Ash’s Party and Orchid
Skill Gain: Alert I!
Though this skill is limited by the strength of your senses, and does not sharpen your senses on its own, it allows you to become more aware of your surroundings. Without conscious effort, you will pick up on signs in your environment more easily, especially if they present some form of danger to you. Essentially this is an anti-ambush skill.
As soon as her decision became concrete inside her mind, she suddenly felt a deep and powerful sleep come over her. It was too fast, and there was no fighting it--just like going under before a surgery.
And as she went under, she rose up and up and up. Ash's body gave several jerks as her consciousness faded, and each time she seemed just that little bit bigger. Then, after becoming somewhat bloated, her skin began to change. It rapidly began to dry out and lose its color. And somewhere deep inside, something began to pulse...
Ash suddenly saw EVERYTHING.
Not in crystal clarity, of course. But she drifted upwards, out of her body, rising high enough that she could look out across the cave. And sometimes it seemed as if she saw
through it--into the small nest where she had been reborn. And into an odd cavern that didn't seem as if it had been naturally formed--there were even signs that someone had tried to start a garden of some kind here. And deeper in this odd cavern was an entrance into another chamber that held a large, deep green colored stone...and inside this stone was something
red that pulsated, a sphere of light. As she watched for just an instant, two smaller pinpricks of red appeared and were absorbed by the first one, which grew to accommodate their sizes.
