---

"Okay, we got a fair bit of stuff, so..." Digbie trailed off as he began to separate the piles of gear out.

"These... these are mine." Digbie said, pocketing the Whetstone and pulling the sword he was given closer.

Ash was the first person to get gear divvied out for. Digbie grabbed the Vine Bracers out of the pile and put them in Ash's pile first, since some sort of armor for Ash would be better than none at all. He also grabbed the Greaves and gave them to her, as well, considering Ash could probably use something else, though he wasn't sure if it'd work with her lizard build as well as it would a Goblin's.


Torrent was next up. Digbie grabbed the Haubergeon from the pile and placed it where her stuff would be. Some kind of armor for her had to be good, and given her... past tactics, something that didn't burn seemed like a solid idea. Everything esle, though could probably burn, so... Torrent can get the rest of her own gear. Maybe the Hard Shell would work as back armor if Digbie could refine it.


Oberon was... not easy. Due to how big the gear would be on the pixie, getting him gear was not easy in any aspect. So... Digbie grabbed the Bandanna out of the bag and put it to where Oberon's gear would be, maybe he could use it as a tunic or something better. Something that seemed like it's work for a melee weapon for Oberon, though, was the Iron Dagger. Maybe it'd be a two handed thing, but he could probably use it like a sword or something.


"... alright, that'll work for right now." Digbie heaved with relief. "That's Oberon's pile, there's Torrent's, and that's Ash's." He pointed at each pile as he said the names. "At least, that's how I divvied it. It's all for the benefit of the group, so..."

This left Digbie with the rest of the gear he could take from bits and places. First, he grabbed the other greaves from the pile and put them on over his pants. He also put aside his broken shield in favor of taking the Treebark Bracers.

<UNEQUIPPED - ARMS> Battle-Scarred Shield {Average - BROKEN}
<EQUIPPED - ARMS> Treebark Bracers {Good}
<EQUIPPED - LEGS> Vine Greaves {Good}

After all that was done, Digbie grabbed the Stone Knife from the pile and began to try breaking down the Scrap Leather Boot, Fur Clothing, and Filthy Underwear into more usable strips and pieces. From there, maybe the group could try and make armor that would be a cut above the regular kind. At the very least, maybe they could make bags. It was a pretty good chance nobody wanted the filthy clothes, anyway.

<UNEQUIPPED - HAND> Woodland Pick {???}
<EQUIPPED - HAND> Stone Knife {Average}

"Uh... System, how much could we get out of this for materials?" Digbie asked while he began. Hopefully when Ash came out of evolution he'd be able to see things. "A-And how close am I to leveling up? I just wanna check!"

---

---

"Good to know our options. Thank you, gnome." The ratman says to the earth spirit as he thinks about where would be the best place. He considered going back to the myrminors but remembered how much of a danger they were in larger numbers...and those were just workers and scouts. Ed perished the thought of encountering a swarm of soldier myrminors. The goblin tribe beyond the town seemed too far but would likely warrant investigation in the future. Laketown's sewers would have been a fine option if they didn't look like monsters and the fact that it's a place where newbie adventurers go; meaning the likelihood of them getting killed would be far greater than he was comfortable with. That left the bandits at their camp and the mongrels. Both had pros and cons in hunting them but, after some consideration, the bandits would be a good quarry for them. Closer to the base to boot. If the bandits he and Asteria helped kill earlier were part of that group, it would mean they were down five members. Dealing with them now would also likely help them in the long run and maybe afterward they can go deal with the mongrels or myrminors. First things first though, they needed to practice and get used to using their new gear before they formulate a plan of action.

Ed would then excuse himself if Asteria and the earth spirit were not yet done conversing with one another and return the [Flint and Steel] back to the Grass Pack Roll before retrieving his [Great Club] and heading outside to begin practicing with it. It was like practice back in high school...but with the bat being an oversized weapon designed to destroy armor. Beginning with a few basic warm-ups to prepare his body for physical exercise. Then he would begin to swing the club with as much force as he could muster and try to keep his balance and footing after the swing itself. While doing this, he would also focus on his breathing to help circulate blood better, prevent cramps, and increase the time he can keep going without getting exhausted. He would repeat the process until failure, wherein which he would take a break but still focus on his breathing exercise to hopefully recover his stamina faster.

---

At some point, Asteria would exit the barrow and see Ed as he was just getting warmed up for his impromptu batting practice with the great club. She asked him which group would he prefer to take on first. "Bandits, preferably. Also, careful. I'm not used to swinging this thing yet. I don't think we want any accidents happening." He would pause to finish up his first set of warm-ups. "If the five we helped kill were part of the bandits gnome mentioned, it would make the bandits are weaker by five. Including a caster and a bowman. Though we can't be completely sure. So I suggest we go scout the place out first. See how many there are and identify the defenses. Possibly even find out patrol routes and rotations. Only then we can formulate the most optimal attack plan."

---

---

“A Soulforged weapon? Sounds terrifying. And yes, the one I met communicated with me somehow…through a dream. I suddenly kind of pity that water spirit,” Asteria replied.

“Hmm, I see,” she hummed at the gnome’s explanation of the carry-over benefits. It was a pretty neat deal, and just another reason why underestimating humans would always be a bad idea.

The results of their experiment were not entirely conclusive, having just testing her idea once, but Asteria was pretty sure the mechanic was a bit different to how she’d originally imagined it. “Maybe we just get to speak the language of whichever being we talked to last. The only way to be sure, then, would to go chat to a group that contains beings who speak and understand different languages. In any case, thank you for the cooperation. It was pretty interesting,” she concluded.

“By the way, do you intend to pass over all this information to your owner or any other associates?” she queried casually, though she was truly curious. Even if the gnome assured her everything would stay between them, though, she couldn’t quite trust him enough to discuss the System, though she dearly wanted to. Maybe she could question the gnome about skills and training in general…though given he had asked them for their reason of training and how vague his ideas about it were, that would perhaps turn out to be pointless. But it was certainly something for her to consider over the next two days or so.

She didn’t really comment about Earth, either, because it wasn’t particularly relevant as far as she was concerned. “Oh, that’s plenty of locations, thanks. But…ugh, Myrminors, we have had some bad experiences with those,” Asteria shuddered. “I doubt we’ll be going to Laketown right now, but it’s worth remembering for later.”

When she turned to ask Ed his opinion, she noticed he was gone. Shrugging, Asteria cooked herself a small piece of meat similarly to how the gnome had, and consumed it. “Yeah, definitely better than raw,” she commented. “See ya later,” she bid him farewell, and headed outside as well. If Mother rat didn’t look like she’d follow by the time they started heading away, they would need to consider whether to nudge her to go along or to just leave her be at the barrow.

“Warming up? Good idea. By the way, which targets do you want to clear out first? I’d go for either the bandits or the mongrels,” Asteria said. Imitating Ed, she began stretching and preparing for their trip as well. She tensed and released all muscles periodically, then concentrated on trying to stand on her hind legs. Her body wasn’t built for it, but it was a decent strengthening exercise. Then, she started swinging around with her tail-strapped knife, testing how to slash and stab with it, getting used to the reach and motions. Finally, she tried out some evasive maneuvers, dashing in various directions, rolling here and there, and testing out short- and long-distance jumps. She had to get used to moving her body without injuring herself with her equipped weapon.

---

@Zeroth@Duthguy

Skill Unlocked: Warcry II (2.175) is now available again!

WARNING! YOUR MP IS LOW!

Jason reeled as he was once again violently ejected from Geir's body; the sudden shift between worlds no less disorienting than the last time he had been forcefully removed from the boy. Can't say that timing wasn't perfect... Jason mused to himself as he assessed the surrounding situation; not only was Danny nowhere to be seen, but Jason had also been able to disengage the young Barbarian before any form of reinforcements could arrive to back him up. Looking towards the house, he saw two souls fast approaching to aid Geir. The first soul; whom Jason assumed to be Mira, glowed brightly, brighter than Zieglar's even-- but seemed to lack concentration, to the point where it bordered on outright translucence. The second soul; which Jason couldn't place, appeared to be a little less bright than the goblins he and Danny had fought in the forest. Perhaps it was a pet or 'familiar' of some kind? Though he was curious, Jason didn't intend to stick around to find out.

