If Asura could grin, or smile, or perform any facial feature without Stamina usage he would have. The System informed him what Slime Shell was, maybe he could abuse this with skills he didn't know how to truly work with. Or to figure out ones that were mentioned. System Analyze Unknown Skill: Better. He thought, testing the latter immediately. While he waited he looked over the Skills he finished off. Sure he could have trained Stronger further, but it didn't hurt to top it off with a couple points. He still had excess for something if he needed.

As it darkened he heard the methodical sound of wood chopping. Well this was a fantasy world, he wouldn't have been surprised if there was a hermit somewhere. Or if they had accidentally neared some sort of outpost hidden in the forest. It didn't matter, the burrow was hidden to a degree and it was doubtful someone of intelligence would decide to investigate a hole in the ground.

So Asura finally slept, healing damage, regenerating Mana and regaining Stamina from the day. He wouldn't have been in this situation if he hadn't lost his shit on Jason. Holding so many Skills active was a bad idea this early in the game, he'd need to be more conservative in the future. As light came into the burrow, so to did an animal face. The thing snuffling and digging woke him up and immediately agitated him. Growling he hauled back, anchoring himself with three pseudopods, before launching himself forward as hard as he could. Smash! He hollered as he launched himself at the face of whatever it was. He was hungry and thirsty, and this was a very convenient meal.

Assuming he struck he'd Cling as best he could to the face he just plowed into, blocking its nose and mouth with his body. Hell he even stuffed some of himself into its nose to further anchor himself. If it pulled him off he'd try to take its sinuses with him!

Ardur The Mighty Hipixie

Time for a break > Day break /// Adventuring day 5 // Evening / Location - Edge of the forest > Small burrow

Ardur felt relief as his MP was slowly restored and his mana burn lifted. Listening to the system notifications pop up and the low dull rumble of moving dirt by the others who were still digging. He was very tired now but there was still one last thing he wanted to check with the system. “System.” He spoke to himself quietly, “Open Heads Up Display for mana, health, and stamina.” Regardless of if this worked or not he continued. “System, put a Verbal warning on health, mana, and Stamina when they reach 50% and 25% respectively.” He did try one more thing before trying to sleep, Ardur attempted to try and see what he could in the dark hole he found himself in. night vision could be a very useful skill if starring out into complete darkness was how one would get it.

Slowly the Hipixie drifted off to a much welcome sleep, his dreams were once again strange but disjointed. Seeing black and white images like a slide show that made no sense, and muffled sounds to correspond with the sometimes blurry and random images. He could somehow make out some of the images most of who he was and the weirdness that is Portland, with the image of the man dressed up like Darth Vader and playing a flaming bagpipe on a unicycle.

The random images slowly turned to pictures of his home and then of watching someone else. Sarah, the images however would only get glimpses of the girl and never settle on her face. Slowly he could hear something, something in the distance like the wind howling. The high-pitched echo was soon confused with that of almost a far off scream until he could almost make out the noise. As he tried his best to listen for the voice, “TRAVIS!” the sudden scream jolted him awake and he had to take a moment to get his bearings and calm himself down.

The small burrow was still damp and the subtle light of daybreak turned green as it illuminated the large slime in the entrance. Something still made him feel uneasy and on alert. A creature was digging near the entrance and he could see a red ooze moving towards the sounds of digging. Using fireball in this confined area would be a bad idea and he would have to get through the big slime to assist physically with combat so he decided to do what he could.

“I pray to the protector, may his light protect us and help our attacks find their target.” He spoke using Inspire I and offered a small portion of his MP, about 5%, to Guidance I. hopefully Asura would be able to use this to a good degree and same with the others. Ardur was sure this bit of combat would surely wake them up and provide with some needed nutrients and quite possibly crafting materiel’s.

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu

---

@Zeroth@Duthguy

"BOOOOONIEEEEE!!!" Jason roared as he slammed a misshapen gaseous fist into the ground.

DAMMIT! Why did everything keep going to shit??? First being too trusting and leniant fucked him over, and now being too cautious, and not leniant enough fucked him over.

Why the fuck did everything have to be so fucking complicated?

Jason sighed with exasperation, some things just couldn't be helped, right now he couldn't afford to chase Bonie nor mull over his current grievances. Right now, he needed to get as much mana as possible, and the wind brought upon it a sign... Albeit very faint, the cheering voices of goblins in the east brought promise of a very potent supply of mana.

Though tempting to secure sustenance, making sure Danny was safe for the night before he departed was Jason's number one concern. As he waited for his friend to find a suitable place to spend the night, the Ecto slime closed his eyes and activated [Meditation], focusing his mind on the mana within him, and around him... The circulation of the energy, how it transferred from the world to Jason, and perhaps even back again. Every so often taking a break from his meditation, Jason made certain he stayed near Danny, ensuring he would be near enough to save his friend should any nocturnal predators attack.

---

Digbie gasped for air as soon as he could, sitting up from the dirt looking back at the giant slime. Digbie saw the attacks from Oberon and Ash connect, though it just seemed to be a race against who could outdamage and outtank the big blob. Quickly the goblin rushed to his feet, keeping his hands on the ground as he thought about something. The more contact he made with the ground, the more mana he could regenerate with {Earth Vein}. As a result, it seemed pretty wise for Digbie to just stay on all fours for this fight, at least until {Earth Vein} leveled up (if it did during the fight).

He rushed back to the party, raising his voice to the rest of the cast as he called out what he learned. "Material Analyzed! If we act quick enough after it's defeated, we can actually harvest it and eat it!" He called to the party before looking at Torrent with the wicked glint in her eyes. She was terrifying, to say the least, and seeing what she's done so far didn't help with what Digbie was thinking she was about to do. The goblin stayed on his feet and one hand as he raised a hand towards her.

"Shield II! Protect the mischievous rogue from the harm she's up against!" Digbie called out as he cast {Shield II} unto the lesserwurm, hoping that it'd keep her safe from any damage the slime could do to her... or any done to herself. To hopefully add some kind of secondary effect, Digbie tried to imagine an aura of flame surrounding Torrent, not enough to hurt her, but just enough to help give her a little boost to her powers. It's unlikely it'd actually do anything, but who knows? Maybe it'd work out!

