---

@Zeroth@SilverPaw@Duthguy@Searat

Though somewhat annoyed that the Skeleblins had failed to carry out his orders, actually being able to see a full display of everything under his control, as well as a co-ordinate map of the entire cave was an incredible boon. Perhaps the most interesting of all was the Dungeon_Stats, showing not only the progress of the dungeon to level 2 and how it may be further progressed, but that a hidden boss resided within the cave. Jason had little doubt that the hidden boss was Undine, the animated sword that had popped up on the initial menu when first accessing the Dungeon interface. Quickly rolling out of his tunnel to catch the three Skeleblins before they could wander off, Jason issued them new orders once again, "Skeleblin_003! Your new designation is Leonidas! Now, Leonidas, Gawain, Y'tahl-- I have a task for you three, somewhere near coordinate H-10, there should be a large, flat, rock covering three goblin corpses. Near this rock, should be a club, and two spears. Gawain, you equip the club, Y'tahl, you equip the [Badly-Made Stone Spear], and Leonidas, you equip the other spear. Once that is done, return here to me. In the event that you cannot find any of the items, return here to me. Now go! There isn't much time!" hopefully, this time the three skeleblins would be able to execute the order. At this point, it didn't seem like there was much time left to prepare for the meeting with Crispy, and his two status conditions had yet to end. Frustrated with the lack of progression, Jason summoned his skill window, "Display Skills and Level Progress."

Physical Damage Resistance I (1.0)
Warcry I (1.85)
Stone Shot II (2.5)
Rock Spire II (2.05)
Tremor Sense II (2.375)
Soil Manipulation I (1.15)
Telepathy II (2.65)
Material Analysis I (1.2)
Magic Analysis I (1.55)
Monster Analysis I (1.45)
Mental Resistance I (1.4)
Charisma I (1.15)
Focus I (1.25)
Limited Shapeshift I (1.15)
Mind Wave I (1.05)
Spell Chant I (1.05)

<UNUSABLE SKILLS>
Earth Affinity (0.6) <CANNOT BE INCREASED BY SKILL POINTS>
Faster (0.4)
Wave Shock (0.1)
Swift Swimmer (0.1)
Aqua Sphere (0.7)
Alert (0.1)
Smash (0.5)
Cleave (0.3) <UNUSABLE WITH CURRENT ABILITIES>
Blood Drain (0.6)
Taboo (0.4)
Muffle (0.1)
Crafting (0.3)
Magic Resistance (0.4)
Agriculture (0.3)
Plant Analysis (0.3)
Acid Spit (0.5)
Bounce (0.2)
Fire Resistance (0.4)
Fortify (0.2)
Sensory Resistance (0.3)
Mana Orb (0.5)
Shield (0.5)
Alchemy (0.4)
Meditate (0.5)
Air Read (0.2)
Keen Sight (0.2)
Point Strike (0.2)
Doze (0.1)
Blunt Resistance (0.5)
Rabid Fit (0.1)
Pierce Resistance (0.1)
Lesser Cleanse (0.2)
Dextrous (0.2)

Thankfully, he had managed to get Meditate up to the half way point so far, meaning that it wouldn't take long for him to complete it's development. In that moment, Jason was struck with an idea, maybe, just maybe, by trying to exhaust his stamina before attempting to meditate, he could more effectively grind the skill! Honestly, it was worth a shot. First he lightly bounced his body up, and down, building up more springy power with each small bounce; not enough to make him leave the ground, but enough that it just approached that point. As Jason's bounces reached the point of leaving the ground, he used [Limited Shapeshift I] to compress himself like a spring as he landed on the ground, before launching himself back up as hard as he could, letting a small [Warcry I] as he did so. After five big bounces like this, Jason took it a step further; this time, he compressed himself as much as he could-- and proceeded to compress himself more. He pushed [Limited Shapeshift I] so hard that it hurt, and then used that energy to bounce into the air again letting out a full [Warcry I] with his strained effort. Though it wasn't enough to fully exhaust him, this was as far as Jason was going to take it; as he was beginning to run short for time. Letting himself bounce to a stop, Jason settled himself, and began to meditate, resting in both body and mind as he waited for his companions to finish getting their breakfast.

---

---

Asteria pinned the freshly caught fish to the ground with a paw and promptly bit off its head, ceasing its useless flopping. She ate whatever parts she could, carefully picking the flesh apart and removing bones with her dextrous fingers. After all, she held no desire whatsoever to accidentally pierce her own throat with her breakfast. She burped in satisfaction after the meal, leaving the fish skeleton lying scattered on the ground. "Morning. I'm larger because I 'evolved', if you could really call it that..." she replied to Ed. Asteria snorted at his poor attempts at being non-offensive, and was that supposed to be flirting? Either way, she simply shook her head, rolled her eyes, and left Ed to his own devices. She noted Danny managed to learn a primitive form of water magic and stored this information on another way to use mana for later consideration. She as a Dire Rat would obviously need longer to learn use the mana she possessed in any productive way, but eventually she would get there.

Now that she was well-rested and sated, there was finally time for a longer bout of trying some things out. The first thing she did was something that she’d lacked the energy to do the previous night. She stood up on her hind legs once again, using her tail for support. Perhaps growing into adult form and the level ups she’d gained up till now would improve her balance some more. She kept up the bipedal form as long as she could, though she was fully aware her current body wasn’t meant for such a thing. And yes, she could have evolved into that Rat-man, but she believed there was a merit in trying to gain some skills on her own. What backed that belief up was none other than the Mana Drain and Mana Sense she’d learned simply by putting points into it; though she could certainly use both efficiently, it didn’t automatically mean she understood what or how she was doing it. After standing up for as long as she could, she then dropped back to all fours, dug out a hole, until she collected three to four medium sized rocks. With the dug-out earth and the rocks she’d found, she attempted building a primitive training dummy, fetching the nearby water for softening the material she was working with if needed.

She assessed the created structure, trying to ascertain its quality. To test it, she surmised attacking it might be best. Asteria concentrated on a tail lash she wanted to test on it, swinging her tail in the air in preparation a few times, imagining the impact she was about to cause. After the last windup of her tail, she sent it flying with a sharp whistling whoosh at the training dummy, yelling “Hiyah!” as she did so. Whether the dummy was still standing or not, she’d hit the earthen lump a few more times in the same manner, concentrating on each hit, and shouting at each impact. It was a great way to destress! That bit of exercise done, Asteria drank some water from the lake, hydrating. She then went on an early morning jog, starting slow, but building up her speed, until she was sprinting, waving among stalagmites, making careening sharp turns whenever necessary, avoiding crashing into anyone or anything, but also not wandering too far away from Jason’s base with the dungeon core. It was so, so relaxing not having to worry for at least a little bit, and although the run would probably be even better outside of the cave, she’d have to do with this for now.

A few laps later, Asteria took a luxuriant dip into the pleasantly cool lake water, swimming near to lake shore. If any fish dared go near enough her, she’d once again wrap her tail around the offender and chuck it onto the land. Even if none did, Asteria’s goal was to catch at least two or three more fish, and so she went back to the shore, and repeated her tactic of dipping in her tail, wiggling it around as bait. Hopefully, nothing larger than what she could handle would be attracted to her vulnerable appendage…

It was faint, but he felt like he could feel the meditation starting to take effect. It was subtle, not like a great inrushing of energy but more like something that used to be a trickle, his natural ability to recover lost mana, becoming a small stream. Was that enough? Was this how meditation was supposed to work? If he did this for long enough would he acquire the skill or did he need something else, another push, to reach that level?

