Monster Party
As soon as Oberon closed his eyes, his body slumped. His breaths deepened, but his muscles began to twitch every so often, like a dog that kicks its feet in its dreams...
He had never been able to recall it with true clarity the first time, but now that he was once more floating upward, the visions of his first transformation all came rushing back to the Sprite's mind. The things he had seen back then--the cavern's interior, the forest, the curling smoke trails, the deserts and mountains, all of it--even those terrifying things--were crystal clear for this moment in his mind. But now things had become so different...
They were farther North, so he could no longer see the cave where he had been reborn. He could still see all the trees of the forest, far below him. To the east, a particularly large tree glowed a light green color, bright enough that it seemed like a lighthouse beacon from here. The light turned to fog towards the tree's base, and tendrils of this eerie mist spread out in a web that covered a particular area of the forest in almost a precise circle. Even further north, he could almost feel the same clouds of cold and snow he could see, and the howling winds that spun them round and round an even darker and deeper forest.
To the West, he could see the small shape of Guze and his captives making their way up the mountain ledges--and then immediately his vision swept up to the great scar across the mountains. It was as if some blade of impossible size had sheared off its tip. The rocks there were blackened yet smooth, with a glossy appearance. Within this smoking crater, many lights glittered. Among them were red flames and metallic gold gems, the lights of elements he had grown familiar with. He had risen even higher by this point, so he couldn't pick out any details among the small figures moving in groups along the slopes and the ring of structures they had erected along the lip of the black crater--or could he? It seemed like the fogs of magic were thick in places along the mountainside...
Still higher he went, drifting through clouds. To the north, not as far as the ice and cold, a river meandered down out of the mountains. To the east, beyond the forest and the emerald glow, a sparkling lake. Even further in the west, and somewhat to the north, over the ridge of the mountains there was a tower like a mighty tree reaching up to the heavens. Its roots, too, stretched deep, deep into the earth. The magics here were barely even glimmers, like looking at stars through a bedroom's frosted windows--yet to be seen from hundreds of miles away, did that mean the powers in that place were so great? So far to the east that it became west again, a lonely, cold, desolate island where red lightning split the sky. Further beyond that, marshlands and mountains and untamed, wild lands.
He rose higher. A world, a planet, rotated thousands of miles an hour, yet from this distance appeared as no more than a soap bubble. A great city, too far from here to see, had called for him before but now it was silent. The island's red skies still held him in sway. And...who was that? He could see, almost within arm's length of him, a shining figure nearby...was that...Digbie?!
He was more aware now than he had been the first time he had seen this vision. Aware enough to know things were different. Aware enough to try and put something together. Aware enough, perhaps, to do something...?
Gained Skill: Plasma Ray I (1.025)!
A powerful, advanced spell of Fire, Energy, Lightning, and Wind elements. A pulsating bolt of energy is projected to utterly incinerate the opponent. It may cause a Burn. It can be conducted through certain materials. It has a property to pierce defenses. It has a range of ten feet, and can be maintained for a higher MP cost per second. Its power is much greater than a Rank I spell of any of its component elements. Warning - This spell's MP cost is too high for your current level! Usage may cause Mana Burn!
Gained Skill: Suppress Presence I (1.0)!
Using your magical power, you subtly mask your presence from the senses of others around you. By comparison, it's a similar ability to those shy people who seem to disappear at the corner of the crowd's vision as they hover in the corner.
Gained Skill: Rock Spire I (1.0)!
A basic Earth-aligned spell that creates a sharp spike of stone by drawing loose or broken fragments of earth out of the ground. It deals more damage than most level one spells for the same MP cost, but requires that solid earth be within the user’s range of sight or perception. Solid earth can include soils and sands, but if the ground is too solid it increases the MP cost of the spikes as new fragments of stone must be broken off. The spike is created beneath the targeted area, object, or creature. One drawback of this is that the flash of Mana produced as a side effect of driving the energy into the earth might alert the opponent. Does Piercing and Earth Magic damage.
Gained Skill: Focus I (1.0)!
By spending at least 30 seconds focusing before using an offensive Skill or Spell, you can increase its damage or range. At this rank it is comparable to increasing the power by one rank (eg Mana Orb I to Mana Orb II) while also increasing the MP cost by half again (spend 1.5x Mana Orb I's cost).
