---

---

Tch, so much for that plan. In this situation, that was the most concrete thought Asteria had the time to consider. As the two globs of poison flew towards her slowly, she avoided most of the attack by jumping aside. Unfortunately, a bit of her fur did get hit. Asteria rolled in a patch of dirt, removing as much of the acid as she could. She did not want to experience what its effect would be like if it reached her skin and ate into her meat. She saw the way her Mother engaged the two lizards head on. And since trying to go around an enemy while it was distracted from the front had worked so well last time, she attempted the same thing now.

Asteria dashed to the side in zigzagging motions, trying to add unpredictability to her innate speed in the event that either of the lizards tried taking her out before she was able to reach them. When she was perpendicular and relatively close to the more injured of the opponents, she charged the lizard in an attempt to head-butt it from the side. If she were lucky, she might be able to unbalance it enough so that it would flip over on its back or alternatively, make it crash into the other (healthier) lizard and disturb both of their attacks momentarily. Depending on what happened as a consequence of her attack, Asteria thought she could either bite into the nearest lizard to damage it or use her speed to dodge if either of them tried biting her. And perhaps her sister would actually consider how she attacked this time, though as long as she actually helped in some manner to kill the lizards and didn't get in her way, Asteria didn't much care what exactly Mei did.

@Jobst

@ShwiggityShwah

Asura gave off a laugh. "I didn't really have a plan. I hoped maternal instincts would keep her from eating us and would help us stay alive. If she tried to fight I'd hold her off so you could flee before I followed." Asura stated while keeping a wary eye on the approaching slime. He forcefully moved Edith backwards so the huge slime didn't just drop on the pair and slurp them up like jello cups.

His fellow souled slime started singing to the mother slime which made him blink in confusion. Did the monsters in this cave even understand music? Either way he waited to see what the slime mother would do. Would she try to eat them? Would she somehow communicate? Or would she just go back to doing slime things? They'd have to wait and see.

“What did you think you were doing?”

Although discrete, Mei could note th subtle frustration in her sibling's tone. She couldn't blame her though; Asteria's response was appropriate for the situation, but unless she insisted, Mei felt no need to explain her actions in detail.

"I-I d-d-dont know; it st-started to at-t-tack, so I p-p-panaicked." She whimpered in response as she stared at the cavern floor, trying to avoid eye contact.

Her sibling took several deep breaths to calm herself down, but still spoke with a bit of annoyance in her voice. “Whatever. It’s done now. This just cost us two or three potential allies though,”.

Mei was impressed at the level-headedness Asteria displayed; it only added to the reasons on why it was worth staying close to her and their mother.

While Mei was lost in thought, Asteria had suddenly brushed against her, as if comforting or reassuring her. Lowering her head even further, trying to hide her brief surprise, Mei whispered in a mumbling manner "I-I'm s-sorry". Fortunately, her sibling was a compassionate one. Whether this was genuine or instinctual, Mei couldn't say for sure; even with her history of violence, the ferocity she had shown throughout the day was a bit excessive even for her. Nevertheless, Mei still believed that the kindhearted were always the ones who were easier to deceive.

“I don’t know about you, but I want to track Edward down and see if at least some of this mess can be fixed.”

If Mei could've shown her displeasure with a deep and breathy sigh, she would. Unfortunately, she had an image she needed to maintain.

---

A well timed coincidence or just fate toying with them, Mei couldn't deny how volatile the environment in the cave was.

Wasting little to no time, their mother had pounced, leading the offense and displaying an ample amount of speed and agility as she skillfully weaved through the venomous volley of shots. Making use of her relatively smaller size, Mei ducked and log rolled to the side, doing her best to avoid the incoming attack as well. Seeing how immediate the actions of her fellow rats were, Mei immediately followed up and jumped into the fray, mimicking the movements of her sister. At least she tried to. Mei had noticed for a while now the difference in speed between the three of them. Their mother being faster was easily believable, but for Asteria, who was part of the same litter as her, was something Mei couldn't just accept. She assumed that their first few days of life were generally similar, so why was there a gap? Was she not pushing herself enough? Well, Mei didn't know for sure, but it was a good time to find out. She needed to utilize and get to know the capabilities of her body sooner rather than later.

