@Stabby@Zeroth

Femus watched and listened carefully to Nira's response. Then he found himself chuckling softly. It wasn't entirely inaccurate to say that his prior family had encountered a stronger foe. But, it was far from the complete truth as well. Yet, that was not the only reason for his amusement. He had no idea that his taste for wuxia would prove as valuable as this.

After slowly quieting his laughter, Femus rose above the rat and spoke cheerfully. "Well, you are free to remain outside if you prefer and I have no objections to sharing a skill with a potential partner. Besides, it's a good feeling to have another former human to chat with. But, you need to work on your acting a bit. A normal pixie wouldn't even know what a family business is, never mind having opinions on the business potential of wisps. That kind of error can get you killed in certain dangerous situations. If you're ready, then this butcher's son will lead the way."

"Hmm...that might be difficult for you, right now." Lear said as he and the goblin girl walked around the farm. The explosion had been far, far away--what the farmer seemed concerned about wasn't any damage it had caused, but whether the sound had caused his animals to panic or try and escape their cages. Though feathers and fur were ruffled, ultimately it seemed none of the livestock had harmed themselves or their enclosures. Still, they continued to check the defenses--they could see various creatures running or flying through the trees at the edges of the farmstead, no doubt terrified by the explosion. "When we Level Up, it's the Maker's recognition of our efforts and the skills or knowledge we've accumulated. But if you don't have a good understanding of Order and the Laws--the things that the Maker created to make the world run the way it's supposed to--then you have to go to someone who does. A lot of novice adventurers, or citizens with jobs that require them to develop a certain level of expertise, have to go to the Maker's Temple regularly to get a special thing called a Status Tablet." He said the word Status like "state-us," not "stat-iss." "It shows you your Skills, Level, and lots of other stuff. But...hmmm..." Lear stopped and thought for a moment. They came to the gate of the farm, and he opened it before gesturing to Miiba to exit first. He followed her, closing the gate behind him and latching it with a big padlock--he slipped the key onto a cord around his neck and patted it underneath his shirt.

"Actually, if you saw it in the first place...I didn't know Monsters could see the Maker's Vision. But you said as much yesterday, didn't you? You asked about the Defender and Smash skills. Huh..." The farmer rubbed his head. All this thinking seemed to make him uncomfortable. "In any case, I'm sure you understand why taking you to the Maker's Temple wouldn't be possible right now. But, maybe for Monsters it's different. You might be able to find another way." They walked around the wall from the outside now. It was Miiba's first time being back out in the wilderness since she had been "captured" almost two days ago now. But Lear didn't seem concerned that she would run away--or maybe he just wouldn't care if she did.

Suddenly, out of the treeline, something rushed towards them! By the time Miiba even registered the sound, Lear had already turned and taken three steps towards the thing--but now he relaxed with a relieved sigh.

"Oi, Pixie, this place ain't for you. G'on now, shoo." The farmer waved his hand like one might ward off a mosquito, as he turned back to Miiba. "Haha, did that scare ya? I bet a bunch of critters are running around after that blast. But they probably won't attack us--they're just trying to get to safety."

Meanwhile, Scott--at a whopping one foot tall--looked up at the three foot goblin girl and the enormous bear of a man. He had just come across his first Human in this world--and it was one that looked like they could crush him with just a finger, much less their humongous boot.

---

Torrent's first step in modifying her method was to breathe in more air than before. She visualized compressing the air inside her mouth as she held her breath tight. As she felt her Mana shifting, the idea of a solid ball of air changed to one of a lance, a sharp-tipped, pressurized stream. Forcing Mana into the breath once more, she exhaled in a tight stream, and tried to pay special attention to the result.

You used Magic Analysis I!
---??? Breath---
You are developing a breath related skill using the Wind element. It is not yet fully formed. It seems that filling the lungs to full capacity and using Mana to pressurize and project the air has helped develop this skill. As your current species, however, your lungs can only hold so much. Moving larger quantities of air will likely require using Mana on external quantities.

This time her attempt rippled in the air, like heatwaves rising from asphalt only turned in a different direction. From her mouth outward the stream pressed forward, and expanded rapidly. She felt the Mana leaving her body along with it, in a similar pulsation. But the skill still had not triggered yet...the "waves" of air didn't stay in their pressurized stream for long, especially once they hit the "still" air outside of Torrent's body. The clash of air currents created a small dustup, or sent eddies lapping along the stream, and a few fallen leaves were pushed by the breeze. They landed on the surface of the water, and were pushed like sailboats to its other side.

Torrent could feel she was on the verge of another breakthrough, but just what was missing this time...?

She decided to turn her attention to the attempts at an icy breath. Combining water with air, she added the mental component to physical materials. Once again she visualized the cold she felt, in that old world. When she felt her scales shiver, when the mixture in her mouth began to chill like mint, she put more force into her exhalation.

Another fog rolled out of her mouth, but it wasn't the damp, watery vapor she had learned minutes ago. This was light, airy, more like an aerosol spray than a rolling bank of mist...and tiny, icy crystals shimmered within it. It traveled only a short distance across the stream, quickly falling across the water's surface like fine powder. Where it landed, microscopic veins of snowflake patterns began to form--but the stream was a much higher temperature, and these crystals soon melted away.

You used Magic Analysis I!
---??? Breath---
You are developing a breath related skill using the Ice element. It is not yet fully formed. It seems that combining Wind and Water and viusalizing extreme cold has helped to develop this skill. Unlike your other Breath skills, however, your primary focus has been to lower the temperature. More force, both physically and magically, may be required to complete it.

So one Breath skill had as much force as she could put behind it, given her species' physical limitation, while the other seemed to have developed as much as it needed to magically but needed more oomph to get past this last hurdle. What should she try now?

Meanwhile, Oberon healed himself from the results of his last experiment and took further precautions for the future. The Sprite had to think deeply on what to do next, given what he had discovered so far. In his next attempt, he pushed his Mana Orb away from himself before he tried to have the whirling wind currents orbit a central concentration of power. When he felt the wind growing in power, he gave a sudden shove towards his target.

The modified mana orb didn't get very far from the Sprite, but the results this time were far more pronounced. Roughly five feet away from Oberon, before it actually made impact with the tree, the air roared as what seemed like invisible blades clashed. They were only visible thanks to a vague haze of magic and the dust they kicked up, but it was like someone had taken multiple Mana Slice spells and overlapped them until they formed a vague sphere. Still spinning with their own momentum, they converged towards the center--the "boom" was caused by this rush into the center and the subsequent backlash after the vacuum was filled. Despite this dramatic display, however, it seemed the ultimate result wasn't all that damaging. The "explosion" hadn't covered a large area at all, not even touching the ground despite hovering over it at roughly the same level as Oberon's gaze.

Skill Gain: Wind Break I (0.7 > 1.0)!
A basic level Wind spell. Charge air currents with Mana to increase their speed and change their direction. The overlapping winds create different areas of pressure, and when they collide the target is sliced by the vacuums as the atmosphere restores equilibrium. Deals Slashing and Wind Magic damage. This spell is ranged, but does not travel like a projectile. Rather, it is cast on a point within the range equivalent to something like a Mana Orb.

Back in the shelter, Ash conducted a few more minor experiments of her own. After testing out her newly crafted spear, she formed a new Mana Orb. She searched for the pixel-like particles that were the same purple color she had seen before...however, among the rainbow of particles radiating from the Orb, purple seemed extremely rare for some reason. There were reds, blues, lighter blues, greens, lighter greens, a more neon violet, deeper golds and lighter yellows, off-whites that were almost pink, silver, black, purple, darker purple, and maybe others that she just couldn't pick out yet...

As she removed the colors she didn't want, pushing them to one side, she felt her Mana being strained. She had to exert more power to keep the Mana Orb from fading away, affecting her concentration--and bringing with it a whole new number of all the differently colored particles.

And at the corner of her vision, something else was happening. Inside this hastily constructed, earthen shelter, there seemed to be a higher number of the golden particles in what little ambient Mana Ash could sense around her. The gold, silver, and green particles she cast off from her Mana Orb seemed to fall towards the ground once they broke free, and they collected with the clusters of ambient mana. They seemed to be combining, though they didn't always change their colors like those particles Ash had seen earlier when she added poison to her orb.