After the {Shield II} was placed onto Torrent, Digbie'd fall back to the ground in between all the party members and crank out a {Sacred Ground}, targeting Torrent, Oberon, and Ash for the healing effects. He'd fallen back to supporting the party, but he'd happily give it his all if it meant they survived this slime and beat it.

---

The near miss was so close that the wind from its passing nearly spun Oberon in place, but the Sprite managed to recover and buzz up higher, out of reach of the growling slime. The monster seemed to be collecting itself for an attempt at jumping, but before it could do so it recoiled in shock. Oberon's hand had erupted in flame, and he hurled the Fireball. The slime squealed as the magical attack struck it, short-lived flame spreading across its membrane and leaving a charred spot in its wake. The slime began to move away from the Sprite, rolling to hide its wound from the other enemies...

As Ash activated her Mana Vision, her eyes would visibly glow within their pupils. As she watched Oberon's Fireball arc through the sky, where it left its hand--the "center" of the flame--she could see a single square like those she had observed before. Two oscillating lines were connected to it, one on each side, and at their ends were other squares...It became more difficult to make out details, as the flame hurtled towards the slime. But there were a few other structures within the flame, shifting and moving and changing. The single structure she had already observed had only one other feature that stood out. The square in the center was a deep, metallic gold color--so deep in fact that maybe calling it gold was inaccurate. Was it a dark brown instead? Maybe even a black? Then why did it seem to glow like that? The two squares connected to it by those oscillating lines, however, were red and vibrant like the flame itself...

Just as the slime began to roll away from Oberon, the Sprite saw the lightshow as Ash cast Shield I on him. He had already dodged the first attack, but maybe now he could risk getting closer for a followup--

Torrent suddenly attacked from her hiding spot, completely blindsiding the Giant Slime. This attempt at a Stealth Kill caught it completely off guard, and her combined Poison Breath II and Fire Breath I unleashed a powerful blast. Thanks to her new Dual Cast skill, she suddenly found it much easier to maintain and control this attack--whereas before it didn't last more than an instant and rapidly expanded, now she could keep it concentrated just like the Fire Breath. The flames turned dark, almost purple, and actually pierced through the Giant Slime's membrane! Its insides rapidly began to bubble and steam, and the creature's squeal of pain rose to an agonized, screaming wail like that of a crying infant--and they only rose higher as Torrent immediately dove into the blast hole she had created, slashing and tearing with her claws and fangs. The slime's insides were beginning to darken as well--she had Poisoned it! With this, however, came a self-defeating side effect--the Slime suddenly reared up, then, for lack of a better word...vomited.

Torrent was thrown to the ground, covered in a sizzling concoction of her own poison and concentrated stomach acid. Her body burned all over, though not quite as badly as that time she had literally charred her entire skin--but Fire Resistance wasn't doing much to mitigate this, and she could feel her scales beginning to crack as the acid ate away at them--!

The System informed Digbie that his MP was already full as he tried to keep using Earth Vein--but it did seem that he had gained something called "Temporary Mana Overfill," and he felt full to bursting with energy--some of which he put into a Spell Chant to cast an enhanced Shield II on Torrent. She was already taking some damage, but as the Shield increased her body's natural defenses, the acid seemed to burn less and the wounds weren't progressing as quickly. Then Digbie activated his Sacred Ground ability, trying to catch the entire party in its radius. Oberon, being in the air, wasn't affected. Ash and Torrent felt the shift in the ground underneath their feet as healing Mana began to flow through them.

But the Giant Slime was desperate to survive, and didn't seem ready to give up on its prey just yet. The monster rose up above Torrent, then brought two psuedopods slamming down--!

---

ERROR. You have not yet met the conditions to develop the skill Better.

INVALID COMMAND.

INVALID COMMAND.

As the group was quite rudely awakened, Asura was the first to act. Per his norm, the immediate reflex was to attack with all his might. Now that he had recovered his Stamina, the only limit on his Smash was the relatively small space he had in which to build momentum. Nonetheless his blow sent the creature reeling--dragging him with it as he Clung to its snout!

The creature pulled Asura out and up, shaking him back and forth. Now that he was in the light and out of the burrow, he could see what it was--a large deer of some sort? It had a deer's shape, but its fur was a grayish blue the color of twilight mist. Its hindquarters were speckled with darker spots of green and a dash of black. Its horns had an elegant curve, almost like looking at a recurve bow drawn to full tension across its skull, but they had only four points--two near the "middle" on either side of the skull, and the other two at each tip.

Ardur chanted behind Asura as the buff fairy cautiously approached. Momma Slime seemed to be having trouble getting back out of the burrow, as she had "uncompressed" in her sleep--and Steve was stuck behind her, chittering anxiously with waving legs.

With a muffled snort as Asura tried to suffocate it, the animal turned towards a nearby tree and charged, lowering its head. The red slime was slammed into the sturdy trunk with an impact that echoed like a drum beat. Even through his Blunt Resistance and Physical Damage Resistance, he felt that like he would have felt a blow as a human. Specifically, one of those blows in a boxing match that hits you right center of the face, drilling an impact that feels like it went all the way through your skull and rattled your brainpan. Such was the force that it dislodged him from the creature, and as the two separated the deer backed up, shaking its head. It reared up in a threatening display, kicking its hooves out as it made some kind of bleating sound...

---

Aside from a few scrapes due to the general roughhousing during the encounter, Asteria found herself little the worse for wear. No blood had been drawn, and the bug's stinger hadn't made contact with her. When the lights drew her attention, she tried to use her analysis and sensory skills to figure out what exactly was happening. However, the System would only inform her that, at this distance, she couldn't make out enough about the magic for the skill to draw any conclusions. Whatever it was had stopped, and in the process it had either put out or severely dampened the flames those Goblins had started. If some creature had done that intentionally, perhaps its goal was only to put out the fire before it could be whipped across the grasslands by the next strong wind. It didn't seem like any more flashes of light were forthcoming.

The humans from the village had quieted down, but they were still milling around in groups. They might be discussing what had just happened, but regardless they hadn't noticed the rats yet and likely wouldn't, given the distance and the rapidly falling night. Asteria relaxed for the moment and distributed her skill points.

