really pay any attention. She was too focused on making sure they didn't get jumped by anything else. Before she finally drifted off though, she made two goals to reach tomorrow. Investigate those magic crystals to see if it was possible she could use magic...and gain more allies. As much as she'd like to say she trusted her so called friends, it was always good to have a plan B. It should be possible for her to sway the more feral lizards, under her side with a little persuasion. If not through simple charisma, intimidation should suffice.

Besides, if they had numbers - they could more easily take out those damnable goblins.

The next morning, she woke feeling oddly refreshed. The lizard stretched, shaking the grogginess out of her head before taking a quick sniff of the air to make sure nothing was amiss. Smelling nothing, she allowed herself to lay back down and allowed herself to be pleasantly surprised - she had leveled up again. Level three this time. At least that hardship last night paid off well - she now had 10 skill points to spend on any skills currently listed. As well, with a little message that said 'HP, MP, and Stamina' fully restored. So...could she do spells just as Wisps could? Curious. She was interested in trying after her brief encounter with one the other day.

Good...that would make this slightly easier.

You have gained a Crafted Item: Rawhide Pack! This item may rot or tear if not preserved correctly. This object can hold 5 Small Items; in total with your Throat Pouch, you may now hold 10 Small Items!

LEVEL UP!
Your experiences have culminated into new power! You are now Level 3. You gain Skill Points to spend as you please!

Unspent Skill Points:
10

Current Skills:
Stun Fang I (1.4)
Poison Spit I (1.8)
Alchemy I (1.6)
Overwork I (1.3)
Charisma I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.8) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Crafting (0.5) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Alert (0.5) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Venom Shot (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Blunt Resistance (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.3) <UNUSABLE>

You have eaten well and gotten a good night's sleep.
HP Fully Restored.
MP Fully Restored.
SP Fully Restored. Your venom sacs were Very Low. They are now Full.

Stretching again, and taking a good, long look at the skills she decided it was time to put some points into one. Couldn't have them all pile up, even if she'd prefer using them on skills she wasn't interested in using herself. She had picked up a few interesting ones she'd like to try later, but for now she wanted a bit more offensive power for what she was going to be trying to do today. Assuming each point represented a .1 on the chart...She'd dump six points into Venom Shot, and four final points into Alchemy. Having a new trick up her sleeve would be good for what she was going to be trying to do today.

Another interesting tidbit was about the backpack and the 'throat pouch'...she wasn't even aware she had one of those. Curious - perhaps she could store food or other items there? Stock up and eat it later, or store useful items like crystals or some other things. It'd help...well, a thought for later. Her tentative ally was approaching, holding some foul smelling meat from the goblins yesterday. Huhmph.

"...if I wasn't an ugly lizard face, I'd never eat this." She sighed, gratefully accepting the gesture, glancing to her sword in hand. made from fresh goblin guts it seemed. Teeth, bone...wood...all manner of grizzly weaponry. It looked vaguely like something she had seen abck on earth. Something about an ancient Aztec sword or something. Well, whatever. "Fancy sword there." She mused, wolfing down the meat offered. "As much as I'd like to help with material gathering, My time I think would be better spent doing something else..." She glanced to the crystals. The glow seemed to have noticeably increased over the night. Good to know they probably grew relatively swiftly.

"I have a tentative plan for killing the Goblin Leaders myself." She continued. "It will...perhaps work, or not. I cannot say at the moment. I'm not your average Lizard, and I doubt your the average Goblin with how you carry yourself." She'd be giving a happy little smirk, if her lizard mouth was capable of it. "Once I see where this plan of mine goes, I'll see about finding my friends from yesterday. They'd be delighted to meet you, I'm sure." Ash began walking, turning only briefly to finish her thought. "If you want, of course...but anyways, getting started early is a good idea. Try not to hurt yourself - I can only do so much with my alchemy should you become injured. If possible, bring back some of those green plants by the pond - but not too many. We don't want to exhaust our resources before we can find a way to replenish them."

