[h3]Monster Party[/h3]
When Ash focused on trying to make a stronger effort to draw in the energy, using her Mana Vision to pick out the particles around her, she felt that active draining effect become stronger. It still wasn't as fast a recovery as her Meditation, but if she could use it while being active...Then, she had an idea. Opening up wide, she did her best impression of a vacuum. And...the particles seemed drawn to her at a faster rate! However, she wasn't able to hold this for long. Soon her nostrils and throat felt cold and dry due to trying to draw in so much air so fast, and of course trying to constantly inhale was just as stressful as trying to hold one's breath in for too long. After only a couple of seconds she was forced to stop and breathe normally. She had an odd taste, almost a tingle, in her mouth.

[quote=System:Oberon]
EXP: 10%

Skill Gain: Charisma I (0.9 > 1.0)!
Your personality is almost a magical charm unto itself. You’ll have greater luck convincing others to go along with your suggestions, but only within their own natural reasoning. [color=red]This skill may not work on those with stronger Wills.[/color]

EXP: 20%

Skill Rank Up: Alert I > Alert II (1.65 > 2.05)!
At this Rank, you may use the Passive form of Alert as normal. By Actively engaging the Alert skill, your senses become temporarily sharper and make it easier to find a target even if it is under the effect of Stealth skills. The Active form of this skill may also alert you to environmental hazards.

EXP: 30%

Skill Rank Up: Mana Shape II > Mana Shape III (2.975 > 3.0375)!
At this rank, manipulating more complex shapes becomes easier. You may also move the shaped Mana within a ten foot radius around yourself, though it cannot be used as a projectile. In addition to multiple colors, your Mana can now be shaped to imitate a texture. Making the mana dense enough to become opaque is possible, but increases MP consumption.

EXP: 52%
[/quote]

Oberon's experiments proved quite informative, but aside from the System he also found that the attempt at making a "saw blade" became much easier now that he had the experience of spells like Light Ring, Mana Shape, Mana Slice, and others under his belt. It still felt too fragile to use as an attack, but it had already used up more Mana than a normal Mana Orb did due to how enlarged he had made its surface.

[quote=System:Torrent]
You used Magic Analysis II!
---Void ???---
An incomplete spell. By using your own Mana to repel all elements and energies away from a point in space, you've created an area of "emptiness" somehow. Repelling all forces equally causes this Void to take a spherical shape. It seems to naturally be drawn towards the same things you are repelling away from it, just like water moving to areas of lower concentration or heat moving to areas of lower temperature.

---Void Blast (Incomplete)---
An incomplete spell. You've created a shadowy void that creates a vacuum force once it interacts with outside forces. Forming it in your mouth allows you to give it a path of least resistance to follow, but letting the atmosphere back into this sealed environment seems dangerous.

---You---
[hider=Torrent][b][color=00aeef]Name:[/color] [/b]
Torrent, formerly Rain

[b][color=00aeef]Gender:[/color] [/b]
Female

[b][color=00aeef]Species:[/color] [/b]
Lesserwurm

[b][color=00aeef]Appearance:[/color][/b]
Green with blue mixed in.
She looked like a fantasy version of a skink lizard, her head being more bony with scaly outcrops along her snout and over the ridges on her eyes. Though she had no back legs, her front limbs had become somewhat longer and stronger. While she didn't have true thumbs, her claws had been reduced to three digits, two of which were longer and the third of which was shorter, thicker, and set at an angle to the others. It was a bit like a human's hand making a constant "Spock-hand" by holding the index-middle and pinky-ring fingers in pairs and curling the thumb. The joints of these "fingers" and the natural curl of her claws gave her a stronger grip that she could feel even as she began to pull herself along the ground--she would be able to pull, or to scoop and dig, quite fast if she felt so inclined. She was roughly twice as long as her previous form, though not so heavy-set throughout her body. As her tail instinctively lashed behind her, she would likely feel confident that she could easily contort herself in a variety of shapes.

[b][color=00aeef]Past Life:[/color] [/b]
There were few things more important to Rain in her short life than secrecy, alertness, and speed. She was not stronger than most, she was not at healthy as most, but with those three key factors helped to keep her alive and ahead in the dirty streets of an unnamed slum deep in the heart of Detroit.