Skill Gain: Telepathy I!
Channeling Mana through thoughts creates Psychic-type abilities. At Rank I, this skill can only be used when you are in physical contact with another creature. This skill can only send simple thoughts or emotions. This skill is currently only one-way transmission. This skill is an Active Non-Offensive Spell and consumes MP.

Skill Gain: Plant Analysis I!
Basic field knowledge of botany. At this Rank, using this skill only grants you "generalized" information.

After testing her new communication skill on Ed, Asteria moved over to Mother Rat in the hopes that Telepathy would finally allow her a full-proof method of getting information across to the non-human-souled Monster. Rather than any fully formed sentences or concrete thoughts, Asteria sent her mother simple, pure emotion. Affection, Calmness, Soothing, and Concern for the other beast's wellbeing. Mother Rat gave a start, hopping as her fur bristled and she turned towards Asteria. With a curious squeak, Mother Rat stood on her haunches and began running her tiny forepaws over Asteria's face and snout. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she then ran in circles around Asteria while occasionally sniffing her. When she again found that nothing had physically changed, she squeaked again and calmed down. Mother Rat paused long enough to scratch one ear with her hind leg, then waddled over to Ed and began a similar inspection. Meanwhile, Asteria now moved to examine the dead Bloodingfly.

Though it took very careful handling to avoid pricking herself on the barbed stinger and the probiscus, Asteria was able to use her claws and teeth to pry away pieces of the insect bit by bit. When it got difficult or she didn't want to risk directly handling the body, she searched around for a bit until she found a small flat rock. With her teeth she was able to knap out a rough blade, and using this to hack off the more dangerous bits of the dead monster was much safer. Before she started another dissection on the ant, she analyzed it for more information.

Skill Rank Up: Dextrous I (1.9) > Dextrous II (2.0)
Despite the limitations of your species, you have continued to develop skill and coordination in your digits! You can now manipulate small things, relative to your size, just as well as a human hand or comparable limb with opposable thumbs. Slightly larger objects can be manipulated the way small objects could at the previous rank, but only if you have high enough physical stats to do so. Learning Equipment skills with certain weapons or tools is now less difficult despite your species' limitations!

You used Monster Analysis II!
---Dead Myrminor Scout--
Myrminors are a low-tier species of insectoid monsters, though despite this they produce several different subtypes to fulfill various roles in the species. Digging enormous underground tunnel networks, some larger than a city sewer system, Myrminors behave much like mundane ants and have only grown to such a size and threat due to absorbing large amounts of ambient Mana. The Scout Myrminor is the weakest of the subtypes, and its only purpose is to gather food, explore territory, and sacrifice itself in waves against enemies. A Scout leaves a trail as it travels that other Myrminors can follow to find resources. It has strong magical senses that lead it to Mana-rich resources.

This Myrminor Scout is dead, apparently struck by multiple blunt force blows and torn apart once a crack in the exoskeleton formed. It has been this way for less than an hour, so its trail is still fresh.

Asteria quickly shoved the various monster parts and plants into the burrow, further reducing what little room they had for Ed. The Rat Man, during this time, had to think for a few moments about his new Skills. He had saved up quite the number of points...and as the System notifications rang out one by one in his mind, he also heard the rumble of his stomach. He began to tear off pieces of the two bugs to eat, finding the flavor somewhat like shrimp or crawfish but with a slightly more acidic flavor and almost greasy texture. As he had to use his claws and teeth without any tools, figuring out how to get at the succulent bug meat inside the shells was a matter of trial and error--though, perhaps it might be useful to remember what weak points he could figure out and think about the bug's body structure...

Skill Gain: Faster I (1.0)!
Your base physical speed is increased! By gaining the skills Harder, Better, and Stronger, Skill Synergy will occur and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.

Skill Gain: Harder I (1.0)!
Clenched muscles or hardened flesh can be an effective shield--your base defensive stats increase! By gaining at least one rank in Faster, Stronger, and Better, Skill Synergy will occurr to increase the rank of Physical Conditioning.

Skill Gain: Dynamic Eye I (1.0)!
A Special Vision skill, Dynamic Eye expends Stamina to allow the user to sharpen their kinetic vision. For a single instant, time seems to slow, granting better reactions against incoming attacks--especially projectiles traveling over a distance--or allowing the user to better respond to other things. At this Rank however, no other Skill can be used in conjunction with Dynamic Eye if it is not a pre-established passive skill, such as using a buff beforehand. It uses much more Stamina than one might expect.

Skill Gain: Smash I (1.0)!
A Physical Skill that consumes Stamina instead of MP. One blunt type attack deals increased damage!

Skill Gain: Dextrous I (1.0)!
Your practice with fine manipulation and using your forepaws, as well as the natural physical strength of a Dire Rat, has earned an unusual skill for your species! Your paws can now be used to manipulate small objects and tools, though you still aren’t strong enough yet to “wield” weapons or pick up very large things.

Skill Gain: Monster Analysis I (1.0)!
Gain basic biological information about a monster by actively observing it.

It seemed the villagers were soon heading back to their homes as the stars began to appear in the sky. A few vague figures were still moving around, perhaps watchmen. Maybe the magic from earlier had put them on alert. Would the rats decide to attempt finding somewhere among the huts and sheds to hide, or would they stay with their burrow? It still didn't quite have enough room for all of them, but maybe if Ed was just mostly hidden something wouldn't come along and bite off the exposed parts of him...

---

Danny searched among the dark forest for a place to hide...and luckily for the Poltergeist, it turned out that not too far away was a great hardwood that, at some point, must have been split by lightning or something. This split had dry-rotted, and been worn away by time and the weather, creating a hollow opening into the wide trunk. It was just big enough for the toddler-sized Monster to climb into...except, if he attempted to do just that, a sudden black shape lurched at him!

The Slime lunged, spreading its mass wide to try and catch its prey--!

