---

Rain was pleased. She'd successfully managed to work out a decent breath attack, and just in time!

She watched what could only be Rattle lumbering after a Pixie, at the Goblins crashing and advancing.

And there. The traitor.

Rain cocked her head, watching the girl make odd behaviors. That wasn't what she'd done before.

A trick? If it were Rain she'd pull a disappear and flank, just like she'd just done actually.

Would this traitor be so inclined?

She couldn't chance it, not when the others were already after Rattle and separating him for his death.

She moved, silently as she used [Muffle II] and cover, taking advantage of her natural stealth. She kept her attention on her surroundings while keeping track of the goblin.

(Moves to F10)

---

Digbie felt his migraine go away as Oberon granted the gift of a status heal to the greenskin. He didn't know what happened, and he didn't care, but he did appreciate the healing from the pixie. Looking at Oberon, Digbie raised his thumb up and gave a jovially toned "Thanks!" Now he could get back to business regarding this invasion of goblins.

Digbie looked over the ground that he could see, grabbing a few of the rocks that he had brought over here earlier so he could toss them at any unsuspecting foes. The <Stone Spike^TM> was also nearby, but Digbie wanted to throw that at something a little bigger than him or any other goblin. Maybe the boss, if that was how this world worked.

Until then, Digbie chucked a few of the rocks towards the torches he noted in the distance, powering them up with a {Stone Shot} to give them an extra OOMPH as they flew through the moist and dank air. He wasn't expecting to hit anything, and there was no way he'd find out what happened with that projectile, but maybe it would do something. After throwing the third rock, he turned to Oberon. "I'll be okay. Go see if you can help some others, and stay safe!"

---

Mourningstar groaned as the Wispmother contented herself with simply waiting and watching. Damnit, how the fuck was she supposed to talk to these things? "Gah, never mind. Hopefully you'll attack the Goblins when they get close enough." She then began to float towards the Bonfire once more, gearing up for the Goblin's assault. "I have no idea if you can understand me, but if you can... please focus on the Goblins. The other monsters are good."

She moved back to the Bonfire quickly, taking note of what everyone was doing as best as she could. Nobody needed direction, this was good. She then moved towards Digbie, sighing as she realized what he was doing. "You have the right idea Digbie, but you're too far away. Try and get close enough that you can see what you're hitting, but far away enough that they still can't see you." Which was exactly what she proceeded to do. Mourningstar dimmed her light as best as she could as she got closer (square G8), floating upwards near a cluster of stalactites as she Focused on creating a Mana Blade.

Then she released it. It was aimed at an exposed Goblin, not the big angry one, but definitely one of the ones who weren't holding a shield. She then proceeded to retreat backwards (square I9) near Digbie, nodding as he hopefully understood what he needed to do.

---

While Reoth was paying attention to the others talking after he had applied his skill points, his question still wasn't really answered. They spoke of uses for magic, and spells they already knew, and ideas on how to cast said spells. But they still hadn't spoken on how to use magic in the first place, or even how he might be able to tell if he could. Ash seemed to become focused on a rock, likely intending to use one of the other's examples to move it with her magic.

"Uhm... That still doesn't answer my question. How do you use magic in the first place? Or how do you know if you even can?" After speaking up again, Reoth settled down. If only his lizard face could show actual expressions. All he could do now was think about if he could use magic and how he could find out if he had the ability to.

---

---

“Ok, I’ll go make the bone needles that I can, you go start laying the trap,” Asteria whispered. She quietly crawled out of the cave, going slowly and warily staring towards the steadily approaching enemies, hoping she and Ed wouldn’t be noticed. Once she reached the bone fragments, she tried making needles out of them. It was harder than working a whole bone, but she did what she could. If she succeeded in making any sharp bone needles, she would go and dip them into the poison pool. After that, she followed Ed and set any new needles she might have made into the earth, trying to mimic Ed’s placement, so that the trap would make sense…and would do the most damage to as many opponents as possible. When they were both done with the traps, Asteria went back into the hole, and continued gazing to the front, actively focusing on her sight. She lied low, attempting to calm her breathing. She relaxed her muscles as much as she could, but also poised her mind to be ready for the oncoming attack.

@Searat

Oberon was glad to see that his spell had worked and that Digbie was back to his old self; there were still a lot of things about this world that he didn’t understand but it seemed that a headache was close enough to a status ailment that his spell was able to cure it. That raised some questions about whether this spell would work as a catch-all fix for any kind of ailment; he already knew it worked to remove poisons but maybe he could cure even diseases or disabilities once it was strong enough. For now though it was enough just to know that it worked for what he needed it to.

Digbie began throwing rocks towards the approaching torches, but judging from how far away the lights still seemed to be it was unlikely the Goblin was managing to hit anything at this range. The rocks seemed to be glowing with a strange light as Digbie released them from his hand, not as bright as the light of a Mana Orb but still undoubtedly magical in nature; Oberon let curiosity get the better of him and used Magic Analysis to observe the effect as Digbie threw the second and third stone.

“I’ve already given a shield to everyone I could find; the others all spread out to intercept the Goblins I think. I’ll stay with you for now. Take this as well.” Reaching out a hand Oberon cast another Shield I spell on Digbie while attempting to use nature mana as he had before.

It was a surprise when Mourningstar suddenly spoke up from somewhere above their heads, but a welcome one. He hadn’t expected to see the Wisp again so soon and after how their last meeting had gone he was glad to see she was okay. As the Wisp flew off Oberon quickly said something to the Goblin before flying off after her. “I think she’s right Digbie. Wait until they get closer.”

