You are beginning to experience Stamina Drain due to lack of sleep.

That wasn't good, luckily Crispy didn't seem likely to start a fight but at the same time negotiation wasn't going great. All of Jason's offers got rejected and since the Goblins had the means to get that stuff themselves it made sense. Eventually Crispy left, taking his troops with him. Danny used the opportunity to finally analyze the weird liquid looking slime and hopefully satisfy his curiosity a little.

"Not great but could have gone worse. Also did you guys get the same message about Stamina drain, cause I think we really need to find a place to sleep before we get attacked by something."

Asura snorted when Crispy spoke to him about talking to much. "No I talk the right amount. You talk too little and not smart enough." He stated, taking note of the change of pitch and tone Crispy took with him over Jason. He probably feared the red slime more than the green due to the more violent nature or his words. He wasn't being nice, nor was he amiable.

When Crispy mentioned fair Asura gave a short bark of laughter. "Fair? Life isn't fair, kid." Asura said while watching the goblins return to Crispy's side. Even with all those goblins, and even Crispy, Asura was sure he could take them. His gelatinous body didn't show it of course, it's hard to look confident when you have no real form to posture with.

He listened to Crispy talk and with-held pseudopodding his 'face'. "Strategic. Satirical is something else. And if the others agree we'll do this little plan of meeting up and asking for help." He stated. He'd probably sneak around and observe just in case the goblins didn't follow through with their side of things. He had few issues killing and eating them. Funny how fast he shed the 'don't kill things' mindset that humans were forced to live with.

---

Things were going well, all things considered. Sure she was a little slow and it was dark and cramped, but this beat dealing with whatever hell was going on up top!

At least until she broke into the pool.

Water flooded in and she instinctively dug her claws into the dirt beneath her. But this wouldn't last long, especially not with the increasing amount of water flooding in. She needed to act fast.

The easiest option, of course, was to dig up. Hopefully she could hold her breath long enough for this, though she had at least not gone very deep into the ground on her first foray.

Ed kept his position beside Jason, doing his best to stay alert and keep an eye on Crispy and the recently freed goblins. The system told him that the his lack of sleep was beginning to have a negative effect on the young dire rat. He was used to performing all nighters for projects, papers, and homeworks but still being able to function properly for his classes and lectures the following day. One missed night of sleep was barely an inconvenience to Ed.

As Crispy suggests that the they send representatives to discuss the terms of the alliance, the young dire rat focuses on the burned goblin and intensifies his gaze upon him by two fold. Observing and analyzing Crispy's posture, facial expressions, even how the other goblins reacted to his proposal; doing his best to understand and absorb all the information his enhanced senses could gather from them. Attempting to assess the sincerity of the burnt goblin's words to the group.

---

@Zeroth@Kazemitsu@Duthguy@Searat

Well, it at least appeared that negotiations were getting SOMEWHERE.... Just not as quickly as Jason had hoped. However, Asura's snide response to Crispy's facade of confidence caused Jason to hold back a chuckle. But the farther Crispy got with his own proposition, the more uneasy Jason felt about this negotiation session. The scarred bastard clearly was plotting something, but whether it's intent was malicious was yet to be seen. "Alright then Crispy, that sounds like a deal..." Jason responded in a clearly unconvinced tone. He'd play along with the pyromaniac for now, but it needed to be clear that the reincarnators were far from fools.

You are beginning to experience Stamina Drain due to lack of sleep.

That wasn't good... But if they went back to the cave, they could all rest safely.

"Let's move out." Jason proclaimed to his allies, "Asura, you and Mom are welcome to come with us if you'd like."

Slowly and subtly, Jason used the [Source Crystal] to scan Crispy as he led his party back toward his cave, stopping at the corpses of Brawny team on the way. As of right now, their corpses appeared to still remain inanimate-- and Jason intended to keep it that way. Back during his human life, he had often heard stories of corpses rising from the grave due to a lack of proper burial. In his old village, medicine men would perform burial rituals to put the dead to rest, waving their staves, chanting, and calling upon the spirits of their ancestors.

Though he had no experience whatsoever with these rites himself, Jason would need to make due with what he had on hand.... But first he needed a staff. Thankfully, the torch of the fallen torchbearer was nearby, and though it wasn't much, it should at least work as an impromptu staff to some degree. Snatching up his new staff, Jason waved it in slow, steady, circles; using it to focus his magic as he began the 'ritual'. "Souls of the slain, may I grant thee peace. And as all life doth spring forth from earth, may the power invested in me, as master of this dungeon- allow thee to return to it at ease. ROCK SPIRE BURIAL RITE--Earth's Mercy!" even if the rite itself failed to change the nature of the spell, the [Rock Spire I] was aimed to pierce the skull, hopefully sparing them from the horrible curse of undeath.

After completing the rites for the three fallen goblins, (using a mana crystal after the first two) Jason would once again continue at a steady pace back toward his cave, comrades (hopefully) in tow.

