Orchid
Looking to Trade (D2)@Lucius Cypher
Crispy’s interest returned as Orchid began to shape the ball of mud, and when she had formed a bowl and placed it next to the fire he rubbed his chin for a moment.
“Seen somethin’ like dat afore...Humans call it...pots?” He mumbled under his breath, then looked at Orchid when she asked him to teach her fire magic. He nodded, but then closed his eyes and seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
“Hmm...is hard.” He gestured towards the fire. “I learned...seven or eight seasons ago. Me and Rattleskull smaller, then. Tribe not so big. Humans come more often.” The goblin opened his eyes, but still seemed to be looking at something much further away. “One day, humans called “Ventures” show up. They made big camp near front of cave, big fire, cook lots of food! Me and Rattleskull, and other gobs, we try to kill ‘em and take all!” He looked again towards his fire, and the clay bowl. “But when we fight, they too tough for us. Just cause we was smaller. We tried to run, and one of dem hit me. I falled into their fire.”
He shivered for a moment, then rubbed at the flame like markings and the old burn scars on his body as if they were still tender.
“Almost died! Pain, so bad pain! Had to soak the good-good-greens in the pool, keep cold and wet all the time!” Now Crispy’s eyes narrowed, and he held up clenched fists. “Made me think, I was weak! Even fire stronger than me! But fire stronger than everything! Burns wood, burns up human houses, maybe even can burn up all world! So I learn make fire, make lots of fires, get stronger! I try learning how not get hurt by fire.” He held out the non-scarred arm for Orchid to see. And in fact, the green skin was a slightly different shade than her own even though those strange red marks weren’t on it. It was something a little bit deeper than a tan.
“And one day, something just kind of click. In brain, click!” He clicked his tongue. Then he opened his hand, and a small sphere of flame--like a candle light--flickered over his palm. “Could make fire without wood! Magics, Fireball spell, it called! But needs lots of crystals to practice it.”
He stepped further away from Orchid, and now went through several motions slowly. A demonstration, then.
“You gots to hold your hand out, and put lots in it! Like, Haaaaaa!” As he made the sound, and seemed to be concentrating quite hard, the fireball grew bigger in his hand until it was about the size of a softball. Then it compressed, becoming more like a baseball, before burning steadily at that size. “And then you gots to throw it, but when you do you gots to be like, Yaaaaah!” Taking aim at a nearby rock, Crispy pointed his palm more than really making a throwing motion, but he also gave a powerful exhalation of breath. The Fireball shot forward, but when it hit the rock all that really happened was that the flame “spread” over the stony surface. The concussive force of such a small explosion did little other than shake the stone. Still, after the fire soon died out, it left a sizable black spot, and the heat waves could be seen shimmering in the air for a few moments.
Ardur
From the Air (D2)As Ardur practiced his flying, his higher vantage point gave him a wide view of the caverns. He could see the goblins doing something over by their bonfire, apparently trading or teaching one another. He could see various fights happening all over the cave as monsters hunted or defended their territory--there was quite a large brouhaha in one area where it seemed like six or seven monsters had all converged at once, though now it seemed that bloodbath was dying out. There were a couple of wisps, one of whom seem quite agitated, near the pool. They seemed to be trying to gather more of the already thinning herbs. And two brightly colored slimes could be seen for just a moment, red and pink, before they moved with apparent purpose towards the darker corner of the cave.
But perhaps the most notable thing to see right now, was the sudden increase in light levels near the cave’s entrance. A cheer went up from Rattleskull and his lackies as their wooden picks and working hands cleared away dirt and rubble, and the morning sun streamed in bright and golden…!
Digbie, Mourningstar, Oberon, Orochi
The First True Party!? (D2)@King Cosmos@CriticalHit@Gardevoiran@floodtalon
As Mourningstar used what she had learned from Oberon to continue her practice, it didn’t seem like she was going to learn this skill as easily as he had--then again, she was not only trying to shape her mana, but to give it a new quality, and to project it at a distance the same way she used Mana Orb. She did, however, see at least one immediate result.
Skill Rank Up! Mana Orb I > Mana Orb II
Magic Damage Increased. MP Cost Increased.
As an Active Spell Skill, this spell’s power can be adjusted. You have enough MP to use Mana Orb I twice. Mana Orb II can only be used once with leftover MP.