Looking back down to Geir; who still seemed to be gathering his bearings from their fight, Jason noticed that the Barbarian's soul wasn't as red nor bright as it was previously, but seemingly the same size. Extending a long pseudopod to the young warrior, Jason activated [Mana Drain] to recoup what mana he could before leaving behind a final message with his [Telepathy], "Remember kid-- we aren't your enemy..."

Pulling away from the scene of the fight, Jason kept himself pressed low to the ground; hoping to make himself less discernable, and crept towards the animal pens. I don't know how long that last bit of mana will keep me going for. Jason thought to himself, Better to be safe than sorry in this case. Attempting to regenerate as much mana as possible, the ectoslime activated [Meditation] as he lurked through the chilly night air, his senses flickering in and out of focus as he continued forward...

As he reached the pens, Jason looked around to find Danny, briefly activating his [Spiritual Awareness] to better search for his hiding friend.

The System told him it was a Zomblin. A zombie goblin, and aside from intelligence going down and endurance going up it hadn't changed from its living self. Tucking away that information he kept speeding along the ground until he got attacked. The wisps were launching magic at him, one of which struck the stones of his make-shift shield. He flowed around the other one that was shot ahead of him, his body splitting around it as he flowed like a small river. The magical ball impacting the ground uselessly.

The others had to move faster to keep up with him, they honestly didn't need to rush after him. But Trent handling the fanged lizard about to spit at him was appreciated, and largely ignored for now. The stones took literal chunks from the zombie goblins side before it grabbed his Shell and pulled him away somehow before slamming him to the ground. The skull took most of the impact though, not that a body slam really would have hurt too much.

Still the wisps fired at him again, so he pulled the off-balance goblin thrusting a javelin at him down. Forcing it to take the magical shots in its back. The short throwing spear did hit him, but the damage wasn't too bad. He had good defenses, but his Poison Resistance wasn't active yet. So that burned a bit like the necro-slimes acid.

One of his pseudopods extended, straightened, and turned into a pointed spike. "Skewer!" He ground out, shoving the spike up through the zomblins jaw to go through the roof of his mouth to get to its brain.

Ardur The Mighty Hipixie

A line in the sand > Asking for help from a friend /// Adventuring day 5 // Evening / Location - The Shimmering Pool

Ardur could see that Trent still had his head in the game. At the very least he didn’t seem too shaken by the onslaught of those in front of them. Asura seemed to be holding his own but was beginning to take some hits. Steve and mother slime were not quite able to engage quite yet but were getting closer.

A few blinking lights caught his eye over the pond, the simple fluttering of pixie and wisps in the distance. They weren’t heading towards them but more at an angle, were they attempting to flank them? Intelligence like that wouldn’t be something he would expect from a bunch of undead but perhaps this could be showing some intelligence from the core itself. Thoughts and experiment’s for another time.

What could he do about it? The others were fighting up front and the room there was restricted. Fighting them in open combat was a choice but he wanted them to draw in closer first where he could possibly have more cover from the others. Using spells wasn’t something he wished to do either, wanting instead to use it on healing spells.

What about the last time they were in this sort of predicament? The Sword. That’s right the sword was in that pool. The last thing it said was to return with a hero but it also said that it had borrowed mana from Asteria.

The High Pixie dropped from his elevated position to the side of the pool nearby. Sticking his left hand in the pool and focusing like he would do when talking to the holy spirits. This time he focused on the sword and spoke. “Sword of the pool, its Ardur again. I have not returned with a hero but some day I will meet your requirements or find someone that does. For now we could use a hand destroying the dungeon core and purifying this cave if you can help.” Releasing a pulse of mana he would normally give up to guidance into the pool and stepping back.

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu

As Danny escaped the chicken-like creature to land on the coop, the creature watched him and puffed up its feathers in a threatening display. Flapping its wings, it ran back and forth across the ground a few times, as if it expected him to fall off the roof and was just waiting for a chance to get at him.

Level 8
EXP: 20%

As the Poltergeist looked around the farm with his Mana Vision, he found that the largest concentration of magic seemed to be coming from inside the house, rather than any of the nature surrounding the place. The chicken and hog-like animals didn't seem as magically inclined as even the basic monsters from the forest and cave. From this distance he could barely make out Geir's mana signature, and the one that he thought to be Jason was...dim and flickering. Almost out completely. But it was moving away--just as a much larger source of Mana was approaching, accompanied by one that seemed...unusual, somehow. And inside the house, visible through the windows, magical energy shone brilliantly. Was it a person? Or some kind of enchanted object?

As he meditated afterward, unable to do anything at the moment to help Jason, the blood on his chest chilled his skin as it dried in the night air...

Jason's ghostly form drained some of the light from Geir's spiritual body like liquid moving up a straw. However, there was resistance, like an especially thick milkshake. And the spirit didn't have enough strength to get closer and engage in another spiritual battle--nor did he have the time. Still, the ectoslime thought it somehow necessary to expend some of this Mana on a Telepathic message before he left.

He headed across the fields, just as Mira and Miiba were reaching Geir. He could hear the girl calling out to see if the young man was okay, but as he followed Danny's trail...his senses began to, slowly...fade...

The monochrome void began closing in on all sides. He tried to activate Meditation...but he was moving. An unpleasant buzz spread through his ethereal body. Suddenly he felt cold, and numb....

He could see Danny's soul with his Spiritual Awareness, slowly growing brighter as the Poltergeist meditated on top of the chicken coop. But could he...get there...before...

DANGER! YOUR MP IS VERY LOW!

---

Nira could feel her magical energy flowing through her body when she meditated, like a second set of heartbeats and pumping veins. The sensation of it moving through her tiny, insect-like wings served to remind her how different this new body was, yet somehow carried with it the feeling of freedom. Despite the weakness of the Pixie body, it could still do something Humanity had only yet dreamed of in the Old World--free flight, at will. Though, perhaps the fact that it was called Lesser Flight meant there was still more to gain.

But her thirst was distracting. Her next attempt with magic, then, would be to try to create a sphere of water--a different element of Mana Orb. She had seen such things in fiction, and this world seemed to run on the same kind of fantasy. So she closed her eyes and visualized, in her mind, the sounds and sensations of water.

Her hands felt cool, but the breeze of the forest was dying down. It was a pleasant sensation, like dew on the morning grass. As her magic flowed, coalescing in her palms, the temperature on her skin seemed to drop further. When she opened her eyes, she saw an ever so thin mist gathering around her hands...the water droplet in her mind fell with a soft, tinkling sound, and the mist dispersed. She tried again, and this time watched the damp gathering in the ethereal clouds, so delicate that even her soft breathing dissolved them.

"Um... System, bring up skill list?"

Unspent Skill Points: 20
Current Skills:
Alert I (1.45)
Lesser Flight I (1.65)
Minor Heal I (1.0)
Muffle (1.55)
Shield I (1.05)
Mana Orb I (1.05)
Meditate I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE>
Crafting (0.1)
Keen Ear (0.2)
Mana Strike (0.1)
Meditate (0.7)
Point Strike (0.2)
Stealth Kill (0.3)
Suppress Presence (0.5)
Monster Analysis (0.3)
Smash (0.1)
Faster (0.3)
Magic Analysis (0.6)
Iron Gullet (0.2)
Charisma (0.9)
Charm (0.4)
Deception (0.2)
Pacify Animal (0.2)
Taming (0.1)
Plant Analysis (0.3)
Mana Sense (0.2)
Spell Chant (0.3)
Stronger (0.1)
Use Light Equipment (0.05)
(NEW) Mana Shape (0.2)
(NEW) Aqua Sphere (0.4)

For his part, Femus observed the other creatures in the clearing. The Bowhorn seemed peaceful, not much different from the herbivores they so resembled in the Old World. It seemed reasonable that their vitals would be behind the front shoulder and in their heads, the same as any deer back on Earth. However, they were very solidly built animals. It seemed quite unlikely that his Mana Orb, in its current form, would be able to take them down in a single shot.