Oberon could feel his focus begin to waver as he thought about how to complete the skill, thoughts muddying his mind as the stream slowed back to a trickle. He cleared his mind again and tried to regain the feeling of emptiness that he had managed before; unfortunately meditate wasn’t the kind of skill where overthinking things or trying different solutions would work. In a way it was skill completely unsuited to the way he did things, but as a magical creature he desperately needed a way to restore his mana without the use of consumable items.

Focus. Calm. Empty your mind. Just feel the mana flow into you. Nothing exists but you, your spirit, and that mana. Focus on the flow of energy. Try to widen the channel to let more mana flow at once. Focus.

Ed shook off the water off his fur, the anger within him seethed and rose. Blood rushed through his veins, delivering adrenaline throughout his body. His vision blurred significantly as he snarled at the water's surface. Majority of his killing intent aimed at...fish. The young dire rat could still control his body as well as his thought processes and ability to reason were still clear; unhindered by the rage and blood lust...but he could already feel the madness gnawing at it.'Stop, this is stupid! I'm literally angry at goddamn fish!'

Skill Deactivated: Rabid Fit I

And just like that, his everlasting and burning hate for the fish disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. 'Christ...that skill is dangerous. It activates even if I don't even realize it." He lets out a sigh. If he could get a rough estimate on how long he could keep control and stay sane while the skill was active, it would be roughly a minute; maybe even a little less. If he wanted to keep himself and the rest of his allies safe, he needed to master the skill as soon as he could. He then sees Asteria snag a fish and proceed to consume the fish. "Morning to you too, Asteria. Also, in my defense that fish seemed a thousand times bigger than it actually was...hmm, you're bigger than I remember." Ed told Asteria absentmindedly before realizing that the statement sounded rude. Most especially rude considering that Asteria was a lady, albeit a reincarnated lady turned into dire rat via magical means that he barely understands, but a lady none the less. His parents taught him better, shame on him. "Not that being big is a demerit. Quite the contrary even! Some would even admit its something to be attracted about a person." Yet again another statement that could lead to another misunderstanding. "Not that I find that feature about you attractive. And another. "Not that you aren't attractive, quite the contrary actually..." Ed seems to have a knack for implying things as well as making things weird. "I think that I'm rambling now and I'd be better if I shut up. I'm going to walk to the far side of the pond now." Ed then goes to the farthest side of the pod from where Danny and Asteria were and proceeds to dunk his head into the cold waters, screaming his heart out. Embarrassed to the point that death wouldn't be such a bad thing to happen now.

After a few short moments of self pity and yearning for the embrace of death, the young dire rat finally regains most of his senses but retains the great embarrassment he holds within himself. "Ok. That's enough acting like a baby." He winces as he remembers the embarrassing encounter only moments ago." OhmygodIwannadie." He lets the thought perish before standing up and dipping his muzzle into the water and finally takes in the cool re-hydrating liquid his body oh so desired. After having his fill of water, he considered returning to where Rattleskull's body laid. The body seemed to be such an easy meal for Ed but he hesitated; Rattleskull was simply too humanoid for Ed to even consider eating. No matter what physical form he had, the heart of a man still beat inside of him and it refused to eat something so closely resembling the human form. "I suppose hunting would be a great alternative." Ed lets out a sigh and limbers up for the hunt. Satisfied with his pre-hunt exercise, he goes to a low position and lets [Muffle I] do its job in making his time sneaking more easy while he used his [Beast Sense I] to sniff out and listen for creatures he could take down.

As Orchid demonstrated why the Creeping Vine wouldn't be of any use, Sqwal's scowl grew deeper. When the female goblin sat down to focus on her own crafting, the male torchbearer turned to look back at the tree with all the vines on it.

"Dun need dum rope to make gud wep'n anyway..." he grumbled to himself. Using the vines to get a better handhold, he began climbing up into the tree. Once he had perched himself on a branch large enough to support his weight, he began using his own Sharp Stone to start hacking at it--coming dangerously close to neutering himself a few times. But still, the branch shook and cracked until it finally fell to the ground--almost landing on top of Wej as he returned with another shield/basket full of the blue colored berries, a few roots, and what looked to be an entire nest of grubs still trapped in a clod of dark colored mud.

"Oi! Watch it up dere!" Wej yelled, struggling to keep the basket upright as he stumbled away. He sat it down next to the fire and Crispy.

"Where Bigs an' Jezee?" said Crispy, immediately grabbing the biggest grubs and a handful of berries for himself.

"Dey went ova to dem udda Mobs. Dat diggy Gob was ova dere."

"Hmm...Dat one, Digbie. He been wiv 'em dis whole time?" The Flame-touched Goblin looked towards Orchid, who was just finishing up her stone-knapping...seemingly unaware of the way Clod had started throwing dirty looks at her occasionally.

You Processed an Item!
Smooth Stick (Average) - Using Sharp Stone (Good) + Wooden Club (Good)
Your methods of crafting are more refined compared to your materials. Effectiveness boosted.
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of Processing.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented the deterioration of your processing item.
Your Crafting IV skill could not prevent the deterioration of an item used to process the target.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented the deterioration of an item used to process the target.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your processed item!

Obtained Item: Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average)
Item Deteriorated: Sharp Stone (Good) > Sharp Stone (Average)
---
You Processed an Item!
Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average) + Fire Hardening
Your Crafting IV skill prevented damage to your target item from this processing!
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of processing!
This type of processing improves your target item!

Obtained Item: Fire-Hardened Notched Smooth Stick (Very Good)
---
Obtained Items: Hard Stone (Good) x2, Hard Stone (Average) x2

You Created Items!
Hard Stone (Good) + Hard Stone (Average)
Hard Stone (Good) + Hard Stone (Average)
Hard Stone (Average) + Hard Stone (Average)
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of this crafting!
Your Crafting IV skill prevented deterioration of your crafted items.
In the process of crafting, one item has been destroyed.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your created items!

Obtained Items: Sharp Stone (Good) x2, Sharp Stone (Well Made), Sharp Stone (Excellent), Sharp Stone (Average)
---
You Created Items!
Sharp Stone (Good) + Sharp Stone (Average)
Sharp Stone (Well Made) + Sharp Stone (Good)
Sharp Stone (Excellent) + Sharp Stone (Above Average)
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of this crafting!
Your method is inefficient. Effectiveness decreased.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented deterioration of some of your crafted items.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of a few of your crafted items.

Obtained Items: Sharp Stone Shard (Below Average), Sharp Stone Shard (Average) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Above Average) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Good), Sharp Stone Shard (Very Good) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Well Made), Sharp Stone Shard (Excellent)

---
You created a Weapon!
Fire-Hardened Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average) + Fiber Cordage (Average) + Fiber Cordage (Well Made) + Sharp Stone Shard (Below Average) + Sharp Stone Shard (Average) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Above Average) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Good) + Sharp Stone Shard (Very Good) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Well Made) + Sharp Stone Shard (Excellent)
You are using a large number of items. Effectiveness decreased due to current Crafting rank.
Your method of crafting is more refined compared to your materials. Effectiveness increased.
You are creating a more complex weapon. Effectiveness decreased.
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of your crafting!
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your item!

Obtained Item: Sharp Stone Club! (Well-Made)
A viciously designed club, it's hard to believe this was created by a Goblin. Sharpened shards of stone have been inserted into it, allowing it to be used much like a sword or a saw blade. Combined with its weight, it can deliver powerful strokes. It can deal Slashing and Blunt damage. This weapon feels stronger than your current Wooden Club. This weapon can swing faster than your current Wooden Club. This weapon is tougher than your current Wooden Club. This weapon has a chance to cause Bleeding damage to an enemy! This weapon is slightly vulnerable to fire.

((Your Hard Stones, Sharp Stone, and the Average and Well Made Fiber Cordages should be removed from your inventory.))