Born to teen parents who didn't want her, it was a life of hardship from the start. She looked to her parents and was left wanting, before being abandoned at the age of six. She was a street urchin with a lack of trust and a thirst for better.

She scraped by, year after year, by honing these skills and not being afraid to be ruthless with the other filth left in the gutter, the gangs and the deranged.

Her life, however, was cut short by someone just a bit smarter and faster than she was, who happened to slip a knife between her ribs at the age of 16.

Given a second chance, she's going to do it right this time.[/hider]
---ANALYSIS COMPLETE!---
[/quote]

A splitting headache hit Torrent suddenly, like an ice cream migraine. To make matters worse, when attempting that experiment before by containing the void within her maw and letting air between her lips a little bit at a time, the void's collapse felt like it had taken a little bit of her cheek or tongue with it--she could definitely feel a raw and painful spot whenever she ran her tongue around the inside of her jaws. But, still, she had garnered some useful information and had a name to go with the Skill she was developing...

[quote=System:Digbie]
You used Magic Analysis I!
---Mana Orb I (1.95)---
A simple blast of magic. At the moment it only does as much damage as a strong punch on average, unless the enemy is weak to magic. As it gets stronger it becomes a generic, non elemental energy blast. You have the first Rank in this skill but are very close to the second. Your attempts to condense it are making it more powerful, at the cost of more MP.
[/quote]

It seemed like the Mana Orb was getting denser, but it wasn't concentrated enough to turn "hard" like the Demiblin wanted. Maybe he needed to keep going, add more MP, or do something else besides just trying to shrink it down. He could see Oberon over there practicing with changing the shape of one of his own Mana Orbs, and the Sprite seemed to be on to something from that look of intense concentration on his face...

The horn they had heard before blew again, and it sounded like it was just on the other side of the hill! Rags Nar had believed, yesterday, that the other monsters were somehow Digbie's pets or demon familiars. Did they want him and the other goblins to see them performing their skills or witness them talking to one another, or would they try to hide their abilities for now...?
[hr]
[h3]PixieSlime Party[/h3]
"And given the short amount of time it's happened in, that "only consequence" is rather notable." Zieglar responded when Asura downplayed what had happened thus far. "We only received the report of the Goblins moving two days ago. If they were preparing for this battle with the "smart monsters," and the many deaths caused by that conflict are what made this Dungeon, it means that in the course of less than fourty-eight hours," he shook Asura's only-slightly malformed hand and looked down intently at the articulate digits, then returned his gaze to the Amorphous Slime. "[i]You[/i], and the other monsters like you, created that Dungeon [i]unintentionally.[/i] I shudder to think of the consequences if any of you had actually known what you were doing. Though..." He once again placed a hand on his chin. "You said another slime, like yourself, tried to take over? Do you know if he interacted with the Dungeon Core at all?"

While Asura pondered how to answer that, Ardur spoke up and seconded the suggestion to clear the Dungeon. When he spoke about clearing his conscience, both the Knight and Squire gave each other curious looks. Trent began to rub the back of his head, clearly thinking in a heavy fashion much like his mentor. When Ardur explained that he felt he was being pulled towards the south by the influence of the Divine Spirits, the boy was the one to speak.

"If you just want to know what's that way, it's the Alpin Plains. But the further you go, the more barren the land becomes. Ashyra, the deserts where Dhulfiqar reigns, is beyond the grasslands. If you've been doing something to try and appease the spirits, it's likely he's the one calling you..." Trent's voice cracked slightly as he raised its volume, suddenly more on edge. "What kind of sacrifice did you do!?"

Though he kept a sharp eye on his apprentice and the Hipixie, Zieglar still listened to Asura's answer regarding the other Slime--Jason, of course--and only then gave what seemed to be his final opinion. 

