Xiao Mei
@JobstAs Xiao charged forward, it was the lizard’s turn to be ambushed. It had been focused on Mother and didn’t realize the other two rats were even there until Xiao’s flurry of claws and gnashing teeth came flying at it. Mother’s bite had taken a chunk out of its snout, and now Xiao Mei drew blood from one of its beady black eyes as the reptile scuttled back in the enclosed space, hissing and thrashing. With the dark purple fluid hindering its breathing and its sight, the lizard couldn’t see or react in time when Xiao Mei’s sister suddenly circled around and sprang on it from behind. The other rat’s jaws came down on the back of its throat, right under the scales of its head. Again the lizard hissed and began to shake from side to side, but Asteria only held on all the tighter, as much choking the other monster down as much as bleeding it.
In a matter of moments that seemed to last an eternity, the lizard succumbed to the three rats’ fangs and fell, its tail twitching. It turned its own snout, with a strangled, shrill cry, towards the clutch of eggs. It strained with all it had left, touching just one of the leathery shells with its blood soaked face and leaving a purple stain.
Then it died.
Asteria
@SilverPawAs Asteria’s sister charged forward, it was the lizard’s turn to be ambushed. It had been focused on Mother and didn’t realize the other two rats were even there until the flurry of claws and gnashing teeth came flying at it. Mother’s bite had taken a chunk out of its snout, and now Xiao Mei drew blood from one of its beady black eyes as the reptile scuttled back in the enclosed space, hissing and thrashing. With the dark purple fluid hindering its breathing and its sight, the lizard couldn’t see or react in time when Asteria suddenly circled around and sprang on it from behind. The other rat’s jaws came down on the back of its throat, right under the scales of its head. Again the lizard hissed and began to shake from side to side, but Asteria only held on all the tighter, as much choking the other monster down as much as bleeding it.
In a matter of moments that seemed to last an eternity, the lizard succumbed to the three rats’ fangs and fell, its tail twitching. It turned its own snout, with a strangled, shrill cry, towards the clutch of eggs. It strained with all it had left, touching just one of the leathery shells with its blood soaked face and leaving a purple stain.
Then it died.
Orchid
@Lucius CypherWhen Orchid and Ash had made their plan, they acted with a combination of natural hunger and intent to kill. As Ash fired three smaller, quicker shots of poison, only one hit the mark--but oddly, though it didn’t seem to burn the rat as badly as usual, the creature almost immediately began to look more sickly, its features twisting in pain and drool beginning to drip from its mouth as it heaved. Its movements slowed, and then Orchid took aim and let fly.
The poisoned beast was hit head on by the blunt side of the rock, causing a splatter of blood to paint the rocks. It convulsed and kicked on the ground from a mixture of pain and the venom coursing through its body, and the goblin girl closed in to skewer it through the belly with her stick. It screeched, vomiting blood with one last convulsion, and then was still.
Now came the part where Orchid would probably wonder if she could eat something that had just been dosed full of poison.
Danny
@DuthguyIt seemed, for now, that Danny was safe. As the cave grew darker with the coming of night, many monsters seemed to be heading for nests and hideaways to sleep in some form of safety. As he had already shown he could eat the Healing Herbs, he might not need to hunt. He could remember seeing more of these green things near that large pool of water elsewhere in the cave; if other monsters were gone now then he could probably safely gather a few of them. However, had he noticed that they were dwindling compared to the last week?
Figuring out his magic, figuring out how to fight, learning how to use items, how to speak, seeing the system messages...it seemed there was a lot to do in this new world. But ultimately it would be up to Danny to decide what he wanted to do...
Ardur
@ReusableSword“Huh?” Rattleskull turned this way and that, looking for the source of the voice. It didn’t seem he had seen Ardur yet...but he didn’t seem entirely unaware of his surroundings either. “Who dat? Come out wheres I can see yous!” Pulling the stone celt from his belt of vines, the hairy creature gave it a flourish. “My name’s Rattleskull! I’m da biggest and da strongest around here! Ya better not be tryin’ to be funny with me if’n ya know what’s good for yous!”