But now, her Mana Orb was beginning to change as well! It had become a very light shade of purple, not the neon violet color but nonetheless quite faded and transparent. But it was also getting smaller, and beginning to fade...

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.

Your MP is rapidly depleting!
You used Mana Vision and Mana Sense!
---??? ???---
You sense your own Mana, altered to a state that feels tainted and harmful to a potential target.
STRUCTURE: ERROR, NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION

---

When Digbie cast Minor Heal, the Lizard twitched. Its large eyes flickered towards him as the glow spread over its body, and the Demiblin could feel its rapid heart beat calming down. He also felt his Minor Heal traveling underneath it--it must have been wounded on its belly or the underside of a leg. The creature seemed confused and tense now, just from its body language. After all, its prey had just discovered it. Normally it would attempt to flee before the predator became the prey, but it was being healed and while it had clearly been discovered, the leaves it was under hadn't been moved. Its tiny lizard brain was very confused, but since it had been seen it didn't risk attacking Digbie once he finally decided to move on.

Continuing the read as he walked, he passed the area where Torrent had fought the Blood Snare and headed back up the stream. He still had a ways to go to get back to the shelter, and the afternoon was growing on. He finally found another page that was still legible...



And here again the page was smeared with blood...

So far, nothing else had jumped out at Digbie. He was coming up on the place where they had first discovered the stream...his Tremor Sense wasn't picking up anything that seemed out of the norm yet. But, he could probably remember the creature that had been denned up nearby, and how it had growled and snarled at the group when they came here before. He was on the same side of the stream as that creature's abode. Would he wade across to avoid the possibility of coming across it, even though his Tremor Sense didn't seem to indicate it was around? Would he continue to read, taking advantage of this more peaceful leg of the stroll? Or, with the sun's journey across the sky almost complete, would he close the book and focus on getting back to the shelter at a quicker pace?

---

---Tamed Creature Status---
Oculus Spider [Steve], Level 4
Steve's Unspent Skill Points: 5
Steve's Current Skills:
Web Spit II (2.05)
Doze I (1.025)
Thread Control I (1.025)
<UNUSABLE>
Muffle (0.5)
Poison Fang (0.5)
Blunt Resistance (0.1)
Alert (0.3)
Fire Resistance (0.1)

Steve's intelligence, ability, and physical stats are not high enough to enable Skill Teaching. Do you wish to distribute your Tamed Creature's Skill Points?
---Status Complete---

Obtained Item: Kao Tree Sap!
A sticky sap from the Kao Tree. It produces a scent that is slightly repellant to some types of insects and other creatures that might prey on the tree.

You have processed an item!
You possess the Crafting I skill. Item degradation is decreased.
Raw Tendon + Kao Tree Sap
Processing completed. The Skill Material Analysis is not complete, you cannot determine the quality of your item.

Obtained Item: Resin-coated Rawhide Cordage!

Skill Gain: Blood Drain I (0.9 > 1.0)!
Through physical contact with whatever body part or orifice the user needs to eat and drink, drain the target's blood through an already open wound. In addition to dealing damage, this skill also restores the user's HP. The amount of HP restored will not be the same as the amount of damage dealt or the same as the amount of blood consumed. Any disease, poison, or other danger contained within the target's blood may also present a threat to this skill's user. At this rank the user is limited in how much blood they can drain and how quickly, as well as the target's defense, healing factor, and other circumstances.

Your HP is Full.

It seemed that, for the moment, Asura and Ardur would remain here. They had moved a short distance away from the den they dug into the ground, but they were still relatively West of the Cave. Among the thinner trees, not quite rising onto the slopes going into the mountains, they didn't have a lot of cover but they also didn't have to deal with thick foilage moving around. They weren't quite in a clearing, but the canopy wasn't overly shady overhead. Exposed, but not entirely vulnerable.

When the Amorphous Slime ate the Rubber Frog's insides, he gained a new skill. Ardur, using the clever idea of coating the tendons with tree sap--was he aware that, in the old world, something similar had led to the discovery of rubber?--had gained a new item. Momma Slime seemed pensive after Asura instructed her, through images and memory, how to spend her Skill Points. Had she felt his slight annoyance through their link?

Steve looked up when Asura said her name, then turned to Ardur and tilted her head. Her mandibles clicked lightly as her many eyes blinked.

When Asura turned two of his tendrils into knives and stabbed himself, he felt the pain much more sharply than usual. He had actually gone through with the act of cutting himself, something that even back in his old world had been a sign of a terrible mental state. Even through the high HP and defensive abilities of a Slime, he felt the cutting and tearing of each blade. It hurt worse than most of the attacks he had taken from enemy monsters, save those that had blasted him with more powerful magic. When Ardur commanded Steve to go along with this crazy scheme, the Oculus Spider stood in contemplation for a moment. Then she shot a strand of her web to the side of a nearby stone. With four of her legs she tugged it out of the ground and reeled it in, attaching a few more threads as she did so. With enough leverage, she began to manipulate it with her Thread Control skill--despite the limited proportional strength of her limbs, she was able to twirl the web and the rock around her head like a flail. With an audible click from her limbs as she put in more effort, she slammed it down against Asura's body. It made a rubbery thump and bounced off--it hadn't hurt nearly as bad as Jason's Stone Shot, but it was something. Steve began reeling it back in for another go-round, but Momma Slime didn't seem so eager.

"Ahsoowah! Bad!" The blue slime moved closer and wobbled from side to side. "You, not hurt you!"

Meanwhile, how would Ardur decide to go about building his armor given his materials? His crafting skill wasn't very high level yet, so would using more complex or efficient methods help increase it faster so he could make better gear? And what purpose, exactly, would he use each piece for? What kind of armor did he have in mind, and how would he make it?

---

When Ed wrapped Mother Rat in a cuddle hug, the adult Dire Rat wriggled for a few moments. Her pudgy rear end wobbled from side to side while the rest of her was caught under Ed's arms, but after her tail whipped back and forth a few times she settled down. Her nose poked out over the Ratman's forearms, and she let out a defeated chuff as Ed snored away.

Meanwhile, Asteria took this time to take inventory. The ratpack had gathered several useful items, though some of them might be somewhat volatile or perishable.

You used Magic Analysis I!
---Tainted Mana Crystal---
This Mana Crystal has been tainted with a poisonous substance. If it is ground into powder, broken, or otherwise forcibly used on another creature, the tainted energies will deplete their mana rather than restoring it. This crystal is Unstable, it may break if tampered with...
---Flame Touched Mana Crystal---
Mana Crystals that have been exposed to a large amount of elemental Mana associated with Fire. Forcibly breaking this crystal produces a small-scale, fiery blast similar to many low-rank Fire Spells.
You used Monster Analysis II!
---Four Horned Goat Horn---
Magical mutations have made this herbivore's temper extremely volatile and given it the nasty benefit of a natural poison in its horns. They have been observed to eat grasses and other plants that are poisonous, and it is thought the food it has access to will affect the strength of its venom.
---Hex Cat Eye---
While not highly intelligent, this feline has some native talent with magic. It's known as an unlucky omen among most races, and some say a Hex Cat looking through one's window can curse a child in the cradle with heterochromia. A dark, unpleasant aura radiates from this object when looked at for too long...
---Tanned Leather (Goat Hide?)---
A piece of processed and tanned leather made from the skin of some animal. Relatively tough, somewhat rough to the touch. The Skill Material Analysis has not activated, so you cannot determine its quality. Its dimensions appear to be about one square foot.
---Analysis Complete!---

As she worked to refill her mana, sate her hunger, and dissect the Myrminor Scout, Asteria left Ed to sleep off their hard fought battle...though, using her Telepathy, she tried to help her fellow rat along somewhat. It was hard to tell if anything was really happening...when she connected to his sleeping mind, it was like sticking one's head underwater and listening to a TV full of static. She soon returned to her crafting.

She was able to pry off parts of the Scout's exoskeleton with just her claws if she found the places where it had been cracked by the fighting, but for unharmed areas and to get the limbs off or actually split open the body, she had to use the tiny hatchet she had taken from the shed. Nonetheless, she was able to cut off 3 plates of the exoskeleton, the mandibles, and two of the legs without those parts breaking or chipping. Upon opening the creature, she found that its anatomy resembled that of a regular ant (if she even knew what the interior of a normal ant looked like) save that everything was quite enlarged. Drinking the equivalent of the insect's blood helped somewhat to quench her thirst, but it had a bitter, unpleasant taste and she got the feeling it likely wouldn't keep her from getting dehydrated much like sodas didn't really help in that regard. However, she was also able to cut off the stinger entirely from the body--she hadn't found a poison gland, but maybe she could just remove the barbed tip itself? Doing so without protection for her hands might prove dangerous, however.

