Rat Party
Obtained Loot!
Flint and Striker x1
Greatclub x1
Hand Hatchet x1
Clay Jar x1
Tanned Leather x1
??? Eye x1
??? Horn x1
The rats chose to take everything with them, but at least they made the choice quickly. With all this weight they couldn't move very fast at all, and were slowed even further by the need for Stealth. However, it seemed they might make it yet...
Until Asteria paused for a moment.
You used Monster Analysis II!
---Elder Human Female, Magic User(?)---
Humans are not technically considered Monsters. They are of the Enlightened Races, highly evolved creatures considered truly sentient, though this may depend on definition. Nonetheless they are an advanced race with a fully functioning civilization, a varied history, and distinct cultures. This one is an elder, and appears to be performing some activity of magical or religious significance...WARNING! VERY DANGEROUS!
The pudgy woman had completed her walk around the packed-earth circle, and stopped her chanting. She stooped down at one of the little shrines, and there must have been a striker or flint or something because she soon rose with a burning wick made from oiled rope. Using this, she light a small opening at the top of the shrine. As smoke slowly curled into the air, she began to repeat her circling, with new lines of chanting...
"Hey, what was that?"
Time to go. The Rats, with their bounty in tow, Muffled their way into the long grass...
"What was what?"
"Thought I saw something moving over near that shed."
"Moving as in, something we actually need to worry about, or a loose Cluckel? Don't freak out just cause you've been up all night."
"Well I don't know then! Go check it out."
"You saw it, you check it out."
By the time the human guard approached the shed, the rats were a good distance away. He entered, and of course not being the one who owned the shed or put the items there, he didn't have any idea of what might be missing or out of place. So he turned and began to leave...but then?
The rats didn't have the time nor the inclination to turn back and look...or did they? Would they just continue on and hope they hadn't been spotted, or turn back and risk discovery to satisfy their curiosity? By this point they were far enough away that their Beast Senses weren't picking up any more voices, or footsteps...
They did, however, pick up the sound of something up ahead crashing through the grass, around their camp. And a shrill squeak.
Ghost Party
You used Monster Analysis II!
---Flak Beetle---
An aggressive insectoid that emerges after a Lamp Worm molts, known for the glowing sac hidden under its shell. The shell hides a gland in the bug's thorax that, similar to a firefly, contains a substance that produces light but is also highly flammable when exposed to open air. Unlike the firefly, the Flak Beetle can use this substance as a weapon, firing it with explosive force from either end of its body. The amount of fluid used, and the amount of pressure it is under, affects the strength of the blast. It also has strong jaws, capable of cutting through leather given enough time. Despite its tendency to viciously attack almost anything, it only eats plants.
---Analysis Complete!---
Skill Gain: Mana Vision I (1.0)!
Concentrate MP in your eyes to see the fluctuations of Mana. The level of detail and other qualities of your Mana Vision depend not only on the Rank of this Skill, but also on your physical sense of sight. Depending on the strength of your concentration, having a lesser sense of vision may also consume Stamina when using this Skill. At your current Rank, you can only see strange fluctations of magic energies and shapes that are not easily understood...
Skill Gain: Point Strike I (1.0)!
With a discerning eye, take aim at an oppenent's weak point and concentrate your own power into a single point of attack. Slightly increase the power of any attack, and gain an increased chance for a Critical Hit. Using this Skill in conjunction with other attack Skills, however, may cause it to lose effectiveness.
Skill Gain: Muffle I (1.0)!
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.
You are attempting to Craft without the requisite Skill.
Your crafted items are heavily degraded.
Processing Items: Sharp Stone + Hard Stone
Sharp Stone's cutting capacity has increased, but its durability has heavily decreased!
Hard Stone was destroyed in the processing!
Skill Rank Up: Spiritual Awareness I (1.75) > II (2.05)!
Your awareness of the duality of this world grows. -You are Undead, which changes the nature of this Skill. Under these conditions, at this Rank you can expend MP to detect the influence of other Spirits-.
Skill Gain: Mana Sense I (1.0) > (1.25)!
