"I see..." Lear looked between Scott and Miiba for a few moments, tapping one boot against the ground. "Unless you're both lying to me about knowing each other, and have set up this elaborate plot beforehand...It lends both of you some credence." He turned to the goblin girl. "Miiba was a young girl, and you," he looked back at Scott, "were a teenage boy. And you both came from a world--maybe the same one--with no magic." He rubbed his chin. "I guess I could have tried this earlier, but it only just now came to me after hearing the two of you talk about your worlds not having magic or monsters. Do the terms "arpeeji" or "mongah" mean anything to you?"

He waited a few moments to hear their answers, but it seemed like he already expected what they had to say. He also waited for Scott to answer Miiba's questions as well, then broke in at the next opportune moment.

"Scott, Miiba mentioned a "shadow man" that she saw before she woke up as a Goblin. Do you remember such a figure? Did they give you any kind of...quest? Or...a special ability? Something you haven't seen other monsters use?"

Lear did not seem like the scholarly sort, nor the dishonest one. Yet it was clear the gears in his head were turning, perhaps quite intensely, and he seemed to be reaching a conclusion of some kind. What that meant for Scott and Miiba--and their current relationship status with this man--was anyone's guess.

---

As the Giant Rat took off with Digbie in tow, Oberon hurled a desperate Fireball high over the rodent's head. It hit the ground a few feet in front of the animal and immediately flared up, consuming several of the bushes and roots along the forest floor. The rat's forepaws scrabbled at the earth as it pulled up short. Light surrounded Digbie as he hung from the predator's jaws and the energies of Shield wrapped around his body. It was good timing, too, as Torrent chose that moment to charge directly through the flames.

She could feel the heat licking her scales; her Fire Resistance seemed to help a great deal, but it still stung. To this conflaguration she added her own patented variation of Fireball, and the rat squealed as the explosion set its greasy, matted fur on fire. In the process it dropped Digbie, just as the goblin was swinging a magically charged kick at its face.

Digbie felt the familiar weight of Earth Mana flowing through his body, and his leg was surrounded by a golden aura as he punted the ROUS square in the nose. There was a crackling sensation in his limb, and though he felt no pain he could tell that the flames around him were swiftly burning away the Shield. Moments later, however, Ash's soothing magic surrounded him and Torrent, healing what little damage they had taken thus far.

The rat thrashed in agony, reared up on its haunches and covering its doubly injured face in its tiny hands. Oberon's Mana Slice caught it just above its ankles, cutting off its back legs as well as its tail. Still burning, the giant mammal gave one last desperate shriek as it tried to pull itself towards the stream...but the pain was too much. The Giant Rat went into shock, as its hide sizzled and smoked. Then it died.

At this point, the sun was well on its way to setting over the mountains. Long fingers of red light fell over the campsite, and shadows were creeping up from the base of the trees. Oberon and Torrent had created a rapidly spreading flame in the brush that made quite the light display...

---

ERROR. System is already monitoring Health Points and Stamina Points. Command "Full Display" not recognized.

You are taking Poison Damage!
The poison is beginning to fade...

Asura wasted no time in immediately trying to capture the Bugbear. As he used his Limited Shapeshift to give his body a "sticky" quality, he still felt the immense weight and impact of the goblinoid's foot as it slammed down on top of him. That poison was still burning through his system as well--if he had to guess, based on how he had felt during past battles, he was probably around halfway through his HP.

But his strategy worked--by Clinging to the ground, Asura was able to trip up the Bugbear. By this time Ardur had ordered Steve to use her webbing, and her upgraded Web Spit had increased its range so that she didn't have to get any closer to the creature than she already was. As the big monster fell forward, it caught itself with one hand--which was promptly stuck to the ground by webbing. While Ardur cast Shield on his fist in preparation, Momma Slime rolled forward at full speed. She clocked the Bugbear right across its chin before bowling on through, rolling in a wide arc so that she would soon be able to repeat the attack.

The Bugbear shook his hairy head and grabbed a Pointy Stick from the back of his hips, where it had been looped through the ratskins he wore. With this improvised spear he began trying to pry the webbing off of his hand in a panic--just before Ardur's powerful strike crunched into his kneecap. The creature let out a bloodcurdling roar.

And then two humans burst out of the underbrush.

The boy was too tall for a child, but too scrawny to be an adult. He lacked facial hair, but had a subtle athleticism and maturity in his features. Most would probably place him somewhere between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. He wore a thick, long sleeved garment that didn't look exactly like wool or cotton, but wasn't made of leather either. It was a dark, earthy brown color, while his trousers were a lighter shade. His gloves and boots were matched, leather laced with rawhide, buckled with metal, and dyed solid black. Over all this he wore a thick cloak colored a rough forest green, patched here and there with bits of brown or other shades of green. It might have been a bad attempt at blending in, but seemed more likely due to the age of the garment. He held a smaller kind of round shield in one hand, and a sword in the other that seemed appropriate for his size, but still a little heavy for him.

The second figure was clearly an adult, tall and broad of shoulder. He wore full plate, with the vulnerable areas covered by maille. Trunks of the chain mesh seemed to be attached to the doublet worn under the armor--of a similar style to the heavy garment the boy wore--and the underarms had small curtains of it actually riveted to the cuirass and pauldrons. The armor had a gothic style with fluted decoration and articulated joints, but it did not gleam in the sun--rather, it seemed to have been painted or burnished with something that kept it smooth, but dulled its sheen. A bit to the opposite that one might have expected, the only places where the metal underneath gleamed in the sun were places where small scratches and pockmarks, perhaps older dents that had been buffed out, showed through under the burnishing. Despite this seemingly impregnable gear, the man also carried a kite-shaped shield. It was split into two colors, blue and cream, and bore a black sigil shaped like a portcullis. Like the boy he wore a sword at his hip, but it was much more splendid in design. At the same time, another loop on his belt held a flanged mace, and hanging from the leather on a chain was a slightly ornate dagger.

"There it is, sir, I didn't lose it after all! But...what?" The boy had his shield held up in front of him, and the point of his sword peeked around its edge as if prepared for a thrust. Slowly, he began edging towards the battle, but he kept a careful eye on all of these different monsters...

"Other predators will take advantage of weakened prey, boy! Watch yourself!" the knight called out. One hand rested on the pommel of his own weapon, but he watched from a little further away as the fighting continued...

---

As Ed shivered in the wind, nothing yet had happened near his end of the barrow. Up on top of the mound, however, Asteria concentrated her Mana to the tip of her claw and began to trace the strange sigils on the turning plates...In doing so, she caused them to begin to move. As the plates turned, the shadows cast by the large moon overhead fell over each of them. It was a thin, light shadow, for after all moonlight was only a reflection of sunlight. But as Asteria traced the sigils, her own Mana left a tiny spark of its own light...and at one point, she felt--not mechanically, but intuitively--something click. Almost naturally she was drawn to the second panel. Again, after a few moments, it felt right in place. And the same for the third.

Suddenly, some of the symbols began to stand out. Her Mana seemed to linger. And her eyes lost focus for a moment...before she could read them.



But there was no jingle, no sound of opening doors, no click of a lock giving way. The panels could be moved just as easily as before. They simply refused to make sense in any other configuration...up until about a minute had passed. Then they stopped making sense at all again--until, once more, they lined up properly with the shadow cast by the moon. The only change was that 7:45 became 7:46.

Once she heard Ed calling her and returned, Asteria read the warning on the plaque and then ventured using her Mana Sense...

You used Mana Sense I!
You feel an uneasy peace surrounding this place. There is a reverence here. It is as if you are being watched.

---

"Gotcha, dum ting!" the spear goblin crowed, but as Danny jerked away it lost its grip on its weapon. The greenskin clenched both fists with a screech. It lunged at the Poltergeist, or it would have, if Jason hadn't picked that moment to deliver a ghostly sacktap full of rage. The difference this time, however, was that as Ghost Touch activated, Jason's misty form actually became visible not only to Danny, but the other goblin as well. It wasn't his entire body, only the dense "fist" he had formed, nonetheless it appeared with a flash of blue-white, flame-like energy surrounding it as it rocketed into the goblin's low hanging fruit. The monster's battle-cry turned into a long, high pitched creen as it froze in place. One eye twitched for a moment, before both eyeballs rolled back into its head and it fell like a log.

Danny brought his stolen weapon around in both hands. The air seemed to ripple around it as he channeled his Lesser Force, in an attempt to swing faster, hit harder...and that soft red outline appeared around the weapon as well as he activated Point Strike. The disarmed Cudgel Goblin tried to block, but it had nothing in its hands.

CRACK!

Chipping a piece of wood out of the cudgel's top, Danny split the Goblin's scalp wide open. The thin skin bled heavily, but the bone underneath was far more important. The monster's eyes bugged out as its cranium was smashed inward, bits of gray matter and dark blood staining the heavy club. Danny had struck it right where the plates of the skull met, and smashed the bone like a piece of pottery. The goblin spun in place with a gurgling convulsion before it dropped like a sack of topapoes.

They couldn't see the one with the net anymore--from the sound of something crashing through the brush, he had high tailed it out of there now that it was clear things were going badly for his party. One fled, one dead, and one...unconscious?

Asura was midly surprised that he could change that particular quality of himself. The bugbear stepped in him and like gum he stuck and tripped the larger being to fall down. Watching as he caught himself on one hand that immediately got webbed by Steve. Well this would work nicely for larger and potentially more powerful foes. Stick them to the ground and then clobber their head and other vulnerabilities. Ardur came in and just curb stomped the bugbears knee after Mother Slime went across the bugbears face, so Asura released the leg.