Then she could see nothing but the layers of rock, and then daylight, but before her eyes could adjust she was rising higher. Now she saw a deep forest, and gently rising cliffs growing ever steeper until they became mountains to the immediate west. She rose higher, drifting through clouds that stretched over the cave and further beyond, over curling smoke trails and unnaturally shaped structures of wood and stone that could only be civilization. Somewhere to the east, a large body of water sat glimmering with the last rays of the setting sun.
She rose higher. To the south, deserts and canyons, windstorms sweeping over the dunes. Further to the east, a bright light cutting a path to safety for those in need of guidance. Over the mountains, to the southwest, a grand city stretching for miles. Still in the west, but far further north, a tower like a mighty tree reaching up to the heavens with roots stretching deep, deep into the earth. 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.
She rose higher. A world, a planet, rotated thousands of miles an hour, yet from this distance appeared as no more than a soap bubble, as if it would pop if she but brushed a fingertip against it. The city lured her, cried out for her. The island's red skies held her in sway.
E̡̢̱̠͍̤̰̪̣͂̏ͥ͒̓̓̒ͅͅŖ̆ͫͬͥ̍̑̎͑̚͏͈̖͈̜Ȓ̭͎̦͖̣̣ͨ̔ͮͭ̑̎ͮͦ̕Ò̷̡̜̭̘̯͈ͭŔ̺̬̬̦͕̞̅̀̓̽́̓͟͟͡.̰̫̭̝̬̠ͭ́͐ͮ͊̆͒̅ ̸ͫͫ̈́́ͨ͏̮̩̼͝Ĕ̷̗̣̼̙̙̈͐́͢N̡̪̣͉͈ͬ̓̑̃̍ͭͪ͞ͅͅC͕̹͂ͤ͡O̺̺̳̤̼ͬ͗͊̃̈̾U̪̜͌̽ͨN̝͚̹̪ͫ̄̓ͧ̍Ţ͔̭̞̳̤̗͇͈̀ͩ̓͌Ê͇̤̱̹̟̈̉͌̎̎͋R̶̨͍̳̤̬̬̃̃͆͠Ẹ̴̶̸͈̲̱̹̭̻̪ͨ̈̐ͣͤ̂̇ͅD̉̑̃ͦ̈̒͡҉̯͓͔̭̱͉̟͕͡ ̸͒ͮ̏̿̂͝҉̭̦F̢̫̦̝̖̲ͯͪͭ̈̽Ơ͇̪ͯͭ͂ͫ̔̃ͣ̌͜R͇̟̖̜̗̜̘ͫ̕E͓̫̦͓̒͐ͮ̋̎̓̂̚Ȋ̡̳̹̑ͦ͐̋̓ͭ̓ͣG̜̤̳̯̥̹͈̺̈́̒͡Ń̶̤͙͖̝̠̝̈̂͑͑̚͡͝ ̻͉̺͍̂̅͊̓̌͛̇O̧͈̼̤̦͕͇̥̮͉̔͂̋̊B̻̄ͭͯ̏͒̒̃̈́͜J͂ͯ҉̥̼̙̘̖͜E̸̺͔̪ͩ͒C̨͓̘̺̝͓̦̮ͤ̑̓ͤ̂͠T̡̮̯̭̚͟ͅ.̨̞̙̍̌̚͢
̣̯̣͎̹̒͑̓̆̈́̄ͩ̓ͫ