Skill Rank Up: Material Analysis I > Material Analysis II!
Obtain more detailed information about the qualities and traits of Materials. If you know of a currency value, you can make a rough estimate of an object's worth. The more detailed your knowledge of the local economy, the more accurate the assessment.

But just as Orchid finished, all of the goblins gave a yelp of surprise and turned towards the cave, where the buff pixie had just unleashed a fireball into the open mouth of the tunnel...

---

Skill Gain: Cling I!
As a Slime you are naturally suited to sticking to objects. By expending stamina, you cling to any surface and are able to climb or stick upon it. At this rank, the type and texture of the surface will change the skill's effectiveness. At this rank, you are much slower when moving on objects while clinging. At this rank, this skill cannot be used save to climb or stick to surfaces.

Current Skills:
Physical Damage Resistance I (1.86)
Overwork I (1.2)
Blunt Resistance I (1.1)
Limited Shapeshift III (3.525)
Smash I (1.3)
Pierce Resistance I (1.05)
Faster I (1.05)
Magic Resistance I (1.0)
Harder I (1.3)
Counter I (1.5)
Cling I (1.0)

<UNUSABLE SKILLS>
Earth Resist (0.7)
Mental Resistance (0.4)
Monster Analysis (0.7)
Slime Shell (0.5)
Charisma (0.5)
Slime Whip (0.5)
Dextrous (0.2)
Soil Manipulation (0.3)
Stone Shot (0.1)
Slime Coil (0.1)
Iron Gullet (0.7)
Magic Analysis (0.3)
Bounce (0.4)
Muffle (0.1)
Poison Resistance (0.1)
Dash Attack (0.3)
Spiritual Awareness (0.2)
Intimidate (0.15)
Stronger (0.6)
Blood Drain (0.3)

"But hungreeeeeee." Momma Slime slurped up what little remained of Rattleskull's torso all in one gulp and sat there, wobbling stubbornly as she slowly digested it. It figured. That was pretty much all wild Slimes did, eat and sleep and every so often move around. And at Momma Slime's larger size, that probably meant eating quite a bit more than Asura usually did. Would they leave the cave with the others in search of more food, or try to finish off Asura's grinding quest here in the cave?

The answer to that might be delayed somewhat, as a flaming trail of magic shot through the air not too far away from them, hitting an outcropping of rock in a bright flash...

---

As Danny used his Mana Shape to try and further his development of Mana Dart, he found that it wasn't quite so simple as it first appeared. Then again, maybe he wasn't going about it the right way--he had obtained Aqua Sphere rather quickly, after all. What was he doing differently compared to when he had practiced yet?

His attempted dart had been shaped correctly, now that he had an actual spell to do that...but it didn't feel right. It was as if all he had done was take a plain piece of paper and fold it a few times into a cone or triangular prism. The "dart" didn't feel like it had any weight or sharpness. And when he fired it, it quickly came undone and blossomed back into a regular Orb. The effect it had on the rock was the same as well.

Just then, however, from his position near the pool he could see a bright light from the cave's entrance--something arching up, then coming down in a trail of fire. It landed far away, but what in the world had that been? One of Crispy's fireballs?

---

Yo! You have reached the Demon King's Prayer Hotline. Please hold, your prayers are NOT important to me.

I kindly request that you STOP IMMEDIATELY. Do not EVER pray to me again. Prayers are for deities and I don't want that kinda fuckin' responsibility. This is an automated response system, do not reply to it or I'll send somebody to fuck you up.

--Beep--

Update: If you're one of my Damned Heroes, this is for you. If you can prove your strength to me and survive, find my Palace. Protip--it ain't in that shitty cave. Try the Dungeons.

--Beep--
OI, YOU! TELL THE OTHER FUCKHEADS TO CUT IT OUT WITH THE PRAYING. LAST WARNING.

Obtained Item: Wild Topapo x2

You used Alchemy II! You used Magic Analysis!
These are Plants, and have little natural magic properties. Without other Analysis Skills, you cannot determine the Quality of the items, only their Alchemical traits.
---Green Argep---
Plant, Berry. Crunchy Exterior. Low Sweetness. Acidic Juice. Negligible Toxicity. Soft, Weak, Pulpy.
---Argep Leaves---
Plant, Leaf. Limited Caloric Value. High Vitamin Content. Negligible Toxicity. Fibrous. Low Tensile Strength. Acidic Juice. Reactive with Water.
---Alchemy Complete!---

Skill Gain: Meditate I!
By concentrating and calming oneself, increase the regeneration of Magic Power and Stamina. This skill cannot be used in battle. Any distractions in the environment will drastically decrease the effectiveness of this skill. This skill cannot be used in conjunction with other skills.

Skill Gain: Crafting I!
You may craft very simple items from simple materials. Your knowledge and understanding of mechanics, workmanship, and other such things enable you to craft better items. The process of creating many items is still an unknown to you, but if you ever succeed in such a creation its Sub-Stat Enhancements will be higher than normal.

As the others were distracted with their various tasks, Digbie would find himself being approached by two of the goblins from before--one was smaller than him, and clearly a female, while the other was a little bit larger than himself and male. They both carried shields made somewhat like a woven basket, and the male had a dangerous looking spear.

"Oi! You a Gob like us, why you ova here?" called the male.

"Y-you should come wiv us! We needs all da Gobs we can get!" said the girl goblin, in a more gentle voice.

Torrent received a rather surprising response from the Demon King as she "prayed" in the loosest sense, expecting a direct answer. This seemed rather pre-canned...but at the same time, it was much more direct than anything thus far. After all, the Demon King hadn't even spoken to them since they had been dropped here...or had he? She couldn't quite remember...

As her claws found purchase in the loose earth, she soon revealed the two large tubers Oberon had caught a glimpse of before. As the rest of their oblong shapes were revealed, they were each about the size of a human's fist, which meant they could probably serve as a meal for most of the party if split up evenly. But something else had been digging in the dirt--if only Digbie hadn't neglected to mention it thus far!

With an angry buzz, an enormous beetle with four sharp mandibles suddenly shot out of the dirt, snapping at Torrent--!

Ash found the berries and leaves to be rather plain, at least by the standards of this world she had experienced so far. They weren't poisonous, magical, explosive, or really even that good to eat if her Alchemy skill was any judge. Maybe the berries just weren't ripe enough. That comment about water for the leaves might bring to mind the possibility of tea, but they would need a fire for that...

As Ardur fastened his new silk and leaf loincloth around himself and headed back towards the cave, a System notification let him know that he had finally unlocked the Crafting Skill! He had been making a few things thus far regardless of actually having that skill...but maybe having it meant those Sub Stat Enhancement things would come into play...

Oberon, too, felt an internal "click" as his Meditate skill unlocked, and new Mana flooded his system! Whatever glee he might feel would probably be short lived, however, as something burst out of the ground at Torrent and...

As Ardur focused, he felt his palm grow hot.

“Fire burns, Inferno rages," he began, and the Fireball already sprang into existence within his grasp. "Consume and destroy, Cleanse and Purify," he continued, and the ball began to struggle as if it were trying to escape him. "Feel the wrath of the sun and rejoice in its light." Ardur's veins along his arm suddenly began to glow bright red, and he felt the heat growing more and more intense--but just before it could scald him, he released the power! "Fireball!"

He felt another chunk of MP leave him, more than he had ever used with Shield and almost as much as he had used with the higher ranks of Minor Heal. The Fireball had grown larger and was glowing brighter, and as it shot off into the distance his arc added a little range on it as well. It illuminated parts of the cave as it went, the flickering light casting long shadows among the rocks, before it struck a stalagmite and went out in a flare-like flash rather than an explosion.