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

The Wisp took the edge off of his thirst for the moment by sucking on a leaf, and turned back to his magic. His line of thought seemed to be that it would be dangerous to explore in search of water or food without a powerful weapon to defend himself with. Considering the properties of his spell, Femus settled on an experiment. He "locked on" to a tree branch in his mind, and with focus he cast his Shock Round again. The electrical orb didn't hold its intended shape for long after it left him--though it continued to rotate, the dart shape he had tried to impose on it once again swelled out into a sphere. Like liquid in zero gravity, this seemed to be its most natural form. If it moved any faster, it wasn't clear if it was because of Femus's intent, or if he had just "thrown" it harder than before. Still, it did home in slowly on his target--and when it finally did make contact, with a bright flash and crackle it singed the twig badly enough to snap it from the tree. The sudden sound startled the Bowhorn, who looked up and stood stock still for several seconds. Slowly, they lowered their heads back to the herbs once more, save for the male who stood on lookout.

You used Magic Analysis II!
---Shock Round---
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. Its homing tendency may be thrown off by certain conductive materials if they are within its range, such as metal. 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. It is possible to alter the charge of an orb, which might affect its interaction with other electrical spells or magnetic substances.

His upgraded analysis skill gave him just a little more information about the spell, and combined with his observations he had perhaps progressed just a step or two more in his training.

"System." He thought as he began meditating to restore his depleted mana. "Please display unusable skills."

Current Skills:
<UNUSABLE>
Faster (0.3)
Harder (0.1)
Soil Manipulation(0.1)
Muffle (0.4)
Stealth Kill (0.1)
Charisma (0.3)
Mana Drain (0.8)
Iron Gullet (0.1)
Mana Sense (0.9)
Keen Smell (0.1)
Mana Dart (0.2)
Mana Burst (0.1)
Fireball (0.1)
Plant Analysis (0.9)
Keen Sight (0.3)
Wisp Flash (0.2)
Focus (0.9)
Spell Chant (0.3)
Mental Resistance (0.3)
People Sense (0.1)
Rabid Fit (0.2)
Poison Splash (0.1)
Material Analysis (0.2)
Keen Ear (0.1)
Minor Heal (0.1)

Now Femus tried to draw forth Mana from the Great Kao Tree as he meditated, while he considered what he had learned thus far. He did make an attempt to take the energy in as peaceable manner as possible...

But once again, the tree shuddered. Nira could feel it too, this time. And so could the Bowhorn deer, down in the field--once more they startled, and this time actually took a few steps back from the herb patch. The big male looked straight up into the branches, eyes wide, and chuffed through his nose. The doe and her two little ones immediately dashed for the treeline, and the male followed not long after.

Then it stopped, and the forest was silent. An unnatural, tense silence.

Skill Rank Up: Meditate I > Meditate II (1.95 > 2.0)!
Increase the amount of Mana recovered. Low background noises, movements, etc (comparable to the common room of an Inn, a busy street at the market, etc) will no longer decrease the effectiveness of this skill so long as the user maintains stillness and a calm state of mind. This skill still cannot be used while moving or in the midst of battle. This skill cannot be used in conjunction with other Active skills.

Skill Gain: Mana Sense I (0.9 > 1.0)!
You have sharpened your mental and spiritual senses as well as your physical ones. By focusing upon a single creature or object, you will be able to sense its magical nature in some fashion. Different creatures may perceive this aura in different ways--some may see a colored aura, others may catch unique scents, etc. This is not an Analysis skill, though it may Synergize with some of them. The range of this skill is limited to that of your other physical senses, though in some cases a mana signature may become easier or more difficult to detect depending on factors such as strength, amount, etc. By touching an object or creature, even if they are somehow suppressing their magical power, you have a chance to learn whether or not magic is present. At this rank, you must activate this skill in order for it to take effect. While active it will consume MP.

After several long moments, nothing terrible happened. No disaster fell upon them. And Femus, in true scientific fashion, returned to his magics. Now he thought about the nature of lightning itself. Positive and negative charge, reaching their limits before discharging energy in a natural arc. Femus concentrated on making his Shock Orb absorb these qualities, locking onto a target at a distance and then jumping instantly to strike it. But, something about that didn't feel right. So, he stopped and attempted to deactivate the spell without losing the mana. Instead, he reached out and focused on a patch of ground with no branches above it. Then he concentrated on making that place attractive to lightning, so attractive that the surrounding trees would have no effect on the bolt's path from the clouds to the ground and back again. Femus also focused his will into his words as he spoke in a tone of command. "Strike, Lightning Bolt."

The patch of ground he had been focusing on stood out in stark detail, the rest of the world fading into the background of his sight. As he spoke his short chant...a slight glow seemed to ruffle the grass. Femus felt a surge of Mana leave his body, and much like touching a doorknob he felt static electricity jump across his skin. And it was visible, too--a twisting yellow-white tendril that arced out from him into the empty air.

And immediately dissipated after traveling only a foot or so from him. The glow was gone, and it seemed he had used a bigger chunk of Mana than usual.

You used Magic Analysis II!
---Static Bolt---
You are attempting to develop the Static Bolt spell. By building up a charge, an electrical surge of energy can be discharged almost instantaneously. However, only an unmoving object or creature can be targeted, it seems, and it takes a lot of energy to build the charge.

While Femus recovered his mana and searched for water with all of his senses, he noticed that the Bowhorns had not returned, and he hadn't seen any of the Pixies or other Wisps flitting about either. The sounds of the forest had returned, dissipating some of the tension from earlier, but it seemed only the Mundane creatures were out and about now. Then again, it was getting close to mid-day. Maybe all the Goblins and other such things were having lunch or taking a siesta.

There didn't seem to be any pools or streams, at least not in the immediate vicinity of the Great Kao Tree. He might have to go searching, if not out of the area entirely then at least to places he hadn't been...like the ramshackle goblin camp, or that larger patch of green herbage further away from Nira's gathering place. Or maybe even the treeline around the forest clearing...

LEVEL UP! Your learning experiences have culminated in new power! You are now Level 7! You gain Skill Points to distribute as you please!

Unspent Skill Points: 10 [[OOC: 5 from normal, 5 from bonuses]]
Current Skills:
Monster Analysis I (1.8)
Mana Orb II (2.5)
Lesser Force I (1.65)
Levitation (--)
Meditate II (2.025)
Magic Analysis II (2.2)
Shock Round I (1.4)
Mana Shape I (1.2)
Shield I (1.05)
Mana Control I (1.4)
Alert I (1.1)
Crafting I (1.1)
Suppress Presence I (1.1)
Growth I (1.25)
Mana Sense I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE>
Faster (0.3)
Harder (0.1)
Soil Manipulation(0.1)
Muffle (0.4)
Stealth Kill (0.1)
Charisma (0.3)
Mana Drain (0.9)
Iron Gullet (0.1)
Mana Sense (0.9)
Keen Smell (0.2)
Mana Dart (0.2)
Mana Burst (0.1)
Fireball (0.1)
Plant Analysis (0.9)
Keen Sight (0.4)
Wisp Flash (0.2)
Focus (0.9)
Spell Chant (0.4)
Mental Resistance (0.3)
People Sense (0.1)
Rabid Fit (0.2)
Poison Splash (0.1)
Material Analysis (0.2)
Keen Ear (0.2)
Minor Heal (0.1)
Static Bolt (0.4)

---

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.

Though they probably made an incredibly odd sight, bounding about in and out of the tall grass and swinging like a batter going for a home run, the two Rat Monsters' practice seemed to be paying off. Whether the two of them had ever been athletes or not, anyone who has ever done strenuous exercise knows that sweat, fatigue, and muscle soreness can never lie.

Ed found that, if he could get his entire body behind or under the Great Club, he could just about move it. Attempting a full baseball swing was beyond him--or rather, it wasn't that he couldn't do it, just that it was too slow. But if he choked up on the handle with one hand, and kept the other towards the base, he could lever it and push with his legs. Then he could let gravity do the work, but the strike was still fairly clumsy and it shortened the range of the big weapon considerably. Still, it was a club. It didn't require much skill--the primary shortage here was simply his strength and leverage. And considering the Rat Man was a good deal stronger than a Goblin, it might make him wonder if even Rattleskull would have had trouble swinging around this long hardwood thing, studded and banded with iron.

Asteria couldn't quite manipulate her tail with the exact same dexterity as a hand, given the different bone structure. And it lacked the sort of hydraulic motion to stab like a scorpion's stinger. Still, her improvised weapon could slash quite effectively--if her tail whipped out quickly, the strike wasn't incredibly accurate but could shear the long blades of grass with no problem whatsoever. With her enhanced speed, strength, and coordination, once she was used to the weight she could still run and jump and tumble in much the way any rodent can. If she were in a more enclosed space, something like parkour would be of little issue.