Despite wanting to protect Danny, Jason had been so weakened and disoriented by Bonie's treachery that it took him some time to even work up the energy to shout in fury. By this time Danny was gone--though it wouldn't be hard to follow his trail, since Jason could see souls. However, this ability was currently dimmed. Jason didn't have "eyes" to close, but he was focused on his Meditation. While zoned in on the task at hand, recovering his mana, he didn't have any idea where Danny had gone. As the Poltergeist traveled a short distance, found the tree, and then also found the slime, Jason spent the whole time trying to recover his power...It would be at least half an hour, however, before his MP was completely full. Not only did his state between life and death continually drain his energy, but on top of this his Meditation's effectiveness was reduced by his Mana Burn. It had taken quite a lot of Mana absorption to finally get rid of the Mana Disorder, and it would likely take a similar recovery process to get rid of the Burn...Still, by minimizing his movements and actions like this, almost as if he were sleeping, it seemed he could mitigate a great deal of the natural MP drain...

---

Torrent burst into the slime, tearing at everything she could as she prepared to explode within the monster, before she was forcibly ejected from the poisoning she'd given the creature.

Because of course it wouldn't be that easy.

The pain came, but it wasn't as bad as when she'd been burned alive. She could push through this!

And then she felt the effects of a shield, the lessening pain, and then the healing of the Sacred Ground spell. She could do this.

"Die to my flames!" she growled as she fired off her combined breath attacks straight up into the incoming appendages of the slime before darting forward to repeat her performance from before she got evicted from within.

---

Digbie felt his hands overflowing with magical energy as he continued up the fight with the rest of the party. He had a smile on his face while the slime that initiated the attack started to deteriorate at a rather quick pace. Torrent was doing a hefty amount of work on the big boy, though she could probably use with a bit more shielding. Before the demiblin did anything, though, he found his arms and legs back on the ground, him splayed out, as he tried to maximize the mana regain from {Earth Vein}, hopefully enough to offset the cost of {Sacred Ground} and keep Digbie's mana filled enough so he could keep casting.

"Here's another one, Torrent! Shield II!" the demiblin called out to his ally, snapping his finger towards Torrent as a vector for casting his spell. His other hand was still connected to the ground, pumping out magic to keep the {Sacred Ground} going so everyone was still feeling alright, hopefully also losing the risk of taking damage they didn't have to take.

Digbie raised his head to the slime, and without even thinking, he called out to the group. "Just a little more! We can take it down! Let's go, team!"

---

The combined assault from himself and Torrent seemed to have caused the Slime a great deal of pain, but the large creature had yet to fall and was evidently still able and willing to fight back judging by the fact that it was lashing out at the Lesser Wurm that it had just expelled from its body. With Digbie focusing on supporting and healing them and with himself, Torrent and Ash focusing on offense they would surely be able to defeat the Slime given enough time to whittle away at its health, but without knowing exactly how much health it had remaining none of them knew how long the fight would last.

Creating another Fireball between his hands, Oberon used Monster Analysis on the Slime again, hoping to get more information about the creature with a second use of the ability. He focused his gaze on its injuries where he had burnt it and where Torrent had torn her way inside it, thinking that perhaps he could see something like a health bar if he focused on assessing its current state.

As he used his analysis skill he used Mana Shape to reshape the Fireball in his hands, forging it into the same shape as his Mana Dart; long, narrow and with a pointed tip. Once it was in the correct shape he began to compress it, exactly like he had when he had first cast his Mana Dart through the rock back in the cave. While his own Fireball had merely scorched the Slime's membrane, Torrent's invasive attack seemed to have caused it much more pain. If he could make a spell that would pierce through this monster and penetrate its body before either expanding or exploding, it would surely be more effective than another Fireball.

When he felt confident that the spell would hold together, assuming it didn't just explode in his hands from the pressure, he launched it towards the Giant Slime from above, seeking to strike at the monster while it was still distracted with Torrent.

@Guy0fV4lor@Zeroth

Not knowing what was going on with Jason and whatever he was dealing with had Danny distracted, but he was able to find a decent hiding spot in a tree regardless. Unfortunately he didn't check to see if the hole was empty and got jumped by a Slime.

Even after spending more than a week in this new world his reflexes were still those of a human and so his first instinct was to grab the object flying at him, even though his strength and reach were considerably less than what they used to be.

Fuck it he'd play with the System later. Right now he focused on sticking to the animals face. Analyze Monster. He thought as he tried to worm deeper into its sinuses just before it hit the tree. Specifically him on the tree because of how its horns were placed. Grunting he lost concentration for a moment and slid off its face. Shaking himself mentally he shifted and looked at the deer-like creature with a scowl.

It bleated, or made some sound deer made, and rose up kicking its legs. He wasn't particularly threatened, all it could do was stomp on him, its horns were useless with him being to low to the ground. "Just observe it for now, if it looks like I'm in shit intervene. Try to actually Analyze it, that's a skill." He called over to Ardur as he slithered forward as fast as he could. He took on the general shape of a snake to make himself even harder to hit, and it should startle the beast since most herbivores tended to avoid snakes or attempt to stomp them to death.

When he was close enough he attempted to Smash one of those delicate looking legs right at a lower joint. If he could take out a leg that would severely limit its mobility and attack capabilities.

---

Interesting.

If she were to compare the composition of the 'Fireball' it was equivalent to a chemical compound back on earth. That is, a base element mixed with another. In this case, the base element of 'Mana' mixed with whatever made fire. That just left the question of how to make 'fire'. From what she could tell the only difference between her earlier assessment was the two cubes on the end, as well as their different coloration.

Hm.

Maybe if she tried adding another 'molecule' directly. As in, adding another cube to it. Would it be possible? How would she even do that...?

A thought for later.

For the most part, it seemed they had it handled. The orange slime was fairly heavily injured, and Torrent, in spectacular and usual fashion, decided to go for the most explosive and suicidal route. Effective, but incredibly...rather well, she really hoped she hadn't injured herself too badly. Well, as long as they had it handled then...why not try to glean some more information? Ash activated Mana vision once again, alongside Magic Analysis on both Digbie's Sacred Ground Spell, as well as Oberon's improvised Fire Dart.