You have sharpened your mental and spiritual senses! By focusing upon a single creature or object, you will be able to sense its magical nature in some fashion. Different creatures may perceive this in different ways--some may see a colored aura, others may catch unique scents, etc. This is not an Analysis skill, though it may synergize with some of them. The range of this skill is limited to that of your other physical senses, though in some cases a mana signature may become easier or more difficult to detect depending on factors such as strength, amount, etc. By touching an object or creature, even if they are somehow suppressing their magical power, you have a chance to learn whether or not magic is present. At this rank you must activate this skill in order for it to take effect. While active it will consume MP.
Skill Gain: Shield I (1.0) > 1.05)!
The most basic of defensive support spells. An aura effect reduces incoming damage, but no physical barrier or counteractive forces are generated. Only natural resistances to damage are reinforced. Can be cast on objects.
You used Shield I on yourself! Defenses increased!
You used Mana Sense I!
---??? Tree---
You feel a growing, natural Mana and a rigid, woody Mana, and it is fairly strong at least compared to your own MP.
---Atmosphere---
You feel a constant fluctuation of an amalgamation of Mana. It is vast, but you cannot reach even a portion of a portion of it--what you feel is less than a particle within the universe.
---Sunlight---
You feel a faint, wispy, light Mana. It burns you, it rejects your being.
---Shadows---
You feel an empty, void Mana, but it really isn't Mana. Yet as a vacuum is a lack of matter and still creates forces within spatial existence, this Mana applies the "force of lacking."
---Earth---
You feel a solid, heavy, earthen Mana. It tends to remain, not move, to collect and to withstand. It is vast, but you cannot delve into its depths. What you feel is less than a pebble upon a mountain.
You used Mana Drain I!
You attempted to use Monster Analysis. Attempt Failed. Monster Analysis is currently Locked.
Danny had to search for a bit, but was able to dig up a Sharp Stone and Hard Stone in their surroundings after several minutes. Unfortunately, between a lack of coordination and strength, his attempts to hone the edge of the Sharp Stone were less fruitful. The Hard Stone cracked, crumbled, and finally broke apart into little more than dust and gravel bits, and while a few flakes broke away from the Sharp Stone, it also didn't have much of a handhold left either. Plus, the blade was actually so razor-thin as to be more fragile than glass. This wasn't obsidian either, so it wasn't like he had a self-sharpening scapel...just a very sharp, very brittle, chunk of rock that likely wouldn't last too long.
Using Lesser Force II, the Poltergeist had a little more luck than just using his bare hands. Still, he couldn't quite get the force necessary to cut into the Flak Beetle's shell. He was able to cut out its exposed underbelly, opening it up so that the rest of it could be scooped out, but if he wanted to break apart the actual shell or break off the bug's mandibles, he would need to figure out another method.
Jason's experiments with his new abilities were enlightening in some respects, as he learned more about the Mana around him. When he cast Shield, the pain indeed seemed to go away...but he was still no more visible to Danny than before as of yet, and he could feel that the Shield spell was being whittled away at a slow, yet constant rate. Casting it had also cost him more MP of course...as did every usage of his Mana Sense. Combined with the new shield, that was six spells he had cast in rapid succession. The system notified him that his Mana Overflow had ceased, and his Mana Density was back to a "normal" level, whatever that meant...and he could feel that he had spent a large chunk of his energy, though not quite enough for the System to get him a Low MP warning. Staying still and using Mana Drain...wasn't as effective as he had hoped it would be either. Using Mana Drain seemed to be like trying to draw Mana into himself via a straw. On a closed container of sorts, like another Monster whose body contained its magical energy, it was quite useful. On the ambient energy all around him, however, it was like trying to use that same straw to draw water out of a cloud. There was a difference between Mana Drain and Meditate, then, and they couldn't be used at the same time...but, if he Meditated again, would he lose sight of Danny like before?
As Danny went about harvesting the Flak Beetle, however, something rustled in the bushes. Undaunted by the presence of the Poltergeist, a large creature suddenly bounded out of the underbrush and croaked. A frog. However, no bull toad on Earth could ever reach this size--the creature's dull blue and gray speckled coloration gave it the appearance of a stone, and it was big enough to pass for one too. It was probably the size of a medium dog, but much, much fatter and stockier. Its enormous legs still seemed to possess enough power for it to hop. Another odd feature was that it had a tail--a stubby one, but a tail nonetheless.
The frog looked at Danny, and blinked one eye at a time with three different eyelids. It then tilted its head to look at the beetle, and repeated the blinks but in the opposite order. Its throat sac bulged, and became a dark purple color.