Mother Rat watched both of them, head turning back and forth. She scratched one ear idly with her hind leg, then yawned. This pack was, by far, the strangest she had ever been part of in her few years of life.

The road remained empty, as the sun rapidly approached noon. A slight breeze ruffled the grassy lands every now and then. Off in the distance, now that the light was brighter, they could clearly see the small smoke trails from the village they had passed. They could also see the treeline of the forest, much more distant now, and a gently rolling hill. Ed might remember the smoke he had seen coming from somewhere behind this hill not too long ago, before they hunkered down in the barrow...could that be where the Bandits had their camp?

[[OOC: If the plan's to just keep training and you don't need encounters, etc, feel free to continue back and forths or do collabs.]]

---

The magic blast had knocked one of the stones in his makeshift shield away. The burning purple javelin left a dark stain on his red membrane, but he pushed through the pain. Asura managed to drag the Zomblin in the way of the two Mana Orbs, but its bone armor protected it from the majority of the damage at the cost of cracking one of the plates. The undead goblin snarled, black bile dripping from its jaws--just before they snapped shut as Asura's spike drove through the underside of its mandible. He pierced all the way through, and the undead creature jerked and stumbled back--

But it did not fall. Defying all zombie-fiction logic, the undead continued to move, albeit it with much more jerking and struggling.

Asura couldn't see behind him, but Ardur had left the group heading for the pool. Trent and the others caught up--but so did the other monsters hurrying to join the Zomblin's party! The two Ghost Wisps fired at Asura again--and began to fade away like dust in the wind. The Fanged Lizard squirmed back to its feet--only for a gooey glob of Steve's webbing to pin it to the ground! It still managed to fire off a Poison Spit attack, which Trent once again blocked with his shield before jumping up and coming down with both feet on the creature's spine. The human's greater weight, enhanced by his equipment, spelled doom for the possessed reptile.

Mother Slime rolled forward. There was enough room in the passage for perhaps four or five creatures to stand abrest. As she was moving to Asura's side, she lashed out with a pseudopod at the Zomblin, but the undead creature managed to duck away from the heavy blow.

And then, rather than attack, the creature snatched up the pile of poisoned javelins under its arm like so much firewood. It had a least a dozen left, and it now turned and fled while the other monsters pressed forward. Two assimilated Wisps and another Fanged Lizard filled the gap the zomblin left behind, opening mouths and gathering energy for their ranged attacks. From Asura's side, a new Skeleblin appeared--and like the Zomblin, this one was better armed than expected of such a basic undead.

Plates of a shell, similar to an armadillo's in appearance but bigger and thicker, had been fashioned into a primitive shield in the Skeleblin's left hand. In its right, a large leg bone with a rock tied to it made a sturdy club. The creature's jaw clattered as it swung at Asura's side, just as he finished dealing with the two Ghost Wisps' last attacks--!

Meanwhile, Ardur reached the dark waters of the pool. With no more sunlight filtering into the cave, the water looked pitch black. He could see none of the small fish, if they were even still down there. He extended his hand to the water's surface, reaching out with his will and his magic.

“Sword of the pool, its Ardur again. I have not returned with a hero but some day I will meet your requirements or find someone that does. For now we could use a hand destroying the dungeon core and purifying this cave if you can help.”

For a moment, nothing...then, he felt a tug against his magic. After casting the modified Fireball, Inspire, and now this, the Hipixie could feel that his MP was getting low. He might only manage one or two more spells before he was dry.

But the water rippled.

Something surfaced. In the darkness, he couldn't quite tell what it was...but there was a slight glimmer on the rippling water...

"The situation has changed in a way I did not foresee--and I suspect that one of your number is to blame, Ardur." Ardur heard the voice in his mind, but only as a slight whisper. He had to really concentrate to pick it out over the sound of battle taking place not far away. "The Core's growth is too fast, and it seems to have increased its intelligence too much for its level. Its assimilated creatures have sealed the cavern entirely from light, and they have been gathering materials. There are more of them than I thought--some of these undead goblins are from generations ago. I thought I had enough power to destroy the core--but I don't know if I can withstand a battle of attrition with this many--Watch out!"

Two bright lights alerted Ardur before the Wisps attacked, shooting Mana Orbs at him in rapid succession.

---

As Ash realized she had been...here...before, taking in all of the world rushing past her, she activated her newest skill. As she floated, between the world and the moon, she tried to commit this to memory. Was it because she did not want to forget it again? She wanted proof of this vision? Or because she wanted a clearer picture of what, exactly, she was looking at? Either way, as she gazed upon the world, she activated Memor Eyes.

I̶m̸a̵g̴e̴ ̶c̷a̴p̵t̸u̸r̶e̷d̵.̵

Hider [+]

D̵͇͖̞̠̻͙̮̜̯̭̓̈́̈́̈̑̎̇̍̕̚͜͝͝ͅĄ̴̢̨̬̺͍̫̳̃͝N̷̡͎̲̤̱̗͎̥̩̝̍̄̿͂͑͘G̸̜̬͓͓̘̈͐͊́E̷̡̡̼̤̘̬̠̥͙͎̝̮̝̣̓̅͑R̵̤̥̗̚!̷̢̢̠̟̝̣̥̠͎̭̳̣́̉͑̈́́̋̕͠ͅ
̵̧̨͖̻͓̜̣͋̄͐̓͛̿̌̒̍ͅD̵̡̡͇̜̜̮̏̈̀̒́̊̀̓͑͆̄͘͝ͅA̴̪̺̰̓́͒̉́̊͜N̶̡̧͓̦̼͙̺̠̞͖̞̩̪̬̄͊̔G̸̡̧̢͇͚̗͕̖͇̪̳̒̿̌̔̽̀͜Ȩ̵̬̻͙̼̭̠̖̻͈̝̲̞̉͂̿̉̿̀́͂̃͂̎R̴̨̜̼͌̆̒͘͜ͅ!̴̡͙͚̘̘̦̬̭̦̝̩͙̔̒ͅͅ
̴̧̼͕͚͕̣̥͓̣̳̝͉͙̪͆͜D̶͍̻͒̍̽͆̈́̓̊̃̏͛̿͠Ả̷̢̧͍̝͍̜̟̗̲̤̂̇ͅN̶̡̢̢̯̺̠̜͓̝͓̾͆͒̓̚G̸̛̝̣̘̥̋̀E̷̺̬̝͈͖̒̆͛̿̉̂̕Ŗ̶̙̙̹̻̻͛̒͂͌͒̄̂͋̽́͌͒̕!̵̣͙̰̱̲̼̬̬̣̮̽̌̈́͐̊̚

Y̵͎̔Ő̵̯U̴̝̇Ŕ̷̙ ̷̲̓Â̴̫L̸̟͛E̴̝͛R̸̭͌T̸͕̀ ̷͈̅S̸̫̅K̸̯̋I̵̜̕L̸̢̓L̴̺͠ ̸̰̾I̶̲̿S̸͙̍ ̸̞͑Ŗ̷͠E̵̛̼Ạ̶̈́C̴̼͆T̵̟̕I̶͍̓Ǹ̸̝G̴̥̒ ̵̳̂S̸̜̚T̵͙͐Ṟ̴̊Ỏ̶͙Ṉ̵̾G̴̨̊L̶̡̑Ý̶͙!̴̡͝
̴͇̔Y̴̧͠Ò̸̙Û̶̺Ȑ̵̩ ̶͎͠M̸͔͛Ȅ̴̮Ņ̴́T̴͚̚A̶̜̒L̶̩̏ ̸̩͆R̴̘̾Ĕ̷̗Ś̴̼Ḯ̸͜S̷̩̍T̵̩̎A̴̠̓N̵̟̍C̵͙͒Ȅ̵̻ ̵̼̍S̴̩̈́K̴̙̄I̸̹͆L̶͔͌L̸̹̐ ̵̞̃I̴͇̐S̷͖̾ ̴̇ͅB̶̻͝E̷̳̋I̵͈̚Ṅ̴͈G̴̪͗ ̵̯̈́Ǭ̴V̶̧̅E̵̼̋R̵̫̔C̵̬͊Ō̷͖M̴̜͝Ě̶̖!̴̼͆
̸̤̎Ŷ̵̥O̴͍͘Ů̶̺R̵̻͒ ̸̡̋S̶̃ͅȄ̸͎N̸͕̊Ș̷̋O̷̥̎Ř̸̥Y̵̫͌ ̵̝̒R̶̭͐E̴̩͘S̶͇̓Ỉ̸͓S̶̜̋T̴͎̓A̶̠̚N̶̼̒C̶͔͗E̸͍̾ ̷̧̓S̵̛̰K̷̰̿I̴̝̊L̴̟͗L̶̗̒ ̷̺̆Į̷̓S̴̯̀ ̶̣͝B̵̪͌Ê̶̩I̸̡̎N̵̩̆G̴̰̎ ̴̈́͜Õ̴̢V̷͙͆E̸͖̚R̸͓̈́Ć̴̠Ǒ̵̱M̸̦̓Ë̵͚́!̵͕̄

Title Gained: Witness I
You have seen things. And they have seen you. At this Rank, functions of this Title are unclear.