Gained Skill: Void Blast I (1.0)! --You analyzed this spell--
A basic Shadow Spell. --Unlike elements that mimic the properties of states of matter, or manipulate natural forces, Shadow is considered one of the Abstract elements. Darkness is only the absence of light, as cold is only the absence of heat.-- Like lightning that causes superheated air to expand, a collapse into the vacuum left behind follows to create thunder. In the same fashion, Void Blast strikes a target with concentrated Shadow to create a disruption. --You've seen the spell Mana Orb, which is roughly equivalent in power and MP cost.--
YOUR SKILLS ARE CHANGING!
-Due to your unique methods, combination of skills, and individual growth, you have unlocked a new path for your skills!-
Do you wish to merge Muffle III, Scale Shift I, Stealth Kill I, and Suppress Presence I into the Hybrid Skill: Stealth Mode?
---Stealth Mode---
By silencing one's movement, reducing one's presence, decreasing the senses of one's enemies, using deception to hide one's intent, or removing oneself from sight, one can hide in many ways from many forms of detection. Those who have practiced doing several of these may eventually learn to do so simultaneously. In a manner similar to entering a "flow state" when hyperfocused on an activity, this Skill allows one to enter the Stealth Mode at will. Stealth Mode consumes both Stamina and MP at a higher rate than other stealth-related skills, but can be maintained passively even while using Active Skills. If one's MP and Stamina are high enough, the cost may be higher "numerically" but less draining on each individual resource than the source skills which only use one resource. An attack that strikes in Stealth Mode is much more effective. However, once a potential target becomes aware of the user, the skill's effectiveness decreases drastically. This skill may still not overcome certain other detection skills, such as heightened senses or magical wards. Such opposition to other Skills requires higher ranks.
This Hybrid Skill will CONSUME the four source skills, and they will no longer be available. The Hybrid Skill's Rank will be I at (1.75).
As Torrent continued to try to master the Void Blast's first stage, she finally succeeded. The next time she released the spell, a solid black sphere of "nothing" erupted from her maw. It struck the tree like a fist, and the "implosion" acted much the way a concentrated "explosion" of that size would--it produced a powerful force, that impacted the tree like a blow from a mace. Visually, it looked like the air and the tree's bark warped for a split second, like heat waves coming from asphalt, then the wooden surface cracked and the trunk shook. And as her Skill Points were spent and her Magic Analysis relayed information to her mind, Torrent felt a headache coming on as the System regurgitated Skill after Skill into her mind.
In the...spiritual?...realm, Digbie reached out for the tiny blue sphere beneath him. He attempted to focus on the circle, the planet below him, and cast Sacred Ground--only to immediately feel pain shooting down from the center of his brainpan all throughout his body.
WARNING! YOU ARE OVERDRAWING YOUR MP!
WARNING! DANGER MAY INITIATE DISRUPTION!
WARNING--
The pain stopped. When Digbie opened his eyes again, bright light had overtaken everything around him. As if someone had turned the opacity on a digital image down to only a fraction, he could still see the planet and the vastness of space around him...but he had been enveloped, embraced, by this light...
The embrace shifted, and the light drew away. It caressed Digbie's shoulders, and turned him...and he saw her.
She stood taller than any Human, in either World, Digbie had seen. Her skin was pale, yet tinged with pink like the rarest of pearls. Her hair was silver and fell down her back in voluminous, shining waves, yet it gleamed and glittered with a shroud of gold dust. Her form was beautiful, pleasing in every way and yet possessed of a quality that moved it beyond an object of lust or even romance to the elevation of high art--the kind of beauty that made one's breath catch, a thousand times over. Upon her brow sat a crown of interlocking dove's wings, feathers fluttering in an unseen breeze along with the transparent veil that fell back over her shoulders. She wore purest white, an elegant gown belted with gold chains and laced with cream silks, and though her shoulders were bare her arms were covered up to the elbow with bridal gloves. Her eyes were a bright, warm yellow, a summer's sun at mid-morning.
"What do you think is the right thing, Digbie Yonder? Many times, even as we ask, our body trembles with the answer we already see...whether they be the tremors of relief, or fear." She spread her hands, beckoning Digbie forward.