Oberon caught up to Mourningstar after she had finished firing at the Goblin’s and had already flown back towards them. He hovered next to her and cast another Shield I using nature mana on the Wisp. “Don’t go too far forward. If we stick together we can watch each other’s back.”



@floodtalon@Gardevoiran

Ash felt another odd sensation as she tried to move the stone with the power of Lesser Force. Like stretching her arm out towards something that was outside her reach. But instead of physical discomfort in muscle or bone, the strain she felt came from somewhere else. Despite being metaphysical in nature, she still couldn't hold the effort for very long. Much like a muscle that seeks to lift more weight, it seemed more training would be required. Danny's advice did seem to help; it wasn't as hard to "feel out" the spell this time as it had been to understand the concepts of the other spells she had tried.

Having eaten his fill thanks to Scott and the others, Colchain soon grew bored of watching whatever it was Ash was doing. Moving deeper into the small camp's alcove so that he would be out of sight of most predators, the Fanged Lizard curled up for the night. He lifted his head for a moment when Reoth spoke up, watching the white lizard with those expressionless slit eyes, then lay back down.

Skill Gain: Charisma I
Your force of personality is almost magical unto itself. You have a better chance of convincing others during negotiations, unless their Will is sufficiently strong.

As Danny attempted to dim his natural luminescence, he found that doing so was not impossible. It did take some fairly significant concentration, and thus slowed him down. Still, that might actually be helpful in this situation--if he didn't make too much noise, sneaking unnoticed over towards the fighting shouldn't be too hard. There were still lots of spikes on the ceiling for him to hide among, after all.

---

17 Mana Crystals remain.
2 Flame Touched Crystals remain.

Unlike before with the Demon King, Ardur's prayer to a sun god didn't prompt a System message. Did that mean that there was no sun deity to pray to...or that they didn't respond for some other reason? Nonetheless, having something to believe in, or to at least vent his thoughts towards, was of slight comfort to the pixie. As he dropped into the open air, Shielding himself and taunting Rattleskull, the larger monster's gaze snapped in his direction.

"IF YOU NOT SCARED, WHY YOU RUN!?" the hairy pesudo-goblin roared, shaking the stalactites. He immediately began to charge in Ardur's direction...

At the same time, Jason was rolling to a new place from which to set up his sniping again and Mourningstar was just returning. Digbie had fired off his Stone Shot at the closest group of torches, but unlike Jason he didn't have the Focus skill. The goblin probably wouldn't realize it, since he didn't know what abilities Jason had, but without that power boost there just wasn't enough oomph to drive his projectiles over the distance. Oberon and Mourningstar made a point of telling the poor fellow so, while Rain slithered off to seemingly disappear among the rocks.

You used Magic Analysis III!
---Stone Shot---
This spell charges a piece of stone with magic energy before hurling it at the opponent. This attack does blunt, piercing, and Earth-elemental magic damage. It consumes less MP than most spells, but requires ammunition. It is roughly equal in power to the Mana Orb spell, and often serves as the first rank of an Earth-aligned creature's magic. The type and shape of stone used may affect some parameters of the spell.
---Analysis Complete---

Ed and Asteria, having decided on their traps and plans, soon began their work with their hastily and rather poorly crafted Poisoned Bone Needles. However, they only needed them to work for a short while anyway...much like Ed had realized, this tactic wasn't meant to kill, but to slow and cripple an invading force. Only time would tell if it would work.

When Asura asked Momma Slime if she was nervous, she didn't seem to fully understand the sentiment but sent back a "negative" emotional signal nonetheless. When he demonstrated how to use the Bone Needles, Momma Slime took the remaining handful left from what the Rats had given him. She carefully moved them through her membrane, even having the foresight to leave the poison-covered bits exposed to the air rather than fully enveloping them into her body.

From the sounds of it, the Goblins were getting closer by the minute and ever more rambunctious...

[[These actions are taking place in the first "round" of the Goblin Party actions.]]

---

At the same time as Ardur began to tempt Rattleskull and the rest of the bonfire group began their next move, Orchid charged helter skelter across the field. She ran right past the "brawny team" of goblins, where her female rival and that broad shouldered gob were carrying their spears and jogging along like the tribals they were. As she passed them at a full sprint, they glanced over at her in surprise and then did a double take.

"Oi, where's you goin--!?"

But she paid them no mind and kept going. She actually passed a ways behind Rattleskull as he was screaming and charging after that same pixie that had tried to team up with her earlier. She even raced in front of an oddly shaped green colored slime as he was rolling along the ground, her path intersecting his at an angle. But he didn't have to stop at all, as she was so intent on simply getting out of all this that she didn't pay any attention to him. And without the new goblin tactics of "look under every rock until you find something willing to hurt you," she didn't have quite so much trouble moving on...

During this moment, while their leader sprinted away, the "shield team" was left to head to the aid of the "hammer team." However, in doing so they soon discovered a problem, or rather, three problems. The bonfire had always been a place where most other monsters would keep their distance, usually only making well hidden nests on the outskirts where they weren't likely to run into the goblins. That was still the case now, only the group of monsters inhabiting the bonfire area had simply changed form. But thanks to the goblin invasion disrupting the local ecosystem, some monsters were now stuck. They had to leave areas where they could hear and see danger, but they didn't want to go into an area they also knew was dangerous. So they ended up sitting in one place, trying to hide or find some other way out--and then, like now, they were stumbled upon by another goblin team. The Shield Team found themselves facing three Slimes that gurgled defensively at their approach. With no option for retreat, both groups steeled themselves for battle. Thanks to their shields, the Slimes' attacks were of little avail--all they had was their weight and their blunt bodies.