As a sudden pressure--worse than what she had experienced when Zawisza had appeared before them in a clap of crimson thunder--closed in on her mind, Ash began to wriggle. What had started as a test of her range of movement, perhaps an experiment in what exactly this astral place allowed, suddenly became a writhing fit of panic. This dream had become a nightmare--and it was not her own.

As if she had been dropped into the sea, chained to a weight, Ash plunged back down towards the world.

She had only moved a scant few inches. But because of her distance from that spinning star below, even as she traveled straight down the arc of her angle increased dramatically. She would not be falling directly back into her body. Where was she going? A new fear gripped her.

But the weight suddenly relented. The nightmare was past...for now. Now she was traveling again, and the world blurred by. She stopped so suddenly, yet there was no sense of vertigo. She now floated several feet above the calm, deep blue surface of an empty ocean...and then something jerked her to one side, and now she was flying across the surface of the planet. A breaking wave rose up right in front of her--but as she passed through it, she felt no cold nor spray, and the water did not part for her.

At one point, she passed over...something. Enormous, deep, and dark, it breached the waves for only a moment. As it sank back in the depths, a whirlpool in its wake dragged hapless fish and all manner of sea creature down, down.

Now she could see land ahead. Icebergs, drifting sheets of white. One lone, enormous bear-like creature fishing on a floe. It might have been a polar bear--save for the enormous spikes on its back and head, and its armored hide.

A shoreline of black, jagged rock. A broken ship, long abandoned...or was it, as something moved in the ruined hull? A thick, dark forest of conifers and something that might have been ash or yew...except their trunks were twisted and black, and their needles seemed more like shards of obsidian. The ground choked with roots, yet somehow it seemed paths wound through this place--but they, too, showed no bare ground. Larger roots, gnarled and grasping, like the bloated body of a naked serpent, lead back to a central clearing--

Ash saw an eye. Long lashes, mascara the color of blood, skin as white as snow. The crimson iris held a single slit, but the pupil was gold rather than black. Delicate fingers, with long nails, reached out...and Ash realized she had slowed down like a bullet passing through gelatin.

Her spine tingled as that finger came closer, then something yanked her through. She passed through darkness, through a round room of ancient tomes that spiraled up and down.

Then she had passed through the clearing, past that grotesque and bulbous tree bound by anchored ropes. Its scarlet leaves rustled with her passing. The finger had not, could not, touch her. The eye closed like one who could not stave off sleep any longer.

Faster now. Through the forest, across a plain of snow and ice. Another forest now, this one full of greens and muted grays as it should be, but still dark and foreboding. The animals were larger, hungrier. The mountains to the West were bigger, closer. She crossed a deep valley, through the white foam of a waterfall. Now the forest began to look familiar.

She saw Digbie, Oberon, and Torrent. She saw herself, dead gray skin and bloated, pulsing body.

Then she began to awaken. And everything, save that crystal clear image she had captured on her own...and a shivering touch, a long white finger pointing to the north and a vague red eye...

Save those two, everything was gone from her mind once more.

Dry scales peeled and leathery hide split. A pointed tail, longer than before but no longer tipped with a stinger or covered in hard chitin, instinctively thrashed to clear away the shedding hide. Digitigrade feet flexed clawed toes, and three fingers and a thumb slashed their way out of the hollow shell. Wings, with a glistening membrane, unfurled. A head, tipped with horns, twisted on a thin but flexible neck.

Her body was roughly humanoid, with a slight femininity not yet fully matured. She stood about three feet tall, though there was a slight crouch to her frame due to the shape of her legs. Very little fat padded her frame, though this weakness she felt reminded her more of days spent in the lab without eating, or illness caused by overwork. At this very moment, her head pounded and her breath hitched in her chest--the aftermath of a terrible nightmare, but why couldn't she remember it?

Then, as she blinked bleary eyes, the strange swirling marks upon her began to glow with a soft light...

TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!
(Immature) Pygmy Drake > (Adolescent) Mystic [Winged] Kobold!
You have Transformed!
Your base speed stats have increased!
You have not reached your full Potential. The Skill Use Light Equipment's development is reduced. Skill is currently at (0.2 > 0.7).
You have gained access to the Job System at 0th Tier!
---Job System---
Creatures with a certain level of intelligence, sophistication, and potential for civilization often learn that specialized functions for different members make the society better. Specific forms of training, and specific mindsets, mean that those who undertake a "Job" are better suited for certain things than others with different "Jobs." When you take on a Job Type, the World System will allocate earned Skill Points in a way more favorable to your choice. Using a skill you are familiar with as an example...[Stronger]. By using your tail in addition to other parts of your body while muscle training, you also developed [Prehensile Tail]. You intentionally attempted to strengthen yourself, thus [Stronger] became the priority skill increased. Applying this principle, if you were in a magic based Job, points toward Spells Skills would be prioritized in any situation where more than one skill is being developed. And vice versa if you were in a physical Job like some type of warrior. Jobs may cost you versatility, and make it harder to learn skills you already have that do not fit the Job's perogative. However, they will speed up development of the more fitting skills. Jobs are not permanent choices and may be changed, however doing so will require a training period for the new Job.

Available Jobs for Kobolds:
0th Tier

• Raider - Physical focus. Offensive focus.
  • Air Raider - [Winged] Kobold only. Physical focus. Increased Offensive focus, Evasive focus.
• Skirmisher - Balanced focus. Defensive and Support focus.
• Voodooist - Magic focus. Offensive focus.
  • Witch - Possess Alchemy above Rank I. Magic focus. Increased Utility focus, highly versatile.
• Bandit - Physical focus. Offensive and Defensive focus.
• Sneak - Physical focus. Evasive focus.
• Scrapper - Physical focus. Offensive and Evasive focus.
• Shaman - Magic focus. Offensive and Support focus.
  • Drake Tongue - [Winged] Kobold only. Magic focus. Increased Offensive focus. Increased Support focus.
• Gatherer - Balanced focus. Support focus.
• Scout - Physical focus. Evasive and Ranged focus.
• Healer - Magic focus. Support and Defensive focus.

You may unlock other Jobs by fulfilling certain conditions. You may gather further information about Jobs by focusing on one at a time before making your choice.
---Job Tutorial Complete!---

You gained the Variance, Mystic!
Your Max MP has increased!
You have not reached your full Potential. The skill Mana Affinity has been reduced to (0.5).
You have not reached your full Potential. You already possess the Skill Mana Orb. Skill increase reduced. Total is (2.3 > 2.55).

Skill Change: Stun Stinger II has changed to Stun Fang II!
Skill Change: Poison Spray II has changed to Poison Spit II!

You are Famished.
You are Thirsty.

[[OOC: If you want to describe the specific shapes her swirling marks take, where they are on her body, her new scales' color or design, etc feel free.]]

---

You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.

Oberon "felt" the pebble yet again, and this time he seemed to have more control over this invisible limb. With more mana, and a specific vector in mind for the movement of the stone, the channeling process became smoother. As he watched, the pebble slowly shifted...then, in stops and starts, jerked towards him just a few inches at a time. The spell still hadn't triggered, but if the system was any indication he was getting close. It would probably only take a little bit more...

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

Torrent spent more time drawing in more Mana from the sunlight, the way Oberon had explained to her. A System Notice told her that her MP was full at some point. She gathered it up with the intent of compressing it, using her previous attemps with the various breath weapons and her mental visualization. When she released it she imagined a thin stream, a pressurized release, like the tiniest pin-prick in a balloon letting out all the air in one blast. To this natural release valve, she added her own Mana and intent, pushing forward with her will.