But the reason the bugbear had run came up pretty damn quick. Asura tried to analyze the young human, elder human, and the bugbear to see their threat levels. Honestly he wondered if Rattleskull was just a power fluke because he ruled the cave. If all bugbears were high leveled he wanted to know, maybe find a way to grind them until they were 'grays'.

"Ardur...could really use that heal now..." He muttered as he moved further from the humans. Especially since the kid was moving closer slowly. "Mother Slime, get back to the burrow." He said as he shifted into a more humanoid shape, at least from a waist up perspective. He held his arms up and palms facing the humans. "It's yours if you want it. I've no desire to come against you lot." Asura stated, trying to use universal body language considering his tone was neutral.

Monsters could be strong on a base level like in games. But equipment always gave a boost of some sort, especially when quality was concerned. You could have two longswords, but the mastercraft will wipe the floor with the poor quality one. None of the monsters present save for the bugbear had any equipment. Well except Ardur's armor and a makeshift poker with a flakbeetle mandible. They'd be easy pickings for the platemail wearer. The youth could probably be taken down via teamwork. But that would be for much later. Assuming the group lived through this.

Ardur The Mighty Hipixie

Bring her down > Humans? /// Adventuring day 5 // Afternoon / Location - Forest

Ardur’s hit to the bugbear’s knee was satisfying. The shield spell still worked at least how he somewhat wanted it too. Turing around after his pass he stopped himself before attempting to strike again. He could see now what the brute was running from, “Humans?” thinking aloud in this situation was not the best idea given their circumstances. While he floated there for just a moment longer, he used Monster Analysis I on the humans, the bugbear, and the rest of his party. Honestly, he shouldn’t forget about the skills he has gained so easily.

The high pixie slowly fluttered down to his slime friend to cast Minor Heal I on him, “Let’s go this way” suggesting they go south towards were guidance told him to go earlier. “It’s downhill; water will be down that way most likely.” His eyes never left the two humans, mostly the younger one who seemed a bit more jumpy then the other.

“Come on Steve.” He called to his spider friend while slowly making his way to the meat he had dried. Picking up the meat and eyeing the two humans, “Come on let’s leave the humans to play with the bugbear.” The high pixie began to slowly make his way away from the group and the near unwelcome visitors, “Hey Kid.” Pausing for a moment before continuing south. “May the sun protect you and guide your blade.” He did this while using Inspiration I hopefully this would help them out and maybe brand them as non-threatening at the very least. waiting for a moment for his friendly slimes before continuing south.

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu

Having killed one the Goblins Danny forced himself to turn around to deal with the one behind him, unaware that Jason had already knocked him out. When he saw the unconscious Greenskin he lifted his cudgel and prepared to do the same thing but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not only didn't he have the strength the Poltergeist hated the thought of killing another sentient being in cold blood.

Instead he decided to loot the Goblin's body, looking for any healing items. "Jason, I'm gonna see if he has anything that can help me. Keep an eye on him would you?" He was surprised at how weak his voice sounded but knew he couldn't worry too much about that right since panicking wouldn't help. After he was done looting he moved on to the dead Goblin, trusting his partner to help him if the Goblin came too despite hating the fact the had to turn his back to him again. He briefly wondered if it wouldn't have been better to let the undead Slime check the bodies but since Danny couldn't really do anything if they were attacked again he had to deal with the pain that came with lifting bodies and just moving.

---

Ash landed next to the now deceased Rat, briefly checking to make sure everyone was alright. Seemed like everyone was fine. Any damage they sustained was minimal, and that was taken care of with her healing magic. Come to think of it...shouldn't she test to see the properties of that as well? She should try to remember doing that from now on, though doing it during a fight was a bit much to ask for in her opinion.

Well, no matter.

"Well, everyone is fine. Wonderful. Someone needs to put out that fire." Glancing over to the rat, she rubbed her claws together before dragging the corpse away from the fire. "If no one minds, I'll start the skinning process. If anyone wants something do tell. I think I can make things well enough now that I've gotten the hang of it." She flourished her spear to emphasize her point. So for now Ash began her dissections, using Material Analysis, Mana Sense, Magic Analysis, an Monster Analysis on the various monster parts she had cut up. While she worked, there was just one more thing she was curious about.

"System, show experience." If anyone wanted a particular part, she'd give it to them or try to make something with it later.

---

@Zeroth@Duthguy

As the last goblin went down, and Kakky Oin fled into the woods, Jason huffed a sigh of relief, "System, display level progress.". Strangely enough, though the cudgelblin was dead, and his soul was no longer within its body, Jason was unable to see it at all anymore, as he squinted to try and discern if it was floating over the dead body, just as he had when he died. Recalling back to when he'd used [Spiritual Awareness] back when possessing the dead slime's body, Jason surmised that the goblin was just currently further into the spiritual plane than he could naturally detect. Perhaps this meant that the active form of [Spiritual Awareness] was akin to going 'deeper' into the astral plane? Did that mean other things within that colorless world could in turn see him? What about things that still lurked even further beyond his senses? He shuddered at the thought. As Danny asked him to keep watch, Jason was perfectly happy to cover his comrade's back. While the poltergeist was looting, Jason carefully scanned the perimeter for any oncoming threats, and used [Mana Drain] on both of the downed goblins to replenish his mana. As he did so, another thought crossed his mind; back when he had regained [Telepathy], the system had said something about a wound in his powers being healed... Was this spiritual 'wound' perhaps the cause of the strange prickling sensation he'd felt in his core? Continuing to ponder as he repeatedly scanned the surrounding area, Jason took a break for a moment to try something else since he doubted the goblins had any healing objects on them, since they hadnt used any in the fight. Floating to the ground; pressing himself against the soil, Jason focused his thoughts, and cycled his mana similarly to how Zieglar had. "Oh mighty spirits of the earth-" he began, activating [Guidance], "please guide me unto what may heal my ally, that I may help him to mend his wounds." patiently, Jason awaited any form of answer.

---

Torrent stretched as the rat died, looking back at the fire. The lights and shadows reminded her of when she was first developing Wurm Breath when those shadows had moved weird on the wall. Maybe she was seeing things.

"I'll deal with the fire," Torrent announced, moving and using her Water Stream to control the edges of the fire and put it out from the outside in.

I don't know if I've been talking to nothing, or if there's something actually listening, but if there is I hope you're pleased, she thought as she activated her Guidance ability before she was had an idea.

It was too late to continue working on the light skill, but what if you could control light what about the opposite? If fog was something she could make, what was to say she couldn't make shadows? As she worked to put out the fire, she extended her power into the areas around her covered in shadows when she wasn't spraying water, and tried to see if she couldn't draw it back into herself from there.

If she was able to succeed, she would see if she couldn't condense the energy into a ball shape in her mouth, much like how she formed a Fireball but made of shadows.

Almost as suddenly as it had begun the fight was over; the combined attacks of the four of them together was too much for the ROUS to handle and the creature died in pain while desperately trying to get away from them. As the last echoes of its shriek faded away and the only sounds left were the gentle babbling of the stream and the crackling of a burgeoning forest fire, Oberon couldn’t find it in him to feel happy about this victory.

Ash was the first to move, sounding a little too cheerful about the prospect of cutting the oversized rodent apart and bringing the Sprite’s attention back to the rapidly spreading flames from the Fireball he had thrown a moment ago. By the time Oberon had gotten himself together to do something about it, Torrent already seemed to have the situation well in hand, leaving him to just keep an eye on things and to lend a hand if needed. It probably would have been better to use earth rather than water to smother the fire, but neither he nor Torrent had access to that kind of magic as far as he knew; though the Lesser Wurm could probably just fling dirt over it given the way she could dig.

The sun was starting to set over their camp, the bright, clean light of day turning red as shadows began to stretch across the ground. It would probably be time for them to retreat to their cave soon, seeking shelter from the dark until the morning when they would need to deal with the meeting with the Goblin tribe from earlier; it felt like so long ago now since Rags Nar had found them after the Black Knight had blown up the mountain as a warning. It had been a long day.

He watched the long, thing shadows of the treelines as they grew, stretching towards him like skeletal fingers, and was reminded of something he had seen within the analysis of the Giant Rat. Among the creature’s weaknesses and strengths, the system had listed two new elements that he was not familiar with or had experienced yet; shadow and poison. The Sprite had already considered the idea of Shadow magic being a thing, in opposition to his own Light magic, but poison was new; possibly the system was referring to actual poison, like the globs and spit that Torrent and Ash used in combat, but the way it was worded made him think it was something else.

“Hey Ash?” Oberon flew towards the Pygmy Drake, pointedly ignoring what she was currently doing to the fresh corpse in front of her and focused on her instead. “Do you have any Poison magic? Or are your poison attacks all natural?”


@Rune_Alchemist

---

RPG? Manga?! Those words were a shock, even in their slightly-off pronunciation. So he knew? Or were they just words that someone had said before?

“I... yeah. Yeah, they mean something. And I know Florida, too. She’s an American.” He glanced at Miiba. Lear had called her a young girl. Did that mean she was a child? None of the others had spoken the way she did. His eyes softened, and he looked away. “No, I... I don’t know, Miiba.”

There were a few seconds where nobody spoke, then Lear broke the silence.