Simultaneously the Hammer Team could see what was going on, and began to make their way towards the shieldbearers. They stayed low to the ground, leaving the body of their fallen teammate behind, and failed to notice Jason as he left his sniper hole. They were more focused on getting to the other team for protection from whatever was out there.

In the distance, one of Crispy's fireballs flashed brighter than the torches for a moment. He was over near the wall of the cave, but his group seemed to be moving significantly faster than most of the others.

[[At this point, the "first round" is completed, as are all of the player's actions from before this point.]]

---

As Jason began using his Soil Manipulation skill to dig a ditch for himself, he would see Orchid run by at high speed. She had what looked like some kind of flail or maybe a primitive slingshot tightly clutched in one hand. A hand crafted shield was on her arm. Was she the one responsible for all the new equipment the goblins had? Unfortunately, it seemed like she was running full tilt. He wouldn't be able to catch her--and from the sound of something being smashed to bits not too far away from him, he might have literally bigger things to worry about. The huge form of Rattleskull began lumbering towards the bonfire, led by the flitting figure of Ardur.

This was the moment at which Mourningstar also began another journey, heading towards the groups of goblins. As bright as she was, and while making no real effort to hide herself beyond floating up near the top of the ceiling, the Hammer Team immediately noticed her. As she began to Focus on her spell, they called out to the Shield team and continued to make their way towards them, now taking cover whenever possible.

While Asura and Momma Slime continued to wait out their ambush, they now would surely notice as a female goblin hurtled towards them. She wore the hide of a Dire Rat, had a shield made of wicker, and a long piece of cord. Was it a flail? A sling? Was she coming to attack them, or was she running from something else?

By this point, the entire bonfire group could see and hear the closer groups of goblins, and Rattleskull. As Ardur led him ever closer, Mother Rat's eyes snapped open and she squeaked frantically at Ed and Asteria. They were still setting traps...

---

Rattleskull Smashed an unfortunate Dire Rat that tried to run from him as he chased Ardur, and the huge caveboss practically drooled with hatred. Across the other side of the cave, Crispy's group continued their scouting but encountered minimal resistance, and began to turn back towards where they had last seen Orchid's group. The aforementioned shieldbearers were actually starting to take a beating, thanks to the slimes' ability to outlast their attacks even with better equipment. However, they weren't truly injured yet--they lost ground, they were knocked down, the worse shields among their group began to crack and split, but they did not fall. Even the torch bearing younglings got in a few hits here and there. Ultimately, the slimes fell, and they joined up with the Hammer Team.

But just as the two groups started to come together, Mourningstar let loose a whirling crescent of light! She had chosen the hammer team's leader as her target--but he wasn't carrying a torch, and at this distance her accuracy suffered as she tried to pick him out of the dark. And the goblins had already become aware of her. As the light flashed, the one carrying the torch cried out, and both flung themselves earthward. The Mana Slice spell whipped over the target's head, just barely missing his scalp.

It seemed that the wisp who had attacked them didn't intend to stay around, though. Mourningstar turned and headed back towards Digbie, but the goblins watched her with eyes full of hate. The Shield team reached them just then, and with the three healing herbs Orchid had left with them--one for the torchbearer, and one for each remaining hammer goblin--the entire group was back at full strength.

[[This ends a second round of actions.]]

Now, however, a new foe presented itself--another Wisp, whether too stupid to know better, too aggressive, or somehow following in Mourningstar's lead, floated down from the ceiling! Its Mana Bolt struck a shield, further damaging it. It didn't seem like the less well made equipment of the goblins was going to last much longer, but for now it protected its owner once more. And unfortunately for the Wisp, as outnumbered as it was, it had no chance to get away before the goblins chucked enough rocks at it to bring it down.

But this had not been a "random" encounter in the true sense. This was one of the Wisps Mourningstar had dragged along--one member of the "colony" she had encountered. She had merely made them curious. They weren't following orders. They certainly weren't on her "side."

Yet the Wispmother witnessed their death. Flashing with a slight scent of ozone, the larger Wisp began to fly with more purpose towards the goblin group...

The Brawny Team of goblins could see Mourningstar as well as she headed back towards where Digbie and Oberon were. The female gave a shout and pointed with her spear, and the broad-shouldered male waved his hand for their other teammate to follow. They took off, giving chase and heading right for the distant figures--they couldn't tell that there was another goblin present, but they knew this had to be that odd group of monsters that had attacked Crispy!

Rattleskull's feet pounded the ground as he headed after Ardur, his vision tunneling out as he snarled at the pixie. But just then, under his feet, a golden light burst from the ground! A rocky spire sliced into Rattleskull's foot, and if it hadn't been at just the right moment in the transition of his stride he would have fallen! As it was he stumbled--he was off balance, he was confused. He caught himself against a rocky pillar, and began glaring around. That pixie had...led him into a trap? Then where had that attack come from!?

But there was one more surprise waiting for Rattleskull, once again right under his feet...

---

Ardur The Pixie

Poking the bear again >>>> Time to fight /// day 8 // Evening / Location - J11

Thumping and roaring sounds of the large goblin was right behind him. At times, he wasn’t sure if the pounding was from his heart beat or Rattleskull right behind him. The cave boss was constantly just out of reach, a distance Ardur tried to maintain. Go too fast and he losses interest, go too slow and you die. It was definitely a hard thing to manage when you’re also going through an adrenaline rush.

Still, the beast followed. Step by step Ardur dragged him toward the bonfire. Staying tantalizingly close yet just out of reach and mockingly laughing at him as he flew. Then suddenly they were there and as Rattle skull stepped just past one of the nearby pillars his foot was caught in a spike trap of some kind. The sudden spurt of blood made the overgrown goblin stop in his tracks. Ardur could tell that the gears in the goblins mind where moving and realizing what had happened.