"A new path is now open to you. You must only trod it. Even so, we all walk with a single step at a time. What shall your first be?"Digbie somehow knew what choices he had. He could kneel at her feet, and ask for
forgiveness. Forgiveness for the
dark powers he had tampered with...the powers that, suddenly, as he even thought of them, he could feel watching...and hating...
Or, he could ask Jehanne for her
blessing. He could mark himself by her power, though it might not erase what he had done thus far...yet.
You have 1 Favor that is yet uncompleted, but Jehanne is benevolent and merciful. She forsees great things for you. To gain greater Blessings, you must seek Favor.
Jehanne's Shroud (Lesser) - Increase resistance to the powers of the Light (1 Favor)
Jehanne's Protection (Lesser) - Increase resistance to the powers of the Dark (1 Favor)
Jehanne's Boon (Lesser) - Increase your Strength (1 Favor)
Jehanne's Gift (Lesser) - Increase your powers of the Light (1 Favor)
Jehanne's Grace (Lesser) - Increase your Magic (1 Favor)
Jehanne's Rebuke (Lesser) - Smite those of true guilt with a single, mighty blow (1 Favor)
Jehanne's Virtue (Lesser) - Heal those of the faith to close lesser wounds (1 Favor)
Digbie could suddenly feel the world pulling at him so far, far below. He had a choice to make, and little time...
Meanwhile, in the waking world, Ash continued to refine her spellcraft. She allowed the Mana Slice to fade away, though her MP still drained, and turned her focus completely to the imitation poison blade. Refining it, changing the shape, changing the way the magic moved...Her mental "fingers" poked and prodded, until the structure of the spell seemed to suit her needs. As she settled back and prepared to fire, she noted that the current set up just 'felt' right for some reason. The purple, hanging crescent in the air suddenly seemed to solidify. Along its edge, violet fumes began to hiss. She let it loose at a nearby tree, coincidentally the same one she had just seen Torrent cast a ball of black magic at, and the poor plant's bark was suddenly cleaved as if by the blow of a woodsman's axe. The inside dripped and sizzled with poisonous acid much like her own spit.
Gained Skill: Poison Slash (0.7 > 1.0)! --You have analyzed this skill!--
A Poisonous equivalent to Mana Slice. Though it has a lower chance to poison the target compared to other poison attacks, in addition to the dual acid-poison damage types it also deal slashing damage to the target. --It is more effective on softer, fleshy targets, but unlike many other poison spells it can deal damage even to well defended enemies, rather than splashing against them with little effect.-- It has a higher speed than many other rank I spells but costs slightly more MP than Mana Slice.
You used Mana Vision I, Magic Analysis III, and Mana Sense II!
--Void Blast I--
A basic Shadow Spell. Unlike elements that mimic the properties of states of matter, or manipulate natural forces, Shadow is considered one of the Abstract elements. Darkness is only the absence of light, as cold is only the absence of heat. Like lightning that causes superheated air to expand, a collapse into the vacuum left behind follows to create thunder. In the same fashion, Void Blast strikes a target with concentrated Shadow to create a disruption. You've seen the spell Mana Orb, which is roughly equivalent in power and MP cost. This spell is of the First Rank. It is not directed towards you, but there is hostility in this spell, as it is obviously offensive magic. You can sense a split in the mana's concentration, a duality between separation of elements and containment of power.
STRUCTURE:
S1
PixieSlime Party
<Recent Unusable Skills>
Steal Stamina (0.2)
Use Light Equipment (0.1)
Mana Sense (0.1)
As Asura activated his Stamina Furnace, he felt that sizzling sensation from before in his gut. The corpses he had been devouring thus far weren't in the freshest or most nutritious states, but luckily it seemed like Slimes were much less prone than other creatures to things like food poisoning. Still, it was a slow process, even as the speedily digested energy spread through his membrane in light orange, pulsating particles. Like an electrical current traveling down a nerve, spreading out like spider's web.
The other monsters were still moving, closing in in ever-growing numbers. Another Zombie Lizard and a Wisp moved forward to replace the other creatures the party had killed. Behind them, just a few strides away, the three Zomblins and another trio of Wisps were incoming. As the spear-chucking Zomblin remained in the back, a Zombie Pixie, a Slime, and an assimilated Fanged Lizard remained around him. The other three Fanged Lizards who had been laying down volley after volley of poison spit were trying to reposition themselves, crawling up the wall that formed one side of the choke point. Whether due to a lack of strength or stamina they couldn't get very far up, but this change in angle still gave them an easier time lobbing their projectiles out over the party.