"Scott, Miiba mentioned a "shadow man" that she saw before she woke up as a Goblin. Do you remember such a figure? Did they give you any kind of...quest? Or...a special ability? Something you haven't seen other monsters use?"

Again, Scott paused. “W- well, ‘they’ must’ve given me the ability to talk, if anything.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I... don’t remember any shadow men or the like." It wasn't a lie, per se. He never met a shadow man - he met the Demon King. "There wasn’t much to see, where I was. But I do remember a voice. And it did give me something.”

Scott glanced around for something suitable - and a small, pointed pebble caught his eye. He grabbed it, and then a nearby leaf. Trying his best not to tear the leaf, he began to Scribe.

Heal

Once it was done, he held it out to the pair. “If you have any scrapes or bruises, this will work just like a spell would.”

---

A few seconds passed, then a minute. Ed was still on high alert when Asteria hopped down from the top of the barrow. Ed could see a glimpse of the adult dire rat near the entrance before she scurried to him. "Y-yeah. That-that be for th-the best." Ed was still shivering something fierce, but as soon as Asteria tried to calm him down. His body shivered less. "Thanks...I needed that." The terror and dread of being near such a place still persisted in him, but was made more bearable with the presence of Astera and Mother Rat.

Finally dropping his fighting stance, he returned his trusty bludgeoning instrument back in its proper place on his vine belt. Turning his back to the barrow, he goes to the tall grass and makes another grass weave but smaller. Small enough that it won't consume much of the little sunlight they had left, but big enough for him to place some of the bug meat. "Asteria, Can you do the offering? Honestly, the thought of entering the barrow is still very daunting to me."

"Ah, it slipped my mind that you've packed the meat as well. Have you even eaten after the battle?" Asteria didn't remember him doing so, and as Mother Rat had been injured at the time, perhaps neither had she. Ripping the meat in half, she left a piece to Ed, and packed the other back into the small grass weave. "I'm taking this over, then," she notified her companion. She grabbed the packet, and carefully made her way to the barrow's entrance, though she didn't stop this time, but entered. Cautiously, she looked around for a proper place to set down the meat. Deciding to burn them based on the plaque's message, Asteria sent a brief pulse of mana into the meat before throwing it into the fire - hey, maybe the mana worked as kind of a seasoning for the divine? "Ah, Honourable spirits, this here is our offering to you and the Lords...May you rest in peace." There, that should be good enough, right? Just to make sure she hadn't incited anything malevolent, Asteria briefly activated Mana Sense again.

Then, she went back to Ed. "Alright, offering made. Maybe I should go back to the altar and apologize for disturbing it, but it seems fine so far. Oh, oh, and before I forget! The altar had some exciting information. I saw these strange symbols on it, and they didn't make sense at all - unlike the plaque - but when I traced them all and concentrated on putting some Mana into the shapes...What it said was that it is currently 'Year 268 of 3.E. Last Week of Dragon's Season. 5th Day (Kimaday). 07:45 Evening.' It also mentioned that the ' Adalwulf's Lance' aka 'The General' is in alignment; I'm guessing that's the equivalent of our zodiac constellations. Moreover, the device was able to track time by the minute, last I checked it was 7:46 PM." Asteria huffed a breath after that explanation, letting Ed digest what she'd said.

"Not yet. Admittedly I only feel peckish right now, but I suppose I should eat." The young ratman said as he saw Asteria tear the meat in half and put one half out for him. "Many thanks, Asteria." Ed replies gratefully as he gives her a smile in return. Just as he sat down on the grass beside his equipment burrito and Mother Rat, Asteria notified Ed that she was going to enter the barrow. "Be careful." He gave a quick but concerned warning to her just as she entered the barrow. As she was doing the offering, he began eating the bug meat and savoured every bite. As is it already tasted like shrimp, albeit a little more greasy, but seafood was his favourite hands down and without a doubt. If only he had some seasonings, butter, and a fire ready, he could have shown off his two years of experience in culinary school. A tragedy of the ages.

Just as he finished up eating his meal for the day, Asteria came back and spoke with him. "Huh, so like one magical calendar or something? That's a pretty nice find. Now we can keep track of time properly to the minute." Ed then let out a big yawn. "Sorry. I must be more tired than normal." That was an understatement, Ed went far beyond his limits and nearly killed himself as a result. He then stood up from his sitting position and stretched away the tired feeling temporarily.

"Yeah...about that. We can get to a water source - a lake and a river - if we continue eastwards, but it won't be soon. Besides, it will soon be night-time. Perhaps this place wouldn't be such a bad place to camp at. The, er, spirits seem fine for now, so that's a low risk of Undead, and we haven't seen signs of human travellers nearby. Since I've invested points in Minor Heal, I can apply it to you, but I wouldn't expect it to do much since it's at level one." Nonetheless, Asteria put a paw on Ed, and applied both Mana Sense and Minor Heal at the same time. This was one of the perhaps two ways she could think of actually understanding how the healing magic worked.

A moment or two passed before she cut off the mana flow. "Now...we best move our things to the back of the building so even if someone passes by, they won't see us from the road immediately. Then you best head to sleep if you can. I'll wake you up at 1 am, go to sleep till six, and then we can travel. If either of us needs it during the day, we can do some power napping. Ah, just one more thing before you pass out - we best go from plant to plant and drink some of the evening dew. That's about the only thing I can think of for hydration in our current situation," Asteria offered with a shrug. She proceeded to do exactly that; located the nearest plant, ambled over, and licked its leaves, drinking the few drops of water gathered on them.

"A lake and a river to the East? That sounds great." No more worries about dehydration. Ed still remembers that the most important thing to take into consideration in a camp is how close is it to a clean body of water other than making sure that no nasty critters are near your expected camp. Though he still frowned slightly at the suggestion that they make this barrow into their temporary camp. He thought about it as the younger adult dire rat applied her healing magics on him and explain their next plan of action. "Uhhh...about that sleeping inside the barrow. Can I not? I mean you and mother rat can sleep inside." Ed then realized how cowardly that sounded. "You know...to keep guard of the stuff and make sure that it doesn't get stolen or anything." Ed feigned confidence. The thought of sleeping in a clearly haunted place meant for burying the dead terrified him. What if a restless spirit took possession of him while he was asleep? What if he turned into one of those deadites from the Evil Dead and hurt Asteria and Mother Rat?

Ed quickly perished the thought. He was with Asteria and Mother Rat, the only friends he had left in the world ever since Jason died and the cave exodus. Now was not the time to let his phobias get in the way. "Uhh...scratch that. On second thought I'd better sleep inside...it is warmer inside." Ed swallowed the lump in his throat that he didn't even realize was there and his throat felt awfully dry as he kept gazing into the inky abyss of the barrow's entrance. "Y-y-yeah some water sounds great right about now." The ratman then broke eye contact with the structure and let out a breath of relief. Ed then focused on licking up as much dew he could from the tall grass, once he had his fill. He psyched himself up to enter the barrow and sleep near the entrance, so just in case he would encounter anything supernatural, he had easy access to an escape route.

"I'll wake you up if something happens, don't worry. Think of it as exposure therapy, if nothing else," Asteria replied. She'd have suggested sleeping outside, but now that Ed finally gathered his courage to enter the potentially haunted building, she certainly wouldn't halt something that for him, was fantastic progress. After watching Ed set up near the entrance on the inside of the barrow, she made sure he couldn't be seen by a casual glance from the road. Still, if any humans happened to arrive even an hour or so later and decide to settle in for the night, it might result in a rather awkward situation. The dire rat also checked on mother rat, brushing against her companionably, and nudging her in Ed's direction. Perhaps she would feel like resting as well, though it was possible she wanted to find some water or even scavenge for more food. As long as she did not stray too far, Asteria would not worry about the experienced if non-human rodent.

Making use of her time on guard-duty, Asteria went about around the barrow, collecting any nearby plants, though never strayed very far from the building. She ensured to keep alert and her senses working overtime so that if there was a danger, she could notice it in time to react and warn her allies. When she gathered what plants she could, she returned to the entrance of the barrow, and crouched in front of it. She kept her gaze fixed to the road, though thankfully, she wasn't limited to one sense; she could really on her hearing as well. That would be enough. Focusing on her breathing, and centering her mind, Asteria practiced entering a relaxing yet alert meditative state while keeping her eyes open. It was rather challenging, and her attention wavered. However, she kept at it. At one point, she activated Mana Drain to replenish her mana from the surroundings. Then, she proceeded to try and finally learn meditation, varying her methods by occasionally closing her eyes and focusing on calming her mind and, but mostly keeping watch on the road and trying not to let her thoughts get fixated on any one specific thing. When she felt that it was time, she went over to Ed, shook him awake, and took his place, falling into a restful sleep.

The ratman awoke from his sleep, his body feeling the full brunt of the muscle fatigue from the physical exertion yesterday. "Urgh." The ratman couldn't even formulate a proper sentence to describe how his body felt, it hurt to move but the rest had rejuvenated his body and mind. So instead, Ed let out a discontent 'urgh' to describe the feeling. None the less, he got up and switched roles with Asteria. Now it was his time to keep guard while she rests and recuperates her strength. The pale moonlight cast a dim light to the surroundings of the barrow. If Ed did not have his enhanced senses, it would have been very difficult for him to detect humans or monsters. But to be sure of things, he climbs atop the structure to get a better vantage point and ensuring that he would not do anything to disturb the altar or the obelisks present.