Ardur however, didn’t stop. He kept flying to the other pillar before stopping to catch his breath, and he smiled. “Incoming!” he called out to the others that where there. He knows they didn’t plan on dragging him here, but he would be easier to take out by himself. Ardur could only hope that the others were in a position to attack.

After his short pause, Ardur continued to fly up towards the pillar and his stash of stones. The pixie wasted little time, and he knew that they didn’t have a lot of time before the rest of them will be on them. Grabbing a large rock the pixie fluttered through the air and back towards Rattle skull. Assuming the large goblin was still there Ardur would attempt to drop the rock on him and then assist his friends with heals and support.

@Zeroth

@Zeroth @Rune_Alchemist @ghastlyInc @Kangutso

Happy that his plan to move more stealthily worked Danny dimmed his natural glow as much as he possibly could, and while using any outcroppings of the cavewall for cover made his way to the ceiling. It took longer than he would have liked, both due to his focus and not glowing and the lack of a straight path to the top. .Eventually he made it though and darted to the nearest stalactite.

From there he did his best his best to plot a path that would allow him to both have a good overview of the battle and minimize any changes of being seen. Of course he had never done something like that before and a good deal of his attention was focused on not glowing, so the path he settled on was from from perfect in either aspect.

@Kangutso

---

Ugh, damn it!

Slow progress was progress, but it was her most disliked form of progress. As she once again, unsuccessfully managed to cast a spell and feeling a strain in the back of her mind Ash rapped her claws against the stone floor impatiently. Gah! There had to be some way to expedite the process! She'd just need to figure out something else to test it on. If she could observe magic directly being used again, it would likely make her life so much easier. Reoths question didn't help her growing levels of impatience and annoyance either.

"Because," She began in a mildly impatient manner. "A: We have MP, B: Everything else in this cave seems capable of using it on some level, so we should certainly be able too. Simple logic. I just need to...work at it a bit." Turning her attention briefly to Colchain to make sure he hadn't run off or anything, she once again focused on the task at hand. With Dany seemingly having flitted off somewhere, she was left alone to figure things out for herself. "I would appreciate no further interruptions. If you want, try doing the same as Danny suggested if you're interested." Reoth could likely continue to talk if he wanted, but she didn't seem to be in a very talkative mood now that she was focused on work.

For the rest of the night, Ash would practice with these various spells unless interrupted. Healing, Lesser Force, and Mana Orb. Lesser force would be easy enough to start with. Using this 'Force' to move objects was simple in theory. All one had to do was somehow exert this will as physical force. It seemed easier than the Healing spell, so she had to wonder why? Perhaps it had something to do with the nature of Magic in the first place? Maybe Lizards simply were suited to healing people. Hm. Either way, until she was interrupted again or succeeded in using 'Lesser Force' she wasn't going anywhere else or sleeping.

@SilverPaw

Ed did his best to set up as many poisoned needle traps surrounding the bonfire as fast as he could but it seemed a too short a time to set up anymore as he could hear the clamor of the goblins getting closer to the bonfire. Asteria's mother need not alert the young dire rat that the goblins and their leader was getting too close for comfort, his sharp sense of hearing already warned him that their opponents were getting too close for comfort. Hastening his efforts, he sets up the last trap and once satisfied with it's placement, he made good use of the mud camouflaging his form and snuck back to the foxhole. Though not before warning the rest of his companions that he and Asteria had set up traps in the perimeter and urging them to watch their step.

Retaking his previous position in the foxhole, he could already feel his blood quicken in his veins as if his body was already anticipating the inevitable shedding of blood. To kill or be killed, it was unavoidable choice now that he had to fight to simply keep on living in this world. Ed was unsure of the circumstances of how he wound up in this situation but chose not to dwell on the thought. He did not have the luxury of time nor energy to spare pondering. 'Its them or me. Its them or me. Its them or me. Its them or me.' Ed repeated the mantra over and over in his head, mentally preparing himself. Hoping to who ever God was listening that it would make killing them easier.

---

@Zeroth@ReusableSword@Old Amsterdam

Damn. The spire had come close to doing it's job, but his timing ended up being off; causing the hairy bastard just to stumble. However, peering into the darkness, Jason could discern that Rattleskull had caught himself on a stony pillar, and was now searching for his unseen assailant. Countless years spent on the battlefield had trained Jason's battle senses to untold levels; weaknesses, opportunities, tactical miscalculations.... endless combat had engraved a sort of sixth sense for these things; one could even call it predatory.

Right now, such an opportunity was ripe for the taking. In the forearm exists the radial artery, if said artery were to be cut in a combat situation, fighting ability would suffer CONSIDERABLY as a result, potentially even causing the combatant to bleed out; and right now, Rattle-fuck's was ripe for the taking. Channeling his mana through the ground as it took on the aspect of earth, Jason drove his energy further on and up the pillar. A [Rock Spire I] burst forth from the pillar, poised to tear through the underside of the boss's forearm and sever the radial artery, with how focused he was on finding Jason, he'd never see it coming.

However, another problem seemed inbound. A squad of goblins led by one with broader-than-usual shoulders was headed his way. Absorbing his final mana crystal, Jason readied a [Stone Shot II] with one of his remaining spikes as he squashed himself down, compacting his body as much as he could to hide. Once their torchlight fell over his slimy body, he let loose the spike into the Brawny goblin's throat.

---

Digbie ignored his excitement at Mourningstar's return and got scared when the goblins noticed the small gathering. There was a chance he could slip into their group and wait for the ultimate backstab moment, but he couldn't risk his friends to the army that had been assaulting the massive party. He had grown attached to them, somehow. He remembered his dad saying friends were useless, but he was wrong indeed. Oh, he was wrong.