Asura was belted with a Mana Orb from behind, while Momma Slime screeched when the rear-attacking Zombie Lizard's poison spit splashed onto her after hitting a nearby rock. She hadn't taken full damage, but even a graze from those attacks carried with it the possibility of a status-inflicted death sentence. The armored Zomblin's javelin struck Asura's skull, further wearing it down. The creature immediately began to load its spear-thrower again, but its store of ammunition seemed to be at least half gone.
The two Ghost Wisps that were also attacking from the rear let loose another pair of Mana Orbs. One was targeting Asura, while the other tried to snipe Trent from behind. The human was taken by surprise between his shoulder blades, but thanks to his gambeson only seemed to pitch forward like he'd been shoved by a heavy hand. The Wisp in front of him that stopped to take aim was once again caught by Steve's Web Spit, and fell to the ground. As Trent slammed the tip of his sword through its body, there was a loud crack from Momma Slime nearby--the Zombie Lizard, now headless and with a much less functional spine, was slurped up into her membrane. Unlike Asura, however, she didn't seem to have a skill that could speed up her digestion or restore her energy. The blue slime hadn't complained yet, but her movements were getting a little more sluggish than usual.
Out in the water, Ardur cast his Minor Heal spell on himself. While the Hipixie had leveled up a lot since obtaining this Rank I spell, it seemed like his base HP was still rather low--the System informed him that his HP was full, although his MP was empty. Still, that meant he likely couldn't take many more hits or he'd be right back where he was before the healing. He dove under the water, seeking shelter from the half-dozen Wisps left in his pursuit...but they had their non-existant hands full.
With just a hiccup of Mana, a slight aura around her blade's edge, Undine managed to leap out of the water. She spun in a single circle with a sound like a lashing whip. She passed through one Wisp's body unhindered. The second slowed her down, but still she cleaved it in two. The third had started to move, but it wasn't fast enough. Despite her edge being off center, she still cut off a good chunk of its body, spilling whitish blood and what must have been tiny, slimy gray organs. The fourth Wisp had moved enough to take only a grazing wound--but given the size difference between them, even this gash would soon bleed out. The mob flashed in distress as it fell into the water, trailing its own dark life essence. Drinking deeply of their energy through her steel, Undine dropped back into the water as two Mana Orbs plunged down after her. The remaining Wisps that had fired them drifted down closer, and by their own light they could see the embyonic figure of Ardur, curled up, as he tried to recharge his mana...
Asura was calling to the System internally, shouting advice to Momma Slime physically, and at the same time trying to figure out how to adjust his Blood Drain skill to take Stamina instead. He started to move towards the creatures that were at their rear, but there was still that Necroslime to deal with--
A Poison Split caused him to pull up short, as it splattered right in front of him. If he had actually been at full stamina and moving at his fastest speed, he would have run right into it. It had come from one of the Zombie Lizards on the "front" row, though now his allies seemed to be moving to engage it. Another Wisp shot at Trent, but he took it on his shield--followed by three more blasts from the middle row before he could press forward. The exposed wood cracked in one place, and the targe's rawhide covering was being eaten away more and more by either magic or poisonous acid. Steve prepared to manipulate some of her threads--just as the Poison Javelin fell from the sky, cracking her exoskeleton. The spider hissed and writhed, but she would live. Wounded and bleeding, but still alive, and still fighting fiercely. She cast her thread like a lasso, roping the Zombie Lizard around its neck and snout multiple times and pulling, forcing its mouth shut before it could launch another attack.
The other zombie lizard at the rear fired another Poison Spit at Asura, and the Ghost Wisps also aimed at him with two more Mana Orbs. After this attack, however, they faded--leaving their ally to face a likely very pissed off Amorphous Slime alone.
As Steve yanked with all her might, surprisingly strong for a spider, she dragged the front Zombie Lizard toward her. Just in time for Momma Slime to roll by with an extended MASH, executing a perfect clothesline that almost literally broke the undead monster in half. Meanwhile one of the Wisps had flown a little too low, and with a mighty exhalation and a long jump, Trent managed to cut it in half with his blade. When he dropped to the ground, he bent his knees low to absorb the impact and also took the opportunity to grab another rock in his shield hand.