As it continued to darken in the cave, the light of the bonfire began to grow brighter. It sounded like Crispy was yelling at other goblins to throw the wood they had collected earlier into it…
Rain
@Old AmsterdamRain’s sneak attack was a success, but perhaps more importantly, so was her method. The Fanged Lizards in the rest of the cave didn’t usually hang on to prey--they would bite to inflict the first dose, then move away to see if it took effect. Less chance for them to be struck by wild flailing of whatever they attacked, less chance for the strategy to backfire if the poison was resisted. But not only did Rain take those risks to pump more venom into her adversary, she also shook her head violently back and forth. Dogs in her old world had done this for a reason, even with their toys.
The rat’s neck gave way with a snap.
By the time she let go, the creature would have been suffocated even if its bones hadn’t broken or the venom hadn’t paralyzed it. But as it was its limbs had been frozen, its vertebrae snapped, and ultimately its heart stopped.
But though she ate well, Rain did not intend to cut her hunt short here. Now she was on the hunt for Goblins…
But it didn’t seem she would have much luck finding any of them that were by themselves right now. With night falling and the cave growing darker every moment, most creatures were heading for shelter. The goblins were marching in groups of anywhere from two to four back towards Crispy’s bonfire, which seemed to be growing bigger and brighter.
Ash
@Rune_AlchemistWhen Orchid and Ash had made their plan, they acted with a combination of natural hunger and intent to kill. As Ash fired three smaller, quicker shots of poison, only one hit the mark--but oddly, though it didn’t seem to burn the rat as badly as usual, the creature almost immediately began to look more sickly, its features twisting in pain and drool beginning to drip from its mouth as it heaved. Its movements slowed, and then Orchid took aim and let fly.
The poisoned beast was hit head on by the blunt side of the rock, causing a splatter of blood to paint the rocks. It convulsed and kicked on the ground from a mixture of pain and the venom coursing through its body, and the goblin girl closed in to skewer it through the belly with her stick. It screeched, vomiting blood with one last convulsion, and then was still.
Ash’s strategy had paid off extremely well, though whether because of luck or because her attempt with changing the properties of her Poison Spit had some kind of unknown side effect was up for debate. But the question was, would her ally be able to share a meal if it was full of poison? Was there some way to clean the corpse?
Also:
LEVEL UP!
Your experiences have culminated into new power. You have earned Skill Points to be distributed as you please.
Unspent Skill Points:
5
Current Skills:
Stun Fang (1.0)
Poison Spit (1.5)
Overwork I (1.0)
Alchemy I (1.6)
Charisma I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE> Muffle (0.5) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Crafting (0.3) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Alert (0.3) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Venom Shot (0.3) <UNUSABLE>
Asura
@KazemitsuAs the rat’s fangs tore a piece out of Asura’s body, he felt more pain than usual--not as much as Jason’s Stone Shot, but more significant than other attacks he had taken. Did he remember what the Demon King’s information had said about the Dire Rats having much stronger jaws and sharper fangs, and that the beast type monsters usually specialized in raw physical attributes?
He clapped the rat on either side of its head, forcing the creature off of him. It lunged again shortly afterward and he met it with a slam of his own. They exchanged attacks, but it seemed Asura came off the worst for it as far as damage. Would his HP hold out?
In the next exchange, the Dire Rat proved it was just the slightest bit faster than him as well--when he lunged to counter it, it changed direction rapidly and attacked from another angle. Then a fourth exchange, and although Asura caught it this time, he received an answer to his question.
WARNING! Your HP is low!
The rat steeled itself once more, but it looked like it had taken one blow too many as well. A bit dazed from constantly being slammed headfirst, the rat was slower to start this time, but its fangs dripped with saliva as they threatened to tear Asura’s new life away--would this exchange kill it? Even if it did, would the rat still kill him? Kill or be killed! This was it!
If Asura had a buttocks, he might have clenched it. Deep in his heart he screamed!
You have learned a new Skill!
Smash I: A Physical Skill that consumes Stamina instead of MP. One blunt type attack deals increased damage!
