Orchid and Goblins
As Orchid demonstrated why the Creeping Vine wouldn't be of any use, Sqwal's scowl grew deeper. When the female goblin sat down to focus on her own crafting, the male torchbearer turned to look back at the tree with all the vines on it.
"Dun need dum rope to make gud wep'n anyway..." he grumbled to himself. Using the vines to get a better handhold, he began climbing up into the tree. Once he had perched himself on a branch large enough to support his weight, he began using his own Sharp Stone to start hacking at it--coming dangerously close to neutering himself a few times. But still, the branch shook and cracked until it finally fell to the ground--almost landing on top of Wej as he returned with another shield/basket full of the blue colored berries, a few roots, and what looked to be an entire nest of grubs still trapped in a clod of dark colored mud.
"Oi! Watch it up dere!" Wej yelled, struggling to keep the basket upright as he stumbled away. He sat it down next to the fire and Crispy.
"Where Bigs an' Jezee?" said Crispy, immediately grabbing the biggest grubs and a handful of berries for himself.
"Dey went ova to dem udda Mobs. Dat diggy Gob was ova dere."
"Hmm...Dat one, Digbie. He been wiv 'em dis whole time?" The Flame-touched Goblin looked towards Orchid, who was just finishing up her stone-knapping...seemingly unaware of the way Clod had started throwing dirty looks at her occasionally.
You Processed an Item!
Smooth Stick (Average) - Using Sharp Stone (Good) + Wooden Club (Good)
Your methods of crafting are more refined compared to your materials. Effectiveness boosted.
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of Processing.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented the deterioration of your processing item.
Your Crafting IV skill could not prevent the deterioration of an item used to process the target.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented the deterioration of an item used to process the target.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your processed item!
Obtained Item: Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average)
Item Deteriorated: Sharp Stone (Good) > Sharp Stone (Average)
---
You Processed an Item!
Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average) + Fire Hardening
Your Crafting IV skill prevented damage to your target item from this processing!
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of processing!
This type of processing improves your target item!
Obtained Item: Fire-Hardened Notched Smooth Stick (Very Good)
---
Obtained Items: Hard Stone (Good) x2, Hard Stone (Average) x2
You Created Items!
Hard Stone (Good) + Hard Stone (Average)
Hard Stone (Good) + Hard Stone (Average)
Hard Stone (Average) + Hard Stone (Average)
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of this crafting!
Your Crafting IV skill prevented deterioration of your crafted items.
In the process of crafting, one item has been destroyed.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your created items!
Obtained Items: Sharp Stone (Good) x2, Sharp Stone (Well Made), Sharp Stone (Excellent), Sharp Stone (Average)
---
You Created Items!
Sharp Stone (Good) + Sharp Stone (Average)
Sharp Stone (Well Made) + Sharp Stone (Good)
Sharp Stone (Excellent) + Sharp Stone (Above Average)
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of this crafting!
Your method is inefficient. Effectiveness decreased.
Your Crafting IV skill prevented deterioration of some of your crafted items.
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of a few of your crafted items.
Obtained Items: Sharp Stone Shard (Below Average), Sharp Stone Shard (Average) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Above Average) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Good), Sharp Stone Shard (Very Good) x2, Sharp Stone Shard (Well Made), Sharp Stone Shard (Excellent)
---
You created a Weapon!
Fire-Hardened Notched Smooth Stick (Above Average) + Fiber Cordage (Average) + Fiber Cordage (Well Made) + Sharp Stone Shard (Below Average) + Sharp Stone Shard (Average) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Above Average) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Good) + Sharp Stone Shard (Very Good) x2 + Sharp Stone Shard (Well Made) + Sharp Stone Shard (Excellent)
You are using a large number of items. Effectiveness decreased due to current Crafting rank.
Your method of crafting is more refined compared to your materials. Effectiveness increased.
You are creating a more complex weapon. Effectiveness decreased.
Your Crafting IV skill boosts the effectiveness of your crafting!
Your Crafting IV skill boosted the quality of your item!
Obtained Item: Sharp Stone Club! (Well-Made)
A viciously designed club, it's hard to believe this was created by a Goblin. Sharpened shards of stone have been inserted into it, allowing it to be used much like a sword or a saw blade. Combined with its weight, it can deliver powerful strokes. It can deal Slashing and Blunt damage. This weapon feels stronger than your current Wooden Club. This weapon can swing faster than your current Wooden Club. This weapon is tougher than your current Wooden Club. This weapon has a chance to cause Bleeding damage to an enemy! This weapon is slightly vulnerable to fire.
((Your Hard Stones, Sharp Stone, and the Average and Well Made Fiber Cordages should be removed from your inventory.))
Skill Rank Up: Material Analysis I > Material Analysis II!