Meanwhile, Mourningstar's body had continued to swell with the odd pulsations...only now it had also begun to change color. Her pale white flesh turned an almost sickly green, while the wispy hairs all over it grew longer and more yellow. If one didn't know better, they might even say she was starting to rot...Then, suddenly, light blazed inside the flesh. Like electricity it began to spread through the long fur, and as Mourningstar came back to wakefulness she crackled back to life. She was now about the size the Wispmother had been, but her light was an eerie glow that constantly shifted between various shades of green, white, and yellow. Though in the sunlight it wasn't quite so noticeable, at night she would have certainly appeared to be quite the spooky spirit.

Speaking of sunlight, it felt rather uncomfortable...much like turning on the bedside lamp right after waking up, except all over her body instead of just in her eyes...

TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!
Wisp > Corpselight
All base stats slightly increased
Skill Gain: Taboo I! (1.3)
You have gained a "cursed skill." Those with sharp senses may detect your true nature...Even now, the evil seed of what you've done germinates within you...
You have not reached your full Potential. The Skill Mana Drain has been Reduced. (0.5)
You have not reached your full Potential. The Skill Blood Drain has been Reduced. (0.5)

---

You used Crafting I!
Without Material Analysis, you cannot determine the Quality of the Item you have created.
You created an item!
Small Rock x3 + Mud

Created Item: Earthen Dummy

This Item is too large and heavy for your Inventory.

Skill Gain: Stronger I!
You have grown stronger through tough training! Tear muscles down, and rebuild them anew! Your physical power stats have increased! By gaining at least one rank of Faster, Harder, and Better, Skill Synergy will occurr and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.

Skill Gain: Prehensile Tail (--)!
Your tail has developed enough muscle and coordination that you can use it as if it were a fully functional limb--minus fingers and toes of course. Any stats, skills, items, spells, etc that could be used or applied by your limbs can, with a few exceptions, also be used by your tail.

Skill Rank Up: Faster I > Faster II!
Further increase your base speed stats and movement rate. By gaining at least one rank of Stronger, Harder, and Better, Skill Synergy will occurr and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.

Asteria's training seemed to be paying off quite well, though her Earthen Dummy ended up falling apart after only a few blows. Once she had gained her new stat boosts and the added dexterity of her tail, she found it much easier to catch fish and soon had enough to not only fully satiate herself, but also her Mother. Whether she intended this or not was unclear, as Mother Rat simply waddled out of the cave as Asteria was throwing some of her catch onto the bank and immediately grabbed some of the fish for herself. Upon noticing Asteria's growth, Mother Rat squeaked several times, then mimicked her offspring by standing on her hind legs and looking around. When she dropped back to the earth she sniffed around Asteria suspiciously, as if she didn't believe this was the same rat she had slept next to last night. But, finally convinced, Mother Rat simply tilted her head as if to say "now what?"

Before Asteria could answer, however, a third Dire Rat was suddenly running towards the two of them--it was the one that had been curled up, asleep on a rock, as they came out of Jason's cave this morning. And as it charged at them, they soon saw that its eyes had begun to glow with an odd light...

As Ed took off, shame and embarassment practically setting the ends of his whiskers on fire, he focused on staying out of sight--not just from Asteria, but any prey that might be in the area. As he hunted, soon his enhanced senses picked up on the scent of something reptilian...and then, of course, he came upon tracks. A Fanged Lizard had been through here recently...Ed would find it rather quickly, as it was sitting on top of a flat rock under one of the small holes in the ceiling, sunning itself as the morning light began to grow warmer and brighter...

Kind of like that fireball way off in the distance...

---

WARNING! DUNGEON STRUCTURE IS BEING DAMAGED BY AN EXTERNAL SOURCE!

CHANGING DESIGNATION: SKELEBLIN_003...
NEW DESIGNATION REGISTERED: LEONIDAS

REGISTERING ORDERS:
GAWAIN, LEONIDAS, Y'TAHL
{SEARCH AREA H-10 AND SURROUNDING AREAS
-LANDMARK; LARGE, FLAT ROCK / 3 GOBLIN CORPSES
-SEARCH FOR; GAWAIN:CLUB, Y'TAHL:BADLY MADE STONE SPEAR, LEONIDAS:SPEAR
RETURN
-IF- EQUIPMENT NOT FOUND
RETURN}

ORDERS REGISTERED. EXECUTING...

Ignoring the notice, as Asteria was still in view by the pool, Jason barely caught the wandering skeletons in time, but his orders were successfully received this time around. The three began walking in an odd unison around the pool, heading towards the specified area. As they left, Jason attempted to open his own menu.

EXP: 52%

Skill Rank Up: Warcry I > Warcry II!
Range of Effect increased. Enemies will focus their attention on you immediately. Very Low Chance to Intimidate enemies.

EXP: 65%

His training paid off for at least one of the skills he was working towards, and as it happened during his perusal of his menu he was able to see the EXP meter tick over just before the "notification" went away. It looked like he was over halfway to his next level--and he had finally confirmed something he had no doubt wondered up until this point. Fighting monsters wasn't the only way to get experience in this "game."

But as he finished his short training session, he too would be able to see the arching flame from the distance...

WARNING! AN INTRUDER HAS ENTERED THE DUNGEON! AN INTRUDER HAS ATTACKED!

---

Running full tilt, their bones a-clacking and teeth clattering the whole way, the Skeleblins soon reached the area they had been ordered to search and began looking around. Though they ended up having to dig around parts of Jason's makeshift grave in order to find them--causing the peaceful "aura" to disappear--they soon found the three weapons left over from the Brawny Goblin Team. Gawain took the Wooden Club in one hand, gripping it tightly and giving it a test swing...the skeleton tottered awkwardly with its weight, despite how it held the club as if it knew what it was doing. Y'Tahl took the former Bitchy Goblin's stone spear, and although it was the shorter of the two spears it was still much taller than the shortest of the three skeletons. It also didn't seem like Y'Tahl had ever used such a thing before, as its bony fingers couldn't seem to keep the long weapon in a balanced grip. Leonidas picked up the former Brawny Goblin's Wooden Spear, and though it didn't seem quite at home with the weapon either, it was far better off than Y'Tahl.

The Skeletons, too, saw the flaming light...and immediately their eyes flashed. Their order would be suspended for the moment, it seemed...

How ironic that Jason didn't find a way to include that "don't fight" clause.

Clacking and clattering, the three skeletons headed for the intruder...

Orchid looked at her finished product. It was impressive, more so than her previous sword, but she couldn't help but lament how much time and materials had to go into it. Nearly two lengths of her cordage, at least seven or so stones, and one of the better sticks. Sticks and stones would be easy enough to gather but if these goblins didn't learn how to make rope quickly, Orchid knew most of her time was going to be spent gathering sap and wood fiber instead of weapons and armor. The goblins were slow learners too, and like any mortal being, had other issues aside from their competence. Orchid was no stranger to dirty looks or whispers behind her back. It actually made her almost furious to know that despite having left her former world, it seemed like goblins and humans alike could easily find petty reasons to dislike her. Was it because Orchid was bossing them around? Perhaps simply because she's a female, and somehow her ability has wounded their egos?

As much as Orchid wanted to say that it didn't matter, she knew she would have to deal with it eventually. She knew some of the goblins were fairly loyal to her but the others obviously don't. Either because they see her as some sort of upstart, or some other reason that makes sense in their heads. She'll have to straight them out or kill them at some point. "And so my lists grows bigger." As some of the other goblins arrived, Orchid snacked on some grubs and berries herself. She had gotten somewhat accustomed to eating insects since living in the cave, though she does miss the taste of a properly roasted chicken. And as if the taste of bugs and wild berries weren't enough to make Orchid' day inconvenient, there was an explosion nearby the cave. Crispy was still with the goblins so it obviously wasn't him. If she had to guess, some of the other denizens of the cave are doing something foolish. Scratching her head Orchid sighed as she looked to the goblins loyal to her.