As Ed slept, deep and restfully, he also began to dream...

Foggy memories. Trees, earthy soil. Darkness. Grass. Footprints. The smell of metal, and leather. Hints of smoke on the air, but not from the fire in the plains. Not from what he had seen up in the tree, back in the forest. Humans, but not the villagers. Was he floating? Was this a memory? He could see so much from up here. Lights in the darkness, but not stars. A campfire near a hillside, among the trees. Figures sat around it. He didn't go so high this time. Back to his body. He couldn't remember the last time, before he changed. The things that were outside of his mind but in his senses, they started to fade.

And the dream ended.

---

As Jason expanded his senses throughout himself, he tried to follow the flow of his Mana. He expected to find a hole or breakage of some sort, expected a trail of magical energy that he could grab hold of and pull back. But this he did not find. When he focused inward, he felt a sort of burning sensation. It wasn't painful, but it tingled in a way not unlike...scratching an itch? Pineapples on the tongue? Whatever it was, this burning sensation was constant and ever present. His MP continued to passively decrease as he and Danny wandered the forest, but he couldn't find any kind of trail, no cloud of loose Mana drifting away from his body. He seemed to simply be in a state of constant consumption--every effort he undertook just to exist required some form of energy, much less what he expended to do magic or use other skills. Oddly enough he was more aware of it now than the first time he had been a spirit. Perhaps it was because he had just vacated a physical body, and while in that body this sensation had ceased whereas before it was something he had gone "sense blind" to, like spending a lot of time around unpleasant smells or sounds and learning to tune them out.

But, he had another problem besides just the leaking MP. They were properly into the afternoon now, and though there were plenty of shadows under the forest canopy, they were not solid black shadows nor were they especially plentiful. Jason's MP drained just that little bit faster, and every time he passed a shaft of sunlight through the branches or glanced up at that great big ball of light in the sky, he felt a burn that was painful, painful like a constant sunburn...and in fact, it seemed it might be growing even more intense over time. His efforts to "hold himself together" did seem to slow the process somewhat...but only in the same way that slowing down from a jog to a walk lessens the pain of a cramped muscle. The "injury" was still there, after all. Even as a Necroslime, he had felt some of this pain from the daylight. Why? Whatever the reason, it seemed the Undead reincarnator still had many inconveniences to deal with...

When Danny used his Mana Vision, the Poltergeist began to see the world in a whole new light. Not only did Jason's foggy, unstable form reappear, but every so often he would catch a glimpse of other things as well. It was as if everything around him, or at least most things, took on just the faintest glow. And like dust motes in a bright ray of light, every so often he caught specks of color drifting lazily through the air. Some seemed carried by the wind. Others orbited him, or Jason, or other things. Still others seemed to be flowing in some current all their own with little indication as to whether they followed gravity or some other natural law. Trying to look at everything at once made his head hurt, but looking at just one thing at a time wasn't so bad unless it was Jason.

Despite already struggling to make out the Ectoslime's foggy shape, Danny locked his eyes with a squint and began to slowly cut off the flow of his own Mana. Soon all those little particles had disappeared entirely, and Jason became even more indistinct. If the Poltergeist was trying to acclimate himself to using less magic for the same effect, it seemed he had at least reduced the strain on his eyes...but, ultimately, he had to blink.

Skill Gain: Spiritual Awareness I (0.9 > 1.0)!
You have become more aware of the spiritual side of the world. This will affect your interactions with certain types of spiritual monsters such as non-corporeal Undead. At this rank, you can only detect a hint of the spiritual world. There may also be other affects of this ability...

Danny's Mana Vision had deactivated...but he could actually still see the foggy image of Jason! Well, Jason wasn't really foggy anymore--he was just the barest wisp in the air, more like a thin, watery film over one's glasses, or the little floater in the corner of their eye. If Danny didn't absolutely focus, he would lose sight of the Ectoslime, especially any time they came to an area where the sunlight was bright. If he were to use Mana Vision again, however, Jason's form would become much sharper than it had been before when he had solely been using the magic detection skill.

Did this new awareness skill mean he might be able to hear or touch Jason as well? What were the limits of the "interaction" the skill mentioned?

Asura growled at the sudden pain, the bladed limb bit hard. It seemed he was vulnerable to slashing attacks? That was odd but still he persisted. The skill up was interesting though, Blood Drain wasn't as useless as he thought it would be. But did it work with dead bodies? He'd have to test this after this little bout of training. System, monitor Skill Growth. I'd appreciate knowing if any Skill increases from these actions. He thought as Steve cracked him with a rock on webbing. Not a bad idea, a makeshift flail. But only good because the party was so small.

"Don't worry, Mother. This will maybe make me less...hurtable." He stated, trying to talk on her level. As Steve swung again he tightened himself up, why not work on Harden as well? He braced for impact while also cutting himself again. A pseudopod touched Mother Slime, better to show her. Like how he took Dire Rat bites and got Piercing Resistance which made him harder to damage with that form of attack.

"Ardur, if you have the energy can you give me a Heal when I ask? Bladed attacks seem to cause more damage." Asura said while the muscle pixie worked on making cordage for the Flak Beetle plating. Armor wasn't a bad idea, but he was a slime. All he could do was have Shells like the one he was sporting. He didn't want to test the skulls durability with the rock flail, he'd play with that later when he wasn't seemingly trying to get himself killed.

Danny figured that the floating specks he saw while mana vision was active were some kind of ambient mana, he would have to experiment with that later though. Still he reached kind of breakthrough that could prove very useful given his party member while also remembering his decision to develop non mp consuming skills. "Good news Jason, my spiritual awareness is high enough that I can see you without the source crystal or mana vision. It takes a lot of effort though." While he didn't say it out loud Danny did wonder what the other effects mentioned by the system could be.

Since he was reminded of the downside of using only mana draining skills by seeing the what he assumed to be, specks of mana floating around he decided to do something about that. Making sure not to lose his focus on sensing any vibrations in the ground he practiced throwing punches. He didn't put a lot of power or energy into each punch since he wanted to exhaust himself in case something attacked them again. When they set up camp though he might try for some more serious punching, depending on how safe he thought it was and how tired he felt.

---

If Ash could shout in excitement with success, she would have, but that would break her concentration more and she only had a limited time to work with. What was with that Mana she was shedding from her spell? It was collecting with the ambient mana in the cave. What that meant, she had no idea, and she didn't have long to completely ponder it. Her Mana was quickly draining, and she needed to finish this before it ran out completely or she'd have to start all over once more. The spell was unstable, but had taken a hue closer to what she had seen before.

Now that the excess elements seemed to be discarded...

Ash inhaled, dragging one of the purple squares back to the nucleus. This should stabilize it unless there was another unknown factor she had yet to take into account.

@Stabby@Zeroth

Femus's previous small grin was nothing in comparison to the... relatively wide smile that he developed after seeing Nira's expression. He had a feeling that if she had been younger she would have stomped her foot and glared at him for catching her. It was an adorable thought. But, the moment was brief and Nira's response brought them back to business immediately. It seemed the verbal games were indeed over.

Besides, she had just let slip that she spent her previous life in a hospital. That... wasn't funny.

The smile vanished.

Femus's new body had little when it came to expression so the brief feeling of pity that flowed through his consciousness didn't show. Still, it took a few moments for him to quiet that down and clear his thinking. It was highly unlikely that the person in front of him would appreciate something as useless as pity. It was likely better to take her words seriously and be as genuine as possible, especially if this green wisp wanted to maintain a lasting partnership with her.

It took a little effort to ensure that his voice wouldn't betray his earlier feelings, though his brief time of silence could be interpreted in several ways. "It's a bit cliche, I guess. I want power, power sufficient to protect what I want to protect from anything. If the Demon King will help me get there... I'll work with him. If his enemies will help me get there, I'll work with them. For right now, I just need to survive and get stronger. With how little I know of this world, making long range plans just doesn't seem practical to me."