---

Ed quietly let the System notification ping off in his mind, he actually had time to enjoy and savor the taste of his meal. "As gross as this bug thing looks, its really damn delicious. I mean it really tastes like shrimp with a little lemon with it." Ed admitted while picking out more of the strange blue meat to snarf down his throat. "Kinda feels a little greasy though." He observed where joints broke off easy and where the most meat was contained. A random thought intruded in his mind. What would it taste like if he cooked it proper? Would it be like a grilled shrimp? Or maybe like lobster but already marinated with lemon juice? Must be heavenly. Goddamn he loved the taste. Seafood was in fact, Ed's favorite food when he was still human. In turn the seafood tasting like bug loved him and gave him enough points to bump up [Monster Analysis] to it's first rank.

The ratman then noticed a familiar feeling of fur and saw Mother Rat beside him and inspecting him. More amused than confused with her, as well as hiking she was being affectionate, he breaks off a chitinous plate and offers a chunk of blue meat to the elder dire rat. With a faux Russian accent, he speaks to her. "Eat. Grow big and strong, comrade babushka." While he left Mother Rat to eat her dinner, he tore off another plate and placed some meat on it as well. Moving out of the burrow to give some food to Asteria, he looks off to the village and sees that even though that most of the villagers had dispersed, there were still some that wandered about the area. Likely guards and protectors of the village. "Evening. I brought you some food." He lays the plate beside her and takes a seat on the grass while observing the village in the distance.

"If we are going to investigate that village and see if they have something that we can, uhh, 'procure' for ourselves, we ought to do it in the early hours of the morning when most of the village will be asleep and those patrol people..." He points to where the figures moving about in the village. "Would be too tired to notice anything amiss when we are there." He turns his head to face his Dire Rat companion. "So what you say? If its a yes, go on ahead and rest. I'll go take first watch. If not, I'm open to suggestions."

---

@Zeroth@Duthguy

The moment Danny's soul left his field of vision, a feeling of uneasiness came over Jason. What if something lurking in the dark suddenly struck out? Even as an evolved wisp, Jason doubted Danny would have the defensive capabilities to survive an attack from a nighttime predator. Without hesitation, the ectoslime immediately exited meditation and quickly scanned the area for Danny, quickly finding his fears to be justified. A grey soul; about as big as the dire rat's , was right next to the poultergeist!!!

Even though he hadnt known Danny all that long, he was the only person that hadnt betrayed, or abandoned Jason in this strange world. Hell, Danny even could've just joined up with the bastards that tried killing Jason. And yet, Danny didn't. He waited for Jason to return, even without guarentee that would even happen at all.

He wasn't going to let Danny die because of his mistakes and poor planning. Low mana be damned! Jason was gonna protect his only ally even if it KILLED him.... Again. Just like he had done in the cave when he devoured Teef, Jason cut the mana maintaining everything but sight, and absolute essentials. With all of his phantasmal might, he rocketed toward the gray light, a gooey mimicry of a hand outstretched to crush the soul in his grasp. The moment he touched the slime, Jason activated [Transparency], wrapping his grip around the black slime's soul as if he was choking the life out it, he then activated [Mana Drain] with far more violent intent than ever before; aiming to tear the soul from its body.

---

---

Observing the unknown light spell unfortunately hadn’t reveled any new information, but Asteria’s other endeavors were more successful. Mother rat had physically inspected her after her telepathic probe, but otherwise seemed unperturbed. Good. This meant she could gradually acclimate the non-human in their party to telepathy and perhaps spark her cognition into evolving. Surely if she had evolved there were ways for her to induce something similar in mother rat. Now she only had to remember to communicate with mother rat daily, perhaps focus on actively teaching her, even…But for now, there were also the parts she’d collected to consider. She was considering making the bloodingfly’s stinger into a weapon but concocting a medicine out of the unknown plants was still a priority, since those things could wilt. While collecting the monster parts she’d been successful in knapping a flat rock into a blade, and she used that as inspiration for further crafting.

First, she dug around for a rock large enough that she’d have to hold between both paws and was a tad larger than a head. Asteria then used the rough stone blade as a chisel, using another rock to hit against it. It was a slow and grueling process, and she cut her hand against the blade several times. Out of curiosity, she used her own teeth at one point to try and gouge pieces out of the large rock. She considered using the stinger for the job, but didn’t want to damage something so precious. So, she continued her efforts with the rocks and occasionally teeth in an attempt to craft something akin a stone bowl. As long as the final product at least vaguely resembled a mortar, she’d attempt to smooth the insides by patiently grinding a rock at the irregularities left behind the blade and teeth. For the pestle, she’d just dig around until she found a long oval rock that she’d only have to alter a little to make the handle part.

At one point, Ed brought her some food outside. “Oh, thanks, I was a bit busy with these,” she said, accepting the bug meat and gobbling it gleefully. “Early morning sounds good, hopefully more of the people will go sleep by then. Just let me have the first watch, because I want to try combining those flowers into a salve that would be similarly effective to the healing herb. Mind lending me one of those by the way?” as she said this, she peaked into the hole for long enough to use Plant Analysis I on each of the plants she’d picked up on the plains earlier.

Ardur The Mighty Hipixie

Day break > A strange Deer/// Adventuring day 5 // Morning / Location - Small burrow > just outside the burrow

Ardur was quick to follow Asura out after the invader. Hoping that the inspiration would help with this creature he paused for a moment as he looked at it. Some kind of deer had gotten just a little to curious and Asura was going after it with the ferocity of a badger. He could hear mother slime begin to move herself out of the burrow and Steve would soon be quick behind her.

He was about to leap after the deer and Asura when the slime told him to wait until it looked like he was in trouble. The deer began to bleated and snort, a warning call perhaps? Maybe a call for back up? Or perhaps one meant for intimidation? All good questions that required further study. “I’ll Try!” he called out to him as he watched it move, watched the muscles move under its skin, watched how its eyes moved and focused in on his friend as it lowered his head.

He knew that most animals on earth that used their horns for charging and other purposes would lower their heads and align their spine in their neck with the rest of the spine and shoulders allowing them to withstand hitting a solid object or another with horns several times. However, when the spine was in this position any significant, sudden and precise blunt pressure to the spine could quite easily break it and cause paralysis to half or all of the body. An injury that would likely spell doom for any unfortunate victim. He was well aware of how easily a spine can break when enough force is put on it and forces it to move in an unnatural direction.

