Deep Forest
You are using Crafting I!
Your method of using the skill Lesser Force is somewhat imprecise, crafting quality may decrease.
Your crafting method is sophisticated compared to your raw materials, crafting quality may increase.
Grass Stalks + Refinement (Weave) = ...
Obtained Item: Tiny Grass Pouch!
This item may only hold up to 5 Tiny items, or equivalent items of other sizes. Its quality is uncertain, as you lack the ability to analyze its materials.
While explaining Mana Control to Nira, Femus felt that his own understanding became a little more clear...what was it that computer programmers called it? Rubber Duck Therapy? Nonetheless, he succeeded in making a small pouch to hold the Yill seeds. Each seed was indeed tiny, perhaps even miniscule, so despite the limitation the system had placed on the pouch's capacity (which was obvious if one just looked at it, really) it seemed that the five seeds had not entirely filled it up. He might come across some more materials at some point he wanted to gather, so that would be helpful.
Thanks to Femus's advice, Nira had a better idea about how to manipulate her own magic. In so doing, she came to be a little more familiar with her own energy, and how to make her spells. But while she and Femus spoke of making bait for scavengers, a familiar squeal reached their ears...
Heading down towards the herb patch where the two were seated was a familiar Pixie. And now it seemed to have a couple of friends in tow. All of them put on a burst of excited speed, their gossamer wings buzzing with enthusiasm.
Skill Gain: Magic Analysis I (0.95 > 1.025)!
You may now analyze Magical energies or objects to learn their most basic magic characteristics. Less effective on Materials and Monsters unless they are magical in nature.
Rat Party
You used Monster Analysis II!
---Savage Male Adult Troll---
Trolls are a third-tier monster related to goblinoids, often transforming from especially nasty Gremlins or Bugbears. They lurk in caves, rarely approaching the surface and avoiding light at all costs. While their strength and speed makes them a highly dangerous combatant and they are sometimes dextrous enough to use tools and weapons, their foul temperment and lack of intelligence makes them vulnerable to the strategies of experienced adventurers. Some seem to exhibit an increased natural healing factor. --This Monster has the Savage Variance.--
---Adult Male Human Rogue---
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 a mature adult and seems to be adept in some form of combat, and also moves fluidly without much noise. Their weaponry is plain but clearly effective.
---Hobgoblin Scout---
These advanced goblins develop darker skin colors, their former green bodies turning a shade of the forest or changing tint slightly to blues or browns. They are a foot taller than goblins on average, and while their proportions are similar their extra mass shifts towards a more wiry, muscular form. With greater intelligence but about the same level of maturity, if Goblins can be compared to vicious children then Hobgoblins could be mean-spirited teenagers. Their faces become slightly less ugly, and they grow more hair much like various humanoids. They often lead tribes of goblins, or if working together, display much better tactics and a slightly more developed culture. With the right materials they might even be able to build a functioning tribal society--though they share their lesser brethren's hate for anything non-goblin. --This hobgoblin has specialized skills for Scouting--.
When Ed returned, Asteria outlined what she had seen so far. While the other rat creeped towards the Troll in the cage, the Ratman set about trying to spread the Myrminor's distress pheromones around the camp. The smell and feel of the Myrminor's viscera were intense, especially to Ed's enhanced senses, and none too pleasant. As he circled the camp, the conversation around the fire lulled for a few moments...
"D'youse smell dat?" One of the Bugbears looked up. He blinked as he peered out into the darkness--being close to the fire meant his eyes weren't well adjusted. "Thought I got a...whiff o' sumtin'..."
"Like what? Animal dung?" the Hobgoblin leaned back on his seat, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths through his nostrils. "...Hmm, yeah, I think..."
But just then, Asteria made contact with the Troll after tunneling under the fence line. Through her telepathy, she tried to project calm feelings and extend a mental paw of friendship.
The creature's response was to jerk back against its cage bars as if it had been struck, snarling and wailing. Its blindfolded, gore crusted face swung back and forth, and it smacked at the place where Asura had touched its arm as if trying to swat a mosquito.
"Oi! What's got into 'im!?" the other Bugbear stood up, now on full alert. Weird smells, and now something had bothered the troll? "You sharrap ova dere!"
"Youse already up, go look 'round!" said the hobgoblin, planting a foot on the bugbear's lower back. The bigger creature snarled at him, but scratched the back of his head with his club and began wandering over towards the cage. Up on that balcony, the hooded hobgoblin leaned over the railing to peer in the direction of the cage and the campfire...and slowly began to sweep his head back and forth.
Ed and Mother Rat had completed their circle, but what could they do to hide in plain sight out here on the perimeter? And how would Asteria make it back? And...how long would they have to wait for this plan with the Myrminors to work?
Skill Rank Up: Telepathy I > Telepathy II (1.95 > 2.0)!
MP consumption slightly increased. More complex thoughts and stronger emotions can be sent. One-way messages can be sent to a creature you have made contact with before as long as they are within 5 feet. When making physical contact with a creature, if they are willing they can send you a single return message.