He didn't mind the fact that Nira hadn't responded to his urging. It seemed that she wanted to understand his motives before following him anywhere. That was understandable. Still, the longer they spent out here in the open the more likely it became that they would attract unwanted attention from the goblins or other local predators. They were having a chat right next to a half-eaten rat on the forest floor after all.

"Is there anything else you would like to know about me before we move? I'd rather not be ambushed before I recover my mana."

---

Torrent Meditated to regain her mana while she reviewed what she had just learned. So she was indeed limited for the first skill by her own species, but that didn't mean that she couldn't manage to use or create the spell. It just meant she had to get creative.

And if she couldn't rely on her own insides for it, then that just meant she had to manipulate what was going on around her. Maybe she just needed to think about it a little differently.

She could see that the skill as it was created a kind of push, that pressurized stream that she was thinking of. But it mostly stopped when it hit the air out of her mouth. So was it like hitting a wall? A wall of air, perhaps? That didn't make sense, but it was the best analogy she could think of.

So, what if she manipulated it like she did back when she first learned Fireball?

Concentrating, Torrent repeated the process she had used last time. But this time she also set to infusing her power into the air around her, trying to make it move in the direction that she was going to use her skill in. As it moved away it would leave her influence and she'd repeat the process with the air that replaced it. When she felt like she'd started to create a current, or so she thought anyways, she released the spell and visualized pushing it as forcefully as she could for as long as she could until she was out of air herself. Immediately she tried to push more air from around her in a sudden burst to try and give the spell a little more oomph and fuel. Quickly she used her Magic Analysis on the result while she caught her breath.

While she sat on whatever information that gave her, she turned her attention back to her ice skill. She really wanted to get this one ticked over at the least, and her system message had told her that she was lacking force on possibly all grounds in order to make it a proper skill.

With what she'd done for the attempted air skill in mind, she set herself to setting up for the ice one again. This time she didn't stop when she shivered, instead imagining it becoming even colder. What did ice feel like? Not just being cold, but being in direct contact with the ice on the streets or hanging from buildings or coating over everything after a slightly warm day. The ice of tire tracks that made snow into something more.

It was when it was at the coldest she could get it to, when her body felt like it might go numb from the chill, that she released the spell this time. But instead of just blowing it out like she had before, she drew in breath once more before explosively releasing the air as forcefully as she could, almost like she was trying to eject something solid from her mouth. And just like she had tried with the air moments ago, Torrent shoved her power up through her mouth as she released her attempted ice spell, expelling mana with, around, and behind the breath with as much force as she could manage.

---

@Zeroth@Duthguy

As the dynamic duo of Jason and Danny made their way through the forest, Jason; in an attempt to 'soothe' the uncomfortable sensation building in his core, began to gently circulate his mana over his 'injuries', as to hopefully treat whatever it was that damaged. Because unfortunately, just knowing now that it wasn't just a normal leak didn't start a new skill according to the system (as Jason immediately checked it). However, as he attempted to circulate his mana, he began to feel the sun's scornful gaze bearing down on him. He tried to ignore it, but it just seemed to constantly become worse and worse. Based on what [Mana Sense] had told him the light rejected his being, causing it to burn him.

Did this mean the world itself was trying to reject him? To spit him into the void that so greedily clutched at his soul? Well, in a way, that kind of made sense didn't it? The sun was a big part of the world, and as much as he wanted to hate that giant shining sphere that seemingly wanted to burn him away... He just couldn't bring himself to. Pausing his efforts to preserve himself, Jason sat in a shaft of sunlight as he looked up at the golden sphere. He gave a defeated sigh as he activated [Guidence] "Look, I'm just a man. And as much as I hate to admit it-- I make mistakes. I don't know what I did that pissed you off, nor do I expect you to care what I say... But for what it's worth--" Jason confessed, nearly choking as he forced out the final few words that seemed to go against his very nature, "I'm sorry."

The moment he finished, Jason immediately retreated back to the shadows. He wasn't expecting a response. It was at that point that he heard Danny pipe up. Swirling through the air like a living cloud over to his friend, gently touching Danny's shoulder with a pseudopod, Jason activated [Mana Drain] to recuperate his mana to full. However, if at any time Danny would try to pull away, Jason would let him.

Stretching out a second pseudopod, Jason pressed its misty tip to Danny's forehead. Carefully and deliberately he gathered a thought, and focused on the 'invisible connection' he knew to exist. He had done this before. He remembered the feeling of the exact moment he succeeded in using [Telepathy] on Ed for the first time. He remembered all the telepathic connections he'd once had with the other reincarnators. He knew the one he once had with Danny; how it felt, how it functioned, how it was accessed. Confidently, Jason suffused a thought with mana, and used [Telepathy]. Not the skill-- but the technique that he remembered.

"That's excellent news Danny! Can you hear me now?"

---

"State-us...," Miiba sounded out quietly after Lear said it. When he mentioned not being able to go to the Maker's Temple, Miiba had a small idea of her own. "Maybe if Miiba not look like gob later, Miiba go maybe?" she asked. Miiba was a little nervous being so close to the wilderness again. Her previous experiences with the wilds of the world were things of her nightmares, and where as before she was always told nightmares were fake and the monsters weren't real, now that all seemed to be a reality. It was no surprise by this way of thinking that when the pixie came barreling through the woods towards them, she let out a small cry of panic. Though, it seemed that Lear was quick to action and was already prepared for whatever it was, which ended up just being a pixie. They initial surprise caused Miiba to curl up in gear at the sudden action, but then she quickly scrambled behind Lear for protection, much like a child would hide behind their own father. And like that, when Lear laughed and asked if it scared her she peered around and shyly nodded. Out of all the creatures she had run across, the pixies scared her the least, but she wasn't too fond of the times she was around them, the image of the one that attacked her was still fresh in her memory. When Lear assured her that the things that were stirred up from the blast were just trying to get to safety and wouldn't attack them, for the most art, she seemed to relax a bit, but she now stayed even closer on Lear's heels. She would peek at the pixie from behind Lear, or turn to look at him if they were walking off. Something was odd about that pixie, she wasn't sure what, but curiosity hasn't been kind to her, so she kept silent on her gut feeling for now.

@CollectorOfMyst @Zeroth

Ardur The Mighty Hipixie

time to train and craft > more crafting /// Adventuring day 5 // Morning > Afternoon / Location - Forest

The high pixie only looked away briefly too see Steve using the rock and web combo as a makeshift weapon to use against the slime. That was actually an interesting idea, maybe seeing how his companion takes on different tasks would give them all more ideas. The makeshift flail found its mark and seemed like it could do a fair bit of damage with better equipment and training. At least they were being resourceful.

Turing his attention back to the task at hand he was pleased with the outcome of his work. He was certain it was not the best but it at least looked like it was going to be ok. “System” he proclaimed as he was observing the new material in his hands, pulling it tight to test its ability. “Put all skill points for tamed creature Steve into Poison Fang.” This gave him the chance to hopefully get some sort of poison resistance and could possibly be harvested and put on future weapons. As for the other skills? It would simply take some time and he knew he would be able to get it.

Ardur’s attention was pulled away from his work by the worried voice of Mother Slime, “Steve wait till mother slime is ok with what Asura is doing before trying to hit him again. Until then, just swing that rock over your head for practice.” He told her. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off the big slime, he did not want to deal with infighting at this very moment. “Yeah I’ll give you a heal when you want me too. I’m just going to try to get this armor up and going first.” He replied to his friend.

After setting the new material to the side, he began to think and look over the materials he had and the resources around him. They were not terribly in the open but were not entirely covered either. Keeping a lookout would be for the best. It seemed like he could get all the sap he would need for the other five tendons and maybe he could do something with the tree bark itself as well. He still had the mandible that was slowly degrading but it would have to do until he found another sharp rock.

Perhaps he could turn the bark into some sort of cordage like the Native Americans used to do. Then the pieces of “armor” that laid before him could be used to do something. Anything too complex wouldn’t pan out as he wanted it too, he knew that, but perhaps something simple. Ardur began to plan in his head how to proceed. He had six tendons and one was coated already, so the next step would be to coat the rest. After that, using the beetle parts as back armor wouldn’t work out as he wanted them too but they could be used as bracers and arm protection. It wouldn’t be pretty and might be a little awkward from the shape but as long as it worked right?

