𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕆𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕𝕝𝕪 ℂ𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕟
RESOURCES ALLOTTED. MAPPING AREA...MAPPING...
ASSIMILATION RATE: 0.4%
An open patch of dirt on the opposite side of the pool from Jason's cave now had a fresh looking lump in it. From the top of that lump, a single piece of a gossamer, insect-like wing stuck up in the open air. The lump wiggled, and the wingtip disappeared under the dirt. Then the lump seemed to settle down and go quiet.
All around the cave, these odd, fresh piles of earth were beginning to appear. There were fewer of them near the entrance, and near areas where the morning sun sent shafts of daylight through the cave.
Ardur, Asteria, Danny, Digbie, Ed, Jason, Mother Rat
While Jason was thrashing in mental agony, Ed tried to find a way to help but to no avail. Ardur took action in using his healing spell, and while it did recover what HP Jason had lost during the battle thanks to the more powerful rank III, it didn't have any effect on what was happening. But as Jason gleefully threw himself at the odd red thorns sprouting from the Core crystal, they only slightly punctured his membrane. He didn't seem to be taking any damage from them--but a connection of some form was made. The golden "veins" across Jason's body from his Variance were now flecked with red, as if the gold had rusted...or as if drops of blood had dried on its surface.
You used Mana Sense!
This plant is magical. This magic is helpful.
You used Mana Sense!
This plant is magical. This magic is harmful.
You used Mana Sense!
This object is magical. THIS MAGIC IS EXTREMELY POWERFUL--
DUNGEON CORE ACCESS DENIED.
You used Mana Drain!
Your MP is Fully Recovered! You have gained a Small amount of Temporary Bonus MP!
As Asteria tried to study the Dungeon Core, and then used Mana Drain on it, her newfound sixth sense suddenly gave her a feeling similar to being deep, deep under water. A pressure, pushing against her senses, an overwhelming force that wasn't quite hurting her, but simply feeling it was oppressive and ominous. As soon as her skills had been used it was gone...but she also felt, for the briefest moment, like someone was watching her.
The red thorns retracted from the outer surface of the crystal, but they were still visible on the surface of the Core deep inside the green pillar. And now that red sphere began to spin, slowly, tilting like a planet on its axis.
Jason slowly began to stir back to wakefulness.
As Digbie struck the wall of the cave again and again with his pickaxe, he neither felt nor heard any response to his message meant for the Demon King. It didn't have the reverence or ceremonial feel of a prayer, more as if he were simply talking to himself, as if he were back in his own world and saying "Christ, what have I gotten myself into?" And, perhaps for the same reasons, there was no response.
Until he too felt as if something was watching him.
YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A QUEST.
DUNGEON QUEST: OTHERWORLDLY CAVERN
- REMOVE ALTERNATIVE BOSS CANDIDATES
- There are currently (1) other Boss Candidates in the Dungeon.
- There are currently (5) Potential Boss Candidates in the Dungeon.
- A Candidate or Potential Candidate is Removed when it is incapable of interfacing with the Dungeon Core.
YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED A LINK WITH THE DUNGEON. YOU GAIN 1 SKILL POINT IN THE UNIQUE SKILL: DUNGEON AWARENESS. CURRENT SKILL PROGRESS: 0.1
WARNING! MANA RESOURCES ARE BEING DEPLETED BY AN EXTERNAL ACTION!
WARNING! THE DUNGEON STRUCTURE IS BEING DAMAGED BY AN EXTERNAL ACTION!
As Jason received his Quest, the next step on his journey to conquer this cave and become its master, he also received two warnings. As he would no doubt look around to ascertain the well being of his little group, he would immediately notice Asteria and Digbie.
What the hell were they doing!? Asteria shouldn't be messing with the Dungeon Core! He was the boss here, it was HIS Dungeon Core! And Digbie, what made him think he could just dig as he pleased here!? This was Jason's cave, HE was the one who had worked so hard on it! Only him! And now this was HIS dungeon, only HIS, he couldn't let ANY harm come to it!
Torrent
As Rain attempted, through an odd fog akin to the feeling one has when they are just coming out of a dream or a deep sleep, the feeling of being aware that you are not asleep and yet having no control over your senses, only a vague sense of being...