Exerting as much effort as she could, instead of trailing from behind, Mei veered towards the opposite direction. With both Asteria and Mother up front, Mei hoped that their initial attacks would serve as a distraction while she'd sneak in. As soon as she got close, Mei planned to lunge forward as fast as she could with, aiming towards the trunk of either lizard with arms extended and claws bared.

Despite the lack of coordination, hopefully their makeshift three-pronged approach would create enough confusion for a decicieve blow to land.

@SilverPaw

@Rune_Alchemist@CollectorOfMyst
Naji nods limply at the new pixie, Scott apparently. “pleasure to meet you Scott.” He adds weakly. It was...rather odd to hear such a mundane name ascribed to a mystic creature honestly. Years of TV and video games somewhat conditioned him to expect something fantastical like Trill or something. To be entirely fair, he supposed he was probably the exception, having a name that was probably not very common to most regions of the world and vaguely sounding like dumb fantasy nonsense.

“And like wise to you Miss Ash...As for what I mean...” He says as the two turn towards a stone Scott had manage to secure, scribbling something unseen to Naji from his vantage point on the ground. “Mostly it involves healing you exclusive or things of that nature. As for the learning concerns...I’m not sure. It could be possible that healing magic may be our classes thing, ya know? But considering you mentioned that you do have MP, maybe practicing with us will open up those options faster. Like a quest reward or something.” He shrugs limply. He wasn't exactly an avid gamer or something. RPGs had been a rare and casual past time for him, and never anything more complex than what was available in a video game store. Rigid classes were, for him, somewhat an expectation.

He manages to sit up a little, his body groaning with the effort as a loud growl escaped his stomach. Finally able to see what the two were working on, he was a little confused. “...So please forgive me for being out of the loop, but why are we writing words on rocks?...” He asks, paling slightly as a wave of weakness washed over him. “Cause when I did the heally thing, I mostly just spoke in vaguely understood words and did awkward flailing gestures.”

@CollectorOfMyst@ghastlyInc - Pixie and Crystal dust

---

Ash watched Scott eagerly, attentively seeing the magic and how he was casting it. Having only seen it maybe twice before, she never really had a chance to see how exactly it worked. She let him guide her claw over the stone, slowly etching the word 'heal' into it. Ah, well, she maybe should sharpen her claws anyways, come to think of it. A thought for later. In all, it was a very enlightening experience. She had expected him to show her the healing magic as an example, not...this.

"Anything should be possible with practice, Naji." Ash replied to the recently saved pixie, she gripped the pebble as best she could with her claw, bringing it up to eye level. "You just need to put forth the effort to learn it." She moved back over to the Crystal, quickly scooping it up in her mouth again before seemingly swallowing it. If the 'inventory' had been right, then she would have a 'throat pouch' or something she could store items in.

1 Mana Crystal added to Inventory.

"As for this stone, correct me if I'm wrong but you somehow made it able to use spells as well?" She theorized. It was a logical conclusion, after all. He had used magic that much was certain, but there were no immediately physical affects. If she wanted to learn or observe, this would be the most efficient method of it, aside from finding hostile pixies or wisps and just watching. If she had to guess, it was some sort of healing item from what he wrote on the name.

---

Looking to Trade (D2)
@Lucius Cypher

---

Crispy’s interest returned as Orchid began to shape the ball of mud, and when she had formed a bowl and placed it next to the fire he rubbed his chin for a moment.

“Seen somethin’ like dat afore...Humans call it...pots?” He mumbled under his breath, then looked at Orchid when she asked him to teach her fire magic. He nodded, but then closed his eyes and seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

“Hmm...is hard.” He gestured towards the fire. “I learned...seven or eight seasons ago. Me and Rattleskull smaller, then. Tribe not so big. Humans come more often.” The goblin opened his eyes, but still seemed to be looking at something much further away. “One day, humans called “Ventures” show up. They made big camp near front of cave, big fire, cook lots of food! Me and Rattleskull, and other gobs, we try to kill ‘em and take all!” He looked again towards his fire, and the clay bowl. “But when we fight, they too tough for us. Just cause we was smaller. We tried to run, and one of dem hit me. I falled into their fire.”

He shivered for a moment, then rubbed at the flame like markings and the old burn scars on his body as if they were still tender.