As Oberon practiced with his Shield and Mana Orb combination, he didn’t get as lucky as before and get an immediate skill notification. He did notice, however, that upon applying a shield to a mana orb, rather than getting a shielded mana orb, he got...something like an orb-shaped Shield. It seemed as if the overlap had merely fed more energy into the shield itself. But this was also, noticeably, the first time he had created a shield that was not overlapping a direct surface or living target, instead floating freely on its own...But the next instant, it dispersed, popping like a soap bubble.
Meanwhile, Digbie used his Tremor Sense once more, and found out some interesting information. Not only had something else been tunneling a great deal nearby, but there was another enlarged dugout similar to his own--and in the back of it, something that gave off an interesting
resonance with his tremors…
Skill Rank Up! Tremor Sense I > Tremor Sense II.
Range increased. Projection increased--now instead of passively sensing incoming vibrations, you can more strongly emit your own. This skill is weaker when passive, but when actively used you can perform a more detailed type of echolocation through solid, earthy materials.
Reoth
On the Hunt (D2)@Kangutso
Reoth’s well aimed poison spit struck his target in the back, coating its wings and making them too heavy to fly with. The Pixie managed to control the speed of its descent, yelping in surprise, but while it was clearly hurt it didn’t seem like the actual venom had taken any effect. The creature looked around fearfully before it caught sight of the white lizard, and then took off at a run. But with the weight of the poison still dripping from it, and Reoth’s natural agility, it seemed like he could easily overtake it...
Ash, Naji, Scott
Nearby the Pool (D2) @Rune_Alchemist@ghastlyInc@CollectorOfMyst
As Scott took Ash’s claw and used it to make scratches upon a pebble, the lizard could feel a distinct tingling passing from the pixie’s hands, through her claw, and into the stone. What was more, once he started to actually make specific markings on the rock she felt a second type of tingling. The two feelings were noticeably distinct, but had a slight undercurrent of similarity. Her scientific mind, of course, took in this information as well as what Naji was saying about his own experiences using magic. The sort of “undercurrent,” in what she was feeling actually seemed, according to her memories and previous experiences, to be similar to the pulsations and light one could see and feel coming from the Mana Crystals. The two different frequencies, however, seemed to be associated with two different things--the carving of the stone was one, and whatever flowed into that carving after it was completed was another.
With his Scribe skill completed, Scott would see the pebble glow a soft, soothing green color where he had marked it. The glow suffused the stone, and though it stopped putting off light, its color changed ever so slightly by the same shade as that glow.
1 Pebble added to inventory. This Pebble is enchanted with Minor Heal I.
And her assumptions about her throat pouch were correct--when she swallowed the Mana Crystal, she instinctively must have realized it wasn’t food, or at least her body did. Somewhere a sort of fleshy flap opened up within her jaws, under her chin, and the Mana Crystal fit snugly into it before the valve closed and left her free to eat or possibly store even more items.
Xiao Mei, Asteria
Exploring Near Crystals and Cave Walls (D1)@SilverPaw@JobstThe poison spit hit the stony floor with a hiss as the rats scattered, with only Asteria being caught in the splash zone. But as she rolled in the dirt to neutralize the venom, her Mother pounced upon the stronger looking of the two lizards. A vicious melee of fang and claw began, fur and scales thrashing against one another.
Ria closed in lightning fast on the wounded lizard, slamming it headfirst and rolling it onto its back. As she leaped onto the exposed underside and took a big bite, the lizard gave one last thrash, then went still.
Meanwhile, Xiao Mei sneaked behind the lizard engaged with her mother, and attacked it the same way her sister had attacked the mother lizard back in the nest. She too felt the sweet thrill of success as she landed upon the lizard’s back, sinking her claws into its eyes. As it was blinded it flailed wildly with its tail, but Mother Rat soon put her own paws on its head and shoved it to create an opening for her fangs. As the adult Dire Rat sank her teeth into the other monster’s arteries and clung on, the last of its life faded in its wild death throes.
Then, Xiao Mei and Asteria both received an interesting message.
LEVEL UP!
Your experiences have culminated into power. You are now Level 2. You have gained Skill Points you can distribute as you please.
Unspent Skill Points:
5
Current Skills:
Beast Sense I (1.4)
Deception I (1.2)
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.8) <UNUSABLE
<UNUSABLE> Dextrous (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Faster (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
LEVEL UP!