Orchid kept a careful watch on the newcomers as she followed Ash out towards the exit. Setting up a shelter outside of the cave wasn’t going to be easy, but ideally with everyone assisting perhaps something could be done. Orchid could already feel herself getting exhausted, and she needed rest. But she’ll also need food; she had nothing to eat so even if she got some rest, she’ll just wake up hungry. No doubt everyone else was reaching their limit too. ”If Rattleskull wasn’t a complete imbecile, we could have just starved out the cave. And smoked everyone in there while we were at it.”

As the group moved onwards they’d soon find the entrance of the cave. There seemed to be a few goblin survivors, some that were with her group. This didn’t bold well; did all the goblins get wiped out? Surely not; Rattleskull was definitely dead. Crispy was likely dead too, though he might’ve been smart enough to keep himself alive. But orchid would be surprised if the other goblins got themselves killed. ”Ash, take the others and try to sneak around. I’ll see if I can’t convince these goblins to help me. I recognize them from before, though… Not sure what they think of me right now. Get ready if they go after me.” Orchid waited for her group to get ready to sneak on pass before she would approach the goblin campfire.

”Oi. Rattleskull is dead.” Orchid didn’t have any proof, but she doubts things could have quieted down if he was still alive. This ought to shock these survivors into paying attention to her. ”It’s not safe in the cave anymore. The monsters have gathered together and they’re going to push the goblins out, or worse. But I know a way to survive outside of the cave. Make weapons, shelter, and food. And once we’re strong enough we could even take back this cave.”

So it seemed that there were fish in this lake after all. That would be useful information if they ever needed to come back to the cave, if nothing else it meant they could eat fish instead of char-grilling whatever possibly sentient creature they had most recently killed. Speaking of which, food was an issue that he would need to start addressing soon if the way his stomach felt was anything to go by; his lack of sleep too was becoming a concern according to the system message, but even without it the slight lethargy he was feeling in his limbs was indicator enough.

He really hadn’t been taking very good care of himself recently. Between adapting to an entirely new existence, the near-constantly battles of the last two days and meeting new people things like food and sleep had kind of slipped his mind. Once he had managed to find Digbie and left this cave the first thing he would need to do is address that before anything else.

From his elevated position it was possible for Oberon to see quite far around him, but when he finally spotted something it was actually fairly close to him. A single Dire Rat was fighting something further along the lake’s shore, something roughly goblin sized and shaped but from this distance clearly an off-white colour instead of the usual green. Curious, Oberon flew in that direction until he could see that what he thought was a goblin was in fact a goblin skeleton; or at least, it was a skeleton and it looked more like a goblin than anything else he had seen in this cave.

Was this a result of that message he had seen earlier? The cave had become a dungeon and one of its secondary elements was Death; was the cave beginning to spawn creatures now that it was a dungeon? Were undead like this skeleton going to start popping up more frequently? That might go someone towards explaining this weird existential dread he had been feeling ever since he had woken up.

Oberon used his Magic Analysis on the skeleton and then for good measure used it on the rat as well. The resulting system message informed him that the rat was a resurrected human like himself; were they one of the rats he had seen back at the bonfire, the one he had cured of poison? He wished he had asked for their names back then, or remembered them if they were said; at the time he was more focused on acquiring a skill which could remove the poison from the rats body.

Dropping down, Oberon hovered slightly above head height a few meters behind from the skeletal goblin. First he cast Shield III on the Dire Rat to protect them from harm and secondly he aimed a Mana Dart at the back of the goblin’s skull and let the attack fly; normally piercing skills were less effective against skeletons, but given how the attack had drilled a hole in the rock earlier he was hoping the spell would shatter the skull completely.



@SilverPaw

---

You have not recovered enough Stamina. You are experiencing HP Drain.

Well that wasn't good.

Ash winced internally. Today was just getting better and better, wasn't it?

"I think I can agree to that, Mourningstar." Ash replied. "I'd dislike leaving potential help behind, and for the moment I trust you so I don't see any reason why I couldn't." A thought for later though. Silencing herself as they approached, Ash continued to check her surroundings for anything laying in wait. It was going to be tough considering her current HP drain, but she could handle it. Probably. A few goblins could be seen in the distance, obviously more than a little fearful.

Thankfully it seemed like these were the goblins Orchid knew.

"I'll...try." Ash replied, mildly uncertain. She didn't mention her current state further, at least to Orchid. No need to needlessly worry her at the moment. Waiting to see what happened might be a good moment to rest, if a little. "Everyone, stay low and quiet." Quietly she kept her body low to the ground, guiding the others far enough away from the Goblins so they wouldn't easily be found but close enough to make sure she could still see what was going on. Once they were far enough away out of whispering earshot, Ash continued.