"Well I don't like the looks of that. Eat your fill and grab your weapons. I'm going to check out that explosion and I want some of you to come with me." Orchid put her club next to her torch on her bag as she grabbed her shield and hefted up the new sharp club. One thing for certain, it was easier to handle than her first sword. The balance was better so she could even use her shield too. She wished it had a bit more reach but she'll just have to settle with this for now. If or when Orchid gets goblins to come with her, she was going to head towards the explosion. She also made a note to find Big's and Jeeze. Wej said they went over to the other mobs, and that made Orchid worried. She wasn't sure what they were doing but she feared that they might end up getting into a fight. Still, hopefully they don't come to blows. That being said, Orchid mentally prepared herself for when another fight breaks out.

"I. AM. REBORN!" Mourningstar burst into the air, colors flashing off of her rapidly as she felt herself change. She had seen the world, hazy though the memory may be she knew what lied beyond the horizon. The world beckons, a world she was meant to conquer and subjugate, a world that would try to kill her the moment it saw her. She was cursed now, she could feel the curse within her burning all over her body. Her very being was TABOO, the world itself rejected her now... No, wait. That's just the sun. The sun was rejecting her, super hard as a matter of fact.

"Ah fuck, this sucks." She immediately moved into the shade of a tree to get out of the sunlight, glad to be done with that garbage. Welp, time to start testing out these new abilities. As she shone in the shadows of the tree, she immediately noticed that things were going wrong. Because of course they were, things always go wrong when she's not around for even a minute. Welp, time to get down to business. Hey, this would be a good time to try to activate her new skill too. She immediately rushed into the beetle with all the force she could muster, a combination of a tackle and trying to latch onto the thing with her teeth like a vampire. In the words of a famous anime vampire... nah, too easy of a reference.

""THE HEART OF DARKNESS BEATS FOREVERMORE!" Much better reference.

The flow of mana suddenly picked up in intensity, shocking Oberon out of his focused state before the system message had a chance to. He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as they readjusted to the bright sunlight before he read the notification he had receiving, confirming that he had indeed learned the skill he had seen the Wisp use earlier. With this he would be less at risk of running out or mana while outside the cave, though the fact he couldn’t use it during battle meant he would need to be careful not to run out of mana during a fight.

Speaking of which, as Torrent was digging out the plants he had asked her to retrieve the Wurm was suddenly attacked by an obscenely large insect that erupted from the ground. The rounded shape of its carapace and its four long mandibles made it look like some kind of beetle, though whether it was called that or not in this world was up in the air. He rose from the ground, wings flapping as he lifted into the air, when a large and strangely coloured Wisp rushed in to tackle the insect, shouting something in a voice that sounded a lot like Mourningstar’s.

Taking in the suddenly chaotic scene, Oberon used both Monster and Magic Analysis on the beetle and the evolved Wisp as he considered what to do. He was going to just fire a Mana Dart at the creature, but Mourningstar’s attack put her in a position which meant there was a risk of hitting her instead. He could try using Mana Orb; the description of Mana Dart implied it was the more accurate of the two but he had a feeling that was only because it was larger and therefore more likely to hit, which was actually a detriment in this case. He also wasn’t sure if the blunt magic would be able to pierce through the beetle’s chitinous armour in the way the dart would.

With a sigh the Sprite flew forward so that he was closer to the fight, casting a Shield III on the Corpselight for good measure, before raising his hands and lining up an attack on the exposed portion of the insect’s body. “Mourn! Hold it steady and don’t move.” Once he was sure he wouldn’t hit his friend by mistake, he let fly with Mana Dart.



@floodtalon@Zeroth

---

@Zeroth@SilverPaw@Duthguy

As [Warcry I] ticked over into [Warcry II], a smile crept across Jason's face; if his math was correct, he only needed to rank up three more skills to reach level 7. He was so close.... He could almost FEEL it.  As he estimated [Bounce] was nearing rank I, whereas [Meditate], [Mana Orb], and [Shield] were already halfway done.  However, just as Jason began his meditation; actively pulling the surrounding mana into himself, life decided to fuck with him yet again, as a glaringly bright [Fireball] tickled his dormant sense of sight, and sent him a rather irritating notification.

WARNING! AN INTRUDER HAS ENTERED THE DUNGEON! AN INTRUDER HAS ATTACKED!

Fucking great.

With a sigh, Jason's senses snapped back to active duty, just in time to see  Dire_Rat_A charge aggressively at Asteria and Mama Rat.  Quickly coiling himself like a viper using [Limited Shapeshift I]  before launching himself between the two parties.  Lashing out to tightly grab onto the scruff of Dire_Rat_A's neck with a psuedopod, Jason scolded his new subordinate as he held them back, "Dire_Rat_A! Stand down-- and that's an order! These two are not enemies!" he growled like one might do when training an aggressive dog, as he gestured to Asteria and Mama Rat, "Anything these two do has my DIRECT approval and is always in the dungeon's best interest... In fact, from now on you can consider Asteria as the Mid-Boss of this dungeon."
 
(In the event he fails to grab Dire_Rat_A, just assume Jason continues to block its path until successfully telling it off... And yes, if it tries to go around him, Jason will move to block its path.)

Releasing the poor, confused animal, Jason grumbled angrily as he approached the remainder of the stash, absorbing four crystals to bring him to full MP, and stowing the other three within himself for later.  Snatching four healing herbs from his garden, Jason approached Danny and Asteria, "Well, since some asshole has decided to start tossing fireballs in here, we need to go make  sure they dont kill off our entire dungeon defense force... Danny, find Ed and bring him to meet us at the dungeon entrance.  Asteria, you and mama rat should stick with me, I'm not sure if the dungeon still sees you as a threat, so I may need to manually tell off the assimilated mobs.  Now let's go! There's no time to waste!"

Using [Limited Shapeshift I] to curl into a ball, Jason raced as fast as he could to the entrance.  Pushing himself harder than ever before to close the gap.  Hopefully, he'd get there in time to stop a fight that would likely end in the invading party's favor.... Why the fuck couldnt the core accept one more clause in those goddamn orders? That was a real kicker, but it was too late now... Now he had to fix it.

(Inventory and summary to be added later)

Danny wasn't too upset that his first attempt at Mana Dart failed, though he did wonder if he was getting close to running low on mana. Either way he figured one more try wouldn't hurt. He did everything the same but this time he tied using Lesser Force to force the mana to stay in the dart shape even after he launched it.

The instant he was done with his test something that was a more immediate concern caught his attention. He briefly wondered if he should check the source of the flash out on his own, after informing the others of what he was doing of course. However when he got closer to the Dire Rats he saw that Jason had joined them and they seemed to be fighting a wild monster while Ed had run off.

Speaking of Ed Jason wanted Danny to look for him and bring him to the entrance. He didn't like leaving them with an opponent but the slime seemed to think he could calm the wild rat down and Ed might be in more danger than them on his own. "On it. Which way did he go by the way?"

Ed slinks to the shadows and moves quietly and carefully, having spotted a lone fanged lizard. The reptile in question was currently basking in a small ray of sunlight on a flat rock without a care in the world. 'Perfect...' Ed thought to himself and begins to skulk to a better flanking position; like an apex predator would...but from a smaller, less frightening, weaker, and significantly more timid apex predator. Though his intended target was completely unaware of his presence, the young dire rat was still cautious on his approach. It is a well known fact to Ed that overconfidence may be a slow killer, but one with a near-perfect record. Once in position, he launches his preemptive strike. He lunged at the resting lizard, teeth and claws bared. His teeth were to set upon the lizard's neck while his fore claws were at the ready to help his jaws rip and tear the the lizard's throat off of in a matter of seconds. His already superior physical strength combined with the [Stronger I] skill made sure that the sudden ambush, weather or not it killed Ed's intended target, would be a decisive attack. Though, Ed could only hope that the taste of blood would not activate his berserk state. He wanted to kill his prey quickly, not make an excessive mess and splatter it's blood and guts around him in a five foot radius.