“The sun is a king and a king must lead,” he whispered to himself in a simple quiet prayer. Looking back to Steve and mother slime, he spoke to them, “Mother Slime, when you get out stay in a position on the hill where you can attack the monster only after I do but stay out of Asura’s way. Go for a body shot and try to knock it over and keep it on the ground. Steve, stay on the alert for other creatures but once I attack it use your web and thread control to hit it in its eyes, mouth, or ears to disorientate it.” They had their orders now he had to do what he wanted to do for some time now. Fly.

Ardur flew up high but not too high. He did not want to fly higher than the treetops in case of aerial predators but still tried to stay in the deer’s blind spot above it just in case Asura needed his help. As with any instance like this getting tunnel vision could get you killed, so although he was focusing on the fight at hand and how the beast moved and reacted. He still kept his eyes up every few seconds to take a quick look around for other dangers. If Asura did end up needing help the high pixie was fully prepared to use point strike, stronger, and his flight ability to attempt to crush the deer’s spine at its neck. Kind of like how he dealt with that lizard in the cave.

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu

Torrent, covered in the shining aura of a boosted Shield II, stood her ground as the Giant Slime tried to crush her. Once again, she used her combined stream of poisonous fumes and flame against the creature, this time attempting to cut off the pseudopods like a blow torch. Meanwhile, Oberon and Ash both continued to use their analysis skills--Oberon targeted their enemy, while Ash was looking at Digbie's Sacred Ground spell. She was able to analyze it just in time, but she couldn't see the "shape" of the Mana through her vision, at least not clearly enough to understand it. The Demiblin had put his hands back on the ground and activated Earth Vein again, but at the same time he inadvertently deactivated his Sacred Ground--he still couldn't maintain another active skill while using Earth Vein at the same time! The temporary Mana overfill had subsided, now that he had cast a couple of spells, but the system almost immediately dinged to tell him that he was full on MP again.

You used Monster Analysis I! You have Analyzed this Monster before with a different skill!
---Giant Slime---
Giant Slimes have simply grown bigger, and their membranes have increased in strength so as to hold more mass without causing their bodies to split. Their digestive fluids also become stronger, but as a result of these advantages they require more food. Giant Slimes have little to no magic to speak of; they have only slightly above the bare minimum of Magical Power for a Monster. They have no elemental affiliation by nature, though Slimes that live in environments rich with ambient mana sometimes take on properties better suited for their habitat.
---Analysis Complete!---

You used Magic Analysis II! You are attempting to use Mana Vision at the same time!
---Sacred Ground---
Rank I. By marking an area, channel Mana create a safe zone. HP will recover slowly for allies, and damage taken will slightly decrease. This Spell consumes MP for as long as it is active. The larger the zone, the more MP required.
STRUCTURE:
!INCOMPLETE ELEMENTAL FUSION COMPREHENSION!
N₃E₇I₃W₁
---Analysis Complete!---

All of this happened at once, and thus when Torrent's attack tore through one of the pseudopods, Oberon and Ash appeared to simply be watching as the other false limb came down hard on top of her before she could cut through it. The first pseudopod, as well, kept going with its built-up momentum and also struck the Lesserwurm, though not so hard. Still, Torrent was driven into the ground and felt every bone in her body shudder as the huge masses of gel pressed against her. Like a boxer that has taken a knockout blow, her ears rang and her vision swam--her limbs felt like lead and she couldn't seem to catch her breath...

She could vaguely hear Digbie calling out as he pointed at her and snapped his fingers. Another Shield appeared around her, though oddly not as strong as that last one that the slime's attack just broke. Maybe it was because Digbie was also trying to use Sacred Ground at the same time, but the Demiblin would feel the flow of mana balking within him. Almost like the involuntary halt of one's body when they run at an obstacle in an attempt to hurdle over it, then realize it is too high. Only when he finally put all of his focus on Sacred Ground could he make it work again.

Oberon had begun to shape his Fireball, attempting to make a modification using his experience with Mana Dart. Ash observed as he did so. The Giant Slime was still reeling in pain, but again it lurched towards Torrent. It rolled over her just like it had Digbie in the beginning of their encounter, causing the severed limb to stick back to its membrane and slamming her deeper into the earth. Her shield hadn't broken again yet, but from the sputtering and fizzling coming off the aura it seemed any followup blow might do it. The Giant Slime sat on top of her, keeping her pinned--without air--as it now shifted and raised a larger pseudopod in Digbie's direction...

You used Magic Analysis II! You are attempting to use Mana Vision at the same time!
---?Fireball?---
The basic magical fire attack. With roughly the same power, range, and MP consumption as a Mana Orb, it has the unique property of being able to inflict a burn on the target. However, elemental properties render it harder to use in certain circumstances. Non-flammable or elementally opposed targets, for example, will be much less effected. Oberon seems to be altering this spell...
STRUCTURE:
!INCOMPLETE ELEMENTAL FUSION COMPREHENSION!
F₁
---Analysis Complete!---

This time Ash saw more. That first structure, at the very center of Oberon's fireball--a deep golden square, almost black, and two oscillating lines extending towards towards another square on each side. But this time...those squares weren't red? They were light green...and so were several other squares, appearing as Oberon poured more energy into this spell. These new structures began to orbit around the first, taking shape naturally as Oberon held the Fireball in his hands in preparation to shape it. The green squares couldn't come too close to the golden one, they were being repelled...and as they were repelled around it, they came together in clusters of three, and two of each trio would turn a light blue instead--and now they were suddenly drawn back towards the center!? The two oscillations on either side of the gold-black core now began moving at a much higher frequency! At the moment the new structures touched the old, there was a flash of neon purple and the two squares on either side of the gold one became fully three-dimensional cubes instead, once again bright red! It was at this point that the Fireball in Oberon's hand was fully formed and began to put off heat, vapor waves and colorless smoke--and then he began to shape it! New squares began to blink into existence in Ash's sight, but they were colorless and had no oscillations--

Again, she couldn't help but blink.