Skill Gain: Soil Manipulation I (0.9 > 1.0)!
An Earth Elemental Magic Spell. At this Rank, you may move up to 5 pounds of loose soil (sand, dirt, and powdered minerals, but not gravel, pebbles, or anything made of larger fragments) freely within a 10 foot radius around your body. Using this soil to create a shape or exert a larger amount of force consumes more MP, and takes 30 seconds at minimum. At this rank, created shapes cannot consist of more than one part, or be more complex than quadrilateral structures. At this rank, created shapes cannot change the quality of the soil (sharper, harder, etc) nor its color or texture.
Monster Party
As Ash meditated to restore her MP, the sigils all over her body softly thrummed. Perhaps due to the Mystic variance she had gained, she felt somewhat more in tune with the magic in general, and all of her studies were giving her a great deal of experience with using and controlling the various energies. When she formed the two Mana Orbs, they seemed relatively stable. She only intended to concentrate on one of them at a time, and draw what she assumed were the Fire Elements into the orb. However, when she did so, the second orb in her other hand also seemed to begin attracting more of the red pseudo-particles--like trying to rotate one's foot and hand in two different directions, only for the brain to be tricked into moving them both in the same direction. Despite this moment of disorientation, it seemed to have the desired effect. The Mana Orb she concentrated on the hardest began to change color, growing brighter and redder...and it began to put off heat. Soon the heat became strong enough that, at the core of most focused elemental squares, the glow changed to orange. Then at the very center of the nucleus, the light turned yellow.
You are experiencing a Fast Rate of Skill Progression
She turned her head slightly and now focused on the other Mana Orb, which had only become a slight crimson around its edges. She banished these to try and focus on the gold colored pieces instead, but at the same time the Mana Orb in her other claw went back to its first shade of red. As the metallic glint of various particles gathered in the nucleus of the second orb and changed its color throughout, Ash noted that it began to...resist her? No, that wasn't quite the right word for it. Most of the other types of spells she used had given her difficulty in forcing them to be what she wanted them to be, but this was slightly different. It felt like the "material," if one could even call it that, had shifted. She was not pushing on a fluid force, or an invisible energy, or a moldable susbstance. She was now pushing on something...hard, geometric. It was...a little like trying to put together one of those sliding block puzzles. Only...those tiny puzzles were often just a square with several sliding tiles. And the tiles had grooves they fit into, so you could only push them in straight lines up or down, left or right. It was like she was...trying to push the tiles, but their grooves weren't set right.