From the Lesserwurm's open mouth, a beam like a flashlight struck the water. She could feel the roof of her snout and her tongue growing somewhat warm. But...the water didn't boil or hiss, and the beam of light shrank quickly over time. It wasn't even a full minute before it died away entirely. But, part of her goal--some form of light magic, released from her mouth--had been accomplished. How could she make it viable for battle? Or, did she imagine some other use for it?

Skill Gain: Crafting I (0.9 > 1.0)!
Your knowledge and understanding of mechanics, workmanship, and other such things enable you to craft better items. The process of creating many items is still an unknown to you, but if you ever succeed in such a creation its Sub-Stat Enhancements will be higher than normal.

You used Crafting I!
You are Disassembling an Item!

Scrap Leather Boot (Below Average) + Stone Knife (Average)
Item Successfully Disassembled!
Obtained: Leather Strips (Poor) x4!

Fur Clothing (Bad) + Stone Knife (Average)
Item Successfully Disassembled!
Obtained: Dire Rat Pelt (Bad) x3
Obtained: Unknown Pelt (Poor) x2
Obtained: Hex Cat Pelt (Poor) x1

Filthy Underwear (Bad) + Stone Knife (Average)
Item Sucessfully Disassembled!
Obtained: Dirty Cloth Strips (Very Poor) x6

Level 8
EXP: 90%

As Digbie successfully analyzed the various items the group had gained, sorting them out and trying to think of which group member could get the most out of each piece, one might question his decisions. But at least he was generous with the loot, surely unlike any other Goblin they might have been working with if not for Guze. Breaking down the unusable, or just plain unwanted, pieces of equipment left him with some strips of cloth and leather that might be used for other purposes. Each strip was several inches long, through they varied in thickness and tensile strength. Cutting apart the dry-rotted vines and other cordage holding the fur clothing together left him with a small pile of pelts. He only recognized one of them as belonging to a Hex Cat once he saw its black color and touched the fur, and remembered the same creature that they had seen during their journey from the cave. He still wasn't sure what the other piece of fur could have belonged to, however--it didn't look like that deer they had seen, nor those dangerous badgers, and it certainly wasn't rubbery like frog skin.

The other three members heard the sound of something ripping open, and labored breathing from within the cave. It would seem Ash's second evolution was over--it had taken longer this time, too. If any of them chose to investigate, they would see that the Winged Kobold was very different from the Pygmy Drake--and probably much better suited to some of this equipment, now that Ash actually had opposable thumbs and a relatively humanoid anatomy.

---

Torrent was progressing well, apparently. That's what the system told her, and it made her perk up a little even as Ash came back with sounds that were hellish to imagine.

But she couldn't focus on that.

Repeating the process, Torrent drew in the light until she felt as full as she could from it. She repeated the process with condensing the light inside her, moving it, preparing to release the controlled, high pressure stream.

But this time she waited. She didn't need brightness, she needed something that was that and pain. So she added heat, using the same power that she drew from to make fire to mix into the light, and then she released the stream and used her magic analysis on the result again.

Level 8
EXP: 20%

Damn, not nearly as close as I thought it was." That system message plus the fact that the strongest amount of mana was in the farm were both pretty bad but at least the "chicken" couldn't reach him. As concerned as Danny was about Jason he did his best to put his friend out of his mind and focus on regaining mana.

When he was done meditating and he felt from his injuries getting closer Danny decided that he would have to experiment. With how little health he had he would be of no help to Jason and while he wouldn't technically die becoming undead would rob him of most of skills.

He activated Mana Vision again and looked at himself, as much as he could. Keeping an aye on the mana particles, he tried to send them to his chest while thinking of both how he saw pixies heal other and how it felt when he had eaten those herbs. He didn't expect to instantly heal himself back to full health but any bit he could recover would be something.

---

"Cough-egh!" She stumbled to her feet, her new bipedal body taking a few moments to get used to. The nightmare was over before Ash could even really get invested into it. Like a fleeting, brief, dream it was gone the moment she was shoved back into her body. What she did have, though, were two very distinct memories. The snapshot she had taken of the planet, and something else. That something else, sent shivers down her spine.

A red eye pointing her north.

She inhaled, a shiver running through her body as she straightened herself. That had definitely not happened last time. Why had it stuck in her mind? She had used the Memor Eyes on the planet itself, and thank god she did. She braced herself on the wall as her reptilian eyes blinked, glancing out towards the entrance of the cave.

How long was she out? Ash's wings unconsciously flapped as she got her bearings, a system alert conveniently telling her she was both starving and in need of water. Easily solved, at least. Ash walked, picking up her spear from its resting place and leaving the shelter behind after grabbing a handful of hopefully still good meat from what remained of that large rat earlier. Ignoring the others for a moment, she staggered over to the stream, gulping down some clean water before chewing on the meat before taking a good look at her new body.

Her scales seemed to be the same ashen grey color, but the dark purple stripes had been replaced with something else. Mystical looking tattoos covered her skin, glowing with a soft, purple light. Curiously, she took a quick look at her body. The markings seemed oddly familiar. They curved along her body, flowing with the curvature of her body like a natural decoration.

Notably, there was what could only be called a half moon symbol in the middle of her chest, with swirling curved lines curling up and down along her body. Her green eyes followed the magical veins as they curved down her chest, curving along her left side until they curved outwards, towards where a bellybutton would have been if she had one. The markings connected to a symbol reminiscent of a Venus symbol mixed with that of a Mars with a horizontal line through the center. The effeminate symbol tapered off, just above her groin with the curved lines fading and disappearing there.

Looking back to her reflection, she stretched her neck, following the markings up across the left side of her body, across her shoulder and up her neck. Another symbol curving around her right eye, the top making a t shape with the right side continuing until it was as long as the curve on its bottom half. Craning her neck, she could just make out two more on her back in the waters reflection as they curved from her left shoulder to her right. One oddly positioned where the liver is on the human body, vaguely resembling the number four, and one just above her tail seemed to be something vaguely reminiscent of a serpent eating its own tail in the shape of infinity, with a vertical line splitting the middle, with two horizontal lines crossing that one.

Turning to the water once more, however, the most striking one, was on her forehead. A Venus symbol with what appeared to be two horns coming off. The center was positioned right on her forehead, The two horns followed the ridges along her horns a short ways before disappearing. Likewise, the bottom half followed along her nose until it came to a stop about halfway down, connecting with the end of the curve of the other.

Ash took a moment to rub a claw against her face. They seemed familiar, but...wait. She vaguely recalled them from some term paper she had to write years ago about the history of chemistry and its relations to Alchemy. Alchemical symbols? Hm...appropriate, she supposed, but she wasn't sure if she liked the placement of a few of them.

"System, show skills." Ash said as she wolfed down another bite of meat, glancing over the job system again. Useful. A quick looked made both Witch and the Drake Tongue stand out among from the others. Both magically inclined. Witch had high versatility, while Drake Tongue had offensive and support focus. Hm.

She focused first on the 'Witch' job, followed by the 'Drake Tongue' job after in order to get more information on both. She glanced over to Torrent as she walked over to Digbie after eating and drinking enough, activating "Mana Vision" to get a feel for what she was doing.

"Miss anything while I was out?" She asked the Demiblin. She still needed to mull over what she was going to do with what she saw during her evolution. "Having hands again feels soooo nice." She sighed, flexing a hand.

Oberon deflated a little, letting out a sigh as he saw the pebble begin to move in fits and starts; it was progress, at least, and rather fast progress at that, but Oberon was hoping that adding more Mana alone would be enough. It seemed like there was still something more that was needed to complete the skill, however. Adding yet more power was the only thing he could think to do. The Sprite poured even more Mana into the attempt, trying to bolster the invisible hand wrapped around it even further. At the same time he reached out with his physical hand and focused on pulling the stone towards him; he envisioned the pebble flying from its current spot and into his waiting palm.

Whether or not he was successful, Oberon would soon find himself distracted by the arrival of the newly evolved and transformed Ash. At least, that’s who he assumed the tall, bipedal lizard walking out of their hideout to be. Her appearance was drastically different from before; still reptilian, still with wings, but clearly a different creature altogether with strange and familiar marking etched across her body. Intrigued, the Sprite examined the Winged Kobold with both Magic and Monster Analysis, then Magic Analysis again to get the additional information. "Just trying to learn telekinesis. Learning a couple more skills should get me to the point I can evolve as well."