Friends were great.

So when Digbie saw his friends being attacked by a rather expansive Dire Rat, he got a bit angry. They were his friends! Why would they dare try to assault them?! Without much thought, Digbie grabbed the two biggest rocks he could and shoved them into his Ratskin Pack, beginning to rush towards Rattleskull without a second thought. He knew what he was going to do, and he was prepared to see that onslaught through!

As such, he grabbed one of the rocks and chucked it with all of his might when he got close to Rattleskull, charging it up with {Stone Shot} to give it that extra OOMPH, hoping it would be enough to get Rattleskull's attention. If not, hopefully it would leave him with a new wound to worry about. Just to be sure, though, Digbie grabbed the other rock he had shoved into the Ratskin Pack and chucked it at the Dire Rat as well.

---

Mourningstar appreciated the Shield, but there was no time for thanks unfortunately. Her attack on the Goblins has missed, meaning that they were now out for her blood. "Alright everyone, lets start picking them off while they're spread out! The shields look fragile, so try and break them as efficiently as you can." A Wisp that had followed her from the Wispmother's group proved her point handily, striking a shield with a Mana Orb and cracking the shield even further. Unfortunately it was quickly struck down, but the flash of ozone in the air warned of an angry momma.

"Don't attack any of the Wisps either! I don't think they're on our side, but I do know they're certainly not on the Goblin's side!" She moved over to Digbie as she called this out to the group, firing on Rattleskull with a Mana Blade at the same time that Digbie fired his Stone Shot. "Let's keep up the pressure, we outnumber them!"

---

She didn't know how, but it had happened. Rattle was practically on top of her and didn't even know it. Jason had hit him, drawing blood, and he was confused.

Angry.

They never mixed.

She prepared herself, because this was the best chance she could ever hope to get.

Heh. He smelled like burnt fur. Disgusting, just like him.

When the Jason made his move, she attacked.

Moving quickly, letting [Muffle II] do its job, she went for the back of his injured leg, blowing out a Breath attack at his injury. Behind the knee was her mark, ripping and tearing with fangs and venom.

If she succeeded in making a wound, she'd blast a Glob right into it before moving up his back towards his neck.

If she made it that far, she'd start tearing into it until he stopped moving or she was flung off.

---

---

Asteria worked alongside Ed, copying the way he dug out small holes and practically planted the needles in the earth so only the sharp and poisoned tips peeked out, barely visible and certainly unlikely to be noticed by anyone who didn’t know what to look for or where. She realized the enemy was approaching but was a bit distracted because she was sure she saw a lumbering brute come to a stop still some ways ahead and wondered whether she and her companions should just run up and attack at this opportunity…But once Mother squeaked at them in alarm, she decided waiting in ambush was the better strategy. Surely, some of the goblins would want to reclaim their Bonfire, wouldn’t they? And when they rushed in to try and do so, many would be crippled or at least slowed down, and someone had to be here for that, so they could take the easy targets down.

With that in mind, Asteria crawled back into the fox-hole, positioning herself so that she would be able to jump back up and attack as soon as she needed. This time, she chose to focus on her hearing actively, hoping any sounds she might catch would clue her in to the situation better than the vague shapes she had seen earlier. She still kept her eyes open, just in case, hoping that doing so wouldn’t render the active part of her Beast Senses II useless. Once again, she tried to take deep calming breaths, but so as to not relax unduly (not that she imagine she could right now), thought about the various ways she might attack an enemy. She imagined scenarios with one or multiple goblins and tried thinking about what kinds of equipment they had been able to make in the time they had. They probably had something like clubs, maybe spears, and a way to make fire…She shivered thinking of that, but knew this was no time for fear. Perhaps it was unfortunate, but the only viable response in this situation was to fight. And kill. It couldn’t be that different from the time she had killed those other creatures for food. And then the goblins would see why messing with creatures that had the intelligence of humans was a mistake they should never even think of repeating!

@Searat

Asura took note of the rather well equipped goblin running towards his hiding place. Well, well equipped in a primitive sense of the word. He touched Mother Slime to get her to stay and potentially rush out if things went bad for him. Her had used this kind of tactic before in various strategy games, send out a beefy feeler to lure out someones ambush. Well they'd only get half of it if the goblins were even that smart.

"You're awfully far from your green friends, girl." He said, revealing himself to her. The dark behind him would hide M.S unless Orchid really looked hard for the bigger slime. Of course she'd probably focus on the talking slime since at most others just kinda squelched. "What are you running from?" He questioned while keeping himself non-threatening. Aside from his kind of scary face, it wasn't easy keeping a face solid when you're goo.

You have used a Mana Crystal. MP is fully restored.
1 Mana Crystal remaining.

Crushing one of the mana crystals he held to restore his mana, Oberon let himself drift down from the ceiling as he watched a small group of Goblin’s head in his direction, their progress clearly visible from the torches two of their number held. This was not the group whom Mourningstar had fired upon, nor the group who had killed the other Wisp, but judging from the speed at which they moved and the way that they were heading straight in his direction it seemed clear that they knew someone was over here.

There was a commotion of some kind off in the direction of the entrance that suggested that someone else had also had a run in with the Goblins, but a look towards that area showed him nothing; nonetheless Digbie ran off towards the source of the noise and Mourningstar went after him, leaving Oberon by himself to face the oncoming Goblin’s. The small party didn’t change direction to follow them which meant the Goblin’s either didn’t see the two leave or they had seen and where targeting him specifically.