̦̹ͬ̇̓̎̿ͦ͟S̫̟̜ͦ͑ͫ͊̽͑C̷̖̼͎͈̖̘̫̝̅̔̑͘͞A̶͕̮̻̜͇̹̗̬̤ͦ̾̇͗Ń̲̞ ̙͉̖̞̤ͥ͑ͬͧ̍Ç͈̻̮͈͛̓̑̕O̧͛ͥ̐͐̀̏̄̕҉͇̬̰M̊̈͛̅̅͒͏̪͙̜̹̥͖P̡̬̗̥͈̋͌̀ͩͤ̀ͅL̜̠͎̫̹̟̭̱̂ͪͩ͑̔͂͑̀̈̀͘͝Ḙ͎̹̤̯͈̥̍̑̀ͤ̈̓ͬT̬̂ͣ̑́̑̀͞E̷͓̯̒̐ͫͩ͋̑̊͢.̠̘̼̹̙̔ͨ̔͋́͘͢ ̛̺̣̫͉̦͈ͬ̌̿͜͠T̨̢͚͈̮̞̔̄̐̃̍̐ͬͯH̯̘̋͋͛̓̿̏̀R̶̫̫̱̗̐͂́̃̿ͯͣ̌̂Ĕ̻̞̯͕̬͔͞A̴̯͓̎ͭͨ͝Tͥ͑ͫͮ̂̀̍͐҉̫̞̗͖͘ ̞̑ͭD̷̾̇ͤ͆ͧͯ͗͏̝̹E̸̘ͫ̀̄͆̍ͥ̑̚ͅT̫̦̭̦͍̤̣͊͋E̛͇̠̻͈̹͍̙͖ͯ́͐̿ͩͧ̈̓͌C̷̟̹̪̬̄̌T̻͙̝̰̻̟̞̗̈͛ͬ͒̚E͔͔̟̰̍͌͆͝D̲̫̖͖̬̝ͪ̃͛́̎̅̒̔.̛͖̤̫̅̽̈́̓̚ ͚̼ͬ̇͒̄M̛̝̲̿̅̑́Ǫ̸͈̲̻̩͕̼̜̓ͧ̈́̑͟V̮̭̪̖̪̖̠̼͛̓ͭ͘Į̛͚͓̘̺͕̹͊͘N͙͆̀̏Gͭ̒͏҉̶̺̱̮̥̞̻̞̫ ͔̬̱̱͈̄̆ͦ͐ͬT̨̧̼̞̔ͭ̋ͨ͗O̼͖̜ͭ͌̈̿̈̋̀̒ ̡̠̮̣̘͌̍͌̎̓Q̼̮͖̣̙̟͌ͦͮͫU̴̲̙͚͓̝̻̬̭͋͊̅̆̊Ḁ̗̫͉̭̼͎̗̥ͭ̒̄ͥͣR͉̟̦̥̮ͧ͛͌Â̜̆̌́̀͠N̵͕̺͖͈̰͍̯̤̠ͬͭ̒̍̾́͞-̧͚̐̾̾-̜̮̠͉̩̖̤́̈́ͫͧ̽̔͌́̚̚̕ͅ
̴̣̤̬͎͇ͧ́́
̴̛̜̫̦̩̜̜̳ͯ̐̍͌̋̓̀̕ͅŐͫ̎̒́͞͏̜̩̱̟V̘̗̙͖̟̙͌ͦͭͬ̓͋ͨ͘͜Ê͇͎̺͉̟ͫ̈́̾̃͡͠ͅŖ̣͔̬͙̙͚̤̹͂̓̒̑̕R̒̓̂̐҉͉͇̕Į͈͚͔̬͕̦̬̽ͩͨ͑̔̃͜D̜̩̲͂̂ͣ̔̂̈ͤĘ̸͔̱̩̼̥͌̓̓̈́̐͘ ̶̳̯̫̟́̑ͨͫ̒Ḯ̷͔́ͣ̃͠N̢̛̫͒̏̾̊͛ͣIͬ̚҉̸̵̞̱͙͈̩̞̹̥T̮͚̒͊ͮͪ̚͢͝I̷͓̥͙ͤ͂ͤA̡̧̩͈ͨ͌̿ͦͣ̇͆̃͝T̞̜̻̠̠̋̈E̴̦̭̅̓͌͜͡Ḑ͊͛̊͒̌ͪ͡҉̱̺̥ͅ.ͤ̀̒̽͂͆͛҉͚̳̠̙͢ͅ
Y҉͞e̶ą̸͢h̡ t̶͟h̕í̛ś͢ ̕i͠s̀҉ ̕g͟ó͟͡n̨n͞͝a̸ ͡͞͠b̢͘͠e ̕an̨͞n̴҉o̢҉͞y͠͠i̵n͞g̨ į͞f i҉́͢t͜ ͟h̷͢͞à̡p͢p̢҉ęǹ̷s̷ ̷̛e͡v̵̛͜e͟͝r̴̡͝y̶ t̴̡ì̛͢m̷̸e̸.̡̕ ͠D̴ąm̸n,̸̨͜ ̧wh̴į̷ch͡ G̨u͏à͡ŗ͞dį̶a͜n̸ ̶do̸͘͜ ̧̧̀I͡͏ ͢͞n̶̛ȩ̡e͢҉͞d̛́͞ ̵̢t̢͟o̴͞ m̡u͝͠r̶d͜e͏̡͢r͏ ̸̕t̵̛͟ơ͘ ̵̶͜d̨͟i̸̢̕s҉e͞n̵͠g̶̕aģe̷͢ ̨t͞͏h̛͏͜e̡͟ ̧͝S͟͝o̵̡ư̸͟l͘͠w̛à̴͜ll͡͝.̴̛.̸͘.͡͏͞
͏̧
̶͟À̴͡h̷,̷ t̸h̢e̛ ͡re̸̶se̡͡a̴̢r͠҉c̵͟͜h́ę̶r̡̛ ́t͏̴h͡i͞ś͝͡ ̶̨̢t͢͜i̡̛m͝e̴?͞ ̵̶A͏̸n͏̸d̀͘ ̴t̴h̶e̴͝ ͏d̶̷̢ŕ̨ak͜͡e̷̛ p̵͡at̡͠h?͏ ̕͟L͢҉͏et̸͞ ḿ̷̧e͡ ͞ǵư̛e͠s̢̧s̶͠,̡͜ ̷̢ỳ̧͜o̡̡u͠ sa̵̛w ͟t̛͡h̛͢͢e̷ D͝͡r̕ą͜g̸ó̡n̨ ҉̀A̸f̶f̧i̢͝ņ͜it̶̨̨ý͟͢ ̶̀a̶̢͝n̨d̵̷ Ma҉͜҉g҉̡i̕͢c͞͏ ̷̕śp̸̨e͟l̶̡ls̷ ͞͠a̴̕nd̕ ̵͢i̡͘͠mm̨e̸͡͏d͘i̴at̶҉̧ęl͡y̶͘ ̧̨͟a̧sş̀u̶͢m͡e̸d ҉t̶h̸̸̴a̷t ̵w̷̛as̶͘͜ ̴t̸̛͠h̢͡e m̶͟͢ó͟s̷t҉́ ̵̨a̶̛̕d̵̡v̶͜͝a̴̛n͞t̵ą͏g͘͠e͘ou̶s̛͝ ̡̧c̛ǫ̶u͜r̛͏śe̸ ̨of͘ ͢͠a҉c̴̛t̸i҉́͟on͘?̶ ̸̛Y̷̷͜o̧͘u̸ ̡́k͡n̷o̸̷w͞ ̷͟w͜h̵͟at͏̡ ͝m̧̛à͢͝ḱi͟n̛͟͟g̨͞ ̕͘t̷̸h͘҉e̕͝ ̨͜҉"͠͠b̴́͡è̶st"̛͝ d̸̢e̴̷c̵i̡sio̵n͜͡ a͟͝l̸l ̢th̴͝͠e̶ ̛́͢t̢̕i̕me͜ ̷̸m̸̡a͘͘k̶̡e̸͟s ̡̛͝y̢̛o̶̕͠u̸͘?̢ ҉̢B̨͠e҉͢͠s̨įd̴e͏̕͞s ́s͟m̴a̵͡ŗt̡ a̸ń̨d̀ ̴҉"̶p̛͜e̡̨̛r̛͜f͘͘e͞c͏t̡͡?̧"̡͏
̴̧
̵̴P͏̵r̸̢͞e͟dic̛ţ͞a̕bl͟e.͏̵͞
SECOND OVERRIDE INITIATED. ERROR: TOO MANY ERRORS. RESETTING...