@Zeroth@Rune_Alchemist

@Stabby @Zeroth

Femus had moved quickly through that burst of training and a notable number of things had happened as a result. He took a moment afterward to gather his thoughts and examine his options. Gaining a level was good, the extra points were valuable as well. The shudder from the tree and the change in the surrounding area was not so good. It seemed that he had come closer to waking that powerful something than he had wished to. But, they had escaped that potential catastrophe for the moment.

The Bowhorn seemed like it would be very valuable prey, if they could craft the horns well enough and make use of more than a small bit of the carcass. Even then, it would be a difficult target to kill with the skills and spells that he had to work with. So long as the Bowhorn was caught off guard by a Static Bolt to the spine, there might be a chance to finish it off after any other creatures fled. But, it would be a risky gamble even with his knowledge of its likely vital points. There were two major reasons why he wouldn't take that gamble soon. First, the spell was incomplete and still took a large amount of mana to cast. Follow-up strikes would be difficult. Second, the spell's power couldn't be confirmed until it was complete.

The forest still felt wrong. Common creatures were out and about again, but the magic sensitive ones were still keeping their heads down, or taking the opportunity to get some rest. The latter seemed less plausible. That would be a rather odd coincidence... and too much of an oddity for Femus to believe.

He took a look at Nira and confirmed that her training was proceeding well. It looked like she might be approaching the problem of a lack of water from a more magical angle than he was. Though his expression was still too small to be easily read, Femus smiled a little before going back to his own training.

So close. He was so close to gaining an entire list of skills. So, he examined his skills one more time, looking for those with a '.4'. He found two that fit that single criteria perfectly. Static Bolt was at 0.4 and Shock Round was at 1.4. Spell Chant and Keen Sight also fit the criteria. But, while important, they were less vital to get to a functional level quickly.

Femus focused his will and mentally spoke to the system. "System, please place five points in Static Bolt and five points in Shock Round." That would bring the number of skills at a '.9' to a total of six. He had a short list of what to train next.

First, he carefully snagged another leaf to suck on. This method wouldn't really reduce his thirst much, if any, but it should keep it from getting worse so long as his training wasn't too physically demanding. If Nira succeeded, then they'd be far better prepared for travel.

The next step was finishing the leveling of these six skills. First, Femus focused his attention on his mana flow, directing it into his eyes. From that basis, he began to concentrate on it gathering in the inner lens of the eye as well as joining with the cones and rods. This combination should help him to sense mana through his vision as well as 'encoding' it into a structure that he could interpret with relative ease. Then, while maintaining this state, he sought to study the mana flow of the Great Kao Tree and discover some additional details about what was within it. He also tried to study the structure of both the Great Kao Tree and any traces of what lay within, regardless of what analysis skills may be necessary. Finally, before releasing the mana concentration from his eyes, Femus turned his gaze on the herb patch and tried to find plants that had one of these two mana types around or in them, healing and electric. Plants with those traits would be handy. At last, he released his control of his mana and meditated, focusing on slowly and carefully filling his mana pool with high density and high purity mana.

Once his mana was replenished, Femus again focused on that patch of ground. This time, he did something a little different. He focused additional mana into a Shock Round, trying to make it similar in mana density to his Mana Orb 2, before putting a spin on it and firing it at that spot. Then, even as the Shock Round impacted, he focused on the space and the arcing of electricity from him to the spot, trying to swiftly gather and concentrate enough mana for the jump. But, he also focused on having the jumping charge be the opposite charge from the one that the Shock Round had as he softly intoned. "Strike, Static Bolt." If the Shock Round left a residual charge after impact then it could help the speed and minimize the mana cost of the following Static Bolt by leaving a charged field at the point of impact. Femus knew that such a weak field wouldn't last long but if it lasted long enough then it might make for an effective 'combo' for more potent foes.

With these experiments finished, he studied their effects and attributes. Recalling every perceived detail of the experiences and seeking an even deeper understanding of his developing magic. This study was careful and zealous but not exhaustive. If he could commit the information to memory then he could study it later. For now, there was something that he wanted to do while the forest was quiet.

Femus suppressed his light and presence before letting himself slip off the branch and silently drop to the ground, only strengthening his Levitation when he was half-way down to prevent an unfortunately abrupt impact. Once down, within a couple inches of the plants, he moved to a spot where the Bowhorn had eaten the herbs close to the ground. There, he tore a small hole in the earth with his Lesser Force, trying to make it behave like a trowel and then like a claw. Once the hole was about two inches deep and an inch across, he took one of his Blue Yill flowers and carefully planted its stem a full inch in the soil before pushing the removed earth and sod back around it. The Blue Yill had been picked almost a full day ago. He was not delusional enough to think that it would be able to form seeds with just what it still held within it.

Now, the work begins. He focused his mana and rested his body so that he touched the soil and the base of the Blue Yill. Then, he began to whisper a chant over and over as he directed his mana to cause the Yill's stem to function as a cutting and grow roots into the soil. At the same time, he concentrated on refusing to absorb the mana in the Yill itself. He needed it alive.
"Root and feed, root and drink." He chanted.
"Root and feed, root and drink." And again.

If his mana seemed to be falling short of the demand, he would stop to meditate and also draw mana from the other surrounding plants. Once there was a firm sense that the Blue Yill was stable and rooted, he would focus his mana on strengthening the Blue Yill's vitality before seeking to cause it to go to seed. If everything went well, he would have a number of Blue Yill Seeds that he could cultivate later. If not, he would learn more about these skills and abilities.

---

As expected it was awkward to swing it around like a baseball bat. Unless he could evolve into a bigger form, or at the very least a stronger one, his plan on using the great club like a baseball bat would be improbable. But at least he figured out a semi-functional method for him to attack with it, so it was a technical win in the ratman's book. After another three sets of modified swings, he would take a break from swinging his club. He maintained his focus on breathing to help keep the blood flowing and prevent cramps as he looked to where they had came from, and from seeing the smoke he could assume that the villagers were up and about by this time. Though the memory of the smoke caused his eyes to drift toward the rolling hills. Maybe the little shack and bonfire they saw yesterday was the camp gnome talked about? It was in the same area described by the earth creature. Though as of now they could only speculate where the bandit camp was in the area. "After we train more and get more used to these, I suppose it would be a good time to scout for the camp and learn what we can. Remember the shack we passed by yesterday? The one with the recently put out campfire? I think that's a good guess to where the bandits are staying"

---

@Zeroth@Duthguy

DANGER! YOUR MP IS VERY LOW!

"Shit!" Jason hissed as his Mana trickled away into the void. In a frantic instant, the ectoslime severed the mana flow to everything save his already numb sense of touch. Without [Levitation] to stay afloat to see, nor a sense of sight to direct himself with, Jason immediately found his ethereal body tumbling across the ground; he couldn't use [Meditate] unless he did a full stop! Desperately clawing at the ground, Jason pulled on the earth's inert energies with [Mana Drain], fighting with all his power to stave off the inky void that threatened to claim him!

WARNING! YOUR MP IS LOW!

A breath of relief passed nonexistent lips as sight returned, the looming fangs of the void retreating slowly back to whence they came. It seemed the power of the earth saved him once again from the ravenous clutches of annihilation. A few brief moments of respite was all it took for Jason's head to be back on a swivel; searching for something that would net him better mana recovery than simply draining mana from the earth. The chicken-like creature that was menacing Danny seemed to have a soul a little smaller than a dire rat.

That'll do. Proceeding to drain the bird of mana, the MP warning promptly disappeared from Jason's vision, allowing him to move on to his next point of concern; assessing the situation. Activating his [Meditation], but focusing on trying to keep his sense of sight as uninhibited as possible, he peered in the direction of Geir and the other two souls, trying to see what they were doing.

---

"Ohmigosh, I can almost level up to 9 right now." Digbie noted as he heard someone breaking through some kind of membraney... thing. Ash was evolving, and finally reemerged into a winged bipedal... thing. Cool, finally someone else had arms and legs other than him. "You didn't miss much other than me dividing loot out for all of us and... those two practicing skills. Though, I'm actually just about to hit level 9. We all might be able to evolve before we leave here and find a new camp, since it's not safe here."