If she thought about it, had she seen any Earth spells use the "orb" form like Fireballs or Torrent's new sphere of shadows? Digbie, that mage slime...they had just moved rocks around, hadn't they?
While she thought about this, the red Mana Orb in her first claw now suddenly felt unbalanced. When her attention came back to it, she found that its color had lightened significantly back towards its original white, and the sphere wasn't quite evenly rounded anymore. She finally had to blink, temporarily disrupting both her Mana Vision and her focus, and both Mana Orbs returned to their original colors and shapes.
Skill Rank Up: Mana Vision I > Mana Vision II (1.95 > 2.025)!
MP Cost reduced. Stamina cost reduced.
You used [Analysis]!
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-̶U̵Z̶1̶V̸3̷R̵S̵M̴-̷
-̵͎̿-̷̟̀M̵̭̊Ẹ̵̕T̶̥̐A̵̟̓S̸̘͋Ý̸̗S̴̟̋T̷̖͋E̴͚̿M̸̺͛:̷̡͛V̴̭̆A̵̤̕5̵̧̓4̶̗̈́<̴̛͕1̸̮̉-̵͔͐-̸̳̕
-̷̟̔͘-̷̳͆͝-̶͉̕͠Ś̴͇͔̅Ủ̴̪͑P̵͚̾E̸̞̿R̸̘̗͛̇S̴̻̄Ỹ̵͍͍͑S̷̩͋͗T̸̰̒E̷̜̬̾́M̵̜̩̾:̶͐͜M̷̨̋̕A̸̺͋͑Z̶̜̍Ă̸͙͘5̴̹̞̓4̷̬̚Ŗ̶̘̉͑À̶̦-̷̞̮͋̃-̸̛̛͙-̶̧̺͋̽
-̵̢̰̪̽͆ͅ-̷̧͕̪̱̒̍̾͝-̷̤̏̽̑-̸͇̫̝̳̏S̸̙̻̐̉Ỵ̴͇̗̮̎̒͠S̸͇͔̿́͘͠T̶̞̐̆͆E̷̙̭͈͇͊͘M̸̛̪͇̭̉:̸̼͐͌̕4̷͙̃̍3̵̗̟̣̯̒͋̌D̷̼̿͝V̸̰́̔Ě̵͚̱̊͒Z̶̨̺͚̭̆̒̊-̷̳́̂-̴̭̼̬͗̀-̷̧̜̘̽̇͠-̸̳̏̉͆
-̶̧̲͓͔̐͒͊-̸̧̝̬̙̻͊-̷̲͙̰̣̿̽͜-̸̞̏̀̂-̸̦̠̹̍̐S̴͕̔Ų̶̺̞̈́̉͊͒̽B̸͎̤̪̺̿̿̂̊̕S̵̢̟̣̜̏̉Y̶͓̰̮̬͋S̵̭̄̃T̶̙́̀̿͝͠Ę̸͔̘̬͙̂̀̑͝͝M̸͔͓̊͒̈́̀͠:̸͖̗̻̊̐̀M̶̯̤̰͈͓͊̌̀̃À̸̪̟̩̈̍̚͠N̶̪͚͙̟̑ͅẢ̶̛̳ͅ-̴͔͕̼̾̃-̷̫̺̞͒͘-̶͖͍̓ͅ-̶͇̰͕̣̄͂̈́͋̂-̸̢̰̬̽͗̏̄ͅ