He should probably assume it was the latter, if only because it was the worst case scenario and it paid to be prepared for the worst. So, what could he do? If they had really seen him then he couldn’t hide; they would find him eventually. He could try and run, but unless they lost sight of him they would likely just continue to chase him and without knowing where everyone else was he didn’t want to accidentally lead the Goblin’s to one of his allies.

Although, if done intelligently that probably wasn’t a bad idea honestly; leading the Goblin’s towards his allies so that they could face them together was probably the smart decision right now. Even so he didn’t think he could do it. If they had planned for something like this beforehand then maybe but they hadn’t. Leading these enemies into an ambush was one thing but when the supposed ambushers didn’t know they were supposed to be ambushing someone then he would just be putting people in danger. Fighting them by himself seemed like a bad idea but Oberon didn’t want to be responsible for anyone else getting hurt; at least he knew he could shield and heal himself if anything went wrong, not to mention fly away.

The torches were closer now, close enough that Oberon could see more about the Goblin party heading his way. There were only three of them, two with torches and one without, and they were all armed. It didn’t appear that any of them were carrying shields however, so firing at them from a distance was a viable tactic; even if they did have shields he was sure his Mana Dart would have made short work of any makeshift shield anyway given what he had seen it do to that rock earlier.

It seemed his course of action was set.

Taking a bracing breath, Oberon dropped even lower and began to fly towards the Goblin party, casting Shield III on himself as he did so. He approached cautiously, maintaining a distance from the ground that should keep him out of the range of their spears, unless they decided to throw them, but making no effort to try and hide his approach; not that it would matter much anyway if they already knew where he was to begin with.

When he was almost on top of them he stopped, hovering above them and raising both hands in front of him. Concentrating on the image of a small and narrow projectile Oberon cast a Mana Dart at the first torch wielding Goblin before turning and firing a second at the other torch bearer.

Much to Orchid's surprise, there wasn't much of a reaction towards her running towards the enemy line. While there were a few spooked creatures coming out from the stonework, they didn't seem to go after her in particular even as she tried to dodge any oncoming attacks. It made Orchid more worried however; perhaps the enemy was merely waiting for her to get close enough for them to attack all at once. She had managed to reach the bonfire which of course was naught but ash now; it wasn't as if she could expect the monsters in this cave to be bothered to maintain the fire. For better or for worse; the goblins were the only ones who had torches so they could navigate these caves, but it also made them an easy target for the monsters capable of attacking from afar. If she could somehow get the bonfire going again the goblins could ditch their torches and hold their ground here where they'd have visibility.

Wasn't long before someone finally came at her. Or rather, revealed themselves to her. Some sort of talking slime; Orchid assumed this one might be someone like herself, brought to this world after an untimely death. At the very least she didn't hear that last slime she killed say anything, let alone question her. She wasn't sure if this slime was present when monsters attacked the goblins, but the fact he's here and not being harassed by the other monsters gave her a good idea that he was part or at least allied with the group. And who knows how many others were here. Orchid wasn't going to stay for long. "Running from? Running towards." Was all she said before Orchid moved further away from the slimes and the goblins, hurling the stone from her sling towards the slime that spoke to her. Even if she didn’t j kw how to use this weapon very well, she surely couldn’t miss at this close of a range. Hit or miss she went further down the tunnel where her previous camp was.

Ash's methodical and scientific approach to her magic lessons were...surprisingly unscientific. There was nothing to it but to do it. Practice and effort couldn't be avoided, and neither could tedium and frustration. She didn't make these efforts blindly, however, as she seemed to think heavily about each skill and what it required before making new attempts. One might compare it to the oft-attributed Thomas Edison quote, "I have not failed. I have simply found 10,000 ways that will not work."

But that quote itself referred to something different, in a way. Edison's problem was that of finding a filament to use in a lightbulb. Hair, wire, fibers of all kinds. Every time Edison had to try something new, he was also trying something different. A new material that had not yet been tried--not simply a new configuration of the old, but an entire replacement.

Was Ash's method equally effective? Did she put quite that much thought into it? When does one reach the point at which continuing to practice an activity in the exact same way becomes the definition of insanity, in which one tries the same thing expecting a different result?

Then again, even diminishing returns pay off.

As time passed, with the sounds of battle in the distance, Ash continued to feel the flow of magic. Her scientific mind was no doubt constantly churning, as it had been for some time now over the various spells the Pixies had shown her and how she would be able to use them.

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

Until she was interrupted again, or succeeded in using Lesser Force, she wasn't going anywhere else or sleeping. How many times had she done this very thing in her old life? How many hours without sleep or food or water had she gone in the pursuit of brilliance? She had done it for fifty seven years, after all. It had become quite the habit...before she died, anyway.

But right now, this world was simple enough. Right now, this system was easy enough to work with--even if one simply tried to barrel their way through. Feel the power. Move the rock. Move the rock again. Move the rock some more.

Skill Gain: Lesser Force I
Use a type of magical telekinesis to manipulate objects a short distance from your body. Objects cannot be finely manipulated, and the strength of this Spell is comparable to your physical ability. It works better if the object is also within your sight. This Spell has low MP consumption.

Success!

Skill Rank Up: Overwork I > II
Stamina consumption increased. Self-Buff increased. When Stamina is fully consumed, this Skill can be kept active by sacrificing HP. This skill will automatically deactivate when HP reaches dangerously low levels.

You have no MP remaining.

WARNING! You have run out of Stamina! You will be Exhausted until you recover through rest--abilities are significantly decreased. You are Thirsty.