Digbie sat for a moment before he pointed to the loot pile with all of Ash's gear in it. "I figured you could use that when you had... uh... four legs, but now I think you might be better off with the chain mail that I was gonna give to Torrent since she doesn't seem too keen on trying it."

Digbie sat for a moment in pondering of what he could do to level some more skills before he realized something. He could probably juice out a little more analysis points by checking the group now that Ash evolved. So... he sat there for a moment and looked up at each of his allies, using Monster Analysis and Magic Analysis to maybe crank just a little more out of the group.

After that... well, he had his crafting skill now. Maybe he could try and actually make something that would be decent armor, or at least maybe storage. He took two of the leather strips he got from the boot, two of the dire rat pelts, and one of the unknown pelts before he tried to make some kind of bag out of the combination, using {Fortify} and {Crafting} to try and make a pretty stable bag that Ash could use.

---

Asura's spike curled, becoming a hook within the zomblins skull as it recoiled from his blow. His weight made Mother Slime miss but it still tried to move away while scooping up the javelins that laid on the ground nearby. "No more spearchucking for you." He growled before jerking the hook within the undead goblins head, pulling it away from the projectiles. Sure it might have broken the grip on its arm, but a hook in its skull would be nigh impossible unless it decided to rip off its own face.

Meanwhile he saw the Mana Orb's flying towards him, a shift and the thick skull of the deer took the two hits as the attackers began to fade away. A normal person might feel bad about all this death, or r-death, but Asura only felt his urges being fulfilled finally. Another player came into the fray, another skeleton goblin! And Ardur was talking to the sword in the pool from earlier. "If you can, take care of the fliers, Ardur. Talk and move at the same time." He called out. Then to the others. "Take out the small fries, any goblins are their hard hitters!" Equipment made a huge difference in this world since Trent was just kicking the ass of whatever he actually managed to hit.

Now a hefty bone and stone club was swung at him. His surface curved and Hardened, letting the weapon slide along his body or just bounce off to mitigate some of the potential damage. The crude jawbone club he held within his body was spat out, a pseudopod swinging the fragile weapon hard and low to the ground to take out the skeletons balance or just break its legs. "Smash!" He snarled, the weapon taking on the familiar red hue. He had been conserving his Stamina, and he had no way to replenish with Stamina Furnace.

Well he had Blood Drain, which could probably be a basis for another ability. It sounded almost like Life Steal, which had multiple counterparts in video games. So he focused hard on trying to get the Zomblin's energy. How did one even think of accessing something elses energy and life pools? He imagined trying to pull a yellow essence from the creature, Stamina was commonly colored yellow from his video game experiences.

Ardur The Mighty Hipixie

Asking for help from a friend > A Deal? /// Adventuring day 5 // Evening / Location - The Shimmering Pool

Again he received a familiar reply from the pool once again. He didn’t have much time to reply to her as two mana orbs crackled towards him. Reacting on instinct he jumped back and swung the old bone at them hoping to absorb or deflect the blasts.

Looking back to the pool for a moment while Asura told him to deal with the flyers his attention torn between her and the encroaching enemy’s. He didn’t have a lot of time here. “Then how about a deal? Let me wield you or some kind of version of you. Help us destroy the core, I know we can do it together. I may not be the strongest or the most powerful but I have the will to get it done. Help us do this, once we are done I will return you to the pool so you can rest in peace. Then I give you my word that I will find a hero for you or meet those requirements myself.”

Honestly he had no idea just like with most of his decisions what exactly he was getting himself into. To him it felt like he was jumping in front of those bullets all over again. either way he couldn't talk to her forever he needed to get back into it and go after the flyers.

@Zeroth
@Kazemitsu

---

---

A fast of skill progression, hm? Haven't seen that one in a while, Asteria thought. Well, if doing more of the same would get her level ups, she would by all means repeat and try to advance her training. She’d found out that slashing with the knife was more than possible, though stabbing unfortunately wasn’t feasible. Thus, she concentrated on improving the accuracy of her slashes, designating certain bunches of grass stalk to be ‘eliminated’, which she attempted to cut down without ‘harming’ the nearby ones.

Her regular rolls and jumps had proven to be reliable, so she tried some more advanced gymnastics. She first practiced jumping up as far as she could. Asteria crouched on all fours, tensed her body, then pushed off and into the air. After several repetitions of that, she tested her body’s flexibility. Once again, she attempted to push herself to stand on her hind feet. She crouched low, then pushed off the ground with just her front paws, using her tail to balance.

After that, she very carefully tried to do a handstand. She didn’t expect to do a full one, so it was really more of a half-flail as she pushed her hind feet into the air out of a crouch, but it was something. Finally, it was time to try a somersault. Not a move that she’d ever use in a battle by any means, but she was curious if she could accomplish it at all. She dashed off in a direction, accelerating to full speed, then jumped into the air with all might, and flipped over, hoping to land back on all fours.

The resulting thump as she met the ground was unpleasant, but Asteria did not think she’d harmed herself. Or maybe I’m just not registering it yet, she considered, somewhat dazed. She walked back to where Ed had been practicing, rather tired after going all out as she had. “Yes…yes, the shack would be a good guess. Once I rest a bit, I will be ready to go, though we can also wait a few hours more,” she replied.

Withdrawing to lean against one of the barrow’s walls, in a shade, Asteria closed her eyes, and simply breathed for a while. Now was a good as time as any to finally get that mediation thing down. She focused on her breath, inhaling and exhaling mindfully. She knew she was supposed to let her thoughts wander but not focus on any of them, which was rather tricky to get a hand on. Still, she persisted. Inhale…exhale…The light breezy ruffled her fur and the various smells prickled her nose. Her muzzle twitched. Asteria simply felt and existed for a few precious moments.

Miiba gingerly took the sheathed knife and wrapped it in her arms, hugging it to her chest. "M-Miiba keep this close, just in case, but... Miiba no know how to use. Miiba would never hurt people! Miiba be careful, will bring back, promise!" she said to Rueben. She wasn't thrilled to have a knife, she would have preferred a shield if given the choice, but if she were to protect others, she knew from her shows and Lear's stories that sometimes... to protect someone, you had to fight. Miiba then scurried off to catch up to Mira, though Mira was able to move much faster than her as she bolted out the door. She soon followed after, but by the time she got out there she didn't see anything. Geir was struggling, but with what she had no idea.

Her run slowed to a jog, to a walk and then standing still as she looked around confused. "Where glow ball?" she asked curiously, until a faint light caught the corner of her eye. "Hmm?" she hummed as her she turned towards the barn with a slightly tilted head. Soon she heard a chicken, or whatever this strange place called them, seem to get riled up. "Chicken? she called out. She then turned to where Mira was catching up to Geir, who seemed to be let go of whatever rage took hold of him for the moment, not knowing of his internal struggle with the ghostly Jason. "Mira! Pens! Bird making sounds! Miiba go look!" she yelled before turning and running to the animal pens to see what was wrong. She still held the hunting knife in it's sheath close to her chest as she quietly made her way inside. She looked around through the darkness. It easy to see when compared to the caves. Miiba, nervous, had a bit of a shake to her small voice as she tried calling out to whatever was in there.

"H-hello? Who there? Glow ball, why attack? J-just go away, leave Miiba an friends... and big meanie alone!" she called out, adding Geir to the list last. She didn't like him because of how he treated her, but from what others say, there was some reason, and he was important to them, so he was important to her. She knew how mean the goblins could be, or at least she thought she did, so maybe that's why he was so mean too. It was shortly after this thought that Miiba tripped on something...feathery. "AH!" she cried out as she fell over, dropping the knife and landing face first in the dirt. She quickly scrambled and grabbed the knife, pulling it close again as she sat up and looked at what tripped her. It was one of the chickens! "Waaaahhh! T-the chicken! Why no moving!? What happen!? she cried out in terror, using the word she knew for the creature instead of the common one for this world. She rapidly scooted back into a corner away from the dead bird and started looking around the room wide eyed. That was when she noticed it sitting on top of one of the coups, a small glowing ball of dim light. Despite her fear, Miiba slowly stood up, albeit a bit shakily and called to the creature, "You! Bad glow ball! Go away!" she yelled at it, though she has still yet to draw the knife, holding it closer to her more for comfort and a feeling of security than anything.