At the speed of thought, such things passed. The Giant Slime was on top of Torrent, pinning her down, she had been beaten hard and couldn't breathe, and now it was turning to Digbie--!

Oberon's Fireball shot through the air like a thrown javelin. It struck the Giant Slime dead center, and penetrated just a finger's length into that thick membrane. Only the tail end flash of the flame spread over its outer surface, but inside it the heat expanded and turned its orange body red, then yellow hot around that point. They could see its insides actually bubbling as the creature boiled. With a screech, it abandoned the attack on the Demiblin and now turned for the hills--it was retreating!

But it was trying to take Torrent with it, as its membrane gripped her at every point in contact...!

---

You used Monster Analysis I!
---Bowhorn Deer---
This species of deer has absorbed magical energy from the forest and the plants, causing its horns to become more like saplings than bone. They're still plenty sharp and tough, but have an added flexibility that makes them valuable to bowyers and other craftsmen. As it grows older, sometimes the horns even sprout blooms or fruit of some sort, varying based on the creature's diet and habitat.

With his shapeshift ability Asura was able to dart between the Bowhorn Deer's hooves as it came back to earth. Whether it was just trying to scare him away or actually stomp him wasn't clear, but before it could do anything else he Smashed its knee--or technically, given the bone structure of most quadropeds, its ankle. There was a crunch, but it didn't sound like a breaking bone. Nonetheless, the animal stumbled and went down part of the way, as if it were bowing its front end low. At this same moment, Ardur was giving orders to the two non-reborn and taking flight. Momma Slime let out a burbling "wat?" but then headed towards the fight anyway--helping Asura had been her intention from the start. Steve understood the order through Ardur's Taming link, however, and as soon as Momma Slime was out of the way the Spider launched a Web Spit at the deer's other leg.

At almost the same time the sticky goop covered its hoof, Momma Slime suddenly lashed out with one of her pseudopods a little faster than usual. She caught hold of one of the creature's horns and pulled--at the same time drawing another pseudopod back, balling it up on the end like a fist!

"MASH!"

Maybe she was imitating Asura or something she had seen in one of his thought transmissions, or maybe she was getting smarter again and had figured out a better way to attack. But for all intents and purposes, the best way to describe the attack was this: Momma Slime had grappled the deer, and then straight-up punched it right in the face. Blood spurted from the creature's nostrils, and it thrashed its head back and forth wildly with wide, panicked eyes--it could barely budge Momma Slime's weight, however, and while its back legs began to lash out and kick with those sharp hooves, it wasn't in much position to be any kind of threat...

From above, Ardur had a perfect shot at the creature--through the treetops above, a single ray of the early morning sunlight even fell through, putting a spotlight right on the base of the creature's neck.

---

Asteria's attempt at crafting was...not quite so successful as she might have hoped. She was able to find a fairly large rock without a great deal of trouble, but her chisel was much too small and hadn't been knapped well enough to stand up to that kind of abuse. Dire Rats were strong, but she wasn't quite strong enough to actually chip into the larger stone, even when using another smaller rock to try and hammer her blade in. The knapped stone chipped further, becoming a nigh-usless sliver. When she used her own teeth, she was able to make chips and cracks here and there and then scrape them off a little at a time...but ultimately, her attempt at making a bowl would probably take much, much longer, and either better tools or a more suitable body. Still, she had made some sort of indent. And the stone was of a size that at the very least it could be used as a cutting board of sorts--basically, it wouldn't have held water, but smashing plants into paste on top of it was still very doable.

You used Plant Analysis I!
---Bugward Flower---
These flowers produce an oily smoke that repels many insects when burned. It grows between four to thirty inches, with about one hundred ray-like petals that range from a vivid blue to darker grays and blacks towards the center. If a fresh stem is cut or the plant is mashed to paste, the juice can disinfect wounds.
---Kittail Plant---
A tall plant stalk that produces a seedy head, which are ripe when they become bright red. These cause them to hang over like the tails of a Kitsune, as their namesake. Originally imported from a foreign land, this plant can sometimes be found growing wild but more often is a food crop. The seeds can be ground into a flour and used for a variety of baking recipes.
---Kilm Blossom---
This herb produces blue and yellow blossoms in the spring. The green, unpleasant smelling sap attracts many kinds of pollinating insects. Ancient tribes used it as an all-purpose salve or to make tea, and grinding its roots releases a pain inhibitor of some sort.
---Nullven Cone---
This flower has deep purple petals that hang down, and can be between two and three feet tall. There are some anti-poison properties in its extracts, though it seems to boost a body's immune system rather than negate or destroy poisons directly. It can also treat acne, rash, and fever.
---Wasp Thorn---
This plant bears thorns of an interesting design. If you are pricked by them, it is better to disengage slowly. Some advocate running through most brambles quickly to get the pain over with, but in the case of the Wasp Thorn this causes the thorns to hook and tear painfully into whatever they have caught. A substance the plant produces causes the pain to linger for some time, possibly days if one is sensitive to it. Its leaves are also covered in thorns, but can be used to make diuretic tea.

After the rats ate their fill, Asteria would take first watch while trying to make something from these plants. While she stayed outside, that left considerably more room in the burrow, and Ed would actually be able to fit. Albeit cramped, he and Mother Rat would soon be asleep. When he switched out with Asteria, he would find that the plains seemed relatively peaceful at night...save for an occasional, distant howl from some creature or another. And at one point, a large shadow that circled under the clouds, and over the mountains to the west...

A whole new world was out there, after all. Full of unknown creatures, no doubt many of them quite threatening. But for now, the rats slept...

And in the morning, they were the first to see the sun as its gaze swept across the grass...

The village was much more visible now. The huts had a very primitive look to them, but at the same time there were definitely signs of civilization. Rugs and blankets were being aired out after they were slept on all night, and as they hung out the window one could tell from their colors and patterns that this society was far past the cave-man level.

Just like Ed had predicted, the few villagers--no more than four, perhaps--on watch were yawning and trudging along their routes. Some even leaned against walls, their heads nodding. One sat near a fire that had burned low hours ago, its coals barely smoldering. At the moment, none of them were near that woodshed over there...