It was still rather chilly though. "Jesus...what I wouldn't do for some clothing." he said to himself as he rubbed his hands on his shoulders to keep himself warm. He couldn't start a fire. It would likely attract unwanted visitors. So instead he applied some of his basic understanding of physics and thermodynamics. Focusing on his mana he encased himself in a layer of it and then conceptualized the mana layer as if it were something with high thermal conductivity. Then applying the idea that the mana layer creates an endothermic reaction, where the mana layer, in theory, will absorb the surrounding heat and warm him but would likely make his surroundings colder. If it would work like how he would have liked it, he would be able to keep warm while keeping an eye out for danger for the rest of his watch.

---

Digbie fell backwards and laid against the ground, breathing heavily. Another monster down, and another narrow dodge of some serious damage onto the demigob. He could breathe easy for just a little bit... or at least, until he realized there was a fire spreading, which caused him to back away quickly from it. He was a bit too close to it, or he thought so at least.

After that initial panic, Digbie looked at his new satchel and remembered he had some new things. He excitedly shot to his feet and announced to the group. "I found some things while I was out! I got all this neat stuff! I found some mushrooms that are really poisonous, a-and some blue yills that're potent with normal magical energy, and even this sword!" Digbie raised his Chipped Shank as he finished his statement, putting his satchel on the ground and pulling items out as he called them out. "I even found this book! It's a religious text that might help get the Taboo out of my body, maybe even get some holy spells!" Digbie raised his book up before carefully bringing it back down. "I-It's a little frail though."

Digbie left his satchel beside him on the ground as he stood, cracking his knuckled and talking again. "Also, I'm learning how to dual-cast! Maybe then I can take some big monsters on my own! T-that rat was just really big and I wasn't sure I could take him on my own..." Speaking of Dual Casting, Digbie remembered he could keep practicing that, and he tried to do just that by casting a Mana Orb in one hand while lifting some dirt in the other with Soil Manipulation. Hopefully he could juggle the two, leading to the development of the skill overall.

---

---

Miiba's head tilted at the words Lear used, she had to think a moment before making the connections as to what they were. "R-P-G...um...Miiba thinks it...uh... kind of game? And other...'Man-ga'," she sounded out like Lear, "like comic, but big, like book. Lotsa pictures."

When asked about the shadow man, Miiba did her best to remember the fuzzy memory. "Miiba remember little of shadow man. Black air, red eyes, and said if Miiba find him, give reward, maybe even go home! ...Miiba no remember gift. Shadow man not know it Miiba's birthday either...," Miiba finished, sounding a little disheartened.

When Scott started scribing on leaf, Miiba was a little curious, but she still semed to shrink back behind Lear when he went to hand it to them. She was still a little wary of the pixie after all.

Using Fresh Tree Bark pulled from the Old Kao Tree, covering them in Fresh Kao Sap, and then wrapping them in Green Kao Leaves, Femus was able to create...something. The sticky wads of greenery would harden if he let them air dry, turning the sap into a sort of resin, but other than that...what had he really created here? He didn't receive any type of notice from the System. Still, maybe that didn't mean whatever these things were was useless. Maybe he wasn't finished crafting yet. As he slowly made his way up the tree, carefully conserving his Mana, he watched Nira and the other Pixie.

As the two made more flower crowns, Nira soon began feigning a need for naptime. The other pixie noticed this and began fluttering around the girl, before pantomiming eating food and looking at Nira expectantly. It seemed to think that maybe if she ate something she wouldn't feel tired anymore--hovering closer, it tugged at her arm for a moment.

But just then, yet another problem revealed itself. A third pixie flying by took notice of what was going on. Swooping in with a laugh, it grabbed the half-finished flower crown dangling from Nira's hand and yanked it away. Nira's "friend" gave a screech of displeasure, but the newcomer only laughed and zipped upwards--inadvertently heading towards Femus.

The pixie turned to Nira, shaking its fists and growling, and pointed after the thief. Waving for Nira to come on, the angry fairy launched into pursuit...

---

You used Material Analysis II! You used Mana Sense I! You used Magic Analysis III! You used Monster Analysis II!
---Deceased Giant Rat---
Giant Rats are rodents of such unusually large size, many people don't believe they exist. Their behaviors are virtually the same as the Dire Rat, but they often shed many of the usual "prey" behaviors of vermin due to their much greater size and strength rendering them difficult for predators to bring down. As a result they can often be quite calm, and some humans even keep them as pets. When hunting, however, they are extremely vicious. They have lost their fear as a smaller creature, and are now far less likely to retreat. They lack magical power and usually don't develop any magical abilities unless their environment is very rich in ambient energies. This particular target has no Spell Skills. It was developing Magic Resistance before its death. It was killed by a combination of blood loss, trauma-induced shock, and poison. Its fur has been badly burned in places, significantly reducing its value as a Material. Its bones, fangs, and claws are larger and stronger compared to the Dire Rat and thus make much hardier Materials. Its meat is edible, but very tough, gamey, and smelly unless prepared by a skillful cook. Extracted bile from its liver, kidneys, bladder, or stomach could make powerful poisons, due to the typical rodent's diet composition. Garbage, scavenged kills, bacteria, and all manner of things have festered inside this creature for who knows how long. The Mana you sense from this creature is quickly fading. It has a heavy presence, but otherwise nothing about it stands out.
---Giant Rat Bone Plates x3 (Average Quality)---
These three plates of bone once formed the: Sternum. Right Shoulder Blade. Left Shoulder Blade.
Though they are larger and thicker than the corresponding bones of a Dire Rat, their density has not increased quite as much. Compared to the bones of many other beast types, these are not so tough, but their size makes them easier to work with. Bone does not typically hold an edge very well, but the increased surface area of these plates would give much more material to work down to a sharper blade. They might also make worthwhile plates of armor.
---Giant Rat Bone x1 (Average Quality)---
This long bone once formed the: Forearm. The two back legs were severed, rendering them too fragile to be of use. The other forelimb splintered too much during the process of removal.
Though they are larger and thicker than the corresponding bones of a Dire Rat, their density has not increased quite as much. Compared to the bones of many other beast types, these are not so tough, but their size makes them easier to work with. Bone does not typically hold a point very well, but the length of this piece gives more material to work down to a sharp needle. It might also make a good club, though it is brittle. Because bone splinters easily, however, it is easily fashioned into needles or carved into hooks.
---Giant Rat Spine x1 (Average Quality)---
Though they are larger and thicker than the corresponding bones of a Dire Rat, their density has not increased quite as much. Compared to the bones of many other beast types, these are not so tough, but their size makes them easier to work with. Coming from a vermin, this spine has a great deal of flexibility, and in some ways acts more like a coil of rope than a bone. The individual vertebrae are smaller and not too strong, so it is difficult to carve or change their shape.
---Giant Rat Hide x2 (Poor Quality)---
Two large sections of hide. The third portion of the Pelt was too Burned to be of use.
Quite smelly, but the Giant Rat's thick fur makes these hides well insulated against the elements. If properly cured, low-quality leather could be made. Stripping the fur from the hide, however, would reduce it to clumps of short, bristly fibers too brittle to weave and too short to use as anything more than weak strings.
---Giant Rat Fang x1 (Average Quality)---
One of four larger canine teeth. The other three were too Broken to be of use.
Though they are larger and thicker than the corresponding bones of a Dire Rat, their density has not increased quite as much. Compared to the bones of many other beast types, these are not so tough, but their size makes them easier to work with. Much like even a mundane rodent species, the Giant Rat's fangs do not stop growing. Constant gnawing keeps them worn down, but also incredibly sharp. This fang would need no processing to act as the tip for some form of tool.
---Analysis Complete!---

Obtained Other Loot:
Edible Giant Rat Meat, x26 pounds - Other Meats and Internals rendered unsafe due to Poison.
1 Smooth Stone - A stone that is smooth and shiny. Found in a pouch inside the Rat's cheek, likely collected for nesting material.

EXP: 80%

As Ash began cutting into the Giant Rat's corpse with her claws, splitting its hide and exposing its guts, it seemed like this specimen might not be quite so useful as the Rubber Frog. Their battle had done quite the number on this creature. Digbie's kick and Oberon's Mana Slices had rendered its skull and back legs too damaged to be of any real use, save a few pieces here and there. Torrent and Ash's combined poisons and flames had damaged the outsides and corroded some of the insides, and while the two reptiles might have some resistance to their own venoms it probably wouldn't be safe for Oberon or Digbie to consume any of the tainted meat.

Pulling up her Experience tab, however, showed a shocking and enormous result. She had just leveled, and at that time had already been 20% closer to the next level. Since then, all she had done was distribute her Skill Points and fight the Giant Rat. And now she was more than three-quarters of the way to the next level. The Giant Rat was certainly a stronger enemy than most of those they had faced in the cave, but like the Giant Slime it hadn't been a match for a party of four significantly stronger than average creatures. Immediately before it attacked, however, using her points had caused at least 4 of her skills to rank up. Learning skills had already proven to contribute to leveling up, but what other conclusions could Ash draw from this rapid growth?

While Ash dissected their kill and Oberon questioned her about the nature of her new Poison Spell, Digbie enthusiastically began to show off all the things he had found. He also tried to show off the new skill he had been trying to develop--the key word being "tried." While trying to Dual Cast, it was difficult to focus on the two spells at once. The Mana Orb he attempted to cast in one hand kept flickering in and out like a lightbulb about to blow. With the other hand, his attempt at Soil Manipulation couldn't actually "manipulate" the soil--it just lifted it in clumps that rapidly fell apart. Still, at this point it seemed like a matter of practice.