-̸͍̮̞͈̞͕̎̓̓̋̋-̶̧͎͎̻̪̅̌-̶̛̩̞͙́̓͑͒̽-̴͓̯̯͗̄-̶̛͖̃́̇̋ͅ-̴̨̭̀̓͌̈́͝Ṣ̴̹̌̕ͅǗ̸̻͇͎̹̏͒̊̓͠B̴̨̥͈͙͔̝̆̋̇̏̒̊S̴̝͌̊̎̀͑Ę̸͉͙̺͖̄T̷̼̳̖̟̗̯͋̂͂̏͒Ş̸̻͇͓͈̖̊̑́Ŷ̶̡̭̮̘̳S̵̥̗̊Ţ̵͍̣̝̦̜̋̈́͗̚E̶̪̬̫̣̣͌̍̈́̚͝M̸͉͍̳̞͊̒:̵̲̌̆̔̓͠P̵̧̔̋̚H̷̥͗̏̉̎Ẏ̸͖̱͙̟̩͠͠S̴̹̠̔I̴̢̨̜̓͗̂̿̒̑C̷̲̉S̷̡͉̾̅̏̿̐͠-̸̢͓͓̠͉̲̔̓̌͘-̶̬̲͈̦̅-̴͙̝̮̲̪͋̐͘̕-̴̠̟͈̌̋͜-̴̡̡͖̲̳̬̿͋̓̀͛-̶̭̌
-̴̠̔-̶̧͚̦̺͇̞̣̀̀̀̑̿͆̓-̵̡̧̹̟̮̀̔̎-̸̤̤̯͇̿̾̂̄͛͋̈-̸͙̗͈͓̞̹̈́̌͛̂̾-̸͕̪̼̞͇͇̔-̷̬̙̠̰̰̬̀̊̀͆P̵̢̳̼̺̬̩̤̈̂͛̈̕Ḻ̴̫͙̞̣͑̾̆̐À̸͔̲̏̋͋͋̾N̶̨̮͎̉̓̐̃Ẻ̵̫̣͈͍̘͐T̷͉̲̑̋͗-̴͈͕͕̫͌-̸̭͇̑̌̄̐͆-̶̗̠̞͚̀̌̾̂̉̂͠-̷̢̫͈̦͇͗́̈́̋̀̕͝-̵̱̯̺̈̾̕̕-̴̈́̅͂͜-̴̨̨̢̛̬͇͚͖͋̌̃̀͊͋
-̵̖̤̪̩̤̒̆͜-̶͎͕͖̌̚-̴̼̀̄̇-̶̹͍͂͐͘-̵̧̝͖̼͇̖̯̺̓̽͋̎̚-̶̙̭̠̲̮̯̻̈́̈͛͆-̴̛̩͇̍̇͐̍-̶̗͒̐́͆͘͠C̵̞͕̹̱̯̗̟͓̉͆̽̇̎̕͘O̸̺͙͚͕̅Ṇ̶͓̬͕̝̫͗͛̕͜͝͝T̵̢͉̆̓̄̆Ï̵͇̱͙̉͝N̸̻͖͈͆̒̉́͆͜͝Ę̴̛͇̾̐̊Ň̴̡͈̺̟͍͎̥͕̓͆͝Ť̴̨̙̲͔̹͊̈́̌͆͝ͅ-̷̧̢̦̪͚̣̦̮̇͋̐̽̿̚͠-̴̮̞̣̭̫̖͖̒͊̋͐̑̑̑͝-̵̨̞͕̥̜̙̹͇͐̈̓̿̚-̴̡̧̣̹͔̰̗̹̈́̄̓̈́͂-̶͈̞̞̭̀͜͜-̶̺̲̓͐̀̉͜͝-̵̺̱̓-̸͇̭̻̠͎̆͑͒̓̀̋̒͝
-̴̛̪͎̭̰-̴̡̙̪̮̗̫̯́̒͋́͆͑͘̕͝-̶̦̘͉̳͉̗̝̺̆͑͘͘-̴̨̧̦̦͉̬͍͆͛̾͆̓-̴̲̰̯̻̘̠͓͈̌͊̃ͅ-̸̜̝̘͕͕͔̣̫͓̀̊̋͋̆-̵̙̳͚̥̪́-̶̢̥̪̲͉̭͙̞̭͋̌-̴͍͇͛̌̎̆͌͊͛͑Ġ̷̜̥͎̪͉͇̺̔́̇̒̒̔͘͝a̶̙͈̮̘̞̎̂̓͋̽͒e̷̫̥͙̻̼͌́̍̽̄̄ȑ̷̹̝̼̮̗̜̪̜̇͌͘ͅr̸̛͇͈͚̣̉̈̏̆̂͊͠͝ȧ̶̫̝͚͚͋̈̂͒̽͝-̵͎̯͇̖̟̭̟̫͌ͅ-̶̗̣̣̻̮̳̫̎-̶͕͓̘͐ͅ-̵̣̮̘̹̠̼̩̞́̓͝-̶̡̮̰̼̜̦͇̭̃̇ͅ-̷̤̻̤̬͈̦̖̀̆-̷̛̥̈́͗̀͐̋̍̽͗ͅ-̷̧̪̣̫̗̊͒̀̎͛-̶̤̱̥͈̘̖͚̃̚ͅ
̷̡̧̝͈͎͔͚́̒̔͘Ą̶̬̪̟̭̖͎̹̦͊͂͛̄̃̈́̔͘ ̸̬̞̩͕̜͉̠͎̓̒̂͑̉̽͌͝ͅs̸̖͇̄̀͊̈́̾̂̕ǘ̶̧̫̬̗͇͚̌̄̍͗̑̐̕̕p̸̼͍̊͂͂̓̍̆̇e̶̘̺̤̜̘͈̰͙̝͘r̸̩̍c̴̡̳̼̳̜͍̪̿̒͐̎ó̵͉̥͋̚n̸̡̛̯̬̮̈́̓͛̈́͆̇̓͠t̷̮͓͍̖̫͈̗͆ͅi̸̡̩̭̠͗n̸̖͙̏̐̔̀͊̕͜͜͠e̶̥̓̉͐n̶̺̬̆̈̿͒̆͐́̃t̵͍͉̮̩̻̮͑̌͜ ̶̨̱̓̓̔͛f̶͐̊̀̐̾ͅơ̸͎̿̀͗͐̎̅r̵̛͔͒͊͂̈́̚ͅm̷̨̧̛̳̙̖̠̰͙͓̎̈́̀̉̔̕̚̕ę̷̦̪̦̙̳̰̝͝ḑ̶̣͓̒͆͗̕͝ ̴̞͕͒̅͋̚b̶̡̜̳̅̈́y̶̧̨̱̬̐̚̚͝ ̵͖͖͔̤̹͗͂ͅt̴̛̠͓̖͈̏͆͂h̴̛̫̠̫͔̖̽͋̓̈́ͅě̵̡̧͖̗̮̝͍̭͆̊̎͐̍͆̉̎ ̵̡̩̼͎̜͚̣̞̓̈́̌͌ͅc̷̛͔͓͙̊̓̾̾͆̋̉̕ơ̵̘̟͇̍͊̓̍͊͆͐̎l̷̩͇͍̊͒͂͐͝l̶͓͉̥̖̱̫̠͘ì̴̧͇͙̲͐̈s̸̹̦̻̣͂̉͐̓̎͘i̴͕̖̱̹͑̆́̈́̕͜o̶͉̩̊n̵̻̝̯̖̤̠͍̠̈́̾́̈͠͝ ̴̢͓͔͚̤̰̈́̉̉̋͗ạ̵̹͍͙̄́͆n̸̨͚͙̖̼̮͐̍̾͘̚͜d̴͕͈̞̽͋̇̒͆ ̷̦̪̬̟̤͕̾͌̓͊͑͐̈́̚ͅp̶̧̣͕̩̗̻͎͎̪͐̒̍̇̌̈́̎́͝á̶̖̺̩̼̝̠̙̰̿́̓̃̾̂͝͝r̷̺͒͐̆͋͜t̵̛͇͕̯̤̘̋̃̽i̷̳̟̦͈̞͒a̷̲͖̘͙͇̫̪͎͊͐l̸͔̗̜̙̦̪̼̃̐ͅ ̶̤͙͓̤̩̝̈́̀́̄͜ͅͅf̵̧̠̪͉̲͚̐̌̽͆́͐u̷͖̱̫̰͌̆͊̒͜͝s̸̗̉̉͆̽͋̽̕i̷̬̱̜͉̙̲͎͙̽̽̒̂͗̌́ͅo̵̩̹̲̗͎̓̃̐̐ṇ̴̢͈͚͔̀͆͘͜ ̷̨͓̻̭͚̼͙̜̟̃́͂ȯ̷͕̱̜͓̘̹̖̌̎̎͗͘̚̚͝f̴̺̟͆̏̈͘ ̸̰̘̳͎͗ṯ̶̓͋̔̇̋̑̍̾̍w̵͇̲̼͑̋̂̀̈ǒ̶̭͖̰̰̜̈́͂̍ ̵̼̭̥̜̇̑͑̎̂̽͌̑t̴̢̳͍͗͛̚ȇ̴̲̯͉͚͖͓̬̝̄̐̚ĉ̷̘̝̗͐̀̾̾̑͗͝t̸̞̔̆͊͑́͆͠ơ̸̢̡͍͙͎͖̭̬̔̍͝n̶̨̧̝̣͓̓͊̿ȉ̶̝͕͍͉́́c̷̪͚͍͈̀̒͗͘ͅ ̵̢̨̛̤̫̦̼̱̰̍̏͐́̚͝p̷̛̙͎̼̖̱͑̓͋͑͑͠͝͝ļ̵̯͚͊͛̈͛̊̇̓͜͜a̴̡̦̗̐ť̶̮́̄̃̌́̐̀e̴̬̣̮̊̎̏̚s̶̘̝̻̞͐̆̾̓̆̊̓ͅ.̷̝͙̬̗̺̥̈̔̎̓͠ ̶̢͍̖̭̏̆͝S̵̨̹̪̐͑p̶̢̖̫̩̯̻̋̽͋̀͝ä̵̡͗̋̄͜n̴̲͕̆̍̚͝s̵̢͕̝͇̦͖̮̱̘̾̈́͝ ̵̡̭̦̠͙͇͆̑̌͋̅͜b̷̙͕̺̱͙͔̜̚͜ͅọ̴̈́͜t̶͒͝ͅh̶̡̝̒̑̍͆̄͝͝͠ ̴̡̝̜̻͖̼͈͎͒͊̄͜͝ň̴̢̗͙̥̹̺̀̊ͅo̴̮͔̓̿͋̅̋r̸̲̲̅̄ṯ̷͓̝͍͙̩͔̪̺̎̈́͊̓̏̇͋̚h̶̛̦̦͕̗̼̼̺̾̀̈́̓̈́ͅ ̷̻̈̊̓̒̿͆̍ą̶̭͓̤̈́͜ņ̸̢̠̫̼̾̍͌̀́͜͠d̸̗͓̟̤̀̎͌̕ ̵̡̨̤͔͇͊͘̚̚s̷̨̢̖͓̙̣͓̦̋͌̈͒̈́͗̚͝o̷̡̿̍͊̐́͝ŭ̵̩͓̼̖̫͚̪͊͋̉͆͠t̴̨̼̬͓͕̬͉̓̇̈͝ͅh̷̲̥̩̬̫̎̉̊̾́͆̀̌̚e̴͉͔̟͙̟̪̮͎̒̈́̉́͋ͅŗ̸̹̈́͛͒ņ̸̢̣̣̲̯̮͐͝ͅͅ ̵̜̺͓͖̠͙͒̈́̒̏̓h̵̻̼͓͇̟̋͋͋̋̐̄e̶̛̞͐́̔̉̂͛͋͋m̵̡̡̬͈̳̠͋̈́̀͊̍̅̊͊́i̷̧̖̦̮̺͎̟̍̾̇̾̆̆͑̕͜s̴̱̹̫͕̘̬̲̮̊̈͠͝p̸̨̳͔̥̀̏̀̄̈́̏ͅh̸̩͕̒̾e̶̡̙̘̯̙̮̐̀̈́͂̀ͅŗ̶̤̪̥̋è̵̡͈̫͔̣̯̹̦̪̇̃̈͋̌̂̃s̴̹͓̊̀͗͋͌̈́̾͒͝ ̷̳̟͓̘͋̌͜i̶̟̫̦̟̞̎n̸̯͖͓̻̞̼̙͙̎̉̈́̓̏ͅ ̴̭͎̘͖͐̕͠͝v̶͍̭͋̈́̏e̷̬̪͗̍͑̎̈̓̚r̶̛̹͙̺̦͉̎̈͆͊͝t̵̞̜̮̭͇̹̜̞̍̉͂̐ị̵̜̤̕c̸̡̲̦̙̲̣̿̐͆ả̶͓̣͕̜̖̳͈̺̌̉͝l̴̳̖̙̗̿͂̀͘ͅͅ ̷̳͒̆̀̒̓̀̑̈́͝ò̴̝̫̄̈̑͠͝r̸̻̐̐͐̎͛i̴̞̪̅͌̅̈́̑̓̚͘͝ę̸̱̯͇̱̝̾̈́͑͐͒̿̉ͅͅn̴̢̼̮̈͗̃ţ̴̢̨̡̦͙̠̗̿̅̈́́a̶̪̮̼̺̲͇͒̊͋̃̍͘ț̸͂̾̐̇̂̾̂͝ì̸̜̩̟̄́̀o̷̧̞̹̻̮̓͗͘n̵̢̤̼̅̽̿̉̄̔͝,̶̧̰͈͙̖̑̈́͗̕͘ͅ ̷̓̃́́͗̀͜b̴̰̹͚̙̹̾̃u̸̟͈͍̘̟̙͈̣̫͆̒̾̒͛̀͑̔͠ť̸̡͔͚̲̬̏̈́͂ ̷̖͛̄́͗͛͐͒͘ŗ̶̼͍̄̌͛̀̐̀̎̇e̴͍͍̦͌̄͌͊͛̉š̷̨̪͓̬̳̖̎̔͠͠ͅi̸͓̻̣̟̰̯̎̄͜͜ḑ̸̡̛̲̖͉͇̜̣͗̾̄͂e̴̠̟̙̠̍̂͝s̵̳͋̏̂̒̍̕͝ ̴͍͓͆̑̓́i̸̢̞̜͒̏͛͆͠n̵̢̡̟͉̘̫̺̦͕̐̾̽̓͘̕ ̶̙̟̺̪̫͕͉̞͐̉̃͂͝t̵̨̠̤̳̖͚̫̠͆͜h̴̡̛̺̹͉̎͊̔̉ͅę̴̼̘͐͒̉ͅ ̸͇̺̼̰̮̜͍̐w̴̭͚̙͖͚̿̆̐́͛̒̚͘e̴̛̩̰͒͠s̵͕̫̏̓̽t̷̡̢̤̙̤͚̺̼̳̄̑̒͊͆͘͘͝e̶̟̭͈̬̩̗̱̯͓͆r̸̢̛͎͙̯̦̐̀̾́̓́͌̍ņ̶̠͈̘̣̹͙̃͘͝ͅ ̵̨̥̪̲̩͐́̈̈̔͝ͅḩ̸̛͉͉͙̠͔̼̂̈͘͝e̶̫͇͔͇̘͖̜̕͘͠m̶̛̼͇͕̳͑̈́͊̎͘į̷̢̛͉̭̌͌̀ͅͅs̷̠͍̋͆̇̆̿́̂͌p̶̬̳͑̚͘ḩ̷̝̎͘̕e̵̩̼͍͉̮̣̮͌͂̈̏̍̈̌͠͝ŗ̶̧̟̻̰̯̜̫̈́̐͌̽͑̌̌̄ẹ̷̗͕̒̓ ̸̞̘̀̑̕a̵̡̢̛̗̪̮̓̋͋̓͛͝l̷̢̡̥̞̫̼̞̮̏̅̊̈́̿o̵̡̨̨̼̲̜̍̓̓̄̆͆̀̕̕n̴̗͓̰͗̓g̶̫̳̘͓̳̾̎̊̕ ̷̨̯̃̎t̸̛͓̝͚̤̰̹̲́̾̎̕͜h̵̺͉͚̱̜̫̒ͅe̶͚͉̗̳̠͂́̑̚̕ ̷̡̨͎̠̗͇̯̄̓̄̀̓̊̕͝ẖ̵̛͉͕̪̳̭̑͋ŏ̴̡̨̢̬͔̭͓͔̬̊r̸͇̟̦͇̱̭̾̕͝i̵̥͍͎̿̒z̴͓̀̊̕͝o̴̧̠̦̙͓̘͕̬̾ń̸̤̦͜ͅţ̶̞͇̪͎̩͉͖͐̇̃̌ͅä̷̭̳̥̩̹̿͊l̵͕͕̰͇̤̗̓̒̅͆̽̕ ̸̞̟͒̀́̐̓p̷̧͙͉͎̙͙̯̓͒̓͐͜͜͝͝l̸̢̼̤̰̱̯͕̓̀a̷͉̬̗̞̖̤̾ͅn̵̩̞̬̥̗̳̗͙͒̔͂͜͠ȅ̷̡͍̪̻̲̞̩͜.̴̡̬̹̻̱̭̬̦̃̽͛̎̚͝͝ ̶̳̙͚̈́̀͊́̉̿͜͠͝ͅM̴̡̧͈̞̳͎̳̰͑̀͛͐̊̚ͅa̴̧̹͎̩̖̣̚j̵͈̳͒͌̃̏̅ͅo̸͈͒̑̑̄̕͝r̸̨̥͉͚͍̤̙͓̃ͅį̸͓̳̱͊̕t̶̢͉̜͍͍̺̪͚͑̆͑̿͝ẙ̴͍͈̩̱̱̜̉́̈́͝͝ͅ ̶̛̝̭̠̤̝͎̐̎̈́͂͐̓ͅc̷̺̅̽͗̏̍̃͘l̴̛̛̬̟̃̀̽ͅi̶̢͚͎̜̞̯̝͗́́̍̉́͝͠͝m̷̪̥̼̩̖̤͕͙̌̑͊̎̄e̶̡̬̺̪̻̮̣̖̔͊̒̾͂̈̓͐͝s̶̪̩̑̾͋͝ ̴̣̩̅̃͌̎͆̇r̷̢̡̺͍̦̱̰̲̺͊̎á̸̤͌͋̈͑͊̀͗̐n̸̢̩̭͎̯̿̈̒ģ̶̭͖̩̃̾̋̔̿͜͝ę̵͕̳͉̓̽̀͌ ̴̩̝̹̬̲̠͍̈́̄̈́͐̈́̕ͅb̷̭̳̹̳̮͂͑͊̈́̍̏͗͊ͅͅe̷̳̯̞̝͉̍̃̽͑̀͝t̴̢̀̽͂w̸̢̗̠͌̈́̋͛͝ͅẻ̷͓̩͚̊̎̈́̂̐̎̀͘e̸̥̤͉͉̣̋n̵̡͈̹͉̳̟̲͕͕̂͒̈́̐ ̴̨̮̯͚͖̙̑́͌̉͠s̷̡̢͉͓̳̰͓͙̄̿̓͜ṵ̴̫̜͔̣̝͉̓̈́́̍̀͆͝b̸̢̨̨͈̝̬̯̗̈́̑͒͌̍̉͜͠͠͝t̵̡̤̹͎̞͎̲̦̖͠r̷̠̗͍̿o̴̢̨͚̭̱͈̠̅̈͌̿̅͝p̸̳͉̈́͋i̸̞̻̼͙̯̾̋͝ͅc̶̞͈̖͓͎͓̺͎̙̎̐ȧ̷͚͖̣̱̺͊͊̈̈̍̉͗̒l̴̞͖̤̺̤̮͝ ̷̢͇̗̘͒̈́̑ͅa̷̡͚͓̭̬̣̪̳̎͂n̴̢̲̺̟̺̋̾́̃̑̽̔̅͗d̵̢̨̙̖̲͖̭͓̏̓͠ ̶̡̨̮̖̟̃̇̓́͒ͅt̵͔̜̺̱̤̺̰̂̊̓͘͠ͅͅë̸̲͔̪̏̅́m̴̢̛͇̘̼̰̩͈͒̂̌p̶̡̣̰̲̭̲͎̽͂̔e̶͎̗͗̇̎̚̚͝ŕ̴̗̜͌̽͐ḁ̴̺͉̯̹̂̅̒̀̀̓̒ͅt̸̯͉̤̅̊̃́̆̎͠͝e̸͈̫̰̦̿̃̿̆͌͆̒͑.