"If you really want to risk going back into the Dungeon, then I suppose I could send Trent with you. It would be a good opportunity to have him work in a group that would really push him out of the box, and to nip this problem in the bud right away." He gave the boy a peculiar glare, causing the Squire to gulp nervously. Obviously something unsaid passed between them. What other motive could Zieglar possibly have, to let his apprentice join a party of creatures that were normally hostile to Humans? For the sake of going into an even more dangerous environment? Was he simply that trusting, despite knowing the party of reincarnators for less than an hour and knowing nothing of their abilities? Did he not think any of them were strong enough to take down Trent while the Knight wasn't looking? Or could this be part of some cunning plot...?
[hr]
[h3]Rat Party[/h3]
[quote=System:Asteria]
You used Mana Sense!
You feel an earthy Mana shifting about, just at the edge of your senses...
[/quote]

As Asteria spoke to seemingly empty air, the silence of the tomb lay still and cold. But then, a low rumble seemed to pass through a corner of the room...almost like someone laughing...

"A Dire Rat that can talk...I've seen some weird stuff in here, believe you me, but never talking rats..."

[quote=System:Asteria]
Skill Gain: Charisma I (0.95 > 1.0)!
Your personality is almost a magical charm unto itself. You’ll have greater luck convincing others to go along with your suggestions, but only within their own natural reasoning. [color=red]This skill may not work on those with stronger Wills.[/color]
[/quote]

The packed earth floor suddenly shifted near one corner of the room. A small mound rose up, like a mole getting ready to open up a path to the surface...but as a layer of soil shifted aside, it seemed like the dirt itself was taking shape underneath...A humanoid face like a chubby baby, with eyebrows and hair replaced by scaly layers of stone, blinked with eyes that looked like faceted clear gemstones. The octagonal irises of emerald green and a black pupils of the same shape gazed at Asteria.

"But in any case, that's not part of my contract, sorry. And I don't drink blood, what do you take me for? Why would you do dark magic junk like that on people you were gonna bury right next door to your town?" The head rose higher, until chunky and infantile arms appeared as well, giving the creature a cushion upon which to lay its chin. "My only concern is the barrow. I don't care what happens outside, and far be it from me to get involved in human affairs."

As Ed focused his Beast Sense to enhance his hearing, oddly enough he couldn't pick up on the conversation taking place in the other room. He could, however, make out the sounds of the bandits' breathing. The Kobold had a hissing breath, but very slow and drawn out. The ratman didn't hear this sound often--it seemed the lizard breathed through its slitted nostrils most of the time, and only occasionally sighed through its snout. The two hunched, hooded creatures that he thought might be some form of goblinoid had rougher, faster breathing, but the rhythm was still calm and steady. One of them sounded like he might actually be on the verge of dozing off. He could hear wind rustling the tall grass on the other side of the road, where those other two bandits would be, but once the breeze died down he couldn't hear anything else that seemed to indicate movement. So they were probably still standing where they were before, waiting to ambush whoever passed along the road...

The rodent enhanced his sense of smell next. The scent of woodsmoke tickled his whiskers first, and it was still fairly fresh. That probably meant that, wherever these bandits had their camp, it was probably close by. He could also smell leather, and metal, and oil...freshly honed blades, then? Wood, and something slightly rotted...maybe the rabbit skull on top of that Kobold's staff? A slightly sour, familiar smell...something minty, and also familiar. And then...something that wrinkled his nose with a sharp, acrid scent. It reminded him of the color purple for some reason. He had definitely smelled it before, and he knew it was dangerous. It was coming from the Kobold.

He could still identify each slightly different scent and match it to a bandit, even if he didn't manage to figure out what some of the other smells were. And he knew that the three monsters were still on the side of the barrow, they didn't seem to intend to come within. The other two were still on the other side of the road...but how much could they see from their position? He decided to risk it, and slowly began to creep back outside...Mother Rat followed him as far as the threshold of the barrow, pressing her body flat to the ground just as her ears lay back along her head.

Upon stepping out into the light, Ed could see further down both ends of the road...and before he had a chance to further examine the bandits, a large and dark shape caught his eye.

Coming from the direction of the lakeside town, along the road, sure to pass by the barrow within the next few minutes...a large horse drawn cart, with a few human figures clustered around it.