“Almost died! Pain, so bad pain! Had to soak the good-good-greens in the pool, keep cold and wet all the time!” Now Crispy’s eyes narrowed, and he held up clenched fists. “Made me think, I was weak! Even fire stronger than me! But fire stronger than everything! Burns wood, burns up human houses, maybe even can burn up all world! So I learn make fire, make lots of fires, get stronger! I try learning how not get hurt by fire.” He held out the non-scarred arm for Orchid to see. And in fact, the green skin was a slightly different shade than her own even though those strange red marks weren’t on it. It was something a little bit deeper than a tan.

“And one day, something just kind of click. In brain, click!” He clicked his tongue. Then he opened his hand, and a small sphere of flame--like a candle light--flickered over his palm. “Could make fire without wood! Magics, Fireball spell, it called! But needs lots of crystals to practice it.”

He stepped further away from Orchid, and now went through several motions slowly. A demonstration, then.

“You gots to hold your hand out, and put lots in it! Like, Haaaaaa!” As he made the sound, and seemed to be concentrating quite hard, the fireball grew bigger in his hand until it was about the size of a softball. Then it compressed, becoming more like a baseball, before burning steadily at that size. “And then you gots to throw it, but when you do you gots to be like, Yaaaaah!” Taking aim at a nearby rock, Crispy pointed his palm more than really making a throwing motion, but he also gave a powerful exhalation of breath. The Fireball shot forward, but when it hit the rock all that really happened was that the flame “spread” over the stony surface. The concussive force of such a small explosion did little other than shake the stone. Still, after the fire soon died out, it left a sizable black spot, and the heat waves could be seen shimmering in the air for a few moments.

---

From the Air (D2)
As Ardur practiced his flying, his higher vantage point gave him a wide view of the caverns. He could see the goblins doing something over by their bonfire, apparently trading or teaching one another. He could see various fights happening all over the cave as monsters hunted or defended their territory--there was quite a large brouhaha in one area where it seemed like six or seven monsters had all converged at once, though now it seemed that bloodbath was dying out. There were a couple of wisps, one of whom seem quite agitated, near the pool. They seemed to be trying to gather more of the already thinning herbs. And two brightly colored slimes could be seen for just a moment, red and pink, before they moved with apparent purpose towards the darker corner of the cave.

But perhaps the most notable thing to see right now, was the sudden increase in light levels near the cave’s entrance. A cheer went up from Rattleskull and his lackies as their wooden picks and working hands cleared away dirt and rubble, and the morning sun streamed in bright and golden…!

---

The First True Party!? (D2)
@King Cosmos@CriticalHit@Gardevoiran@floodtalon

---

As Mourningstar used what she had learned from Oberon to continue her practice, it didn’t seem like she was going to learn this skill as easily as he had--then again, she was not only trying to shape her mana, but to give it a new quality, and to project it at a distance the same way she used Mana Orb. She did, however, see at least one immediate result.

Skill Rank Up! Mana Orb I > Mana Orb II
Magic Damage Increased. MP Cost Increased.
As an Active Spell Skill, this spell’s power can be adjusted. You have enough MP to use Mana Orb I twice. Mana Orb II can only be used once with leftover MP.

As Oberon practiced with his Shield and Mana Orb combination, he didn’t get as lucky as before and get an immediate skill notification. He did notice, however, that upon applying a shield to a mana orb, rather than getting a shielded mana orb, he got...something like an orb-shaped Shield. It seemed as if the overlap had merely fed more energy into the shield itself. But this was also, noticeably, the first time he had created a shield that was not overlapping a direct surface or living target, instead floating freely on its own...But the next instant, it dispersed, popping like a soap bubble.

Meanwhile, Digbie used his Tremor Sense once more, and found out some interesting information. Not only had something else been tunneling a great deal nearby, but there was another enlarged dugout similar to his own--and in the back of it, something that gave off an interesting resonance with his tremors…

Skill Rank Up! Tremor Sense I > Tremor Sense II.
Range increased. Projection increased--now instead of passively sensing incoming vibrations, you can more strongly emit your own. This skill is weaker when passive, but when actively used you can perform a more detailed type of echolocation through solid, earthy materials.

---

On the Hunt (D2)
@Kangutso

---

Reoth’s well aimed poison spit struck his target in the back, coating its wings and making them too heavy to fly with. The Pixie managed to control the speed of its descent, yelping in surprise, but while it was clearly hurt it didn’t seem like the actual venom had taken any effect. The creature looked around fearfully before it caught sight of the white lizard, and then took off at a run. But with the weight of the poison still dripping from it, and Reoth’s natural agility, it seemed like he could easily overtake it...