As for the bones? They could simply be used as a primitive breast plate no other armored points on his torso but at least it was a start. Then after all of that possibly using the bark cordage, if it worked, to fashion some type of skirt or tunic out of the local vegetation so he would blend in a little better. He remembered how his mud coating a few days ago helped and his green hair more than likely already helped. The last thing to do would be to try to make that frog skin into some sort of pack or bag.

Therefore, Ardur set to work on his plan of making some armor for himself while Steve practiced her fighting against Asura. All the while, the pixie would stop after every couple of minutes or so and just look around and listen, always weary of their surroundings. When he was not doing this he would offer up small bits of mana for Guidance I, he wasn’t doing it to get guidance on where to go or what to do. He was doing it too see if it did anything for his crafting. He also did this while muttering to himself what he thought would be things his gods would promote or like him to do.

“The King, he rewards decisions and team work that benefit the group, Loyalty to those around and under you, and supports the Leader.” Another would be for, “The Protector, he rewards courage and bravery to stand your ground, to protect and fight for others either through words or actions. He doesn't care what side of a conflict is chosen, as long as a side is chosen.” Finally, “The Mother, she rewards growth and prosperity, whether it be food or wealth as long as what is gathered is shared and wealth not horded. So that everyone may grow and be strong.”

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu

@Stabby@Zeroth

Femus bobbed briefly in acknowledgement. Nira had practical goals entwined with some fairly normal dreams. There was nothing shocking or profound, but that was interesting in itself. Even in this strange and difficult to define situation she was able to stay grounded and ultimately seek something like a normal life. Femus wasn't entirely sure that he could do that. He had a feeling that the level of power that he desired would force him to take a more extraordinary path in the end.

But, for now...

"Alright. Let's get going." He said decisively as he levitated higher and led the way to his tree hole.

He lingered outside the hole for a moment, checking for unfamiliar scents or signs that a slime or some other creature might have slipped in during his absence. If he found none then he proceeded inside, inadvertently lighting the dark space with his glow. There wasn't anything of note inside but the hole was deep enough to mostly hide them from the outside. Even Femus's glow was difficult to see after he went around the small bend in the hole.

Here was a fairly safe nook where they could recover and meditate. It wouldn't do to linger here too long, but it might do until they were ready to make a move toward escaping the goblins. It wouldn't be easy to get out of this encirclement, even if they grew more powerful. From what Femus had noticed about his power, it was likely that he couldn't be confident of his odds of breaking out alone before he made level 15. And, even then, he would need the right set of skills. With Nira beside him, the two of them might be able to do it by level 10. Still, the two of them were both dependent on magic. They lacked the physical ability to simply keep fighting.

"We need to increase the amount of time that we can stay in combat. We can't bet everything on a single high power skill or lucky blow. I have no intention of throwing this life away for nothing, either yours or mine." He said seriously as he settled onto a ridge where a long rotted knot deformed the side of the hollow space. "I need to be able to attack repeatedly, beyond the expectations of any opponent. I've been training to increase my maximum magic capacity to achieve this. The results have been notable but limited. I managed to increase my maximum capacity by 50%, allowing me to cast three mana orbs before being exhausted. The training that I used was based on meditation but with certain changes."

Femus paused for a moment, giving Nira time to consider the implications of what he was going to teach her. Even if she didn't decide to use this particular modified form of meditation, he was still teaching her one of his secrets. It was a potent gesture of trust. He hoped it was the right move.

"Meditation is simple." He continued. "Block out the world around you, sensation, planning, worry, everything. Then regulate your breathing and focus inward and intensify your awareness of your body and the flow of magic that moves through you, using that flow to draw in the magic from the environment around you and replenish your supply." He paused again, though only for a moment. "However, to increase your capacity the way I did, you must intensify the flow. Make it faster and denser. Think of the pathways it follows as being like your veins and encourage those veins to grow larger and stronger, to hold more and more. Also, do not stop meditating when you have reached your maximum magic capacity. Stretch those mana veins by overfilling them and giving them time to adjust to being overfull. But, do not push too hard or you may invite unpleasant side effects." He paused again. This time he remained silent for nearly a full minute before he spoke again.

"Do you have any questions before we begin meditating?"

If Nira had no questions then he would simply begin meditating, following the very method that he had just described. However, he did add one element to his own meditation that he did not tell Nira to attempt. He sought to extend his aura and draw more mana into the surrounding area than he could absorb with his body. He was seeking to saturate the area around the two of them with ambient mana to speed their recovery. He was also hoping to be able to create a space where those lovely blue flowers would grow easily. He still hadn't given up hope of cultivating them but he knew that for the plant to give mana, it would need to gather it from the environment. Thus, he had to develop a way of increasing the environmental mana in an area. Even if the effect wasn't enough to cultivate the flowers, it could still be of use helping any allies he had recover their mana faster. It might even help their meditation skills improve to a point where it could be used while on the move.

---

"Um… if you’re talking about me, I’d… I’d rather you spoke to me." Scott said, his voice wavering slightly from his lack of breath, his eyes fixed on the man’s boot. “And… and I wasn’t running from the blast. I was hiding from a group of goblins. I used that explosion as… as a distraction… so I could run.”

He took notice of the goblin - but he didn’t look for too long. He instead focused up at the mountain of a man in front of him. It was strange to have to crane back his neck so far. He took a few steps backwards. Despite his comparative size, it was somewhat relieving to see a human. If there was one human, that meant there were other humans somewhere. Hopefully.

But this meant that he could have been right when he guessed that smoke was from humans! Probably not many, if they only had the one fire, but given almost everything he had met had tried to kill him... wait, what if this human tried to kill him? He was with a goblin, so maybe he wasn't exactly nice... but the goblin was hiding from him, and the man was talking to it - her? - as if it were a child, or at the least, an easily spooked adult.

"My name's Scott." he offered, looking between the two. "I, uh, don't know where exactly I am... b-but anything you could tell me would be a great help!" And then his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. "Or if you've some food to spare. Or water. Water would be better. I haven't really drank anything for... several days?"

Dismay turned to delight as the system message popped; for a moment it looked like the spell had failed, shattering once more before it could reach Oberon’s target, only for that to turn out to be the intended result of his new ability. It was satisfying to see it completed, and also something of a relief, as it had been harder to figure out than any other spell he had worked on so far. It was different it was from the others, not a projectile but an attack created directly on top of the target, something which he didn’t understand until after the spell had been created. If he had known earlier, or guessed it, he might have had an easier time.

Regardless, with Wind Break complete he now only had one more spell on his list of things to accomplish today; difficult or not he seemed to be progressing quickly and the abilities hadn’t taken as long to finish as he had worried. Did everybody learn new skills this quickly? From what he had seen all of his fellow reincarnated humans earned skills just as fast as he did, their lessons last night has made that clear, but what about other creatures? Humans?

Other monsters were probably limited by their intelligence, but what about the Humans, Elves and Dwarves and others? Did they advance as quickly when they set their minds to it? The thought reminded Oberon of something, which he quickly checked. “System: Open current experience.”

EXP: 60%

“Huh.” Since he had last checked he had gained exactly 20% experience towards his next level. Was that just from learning one spell alone, or a combination of things? His work on Wind Break probably contributed the bulk of it but maybe the little bit of experience he had earned for other skills in the process also added to his total? In either case it was a significant increase. Did this mean if he completed two more abilities he would level up again? Would creating a new ability be worth more or less than ranking up an existing one?

He’d have to keep a close eye on this in the future.

In the meantime he needed to get back to work. Now that he had finished distracting himself with playing around with the elements he wanted to return to the Wall spell and complete that; he had plenty of offense for the moment, now he needed a good defence to go with it. Earlier he had made progress by starting with a Mana Orb and casting Shield on it because that was how he had accidentally discovered the spell in the first place, but was that really the best approach? Wasn’t the Wall just a flat panel of solid Mana held between yourself and an attack, or was more than that required to defend against attack?

For now he was start with what worked. He formed a Mana Orb between his hands, holding it steady before casting Shield on it, the former absorbing the latter and beginning to change shape. Oberon let it unfold, becoming a flat pane of Mana, before holding it steady again. Like before it felt flimsy and weak, definitely not enough to stop an attack, so he began to compress the Mana like he did for the Mana Dart spell, making it smaller but hopefully also denser and stronger. He hadn’t wanted to make the Wall too small previously, but a shield that was too small was still better than a shield that was too weak.