Ardur could feel Mana flowing back into him as he meditated...and, unless it was his imagination, he also thought he could feel the water's coolness changing around him. Something like bubbles prickled his skin, but if he opened up his eyes under the water the only bubbles he could see were the ones slowly drifting away from his mouth and nose as he held his breath. But then, a familiar and terrifying sound of crackling Mana reached his ears from above--just before Undine splashed next to him. Her edge rose in a glistening arc like a shark fin out of the water, ending the last two Wisps that had been in pursuit of the Hipixie.
"I've absorbed quite a bit of Mana--more than what that fire-bug Goblin had, but still not my full power. Still, at least at this point I might be able to help you more. Head back to your companions!" The sword's voice was somewhat muffled under the water, but the light from her blade pointed Ardur in the right direction. He went up for air, then he attempted to swim under the water and back to the group just in case any more enemies were waiting up above.
After dealing with the attacks coming at him somehow ((your post)), Asura managed to get to the Necroslime just as it finished reforming its body. As it "turned" to him, he slammed it with a heavy pseudopod. It rolled and bounced across the rocks, before splashing into the edge of the water. Slimes weren't very good at swimming without some kind of shapeshifting ability, and it looked like this undead ooze lacked that ability as it wriggled back and forth, drifting helplessly away from shore.
But it seemed like no matter how many of the horde they took out, more were ready to take their places. The three zombified goblins, a wisp, and an assimilated Fanged Lizard pressed up to the Party. The Zombie Pixie, Slime, and another Fanged Lizard weren't far behind them. The Pixie was now in range to use its spells, and placed a Shield on one of the Zomblins. The Fanged Lizard took a poison shot at Momma Slime, but she was learning at this point and lurched to one side to dodge it. One of the lizards on the wall attacked as well, and Trent's shield took yet another hit. The third lizard's shot at Steve missed, as did a few Mana Orbs from the Wisps. Steve proved to be quick footed, scuttling back and forth and once even jumping up and over an attack.
As Asura sought to close with the Zombie Lizard in the rear, the javelin thrower hurled one more spear at him from behind. Could he even see it to dodge this time?
A trio of Dire Rats, snarling and growling, were coming up around the pond to join the very back row of the monster crowd. How many enemies had the group carved through thus far? How many more were left?
Trent struck the Shielded Zomblin with a slash from his blade, roaring as he pushed the edge through. There was a sound like tinkling glass as the Shield's effects were dispelled, and still his attack had enough power to sever the Zomblin's head from its shoulders. But like Asura and Momma Slime, the human was starting to look tired. Steve bound a second Zomblin's feet with her Web Spit, and Momma Slime once more wrestled down a Zombified Lizard. Using what Asura had shown her thus far, she formed a series of short spikes on one of her pseudo pods and pressed it into the creature's body over and over like a meat-tenderizer, soon pulverizing it beyond recognition.
You have no MP remaining! Stamina Furnace has deactivated.
Warning! Your Stamina is Low! Overwork Skill will soon begin HP Conversion!
As the warning in his head blared, Asura managed to get close enough to the Zombie Lizard trying to flank the group that he could slam his own Poisoned javelin down through its back. How many times had he been struck by attacks now? Though it couldn't move, the zombie lizard still thrashed and lashed out at the red slime with its claws and fangs. They dripped with some odd black substance, corrupted blood of some kind? More poison?
Not too far away, Asura could see Ardur as the drenched Hipixie reached the shoreline and pulled himself up out of the water, gasping for air. And behind him, something in the water was gleaming as it shot straight toward them...
"Asura! Is the rear clear!? I'm not sure how much longer we can last here!" Trent yelled as he blocked one more javelin from the armored Zomblin. Despite having no jaw thanks to Asura, the creature somehow still seemed to be taunting them with a twisted grin...
Rat Party
The two rats split up, with Mother Rat seemingly able to sense that Ed was going on the hunt for something, and choosing to follow him. As Asteria creeped around the camp, she managed to get by unseen...for one thing, while the campfire lit up the area immediately around the Hobgoblin and the two Bugbears, it made the rest of the world outside their little area even darker by comparison. For another, thanks to her two stealth skills and natural size and limberness, the adult Dire Rat was quite sneaky like most rodents tended to be. And for a third, they seemed to be distracted by their own chatter.