Ash had eaten quite a bit earlier while hunting those goblins and rats, but how long had it been since she had anything to drink? And all of her efforts had left her mentally and physically drained in a way that felt disturbingly familiar. Perhaps the worst part was that, without this MP, she couldn't even continue to use the skill she had just earned after such painstaking work! And...hadn't there been something, way back when, about her venom gland production being related to her Stamina rather than to MP like a magic spell?

But the System wasn't done with her just yet.

LEVEL UP!

Your experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 5! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please!

Unspent Skill Points: 7

Current Skills:
Stun Fang II (2.0)
Poison Spit I (1.9)
Alchemy II (2.0)
Overwork II (2.0)
Charisma I (1.3)
Venom Shot I (1.3)
Crafting I (1.0)
Lesser Force I (1.0)
Magic Analysis I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE SKILLS>
Muffle (0.9)
Alert (0.5)
Blunt Resistance (0.2)
Monster Analysis (0.3)
Material Analysis (0.1)
Scribe (0.6)
Minor Heal (0.7)
Faster (0.1)
Intimidate (0.1)
Acid Volley (0.1)
Venom Claw (0.1)
<UNUSABLE SKILLS>

YOUR BODY IS BEGINNING TO CHANGE
You are undergoing Transformation! Based on your life experiences, your ability to survive, and the strength of your will, new paths have appeared! Choose carefully--there is no going back! WARNING. THIS PROCESS WILL LEAVE YOU TEMPORARILY VULNERABLE.

OPTIONS (* Indicates Suitability):
*(Adult) Fanged Lizard - Fanged Lizards are a reptilian monster with potent venom. When injected via a bite, it acts as a neurotoxin to paralyze the prey. When exposed to the air, it becomes a highly acidic liquid. The lizard can spit at a distance. Lizards will sometimes roam in packs of family units, but only until the young can hunt on their own, compared to Dire Rats often found in the same ecosystem. They are normally various shades of gray, blue, and purple, darkening towards black with the lighter colors being speckled across their backs.

• Slight increase to all base stats
• Increase HP
• Increase Potential

**(Immature) Kobold - Small, reptilian creatures with odd primate characteristics like upright spines and grasping limbs. Quite similar to Goblins, often competing with them for the same territories and resources.

• Slight increase to speed-related stats
• Increase Light Equipment Skill (reduced)
• Gain Access to Job System: 0th Tier

(Immature) Pygmy Drake - Stunted, pesky cousins of greater drake species, this creature has a poisonous stinger on its tail rather than a breath weapon and glides more than it flies. Nonetheless it is somewhat clever, and mages sometimes keep it the way someone might keep a pet bird.

• Very Slight increase to all base stats
• Increase MP
• Increase Lesser Flight
• Increase Mana Orb and Dragon Affinity (reduced)

(Immature) Tailed Frog - Tougher than the average amphibian, these slimy creatures are not to be underestimated. In addition to poison, their hefty bodies pack quite a wallop. They often hide in water, then pop up at a distance to lob their poison at unwary adventurers.

• Slight increase to strength-related stats
• Increase Poison Spit (reduced)
• Gain Water Breathing

---

17 Mana Crystals remain.
2 Flame Touched Crystals remain.

As the lone Wisp floated up over the battlefield, he could see that the goblins were out in force. They had a lot more primitive weapons than he remembered from the few times he had seen them, and some of them weren't that bad at using them. And they moved in groups, with some modicum of tactical thought. But then there was this odd, motley crew of all different kinds of monsters fighting back against them. Their behavior, too, was out of the norm. Were they all working together? Did that mean they were like him and the others?


Rattleskull snarled as he peered into the darkness. What creature had cast that spell? It had been a spell, right? He had seen the light from the ground just before that sharp rock had come up out of nowhere. But...he'd never seen any monsters in the cave cast that kind of spell before. Just the pixies and wisps with their sparkles, and Crispy's fire--

He heard something fluttering and turned just as Ardur hurled his rock. The hairy monster roared in pain once more as the projectile slammed into his face, bloodying his nose with a crunch! He stumbled back, away from the pillar he had been leaning against--just as another flash of golden light came out of it! Jason's second Rock Spire missed that oh-so-precise artery he had been aiming for, but it still nicked Rattleskull's hand, slicking the grip of his club with blood.

"RAAAAAAGH!! ME KILL ALL YOUSE!!" With his good hand the boss reached into the belt of vines around his waist, pulling out something that had been woven between the fibers and his body. A Healing Herb! He shoved it into his mouth, chewing and practically frothing with rage. Just then he caught sight of that same yellow glow he had seen twice before, but now it was somewhat further away. Far enough away that he had time to turn and hold up his stone headed axe to try and block it.

Digbie's Stone Shot hit the primitive weapon with a loud crack, knocking a few splinters off the haft before ricocheting into the darkness of the cave. Rattleskull drew his weapon back and prepared to charge, but at that moment Mourningstar cast her Mana Slice, and the big goblin had to duck so as not to lose more than the top few inches of his hair to the flying crescent-shaped light. Before he could regroup himself, Digbie's second Stone Shot hit him in the chest, forcing him to take a step back with a grunt. However, this had been the least painful hit thus far, and his earlier wounds had already stopped bleeding thanks to the herb he had eaten.

Without an open wound, Rain's Poison Breath merely stung the outer layer of Rattleskull's hide, and alerted him to the Fanged Lizard's presence. As she sank her teeth into his leg, drawing blood and another cry of fury from the Boss, he grabbed her around the middle in one meaty hand and pulled her off. Limping a half step to the cave wall, he slammed Rain against it and began to tighten his grip. She could feel her bones creaking, and couldn't draw any air into her lungs. The Boss slammed her again, sensing a kill...