---

Nearby the Pool (D2)
@Rune_Alchemist@ghastlyInc@CollectorOfMyst

---

As Scott took Ash’s claw and used it to make scratches upon a pebble, the lizard could feel a distinct tingling passing from the pixie’s hands, through her claw, and into the stone. What was more, once he started to actually make specific markings on the rock she felt a second type of tingling. The two feelings were noticeably distinct, but had a slight undercurrent of similarity. Her scientific mind, of course, took in this information as well as what Naji was saying about his own experiences using magic. The sort of “undercurrent,” in what she was feeling actually seemed, according to her memories and previous experiences, to be similar to the pulsations and light one could see and feel coming from the Mana Crystals. The two different frequencies, however, seemed to be associated with two different things--the carving of the stone was one, and whatever flowed into that carving after it was completed was another.

With his Scribe skill completed, Scott would see the pebble glow a soft, soothing green color where he had marked it. The glow suffused the stone, and though it stopped putting off light, its color changed ever so slightly by the same shade as that glow.

1 Pebble added to inventory. This Pebble is enchanted with Minor Heal I.

And her assumptions about her throat pouch were correct--when she swallowed the Mana Crystal, she instinctively must have realized it wasn’t food, or at least her body did. Somewhere a sort of fleshy flap opened up within her jaws, under her chin, and the Mana Crystal fit snugly into it before the valve closed and left her free to eat or possibly store even more items.

---

Exploring Near Crystals and Cave Walls (D1)
@SilverPaw@Jobst
The poison spit hit the stony floor with a hiss as the rats scattered, with only Asteria being caught in the splash zone. But as she rolled in the dirt to neutralize the venom, her Mother pounced upon the stronger looking of the two lizards. A vicious melee of fang and claw began, fur and scales thrashing against one another.

Ria closed in lightning fast on the wounded lizard, slamming it headfirst and rolling it onto its back. As she leaped onto the exposed underside and took a big bite, the lizard gave one last thrash, then went still.

Meanwhile, Xiao Mei sneaked behind the lizard engaged with her mother, and attacked it the same way her sister had attacked the mother lizard back in the nest. She too felt the sweet thrill of success as she landed upon the lizard’s back, sinking her claws into its eyes. As it was blinded it flailed wildly with its tail, but Mother Rat soon put her own paws on its head and shoved it to create an opening for her fangs. As the adult Dire Rat sank her teeth into the other monster’s arteries and clung on, the last of its life faded in its wild death throes.

Then, Xiao Mei and Asteria both received an interesting message.

LEVEL UP!

Your experiences have culminated into power. You are now Level 2. You have gained Skill Points you can distribute as you please.

Unspent Skill Points:
5

Current Skills:
Beast Sense I (1.4)
Deception I (1.2)
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.8) <UNUSABLE
<UNUSABLE> Dextrous (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Faster (0.1) <UNUSABLE>

LEVEL UP!

Your experiences have culminated into power. You are now Level 2. You have gained Skill Points you can distribute as you please.

Unspent Skill Points:
5

Current Skills:
Beast Sense I (1.3)
Faster I (1.2)
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis 0.4 <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Dextrous 0.1 <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Poison Resistance 0.1 <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Muffle 0.2 <UNUSABLE>

---

Battle Royale (D1)
@Searat

---

As Ed stealthily tried to make his way behind his chosen target, the battle raged on. The Goblin went down just as predicted, and the Slime had soon made short work of one of the other Dire Rats. The remaining rodent leaped off the Goblin’s back at the Slime, but in mid air the Fanged Lizard shot it with another poisonous missile. As the dire rat fell to the ground, the Slime pounced on it, though it didn’t seem to realize it was taking in even more poison after already being dosed a few times itself.

With the weakened lizard distracted, Ed came down on it from behind and sank his powerful jaws into its neck just behind the head. His teeth, curved and long like most rats, pierced its jugular deeply. The lizard began to thrash, and threw itself into a roll across the hard, stony floor--but to no avail. Only a little rougher for wear after the prey had carried him in that mad fit, Ed rose once again victorious!

LEVEL UP!

Your experiences have culminated into new power. You are now Level 2. You have gained skill points to distribute as you please.