Torrent used her newly acquired Aqua Stream spell to control the accidental forest fire, and luckily while it had quickly caught the underbrush, the flames weren't intense enough to reach up the sides of the trees. Soon, the clearing had a small expansion of soggy, blackened and charred dirt. If anything, maybe burning back some of the lower shrubs would help the trees. Though, had it been Torrent's imagination as she prayed? Or had those last dying flames cast a larger, dancing shadow among the looming woods?

The Lesserwurm thought to try one more experiment. Working off of instinct and feeling alone--which, granted, had served her very well--she tried to draw the power of darkness into her body. She imagined it forming as a sphere within her jaws, just like the Fireball...

With a sensation that could only be described as "a sneeze in reverse," the tunnelling reptile felt her breath catch. She choked and sputtered for just a moment--again, no longer than a sneeze. Her Mana, too, felt like it had tried to imitate a buzzer on a game-show. After a moment, everything stabilized. Torrent was left to shake her head and figure out what had just happened, as the sun drifted below the horizon.

While the group had the capability to light a fire, perhaps to cook their freshly acquired ingredients or just to give them light to work by, the darkness that now settled around them was a trigger to their tired bodies. The need for sleep began to nag at each one in turn, and the small opening of their shelter beckoned. Presumably, each would seek out rest in their own time...



Whenever they decided to go to sleep, it didn't take long to drift off. The party of little monsters, not quite so little anymore, had certainly had a long day full of excitement, inconvenience, adventure, terror, and many other things.

But for some of them, even sleep was not peaceful.



Digbie stood behind a horde of creatures. All of their figures were cast in shadow, black as ink. Only the gray light of their eyes, narrow under slanting brows and smoldering with anger, illuminated this empty void. Directly ahead of him, and to either side, were Goblins. They were small and scrawny...but like baby snakes, their venom flowed without restraint. Their hatred for everything that was not themselves was palpable. Digbie stood behind them. They left him, marching forward...

Up ahead, at the end of the Goblins' march, were other creatures. Digbie saw a broad back that, with a shiver, reminded him of Rattleskull. Other figures still looked like Goblins, but were taller, and their fury had become more refined. Some, despite their greater height, were hunched and even skinnier. Their fingers ended in long claws that grasped at the earth as they shuffled along like monkeys on all fours. Some had a hint of color to their inky bodies, red or blue.

And further, beyond them, were creatures the size of humans. Some were built lean, some thick, but all had considerable muscle. They wore armor and held vicious looking weapons. The light in their eyes was brighter. Some even bore horns, or spikes, or had a glowing aura that writhed across their bodies.

On and on the hordes went, growing more vast in their differences. Some were enormous, others were smaller. Some were rough, others so delicate as to seem weak. Some flew through the air, others tunneled beneath the earth. Some were fiery, and others ice-cold.

But behind Digbie, the shadows disappeared. There was light. It was warm, and welcoming...and so bright that it blinded Digbie. So bright that it was painful. And while it was warm, here at its edge, the heat grew more and more intense towards the center of this golden white blaze. If he got too close, would it burn him? Would it kill him?

Digbie could not know. Because while the shadows in front of him stretched on endlessly, taking so many different forms, in the light behind him there was nothing. Only him. If he chose to turn away, and walk on into it...

Yet the longer he stood, the further he could see into the light. And, though it was narrow--a single beam among the myriad rays from this radiant sun--he could see what might, just maybe, be a path. And at the end of that path...something small, and scrawny, but standing as tall as it could stretch...

A hand touched Digbie's shoulder. It was one of the silhouettes, another Goblin. Though faceless, it looked at Digbie...expectantly. Though its eyes glowed, their hate was not directed at him. The other Goblin gestured, and pointed towards the marching herds of creatures. It wasn't saying "come on!" or "hurry up!" Instead, it looked out over all of these various creatures, each making their own way into an unknown world...



Oberon did not dream, but more than once that night he awakened to a strange feeling. It felt as if something, perhaps someone, was inside the shelter with them. But no matter where he looked, he could see nothing against the hazy moonlit entrance of their tiny cave. Nor could he make out anything unusual in the shadows of his sleeping friends. Their breaths were slow and steady. Eventually, each time, Oberon would drift off once more...



In the Old World, shadows were...nothing. They had no mass, no true form. Shadow, darkness, was simply the absence of light. Despite all the superstition, a shadow was merely the displacement of light brought about by a body betwixt the light source and the surface upon which the shadow lay.

But in this world, in Torrent's dreams, the shadows danced. Standing next to her own sleeping form, she saw the moonlight drifting in from outside the cavern. And she saw how the shadows shrank away from it, as they circled the walls of the shelter until they had drawn up, up above her head. Looking up at them was like looking down into a dark, dark hole.

"What is the Shadow? Why pray to a Shadow goddess? Why seek its hidden gaze?"



The next day dawned in a dim fog, rolling through the forest to shroud the roots of the trees in damp gray. The birdsong was muted and sparse--in this season, it did not seem right for the breeze to chill and the mists to reach out with clammy, swirling fingers. If one looked up, over the treetops, they could even see the fogbanks literally rolling down the side of the mountain up above. Perhaps the avalanche had displaced enough snow down to the warmer climes that, as it melted, it caused this wave of unexpected moisture?

In the distance, to the north, a horn bleated just once. The sound was long and loud...and not terribly far away...

---

You used Monster Analysis I!
---Bugbear---
Bugbears are an evolved form of the Goblin. Less suited to the natural cleverness or deftness of their smaller cousins, they more than make up for this with their toughness and strength. Their thick fur allows them to withstand the elements of many environments.
---Young Male Human---
Humans are not technically considered Monsters. They are of the Enlightened Races. Nonetheless they are an advanced race with civilization, history, and culture. WARNING: DANGEROUS!
---Adult Male Human---
Humans are not technically considered Monsters. They are of the Enlightened Races, considered truly sentient. Nonetheless they are an advanced race with a fully functioning civilization, a varied history, and distinct cultures. WARNING: VERY DANGEROUS!
---Analysis Complete!---

You used Monster Analysis I!
---Bugbear---
Bugbears are an evolved form of the Goblin. Less suited to the natural cleverness or deftness of their smaller cousins, they more than make up for this with their toughness and strength. Their thick fur allows them to withstand the elements of many environments.
---Young Male Human---
Humans are not technically considered Monsters. They are of the Enlightened Races. Nonetheless they are an advanced race with civilization, history, and culture. WARNING: DANGEROUS!
---Adult Male Human---
Humans are not technically considered Monsters. They are of the Enlightened Races, considered truly sentient. Nonetheless they are an advanced race with a fully functioning civilization, a varied history, and distinct cultures. WARNING: VERY DANGEROUS!
---Momma Slime---
You know this Adult Slime as "Momma Slime." You are very familiar with this monster. Slimes are amorphous creatures more similar to undeveloped egg yolks, yet they are able to move on their own and digest prey. Their bodies are highly resistant to physical damage and malleable. Momma Slime seems stronger than average. This monster seems to be a deviation from the norm...
---Steve---
You know this Tamed Oculus Spider as "Steve." You are very familiar with this monster. A low-ranking Arachnid-class Insect-type Monster. While it possesses venom, it is not that much more potent than a normal spider and thus it is virtually harmless to humans save in very large doses or in the case of specific allergies. However, because it has adapted to Mana in its environment and thus become a Monster, it has gained a large eye that works differently than its normal eyes. It will swing from a web in a hypnotic manner to entice prey.
---Asura---
You know this Amorphous Slime as "Asura." You are very familiar with this monster. Slimes that have a preference for shape-shifting sometimes develop a weaker membrane. Their defensive abilities stop increasing so quickly compared to other Slime species, but their shapeshifting and movement skills rise much more quickly. These slimes avoid water, as it has a much stronger diluting effect on them. Asura is a former Human like you.
---Analysis Complete!--

As Asura released the Bugbear's leg, the creature jerked its injured limb away from the slime. Ardur's attack hadn't dislocated the joint, but a dark bruise was already forming and as the Bugbear tried to put its weight on the leg it made a painful popping sound. The monster spared a glance towards the humans with panicked eyes, and continued to try and wrench free of Steve's webbing with its pointed stick...

"Ardur...could really use that heal now..." the slime growled as he moved back. The younger human immediately took notice, and stopped inching towards the group of monsters. Ardur turned and stopped in midflight, slowly descending with a blank look. In a dumbfounded voice, he only managed to say, "Humans?" Steve stayed behind Ardur, and well away from both the humans and the Bugbear. She crouched low to the ground to reduce her profile, and hissed lightly between her fangs. Momma Slime slowed down as she rolled back towards the Bugbear, and this distraction allowed the creature to swing its free hand at her before she made contact. The back of its big fist bounced off of her without doing much damage, but it had enough force to knock her to one side. She bounced to a stop at the edge of the clearing, away from both her party and the humans. She turned towards them with a low burbling noise, her membrane rippling as she shivered.

"Mother Slime, get back to the burrow." Asura began to change his shape, a human-like torso rising out of the puddle of goop. Ardur cast Minor Heal on him, though it didn't quite fully restore his HP. The armed child bristled as the magical sparkles appeared, and the knight standing behind him raised his visor slightly.