How long did he have before the bandits spotted it? If he turned and went back into the barrow, would he be risking sight by the thieves? If he didn't go back, would the people on the cart see him first? If he tried to warn them, would they listen? Or meet the Ratman with drawn weapons? If he let them go by, would the bandits attack them? Kill them?

What choices did Ed really have here...?
[hr]
[h3]Ghost Party[/h3]
"Life? Abandon? Wisdom? The Earth does not give Life. Life learned to use the Earth in order to live. The Earth does not abandon, yet neither is it loyal. Beings place their loyalties in one another. The Earth has no ancient wisdom--it simply Is as it was Meant to be. Beings garner wisdom, and display falsehoods."

In the darkness, Jason began to perceive...something. Was it coming from the mana he was absorbing, filling his spirit to the brim? Was it something from that strange spirit world, the world of gray mists?

The darkness lifted, as a hole opened up. A hand, lifting a stone from the earth. Primitives crowded around as the hands reached back into the hole, digging and churning the dirt with sticks and simple stones. As the earth was stirred, seeds were placed in the holes. As their roots reached through the earth and found nourishment, they opened up their buds and put forth fruit. As long as the earth was there, the plants would grow. As long as the humans had stone, they could build tools and shelter. From grass to animal to predators, through life and death, all made use of the earth and all returned to it. 

The moon rose. The night fell. The darkness, the ocean, the sun, the wind, the mountains...they were constant, always there. The stars might fade, but they would always return--and the Earth would always be waiting for them. All of these things and many more existed long before the primitive came out of its cave. What were they? What dangers did they bring? What wonders?

“Beings have given the Earth many names and many meanings. For many Beings, understanding agency, creating reason, forever seeking, and always asking were the methods of their survival. Did the Wind rustle the brush, or the Lion? The Being who assumed Wind did not always survive. If No Man threw the stone, did the Unseen Unknown Being cause the stone to fall? Why is it Unseen and Unknown? The Man who did not seek to understand did not always survive.”

Jason saw the primitives through the hole in the earth again, now wearing clothes made from plants and sitting around a fire. They cooked a slain beast, and carved its flesh with knives made from stone they had taken from the Earth and shaped for that purpose. Their children sat around them as the elders told them what they needed for survival--the tales of sun, and moon, and night, and ocean, and Earth. How they were dangerous and wonderful. How to understand them. But the children did not understand. How could Earth give them food? Why was the Cave safer than the open plain? So the elders changed the tales, made Them “like” other things that the children understood--fathers, mothers, warriors, healers, chieftains. And Earth and Sun and all the Others were not praised--they Were. They always Were. And they were needed to survive. It was necessary that the children understand them.

As Jason watched, the children of the children’s children appeared. They were many and they were different. Some of these children were now Men, and their cities and walls were built of great stones. Their dead were taken to great tombs dug into the Earth, and were sealed up in it with prayers and dances and dedications. They gave thanks to the Earth, for its protection and preservation. They tilled the earth and planted seeds, and buried their refuse. The Earth was “like” a reliable friend, and friends were always there for you no matter what. In return you also had to be a friend to them. But they understood that the Earth gave materials, and food, and rich jewels, and history, so they had to give other things to show their gratitude to the Earth. The others, like Moon and Sun and Wind and Ocean, gave other things, and Men gave them different things in return.

As years passed the stone towers rose higher, and he saw that some of these children were Not Men. One of them, their great king, made fire and water appear from his hands and moved earth with his words. They wanted him to shape the earth at their will, to raise their crops and build their homes, but knowing the limits of his power he instead granted them the strength of the earth. He taught them to make bricks from mud, to make their own stone from loose soil and shape it in the way that they pleased, and to turn it into pots and bowls. Not Men and Men alike began to think and do and be different than they were before as the world turned. The Earth and the Sun and Others stayed as they Always Were.

"Jason. You wish for wisdom, to guide your path. You wish to do things that are good for this world. The Earth Is and Has Been only soil, and sand, and stone. The Earth is only a receiver of That which has spent its power, and become inert. The Earth has Potential, but is not Activated. The Earth cannot give you knowledge, purpose, or morality. But Beings have imposed their Wills upon the Earth for these and many others. What was given to the Earth, the Earth has held in concentration, until gathered Power took on Will. To give and receive Power from another Will--is that your Will, Jason?”