"...I'm not going to be very useful if this goes south." She told the others. "HP drain from not sleeping for awhile. Anything I do causes it me to lose some." Resting her body on the ground, Ash exhaled. "Mourningstar, I'm unsure of what you can do but if I give the signal, I want you to prioritize supporting Orchid. Reoth, if needed slip in and try and bite their ankles. It's what I've been doing. Works well enough, especially if they get poisoned. I'll try and help wherever else I can."

ATTEMPT TO RE-ENGAGE SECURITY MEASURES HAS FAILED. CHECKING FOR OTHER SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM...CHECKING...CHECKING...

ASSIMILATION RATE: 2.6%

---

As the Lesserwurm dug straight up, she was able to create an air pocket above the surface of the water, and once she had a handhold in the dry dirt the strength of the current flowing into her tunnel couldn't pull her back down. However, the earth would soon absorb the water and grow muddy, so she had to move quickly. As she emerged just on the bank of the pool, she felt the ground sink slightly underneath her. The sound of running water continued back in the direction she had come, and the water level of the pool began to lower slightly. Her tunnel hadn't been at a low enough elevation to drain the whole thing, and neither was her tunnel large enough to hold that much water in any case, but as the pool dropped a few inches the stream below her began to grow quieter.

However, something in the water began to stir.

Leaping straight up out of the hole she had dug to freedom, one of the carnivorous fish of the pool (the ones Oberon had seen) leaped up! Though it was only about the length of a human finger, its head was rather broad and its mouth, as Torrent soon witnessed, was round and full of snapping teeth as it launched itself at her--!

---

You used Magic Analysis III!
This is a monster. This monster is semi-magical in nature. Effectiveness reduced to 55%.
This is a Skeleblin, an Undead of the skeleton class created from the remains of a Goblin. It is infused with magic, but has no magical skills yet. These magics are negative and volatile in nature. It is under the effects of an environmental magic.

You used Magic Analaysis III!
This is a monster. This monster has developed unusual magical abilities! Effectiveness reduced to 50%.
This is a Dire Rat from your party. Since you have last seen her she has developed new skills granting her magic. This is very unusual for a Dire Rat, but her MP levels are normal. This one is unusual.

--Analysis Complete--

Skill Gain: Monster Analysis I!
Gain basic biological information about a monster by actively observing it.

While Asteria fought, Oberon analyzed both combatants. By the time Asteria had been hit, Oberon had finished and now cast a Shield spell to protect her against further attacks. Instead of continuing to fight against the rat, however, the skeleton turned on Digbie as soon as the goblin came out of the cave. As Oberon readied his next spell, the bony monster let out a death rattle and headed for the still-living goblin.

Oberon attacked from above, in the blind spot of a creature already distracted by something else. As his Mana Dart struck on target, just like the Sprite had assumed it quickly pierced the cranium like a broadhead arrow. The skeleton pitched forward, the projectile continuing through the faceplate and taking off a piece of the jaw before its force was spent, and it dissipated before it reached the ground. The skeleton collapsed, lifeless once more...though its remaining bones still felt oddly ominous, as if they had been soaked in something unpleasant.

Speaking of being soaked, however, Digbie and the two Dire Rats might soon hear the gurgle and bubble of a babbling brook. The tunnel Rain had created when she left suddenly began to sink in along its top, and in a few moments the loose dirt fell in to reveal a small stream of water forming along the trail. The little creek filled to its brim, then overflowed slightly. Mother Rat moved in alarm as a tiny trickle, cold and wet, touched her paw and startled her awake. She sniffed at the water suspiciously, then lapped some of it up...until, after a few moments, she recoiled sharply. The fur on the back of her neck bristled, and she moved away from both the stream and the dungeon core, going deeper down a side tunnel that had a slight upward slant.

Was this water coming all the way from the pool?

---

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

”Oi. Rattleskull is dead.” The goblins all jumped, but then they looked visibly relieved when they saw Orchid.

"Mini-boss! Youse alive!" yelled the third of her shieldbearers, hoisting his broken shield above his head triumphantly. But then he and the others quickly lost their enthusiasm as she explained their dire straits.

”It’s not safe in the cave anymore. The monsters have gathered together and they’re going to push the goblins out, or worse. But I know a way to survive outside of the cave. Make weapons, shelter, and food. And once we’re strong enough we could even take back this cave.”

"But dere's more Mobs outside!" protested the youngest of the trio, the torchbearer. "Is, is da ones in here really worse dan all dem?"

"If we climb da trees I tink we be safe from most o'da aminals!" spoke up the other shieldbearer. "But...Crispy and da uddas still out dere." He pointed in the direction Crispy had gone. "Him and four udda gobs. We needa wait for dem!"

"But we already cleared out all dis!" The third shieldbearer gestured around the area they had fought so hard to claim only a few hours ago. "Dey can get to da woods on dey own! I dun wanna stick around and fight dese weird Mobs no more!"

The three began to bicker among themselves, occaisonally glancing back at Orchid as if waiting for her to chime in...