"M-master! There are more of them, like that Poltergeist!" The human boy's eyes shifted between the Bugbear and the Amorphous Slime, Hipixie, Slime, and Oculus Spider. Asura took up a neutral stance, holding up his "hands."

"It's yours if you want it. I've no desire to come against you lot." Asura stated. Ardur began talking and gesturing to Steve, and slowly both he and the Spider were backing away. The Hipixie grabbed their stuff, though he never took his eyes away from the two humans.

"Well then. Something is certainly afoot here." spoke the knight. His visor was fully up now, revealing a face that Asura and Ardur would see as an odd balance of Caucasian and Asian features that somehow still seemed unique to this world. His face was on the paler side of complexion, and his hair was light brown. He had stubble across his strong jaw, and was only just showing signs of age around his face. His eyes narrowed. "Stay where you are, monsters--or at least, those of you who understand me."

"Master, do you think they all came from the cave?" the boy piped up. "They might be related to the Dungeon--"

The knight suddenly gave his charge a pointed look, just as the Bugbear freed itself with a loud roar. It lunged at the young adventurer, stabbing at him with its pointed stick like an ice pick. The boy turned with a gasp as he realized the mistake in taking his attention away from an opponent. The knight didn't move in his ward's defense, but the youth got his shield up just in time. The wooden spike's tip wasn't properly sharpened, merely tapering and splintered where the Bugbear had broken it. It struck the rawhide covering the shield, and pushed against the padded wood beneath, but left only a small pinprick before its tip crunched and bent. Still, the muscle behind the Bugbear's arm forced the boy a step back. He planted himself--and placed the tip of his sword just over the rim of his shield.

"Skewer!"

That red flash was bright, even brighter than Asura's Smash, but it was all focused at the sword's point. Without dropping his defenses the squire stabbed forward, and the Bugbear only managed to avoid getting stabbed in the face by sacrificing its other arm. The blade bit deep into its raised forearm, piercing all the way through between the bones. Both combatants yanked away from each other, and though his weapon was now caked in blood and fat the boy managed to hold onto it and leave his enemy with a gaping wound.

"Youse be Rattleskull?!" The apprentice shouted, curling his lips into a snarl that looked unnatural on his face. His voice had thickened somewhat and had an accent, like he was mimicking someone else. To Asura and Ardur, it didn't sound...quite right, yet they still understood what the child was saying.

"No, ya stupid human!" the Bugbear roared, clutching its wounded arm. "I'm Bear-Ate! I left dat dum tribe long time ago!" The boy began to circle as the gray furred beast bared its fangs, the only weapons left to it now.

"I'm not sure, sir, but I don't think this is the right one! It definitely said no!" The squire's voice sounded normal again. "Then, uh...an insult, maybe? And something about eating an animal?"

"That's the second time you've gotten distracted, boy." The Knight's firm voice scolded. His charge immediately shut up, just in time for the Bugbear to charge him again. This time the creature went for a full-body tackle. The Bugbear's four-and-a-half foot height was actually a little shorter than the boy's, but in body mass it surely outweighed him. Its brawny shoulder slammed against the youth's shield--yet surprisingly, the human held his ground! A soft, gold-white aura began to glow around his body, and both knight and squire let out a surprised "huh?"

"Hey, kid." Ardur had spoken up, raising a hand. "May the sun protect you and guide your blade." The Bugbear froze for a moment in shock, and though the boy could only look at Ardur with a slack jaw he soon recovered. With a grunt, the boy twisted and used his shield to help leverage his opponent's mass. As his boots ploughed at the ground, he actually reversed their deadlock, and the goblinoid's eyes went wide as it was shoved to one side. A desperate arm lashed out with a wide haymaker, and the young swordsman ducked under it with timing so smooth it seemed like his opponent was moving in slow motion.

"Slash!"

Up from below, that sword flashed crimson once more. The aura of Ardur's Inspiration flared brightly. A blow to the back of the knee that would have hamstrung the foe instead sliced right through, taking off the Bugbear's lower leg entirely. Dark blood covered the ground as the boy continued past his opponent. The light cloaking his body disappeared. The Bugbear spun in place on its remaining leg, arms windmilling before it fell onto its back with a wretched cry. That patched, dark green cloak whirled as the squire turned back and jumped, his shield arm shifting so that both hands could hold his blade. He landed hard on the monster's stomach, driving the air out of it with his knees. The adventurer practically fell forward, and his whole body weight slammed the tip of his sword through Bear-Ate's sternum. The furry brute screamed and choked, flailing with both arms. These feeble blows had no real power behind them, and as the young man ducked his head and braced his shoulders the creature failed to budge him. The sword dug deeper as the boy worked it back and forth, until its hilt stopped an inch from the flesh. The Bugbear's last breath escaped in a bubble of red froth, and it lay still.

"Sloppy, boy, but it'll do for now!" The Knight turned back to the Slimes, Hipixie, and Spider. "That was the Inspire spell! If you creatures can really talk, do you have names? Who are you, and who do you serve?"

He had taken his hand off of his sword, and now stood with both fists on his hips. The boy was cleaning off his weapon--not something one would do if they planned to keep fighting. It seemed like, at the moment, neither of these two planned to hurt the party. Earlier, the knight had only wanted them to stay where they were...but he also had not made any attempt to block their path or catch them. If they wanted to turn and run...maybe these two wouldn't risk pursuit? It seemed like they were content to just try and communicate--if Asura, Ardur, and the others didn't want to talk, though, and the humans didn't plan to detain them, maybe they could just get the hell out of Dodge...?

---

The ratpack chose to camp in the barrow for the night, though not without making an offering to the spirits of the place. There were no coals or fire starting materials inside the entrance chamber, so unless they used the firestarting flint they had stolen from the village there was no way to cook their bugmeat or their offering. Still, Asteria tossed it into the pit with a whispered prayer.

You still sense that the Mana here is uneasy...but it has relaxed somewhat. You sense a heavy, slowly shifting Mana in the earth all around you.

With the remains of their prey and dewdrops from the grass, the party was able to sate their hunger and thirst at least for the time being. In scavenging around the area, Asteria found 3 more Nullven Cones. Once they had actually entered the barrow's entrance, they found that the second room still cast in deep shadows was open as well. From around the firepit, they could see through the doorway...though a sense of foreboding might keep them from placing even a paw over the threshold. Still, this second chamber looked much the same in shape and size as this first. The difference was that a large table could be seen dominating the center of that room, and the walls had several shelves. At one end of that table was a drain, with a great basin underneath it--and all of these things bore black, sticky stains. The metallic scent was unpleasant to the rat's noses, but they could also catch a whiff of something much better, heady and herbal. Cloves of some kind of leaves or perhaps some other plant matter could be seen hanging from the ceiling.

Beyond this second chamber was the first real door they had seen. Made of a dark colored wood, braced with iron bands, a padlock had been placed upon it...though it looked rusty and none too strong. If the entrance to the second chamber felt foreboding...this door felt outright forbidden.

Still, the rats managed to sleep, taking the watch in shifts. Mother Rat seemed to sense Ed's fear, and didn't seem much at ease herself. As Asteria took the first watch, the older Dire Rat huddled closely with the Rat Man inside the barrow.

Gathering plants, practicing her skills, and replenishing her Mana, Asteria made her time on watch pass quickly. She watched the moon rise, large and pale and somewhat less full than the previous night. She could see the lights of the distant town twinkling, until many of them began to wink out one by one. Before midnight, the vast majority of the town had turned pitch black.

She eventually switched duties with Ed, and the Ratman was left to stand atop the Barrow and see much the same as Asteria had from that higher vantage. The town, the lake, and the river all bathed in moonlight some distance away. He tried to gather his magic and manipulate it in some way to warm himself...and ever so slightly, perhaps simply by imagining warmth, it seemed to help.

Out here on the plains, it was hard to pick up on the movement of other creatures. Back in the forest, a twig would snap underfoot, or bushes would rustle. The long grass, however, would give way under the slightest sigh of wind. Unless something moving through it was large or fast, you couldn't determine whether a swaying patch had been touched by the breeze or was being moved by a small critter. It was also much quieter, moving through grass. If other creatures burrowed like the Myrminors they had already seen, it was also possible that Ed wouldn't be able to pick up on them at all until he developed some kind of ability to sense things underfoot.

Surely, his senses and his Alert skill could be trusted to some degree. Nothing ever jumped out of the night at him to scream "danger!" So the moon kept on its gradual trek across the sky, the stars twinkled, and the night passed...



Ed came awake with a start, only just realizing that he had dozed off sometime after the sky started turning from a midnight pitch to a more subdued, misty hue. But the sun still wasn't up yet--everything was still dim and hazy, and the dew was cold and fresh. But the Alert skill seemed to buzzing dully in the back of his mind...

There, he saw it. Or rather, he saw them.

The first one wasn't very good at moving stealthily, at least not with that dented iron helmet that stuck out like a sore thumb above the tall grass. The second at least kept himself low, and was already shorter. But he was fatter than the first, and being out of breath kept him from being completely hidden.

The third actually would have escaped Ed's sight, had he not been carrying a staff topped with a rabbit-like skull and a ring of red feathers. Even so, it was easy to lose track of his movements whenever that shamanistic tool disappeared in the grass. The last two were hard to catch as well, but their hooded cloaks turned their forms into larger blocks of color that could be picked out better whenever they moved from one position to another.