The images around Jason began to crumble like sand. The hole in the earth began to fill, as if he were being buried alive. He was left once more in darkness...but as unseen things moved around him, he felt more than heard the whispers of many voices, echoing through the depths…

“The earth brings forth fruit and vegetables, trees and grass…” “The earth gives and gives but is never used up...its generosity is like that of a man who works tirelessly…” “The earth is firm and hard, but sometimes also soft…” “If the earth brings forth these plants, and generously gives its strength yet never exhausts itself, and is firm and rough but also reliable...the Earth must be a Father!”

Jason saw the voices overlapping, each vibration and tremor taking on a new shape like a three dimensional representation of radar waves. The sound took on form, and he saw a strong, rugged man holding a mattock in one hand and a bundle of grain under an arm.

“The earth sometimes shakes and destroys everything, but is usually so calm…” “No one can destroy the earth, with its great stones we can build invincible walls…” “It is soothing to sit among the mountains or upon the grass, and think deep thoughts…” “If the earth can destroy but remains calm, and is invincible, but soothes the mind in meditation...the Earth must be a Wise Monk!”

This time the voices took the shape of a broad shouldered figure, sitting cross-legged with clasped fingers. A strange ringing sound, like a stroke upon a tuning fork, emanated from an iron bell around the figure’s neck, and the clay beads looped around his arms rattled.

 “The earth is slow to move, but always steady…” “The earth hides great riches in its depths, and goes down and down…” “Sometimes, great rifts open up in the earth like a mouth that devours everything around it…” “If the earth is great and cumbersome, but has treasures hidden away like an animal that steals things, and can devour everything else...the Earth must be a Great Beast!”

This form towered over Jason, an enormous...Elephant? Tortoise? Its claws were like ploughs and its hide encrusted with gemstones. Its great head came down over him, and cold air like the draft of a cave blew against him from its nostrils.

There were many other voices, and other Figures, but Jason felt as if he were suffocating or being crushed. Just like a drowning man gasps for air when he breaks the surface of the water, he felt the urge to pull away from the earth. The figures watched him, patiently waiting...or perhaps listening? Waiting for him to call out…

[center]***[/center]

While Danny repeated his attempts to learn Fireball, the few embers he had scattered onto the firewood quickly burned themselves out. However, the next time he took aim at the pile of kindling and sticks, his spell suddenly gave a roar. Like throwing a match into a cloud of gasoline fumes, the Fireball made the air rumble as it took shape in front of Danny's hands. When he tossed it to the wood this time, the fuel immediately took light. The original roaring flames soon died down, but the Poltergeist now had a proper fire that quickly ate through grass and straw and stabilized into a steady burn upon the dry sticks and branches. 

After meditating and recharging his Source Crystal Shard, Danny attempted to examine his work. He activated his Mana Vision skill, causing his eyes to glow ever so slightly as he lifted the green crystal up...

[quote=System:Danny]
Skill Gain: Fireball I (0.9 > 1.0)!
The fire-themed version of a basic magical attack. With roughly the same power, range, and MP consumption as a Mana Orb, it has the unique property of being able to inflict a burn on the target. However, as an elemental spell, these same properties render it harder to use in certain circumstances. Non-flammable or elementally opposed targets, for example, will be much less effected. -You used Spell Chant to increase the Parameter: Heat Output of this Fireball. Other Parameters of the Fireball spell include Speed, Direction, Expansion, Concentration, Number, and Efficiency.-

---Fire (Crafted)---
You crafted this campfire using your Fireball spell. It is composed of organic materials such as wooden sticks, twigs, straw, dead leaves, and grass. It rapidly consumes this fuel, but the heat output is high. There is a slight breeze in the forest, creating an airflow that helps feed the fire. Fire generally needs oxygen, combustible material to serve as fuel, and heat to ignite and burn. Carbon is the most common and effective fuel, found in most organic solids. The Quality of the various Items used as fuel for this flame is rapidly degenerating, they will be useless within minutes for other purposes. 