Obtain more detailed information about the qualities and traits of Materials. If you know of a currency value, you can make a rough estimate of an object's worth. The more detailed your knowledge of the local economy, the more accurate the assessment.
But just as Orchid finished, all of the goblins gave a yelp of surprise and turned towards the cave, where the buff pixie had just unleashed a fireball into the open mouth of the tunnel...
Asura, Momma Slime
Skill Gain: Cling I!
As a Slime you are naturally suited to sticking to objects. By expending stamina, you cling to any surface and are able to climb or stick upon it. At this rank, the type and texture of the surface will change the skill's effectiveness. At this rank, you are much slower when moving on objects while clinging. At this rank, this skill cannot be used save to climb or stick to surfaces.
Current Skills:
Physical Damage Resistance I (1.86)
Overwork I (1.2)
Blunt Resistance I (1.1)
Limited Shapeshift III (3.525)
Smash I (1.3)
Pierce Resistance I (1.05)
Faster I (1.05)
Magic Resistance I (1.0)
Harder I (1.3)
Counter I (1.5)
Cling I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE SKILLS>
Earth Resist (0.7)
Mental Resistance (0.4)
Monster Analysis (0.7)
Slime Shell (0.5)
Charisma (0.5)
Slime Whip (0.5)
Dextrous (0.2)
Soil Manipulation (0.3)
Stone Shot (0.1)
Slime Coil (0.1)
Iron Gullet (0.7)
Magic Analysis (0.3)
Bounce (0.4)
Muffle (0.1)
Poison Resistance (0.1)
Dash Attack (0.3)
Spiritual Awareness (0.2)
Intimidate (0.15)
Stronger (0.6)
Blood Drain (0.3)
"But hungreeeeeee." Momma Slime slurped up what little remained of Rattleskull's torso all in one gulp and sat there, wobbling stubbornly as she slowly digested it. It figured. That was pretty much all wild Slimes did, eat and sleep and every so often move around. And at Momma Slime's larger size, that probably meant eating quite a bit more than Asura usually did. Would they leave the cave with the others in search of more food, or try to finish off Asura's grinding quest here in the cave?
The answer to that might be delayed somewhat, as a flaming trail of magic shot through the air not too far away from them, hitting an outcropping of rock in a bright flash...
Danny
As Danny used his Mana Shape to try and further his development of Mana Dart, he found that it wasn't quite so simple as it first appeared. Then again, maybe he wasn't going about it the right way--he had obtained Aqua Sphere rather quickly, after all. What was he doing differently compared to when he had practiced yet?
His attempted dart had been shaped correctly, now that he had an actual spell to do that...but it didn't feel right. It was as if all he had done was take a plain piece of paper and fold it a few times into a cone or triangular prism. The "dart" didn't feel like it had any weight or sharpness. And when he fired it, it quickly came undone and blossomed back into a regular Orb. The effect it had on the rock was the same as well.
Just then, however, from his position near the pool he could see a bright light from the cave's entrance--something arching up, then coming down in a trail of fire. It landed far away, but what in the world had that been? One of Crispy's fireballs?
Ardur, Ash, Digbie, Mourningstar, Oberon, Reoth, Steve, Torrent
Yo! You have reached the Demon King's Prayer Hotline. Please hold, your prayers are NOT important to me.
I kindly request that you STOP IMMEDIATELY. Do not EVER pray to me again. Prayers are for deities and I don't want that kinda fuckin' responsibility. This is an automated response system, do not reply to it or I'll send somebody to fuck you up.
--Beep--
Update: If you're one of my Damned Heroes, this is for you. If you can prove your strength to me and survive, find my Palace. Protip--it ain't in that shitty cave. Try the Dungeons.
--Beep--
OI, YOU! TELL THE OTHER FUCKHEADS TO CUT IT OUT WITH THE PRAYING. LAST WARNING.
Obtained Item: Wild Topapo x2
You used Alchemy II! You used Magic Analysis!
These are Plants, and have little natural magic properties. Without other Analysis Skills, you cannot determine the Quality of the items, only their Alchemical traits.
---Green Argep---
Plant, Berry. Crunchy Exterior. Low Sweetness. Acidic Juice. Negligible Toxicity. Soft, Weak, Pulpy.
---Argep Leaves---
Plant, Leaf. Limited Caloric Value. High Vitamin Content. Negligible Toxicity. Fibrous. Low Tensile Strength. Acidic Juice. Reactive with Water.
---Alchemy Complete!---
Skill Gain: Meditate I!
By concentrating and calming oneself, increase the regeneration of Magic Power and Stamina. This skill cannot be used in battle. Any distractions in the environment will drastically decrease the effectiveness of this skill. This skill cannot be used in conjunction with other skills.
Skill Gain: Crafting I!
You may craft very simple items from simple materials. 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.
As the others were distracted with their various tasks, Digbie would find himself being approached by two of the goblins from before--one was smaller than him, and clearly a female, while the other was a little bit larger than himself and male. They both carried shields made somewhat like a woven basket, and the male had a dangerous looking spear.
"Oi! You a Gob like us, why you ova here?" called the male.
"Y-you should come wiv us! We needs all da Gobs we can get!" said the girl goblin, in a more gentle voice.
Torrent received a rather surprising response from the Demon King as she "prayed" in the loosest sense, expecting a direct answer. This seemed rather pre-canned...but at the same time, it was much more direct than anything thus far. After all, the Demon King hadn't even spoken to them since they had been dropped here...or had he? She couldn't quite remember...
As her claws found purchase in the loose earth, she soon revealed the two large tubers Oberon had caught a glimpse of before. As the rest of their oblong shapes were revealed, they were each about the size of a human's fist, which meant they could probably serve as a meal for most of the party if split up evenly. But something else had been digging in the dirt--if only Digbie hadn't neglected to mention it thus far!
With an angry buzz, an enormous beetle with four sharp mandibles suddenly shot out of the dirt, snapping at Torrent--!
Ash found the berries and leaves to be rather plain, at least by the standards of this world she had experienced so far. They weren't poisonous, magical, explosive, or really even that good to eat if her Alchemy skill was any judge. Maybe the berries just weren't ripe enough. That comment about water for the leaves might bring to mind the possibility of tea, but they would need a fire for that...
As Ardur fastened his new silk and leaf loincloth around himself and headed back towards the cave, a System notification let him know that he had finally unlocked the Crafting Skill! He had been making a few things thus far regardless of actually having that skill...but maybe having it meant those Sub Stat Enhancement things would come into play...
Oberon, too, felt an internal "click" as his Meditate skill unlocked, and new Mana flooded his system! Whatever glee he might feel would probably be short lived, however, as something burst out of the ground at Torrent and...
As Ardur focused, he felt his palm grow hot.
“Fire burns, Inferno rages," he began, and the Fireball already sprang into existence within his grasp. "Consume and destroy, Cleanse and Purify," he continued, and the ball began to struggle as if it were trying to escape him. "Feel the wrath of the sun and rejoice in its light." Ardur's veins along his arm suddenly began to glow bright red, and he felt the heat growing more and more intense--but just before it could scald him, he released the power! "Fireball!"
He felt another chunk of MP leave him, more than he had ever used with Shield and almost as much as he had used with the higher ranks of Minor Heal. The Fireball had grown larger and was glowing brighter, and as it shot off into the distance his arc added a little range on it as well. It illuminated parts of the cave as it went, the flickering light casting long shadows among the rocks, before it struck a stalagmite and went out in a flare-like flash rather than an explosion.
Meanwhile, Mourningstar's body had continued to swell with the odd pulsations...only now it had also begun to change color. Her pale white flesh turned an almost sickly green, while the wispy hairs all over it grew longer and more yellow. If one didn't know better, they might even say she was starting to rot...Then, suddenly, light blazed inside the flesh. Like electricity it began to spread through the long fur, and as Mourningstar came back to wakefulness she crackled back to life. She was now about the size the Wispmother had been, but her light was an eerie glow that constantly shifted between various shades of green, white, and yellow. Though in the sunlight it wasn't quite so noticeable, at night she would have certainly appeared to be quite the spooky spirit.
Speaking of sunlight, it felt rather uncomfortable...much like turning on the bedside lamp right after waking up, except all over her body instead of just in her eyes...
TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!
Wisp > Corpselight
All base stats slightly increased
Skill Gain: Taboo I! (1.3)
You have gained a "cursed skill." Those with sharp senses may detect your true nature...Even now, the evil seed of what you've done germinates within you...
You have not reached your full Potential. The Skill Mana Drain has been Reduced. (0.5)
You have not reached your full Potential. The Skill Blood Drain has been Reduced. (0.5)
Ed, Asteria, Mother Rat
You used Crafting I!
Without Material Analysis, you cannot determine the Quality of the Item you have created.
You created an item!
Small Rock x3 + Mud
Created Item: Earthen Dummy
This Item is too large and heavy for your Inventory.
Skill Gain: Stronger I!
You have grown stronger through tough training! Tear muscles down, and rebuild them anew! Your physical power stats have increased! By gaining at least one rank of Faster, Harder, and Better, Skill Synergy will occurr and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.
Skill Gain: Prehensile Tail (--)!
Your tail has developed enough muscle and coordination that you can use it as if it were a fully functional limb--minus fingers and toes of course. Any stats, skills, items, spells, etc that could be used or applied by your limbs can, with a few exceptions, also be used by your tail.
Skill Rank Up: Faster I > Faster II!
Further increase your base speed stats and movement rate. By gaining at least one rank of Stronger, Harder, and Better, Skill Synergy will occurr and you will gain one rank of Physical Conditioning.
Asteria's training seemed to be paying off quite well, though her Earthen Dummy ended up falling apart after only a few blows. Once she had gained her new stat boosts and the added dexterity of her tail, she found it much easier to catch fish and soon had enough to not only fully satiate herself, but also her Mother. Whether she intended this or not was unclear, as Mother Rat simply waddled out of the cave as Asteria was throwing some of her catch onto the bank and immediately grabbed some of the fish for herself. Upon noticing Asteria's growth, Mother Rat squeaked several times, then mimicked her offspring by standing on her hind legs and looking around. When she dropped back to the earth she sniffed around Asteria suspiciously, as if she didn't believe this was the same rat she had slept next to last night. But, finally convinced, Mother Rat simply tilted her head as if to say "now what?"
Before Asteria could answer, however, a third Dire Rat was suddenly running towards the two of them--it was the one that had been curled up, asleep on a rock, as they came out of Jason's cave this morning. And as it charged at them, they soon saw that its eyes had begun to glow
with an odd light...As Ed took off, shame and embarassment practically setting the ends of his whiskers on fire, he focused on staying out of sight--not just from Asteria, but any prey that might be in the area. As he hunted, soon his enhanced senses picked up on the scent of something reptilian...and then, of course, he came upon tracks. A Fanged Lizard had been through here recently...Ed would find it rather quickly, as it was sitting on top of a flat rock under one of the small holes in the ceiling, sunning itself as the morning light began to grow warmer and brighter...
Kind of like that fireball way off in the distance...
Jason
WARNING! DUNGEON STRUCTURE IS BEING DAMAGED BY AN EXTERNAL SOURCE!
CHANGING DESIGNATION: SKELEBLIN_003...
NEW DESIGNATION REGISTERED: LEONIDAS
REGISTERING ORDERS:
GAWAIN, LEONIDAS, Y'TAHL
{SEARCH AREA H-10 AND SURROUNDING AREAS
-LANDMARK; LARGE, FLAT ROCK / 3 GOBLIN CORPSES
-SEARCH FOR; GAWAIN:CLUB, Y'TAHL:BADLY MADE STONE SPEAR, LEONIDAS:SPEAR
RETURN
-IF- EQUIPMENT NOT FOUND
RETURN}
ORDERS REGISTERED. EXECUTING...
Ignoring the notice, as Asteria was still in view by the pool, Jason barely caught the wandering skeletons in time, but his orders were successfully received this time around. The three began walking in an odd unison around the pool, heading towards the specified area. As they left, Jason attempted to open his own menu.
EXP: 52%
Skill Rank Up: Warcry I > Warcry II!
Range of Effect increased. Enemies will focus their attention on you immediately. Very Low Chance to Intimidate enemies.
EXP: 65%
His training paid off for at least one of the skills he was working towards, and as it happened during his perusal of his menu he was able to see the EXP meter tick over just before the "notification" went away. It looked like he was over halfway to his next level--and he had finally confirmed something he had no doubt wondered up until this point. Fighting monsters wasn't the only way to get experience in this "game."
But as he finished his short training session, he too would be able to see the arching flame from the distance...
WARNING! AN INTRUDER HAS ENTERED THE DUNGEON! AN INTRUDER HAS ATTACKED!
The Skele-Trio
Running full tilt, their bones a-clacking and teeth clattering the whole way, the Skeleblins soon reached the area they had been ordered to search and began looking around. Though they ended up having to dig around parts of Jason's makeshift grave in order to find them--causing the peaceful "aura" to disappear--they soon found the three weapons left over from the Brawny Goblin Team. Gawain took the Wooden Club in one hand, gripping it tightly and giving it a test swing...the skeleton tottered awkwardly with its weight, despite how it held the club as if it knew what it was doing. Y'Tahl took the former Bitchy Goblin's stone spear, and although it was the shorter of the two spears it was still much taller than the shortest of the three skeletons. It also didn't seem like Y'Tahl had ever used such a thing before, as its bony fingers couldn't seem to keep the long weapon in a balanced grip. Leonidas picked up the former Brawny Goblin's Wooden Spear, and though it didn't seem quite at home with the weapon either, it was far better off than Y'Tahl.
The Skeletons, too, saw the flaming light...and immediately their eyes flashed. Their order would be suspended for the moment, it seemed...
How ironic that Jason didn't find a way to include that "don't fight" clause.
Clacking and clattering, the three skeletons headed for the intruder...