"I dun like it, da humies dun even care!" one of the Bugbears complained. "Dey said we wuz all gon' be in dis togedda, since since we's all hates otha humies an' ventures! But dey dun give us da gud stuff, and more of us got killed den dey did!"
"We dunno if da uddas got killed or not. Dey mighta neva come back cause dere ain't nuthin' here." The Hobgoblin in the hood looked up from sharpening his knife, but his gaze wasn't directed towards Asteria. "Boss been sayin' he's gonna show us his powah, but we ain't seen no powah yet. If 'e needs sacrifices, shoulda just gone and caught some Mobs in da woods or sumthin'."
"Grrr. All dis talk makes me hungry." the third member of the group rubbed his furry belly. "When we gets done watchin'? Moon looks a lot higher den it was when we started!" The Hobgoblin looked up, then snorted.
"It ain't neither, ya dum! Look, ya can tells how long we gots if ya look at dat tree dere! When da moon passes dat branch, that's when we's done!" The Bugbear peered up at one of the trees, in the opposite direction of Asteria, for a while.
"...Dat's gonna take FOREVA!"
The fence line ended flush with the rocky, sheer surface of the cliff on the other two sides. After making a full circle, Asteria had learned there was only one entrance inside the hollowed-out chambers on the ground level, and only one exit on the side of the cliff. A rough balcony of sorts had been built up there, and she had seen two figures--one that looked to be human, and the other that might have been another Hobgoblin with another bow. The human had only been seen as he disappeared over a set of rough-hewn wooden stairs onto the plateau of the cliff, but the Hobgoblin was keeping watch on the balcony. The Dire Rat hadn't been able to see into the chambers yet, though, and had no idea how many there might be...but, if the size of the cliff was any indication, there couldn't be THAT many more bandits around here...If there were these five, plus the five she and Ed had already killed, there couldn't be much room left, could there? What other possibilities might she consider?
And what would her plan be from here?
Meanwhile, Ed made his way back to the Myrminor and once again managed to manuever around it unseen. Mother Rat followed his lead, quickly shifting back into the instincts of a predator no matter how strange her pack was. Once he was in position for an ambush, the Rat Man thought about how best to do this.
He needed to limit the bloodshed if possible, and against an armored foe a blunt weapon would probably be best anyway. He selected his Gnarled Stick from his inventory. But the Myrminors had proven pretty tough before--he wanted this to be over in one decisive strike. Maybe it was time to try out some of his new skills. He took a deep, controlled [Breath.] He tightened his muscles, and felt a new sensation, the buzz of Magic through his body, as he [Strengthened] himself. He wasn't sure if he could use two or more physical Skills at once, but maybe a magical and a physical skill would work okay together? He cast [Mana Strike], thinking the words silently to himself, and felt another hum traveling down his paws. Then he turned all his thoughts to [Smash]ing the bug's brains out.
In an instant, the Rat Man leaped out, weapon raised. The blue light of Mana swirled around his weapon, just as the red crackling light surged up to its head, producing a purple aura that seemed "thicker" than most displays of power he had seen thus far. The Myrminor's antennae twitched as he came down. Just as it was about to turn its head, Ed let out a roar and slammed his weapon down on the base of its skull.
There was a great, meaty crunch, and the bug only twitched. Staying well away from its pulsating stinger (wasps could still sting after they died, maybe these things could too), Ed grabbed it by a couple of its spiny legs and began to drag it. Even for a strength-enhanced rat man, the thing was pretty heavy. It might take him a bit to get back to the bandits...he just had to hope it would take the colony longer to find their comrade's scent trail.
Mother Rat followed, making a chuffed noise. She seemed irritated that she hadn't gotten to participate in the hunt.
Deep Forest
After planting a second Blue Yill, Femus began to use his Growth spell again while Nira provided the water for the plants with her Aqua Sphere. Like the first flower, Femus soon had the second growing and blooming even larger, and with meditation breaks whenever his mana grew low, he soon began to alternate Growing each plant. The water that Nira had drawn with her magic was slurped up into the ground almost like a straw, as the plants rapidly sent roots through the soil. The magical energy put into Growth might, itself, be fueling their cells, but it seemed like the plants did still require nutrients and water--just because a living creature had energy, didn't mean it had the materials. Like protein for building muscle or calcium for bones. Thanks to the teamwork of Pixie and Wisp they grew even faster--and though there was never any bursts of pollen from either plant, at some point both of them began to put off small pods on the underside of their petals...