The figures seemed to have come from the direction of the forest, and were making their way towards the road and the barrow. The first two were definitely humans. The one with the helmet also wore a thick, padded garment of some kind that looked to be made of layered linens. It was like a long shirt, cinched at his waist with a belt and covering his upper arms and upper thighs as well as his torso. At his side hung a sword, and slung across his back was a metal shield. He wore a hood, just a singular garment made of cloth with some fastenings to mantle it across one's shoulders, but for some reason hadn't worn it to hide the reflection of his helmet.

The fatter one was dressed in layers, but his clothing seemed much more civilian in nature. He wore a long sleeved undershirt beneath a dark dyed tunic, and over that had a light vest that looked to be made of a tanned animal hide. The clothing was all dirty, and torn or patched in a few places, like this man had been on hard times for a while--though you wouldn't know it to look at his weight. He had a large knife, like a butcher's, on his belt.

The third figure, however, was clearly some kind of monster. Its clothing had been woven without much skill from vines and grass, giving it a tribalistic appearance. Its snout was somewhat thick, like that of a dog...but its entire body was reptilian and covered in scales, and its fingers and feet were tipped with scales. Its yellow eyes "blinked" two different times, as multiple lids slid in an out of place.

Ed couldn't see well enough at this distance to tell whether the last two were short, maybe young, humans...or if they were some other kind of creature. They kept their hoods up, and their cloaks seemed a size or two too large for them. So even their limbs were wrapped in the indistinct folds of cloth.

The figures had reached the road now, but they looked cautiously from one side to the other and stayed in the ditch along one side. Ed couldn't make out what they were saying, but his enhanced senses picked up the voice of the one in the helmet giving orders of some kind based on his tone. The fat one stayed with him, and the other three crossed over the road. They hurried and scurried, backs bent and heads low. They were headed for the side of the barrow, but as they hadn't looked up yet they had not noticed Ed crouched atop it. Once they were hidden along the wall of the mass grave, they pressed themselves against the cobblestone base and began creeping closer to the road again.

"Still say dis plan dum!" hissed one of the hooded figures. "We bes too close to da town!"

"Sshut yor fayshe!" The reptilian's voice was harsher, like a bark, but it also seemed to have a natural lisp of a sort. "Shinsh thuh mownteen blowed up, bound t'be Advenshurrs comin' t'see wat happun!"

"Or dem vill'jers runnin' away, dey gonna go to da town for help. So we's gonna get 'em by s'prise!" The other hooded figure didn't agree with his compatriate either.

Back along the road, the man with the helmet unsheathed his weapon. Ed caught sight of its gleam, and for some reason remembered his dream from the previous day...the sound of steel rasping on leather. Figures, huddled around a fire.

Behind the well-armed man and the fat fellow, in the distance, that lonely hill could be seen just poking out of the treeline. There wasn't a column of smoke rising up behind it now.

"Even if it is gud idea...which it not!" protested the first cloaked thing, "we still gots ta sit here for long, long, looooooong time..."

"It'll go fashter if you sshut yor fayshe!" The reptile put a finger to his snout and hissed at both of them. Then the three hunkered down, eyes toward the road. One of them lifted a hand to the side of his head, clearly listening intently...

Could Ed get down and back into the barrow without any of these would-be-bandits noticing?

Meanwhile, inside the barrow, Asteria and Mother Rat were awakened by hushed whispers, coming from outside. Still groggy from slumber, they hadn't yet deciphered what the voices were saying, but they knew for a fact it couldn't be Ed among them. As Asteria picked herself off the ground, one of her paws touched something cold and metallic.

A single gold coin, that most certainly had not been there before, next to the fire pit.

---

Obtained Loot:
Dire Rat-Hide Loincloth
Small Hollow Gourd (Half Full of Water)
Wooden Cudgel

He had already stolen its weapon, and now Danny took everything else the dead goblin had owned. Which wasn't really much. Its loincloth smelled rather rank, but taking it off did reveal that a small gourd had been tucked inside it. It had been dried and hollowed out, and its top had been partially cut off to make a sort of lid. The goblin apparently used it for a water bottle.

When Jason tried to drain the Mana of the two goblins, he quickly emptied out the sleeping one without resistance, but found that the dead one gave him only a trickle of Mana which was soon cut off completely. It seemed that dead creatures, even recently killed ones, rapidly lost their Mana somehow...maybe it was being absorbed by the environment, or dispersing into the ambient atmosphere? His own Mana, however, was back to Full and once again he received the notice for Temporary Extra MP.

As the spirit scanned their environment for any helpful herbs, he prayed to the unnamed spirits of the earth for some form of guidance. Then he sat there and...waited. Jason continued to look around, but nothing really caught his eye among the trees...and the dirt...and the grasses...and the shrubs...

Only one plant stuck out to him, and that was just because it was the first time he'd seen this particular flower in the woods. It had been there the whole time, it just stuck out now because he was actually looking at things in detail. The flower had blue and yellow blossoms, but it smelled a little unpleasant. Its stem and leaves were thick, and the leaves in particular had veins that stood out prominently to imply the flower was full of sap.

The spear goblin started to stir with a groan...

---

Lear looked suspiciously at the leaf that Scott handed him. Then, he raised his other hand to his mouth and bit down hard on his thumb. He didn't break the skin, but a clear indention of his teeth caused the skin to swell and redden. Then he crushed the leaf in the same hand and watched the result. He did glance over at Miiba as she talked about "games" and "picture books," then nodded to himself.

"That confirms it then. You two were Summoned here, probably from the same world. There's a world in particular that a lot of Summoned people end up being from--not that I really know why. But they often talk about those things. A "game" or a "picture book" that the people of that world use to tell stories." He shook his now healed thumb and crossed his arms. "The things they talk about aren't always the same, but the gist of it is that they only have fictional imaginings of monsters and magic. Always sounded pretty twisted to me--not that I've met one, mind you." He looked around at the forest surrounding them, and then up at the mountain that had exploded less than half an hour ago. "Why come up with stories about things like that? If your world didn't have Demons, why would you make them up, you know? No offense."

Then he pointed at Scott.

"But what you just did is throwing me for a loop. That's a spell called Scribe. It's not something a Pixie could normally cast, I'm fairly sure...but it's also not anything impressive, at least not at that Rank. Why would your Summoner, especially if it was a Spirit, give you something like that and not like...a Lost Spell, or some kind of Unique Skill?" He looked at Miiba now. "Miiba has way more Skills than a Goblin her age should be capable of, as well. Yet none of them are really...good, in all honesty. They're just bog standard stuff almost anyone could learn."

Lear motioned for the two to follow him, and headed back towards the wall and the farmhouse.

"As for this shadow man...Hm." The big man tilted his head from side to side, literally wracking his brain. "Black hair...that's fairly common in some places. I've heard just about everyone from Yamajima has black hair. Red eyes, though...it's rare for a pureblood Human to have that eye color. Unless...well, a World Summoner wouldn't be your run of the mill Mage, after all...Hmm..." He looked back to make sure Scott and Miiba were following.

"Either way, I think if you two intended something bad at this point I'd have picked up on it. And, again no offense, both of you are too weak to be a real threat. So, as long as you behave yourselves, I'll let you stay here too, Pixie. And Miiba, just because you have a friend now, don't forget our deal. Everybody plays nice, and maybe we can figure out what's going on here." He snapped his fingers as he remembered something. "Oh, and uh...Scott. There are two Adventurers working for me right now. Geir and Mirabelle. Both of you should be very careful around them until they learn to trust you."

The perimeter seemed clear, and the smoke from the mountain had died down. Though the forest was uneasy, things were once again calm. Lear opened the gate, and ushered both Scott and Miiba inside...

Of course the humans were labelled as dangerous and very dangerous. Their equipment probably made their stats go pretty damn high considering they were well-crafted, better crafted than anything they could make that was for sure. The bugbear however was just normal, which tickled him. Rattleskull had probably been Dangerous when they first appeared, but he'd probably be normal now as well if he had been alive.

Ardur seemed surprised that humans were here, Steve decided it was best to keep a low profile but hiss regardless, and Mother Slime approached only to be batted aside by the bugbear. Which earned Asura's attention. The two humans could see a familiar emotion in the slimes 'face', rage directed at the bugbear but knowledge that if he moved he'd probably be attacked.

Now the humans spoke. Well the boy did anyway. "The fuck is a poltergeist?" He mumbled questioningly to Ardur. He knew what they supposedly were in his world, but video games tended to not show spirits very often unless they were dicks or guides. He'd have to find out later. Well if there was a later. And now the knight told the group to stay put while the Squire took on the bugbear. The kid had mentioned the Dungeon, so they had been there? Did they clear it?

Asura watched the fight, surprised the boy was making such light work of it. But then again, better equipment and tactics. If the goblinoid monster had the same equipment its sheer strength and brutality probably would have destroyed the kid. But today it was the other way around like in most role playing games.

The kid talked to the bugbear in a more guttural voice, was that how they sounded? Wait...how were they all understanding all the languages? "He called you a stupid human and he's Bear-Ate." Asura commented from the side as he melted back down into his puddle shape. If you couldn't fight with distractions or people talking to you then go home.

Ardur gave a helping hand, Inspiring the kid to finish the fight. A pretty good show, and it let Asura observe how the people here fought. It looked very reckless, but the boy was young. Now attention was turned back to the group, but hands were off weapons at this point. "I can talk, he can, the bigger slime has limited speech, and spider can't." Asura stated as he visibly eyed the knight. A great eyeball looking him over now.