Your experiences have culminated into power. You are now Level 2. You have gained Skill Points you can distribute as you please.
Unspent Skill Points:
5
Current Skills:
Beast Sense I (1.3)
Faster I (1.2)
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis 0.4 <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Dextrous 0.1 <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Poison Resistance 0.1 <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Muffle 0.2 <UNUSABLE>
Edward
Battle Royale (D1)@Searat
As Ed stealthily tried to make his way behind his chosen target, the battle raged on. The Goblin went down just as predicted, and the Slime had soon made short work of one of the other Dire Rats. The remaining rodent leaped off the Goblin’s back at the Slime, but in mid air the Fanged Lizard shot it with another poisonous missile. As the dire rat fell to the ground, the Slime pounced on it, though it didn’t seem to realize it was taking in even more poison after already being dosed a few times itself.
With the weakened lizard distracted, Ed came down on it from behind and sank his powerful jaws into its neck just behind the head. His teeth, curved and long like most rats, pierced its jugular deeply. The lizard began to thrash, and threw itself into a roll across the hard, stony floor--but to no avail. Only a little rougher for wear after the prey had carried him in that mad fit, Ed rose once again victorious!
LEVEL UP!
Your experiences have culminated into new power. You are now Level 2. You have gained skill points to distribute as you please.
Unspent Skill Points:
5
Current Skills:
Beast Sense (1.2)
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Material Analysis (0.2) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Magic Analysis (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Monster Analysis (0.4) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Faster (0.1) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Rabid Fit (0.3) <UNUSABLE>
Meanwhile, the slime finished off its own opponent. Now there were only two. The Slime was much bigger than Ed, but at the same time its body wobbled almost drunkenly as the poison inside it bubbled...
Asura, Edith
On The Trail (D2)@Kazemitsu@ShwiggityShwah
As the two slimes tried to make their appeals to the larger blue blob, it stopped just short of coming down to them from the ledge. It seemed to focus on Asura for a few moments, the surface of its membrane wobbling thoughtfully. When Edith began to sing it shifted slightly towards her, and the ripples seemed to change in rhythm to her voice.
Slowly, a single pseudopod formed from the creature. It reached out, almost delicately, and just barely touched Asura, just enough to wobble him like a plate of jello.
And he
felt it.
Familiar. Me not me. Me big me. Me not me then small me.Then the blue slime did the same to Edith.
Not Familiar. But not me hurt hurt me. Noise. Me confusion?The slime’s pseudopods retracted and it wobbled again, tilting from side to side.
Lorek, Danny
The Pool (D1)@Bishop@Duthguy
Danny decided to flee rather than fight, and the pixie seemed somewhat surprised by this decision. As the Wisp rushed away, the small fairy shrugged its shoulders and decided to seek its fun elsewhere.
By the time the two wisps reconverged, Lorek was already looking for Healing Herbs, and had found at least one. But as he picked it with what little Lesser Force he could muster, several brown seed pods fell from its underside. A few more seeds in the area had either fallen when other herbs were picked, or had naturally grown mature, so there were lots of little green sprouts around. But the full grown, and presumably fully effective, herbs had become quite scarce at this point, with literally only a few handfuls remaining.
[[At this point your interaction is up to you, until you’re ready for a random encounter or one happens upon you.]]
Jason
The Hole in the Wall (D2)@Guy0fV4lor
As Jason seemed to vomit his own stomach acids at the Wisp, the creature was appropriately taken aback by such a thing. It dodged out of the way of the acidic slime, before grabbing up that fallen Mana Crystal as Jason tumbled down the tunnel back towards his base. Sensing that it had him on the ropes, the Wisp chased after the panicking slime…
Only to have the door shut in its face, quite literally, as Jason used a Rock Spire. The Wisp was caught between a rock and a pointy place. With a sickening crunch and splatter, Jason’s opponent indeed showed its face--but that was the only part of it that had made it through before the spire had sealed off the opening.
Three of his crystals were gone, and he hadn’t even gotten the chance to engage Crispy. What was more, he’d have to figure out how to unseal his tunnel now. But he had survived! He had been caught off guard by an enemy equipped with his weakness, on disadvantageous terrain, and lived through the experience.