---

You used Monster Analysis! Effectiveness at 100%, but this is a brand new monster to you!
Amorphous Slime - Slimes that have a preference for shape shifting sometimes develop a weakened membrane. Their defensive abilities stop increasing so quickly compared to normal slime types, but their shapeshifting and movement skills rise more quickly. These slimes avoid water, as it has a much stronger diluting effect on them. This one is unusual.
--Analysis Complete--

Skill Rank Up: Monster Analysis I > Monster Analysis II!
Gain more information about Monsters. Other analysis skills will further boost the information this skill provides, such as a creature’s capability with magic or its equipment.

You used a Source Crystal!
This is Crispy. He is an adult male Goblin with a Flame-Touched variance. He is Level 7 and roughly 4 years old. Goblins stand between three and three-and-a-half feet tall on average, and while their physical strength isn't to be underestimated, they are much like human children. However, their natural cunning and viciousness is far more vile, and while they can use tools they have a limited intelligence. They tend to form savage tribes with little in common save for the constant drive to survive, and a lack of emotional control that causes them to do whatever they feel necessary to satisfy any primal craving they happen to feel at any given moment. They aren't typically capable of long-term planning and have difficulty with abstract concepts. Crispy is longer lived and more accomplished than most Goblins. He possesses the following skills: Fireball II, Poison Resistance I, Crafting III, Intimidate I, Magic Resistance I, Fire Resistance IV, Use Light Equipment. Crispy is developing the following skills: Blunt Resistance I, Slash Resistance I, Pierce Resistance I, Slash I, Keen Ear I, Magic Analysis I, Monster Analysis I, Faster I. Crispy has the following items equipped: Cane-weave Hat (Average Quality), Vine Belt (Good Quality), Straw Sandals (Average Quality), Torch (Bad Quality), Stone Knife (Well-Made Quality). These items provide him with slight boosts to his defenses, his speed, and his close range offensive ability with slashing damage.
The Source Crystal needs to recharge. 1 Mana Crystal consumed from Inventory.

"Good! Glad we all come to unnerstandin'!" Crispy said quickly as the others accepted his offer. He began slapping his minions and pointing, quickly starting them off back towards their own territory, but lingering just a bit himself. "Remembah! Tomorrow! Just one guy!" And with that parting shot, he was off after his cronies--with a fairly quick step.

If Ed and Danny were truly being observant, they might notice Crispy purse his lips and blow out a long breath. Then as soon as he caught up with the others he took the lead from them, and made them increase their speed until the goblins were practically sprinting away.

While the others had been talking, Momma Slime had done as Asura suggested and begun to slowly envelop Rattleskull's corpse. She started with one of his large feet...and as hair and flesh began to sizzle in her gut, so too did the Straw Sandle he was wearing. It was digested rather quickly in comparison, being made of old plant fiber. Mourningstar and Asteria had already taken his Vine Belt and Woven Cane Headband, but the monster still had a few objects left on his person...although probably not for very long, considering how quickly Momma Slime seemed to be taking her meal...

As Jason began the journey back to his cave and came across the Brawny team's corpses, he began a new chant with the intent of giving some form of rite to these departed souls. In functionality he simply wanted to destroy the corpses to prevent them from rising again...but now, just as he had seen before, something different happened. Again those two rings appeared, each rotating in a different direction...but now they had some sorts of symbols inside them! If Jason had a good memory, he might remember these symbols from the White Void, the moment the Demon King had granted the reincarnators their choices for new life. These same symbols had been on the "screens" of each monster he had been shown, detailing what they were and what they could do. He remembered back then, those symbols had changed, melting before his eyes until he could read them in the same language he read back home. The same language he read his System Messages in. But now, these symbols were unreadable to him.

Nonetheless it was clear they had some obvious effect. When his Rock Spire rose from the ground, despite being the lesser ranked version of the spell it was much larger than before, and differently shaped--broader, and flatter. It extended up into the air, and then basically just fell over flat--in the process covering up the majority of the goblins' bodies after crushing their skulls. The manner in which it did this lacked speed and force--it would not have been suitable as an attack. The looser soil that had been disturbed as a result of the spell had formed a small little pile around the edge of the now-fallen spire. For all intents and purposes, it was no different than a hastily made grave for the three.

Somehow, the changed air of the dungeon seemed a little brighter. At least until Jason turned away and headed back towards his cave.

---

@Zeroth@Kazemitsu@Duthguy@Searat@King Cosmos@Silverpaw@Gardevoiran

Again, the magic of this world had far surpassed Jason's expectations. Was magic really that simple? It couldn't be! The symbols that appeared WITHIN these new magic circles created by the rite seemed incredibly familiar as well, and though Jason knew it was something he should recognize, he couldn't quite place the quickly disappearing script. Perhaps the most interesting effect of all, was that the death-tinged air itself; even if it was just for a moment, seemed to lighten. However, as much as he wanted to sit and ponder the phenomenon, getting his group back to his cave to sleep took priority at the moment.