Source Crystal Shard has no charge remaining!
[/quote]

Through the crystal, as if looking through a magnifying glass, Danny had also seen a number of...strange, floating squares? Cubes? Blocks with vibrating lines forming psychedelic geometric patterns? The ones immediately around the fire were bright red, though there were a few others that were green or gold or black. He thought he saw a few blue ones and light green ones as well, but they quickly vanished...He wasn't sure what the things were, but after the Crystal ran out of energy he had to really concentrated his Mana Vision in order to see them. Once he was aware of them, however, his attempt to use Lesser Force to draw the red ones in close as he created a Mana Orb caused them to slowly orbit his spell like fireflies....

The Mana Orb turned red yet again, just like it had in that heated, spark-producing, "pre-Fireball" state. Even though Danny wasn't casting that specific spell anymore.
[hr]
[h3]Deep Forest[/h3]
Femus's Mana Orb began to glow brighter, and its crackling seemed to increase in frequency. As he recalled smell, sight, and sound and tried to channel every memory, each sensation, into his spell, the magic began to take on a neon yellow color. He felt his MP draining...and smelled ozone in the air.

"Shocking force enhance..." The sparks around the orb stopped popping and snapping like flame, and instead began to flicker and buzz, forming distinct arcs from the center of the orb as they latched on to dust motes. Femus felt his filament-like hairs stand on end as his skin tingled. 

"Shock Round."

With a final snap, the electrical orb suddenly broke free of his grip. But unlike the Mana Orb, it did not shoot straight ahead on a linear path. Instead, it seemed to float freely, moving back and forth in a zig-zag pattern...until it made contact with a branch of the tree. With a sound like a great drumbeat, all of the energy within the spell was discharged in a nanosecond. The branch flashed red hot, white light lancing through it and splitting like a system of veins, then it burned and blackened and fell off the tree. It left a smoking trail down to the forest floor below.

[quote=System:Femus]
Skill Gain: Shock Round I (0.8 > 1.0)!
The lightning-themed version of a basic magical attack. With roughly the same power, range, and MP consumption as a Mana Orb, it has the unique property of being able to home in on a target, though it moves slowly and may dissipate after a few moments. However, as an elemental spell, these same properties render it harder to use in certain circumstances. Elementally opposed targets, for example, will be much less effected.
[/quote]

Before the Wisp had unleashed his new spell, however, he had told Nira to find some way to lose their wild pixie follower. Nira made sure to file away the Pixie's appearance for later. The creature had a more feminine shape to its body and limbs, and her skin was almost powder-white with the softest green tinge. Her hair, however, was green as the grass and just as windswept. Big brown eyes peered out of a smirking face, and her gossamer wings had an amber sheen like fresh tree sap. When Nira spoke again, the Pixie turned a flip in the air and giggled. 

"Awwwiiiiight! Aww! Alllu, riiiiite!"

Then Nira suddenly bolted, causing the wild fae to squeak and hustle after her. As the reborn fairy activated her stealth skill, the already subtle beat of her wings lessened and she weaved between the trees at top speed. It didn't take long for the wild pixie to start losing sight of her, following only by the barest flash of a foot or hair disappearing among the leaves. She let out a frustrated screech as she barely avoided running into a trunk, and in the process finally lost Nira.

But Nira was still not alone.

She burst out of the branches into a small clearing, and noticed for the first time that the sounds of goblins feasting and shouting were closer than ever. She could smell the smoke from their cooking fires. But she wasn't among the camp, at least not yet. In this small clearing, only one Goblin was present. He was a little taller than average, but perhaps a little more slender too. A small pile of bones with bits of meat and gristle still present had been tossed to the side, and now the goblin held a long stick in his hand. But it wasn't just a plain stick--it had been meticulously carved, probably over a long period of time, and even had an edge of sorts and a subtle curve. It looked fragile enough that if it actually made contact with something harder than flesh, that blade would immediately be dulled. Maybe that was why the Goblin kept swinging at empty air.