Unspent Skill Points:
5

Current Skills:
Beast Sense (1.2)
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Material Analysis (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Magic Analysis (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Faster (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Rabid Fit (0.3) <UNUSABLE>

Meanwhile, the slime finished off its own opponent. Now there were only two. The Slime was much bigger than Ed, but at the same time its body wobbled almost drunkenly as the poison inside it bubbled...

---

On The Trail (D2)
@Kazemitsu@ShwiggityShwah

---

As the two slimes tried to make their appeals to the larger blue blob, it stopped just short of coming down to them from the ledge. It seemed to focus on Asura for a few moments, the surface of its membrane wobbling thoughtfully. When Edith began to sing it shifted slightly towards her, and the ripples seemed to change in rhythm to her voice.

Slowly, a single pseudopod formed from the creature. It reached out, almost delicately, and just barely touched Asura, just enough to wobble him like a plate of jello.

And he felt it.

Familiar. Me not me. Me big me. Me not me then small me.

Then the blue slime did the same to Edith.

Not Familiar. But not me hurt hurt me. Noise. Me confusion?

The slime’s pseudopods retracted and it wobbled again, tilting from side to side.

---

The Pool (D1)
@Bishop@Duthguy

---

Danny decided to flee rather than fight, and the pixie seemed somewhat surprised by this decision. As the Wisp rushed away, the small fairy shrugged its shoulders and decided to seek its fun elsewhere.

By the time the two wisps reconverged, Lorek was already looking for Healing Herbs, and had found at least one. But as he picked it with what little Lesser Force he could muster, several brown seed pods fell from its underside. A few more seeds in the area had either fallen when other herbs were picked, or had naturally grown mature, so there were lots of little green sprouts around. But the full grown, and presumably fully effective, herbs had become quite scarce at this point, with literally only a few handfuls remaining.

[[At this point your interaction is up to you, until you’re ready for a random encounter or one happens upon you.]]

---

The Hole in the Wall (D2)
@Guy0fV4lor

---

As Jason seemed to vomit his own stomach acids at the Wisp, the creature was appropriately taken aback by such a thing. It dodged out of the way of the acidic slime, before grabbing up that fallen Mana Crystal as Jason tumbled down the tunnel back towards his base. Sensing that it had him on the ropes, the Wisp chased after the panicking slime…

Only to have the door shut in its face, quite literally, as Jason used a Rock Spire. The Wisp was caught between a rock and a pointy place. With a sickening crunch and splatter, Jason’s opponent indeed showed its face--but that was the only part of it that had made it through before the spire had sealed off the opening.

Three of his crystals were gone, and he hadn’t even gotten the chance to engage Crispy. What was more, he’d have to figure out how to unseal his tunnel now. But he had survived! He had been caught off guard by an enemy equipped with his weakness, on disadvantageous terrain, and lived through the experience.

A little bit away from the bonfire Mourningstar suddenly stopped, prompting everyone else to stop as well. "Alright here's the deal. I have no idea how many monsters are at the bonfire nor do I know if any of them are from Earth. So here's the plan." Mourningstar floated over to a nearby mana crystal and snapped off as big of a piece as she could with her Lesser Force, floating back to the group as she thought out her plan. She didn't want to kill anyone from Earth, however all the other monsters were fair game. Unless they were intelligent enough to surrender. Mourningstar didn't plan on killing someone who was surrendering, that would be fucked up. So she needed to let the monsters know that if they plan on fighting her, they would die. She also needed to back up her threat, so everyone else was going to have to set up in strategic points in case a battle broke out. Ok, plan formed.

"Alright. So Oberon, I need you to cast Shield on me just in case things go south. I'm going to float to the bonfire by myself and begin my grand recruitment speech, hopefully convincing anyone from Earth to join us. Everyone else is going to sneak around and try to flank the monsters from different sides. When I give the signal, we all attack at once. Anyone have anything to add?" As she explained her full plan she lifted the crystal up and down in an attempt to train her Lesser Force, kinda like lifting a dumbbell. Maybe it works that way? Who knows, magic is weird. She also used Magic Analysis on her Lesser Force while she did so to see if it even did anything.

@Zeroth @Bishop
Remembering to pay more attention to his surroundings after the last two times he zoned out Danny arrived at the herbs without further trouble, though unknown to him the wisp he was determined to help had also made his way to the patch of healing plants and was in no mood to let anything approach him. He pulled out one of the plants with lesser force and hoped the spell didn't have a time limit.