As Jason arrived at the area in front of his cave, he was presented with quite a scene. Asteria, Digbie, and what he assumed was an evolved Oberon were gathered around the remains of a skeleton that recently had it's skull pierced with some form of projectile. "Damn. It was foolish of me to assume that these fucking things wouldn't start spawning before nightfall..." Jason cursed audibly, before switching over to using [Telepathy II] to communicate. 'Good job defending the core you three, lord knows what could happen if one of these things were to interact with it.... Regardless, it's good to so see you're safe Oberon, no doubt that backstabbing little bitch filled your ear with lies after you came to, so I'm sure you have questions for me... Though I'm more than willing to explain, there's a few things I need to take care of.... Would you three mind backing away from the skeleton's remains for a moment?'

Even after dying a second time, it appeared that the curse of undeath still lingered, as the remains of the skeleton seemed steeped in an ominous force. Using [Magic Analysis I] on the bones, Jason felt true pity for the first time in his new life. To be forced into such an existence for all eternity was a truly unjust fate, one that even the cruelest souls didn't deserve... Thankfully, Jason's newfound ability may allow him to free this accursed soul, and end their torment.

One Mana Crystal used.
Two Mana Crystals in inventory.

Once again drawing his new 'staff', waving it in slow, steady circles; focusing his magic through it, Jason began his ritual once more. "Souls of the accursed, may I grant thee peace. And as all life doth spring forth from earth, may the power invested in me, as master of this dungeon- allow thee to return to it at ease. No more shall ye wander a tormented existence in death, but be born anew in the afterlife. Taint of death that damns these bones I banish thee, relinquish yon vile grasp! Let this poor cursed soul move on, and rest in peace at last... ROCK SPIRE BURIAL RITE--Earth's Mercy!" he chanted before casting [Rock Spire I]. Just like before with the goblin corpses, the circles with the strange symbols once again appeared, each rotating in a different direction. From these circles burst forth a broad, flat Rock Spire; much larger than those usually created by the spell, falling forward, it crushed what remained of the skeleton's skull before turning into something similar to a hastily made grave-- and somehow, the deathly air of the dungeon even seemed to lighten (GM MAY ADJUST THE EFFECTS OF THE RITE AT THEIR DISCRETION--THIS RESULT MAY NOT BE FINAL). This time though, Jason made sure to use [Magic Analysis I] on his rite; hopefully giving him more insight into this strange new style of magic.

"Alright everyone, lets get some rest. If you DO feel the compulsion to leave, I won't stop you, but the more help I can get, the better...." Jason said to his allies as he snapped up the dire rat corpse that had been abandoned by the side of the pool. "Ed, you aren't looking so good, make sure you get an herb... Anyone who's staying here, pile into the cave, sleep, evolve, do whatever you need to do. I'll set up to take first watch in a moment..." he said as moved toward his cave, digesting his newfound meal.

Asura had kept an eye on Mother Slime and took note she also ate Rattleskull's sandal. It was probably poor quality anyway considering how the bastard had run about all over. Grass fibers only lasted for so long after all. The others started to leave, which didn't bother him really, and he went towards Rattle's body. Whatever other 'equipment' the corpse had he pulled off. He looked it all over critically while also searching for anything of use for a slime. He doubted he'd find any such thing though.

If he found nothing of use he'd start to eat Rattleskull's armor. It was too large for Digbie and he didn't need any goblin coming over here to snag it for themselves. "Don't forget to eat the bones too, they're good for you." He said to Mother Slime. While he ate the armor he tried to see if he could absorb its defensive properties. Since this life seemed so game-like he figured equipment boosted stats. There was magic, monsters, and apparently undead. So why wouldn't equipment give stats?

Orchid sighed as the minions started to have doubts again. She can't blame them, she'd be worried too. But if they let fear dictate their actions, then they'll always be on the bottom of the food chain as lowly goblins. Crispy was alive too, surprisingly. Orchid wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. He was smarter than Rattleskull, certainly, but now that Rattleskull was dead, she wondered if Crispy was going to be too prideful to cooperate with her. It was certainly something she had to keep in mind. Still, first thing first was to deal with her rabble. "Things are changing, kid." Orchid looked to the young torchbearer. She also went to one of her shield goblins who was trying to mend his shield. As Orchid spoke, she'd use some of her fiber cordage to help mend the hole. "The monsters outside are mostly just animals. If we stick together, even they won't want to fight us. It'll be too risky. That's why it's too dangerous in here. The monsters are working together... They outnumber the goblins. We can't be like Rattleskull, thinking that we can win and fight alone. We have to work together, because that is when we're strongest." Orchid would hand the mended shield back to her goblin and look back where Crispy had gone.