Without waiting for a response, Ash scurried away from their little safe haven, doing her best to remain alert and avoid detection by other creatures. Her goals? Were finding some crystals. There was certainly to be some, so long as nothing interrupted her while she was out.

Orchid nodded at the lizard. This would be where they would part ways, for now. While they’ll no doubt meet up again Orchid did need to pursue her own goals right now. And as much as she wanted help Time was of the essence. She’ll just have to be careful. Dining on a bit of goblin meat Orchid buried the rest of the gore into the ground while getting the rest of her things together. The goblin skin bag, herbs, a few rocks, and a couple bits of bones to repair the teeth of her blade. Once everything was packed she'd head out.

She needed to find wood. She’s gather any sticks she could find along the way but the important thing was finding a big source of wood. Her dream had given her some ideas about new weapons she could make, as well as some armor. All she needed was a nice sturdy hunk of lumber. Of course Orchid would also need to grab a couple of sharp stones too; couldn’t cut down a tree without them. If she wanted to take down Crispy and Rattleskull, she needed more than just her sword and guts.

Asura huffed to himself when the body didn't respond to anything. Guess he needed to get better at his Limited Shapeshifting to be able to make puppets out of bodies. Or maybe it wasn't something he could do without magic? Considering the system message didn't come up he only had assumptions. He didn't like making assumptions, even in his past life. Shaking off that he went about digesting the organs around him. The soft tissue dissolving easily minus the stomach which was built to withstand acids.

When he started to settle in a bit he felt a tug on the body of the rat. Figures, it's free meat he should have left it to sleep elsewhere. Surging out of the body with startling speed he spied another slime trying to drag the body by the tail. This one had to be fairly new considering he was larger than it by a decent bit. It was of similar color to him but it was just a blob while he subconsciously took on his 'man-blob' form.

Raising a goobrow he huffed again. A younger slime wasn't a threat and he probably had higher defenses than most in this cave. For now he waited to see what it would do. Maybe it came from the same...mother as him? Possibly? How did slimes reproduce?

@Kazemitsu

The rat tail didn't budge no matter how she tried, more of her bulk being committed to the effort, hoping it didn't dissolve as she did so. "Cmon.... you....stupid..." Then she noticed that the tail was not going with her, but instead was raising by itself. It was then that she noticed the splash of orange red that appeared underneath the rat carcass.

"Oh my..." What she was looking at was bigger than she was, and it seemed to have a face. Something she had been trying to do for the last three days. Her astute calculating brain came to the outlandish conclusion that this slime was the same as her. Maybe something a bit older, or how she would adapt and change as she consumed. Still it led to another train of thought. It was going to eat her if she didn't do something.

She let go of the rat tail and thought a moment, getting a bit of distance and then pulling herself together. It didn't speak, could it speak? She attempted to stand straight up. She wasn't intimidated before and she won't be now. "Hello!" She asked, her voice containing a commanding tone as she bubbled coherency out of her mass. She tried again to change her form, to do anything to look bigger. Instead it just made her wriggle in an energetic way. "It's about time I ran into something like you." She began. "As you're aware, there's some big stuff in this cave, and seeing as we're roughly the same, I'd say we should probably work together. Get as much of this place as we can and get out. Two umm... blobs are better than one."

Her gooey 'head' mass cocked to one side. "What do you say? Can you say anything?"

@ShwiggityShwah

Asura gave a slow blink. The little slime was talking to him now, which meant...maybe it was like him? It had a feminine lilt to the tone but he kept his assumptions to himself. "It's about time you ran into another slime? He questioned while the smaller slime wiggled about excitedly. Such a weird little creature. The other slime he had met was more serious and straight forward. Looking around he was curious what this big stuff was.

"Big stuff? The goblins?" He asked, they actually hadn't bothered him. Neither have the pixies or lizards. It seemed the wisps and the dire rats were the most aggressive of the newbie lot. A mental shake and he brought himself back. "Come on, we should find some place safer to rest. It's night and it's dangerous for you." He said while partially enveloping the rat. Carrying it off without the slightest hiss of digestive sounds. Despite his coloration she could see the herbs floating about inside of him while he moved along.