"Isn't it polite to give your name before requesting anothers, knight? Either way I'm Asura and I serve myself and my little group here." Asura said while gesturing to the others but also waving Mother Slime to come back to the group. Yes it was probably stupid to cluster up but if the knight wanted them dead he'd have killed them by now.

Danny was disappointed that the Goblin didn't have any healing items but he set everything he had gotten apart to decide what he would keep and what he would leave behind. While keeping an eye on the unconscious monster he began collecting dead branches and such. He wanted to start a minor campfire, both to hopefully keep animal like monsters away until Jason and to cook some of the Goblin meat. He didn't look forward to eating it but he didn't know if healing herb helped regain lost blood and if they didn't he would need to eat to speed that up.

When the spear Goblin moved the poltergeist was glad he had remembered an eye on him, even if he would probably have heard the groan anyway. He grabbed his curved stick tighter and turned around so he was fully looking at his opponent. Despite knowing it would easier and much safer to kill him before he came too Danny still couldn't bring himself to do it. He positioned himself so that he was between the Goblin and the weapons he had put away earlier. If he saw any sign of aggression or if it looked like the Goblin was gonna head for the weapons he would end the fight. If he had enough mana left he would go for a mana orb otherwise he would try to bash his skull in with help from Lesser Force III and Point Strike like he did with the other Goblin just with the wooden curved stick rather than the cudgel.

---

"Hm?" Ash didn't turn her attention away from her material collecting. "Ah, yes. Poison magic is a thing. I recently managed to discover it." To demonstrate, she formed the silvery sphere of poison in her claw, holding it out briefly for Oberon to inspect should he desire it before tossing it to the side. "I'm hoping to develop it further. I also managed to pick up a few other skills in the process...oh, and I made a rather nice spear using some frog parts." She stopped for a moment, smiling and seemingly doing a bit of self praise before moving on. "If you want, I can show you later. It's getting a bit late and I'd like to finish seeing what useful parts this Rat has - huh?" As the experience progress was pulled up, Ash simply stared at it, narrowing her eyes at it in mild bewilderment.

"...Well that's weird." How on earth did she get to 80% already? Not that she was complaining, but the only thing she had done was beat up a rat! Well, and learn those skills. Did acquiring those skills also give her exp? That seemed like an entirely too easy system to game. If so, all she'd have to do is simply tick over the skills she was working on then get a massive exp boost.

Hm.

"Ah, sorry, something just surprised me. I have some training I want some help with, though we can likely do that tomorrow if we have time." She turned her attention back to the rat. The rat itself didn't seem like it had as many useful parts as the frog. Understandable, given how badly they had beaten it. Still, she could easily find a use for a good number of these things. Especially those large bone plates. It might have been primitive, but armor could be useful. If she could cure it with simple salt and alcohol, or some other agent, it could make at least for some decent armor.

Finally done with the dissection, Ash pulled it from the corpse and back into the shelter. Didn't want any predators finding it, though it would likely start to rot by tomorrow since it wasn't preserved. Still, it'd do for tonight. Eating some of the raw meat, she would also take a moment to quench her thirst and first meditate to refill her MP.

She was no stranger to all nighters, of course, and this shouldn't be any different. While she did want to try new things, she decided for now she'd focus on building her more direct offensive abilities. With some base abilities to work with, this should be easy enough. First, she'd Mana Slice and Mana Vision, seeing how it was built before forming the toxic Poison Splash. Ash began attempting to form the silvery orb of Poison into the same shape as a Mana Slice. Taking the mana particles, she would attempt dragging it so it would resemble the same structural makeup of the Mana Slice.

After either successfully making the skill or making enough progress to feel comfortable she turned her attention back to something she had tried when she was back in the gave. Summoning another ball of poison, Ash dipped her claws into the acidic substance, no doubt wincing as the acid ate away at her own claws. Without a proper target, she simply used the rock wall of the shelter to practice, cutting into the rock. Perhaps this would also serve to sharpen her claws?

After a few minutes, Ash would once more return to Meditation, refilling her MP and resting a bit as she took another drink form the stream and took another bite of the rat meat they had just gotten. Sleep would be good, but...annoying, really. She could feel her body getting sluggish already. It seemed this body wasn't suited for it, but perhaps there was something she could do to lessen the amount of sleep she needed. There were many fantastical tales associated with meditation. Out of body experiences. Astral projection. a lot of pseudoscience that perhaps, in this world, wasn't quite so fantastical.

Deciding this would be her final experiment for the night, Ash found herself back int the shelter, towards the back with the stash of things she had stored. Closing her eyes and breathing in, Ash began meditating. Instead of just trying to passively regenerate however, the Pygmy drake actively attempted to 'feel' the ambient mana in the area around her. She knew it was there, she had seen it. If she could absorb it instead of distributing it, perhaps it could aid the meditation process. After a few minutes of testing on whether or not it'd be feasible, she moved onto something else.

Just a small test. She tried to imagine the shelter. The pile of loot and bones, Oberon and Digbie, the walls and layout. She began trying to imagine herself moving, trying to forcefully project her consciousness outside of her main body. It was a silly thought, and she didn't even think it'd work - but there was no harm in trying something like this.

Either way, eventually the Pygmy drake would get tired like any other, and drift off into sleep.

---

Ash was woken groggily by the horn. Rolling over, the Pygmy drake yawned, stretching her claws much like a cat would before sitting and scrunching her nose. That...was close. What on earth was blowing a horn - oh right. That goblin tribe that had stumbled onto them yesterday. They were supposed to be coming this morning, huh.

Mixed feelings aside, Ash dragged herself out of the shelter, towards the stream for an early morning drink before taking a small bite to eat for breakfast from any unspoiled meat, or meat that looked at least halfway decent to consume. Seemed like she was the first one up. Frowning a bit, she picked up her Spear with lesser force, doing a few small mental exercises with it to shake off the early morning grogginess. Twirling it in the air as fast as she could, stabbing it forwards, before quickly yanking it back. She even attempted picking up the small pebble she had found in the Rat, attempting to exercise her ability further and making it stronger and more fine tuned.

---

@Zeroth@Duthguy

40% EXP

Not bad , but certainly not as good as he was expecting.

Although he had made a prayer to the spirits of the earth, he was somewhat disheartened that he seemingly hadn't recieved an answer or sign of any kind. Regardless, he was indeed happy that he may have found something he could use to help Danny. As he began to float toward the strange flower, he summoned his skill list, hoping to find out how much progress; if any, he'd made on his various skills.

[Will Insert list here at some point when I get to a computer]

Where did Minor Heal I come from?

Had that been how the earth had aided him? Maybe it had tried answering him, but due to his current lack of [Tremor Sense], he hadn't quite been able to read the signs.

"System, how did I gain Minor Heal I?"

Awaiting its response, Jason hovered before the flower, pushing his mana into the air around him; attempting to map the flow of the light, airy mana he had felt when he first started developing the skill back in the cave. Staying like this for several long moments (or at least until the skill ticked over) he then began looking the flower over, searching for an easily removable piece that seemingly contained a decent amount of soap. Once he did, Jason manifested thine tip of a pseudopod with [Ghost Touch], tearing the piece off. Quickly, the ecto slime would weaken the strength of his [Ghost Touch] immediately, maintaining the skill just enough that he could carry it over to Danny and press it into his friend's wound, the sticky sap then hold.

Sapping mana off to bring himself to full with [Mana Drain], focusing as much as he could on not losing a single whisper of Danny's mana, he pressed his pseudopod against the leaf stuck to his friend's back. Focusing his mind, making his mana surge, he called forth his memories of all the times he had used [Spell Chant] how it felt, how it functioned, how he had used it and brought it forth. Using [Guidence] as the base, he began to chant in a solemn yet determined whisper, guiding the magic in and through the leaf into Danny's injured flesh. "Earth guide my hand. May your will merge with my own. Let this blessed union of nature and soul heal this wounded body."

---

Torrent took her time to breath after the odd occurrence that had just happened, wondering what she had done wrong. She'd had plenty of failed attempts at new skills, but never something like this.

She looked at where the shadow had seemed to extend as she considered how to proceed. It was near time to sleep, and she was worried that she had done something that could prove fatal to mess up in the wrong way. With a shake of her head she decided to put it off for the night. The last thing she needed was to die trying to design something new on a whim.

Instead she took a moment to think, watching Oberon and using Magic Analysis on his abilities he was showing off.

A thought came to her. She was getting tired, but what was a little more before she went to sleep?

She spread her sense through the ground around her with her Tremor Sense and activated Soil Manipulation, working to move parts of the ground around her into condensed rod like shapes. Carefully she then tried to shape them into points like stakes from the movie posters she saw from her alleys back Before. When she felt she had the best shape she could get, she added more mana into the shapes and the surrounding earth before she tried to push as hard as she could, willing the objects to fly out of the ground and towards the treeline.

Regardless of the outcome she'd use Magic Analysis on it, and she would shortly thereafter go to sleep.

---

Torrent got up slowly, staring at the shadows as they moved with the rising sun, and felt a new sense driving her. She would prove herself.

Tentatively she reach out to the darkness that lingered in the corners of their shelter, hidden away from the reaching gaze of the light. She tried to feel the shadows like she had with the air when she was developing her air breath attack, putting mana into her surroundings, the shadows specifically. She couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen during the night, and when she had put a good portion of her mana into the shadows she pulled at the mana, bringing it back like it were a cloud under her control. She used Magic Analysis as she did so, her gaze burning fiercely as she tried to take in every detail.