@Zeroth

---

The dream ended and so did the young ratman's rest. Carefully opening an eye, he notices that he was still on the grass...and for some reason he can't seem to remember, he was also snuggling Mother Rat like how a child would to it's teddy bear. "Sorry." He says to Mother Rat as he finally releases her from the snuggle hug he had her in. After letting her escape, Ed sat up and groaned as his body was sore to say the least. He was sure that by the next day's dawn had arrived, his body would experience the full brunt of the physical activity he forced himself to go through. None the less, as he blinked away the sleep from his unexpected nap, he begins to rationalize the strange dream. He was unsure if it was a memory or if it was the time he was given a bird's eye view of the world when he evolved.

'Ok, ok...lets see if I can remember something like that.' The young ratman then knit his brows together as he tried to dig at his memory bank. 'It could be one of my memories of the hunting or camping trips dad and I go to sometimes. We always go to the woods near the outskirts of Twinbrook for those; but not many hills there though. Just a lot of trees, raccoons, and sometimes geese.' Ed frowned as he thought about the avian. 'Goddamn feathery assholes.' Ed does not like geese. Especially the Canadian variants.

After letting himself calm down a bit, he tries something out. He begins to focus on his own thoughts and contacts the System for a request. 'System, would you kindly perform an analysis on the most recent dream I experienced.' If he can't get a solid idea as to what the dream was, perhaps the seemingly omnipotent Sysyem may give him some answers.

---

---

Asteria took the parts she’d gathered from the scout, and left its body alone. She sniffed at herself cautiously, wary that she’d got too much of its scent on herself. It would be terrible if she’d once again managed to lead the ants to them once they moved out of carelessness. While Ed was still asleep, she experimented a bit with the part. The exoskeleton plates could be used as an armor if they weren’t too heavy, but first, she needed to drill some holes into it somehow. The best candidate for the tool were perhaps the mandible she’d managed to tear off. Not exactly precise and likely not to work, but this wasn’t something she could do with a hatchet, and there were no other tools available to try this with. So, she gripped one mandible with both paws, set it against a corner of one of the exoskeleton, held the plate still by crouching on the other part of it, and began drilling by hand. Really, she was just slowly turning the mandible in both hands, observing the effects on the plate. She gave it a few minutes to see the effect, taking care not to crack the plate on accident.

Then, she noticed Ed had stirred. “Oh, hey, great to see you up. Let’s gather all our things and head to the other side of the village. I don’t want risking more ants or more humans. Though I’m not sure we’ll be able to carry this all…” she glanced around. The bloodingfly stinger was still lodged in one of the ant’s neck, and she went over, pulling it out, and inspected its structural integrity. If it was too battered, she’d leave it be. Next, she stashed the Bloodingly’s stinger, as well as the proboscis and its needlelike end that were still lying around into the jar with next to the leather, four horned goat, and hex cat eye. It barely fit. So, if Ed takes all his items that leaves me the jar, the hatchet, and the assorted leftover ant parts. She could carry the jar and the hatched, as proven before, but the Myrmidor plates, mandibles, and legs…that would be a bit of a challenge. She tried wrapping the plates with the insect legs, a rather macabre endeavor. But what else could she use for rope? She’d seen the villagers had some rope items, but she wasn’t entirely sure how to make some herself. Hemp…fibre…Plants? She might muddle together something if she gave it a go, but making something usable might take too long. For now, she decided to harvest the nearby plant, and bundled the plates, legs, and mandibles with its stalk as best she could. This third bundle was something that Mother rat could carry, perhaps.

“Ed, will you take the last Healing herb and Nullven cone?” She directed absentmindedly as she waddled over to mother rat with the recently harvested Scout parts bundle. Putting a paw on the other rat in a soothing gesture, she made an enquiring squeak. She carefully put the bundle first on her back, wrapping the tail around it, looking at Mother rat as she demonstrated. Then, she moved the bundle to Mother’s back, and still looking at her, tapped the fellow rodent’s tail, chattering at her, and attempting to guide it to wrap around the items as she’d showed her. “Come on, hold it like this,” she muttered. Once the items were somewhat in position, she released Mother still observing her. If the Mother rat held onto the items, she would send a warm affirmative feeling through telepathy. Next, she went to grab the items she’d designed as hers – the hatchet and the jar – and turned back to Mother expectantly, watching whether she still held onto the bundle Asteria had put on her or not. If she did, then they could finally leave. If not, she’d try to get mother to carry the items once again. As soon as Ed was ready, however, she’d urge them all to leave.

---

The ratman turned to face Asteria. "I agree. This den is no longer a safe place to stay in but, if we need to move quickly, bringing all our things would be a challenge. Not to mention all the bug meat and parts...If we only had more containers." Ed commented as he began pondering what he could to to help the problem. The tall grass was certainly long enough for him to begin making a basic weaved mat. If he managed to make it big enough, they can just wrap the things they can't carry into one big weaved grass burrito. Making the carrying all of the things a little more easy. He wasn't used to making things from scratch but at least he had to try to make one, so at least he can say he gave it his all.

While doing this, Asteria asked him if he needed any of the curative plants they had. He only had one question to ask. "Nah, the first one was sufficient in fixing up the more severe wounds; plus we may need it in an emergency in the future...Also, what the heck is a Nullven cone? Sounds like an ice cream name from one of them fancy ice cream stores." Ed had no idea what the names of the plants were. His analysis skills for plants and materials were still developing. So instead he asked the System. 'System, in addition to the dream analysis, please define what is a Nullven Cone?' The young ratman thought as a follow up to his previous request.

"State-us..." Miiba sounded out quietly after the farmer had spoken. Suddenly--

You are Well Rested.
You are Peckish.
Your throat is Dry.
Your HP is full.
Your MP is full.
Your SP is full.
You are fine.

Before Lear could answer her question about going to the temple if she didn't look like a goblin anymore, the Pixie that had run out in front of them opened its mouth. Showing the most emotion that he had since Miiba had met him, the burly country man's eyes bugged to the point it seemed they might burst out of his head. He suddenly turned to Miiba in shock, raising one eyebrow before he looked back at the fae creature.

"My name's Scott." the Pixie offered, looking between the two. "I, uh, don't know where exactly I am... b-but anything you could tell me would be a great help!" And then his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. "Or if you've some food to spare. Or water. Water would be better. I haven't really drank anything for... several days?"

"Uh!" Lear shook himself, slapping one of his own cheeks lightly. Then he looked down at Scott. His large, fuzzy eyebrows furrowed.

"Hold on there, Pixie--if that's really what you are!" He gestured to Miiba. "It's one thing for Goblins to talk! They can speak, even if it's not usually Human language! But I've never heard one of you little pests do more than laugh and screech! Where did you come from, and how'd you learn our language!?"

While the pixie answered, presumably, Lear glanced back at Miiba and leaned towards her, whispering out of the corner of his mouth. "You know this Pixie, Miiba? Was he back in your cave with you?"

---

It seemed obvious that Femus had put a great deal of thought into his methods of Meditation. If Nira listened and practiced well, would it possibly accelerate her own development of the skill? As the two settled down, with the one blue flower Nira had remaining nearby, the goblins outside could be heard starting to celebrate. Aside from that, the rest of the forest had calmed down considerably.

The hollow tree they had taken residence in wasn't quite as old, or as large, as that great old tree near the center of the forest, but it was plenty big enough to provide shelter and sustenance for the single Wisp that had secured himself a space here, and the pixie girl to boot. Though Femus had been trying to intentionally create an area of denser mana, so that he could recover more easily, it also seemed that this environment in general was a good place to soak in the ambience of energy.

Your MP is Full.

It only took a few minutes of meditating, after he explained things to Nira, and he was back to a hundred percent. However, before the fight with the rat, he had gained "temporary extra MP." Could he possibly do this again--and could he make it denser, like those Qi manipulators in the Wuxia novels he used to read? How much of this world would be like those places, places where someone could be reincarnated in order to become a cultivation master? Or, was it just more like a video game? They had both already leveled up several times, after all.