Just as he was about to head back to the crystals where he believed Lorek still was, he spotted the injured Wisp. Even not knowing the full extent of the other Wisp's anger, he decided not to approach him carelessly. He had been hurt by other souled monsters after all and they didn't really know each other, so it would make sense if he didn't fully trust Danny. "Don't worry, I have a healing herb for you." Only after he said that did he notice that the other Wisp looked to be in much better shape then before.

Reoth's shot struck true, hitting the pixie square in the back and weighing its wings down enough to force it to land. For some reason, though, he felt as though his attack didn't quite do all it could. Despite that thought, he began coming out from the rock to attack the little thing, only for it to notice him and start running as fast as its little legs could carry it.

However, with his spit still weighing it down, the pixie was slow. As soon as it started running, Reoth used a large rock behind him to propel himself forward with some extra starting speed. Dashing as fast as he could, he quickly made the distance between him and his prey. When close enough, he'd pull his head back a bit before snapping it forward, head tilted sideways with mouth agape. His intent was to snap his mouth shut on the pixie, the plan being to immediately kill it or at least catch it between his teeth.

@Zeroth

Ed barely flinched or lost focus when the fanged lizard tried to struggle free from his jaws. Its attempts of escape only gave him more reason to apply more pressure into the bite. Ed was getting used to the feeling of taking a life. He wasn't even sure if the monsters he had attacked and mercilessly slayed were previously human. The thought in itself disturbed Ed deeply...but also sent tingles down his spine. He kept his gaze on the lifeless body of the fanged lizard for a couple seconds before something immediately forced its way into his thoughts.

LEVEL UP!

Your experiences have culminated into new power. You are now Level 2. You have gained skill points to distribute as you please.

Unspent Skill Points:
5

Current Skills:
Beast Sense (1.2)
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Material Analysis (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Magic Analysis (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Faster (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Rabid Fit (0.3) <UNUSABLE>

'What the living hell?' Was the only thought Ed had the time to think of before he saw the slime crush the dying dire rat before absorbing it into his mass. The slime had grown much larger than the young dire rat and it seemed to loom before him even from the distance. The slime was not in prime condition though, the lizard's poison was doing its job well, and the slime was getting closer and closer to death's door. Great is the weapon that cuts on its own. Even if the slime was weakened, Ed kept his eyes close on the slime and kept his ears open to the slightest sound; his entire being ready to counter and react if the slime did anything. He could wait for the poison to kill, or at the least weaken, the slime but kept his guard up. He was angry, not foolish. When the time is right, when the slime makes a mistake. Ed would make sure it would be its last.

"Magic stone hmm?" Orchid watched Crispy's demonstration with interest. She figured that learning magic wasn't going to be easy. For starters she was very hesitant to start learning by burning herself. But then again, one shouldn't play with fire if you were afraid to get burned. She looked at the little bonfire and understood that much. She nodded her head at Crispy again as he launched a fireball at a rock. She did the same motions he did, but of course, no fireball. She lacked the understanding of flame lie he did. Also magic crystals. She figured those were the big blue glowing ones she was sleeping near a yesterday. She looked to the clay and poked it a little. It still needed time to harden. "Okay. Clay still needs time. So... What are magic rocks? They're big and blue and glowing right? I've seen those. Do I just... Eat them?"

Orchid could get back to her sleeping spot and grab some crystals if she needed to. Heck, she'll drag the whole damn stone over if she really needed to. She wanted to learn this magic. She wasn't sure why she felt so obsessed about fire now, but she was. "Mhmm, fire..." She was also kind of hungry.

@Zeroth

It was difficult for Mei to determine on who was more formidable between the mother lizard they had previously faced and the pair that who were on the receiving end of their fangs and claws. One thing she was certain of though, was the efficiency of hunting as a group. If made to tackle the same situations on her own, Mei wouldn't have been as violent and reckless; that just would've gotten her killed. What they had right now wasn't a simple group of random creatures. As cliché as it might've sound, they were a family. Mei could've done without such a dynamic, but the innate familial instincts of protectiveness and lingering compassion for each other had been working to her advantage so far. Coupled with the natural speed and agility of the dire rat, the pseudo synchronicity they displayed during their attacks also impressed Mei. For the time being, she knew that sticking together was the best option presented to her.