Asura shook his head when she complained about being hungry. I feel like I'm being a parent all over again... He thought as he took in hat the System told him about Cling I. He also took note that he actually was getting the Stronger I skill and that he was a smidgen over half way there. He could work on it a litter later while the pair left the cave. Maybe try making his Smash more effective with Stronger.

Asura's thoughts were interrupted by a fireball flying into the dungeon. He was barely curious, someone could have figured it out. Or Crispy is trying to have a show of magical muscle. Funny enough he'd run out of Mana before I run out of Hitpoints and Stamina. He thought.

"Alright, time to go where we haven't gone before. Lets head outside." He stated to Mother Slime. Deciding to save his Stamina he just started to slither along the ground since he was so liquidy. No more undulating as a blob and making himself surge forward. He did keep his speed in check so he didn't leave Mother Slime behind.

Although while he moved he kept moving the rock. Keeping his pseudopod fully extended and slowly twirling it around as if it were some sort of gooey stony flail. The movements were slow and deliberate to try and work muscles that normally weren't worked just by lifting. Although he still didn't fully understand if slimes even had muscles.

---

Torrent was idly shocked at the reply and the forcefulness of the warning. So others had been trying to contact this being as well? That way oddly disturbing. She definitely hadn't been praying. Who the hell was the weirdo praying?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of the large beetle as she uncovered the... Things. TOPAPOS? Whatever. Enemy.

Torrent hissed at Mourningstar tacked the thing and Oberon fired something at it. They were too close, but....

Moving quickly, hoping that the beetle would be sufficiently distracted by the others, she moved to the other side so that her attack wouldn't harm them. Hopefully. Concentrating she tried to channel a Fireball from her mouth instead of above her as it had done before, wanting to hit the side of the insect with the fire.

With that cast she went for the only thing she knew: bloody, angry combat. Darting in towards its legs she planned to severe them with her teeth and claws and venom.

---

---

Asteria chattered happily at Mother Rat as the other rodent took some of the fish she had been able to catch easily enough. She’d intended for those to be for Mother, possibly even Ed and the others if they wanted it, anyways. And there was a definite satisfaction at finally advancing some skills – the notes they contained led her to mark the Harder and Better skills as her next goal. Before she could even spend time thinking on how to improve any further, however, a zombie Dire Rat charged towards her in an attack. Asteria braced for the attack, hissing at the enemy. What was it thinking? Were the zombies going rogue or was there something else? It seemed they might engage in combat any second, but Jason managed to launch between the trio of rats, in an attempt to protect Mother and her, it seemed.

“Wait, those things are actually bothered by digging? It’s just some harmless terraforming not a destruction of the dungeon,” she grumbled. “You could have just focused on the fireball, you idiot,” she directed at the zombie-rat, uncaring that it was unlikely to understand her complaint.

Asteria bristled slightly at Jason’s presumption that she’d just follow any order of his, but since she didn’t want to risk her or Mother getting zombified, she decided to follow. Yeah, I suppose he’s right to just look at me as an underling when all I do is obey…I will just have to get stronger for this might-is-right world, it would seem. Asteria nudged Mother, and said “Let’s stick close to Jason for now,” gesturing towards the departing slime, then leaving herself. She pursued the green slime slowly at first, glancing back cautiously at the frenzied zombie-rat and waiting for Mother to catch up. Once she was sure Mother Rat was following, Asteria sped up, smirking at the ease with which she was now able to catch up to and then run next to Jason.

“If we encounter an ex-human, let’s try to resolve this situation peacefully, alright?” she suggested to Jason. Even though she’d already helped kill goblins, who obviously were sentient being, she still wanted to draw the line somewhere. Though if any of them attacked first…Well, there would be no point in leaving a danger like that around if not even discussion brought favourable results. If they’re an ex-human, maybe they’ll just agree to a non-aggression pact if nothing else.

@Guy0fV4lor

---

You used Alchemy II! You used Magic Analysis!
These are Plants, and have little natural magic properties. Without other Analysis Skills, you cannot determine the Quality of the items, only their Alchemical traits.
---Green Argep---
Plant, Berry. Crunchy Exterior. Low Sweetness. Acidic Juice. Negligible Toxicity. Soft, Weak, Pulpy.
---Argep Leaves---
Plant, Leaf. Limited Caloric Value. High Vitamin Content. Negligible Toxicity. Fibrous. Low Tensile Strength. Acidic Juice. Reactive with Water.
---Alchemy Complete!---

Well, they weren't magical or overly toxic, so that was a good sign. Edible, then, especially the Agrep leaves even if they weren't highly nutritious. They'd need something else then or these wouldn't do very good. What interested her more though, was the 'Reactive with Water' part. Perhaps she could do something with it with the right amount of time and materials. Grabbing two of the leaves with Lesser force, she quickly stuffed them into the rawhide backpack for now before grabbing one of the berries and eating it.

Once done, she turned to the others. Mourningstar seemed to be going after a beetle of some sort that was nearly twice her size. Well, let those fight then. She had other things to do. Heading a bit further into the forest, Ash began looking for anything of value. She needed a good, thick branch of some sort. The kind that only grew on the upper areas of trees, as well as a good log of some sort. She needed a good wooden bowl and a pestle she could crush or grind things with.

Of course, that was the primary objective. The secondary was to find anything that might have Alchemical value. Healing. Poison. Maybe something else entirely. Keeping her eyes peeled, and activating her muffle skill and both of her Analysis skills active and checking anything she hadn't seen before, hopefully she could find something before heading too far in. No telling what was in these woods, though she wasn't too concerned. She could handle herself if she was smart.

As Asura led Momma Slime towards the entrance of the cave, they soon came close enough to see Ardur standing just outside with his hand outstretched. So it looked like the disturbingly muscular pixie was testing out his own magic. However, they could also see three skeleton goblins--now armed with weapons--heading their way, and they looked none too happy.

Before Asura had made a decision on what to do, however, another fireball appeared--this time, more like the kind one saw back in his old world on a daily basis in the Middle East. He couldn't see clearly due to the flames and smoke, but it looked like some of those other monsters had been caught in some kind of blast...

And now, from behind Ardur instead of in front, several Goblins were approaching. That female former-human was armed with a vicious looking bladed club alongside her shield, and appeared to be giving it a few test swings...

---

As Ash wandered deeper into the forest, she would find that the light rain from the night before seemed to have pacified the forest somewhat. Most creatures would no doubt take shelter to avoid getting wet, and in this early morning hour as the sun was just beginning to shine few things had stirred--at least, above ground. It seemed that several critters beneath the earth, like worms and grubs and tiny insects, were scurrying about to find a dry place or push wet dirt out of their holes. And of course there was that nasty beetle she had left Torrent and the others to contend with.

She soon came upon a couple of bushes, their leaves glimmering with the sheen of misty droplets. The bright green leaves of one bush concealed lumpy roots much like those Torrent and Oberon had been digging for when that beetle attacked, and the other plant's branches hung low with round, swollen bunches of blue colored berries.