"If Crispy is smart, he'll know that too. Especially now. You two with me." Orchid looked to the torchbearer and another shield goblin. To the one who she just mended the shield for, she had an important task for him. "I need you to stay here and tell Crispy I'm back. I'm going to be in the forest with these two so we can gather more wood. I'd like him to meet me so we can talk. It's not safe in this cave. Too much weird things going on." As she started to walk away towards the exit she stopped. It was getting kind of hard to remember which goblin was which, so she turned to them. "By the way, what are your names? My name is Orchid."

No one responded to his comment about the system message but at least Jason had the same idea about finding a place to sleep. On their way back to the core the mage slime cast a weird variation of his regular stalagmite spell and Danny decided that he really needed to try and get magic analysis so he tried to see if he could see how it worked.

As he was about to enter the cave he noticed a source of water that he wasn't sure was there before. It seemed to be coming from a hole or tunnel or something. Since it was there he decided to take s few sips before going in.

Digby's tunnel seemed like a safe spot but he had no idea if the Goblin would accept him using it so he kept looking. As he explored the cave he noticed as the healing herbs, including the black one, as well as the fact that the Fanged Lizard undergoing transformation was gone and wondered if they could have something to do with the new water source. Remembering that plant analysis was a skill he could learn and curious about the strange herb he tried to see if he could learn about them.

Well, at least these skeletons weren’t too tough to take out; but then again, if he hadn’t managed to hit it in the head like he did then his attack probably wouldn’t have been nearly as effective. Undead were nothing if not robust after all; they didn’t bleed or feel pain, so anything short of destroying them enough to make them unable to function or maybe breaking whatever enchantment let them continue to move around wouldn’t stop them.

This one was easily dealt with but if this was the kind of thing that was going to start spawning inside the cave then he was right to want to leave.

Lowering himself back to the ground Oberon turned to the Dire Rat who had been fighting the skeleton and called out to them. They didn’t seem too hurt and his shield was still in place so they were probably fine; his main priority now was just to find Digbie and Rain and leave. “Hey, have you seen a Goblin around here? He’s probably digging. And Rain; do you know a Lizard called Rain?”

Before he could get an answer the Slime with the conical protrusion suddenly arrived with some others; he heard, or at least experienced the Slimes voice in his head before seeing him, startling the Sprite. It seemed the animosity between him and Mourningstar went both ways and Oberon kept his mouth shut in that regard; he’d definitely want to question Mourningstar later to find out exactly what happened, but for now it wasn’t the most pressing issue.

The Slime approached the now destroyed skeleton and began chanting some kind of funeral rites; Oberon stepped back to give the Slime some room, taking the opportunity to analyse him with his newly acquired Monster Analysis. He them turned his examination on the Dire Rat and the others who had arrived with the Slime; he’d already examined a few of these creatures with his Magic Analysis but he expected to get more information from a skill more suited to the task.

Suddenly the Slime ended the funeral rites with a spell of some kind, a series of runes and sigils appearing on the ground around the skeleton. As the unusually blunted rock spire appeared out of the ground Oberon used his Magic Analysis on the rite.

Once finished with whatever it was he had just done the Slime began giving instructions, asking people to retreat to a cave and rest; it was tempting to take him up on the offer, to get some rest and leave later, but with Mourningstar and the others waiting for him and potentially coming back for him if he took too long, he couldn’t afford to take the extra time.

“I’m leaving. Something big is happening in this cave and we don’t know how bad it’s going to get; I’d rather take my chances outside than deal with all these undead that are appearing. Some people have already left, they should be waiting outside soon; I’m leaving as soon as I find Digbie and Rain, anyone else who wants to come with me is welcome to.”



@Guy0fV4lor@Zeroth@Duthguy@Searat@Silverpaw@Gardevoiran

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@Zeroth@Duthguy@Searat@King Cosmos@Silverpaw@Gardevoiran

“I’m leaving. Something big is happening in this cave and we don’t know how bad it’s going to get; I’d rather take my chances outside than deal with all these undead that are appearing. Some people have already left, they should be waiting outside soon; I’m leaving as soon as I find Digbie and Rain, anyone else who wants to come with me is welcome to.” Oberon said as Jason started approaching his cave. Turning to his (formerly) pixie friend, Jason lightly responded in an unconcerned tone, "You're right Oberon, something big IS happening to the cave; it's become a dungeon. However, thanks to a combination of coincidence and preparation, I am registered as it's owner... What boons that shall grant me are yet to be seen, but in the meantime, I believe I've discovered a more permanent solution regarding the reanimation of the dead. In all honesty, I'm absolutely certain that if we put in the work before we're faced with an undead horde, this cave can become an invaluable asset to us all... As for Digbie... he's standing right there; at the entrance to the absolute SAFEST part of the cave. The area I've dug out provides not only a hard choke point, but is also guaranteed to not have skeletons or zombies under the floor, and is equipped with it's own farm of healing herbs."