As Torrent attempted, through this odd feeling, to look back at the blue eyes she could feel looking back at her, almost through her, the blue eyes seemed to come closer.
"
You are not the one...but you are supposed to be human? This is not right. Spirit...if you remember anything...leave this place!"
The eyes were drawing further away from Torrent, down into the pool. The voice grew tired, yet also strained.
"
Leave this place, Spirit! But bring back...bring back Humans! Bring back a Hero!" The voice ceased. The eyes were gone.
Torrent could feel herself slowly drifting back down now. Back towards her body. But she was going slowly, veeeerrrryyy slooooowlyyyy...
Mourningstar
The process of wearing Rattleskull's head was really a very involved one. After cutting it off his body--rather roughly, one might add--the "innards" had to be removed. But these same "innards" were what gave the head its shape to begin with. Rattleskull had been the largest monster in the cave, but even he probably could not have eaten a Wisp's body in one bite. Even if he could, there was a reason most predators had teeth, and omnivores chewed their food. Thus, his throat cavity was not big enough to allow Mourningstar entrance. Removing the vertebrae from his spinal column helped somewhat, but the more muscle she cut away the less like a head her grisly trophy appeared and more like a mess of meat. And of course, once she had worked her way up into his throat cavity, all that really allowed her to do was enter his mouth--which at this point smelled like a garbage heap. In order for her to actually get inside his head, she would have to somehow burrow her way through his skull. Did she even have anything at this point that could be used to break through solid bone?
She was still able to simply use her Mana Slice to cut off part of his lower jaw, but this left his tongue hanging down from the back of his throat behind her, trailing blood the whole time as she floated there. And her levitation was significantly slowed as well, with all of this weight on top of her.
But if all she was going for was sheer squick factor? This was pretty high on the scale.
"Mid-boss, I sees da--KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH?!"
Crispy and his four selected goblins all readied their weapons, their shocked faces full of confusion and fear. Crispy himself did seem just as shocked, but he didn't show any signs of intimidation and instead angrily began barking orders.
"STOP YELLIN'!" he barked, pulling his Stone Knife from his belt and beginning to move in a partial crouch, ready to make use of his speed to slash and stab with the weapon. "Dey killed da Boss by gangin' up on 'em, but look! There's just one left now!"
"But what about dem tings? What dey?" Orchid's shieldboy held up his Wicker Shield in front of himself and pointed at Asura and Oberon's still forms with his spear, though his eyes darted nervously between them and Mourningstar.
"Shaddap! Kill dat Wisp first!" Crispy swung a torch in his other hand, using it to point at Mourningstar. After a moment's hesitation, the other three goblins charged at her--and if she ran, she would be leaving her two allies to their mercy...
Oberon
Oberon found that despite his attempts, he couldn't make use of any of his skills while in this...astral form, or whatever it was. In fact, now that he had put some effort into moving his body and using his magic and senses, he actually found that whatever state he was in was not entirely unfamiliar. It felt like that very first moment...that infinite white expanse, where he met the King of Demons. That place where he had been Damned to this new fate.
But as he struggled with these sensations, he suddenly felt as if he were being watched. In the distance, coming from far away...and coming from under the ground...a pair of blue eyes seemed to be looking right at him...
Asura
Asura, by sheer unyielding force of will, felt himself beginning to descend. But it was so slow, and every movement was a struggle. It was like trying to swim through pudding. And down below he could see the goblins coming closer, charging at Mourningstar. His body, and Oberon's, were still lying senseless.
He was going down, but so veeeeeerrrrrry sloooooowllyyyyy...
But...where had Momma Slime gone?
Orchid, Ash, Reoth
As Orchid headed back towards the Bonfire, she would need to pass by the pool. Sound carried further over water than it did over land, and as a result she could hear some kind of commotion coming from the rock cluster and cave walls across the pool...but she couldn't discern any specific words, only what might have been vague yelling here or there.
But then, as she got closer, suddenly the ground beneath her foot gave way.
It wasn't a pitfall or sinkhole, but it would likely trip her up nonetheless. The real problem, as she felt a sting in her foot and felt her body weight shifting, were the bony needles she could suddenly see rushing up towards her so fast--!