But as they sat there, their meditation session was suddenly interrupted by a shrill giggle. If they looked up, they would see that somewhere above them, through another crack in the hollowed tree's bark, a different Pixie was peeking in on them. The creature's huge eyes glimmered as it watched them, but when it saw that it had been noticed it fluttered away...however, they could still hear it outside, laughing. It didn't seem to speak, especially not in a proper language like Nira--more than likely it was one of the "wild" Pixies. But...was it a threat?

---

ERROR. Skill Progression is already enabled.

Momma Slime recoiled from the memories Asura passed on to her. She rolled a few feet away, and wobbled back and forth with a low gurgling sound.

"But...hurt bad. Not like. How hurt make hurt not hurt? Make bad not bad? Not like how hurt...feel. Not like see Ahsoowa hurt. Make feel...bad? Like me hurt when me not hurt?" The big slime seemed oddly contemplative. She continued to burble and mumble to herself as she brought up the bowhorn deer's remains, semi-regurgitating part of them onto the ground so that she could "chew" the smaller pieces.

Meanwhile, Ardur began work on his project. The first task he took on was coating the rest of his tendons in the sap from the tree, and finding a sharp rock if necessary to cut a wider gash in the bark.

Your Tamed Creature has learned the Skill: Poison Fang I!
Inject venom through a bite. May poison the target, causing damage over time.

You are using Crafting I to process several items...

Each time Ardur completed a stage in his task, the System kept track. Coating the tendons in sap counted as "processing" them, and seemed to make them more durable. Stripping the tree bark into rough fibers was a little difficult, as the Kao Tree's bark didn't grow in parchment thin layers like some other species' of trees back in the Old World. Once he had the fibers, he was able to wind them together into rough rope...but this process took a little while to get the hang of, and the less successful attempts left him with little more than frayed string. What was more, it was hard to get longer fibers or sheets of bark. The Kao Tree's bark grew in rough layers almost like scales, but each individual piece was quite small. It would take several bark pieces' worth of fiber to make a cord, and then multiple cords twined together to make something long enough to be useful.

Using the Flak Beetle's thorax and abdominal shell, the Hipixie was able to make a sort of bracer around his forearm. The two plates that had once covered the beetle's wings now covered each side of his arm below the elbow, leaving only a thin strip exposed on either side. A third plate covered the back of his hand, leaving his fingers free but remaining flexible enough that he could move his wrist. The sharp rock could, if he applied a generous amount of force, eventually drill holes in the plate and then the coated tendons could be used to fasten it around his limb.

A similar process was done with the flat bone plates, and Ardur was able to hang the primitive armor over his shoulders by the tendons like a sort of spaghetti-strap breastplate. The plates covered his pectorals and solar plexus, and part of his collar bone.

Making enough of the cordage to go around his own thin waist was a weary process, much less if he wanted to make something long enough to serve as rope. Coating it with sap helped the fibers stick together better and reduced fraying at the ends, though, so maybe it would last long enough to serve his purpose. Threading it through leaves and grass, he was able to fashion himself a skirt like some kind of hula dancer. It was a little bit itchy, but at least it gave him some form of coverage and perhaps some camoflauge in the woods.

The Rubber Frog, having been hollowed out by Asura...could pretty much be used as a bag already, it seemed. It was rather gooey and still sort of bloody on the inside, but by letting the frog's mouth serve as the "flap" on top and tying its boneless arms and leg together the Hipixie was able to create a gristly, but functional, backpack.

Without the Material Analysis skill, which still hadn't triggered for him, Ardur couldn't tell exactly what quality his created items were simply by looking at them. Only by carefully observing would he notice things like frayed fibers in the cord, bits of gristle in the tendons, cracks in the beetle's shell, and so on. Still, he was much better covered and armed than he had been before, and that was something to be thankful for. As the pixie began to pray, the area was quiet save for the sounds of Asura attempting to eviscerate himself and the occaisonal thump as Steve hit him with her improvised flail.

The weather was nice, despite the explosion that had rocked the surrounding lands only about an hour ago. A light breeze began to blow, rustling the trees. Clouds overhead raced through a bright blue sky, and the sun beamed down. As Ardur offered his own Mana to pray for guidance, he could feel the warmth of the sun through his translucent wings and on his delicate skin. At one point, the clouds covered the sun and cut off this warmth...but in only a few moments, as he started his next prayer, it once again peeked out. This time it felt even brighter.

When he opened his eyes again, they had to readjust for several seconds due to just how brightly the sun beamed. He felt the wind rustle his hair, as it blew towards the south along the mountain range's side.

By this point, Asura would be in need of a good healing. The pain he had caused himself, and that Steve inflicted at his own urging, had grown more intense. To the point that any sane person would likely question just why they were doing this to themselves. But, as the Hipixie cast Minor Heal and the Amorphous's slime's body began to glow slightly, it paid off.

Skill Gain: Earth Resistance I! (0.9 > 1.0)
Take less damage from Earth and Earth Elemental Magic. If all other Elemental Resistances are acquired, this will also increase the rank of Magic Resistance.

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.

Your HP is full.

Obtained Items:
+Beetle Bracer - This item for your Arm makes you feel slightly tougher.
+Bone Breastplate - This item for your Torso makes you feel slightly tougher.
+Grass Skirt - This item is fragile and flammable, but serves as decent clothing.
+Rubber Frogskin Backpack - This item is more elastic than it looks. Can hold 15 Small Items. The number of items held may be affected by larger items that take up more space. It is more durable than most raw materials due to its rubbery composition, but without proper care it may degrade over time.
+Sharp Stone
+Beetle Mandible - Rather hard and sharp on its own, it might be sturdy enough to refine...

---

Asteria was able to drill a hole into the plate from the insect's shell with its own mandible--like steel on steel, it seemed the sharp mandible was just as strong as the chitin that made up the shell. This proved that she would be able to craft something with these various items. Retrieving the Bloodingfly Needle, she shoved as much as she could into her stolen clay jar. After hastily weaving some cordage out of the long grasses on the plains, she lashed the rest of the items into a bundle. While she was teaching Mother Rat how to carry this bundle, Ed wove himself a crude mat to wrap around his own loot. He also questioned the System about his dream, and about the purplish plant Asteria handed him.

ERROR. You do not possess the requisite skill to perform the requested task:
"System, would you kindly perform an analysis on the most recent dream I experienced."

ERROR. You have not yet activated the Developing Skill Plant Analysis.

You have crafted an item! Without activating the Developing Skill, Material Analysis, you cannot be sure of the item's quality.

Obtained Item: Grass Mat

It took several tries to teach Mother Rat how to balance the load on her back. At first she didn't want to carry it at all, until Asteria reassured her via telepathy. Then it took her some time to get it properly balanced, and to understand what Asteria was trying to teach her about using her tail for leverage. However, eventually the rats were all packed up, and they began to take a roundabout path, sweeping in a great arc as they headed around the village and headed further towards the south.

The village now seemed to be bustling, several figures were moving around. They all seemed to be gathering in the center of the little hamlet, around the four shrines the old woman had been tending to. The two with spears that had approached Ed while he played dead were now speaking to the rest from inside the large circle of packed earth. The old woman, as well as another elder wearing a headdress with many bird feathers placed in it to form a sort of mane that spilled down his back, also stepped up every so often to say something. But the rats' senses could only see enough to make out the large number of humans and hear the general volume of their conversation--while they maintained a safe distance they couldn't make out any specifics.

Soon they had left their den, and the numerous Myrminor bodies, behind...Were they going to try and observe the village from a distance, or keep heading to the south, further into the plains? Or, might they try and go in another direction--West towards the mountains perhaps, or east off into...more plains, but possibly also other things?

---

As Danny practiced shadowboxing, he soon began to feel more comfortable in his new body. He wasn't very strong or fast in the grand scheme of things, but he soon grew more coordinated. And despite a general lack of strength, with proper form he could still deliver a decent wallop to something around the same size as himself. If they had still been back in the cave, he would have been in a much better position now that he had both magic and physical abilities to rely on.

Suddenly, he felt something cold touching him. His hazy Spiritual Awareness would allow him to see the ripples in the air where Jason seemed to be--and then, he heard an eerie voice echoing within his own mind...

"That's excellent news, Danny! Can you hear me now?"

Skill Unlocked! Telepathy II (2.725) is now functioning again!
You remember how to use a skill you possessed in life. The difference in your present form has been overcome; the trauma to your magical powers has healed. So long as you do not experience a similarly violent shift in your existence, this skill will remain functional if you take on a new form.