---

After her encounter with the wisp and fanged lizards, Mei couldn't help feel her hunger creeping out once again. It could have been something usual for their kind or was just due to Mei overexerting herself. Either way, she decided to address her body's needs and helped herself to the bountiful meal that was in front of her. What she would've thought of as disgusting and savage, was actually calming and nostalgic. The fresh, bloodsoaked reptilian meat was iron-like in taste, but it reminded Mei of zhū zá tāng; a warm, spicy blood and organ soup that she frequently had as a child. While living on the streets of Chaozhou, it was the cheapest and heartiest meal she could afford, but eventually grew to love.

As Mei was enjoying her meal, from out of nowhere and without warning, an abrupt...update had appeared? Or was it more accurate to call it a notification? Regardless, it had caught her off guard, but her surprise most likely went unnoticed. Mei briefly choked on the lizard meat, but it was probably just seen as her eating too hurriedly.

The terms presented to her, such as leveling up and skill points, undeniably piqued Mei's interest. It was as if they were in a game? If this was true, it wasn't apparent given the way she's been reacting to the world around her; it did not feel artificial in anyway, but that was probably what characters in games felt as well. Trying to figure everything out with what little information was available, was a futile attempt and Mei was well aware of this. At least it was a problem she didn't need to focus on for now. Learning how to go about this supposed pre-existing system was something she had to go about gradually. If she didn't take it in as bits and pieces, the chances of her just being overwhelmed was high.

"Five points to spend, huh?" Mei pondered while she resumed her meal, pretending as if nothing had happened aside from her swallowing mishap.

"Beast Sense and Deception." Mei found these words so familiar, as if she had heard them not long ago. Memories of just before her rebirth came flooding back, catching her by surprise yet again. And like before, causing her to choke on her meal. Honestly, she was starting to feel embarrassed. As she cleared her throat though, Mei continued to review the information she had just received. She was, most of the time, logical and practical. However, when games were involved, Mei had the habit of taking risks. She was what most would call, a gambler.

With that train of thought, she knew where she'd invest her skill points. Everything into Deception. Mei found no reason not to do so; that was her bread and butter. Lying, confusing, misleading, to misinform, and the like were second nature for her.

---

At some point, Mei came to the realization that if she was going through this sort of experience, it was fair to assume that Asteria was as well. They faced the same challenges and have been with each other for what seemed to be the whole day. With Mei's curiosity overtaking her, she had to find a way to observe her sister without being to obvious. Grabbing the lifeless lizard by the mouth, Mei proceeded to drag it towards Asteria. What she planned to look like a peace offering with some compassion thrown in, was actually Mei just trying to be sly.

@SilverPaw

@CollectorOfMyst@ghastlyInc - Pixie and Crystal dust

---

1 Pebble added to inventory. This Pebble is enchanted with Minor Heal I.

Ah, enchanted! That was the word for it.

"Ah...this system screen is quite useful." She mused silently. Well, now that that issue had been solved, onto the next objective on her agenda. Watching Scott use magic had definitely been enlightening. She now knew two things - the 'flow' if you will, that Scott was using to make the spell was similar to what she had observed in the crystals, likewise there were two different spells into making this. Likely the enchanting itself, and the healing spell put into it...but no magic related skill yet, so further study would need to be required.

It was a good thing these pixies showed up when they did, really! Their help in the next phase of her plan would be incredibly useful.

"Now," She began, gulping up the healing stone and swallowing it as well, storing it in her throat pouch. Come to think of it...wasn't that incredibly useful? Sort of like her own organic beaker. Perhaps if she was able to store her own venom in there, it could be of use? A thought for later. "You don't look so good, Naj." Ash turned her head to the Pixie in question. "We should definitely get you some food...luckily for you, I was about to do something that could result in a dead lizard or two." Depends on how exactly this next step went. She was no zoologist, but she knew enough that most animals only listened too or respected those who were strong. Death wouldn't really need to be necessary, but it wasn't something she was going to rule out, either.

"If you'll follow me, I could use both of your help...it'll benefit the both of you, if you help me since you'll get EXP for the killing, and food. Hopefully." She started walking, listening and staying alert for any signs of either a large grouping of lizards or even a single one she could perhaps, beat into submission so it'd reasonably follow her.

She shivered with the slimes touch. "brrrrrr shed cold." she said wriggling but then she felt the touch. Heard what she said. Edith felt a little... surprised. Surprised in a good way. "she seems nice. Simple but nice."