Pointing at the young goblin at the mouth of his cave, Jason realized something.... HE HAD NO FUCKING CLUE WHERE RAIN WENT.
"Rain on the other hand.... Where the hell did she go???" he continued as his tone became more concerned. Entering his main cave, Jason looked around diligently for any sign of the lizard, only to come across an empty husk, and a flooded tunnel.... Had she evolved? Scanning the husk with [Material Analysis I], a thought came to mind-- maybe he could use the core to locate Rain! Bracing his mind, Jason pressed himself against the core, carefully reading all the information presented to him. However, if the dungeon didn't offer him a menu on it's own, Jason would just ask instead; both verbally and through [Telepathy II] simultaneously, "Core, display dungeon menu."

The sight of Jason's cave gave Ed a feeling of safety and relief. The sight of the bones did not. 'God, that skeleton wasn't there when we left...to think there are more of them wandering in the cave or even lurking beneath us.' Ed thought to himself as runs down his spine. He then moves to his improvised sack containing the mana crystals. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the sack was at the brink of breakage. Probably could be only once or twice more before it happens. Entering the cave made by Jason, he heard Jason tell everyone to get some rest as well as telling him that he ought to eat one of the herbs. "I'll be sure to do that, Jason." Ed offered a weak smile to Jason before heading to the small patch of herbs.

He saw the black herb and dared not touch it, or even go close to the thing. The thing just screamed 'extremely dangerous. do not touch.' He then began to inspect the green plant. The verdant green was a contrast to the dull and dark colors of the surrounding cave. Almost like a faint beacon of hope in the dark. The smell and feeling was nondescript; if anything, the green herb smelled like any other plant. Using one of his fore paws, Ed takes a leaf of the herb and rubs it in his paw, then his lips, then placing the leaf inside of his mouth and chewing it slowly, then finally swallowing the leaf. Waiting how his body reacted to it before proceeding to consume the whole plant. He then heard the sprite talk and Jason response to him. "Oberon, I know things are scary right now...but Jason is right. This place is the safest in the whole cave right now, but if you really do want to go, I can at least help you look for Rain and get you three to the mouth of the cave."





@Zeroth@Duthguy@Guy0fV4lor@King Cosmos@Silverpaw@Gardevoiran

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Even though she had planned on knocking the skeleton down, Asteria only managed to fracture one of its legs. She tried getting to its skull despite that, but the skeleton raised up its arms to protect itself. That only made Asteria more determined to crush the skull, but while she was planning how to do that, the zombie-skeleton lashed out at her. She saw the blur of movement and made to move away. She was hit nonetheless and, somewhat surprisingly, thrown back. The monster hadn’t actually struck her hard, however, and had managed to throw her away only because she was unbalanced. I could be getting better at these confrontations after everything, she noted the slight improvement in reflexes to herself, satisfied with the development.

Suddenly, the skeleton turned towards the entrance to Jason’s tunnel. Asteria followed its gaze until she saw what it was focusing on, and found Digbie. Rather than contemplating what the skeleton’s reasons for seemingly hating one of them were, Asteria regained her balance, and approached the skeleton once again. She moved in its peripheral vision, but it didn’t react. When she was close enough, Asteria grabbed its damaged leg, wrapping both paws around it and poised her teeth at its kneecap, intending to tear it out. Briefly, she remembered to activate Mana sense, curious whether she could kill the skeleton by draining its mana completely. Before the latter became relevant, however, a shimmering aura appeared around her and right after, the skeleton was dropped by a magic bullet of an attack.

Asteria was still holding onto the skeleton while trying to sense its mana, but after its skull was crashed, that was probably unnecessary, so she let go of the skeleton. As for sensing mana, she concentrated on feeling her own magical energy, then tried drawing it out of her body and get it to touch the shimmery aura – a shield, if her previous experiences were to be trusted. There was nothing physical to touch, but she could see the magic in effect, so Asteria continued fiddling with her attempt to touch the foreign-but-slightly-familiar mana with her own until the shield dissipated. Then she blinked her eyes several times, rubbing at them carefully with her paws to dissipate the itching sensation. She knew she’d have to go sleep soon, but before that, someone had helped her once again. And if she was correct in her assumption…She peered up above, and the shiny pixie was impossible to miss. “Oberon? Is that you?” she questioned, using Monster analysis on him to find out what he had evolved into.

Just then though, Asteria was distracted by a gurgling bubbling sound, and almost got whiplash from how swiftly she turned her head towards the sound. She was torn between relief and concern upon discovering the small stream forming. How…? Wait, lake, water underground, line straight to Jason’s tunnel…Just Rain then, maybe, not an enemy. Nonetheless, the black-furred Dire Rat approached the creek cautiously, put a paw in, and prodded at her magical energy to get it to discern whether there was anything magical at all about the lake water. Regardless of what she found out, it was at this time that Jason finally arrived with the group he had taken from whatever they were doing. “Yeah, they appeared pretty much right after we killed the goblin boss,” Asteria commented after Jason’s mention of the killed skeleton. She then listened to his telepathic message, once again drawing on her mana to get it to centre at her head, aiming to somehow sense the psychic energy she assumed Jason had to project for them to hear anything. As Jason finished his “explanation” she couldn’t help but wonder what the bitch comment was all about. An actual traitor? Or just his paranoia kicking up? He had even admitted being affected by the dungeon core not that long ago.