However, as the two pressed through the woods, something soon came to their attention. There were several sets of goblin-sized footprints on the ground, as well as a few dropped or squished berries here and there. Perhaps it was those goblins from the cave--if it was, they had gone further on to the east, changing their course only a little. With so many of them present, it wasn't hard to find further evidence of their trail.

But before Jason and Danny could decide what they wanted to do--

"Why yas blamin' me!? Youse da one dat didn't grab 'im fast enuff!"

"Ya, but youse didn't see da dum pixie ta start wiff! Now we gots to go even deepa inta da woods--can't go back home wiff nuttin'!"

Three Goblins came out of the bushes. They stopped and did a double set of double takes--the first time, they were looking at the same tracks Danny and Jason had found. They seemed confused, but also slightly afraid of the goblin tracks despite being the same type of creature. Then they seemed even more confused--and slightly bloodthirsty--at the sight of a seemingly lone Poltergeist.

These goblins looked slightly different than the ones Jason and Danny were used to seeing. Their nostrils were thinner--almost slit-like--and at first glance it seemed like they had shorter fingers and toes, but in reality...it almost looked like they had thinner membranes of skin going almost up to the second knuckle. Yet they were still green, they were still about three and a half feet tall, and they were still armed and mean. One carried a pointy stick--its end had been split and wedged apart with a small rock, making it into a multi pronged spear like one might used for fishing. Another carried a sturdy piece of branch as a cudgel. The last had a sharp rock, and a few lengths of vine that had been made into a crude net.

"Dat ting looks weak! Get it!"

They charged forward...

---

Despite the purple particles being rarer than others, Ash had gathered them together and discarded the rest. Now she placed a single iota of purple mana into the center of the diminished orb, to give the rest of them something to orbit...

Her Mana Orb shrank significantly. It turned a deeper, more solid shade of her chosen color. She could hear a slight...hissing sound. Just like the Fanged Lizard's venom upon making contact with the air. But a great deal of Mana had been discarded. And she had to expend more every moment. The orb still seemed...cloudy. Like vapor fogging over a bathroom mirror. And now--

You have no MP remaining.

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.

As her Mana Vision faded and the Mana Orb dissipated, Ash was left to ponder the results of her experiment. So, clearly, manipulating the squares, or pixels, particles, whatever they were, changed the nature of her spell. But it seemed she needed a larger amount of her chosen color or type to complete the change from a normal Mana Orb to a poison-themed one, or else needed more Mana to maintain it. Twice now, she had simply run out of fuel for the attempt. Yet if purple was a rarer color, was there a way to create more of it? She had seen her venom cause a reaction, and had been able to cause a similar reaction on her own. Maybe she could just stack or combine the effects. But would that defeat her purpose, creating poison solely by means of magic? How else might she gain a higher number or concentration of the specific particle she wanted?

Outside, Torrent also had to take a different route towards her goal. She couldn't hold enough air in her lungs--she wasn't a living pressure tank, after all--to generate her desired breath attack. But...what if she used the air she was blowing, as well as her Mana, to move the air in front of her? Using her previous experiences with the Fireball spell as a base, she made one more attempt...

She gathered air, she focused, she visualized, she felt her Mana surge. More practice, more effort, more power. Just like her previous attempt had pushed those leaves across the water like tiny sailboats, she now used her breath to try and push the air itself.

Skill Gain: Wind Breath I (0.8 > 1.0)!
A Wind-aligned breath skill. The breath itself is used as a medium to channel Mana, though some creatures may have the ability to generate forces of extreme air pressure. At this rank, the Skill deals very little damage to most targets but can push an object or enemy away with great force. It is released as a cone in front of the user and remains effective at a range up to ten feet, growing more intense the closer the target is to the user.

You used Magic Analysis I!
---Wind Breath---
This is your own skill. You can feel the Mana concentrate in your lungs after inhaling to infuse the air. This Wind Mana is then released by blowing, and spreads in a ripple effect to the atmosphere. The increase in pressure causes movement away from you, towards lower pressures--in essence, wind.

She exhaled hard, blowing until her cheeks were sore, and the wind seemed to ripple with the lightest of sparkles. A faint, light green haze rippled on the breeze as it increased in intensity with a shrill whistle. Her newborn breath skill traveled across the stream, strong enough now to actually whip up waves and spray from the water and send it splashing across the opposite bank.

Once she had recovered and processed this, she made ready to finish off her ice breath as well. For Wind Breath, it had taken that last little tidbit about the mechanics of the technique--pushing the air outside her body, not just blowing from the inside--to solve the puzzle. For this, however, it seemed like she already had a grasp of everything needed to make it work--it just took more Mana, more power.

She visualized. Not just memory, not just imagination, but feeling. Touch, pain, cold, the sound of snow crunching under moving vehicles, packing down into ice. Solid ice. Frozen ice. She blew, harder, she forced her Mana into the frosty chill she felt in her throat...

The air crackled as Torrent released a blue-white fog, but unlike her wet Fog Breath this was more concentrated and faster. Much like her Wind Breath it whipped over the stream--and where it touched the water, again the cracking sound rang out. Crystals, star-like and hard enough to have a glinting edge, filled the icy cloud. A layer of slush and powder began to form over the stream, before Torrent could no longer hold the exhalation.

Skill Gain: Frost Breath I (0.8 > 1.0)!
An Ice-aligned Breath skill. Mana is used to lower the temperature of a volume of air within the body; often, any present moisture is condensed into the breath as well. At this rank, the skill deals smaller amounts of damage maintained over time, as ice builds up on the target. At this rank the breath must be concentrated into a line, though its effectiveness holds out up to a range of ten feet. Has a possibility of slowing down an effected target's movement. May be less effective in hot or dry environments.

LEVEL UP!
Your learning experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 9! Your Max MP has increased! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please!

Unspent Skill Points: 5

Current Skills:
Stun Fang II (2.3)
Muffle III (3.025)
Poison Spit II (2.0)
Poison Glob I (1.75)
Fireball II (2.025)
Stealth Kill I (1.05)
Minor Recovery I (1.0)
Fire Resistance I (1.2)
Rabid Fit I (1.0)
Meditate I (1.65)
Tremor Sense I (1.7)
Soil Manipulation I (1.1)
Underground Movement I (1.55)
Monster Analysis I (1.225)
Magic Analysis I (1.9)
Material Analysis I (1.175)
Plant Analysis I (1.175)
Scale Shift I (1.55)
Overwork I (1.0)
Analysis (--)
Mental Resistance I (1.2)
Spell Cancel I (1.05)
Sensory Resistance I (1.0)
Dual Cast (--)
Guidance I (1.0)
Wurm Breath I (1.25)
Aqua Stream I (1.1)
Fog Breath I (1.05)
Wind Breath I (1.0)
Frost Breath I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE>
Crafting (0.2)
Alchemy (0.4)
Alert (0.4)
Warcry (0.3)
Poison Fang (0.3)
Blunt Resistance (0.8)
Smash (0.2)
Magic Break (0.1)
Suppress Presence (0.3)
Spiritual Awareness (0.4)
Prehensile Tail (0.1)
Fortify (0.5)
Spell Chant (0.4)
Focus (0.6)
Flame Burst (0.3)
Slash (0.2)
Curse Word (0.3)
Stronger (0.1)
Dragon Affinity (0.4)
Air Read (0.1)

Oberon, too, had another experiment to conduct. This time, he would make another attempt at the Wall spell. As he created a Mana Orb, then cast Shield on it, he allowed it to take its desired shape. When the sphere became a plane, he began to compress it. It took on the color of the Shield spell's aura, but maintained the Mana Orb's density, then began to shrink. It became translucent, then finally opaque, and its light became contained as if it were caught within a jar. Yet the Sprite received no acknowledgement from the System. What else did he need? What else could he do? He had already spent the MP required for both a Mana Orb and a Shield...could the Wall spell require more Mana than that? Shield seemed to use the Mana spent to bolster a target's defenses, entering or at least conducting itself through their body. Mana Orb, Mana Dart, and the like were just buzzing lights, pure magic, but they were short lived attacks that lasted only as long as it took to reach their target. If Wall was a construct of some type, Mana given and maintaining a physical shape...maybe that meant it simply had a much higher cost? Or was there still something missing in his method...?