WARNING! Your HP is Low!

"YOU CAN'T BEAT ME, RATTLESKULL DA STRONGEST!" he roared in her face...


The three goblins could hear their Boss screaming at something, and they could see flashes of light. They had already seen that Wisp earlier, but this sounded like something more important. The broad shouldered goblin barked at the others to ready their weapons and charge. Oberon could see them coming, and Jason quickly hunkered himself down for an ambush.

As Oberon cast Shield on himself, the light of the spell attracted the goblins' attention. They turned just in time to see him preparing his spell, and the brawny leader ordered the others to get down--but just then, Jason's Stone Shot hit him. He had turned to the side, throwing off the slime's aim, so rather than hitting the throat Jason instead got him in one of those broad shoulders. But the attack had enough power behind it at this range to knock the goblin to the ground, the sharp stone sticking out of his shoulder and rendering that arm useless as blood poured down his green bicep. The first torchbearer was too shocked by the sudden attack to react in time to Oberon's first Mana Dart. It pierced through his torso, somewhere lower on the rib cage, with a meaty "thwip!" sound and burst out of his back in a spray of blood--a relatively clean shot, much like a well placed arrow. It hadn't torn through any of his organs, but this open hole bled profusely and the inexperienced goblin went down howling in pain.

The female, however, had better instincts than her companion. As soon as she'd seen the leader get hit she dropped to the ground in a crouch, spear held in one hand and torch tossed aside. Oberon's second Dart went over her head, hitting the stony ground harmlessly. With a snarl she leaped at the pixie, bringing her crudely made stone spear to bear.

And at this moment, Oberon and the others might realize something.

These goblins had prepared themselves for battle, made a plan, and then moved to carry it out. They were actively seeking a conflict, they were trying to exterminate all the other monsters in the cave. They were fighting any beast they could find--no running, no trickery, not much in the way of traps. It was almost like running around in circles in an RPG, just waiting for random encounters to grind. And by doing this, these Goblins had not simply been killing. They too, in their own way, had been growing. Learning.

"SKEWER!" roared the female, and her spear's tip lit up with a bright red spark much like the light seen when someone used the Smash skill.

Oberon's Shield was of the third rank, and he was level four. Not bad at all for something that seemed as fragile as the normal Pixie. But most attacks anyone with a shield had been hit by, thus far, were simple and unarmed blows. This goblin had an actual weapon, with a blade made of stone. She had been gaining experience through combat, and now used a skill that had been made stronger by that experience.

Oberon felt the shield shatter just as the momentum of the blow carried through--he never felt the sharp sting of the spearpoint, but it still tossed him like a ragdoll. He slammed into the ground, hard enough to nearly knock the wind from his lungs. Another blow like that for a Pixie like him, and he could be in serious trouble...

The Brawny goblin got to his feet, still managing to hold his own spear in one hand. He yelled at his minion to stand up, and the other goblin managed as well, hiding behind his torch and wooden club to try and put a defense between himself and whatever had shot him...

As Orchid whipped her stone out of the sling, it made a distinctive whip-crack just before it struck Asura's body. He felt this blow just as strongly as he had felt Jason's Stone Shot that time they had been practicing by the pond--it hurt, but the damage wasn't fatal. He felt Momma Slime gurgle angrily next to him, and her large mass started to lurch forward...

Meanwhile, it seemed like Orchid intended to flee the battlefield entirely. She could hear the roars and screams and flashes of magic in the distance behind her. How would things go for the goblins without her?

---

Seeing the fights breaking out up ahead, Crispy's team began hurrying in that direction. However, they came across the combined force of Orchid's Shield Bearers and the Hammer Team's remnants.

"Where dat youngling!?" Crispy demanded.

"She runned ahead!" shouted one of the shield bearers. "I can't see her torch no mores, though!"

"What!?" Crispy stomped his feet in rage. What was that dumb female doing!? If she went off by herself she'd just get ganged up on and killed! He had thought she was smarter than that, not like Rattleskull. Although in the Boss's case, he was strong enough and tough enough to take that risk.

"What we do now, Mini-boss?" asked the Hammer goblin.

"Hurgh...Everybody not gonna last much longer, moon's high in sky." Crispy rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, absently smearing blood from an earlier kill over himself. "We clear big chunk for now, I wants to know how da other teams doin'! Youse all head back, hold yer grounds til da rest of us gets dere!"

The rest of the goblins, especially those who had been injured over the course of all these battles, sighed in relief. Keeping their more vulnerable torchbearers closer to the center, they formed a mass and started back towards the entrance of the cave--

"SHIELDS UP!"

One of Orchid's members had taken to her training a bit better than the others, and he managed to get the other two to raise their defenses just in time. A crackling bolt of energy struck the wicker shields, and one of them snapped several of its bindings.

"Fireball!"

Crispy's own spell struck the Wispmother in a burst of flame, drawing a pained and angry screech from the creature as she wheeled in the air. Another goblin threw a rock at her, but she easily dodged this.

"How we gonna reach it!?" yelled one of the greenskins as the Wisp fired another Mana Orb at Crispy, which he swiftly dodged.

"Let it shoot atcha! If ya dun get killed, it'll fall down tired!" The flame touched goblin had gone more than one round with most of the creature types in this cave. With Wisps you had to figure out a way to bring them down to the ground, or get in close. And once he had learned his own magic spell, he had figured out what spending all of one's MP did. He didn't have a complex understanding by any means--he just knew that when Wisps used a lot of spells, they couldn't levitate as well anymore.

---

[[The Map won't be used for a bit because the Parties that are in Battle are close enough to move around each other without needing the square grid. Still, keep in mind your general location for the time being.]]