Asteria then proceeded to observe in fascination and wonder as Jason chanted, and his earth-based magic answered almost eagerly, burying the skeletal remains. So…speech, maybe language in general is useful for magic. Will have to try that out. She certainly agreed with sleeping and evolving in a safe spot, though whether Jason’s tunnel was truly the optimal location for that was a different matter. And yet… “Thank you, Oberon, but I don’t want to leave Mother Rat alone here, and she’s already sleeping. Perhaps in the morning. Especially with all these zombies popping out,” she sighed. Simply put, she was also dead-tired. She just wanted to curl up and sleep. And not travel who knows who far to do so. Maybe she should simply dig herself a hole and any zombies would mistake her for one of their own…? No, no, no stupid ideas. Why do we have to have these weak youngling bodies, can’t even function after a day without sleep…

Even as she continued grumbling to herself, and while Jason was searching for Rain, Asteria took care of another concerning matter – the creek. As small as it was, she wasn’t about to risk a flooding, even if that was an irrational concern. So, Asteria chose a spot on the ground decently away from both the stream and the fresh grave, and began digging, searching for large rocks, yanking any she found out of the earth and put them aside. After finding two decently sized ones, she lugged them both to the creek, dragging one by her tail - after having looped the appendage around it - and pushing the other in front of her with her paws. She pushed both rocks into the muddy creek floor in a make-shift dam, reinforcing the structure by digging some earth and mud on top of it hastily. She then lay down a meter or two away from the stream, not to sleep, but to check whether overflowing was going to be a problem or not.

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Torrent emerged onto the ground, quickly spinning and backing away as the ground caved in along her path. Maybe next time she should go deeper... And maybe think about what might be between her and her destination.

That was when the water was disturbed and a rather odd looking fish came at her. Not taking a second to even consider the thing, Torrent spun hard and fast to slam her tail into the thing in instinct, moving sideways slightly in the process.

(if the fish was knocked away, she'd take a moment to examine it carefully, avoiding getting close enough for it to bite)

(if it managed to catch her, she'd casually smash it repeatedly on the ground if possible or use a Glob on it. Once dead or off of her, she'd inspect it if possible)

With that matter taken care of, she heard a loud crashing sound from the direction she had left. Despite her desire to leave this cave and rest, she trudged back to find an odd group, including Digby and Jason.

"You don't have to look far. I was... Testing my new abilities." She spoke up as she got near, speaking loud enough too be heard easily by them all, even if they had retreated to Jason's little area. "I'm leaving the cave though, if anyone wanted to join me. I don't like it here. The lake is full of fish with many teeth, the air feels wrong, all these messages about death.... "

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Digbie stood near Jason and Oberon, listening to them speak between each other as he thought about what his next decision would be. He trusted that Jason could keep him safe and help him level up if he stayed, which was nice, but Oberon... he knew Oberon. Oberon knew him. He truly trusted Oberon, and he knew that the Pixie wouldn't be leaving him behind to die any time soon. The two kind of worked well together, in any case. Digbie just needed a good buff before he could start being a better help, and he'd be hopefully getting that soon.

As he came to his decision, he grabbed a Healing Herb and ate it (if one was available to be grabbed) before dragging his gear over to Oberon and looking at him. "I'm... leaving too. I like it here in this cave, but there's a whole world out there to explore, and I wanna experience it all!" He was there for a reason, and he wanted to find it out. He couldn't do that stuck in a cave his entire life.

Plus, there were zombies. Digbie wasn't having any of that.

He looked up to Oberon and gave him a thumbs-up and a smile. "Lead the way, Oberon!"

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Keeping with Orchid, Ash, and Mourningstar, Reoth followed Ash's instructions to stay at the back of the line to watch their rear. Thankfully they didn't encounter anything on the way to the mouth of the cave, but they did spot a trio of goblins around a small campfire, obviously scared. Orchid expressed a want to communicate with them and Reoth didn't feel the need to object. After all, help can always be welcomed.

So, they agreed to let Orchid try to talk to the goblins while they remained in hiding. Reoth felt the need, due to the lack of immediate cover, to position himself between Ash and the cave wall, but remaining right next to her should he need to act. His choice to remain so close was reinforced by the drake stating that she was getting weaker to the point of not being able to really do anything. So upon hearing her plan he responded in a hushed tone with, "Alright, but for now I'll stick right here."

Looking over Ash and observing Orchid's talks, he believed them to be going quite well, "Thankfully, it doesn't look like a fight will happen. That's good for all of us."