Edith thought a moment. "Asura, what did she say to you? She doesnt know me and she's confused by my singing. But I'm establishing repoire." edith tried to return the favor.

She crawled up on the ledge and formed a psuedopod and tried to touch the slime. She tried think really loud, but ended up just talking. "Ahem. Me Friend. Noise Happy. Small me happy big me. Small me become big me?" hoping that might get them somewhere.

Asura held his defensive posture while the larger slime slid a pseudopod towards him. He was keeping himself very compact despite before liquid. When the limb touched him thoughts flowed through his mind. So that was how slimes were supposed to talk, through touch and thought? He guessed that she was saying he was familiar, something about being big then being small. Maybe slimes bred by getting big then shedding excess and undesired mass?

Edith started asking him questions though, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm familiar, which means she spawned me. She kind of sort of described how I came to be? Me big me. Me not me then small me." He stated as Edith returned the gesture of touching the mother slime. Keeping to his stance he did extend a limb to return the gesture to the mother slime. His thoughts were silent but it was a simple touch. Even as a human displays of affection came hard. This being had spawned him and didn't seem to mean any harm to the pair of slimes. He also didn't have a clue on how to transfer thoughts through his limbs.

@ShwiggityShwah

---

@Zeroth
Realizing that the Wisp was already dead, Jason gurgled a sigh of relief as he relaxed his stone shot.

Setting all of his inventory save for a single crystal in his storage, Jason devoured one of his previously stored healing herbs. "Perhaps I should keep more of these on hand" he thought to himself. With the tunnel to his sniping position currently out of commission, Crispy's assassination would have to wait.

Snatching up a stone, Jason carved out a new chamber; this would be where he grew his herbs. Moving the wall of rocks, he curled himself into a ball, and rolled over to the pond to gather seeds. Once he had a total of 8, he returned to the new chamber and spat them out on the floor before once again returning to the pond. This time, snatching up dirt, and a some water.

Rolling back to his gardening chamber, he began to set up his new garden. First, he laid out the dirt in the middle of the chamber before using his gelatinous body to spread it evenly across the chamber floor. Next, he snatched up the seeds he had brought in (there were eight seeds), closely analyzing each one before planting them in the newly lain dirt. When he was done, there were two evenly spaced rows of four. Carefully spitting the water about the dirt, droplets at a time, Jason brought the dirt in his garden to be just as damp as that next to the pond.

Looking proudly upon his work, the slime come gardener now had to figure out what to do next. Making his way back into his main chamber, he caught a glimpse of the green crystal. Bracing his mind, Jason intently studied the crystal's features before once again peering deep into it's void. Once that ordeal was over, Jason began to ponder what to do as he waited for the side-effects to wear off.

After meditating a bit, trying to more intensely study the green crystal with his [Tremor Sense I], Jason thought back to the level up screen once again, recalling that he had begun to develop an ability called 'Aqua Sphere' would it not be in his best interest to learn it?

Devouring the remains of the wisp with a loud slurp, Jason loaded his inventory with two stones and two mana crystals; he would not be caught off-guard again. Exiting his hideout, and once again concealing it's entrance, Jason attempted to curl into a sphere once more, and rolled to the side of the pond.

Sucking up some water from the pool, Jason practiced firing water as if it were a projectile, experimenting with all aspects of the process, such as: pressure, suction, amount of water, shape of how he released it, and more. He would continue repeating this process until he finally developed a new ability, or until something showed up on his [Tremor Sense I] (which he was simultaneously running in the background to avoid any nasty surprises).

@Zeroth @Bishop

The other Wisp didn't seem to appreciate the offer as much as Danny had thought he would given the circumstances. The reason soon became clear though. "Now you want to help? Staying silent and witnessing an act of cannibalism from a fellow human while doing nothing and NOW you come here pretending to offer help?" While he didn't have to put it quite like that, Lorek did have a point. Like the other Wisp said he left he dropped the herb and slowly moved away. When he felt he was far away enough he briefly stopped. "I'm sorry." Having said what he wanted to say he took off at normal speed.

Danny had enough "adventure" for one day. He carefully but not slowly made his way back to the crevice near "his" crystals. He arrived without any more trouble and tried to go to sleep, despite believing that he either would not be able too or that he would suffer from nightmares if he succeeded.