Ash plunged earthward...
Meanwhile, Orchid came upon her former camp and found it inhabited once more. Hidden at the back of the cave was the form of her friend...or perhaps the Lizard Lady's
corpse. It looked bloated, and the skin was dull and lifeless. And there were signs that other creatures had been here, just recently. And standing near the body, peering at it intently, was another Fanged Lizard that Orchid was unfamiliar with. It seemed to be trying to decide something for itself--then as Orchid approached, Colchain turned and hissed defensively at her! He raised his tail and lifted himself up on his front legs as if raising from a pushup--it seemed he was trying to make himself look larger and more intimidating. The lizard bared his fangs, and seemed like he was about to make a rush at Orchid if she didn't back off soon...
Bonfire Battles
11 Mana Crystals Remain
Ardur, Digbie, Mourningstar, Rain, Danny VS Rattleskull
As Rain spat her Poison Glob right into Rattleskull's face, the advanced goblin barely managed to raise his other hand to try and cover himself. He wasn't fast enough, however, and while some of the glob coated his hand--and the haft of his weapon--the rest of it splattered across one of his eyes and the side of his face, and even down his neck and shoulder. Unlike the Poison Spit, the Glob was too concentrated and heavy to simply splash off, and where it clung to his fur and skin steam began to hiss in the air.
"AAAAAAAAGH--HURF!?"
Before he could even finish his scream, Ardur threw dirt into the boss's face, not only blinding him but also setting off a bout of hacking and wheezing. At the same time the pixie cast Minor Heal II on Rain, and the System told her that she was back at Full HP--just as Rattleskull furiously threw her in order to stop her clawing his arm apart, as well as free himself to clean his face without dropping his weapon. As the blue lizard hit the dirt she saw stars flash in her vision as the taste of blood filled her mouth.
WARNING! Your HP is Low!
As she lay vulnerable for those few moments, Rattleskull's huge figure loomed overhead, stone club held high--
But as he coughed and spluttered, rubbing at his eyes with only one good hand that still bled from multiple wounds, the furry brute also began to look pale and haggard. Blind, wounded...and now Poisoned, finally?
Digbie came charging up, and Mourningstar was right behind him. Ardur had gone to grab another stone. But Rattleskull still had his turn to take. He turned, blinking through teary vision as Digbie jumped up and drew back his fist. The other goblin was too close for a full, arcing swing with Rattleskull's club. The Boss's only option was to throw his own punch--but his fist was much larger than Digbie's, and shone with a familiar red, crackling light. Rain would see, from down on the ground, as Rattleskull's feet dug into the dirt, his lower body tensing as every muscle--even his buttocks--clenched.
"SMAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"
Time seemed to slow down. That red, sparking fist was going to cross under Digbie's as the smaller goblin's leap apexed.
But then Digbie's fist began to glow with a bright, metallic gold light.
Skill Synergy has increased the power of your attack.