---

Danny was able to grab the black slime, and keep it from hitting him full force in the face. However, it was too heavy for him, and hard to hold onto. It continued to squirm in his grasp, once getting a pseudopod out for a hefty punch to the Poltergeist's face. Surprisingly it didn't hurt as much as it might have--his Blunt Resistance coming into play, no doubt--but it was still a hard knock that he felt deep in his newly-formed bones.

But then the creature suddenly seized in his hands--not an attempt at escape, but rather an actual seizure! Or something very similar to it. The slime let out a pitiable creening cry...but it seemed vulnerable!

Unseen by Danny, Jason had cut off his meditation early. Even as he narrowed his focus to only those two souls, the System again informed him as he rushed towards them that he had low MP. But as the warning flashed brightly in his mind, he made that last ghostly lunge and latched onto the Slime. He shoved a Transparent pseudopod into it and then released the technique, causing that violent rejection that gave him nausea but also seemed to hurt the slime. Then, trying to form his insubstantial mist into a ripping, grasping hand, he went for the Slime's soul and activated his Mana Drain--!

--Nothing nothing nothing not nothing! Thing, thing not nothing, thing good more thing some thing bad! Some bad thing HURT, thing hurt me! Me. Me not me. Me thing good good me not hurt me. Eat. Me find thing, eat thing, eat good thing, eat bad thing bad thing good me. Need eat. More eat. Hard thing. Soft thing. Warm thing. Cold thing. Not me thing. Me....I. I am Jason.

It was easy to separate the Slime's memories from his own after the first few instants--they had both begun life in that cave and made a meager living as Slimes do, simply moving from place to place and eating whatever they found while avoiding whatever presented danger. Concepts like light, heat, cold, shelter, and just about everything else were beyond the Slime, and there was almost immediately a point where Jason could clearly recognize and draw a line between their two different levels of sentience. It didn't threaten to pull away his identity the way other souls had.

The black Slime was still seizing in Danny's grip, and Jason was still draining Mana from it...

Asura heard Ardur giving orders to the other monsters. "Simple sentences, Ardur. Mother Slime has the mind capacity of a child right now. A young one." He called over as he felt the ankle crunch under his blow. It might be fractured, but it certainly wasn't broken and it wasn't a compound fracture either. He'd have to boost up his Smash skill eventually, but that can happen later.

Mother Slime, who hadn't seemed to understand Ardur, grabbed the partially downed deer by an antler and laid in with a Mash. Due to pulling it into the strike the deer took on more damage judging by the blood flying from its nose. It wasn't doing to well now, one leg damaged, the other webbed, and Mother Slime holding onto its head and apparently too heavy to be lifted well.

Asura concentrated himself to the head and focused on making himself a point. He shot upward, turning into a spike to puncture from beneath the jaw to try and get into the brainpan. He doubted he had the 'hardness' to puncture a skull even from below, but it never hurt to try.

---

@Zeroth@Duthguy

With the slime having no ability to maintain its sense of self against Jason, the ghost's phantasmal grasp continued to tighten and constrict. It convulsed violently in both body, and spirit. It didn't want to die. So much fear, so much pain, an insurmountable dread of the coming end. Jason did more than witness it in the slime's convulsions, he could FEEL ALL OF IT.

Despite the futility of the slime's fight, it took a full minute of violent spasms, before the dark blob went stiff one final time, then went limp, puddling on the ground. For Jason, it had felt like an eternity that he had been trapped in that harrowing wrestling match, and despite the fact that the night was still young, and offered plenty of souls to drain, Jason was done draining souls for the night..... He.... He needed some time to get past this.

Laying a hand shaped pseudopod on Danny's shoulder to inform his ally that it was his otherworldly doing, Jason settled down just outside the hollowed log, activating [Meditation] and entering the 'sleep' state to maximize its effects. Jason would continue to do this all night until Danny awoke in the morning, moving around as different spots ran out of ambient mana, but staying in the general area, near enough to protect the hollowed log if any predators attempted to attack during the night.

@Guy0fV4lor@Zeroth
It took Danny a moment to realize that he had caught a Slime. He was surprised by how heavy it was but not so much by how hard it was to hold, they were after all very liquid like. Just as he was about to throw it away from him the Slime started having a seizure of some kind. "I wonder if it's sick or something, oh well should be easy enough to find out ."

He used Monster Analysis II and assuming he found out about Jason draining it also used Magic Analysis I hoping to learn more about mana drain.

The weight and struggling of the Slime became too much and Danny had to dump it on the ground as he felt his arms beginning to give out. When the Slime finally stopped moving Danny prepared to climb into the tree hole when he realized the corpse might attract scavengers or something, not wanting to deal with any monsters during the night he lifted the limp body and carried it with him. Once inside before drifting of to sleep he used Plant Analysis I on the tree from the inside

Ardur The Mighty Hipixie

A strange Deer > Food? /// Adventuring day 5 // Morning / Location - Small burrow > just outside the burrow

Their small party still needed some work but seemed to be able to make their own decisions quite well and all seemed to be working well together so far. None of them seemed to be trying to be a glory hog or wanting to get the killing blow. He wondered if the other two non-reborn in their party were being influenced by his and Asaura’s own personalities and willingness to grow and be better. At least that’s what he assumed was Asura’s reasons for sticking around, at least they made a good team.

The deer soon collapsed to its front legs from Asura’s strike and helped to be held there by Steve’s web. Mother slime launched an attack at the deer’s head seemingly taking it down again further. It was basically immobilized now and didn’t hold much of a threat. The thought of letting this creature live did cross his mind but this creature was a possible treasure trove of resources and would ultimately make them stronger. Not to mention the tendons could be used to bind the beetle exoskeleton to him as a crude type of armor. A small breeze rustled the brush of the trees behind him and he saw it.

A beam of light made its way through the trees and settled precisely on the creature’s neck. It was at this moment he decided that they should kill it but still give something back to those watching them. Taking the hint given to him Ardur positioned himself for his attack and dropped toward the Deer’s neck and the target marked for him. He used Point Strike I and just like with the lizard the other day he brought his feet together, his heels pointed toward the base of the neck, and bent his knees slightly so he didn’t hurt himself and hoped this strike was enough. "Point Strike."

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu