Ash, Digbie, Mourningstar, Oberon, Reoth, Torrent
YOU--
Nononononononsgkklp9gswy9jvsyJumping slightly from being startled Ash fumbled with the Agrep, turning around and looking back in the direction she had come in. That was back in the direction the others had come from...!
His ears were ringing and everything hurt; those were the first things that came to mind as Oberon came back to his senses.
Digbie quickly ran to the aid of the situation, trying to utilize {Soil Manipulation} around the area to extinguish the flames by overturning and covering dirt. Specifically, he saw that Torrent was really busy
dying, so he was constructing a safer path for Oberon to move across. Oberon could heal, and that was litERALLY THE ONE THING HE NEEDED TO DO RIGHT NOW
OH MY GOD TORRENT IS DYING!Oh christ what the hell happened. One second she was getting ready for a follow up assault on the beetle thing, the next she's face down on the ground while the whole world is on fire. Why is fire such a common thing in her new life, in her old one she never had to deal with random fires. Jesus christ, what is even happening right now.
Fire burning melting loss can't thought it's wrong all busy terror--HAVE--
Quickly stuffing the berry in her backpack, the Pygmy Drake made a dash back to where she had come from. Who was shouting? She didn't recognize the voice, but something about Torrent and dying? It didn't take her long to reach the clearing where they had been previously fighting the beetle.
He was still in the air, somehow, and he couldn’t have been dazed for more than a couple seconds at most but the world was suddenly on fire, both literally and figuratively as the flames spread further and wider and his body continued to feel like he was covered head to toe in sunburn.
Scared"OBERON HEAL TORRENT NOW--!"
DyingBut there is no time to be stunned and confused, people are yelling and someone is dying. At least, Mourningstar is pretty sure someone is dying. She can't really hear anything right now, other than a persistent ringing in her ears, but she can see that Torrent needs help badly. And so, despite the insane amount of fire everywhere around, Mourningstar rushes in to be the hero once again.
--NO--
Oh no. Nonono. What did those idiots do?!
Fire. So much fire, like someone lit a campfire in a drought. Was...Torrent burning? It was difficult to see everything clearly through the flames. The heat from it was enough to feel from even all the way here.
"--OR SHE'S GONNA KICK THE BUCKET!"
He heard someone shouting but couldn’t make out the words, though the urgency they carried was still clear even now.
He cast Minor Heal II on himself at it seemed to help; without the pain covering his whole body he was able to concentrate more at least and it seemed to lessen the ringing in his ears as well.
Fire is ignored as Mourningstar flies directly over it, keeping her breathing to a minimum and her eyes narrowed to minimize the effects of the rampant fire. Luckily Digbie was making a pretty good path for her, extinguishing as much of the flames as possible in a direct line to Torrent, which sped things up quite nicely.
Can't
Need more stop no plea--HP--
Urgh, this wasn't good. Flapping her wings, she lifted herself into the air with little grace.
The heat licked her claws, but she paid it no mind. For a moment, Ash attempted to hover there, bewildered, trying to piece together how it happened.
"Oberon! Get yourself together--!"
Broke missing lost mommy where kill you not fair not wright mesh fearHe heard shouting again, a different voice this time, and he finally caught on to the fact that Torrent was hurt. He looked around urgently, taking in the scene; Digbie and Ash were here, unhurt and helping to clear a path to Torrent, Mourningstar seemed fine as well as his Shield or some resistance kept her relatively safe, but the Lesserwurm wasn’t so lucky.
In his heightened state of awareness, brought forth by the anxiety due to the stress of the situation, Digbie began to follow in the footsteps of Jason as he began to chant... well... no that wasn't the right word. He began to repeatedly speak out the same sentence over and over as quick as he could.
"RECOVERTHEEARTH--"
When she arrived at Torrent's seemingly lifeless body, the first thing she noticed was baked potatoes. Strange detail to latch onto, especially when one is in front of a dying body. But something about those baked potatoes really spoke to her, they reminded her of a game she really hated back in her first life.
--REMAIN--
"--and try and heal Torrent!" The beetle? But it was dead. Something else? Didn't matter. Anger quickly punted any sort of sadness she was feeling out. Just how
badly did they have to fuck up to explode something?!
"--ANDSAVETHEWURM--"
The evolved lizard had been the closest to the blast and was still trapped within the inferno; the Sprite could just make out her body from where he hovered. Casting Shield III on himself Oberon began to fly towards her, the temperature rising as he approached the edges of the nearest flame and counting on his shield to keep him from bursting into flames.
You could just pause in the middle of combat and eat a bunch of random food junk you had on you, and it would heal you almost instantly. While she doubted it would do much in a real world setting, especially since you can't pause the real world, it was honestly the best idea she had.
Suffering no not don't stop please--ING. YOU--
Suppressing a growl, she did quick mental check. Oberon wasn't looking too good himself, but didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. Some goblin trying to put out the fire.
"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"
He kept a healthy distance from the fire as he flew above it until he was hovering above the lizard, lowering himself down as low as he could until the heat became unbearable, before casting first a Shield III on the Lesserwurm to prevent further damage--
This is so incredibly stupid. On one hand she really hopes this works, because that means she saved her friends life, on the other hand if this works than she will have lost so much respect for this world.
--ARE--
Darkness. Blissful darkness as her mind fled the horrors of her body. She was going to die."Mourningstar! See if you can find any healing herbs--" She shouted, trying to give them some sort of direction, hoping a voice might be good enough to spur them into action.
So with Lesser Force, she opened up Torrent's mouth and shoved a Baked Topapo in there, forcing her to chew and swallow with one invisible hand while she picked up the next Baked Topapo with the other.
"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"
--before casting Minor Heal II as many times as he could manage.
But Oberon had, since his meditation, cast Shield III on Mourningstar...Mana Dart I on the Beetle...Minor Heal II on himself...Shield III on himself as he rose above the flames...he had felt his MP dropping even as he extended his hand to try and cast Shield III on Torrent to keep her from taking further damage...
As the Sprite flew up above the flames, he was in the direct light of the sun. His body glimmered like a fairy-shaped diamond. Down below, Digbie's frantic mud-slinging had succeeded in dousing most of the flames on the ground--and oddly enough, in his kicking and running, he seemed to have traced a circle in the ground around Torrent unintentionally.
The circle started to glow.
Oberon felt a trickle of Mana added to what he had left as the sun beamed down.
--Recover--
She couldn't believe it. Even as she had thrashed in torment, her mind fleetingly grasping at understanding, it had seemed almost unreal. But she knew this darkness and what it brought far too well."Shield III!"
"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"
"--like in the cave, but if you can't return immediately!" They could worry about the remnants of the fire and explosion later, saving Torrent was their first priority.
"Minor Heal II!"
As Mourningstar attempted to force feed the Lesserwurm, who was on the verge of unconsciousness, Torrent's body instinctively tried to keep its airways clear by coughing. A mix of blood and warm vegetable pulp spattered the Corpselight's glowing body.
You have no MP Remaining.
--ing HP slowly--
YOU ARE BURN--
She was going to die. A final end, perhaps. The bastard Demon King hadn't even felt fit to answer her demands... She didn't expect him - it - to save her."You, Goblin! Clear a ground path to Torrent!" He seemed friendly, so perhaps he was another one like them? He seemed like he was trying to help.
"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"
Torrent's body was shrouded in green sparkles, the same which swirled around Oberon's outstretched hand...then the light died away.
The golden light filling Digbie's circle, however, began to emit secondary sparkles as well--once more the color of emeralds.
--. You were--
--ING SEVERELY--
She didn't want to be saved. She wanted to survive through her own means. All that anger had to be worth something! DAMNIT WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE?Oberon knew his tank had run dry. What else could he do? Even if he used a Mana Crystal--did he have one?--would he be in time? In a way he felt...too calm. He had never experienced death before. Never had to save a life before. And Torrent...Torrent was...or wasn't...
This fire, the others, the goblins, the cave, the danger, there was so much going on...
Digbie's Soil Manipulation had succeeded in smothering the flames, leaving only a few smoking embers, but still the goblin chanted. He had to make this place
safe--the
flames, the danger, had to go! He had to make it safe so Oberon could come here--because Oberon could do what he couldn't, Oberon could
heal, Torrent, his
friend was going to die--!
--healed by Minor--
--.
Your Severe Burn has partially healed. You are still Burning.
"--RECOVERTHEEARTHANDSAVETHEWURM--"
The Shield III around Torrent's body shattered. The glowing circle grew brighter, and the blackened grass began to shiver as its base began to poke up a little higher, revealing new and green growths...
You are recovering HP slowly. Your HP is now full.
Her body fell still.
Once again, that white room. Four non-existent walls, a non-existent floor, and non-existent ceiling. White, void, empty. No shadows, no feeling, no sound...
No, there was feeling. Something heavy on her chest and in her hand--claw? Something she was gripping onto so tightly, because she was just so angry! A chain of iron, but coated in rust, the links cracking and stretching...It felt like before...didn't it? What was before? Blue eyes. Forcing herself back...back...into her body? Her body! Burning!
"I didn't make you weak."
A looming shadow. He--it--wasn't going to save her. He just watched--but just this once. Just this once he spoke.
"I picked you because you can become strong." She would remember that.
She had just enough strength for one more pull, even if it was so weak...one fragile, trembling claw holding on...You have no MP remaining.
Your Stamina is Low.
"She's dying. She's dying and I can't help..." Digbie's heart sank. He felt powerless to do anything. He wanted to turn away from the sight of what was happening, but he couldn't bare to take his eyes off of what was going on. It was terrifying to watch, yet despite the sickness swelling up from within, Digbie kept trying to extinguish the flames around Torrent, determined to get her a way out of the hell she was experiencing or someone else a way in to heal her. He had seen Oberon managed to do
something, so maybe...gently, he tried to gather the loose soil in his bare hands and smother the flames on Torrent's body...
Heal II. You are recovering HP slowly.
WARNING! YOUR HP IS LOW!
Your Burn was doused.
HP Recovery has ceased. Your HP is still Very Low.
She felt, all over, her shriveled and blackened skin. She smelled her own blood, copper and rust. Her own flesh, somehow sickly sweet like pork. Her scales were cracking, popping, peeling like scabs from the heat. But the roar of the flames was gone. She didn't have enough voice left to scream, no matter how desperate the pain. Her throat was raw and it felt like there was something sticking in her windpipe. She tasted the blood too, warm and iron. Her tears had dried; her eyes were crusted shut with blood. Even though her throat was seared, it was the only way she could breathe, as blood had also caked her nose shut. She couldn't hear her own wheezing, for the same had blocked the earholes on either side of her reptilian head. Her skin was splitting apart.
But her spirit remained.
Torrent was alive. For now.
Ardur, Asteria, Asura, Danny, Ed, Jason, Mother Rat, Skelebois
“Two lives of trying to keep people alive, a lifetime spent helping others and you falter to something like this… this evil and unnatural thing?” Ardur practically screamed, rage spilling from him like froth from the mouth as the three Skeleblins approached with murder in their eyesockets.
"You might wanna take flight, kid." Asura tried to channel the same strength that he used to activate the Smash skill into his tendril as he hurled the stone. The elasticity of his limb, his slightly increased strength, and the use of the melee skill caused the stone to flash red for just an instant before it took flight. The light immediately drew the attention of the three skeletons as they registered what had to be an attack.
Leonidas, as the tallest and broadest of the three, had been leading the charge due to its longer stride even though the three were roughly the same speed. But with a sudden burst--a lunge, as opposed to a sustained run--Gawain jumped in front and swung its Wooden Club. The stone struck the weapon and was batted away, but there was a noticeable cracking and splintering of the weapon and the joints of Gawain's arm made several popping noises.
"Assist the pixie there, Ardur, if the goblins get nasty." Asura said to Mother Slime. "Don't eat him and don't attack unless they do first." The Amorphous Slime surged forward to meet the skeletons in closer combat--
“Come, let me show you the Sun's mercy, Let me cleanse you of your sins so you may rest eternally--” without skipping a beat Ardur cast Shield I on himself and focused it into his hands. Similar to before when he had punched a stone, the golden orbs tightened and became smaller and denser around his fists...
"ALL NEARBY UNITS, MOBILIZE AND HEAD TO THE DUNGEON ENTRANCE!!!" That had to be Jason's voice booming out, echoing within the cave. The three Skeleblins' eyes flashed. They were already at the entrance and mobilized to attack the intruders--having "approval" from the Boss only increased their tenacity.
Leonidas hefted his Wooden Spear like a javelin--
Within five feet of the skele-blins Asura lashed out. Stretching his 'limbs' as far as he could to sweep as hard as he could across the three skeletons. While that went on another pseudopod went straight, acting like a ball on a gooey rope to nail the middle skeleton with a blunt strike. Again Gawain moved into the path of the sweep, stopping Asura's tendril at the cost of another chunk of splinters flying from its weapon. As the pseudopod naturally began to retract, the Skeleblin followed it in and raised its club as its teeth clattered.
“Fire cleanses and inferno purifies.” Ardur began to chant again but this time like the shield spell, he tried to focus on keeping the fireballs just on the outside of the shield. The Fireball formed around his fists with the shield glowing at its center--but rather than the Shield absorbing the damage from the flames, it was the
fire that fed on the shield like charcoal. Yet once the shield was completely burned away, Ardur somehow didn't feel that the fire was going to burn him next. Again, red veins began to spread up both of his arms...
Jason cast [Stone Shot II], using himself; his whole self, as the projectile. Not to soar through the air, but to use that same magical force that propelled his first magical attack to drive himself faster. He focused all of his mental capacity into feeling himself become one with his stone magic for the purpose of increasing his speed, chanting inside his own head...it
felt like he might be going faster, but he couldn't be certain, and either way the battle was already starting...He just needed to get close enough to use his Warcry and maybe--
You used Monster Analysis II! Magic Analysis I boosts the effectiveness of this skill!
This is a Monster, with almost no magical energies. This is a new monster to you!
---Asura---
Amorphous Slime - Slimes that have a preference for shape shifting sometimes develop a weakened membrane. Their defensive abilities stop increasing so quickly compared to normal slime types, but their shapeshifting and movement skills rise more quickly. These slimes avoid water, as it has a much stronger diluting effect on them. They are also vulnerable to temperatures of either extreme, as their primarily liquid bodies can freeze or boil. They have an easier time healing after attacks, as their body tends to just flow back together. You know this Amorphous Slime as Asura, a fellow Reincarnator. Asura's only magically oriented skill is a Magic Resistance to attacks, and his MP is about half of yours at full value. However, there are a small number of magical skills he is developing.
---Analysis Complete!---
Asura's straight-tendril struck Leonidas in the sternum as the skeleton was about to throw its spear, knocking the creature back a step and cracking the bone. But it was still "alive," and it clattered angrily as it hefted the weapon again. Meanwhile, Y'tahl's gaze was suddenly drawn to Ardur for some reason, and for a moment the skeleblin simply stood there stock still--then, angrily chattering, it raised its own stone spear and charged the Pixie...
Danny and Ed were still some distance away from the others--they could see Jason and Asteria from the rear, and not too far ahead of the Wisp and male Dire Rat, Mother Rat was running full tilt as well. Would they make it in time to be of any help?
“My soul is fire, my heart is of the sun, Burn and envelope the evil within these lost souls!” With that he leaped forward and flew towards the closest skeleton as fast as he could intent on punching the creature with his fists of fire!
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression.
Y'Tahl stopped its run and started to position its spear for a thrust--but for some reason the skeleblin seemed awkward with the weapon's weight, and by the time it got the point into position--
Ardur had exercised his entire body and made use of his Healing skills as a Pixie to "cheat" his species' natural limitations, and thus acquired Physical Conditioning to raise all of his base physical stats. Focused training after that had granted him Stronger, increasing solely his muscle's ability to generate power. His Lesser Flight skill had improved over time, granting him more speed, and driving in from the air like this his momentum had the added weight of gravity. His Shield spell protected his fists from the stress his own body was about to put on them--and they were on fire to boot.
Though he wasn't able to arrive fast enough to stop the engagement from starting, Jason made it on scene just in time to see Asura lash out at his soldiers. He activated [Warcry II]--
Y'TAHL KILLED BY INTRUDER_PIXIE!
Ardur's flaming fist, like some kind of mage who could harness the power of dragon's fire, shattered Ytahl's skull and carried on downwards with the pixie's dropping momentum, also shattering the clavicle and destroying a shoulder socket. The Skeleblin's arm spun off into the distance, clattering on the rocks where it continue to twitch unnaturally. The Badly Made Stone Spear clattered to the floor as well...
But at that same moment, Asteria suddenly barreled into Ardur!
“Listen to me! I know this is weird, alright, but they’re allies for now. So, could you just back down and ignore them?” Her tail wrapped around Ardur and squeezed, and suddenly he felt his strength draining away! He had already used quite a bit of Mana, adding the various chants to his Fireball and now to this odd combo spell, and as the Rat drained him he felt the last bit of it ebb away, followed by the usual System Notice.
"ASURA, DON'T ATTACK THEM, THEY WORK FOR ME!"
Asura suddenly felt as if he HAD to look--it was like that feeling when something, a bug perhaps, lands on your shoulder and you IMMEDIATELY have to turn your head and swat it away. Like the moment something truly startles you and you JUMP without fully intending to. All of his focus--and his aggression that had previously been focused on the skeletons--suddenly shifted towards Jason. The same was true for Momma Slime, who had already started rolling towards Asteria after what Asura told her about protecting the Pixie--now she was rumbling towards Jason like a giant blue boulder!
With Asura distracted, Gawain swung the Wooden Club and Leonidas stepped forward to thrust with the Wooden Spear. The club hit hard enough to jiggle his body mass, and the spear sank a few inches into his membrane with a wet fart sound, but as both weapons were withdrawn Asura didn't feel all that injured. Still, the two Skeleblins clattered angrily and continued to attack, Gawain swinging the club like a bat in both hands and Leonidas taking a half step back in order to drive as much weight into the next thrust as possible...
Orchid and Goblins
"Dammit you pixie, you just really want to be a thorn in my side don't you?"
"OI! Dat muskle Pixie stole me spell!" Crispy snarled. He looked like he was about to cast his own Fireball, when suddenly the explosion from behind them sent a wave of smoke over the group.
"Follow me and get ready for a fight." came Orchid's voice. Crispy wasn't going to listen to her--he was the Boss after all--but he couldn't see anything. So he had to follow the voice in order to keep the tribe from getting split up. Yeah, that was it! The other goblins, save Clod who had hung back, did the same. Orchid needed to get her goblins out of here before things get any crazier. "Oi! Bigz, Jezee, get over here!" Orchid didn't have any healing herbs for the wounded, so she couldn't help them. She just needed her goblins out of this mess, and then she'll figure out what could be done to assist. For starters, Orchid tried to stamp out some of the grass fire with her shield, making sure to strike hard and fast to snuff out the embers and prevent her shield from catching flame.
She didn't have to do much, as by the time the goblins all grouped together again Digbie had pretty much handled the flames. It looked like that one monster was still alive after all...
"Oi, how Digbie doin' magic now!?" called out Wej as Bigs and Jezee came jogging up. The female was practically shivering from fear and Bigs' eyes were wide as dinner plates.
"Digbie, ya gots to get ways from dere! Come wiv us!" shouted Bigs.
"All dese udda mobs crazy! Dey made dat big beetle go BOOM!" cried Jezee.
"LOOK! DAT ONE ALMOST DEAD!" Crispy practically danced in glee as he pointed at Torrent. One of Crispy's minions pulled their Stone Knife from their vine belt...