You are experiencing a Rapid Skill Progression.
You are experiencing a Fast Skill Progression in multiple skills.
As each shining blow struck home, time rushed back to its proper flow. The cross counter ended in Rattleskull's favor thanks to his longer reach and greater muscle. Both of Digbie's nostrils spurted blood as the bridge of his nose snapped out of place, and two teeth flew free of his jaw. His neck turned so far it seemed to stretch unnaturally before the impact caught up with the rest of his body. The young goblin was sent flying, bouncing once before he came to rest in the dirt.
WARNING! Your HP is Low!
But Rattleskull did not escape unscathed. He too reared back, his own nose spurting blood yet again as his upper lip also split and swelled. His eyes were unfocused for a moment as he lost his balance.
Then Mourningstar's Mana Slice spell struck one of his legs. The boss went down to the ground with a heavy thud, blood spurting from a deep wound on his shin just below the knee. He screamed--less fury this time, more pain, real pain. But as Mourningstar went to grab a Mana Crystal from Digbie, Rattleskull grabbed something of his own--one more Healing Herb! But before he could eat it, once more Ardur came flying in with a heavy stone. This time, however, the evolved goblin managed to bat the projectile away with his stone axe. When Mourningstar attacked with her second Mana Slice, he did the same as he sat up. But her magical cutting force struck the wooden haft of his weapon, near where Rain's Poison Glob had begun to eat away at it. With a crack the haft of the weapon began to split and splinter--it remained intact for the moment, but the stone head was beginning to wobble in its setting...
Just then, a Mana Orb--somewhat differently shaped than usual, and well-aimed--struck Rattleskull in the chest. Instead of detonating in a small, crackling explosion, it instead seemed to pierce into his wooden armor, driving deep enough to push him onto his back again even though it didn't draw blood. The Boss took notice of Danny floating up above, and roared his fury once more.
But it was certain Rain hadn't spent all this time down below idle. Would her next course of action, or that of her comrades, manage to stop Rattleskull from eating his second Herb?!
Jason, Oberon VS Brawny Goblin, Bitchy Goblin, Brawny Minion
Jason's next Stone Shot hurtled through the air with a golden flash, but this time the Brawny Goblin had eyes on his opponent this time. He hurled himself to one side to avoid the projectile, literally hitting the dirt. This same process virtually repeated itself as Oberon shot another Mana Dart at the female, and she too moved evasively. She managed to stay on her feet, however, as she wasn't wounded like her team's leader. The brawny goblin's minion, not being attacked at the moment, lunged forward as soon as Jason emerged from his foxhole. His Wooden Club and Torch both struck Jason from either side, and while he felt a sharp and sizzling pain from the flame the club only produced a dull throbbing sensation--as a Slime he already had the skills for damage reduction, and his evolution had slightly increased his defensive abilities. These two blows, even though one of them had a form of damage that wasn't entirely physical, barely had the same oomph as a single normal attack he would have taken in his previous form. Still, damage was damage--could he really afford to let himself be attacked?
Skill Gain: Limited Shapeshift I!
By practicing the manipulation of your body, which Slimes are naturally predisposed for, you gained this skill. You cannot alter the total size, texture, or consistency of your body. You also cannot alter your body’s primary qualities--you cannot become “sharp” or “hard,” for example. At this level, complex structures are too difficult. But making yourself into a rolling sphere, a flat puddle, or shaping your pseudopods would all be possibilities, plus more. This skill consumes Stamina, not MP.
As Oberon flew back to the Bonfire at top speed, the female goblin started to pursue him. The Brawny Goblin got back to his feet. Then Jason unleashed his War Cry, and all three goblins immediately turned towards him with their weapons raised defensively. Every instinct they had cried out that the source of that sound couldn't be ignored. They weren't exactly afraid to fight back against it, but for this single instant they had been distracted, and their relative lack of battle experience despite this "war" caused them to freeze up for just a moment longer.
Skill Gain: Muffle I!
This skill grants you the ability to be just a little bit better at being stealthy, with a focus on reducing the sound of your movements.