You used Alchemy II! You used Magic Analysis I!
---Blackworm---
This target has not been harvested, dissected, or otherwise broken down into useful components. Without more Analysis Skills, at its current rank the Alchemy Skill is unable to analyze the traits of this target or its reactivity. This Creature has no Magical Properties whatsoever, not even MP.
---Lampworm---
This target has not been harvested, dissected, or otherwise broken down into useful components. Without more Analysis Skills, at its current rank the Alchemy Skill is unable to analyze the traits of this target or its reactivity. This Monstrous Creature has few Magical Properties, and barely any MP.
---Common Spider Species---
This target has not been harvested, dissected, or otherwise broken down into useful components. Without more Analysis Skills, at its current rank the Alchemy Skill is unable to analyze the traits of this target or its reactivity. This Creature has no Magical Properties whatsoever, not even MP.
---Wild Topapo---
Plant, Root. Firm exterior. Low taste value. High in carbohydrates. Slight toxicity in the skin and leaves. Soft, slightly crunchy interior. Relatively non-reactive. Very low magical properties.
---Blue Argep---
Plant, Berry. Firm exterior. High sweetness. Very High Vitamin Content. Slightly acidic juice. Negligible toxicity in seed pits. Soft, weak, pulpy, juicy. Slightly reactive. No magical properties.
---Alchemy and Analysis Complete!---

Then, from behind her, something roared and a hot wind rustled the trees...

You used Monster Analysis I! You used Magic Analysis III! Effectiveness boosted!
---Mourningstar---
This is a new monster to you! Corpselight - This monster came to be by feeding on the ambient regrets, negative energy, and stagnant mana in environments suffused by the essence of death. It often hovers above such places, sucking out what little of the souls remain from corpses littering the ground. It prefers dark places and moonless nights, so that its glow can lure more unwary victims. You know this one as Mourningstar, a fellow Reincarnator. There's something you just can't place about her, but oh well. You know she has the Spell skills Mana Orb II, Lesser Force III, Levitation, Magic Analysis II, Mana Shape I, and Mana Slice I. It seems she has gained a rank in some kind of concentration skill, and she is developing several other magical abilities. Some of them feel...predatory.
---Flak Beetle---
An aggressive insectoid monster known for the glowing sac hidden under its shell. The shell hides a gland in the bug's thorax that, similar to a firefly, contains a substance that produces light. Unlike the firefly, the Flak Beetle can use this substance as a weapon, firing it with explosive force equivalent to a Fireball spell--from either end of its body. It also has strong jaws, capable of cutting through leather given enough time. Despite its tendency to viciously attack almost anything, it only eats plants. Its MP is much lower than your own. It has no magically oriented skills, though it is developing a few elemental resistances.
---Analysis Complete!---

As Mourningstar tackled the beetle, she displaced its charge at Torrent and allowed the Lesserwurm to move away. When she opened her mouth, her orb-like body almost split completely in half! Unlike the weak jaws of the Wisp, for some reason the Corpselight had a full set of teeth--most of which seemed to be canine in nature, instead of a mix of types like a normal human mouth. Indeed, her jaw seemed more like a trap made from sharpened bone shards than a true mouth.

But despite her slight stat increase, it seemed like her bite strength still left something to be desired. Though she bit down hard on the beetle's carapace, her fangs barely left a scratch on its hard carapace. It felt like biting down on hard, smooth plastic. Still, her teeth were sharp enough that even this smooth surface could be gripped, and with her newly enlarged size she was able to push the beetle somewhat--until it got its six spiny legs underneath it. It gave a single buck and hurled the Corpselight off with ease--insects were always proportionally super strong, and it seemed even as a monster that case would hold true.

But now that it had been pushed away from Torrent and thrown Mourningstar off, it was wide open. Oberon's Mana Dart flew slightly over its head and struck its back at an angle. This time the hard shell cracked, and the creature gave a hissing squeal of pain--but there was no blood, despite a view of an odd blue glow from within a small break in the chitin. Oberon had done enough damage to break through its defense, but even with Mana Dart hadn't penetrated all the way to the flesh!

The beetle's four mandibles opened wide again, and the interlocking plates around the mouth parted to reveal a drooling maw--from within which, the blue light began to glow even brighter. At the same time the insect's back shell parted--shedding another broken piece--to reveal a pair of translucent wings that flared out and glimmered slightly in the sun. This also revealed the creature's thorax. The exposed part looked somewhat like a wasp's stinger, with an opening instead of a barbed tip, but the upper half was covered with a pulsating sack inside which something akin to the fluid in a lava lamp began to boil angrily.

After it had braced itself for recoil, the beetle--

Was hit by Torrent's Fireball.

Attempting to contain the spell within her mouth worked--the fireball was much more contained and focused, easier to cast with accuracy. However, there was one problem. The inside of her mouth now felt like she had taken a big gulp of coffee straight from the pot. Nonetheless, Torrent's Fireball spell went off without a hitch, striking her target's exposed rear end. The flames spread with a whoosh, and the beetle--

Exploded.

The flames struck its side and washed over it, hitting the thoracic opening and the glowing sac. According to Oberon's earlier analysis, it could fire the chemical in its body as a weapon. This was somewhat similar to a bombardier beetle, back on Earth. But the bombardier beetle and the Flak Beetle used these natural weapons in a very particular way--that is to say, not all at once. They only had a limited amount of the chemicals needed for this defense mechanism, and using it presented a danger of burning themselves as well. In the bombardier beetle's case, it used its weapon like a machine gun, in short bursts with cooldown in-between. And though Oberon's analysis hadn't mentioned it, the Flak Beetle used its own body somewhat like a rocket launcher--whichever end it wasn't firing from would release a sort of back-blast, venting the excess force and heat. So Torrent's Fireball had inadvertently set off the entire ammo depot at once, as a manner of speaking.

Oberon was the furthest away from the battle. Mourningstar was slightly closer, but had also had the sprite's Shield spell cast on her. Torrent, however, had planned to attack at close range after her spell.

The blast went off with a sound so loud, Torrent never heard it as the wave slammed into her like a double helping of Rattleskulls. The flames came an instant after that, searing her scales so fast she barely had time to register it before the nerve endings in her outer skin were completely fried. The senses of hearing, sight, and smell were obliterated, feeling consisted of only agony, and taste was sulfur and blood and hot. Oberon was bowled over by the shockwave, and though the flames went up and out before they reached him the sheer heat scalded his sensitive skin. Mourningstar was knocked away like a pinball, her Shield shattering the first time she bounced against the ground. She could feel the uncomfortable heat as she struggled to regain control of her levitation, but it seemed she hadn't taken quite as much damage as Oberon--and certainly not as much as Torrent.

WARNING: YOUR HP IS LOW!

WARNING: YOUR HP IS LOW!
YOU ARE BURNING SEVERELY!
YOU HAVE ONE HEALTH POINT REMAINING!
YOU ARE DYING--

Obtained Item: Baked Topapo x2

The flames were catching on the grass and the side of the nearby trees--anyone trying to get close enough to touch Torrent would have to either be brave enough or tough enough to get through them. The Lesserwurm had literal seconds as her ears and nose streamed blood and her body burned--

---

As Orchid ignored Crispy and Wej's questions and Clod's mixed looks of both irritation and disappointment, she headed for the place where the sound of that Fireball going off had come. Crispy shouted at his two minions, who quickly hopped to, and Wej precariously followed Orchid while hiding behind his shield. Clod hung back, instead taking the two blades of rock he had created and beginning to work on his remaining Wooden Club the way he had seen Orchid do, first smoothing off its bark and ridges and then hardening it in the fire. Sqwal was still up in the tree, sawing away at a large branch--until he saw something else, and immediately began pointing and shouting.

But Orchid didn't need his signals, as she was close enough to see it happen. The other monsters were struggling with something as they tried to gather food--something to take note of in the background, but not what she was after. She wanted to know what that buff pixie had done to cause that explosion--

Then another explosion went off in the background, making her ears ring...