Skill Rank Up: Monster Analysis I > II (1.95 > 2.0)!
Gain more information about Monsters. Other analysis skills will further boost the information this skill provides, such as a creature’s capability with magic or its equipment.
Skill Rank Up: Growth I > II (1.95 > 2.0)!
A target plant can now be selected within 5 feet of the caster. The extent of quality enhancement is increased, but only one trait of the plant can still be increased. MP Cost is slightly increased.
Obtained Item: Blue Yill Seeds x5!
But now, the warm sun overhead told the duo it was high noon. They had eaten and drank, but very sparsely. When the sun was high like this, some creatures in the forest might take a siesta or pause to sun themselves, perhaps sleeping off a meal. At the same time, there were fewer shadows to hide in. To move among thicker vegetation, they would have to go even further from the tree. Was now a good time to hunt? Or a better time to prepare themselves for their eventual journey?
Farmstead
The Poltergeist was talkative. Mira glanced here and there, but she couldn't be sure if he was trying to distract them or not. But when the creature recognized the Source Lens, and mentioned that there would be "something unusual" in his analysis like there was in Miiba's, the mage's eyes went wide. Her hand trembled a bit as she lifted the green monocle to her eye and focused magic into it--staring at Danny intensely.
"Miiba left mean gobs, Mibba no know glow ball. There no two- eh? W-what that?"
"Quit tryin' to distract us!" Geir shook Miiba roughly. "The Poltergeist knows your name, it knows your whole "reincarnate" story, and it brought an Undead with it! Raid or not, what's your game!?"
"Aaahhh! Put Miiba down! Down! Miiba dress ride up!"
"G-Geir! This, this Poltergeist, it has TWENTY Active Skills! And the Analysis Fusion skill! And, and--"
"What!?" The redhead unceremoniously dropped Miiba and turned back to Danny, once again readying both his knife and axe for battle. "What's it's level!?"
"It's still Immature! But it's already Level 8!" The magic user seemed on the verge of hyperventilating--but, oddly enough, there was a hint of excitement to her voice. "Geir, if Miiba, that pixie, and this Poltergeist are all like this, then their story--"
"Focus, Mira! I don't care what the possibilities are!" The young man looked like he was an instant from jumping the fence and tearing down the cluckel coop to get at Danny. "Poltergeist, if you're really a Human that was reincarnated into a Monster somehow, then you either lived a real shit life before you died, or someone really botched your World Summon!" He pointed the knife's tip at the softly glowing figure above him. "If you're from another world, then spill it! Tell me everything you know--and you better hope I've heard enough stories of Summoned Heroes to recognize somethin'!" The grip on the axe tightened.
"Otherwise, I'm about to kill all three of you, and to hell with the consequences! I won't take risks anymore with BLOODY FUCKING MONSTERS!"
Just then, Mira gasped. There was a slight, glowing light coming from the earth nearby, as well as a trembling shift in the soil...
As Jason sank into the soil, he could feel his MP surging. He called out to Onogoro, asking for a new form, a new body. He wanted to possess not a corpse, but a piece of the earth itself. The dirt and rocks around him, the very substance he now drained for every ounce of Mana he could pull...
Skill Unlocked: Magic Analysis I (1.55)!
Skill Unlocked: Soil Manipulation I (1.15)!
As he chanted his prayer, though his voice did not reach any mortal ear, the flow of Mana from his Meditation and the newly gained Earth Vein shut off. He had refilled his reserves, but now they rapidly depeleted again with every word he spoke. Still, he cried out his skill as he sank fully into the surface of the earth, and the mana around him began to sizzle and glow as the soil moved...
Jason suddenly felt that, with his Soil Manipulation skill, he might be able to gather and shape the loose dirt and gravel around him into something...sturdier. Something...smooth, and familiar. But as he sought to Possess the earth, he might also be able to use something...solid, already shaped, just like the bones or flesh of a creature whose corpse he might have taken. The stone, or the soil? His MP was rapidly decreasing, he had to choose fast...