As the fastest of the three Dire Rats, Asteria came in like a furry bolt from the blue. She leaped onto the dual-wielding minion and began to chomp away, tearing into him like a dog. He yelped in pain and went down, and with all the blood he had lost thus far thanks to Oberon's Mana Dart he wasn't in much condition to keep fighting. As Asteria tore at him he grew weaker and weaker and finally stopped moving.
With the rat's attack, now the goblins were shocked out of their temporary surprise. The female goblin turned towards Asteria and raised her weapon, only to suddenly be forced to her knees with a scream as Ed bit into the back of her leg. It wasn't clear whether he'd succeeded in permanently crippling her, but he had certainly managed to get her down for the moment as he savaged the back of her calf and ankle with his fangs...
Skill Activated: Rabid Fit I!
You have previously gained this skill. Conditions have been met to activate it. It is not currently active.
Fly into a mindless rage, and destroy the enemy! A sudden burst of fury grants you increased strength and damage, but you’ll become more vulnerable to damage yourself.
And in that moment the female was down, Mother Rat took her own opportunity. She leaped up at the female's face, and the goblin only barely managed to get the shaft of her spear between herself and the angry rodent. Mother Rat's fangs seized the wooden pole and she began to shake her head back and forth like a hound, snarling and growling all the while. Locked in this struggle it seemed neither had an advantage, but for the moment the female couldn't use her weapon...
However, this left the Brawny Goblin unattended, as Oberon simply moved to Jason's side with his newly acquired crystals rather than attacking again. Hefting that Wooden Spear in one burly arm, the goblin grinned maniacally as he took aim at Ed from behind...
The male Dire Rat was struck...by an odd sense of deja vu.
Skill Synergy has increased the power of your attack.
You are experiencing a Fast Skill Progression.
Asura's Limited Shapeshifting had improved, allowing him to turn himself into a tightly condensed, smooth rolling mass. His Faster skill allowed him to fairly hurtle along like a kickball being pitched down the lane by one of those kids too big for their grade because they're dumb and get held back. His Smash skill allowed him to, well, smash things. Like this slightly bigger than average Goblin in his way.
The Brawny Goblin let out a distinctive "HIDEBU!?" gurgle as the rolling red mass barreled into him. Something meaty crunched, then there was a loud snap as the goblin hit the ground under all that weight and momentum. Asura kept on a-goin', bouncing a few times as he began to slow down. Behind him, the Brawny goblin lay relatively flattened, especially across his ribcage and face. Slowly, painfully, the creature began to lift his one good arm, and then began to plant his feet back on the ground...
Then Momma Slime rolled over on top of him and came to a stop, her upper mass twisting slightly as if she were looking around her at what was going on.
"Weeeh hurr? Eet naoow?" she burbled. The Brawny Goblin didn't say anything.
Other Goblins
With Orchid's three shield bearers standing guard against the Wispmother's Mana Orbs, the two younglings bearing torches and the two remaining members of the hammer team began picking up rocks. Crispy's two team mates ran here and there, swinging their own torches wildly to try and draw the large wisp's fire. As she once more dodged Crispy's Fireball, she wasn't fast enough to dodge all of the rocks that soon flew her way. Of the four stones in the volley, two of them struck home. The Wispmother wobbled with a squeak...then turned and started to float off with as much speed as she could muster.
"Ha! Wisps is weaklings!" Crispy cackled. But then he frowned. This one had lived long enough to know that it was better to run from a fight it couldn't win--but if it healed up, it might just come back stronger later.
"Quick, afore it gets away! Chuck everyting ya got!" he ordered, pointing at the retreating Wispmother as he jumped up and down. The torchbearers grabbed more rocks, and the shield bearers readied their spears. Soon a volley of projectiles flew through the air, and by sheer numbers the Wispmother was overwhelmed! Bleeding and bruised she was knocked to the ground. As the goblins descended in a howling horde she managed to get off one last Mana Orb, blasting the Hammer goblin directly in the chest. He went down with a scream, the energy blackening his skin--but that was the last of her MP. And in mere moments, the Wispmother was simply a bloody smear on the ground. In the last fleeting moments of her life she flickered...then the light went out forever.