It couldn't be called "swordsmanship" at all, but there was a definite sense that this greenskin had more skill than his brethren. At the very least it seemed he was getting a workout, as his scrawny muscles were covered in sweat. He raised the sword up high above his head and brought it straight down, over and over again. Every so often he lost his balance, and looked down at his feet as he shuffled back into some imitation of a fighting stance.

So far, he hadn't noticed the Pixie floating above him...
[hr]
[h3]Farmstead[/h3]
"There ain't never been a Goblin hero before! At least not one that was good to humans!" Reuben said, crossing his arms and trying to look like a wiser mentor to Miiba and Scott. "But if Dad says you guys got brought here, I guess maybe that kinda makes you like a hero...Hmmm, it's really weird." The boy peered out from under the table, but it seemed that the rest of the household was still discussing the message to send to this Adventurer's Guild that had been mentioned a few times. Lear seemed to be in the process of dictating a letter to Mirabelle, mostly just outlining previous events. He hadn't gotten to the part where the mountain exploded yet, only detailing that Geir and Mirabelle had arrived for some kind of weekly guard duty.

"Summoning is like..." Reuben snatched a piece of cheese from the platter of food the farmer's wife had placed on the table, and held it out in his hand in front of Miiba. "Taking something from somewhere," he passed the morsel behind his back, and revealed it in his other hand, "and bringin' it somewhere else! There's different kinds of it--like, if you Summon [i]yourself[/i] somewhere, it's called Teleportation! But, since you guys were brought here from another World, that's World Summoning! It's the hardest kind to do, I've heard sometimes ya gotta use a whole team of wizards!" He broke the cheese into three parts and offered two of them to the monsters while he scarfed down the third. Then he held up a finger as his lecture continued.

"There's different kinds of Heroes, too! I like Heroes, so I got Dad to read to me about 'em a lot! And when Adventurers like Geir and Mira come, they tell me lotsa stories!" He pointed at himself. "People from this world, like me and Dad, can be Heroes too! But sometimes, if there ain't enough, Kings and Queens and sometimes even the Divine Spirits have to find people from other worlds and call them over. They're called Summoned Heroes!" Now he held up a second finger. "But whether you're Summoned or not, you might also be Chosen! A person can only be a Chosen Hero if they're specifically blessed and guided by a Spirit, or if they're mentioned in properties...no, wait, pharmacies...no. Uh...Prophecies! Sometimes great sages or priests get these visions or whatever, and they write 'em down, and it's like telling what's gonna happen in the future. If you match all the stuff in there, then you're a Chosen Hero and you're destined to do whatever the Prophecy is about."

One of the chairs scooted closer in to the table, and the slender legs in front of it accidentally kicked Reuben. The boy bumped his head on the underside of the dining furniture as he moved, then pouted and pinched one of the legs. His older sister squealed and kicked out again, but he dodged it this time with a giggle before he turned back to Miiba and Scott.

"And some people, like me, they believe in Reborn Heroes. That's when a person used to be somebody else, but then they die and get re...re-ink...reinstate...aw heck, I forget the word. They die but they don't go to the Spirit World, they come back as a new baby and get to grow up all over again. A lot of people don't believe Reborn Heroes are real though, cause it sounds crazy." Reuben tapped his head and grinned. "But some of the Adventurers, they said Reborn Heroes, especially Summoned ones, just try to keep it secret all the time! They just try to pass it off as being really talented or whatever, and even if they do tell people nobody ever believes them! Although, there have been some crazy guys who try to say they used to be Heroes from a long long time ago just so other people will do what they say." He rubbed his chin, and looked even closer at the pixie and the goblin.

"But I ain't never heard of a Summoned Hero being Reborn as a Monster. That doesn't make any sense. Nobody likes Monsters cause they're bad. Heroes ain't supposed to be bad." He rocked back and forth on his rear, folding his legs underneath him Indian-style. "And if the King of Viskard, or some other important person, or a Divine Spirit, didn't Summon you guys..." He seemed to be trying his best to look intimidating, with his furrowed brow and focused gaze, but it was difficult given how small and scrawny he was. "Then who did?"