A sudden red crackle of energy passed over Asura’s body like electricity dispersing over water. His body slammed into the Dire Rat, completely shattering those sharp teeth before crushing the skull behind them. The rodent was thrown to the earth hard enough to bounce--and then lay still.
LEVEL UP!
Your experiences have culminated into new power. You have earned Skill Points to be distributed as you please.
Unspent Skill Points:
5
Current Skills:
Physical Damage Resistance I (1.66)
Overwork I (1.0)
Blunt Resistance I (1.05)
Limited Shapeshift I (1.05)
Smash I (1.0)
<UNUSABLE> Pierce Resist (1.0, Regeneration Required) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Earth Resist (0.6) <UNUSABLE>
<UNUSABLE> Magic Resist (0.8) <UNUSABLE>
Jason
@Guy0fV4lorSkill Gain: Rock Spire I
A basic Earth-aligned spell. It deals more damage than most level one spells for the same MP cost, but requires that solid earth be within the user’s range of sight or perception. An earthen spike is created beneath the targeted area, object, or creature. Does Piercing and Earth Magic damage.
Jason had quite the productive day. He had gathered materials, made friends, defeated enemies, grown in power and skill, and even built himself a temporary shelter. After sucking so much Goblin blood his green body had become more of a purple color, but as he digested it that would soon return to normal. With night falling across the cave most other creatures seemed to be following his example and seeking shelter, so he was probably safe for the most part from any other hunting creatures.
However, as a certain Wisp hovered outside his mini-cave, the light the creature produced made it a little hard to sleep. And it was making noise…
"B.. bananah, ring, dinnur."
Edward
@SearatAs Edward struggled with his returning memories, the headache soon subsided but now he was left with all of this baggage to sort through. At least, for the moment, that moment of vulnerability hadn’t gotten him in any trouble. If he had collapsed like that when there were monsters out hunting, it could have been bad. As it was now, though, most monsters had begun to retire for the night. But this was the moment he had waited for, to explore and to search! Where would he go first? Those odd blue crystals on the walls had been mostly used up over the past little while it seemed, but there were still a few rare clusters here and there. The pool of water, and all the green plants around it (though it looked like these too had been heavily picked through) seemed pretty much deserted at this time. The distant light that was presumably the cave’s entrance, however, had disappeared almost completely. The only thing left was the goblins’ bonfire, but even before his memories had come back it was very clear that place was dangerous.
What he did was up to him...there was still a whole cave to explore, after all…
Lorek
@BishopLorek’s first few days were spent experimenting in every way he could think of, and although many of them were abject failures, a few at least showed him the limits of his capabilities. His Lesser Force was very weak, not suitable for attacking outright, and his Mana Orb was a simple attack that moved in a straight line. He could only use it twice, however, before he ran out of MP and had to use one of the crystals.
But that too became a problem. Over the week, Lorek had used so many crystals he was starting to notice that there were almost none near where he made his home anymore. And unfortunately for him, by the time he realized that he would need to find a new area with more resources, the goblin miners and other creatures seemed to have been using the Mana Crystals to absolute exhaustion. Only a few rare clusters existed now, standing out all the more starkly in the pitch black cave now that night had fallen.
And thanks to his experiments for the day, Lorek was once again out of MP. He had been neglecting to get food for himself too, so he was practically starving and felt too weak to even levitate higher than his default height. The pool seemed relatively uninhabited at this time so he could probably get some of those green plants to eat...but those too were starting to look pretty thin…
Oberon
@King CosmosJacob couldn’t be sure his attempts to specifically target his migraine with Minor Heal were working, but after three attempts he ran out of MP and had to use a crystal to restore it. Before he ran out again, however, his head had stopped hurting and he couldn’t hear that odd screeching sound anymore. Whether this was because he actually had healed the migraine, or it had just worn off on its own, wasn’t quite clear.
But now, where were his friends? What had they been doing? And when had the cave grown so dark? Not to mention, the crystals he kind of depended on seemed to have been heavily depleted...only a few rare clusters stood out now, and only because their pulses were easily noticeable even from across the cave due to how pitch black the night had become.