---

As Jason literally sprung into action, he managed to grab Dire Rat A tightly around the neck. As Mother Rat bristled next to Asteria, her hair going up much like a cat's and her hackles snarling like a dog's, Jason ordered the assimilated monster to stand down. He then started to explain why Asteria and Mother Rat were not to be considered acceptable targets--

And while he was doing that Mother Rat leaped on the Dire Rat, who had been ordered to stop fighting. With no resistance, she bit deep into its side and began to savagely twist and shake before Jason could stop her, opening the other rat's belly to the air.

COMMAND INVALID. DUNGEON CANNOT REGISTER A MID-BOSS AT CURRENT LEVEL.

DIRE_RAT_A WAS KILLED BY ADULT_DIRE_RAT_123! REGISTER ADULT_DIRE_RAT_123 AS AN INTRUDER?

Emptying out the last of Ed's sack of Mana Crystals--which by this point had pretty much degraded and could no longer be used--Jason urged his followers to high-tail it to the cavern. Maybe he hadn't even noticed his subordinate's death. It was hard to pay attention to things like that when one was so busy.

Even though his Limited Shapeshift improved his ability to travel, granting him more control which in turn gave his rolling more speed, the fiasco with Dire Rat A took some time. Add that to the travel time towards the cave's entrance, and Jason might just miss whatever was going on...

Yes, he might not get there in time to stop the Skeleblins from attacking the intruder. The intruder that was shooting Fireballs into his dungeon. His dungeon, that the Skeleblins protected. What was this idiot thinking--because there were only a handful of creatures Jason knew could create a Fireball, and to him they were all probably idiots. They almost deserved to get attacked by the Skeleblins. After all, he was working so hard on this dungeon, trying to fix it, trying to make it better, and what did he get for his efforts? How dare they do this to him? How dare they BETRAY him? This...this...intruder! Intruder! Intruder!

Meanwhile, as Danny repeated the process of trying to Mana Shape a Mana Orb, then used Lesser Force to try and hold the shape together, he did feel a shift in the Mana. Not a large one, but noticeable. The shaped Mana, under pressure from Lesser Force, began to distort somewhat. The flat faces of that triangular prism began to bend and flex as he tightened his grip on them--the end shape was somewhat like a broad-headed arrow. But it still felt...hollow. And too big. Even though it held its shape until it hit the target, the tip immediately seemed to "bend" and the Mana now exploded in the same fashion as a normal Mana Orb. It was almost like the shape was a paper plane--it didn't have enough weight or density, or even speed, to "pierce" an object.

You have no MP remaining.

And then just as he decided to go look for Ed, he ran out of MP. Slowly floating down to the ground as his levitation died off--at least he hadn't plummeted this time, maybe it spoke to the increased control he had been practicing--he now found himself immobile for the moment. Unless he wanted to mimic Jason and try rolling around, anyway.

---

Ed stealthily pounced on his unwary target, taking the Fanged Lizard's rear flank completely by surprise. Before the creature even finished jolting upward, he sank his fangs into the base of its neck. As the Rat began to savagely tear at his opponent, the Lizard couldn't turn its head enough to use its own fangs or spit its poison. All it could do was buck back and forth, which didn't stop Ed for a second. Finally the lizard desperately flopped over off the rock it had been laying on, sending itself and Ed tumbling down the slope. By the time they hit the bottom, however, it was dead--Ed could feel the bones of its spinal column under his teeth, and its head was hanging by ragged flaps of flesh.

And Rabid Fit hadn't even triggered.

---

Digbie saw the other goblins and got distracted from the task at hand, becoming viciously aware of the surroundings when he heard the explosion of the Flak Beetle behind him. Holy crap, everything was exploding and dying!

Digbie quickly ran to the aid of the situation, trying to utilize {Soil Manipulation around} the area to extinguish the flames by overturning and covering dirt. Specifically, he saw that Torrent was really busy dying, so he was constructing a safer path for Oberon to move across. Oberon could heal, and that was litERALLY THE ONE THING HE NEEDED TO DO RIGHT NOW OH MY GOD TORRENT IS DYING! "OBERON HEAL TORRENT NOW OR SHE'S GONNA KICK THE BUCKET!"

In his heightened state of awareness, brought forth by the anxiety due to the stress of the situation, Digbie began to follow in the footsteps of Jason as he began to chant... well... no that wasn't the right word. He began to repeatedly speak out the same sentence over and over as quick as he could. "RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURMRECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURMRECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM!"

---

As Asura looked over the situation he started to grow annoyed. Skeletons that were armed showed up. They hadn't come from any of the goblins yesterday. So someone had armed them or they had armed themselves from whatever was laying around in the cave. The undead, aside from higher tiered ones, had virtually no brain power considering some other power raised them. Even Ghouls and Wights tended to be on the stupid side despite rising on their own in video games.

Ardur's positioning made him think that he had been practicing something, and instead of fucking over a forest he was firing into a cave that had little vegetation to catch...whatever it was he was practicing. Fire? Pure mana force? He might ask later. More goblins were approaching and didn't seem friendly at all given that the female one was test swinging a bladed club. He had no desire to try and name that ancient weapon due to it being to fucking long and complicated.

Another explosion rocked the area with surprising strength. None of the monsters he knew currently were capable of that amount of force. It was more like the dynamite he had used during demolitions or debris clearing. What the hell was that group up to? Whatever he'd deal with it later.

"You might wanna take flight, kid." Asura said as he pointed at the goblins. The other end he tried to apply Smash to the rock he had been lifting to make it fly further and stronger. "Assist the pixie there, Ardur, if the goblins get nasty." He said to Mother Slime. "Don't eat him and don't attack unless they do first." He continued as he slithered rapidly along the ground. Trying to push himself to go Faster.

Within five feet of the skele-blins he lashed out. Stretching his 'limbs' as far as he could to sweep as hard as he could across the three skeletons. While that went on another pseudopod went straight, acting like a ball on a gooey rope to nail the middle skeleton with a blunt strike.

---

For one glorious moment Torrent was enjoying the fight. A new for had appeared and was legitimately giving them a quick little issue and in just a minute it was going to be -

Pain. Pain. PaIn. Agony. She screamed but she's couldn't.

WARNING: YOUR HP IS LOW!
YOU ARE BURNING SEVERELY!
YOU HAVE ONE HEALTH POINT REMAINING!
YOU ARE DYING--

Obtained Item: Baked Topapo x2

Nononononononsgkklp9gswy9jvsy

Fire burning melting loss can't thought it's wrong all busy terror

Scared

Dying

Can't
Need more stop no plea

Broke missing lost mommy where kill you not fair not wright mesh fear

WARNING: YOUR HP IS LOW!
YOU ARE BURNING SEVERELY!
YOU HAVE ONE HEALTH POINT REMAINING!
YOU ARE DYING--

YOU ARE DYING--

DYING--

Suffering no not don't stop please

---

---

---

---

Darkness. Blissful darkness as her mind fled the horrors of her body. She was going to die. She couldn't believe it. Even as she had thrashed in torment, her mind fleetingly grasping at understanding, it had seemed almost unreal. But she knew this darkness and what it brought far too well.

She was going to die. A final end, perhaps. The bastard Demon King hadn't even felt fit to answer her demands... She didn't expect him - it - to save her.

She didn't want to be saved. She wanted to survive through her own means. All that anger had to be worth something! DAMNIT WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE?

Her body fell still.

While the timing of Danny running out of mana kinda sucked, at least it didn't happen during battle or while over the water seeing as he had no idea if his Wisp body would float though it did seem unlikely. Rather than try to drag his body over the ground he simply used Meditate until his MP was recovered, he did decide to try and come up with some skill for movement while out of Mana later. As soon as he felt recovered enough he set off to look for Ed, flying as fast as he could while keeping an eye out for the Dire Rat.

Eventually he spotted a Dire Rat seemingly fighting a lizard on a rock and hoped it was the one he was looking for. "Ed, that you? Jason wants us to go the entrance and examine that explosion."