̸̢̪̞̭̟̜̲͓̩̇͆̿͂̿̓͑̚ ̶͓̟͓̗͔̾̌O̷͕̅n̵̹̳̭̤͋͛͗̓͂͊̕l̸̛̮͙̩̪̇̍̀͒y̸̪͖̎̑̆̋̐̌̎̕̚ͅ ̴̟̫͉͍͇̱̏͐̌̒̿̊ẗ̵͕̖̦̰͇̻̰̿͂̏̄̽͋̓̈́h̸̭̹͓̤͚̣͔͎̩̓e̶͔͍̼̔͗̇͊̀͛̐͝ ̷̧͎̲̳͔̪̼͖̇̓̂̌̎̌͂̚n̵̦̹͙̙͖̻̹̤̎͜o̶̗͔̮̻͇͎̔ͅr̷̨̲̦̖͒̎̈͜t̴̫̿͊̎̓̒͐͗̑͆ḩ̷̢̛̫̩̯͆͛̂́̅͝ę̸̡͎͕̯͈͚̬͇͂̅̑͝͝r̴̗̼͇̿͛́̀̈͑n̶̼̄̓͗̊̈̂̚ ̸̧̡̛̼̲̦̼͍̮̈́̈́̌̋̎̅͋͜͝ȟ̸̜̭̞̤̥͉̹̙́̓̓͂͌͠ä̶̞̙͓͈̲́̀͗͝l̷̡̺̫̠̦͇̰͗̊̓̑̓̃̉͆͜ͅv̴̱͆̄͒͂e̵̛̻̝͉͋͗̉̀̄ş̵̢̫͚̥̠̈́͂̊͜ ̶͙̤̬̪̅̾̀͑̒̀͝ő̵̡̡̰̤̠͓͓̋́ͅf̵̼̝̬͇̺̣̗̐̆ ̴̢̢͚̙͎͇͈̫̚t̷̞̙̮͉͙̉̓̀̕͝h̶̙̠͐͘e̶̡͎͕̫͒̈́̈̇̈́͊̋̀ ̶̞̙͐̈̈̀͑͛̕c̷̠͈̜̺̻̈́͑̒͆̀̓͊̓͘o̵̪̲͕̺̮̖̖̼̜̿̎͛͊n̸̙͕͔̰̈́̍̉̂̿͆̽͘̚t̷̘̣̽̓̆̏̕̚͘̕͜͝į̸̭̂̀̉̎̾̉ń̴̘̹̋̃̈́e̸̢͖͕͐͒͋̒͗̃̏n̴̗͔̥͓̗̣͕͒̐ͅt̵̗͈̱̙̋̎̕̚͝ ̴̛̮̼̪͙̈́̎͝ͅr̸̯͎̥̻͋͠ḛ̶͐ȁ̴̠̦̦̍̀̂͌͋̾͠c̴̡͖͙̝̊͊͌h̷͍̞͔̋̃̉͊͊̄̐̃ ̶̧̰̱̳͊̈́̈́̐̿͋p̵̱̘̤̦̞͆́̇̚̚͜ͅo̵̡̪͚̯̣͛̄̈́͂͑̈͘̕l̴̤̫̬̰̻̠̀ą̷̤̳͚͍̀̋̾̾̋͠r̵̙͍͙̖̅̂̓ ̸͉̉͛̐̃z̶̨͖̼͖̞̬̜̜̎̀o̷̢̹̬̻̐͗n̷̡̟͈͕͔͈̣̦̲̕e̶̻̲͈͔̣͂̾͆̚̕̚̚ş̶̺͕̯̣͂̉̈́̊͝ ̴̭͔͙͈͚̰̲͒̓̾͑͐͋̂̕ͅw̶͒̂̔͌̕̕ͅh̸̡͇̦̣̽́̈́͆̋͝i̶͔̹̘̎͗͛̄̀̈́̕͠l̴̡̥̬̩̄̑̆̎͝͠ȅ̵̬̫̞͇͈͉͝ ̸̡̨̪͚͍̪́̍̃̒̎t̵̛̳͆̓̊͂́̓͋͝h̸̡̨̤̟͚̞̰̾̈́͐͂͋̈ͅe̵̛̜͓͈̋̽̓̅̇͆͘ ̶̧̠͉̪̘̟̥̊s̵̡̯̟͓͍̹̣̞͚̄̆̌̈́̓̂͑͝͠ỏ̸̡̜͍̍͗͋̚ư̷̦̞͙͋̋͒̌͊t̴̰̘̪̙̗̺̱̓͝h̴̟͎̣͇͈̦͆͗̿̄̃̚̕e̵̖͐r̴̡̡̧̺̜͉̳̒̎̓͝n̴̢̧̞͉͈͕͈͗̈̿͆̍͂̒͘͝ ̶̳̤͂̃̀̀̈r̵̨̻͕̞̺̻̯͈̱͒ă̸̡͎̙̙̣̠̦̰̣͊̽̇́̇͠ń̶̲̫͕̜̙͚͎̤̪̃͋̾͊̽̋͂͝g̶̢̡͉̹͖͎͉̊̔e̷̬̱̪̳͛̇̌͒͌͠͝ ̸̗͚̣̀͜p̴͖̖͍͕̯̫͉͈̀̇͑̉a̶͈͔͖͓̮̣̫͔͛͆͆͆̕͝s̷̝͕̱̊s̷̪̈̇̔e̴̛̱͕̱̤̗͉͆͋̄͜͝š̸̱̪̄̈́ ̶̠̝́e̸̛͎͑̊̽̎̅͑͠q̸̧̟̰̺̗̱̮͖͊͗͐͝u̷̫͗̿͝a̵̞̹̫͖̤͍͛̎t̴̬̍̎̈̚ơ̴̢̩͕͈̼̼͗̀̒̈̈́̈̀ȑ̸̠̤̮̦̝̮̩͚̆̆î̷̙̦̜̯̓̋͊͆̚͠a̶̼̒͗̒̃l̸̹̭̻̠̰̻͇̣̞̑ ̴̣̎͆̑̕r̶͈̗̮̅͑̎ë̸̢͙̙́͑͋̇͒̇ģ̷̗̗̇̅̄̿ͅi̵͚̬͚̓͝o̶̢͙̹̫̰̖̅͊͗̀͊̑͝ͅn̸̩͓̫̥̓̉s̴̨̥̻̘͔͚̏̆̋̍͜ ̴̨̙̮̮͔̓͛̀̎̈́̑̋ằ̶͈͙̱̖͈̋̒̌n̴̛͂̀͑̏̀̿͜ď̴̢̛̩̼̻̰̣͍̫̀͛̄̏͠ ̸͖̝͔͓̦̳̞́ͅě̷̯̆̔̒n̶̳̣̍̃̚͘t̸̫̜̠̫̞̖̤͍͋͑̄̎̿͂̚è̷͇̝̼̭̉̾͐̈́͌̄͂r̷̡̘̄̔̈́̍͑ş̴̞̞̅͗̎̿͌̿̐͝ ̶̡̀͗̂̿̌̅̅̕͜t̸̢͚̖͔͖̝̏̂̽͌́͗̕͝h̴͙̘̦̉̈̽͛̏́͘͝͝e̸̯̯̞͇͓̦̻͍͛̈́͆͗̈́͆̚̚ ̴͇̒̐́͐̈́̃́̚ȇ̵̤̖͚͈̘̃̈́͘d̸̻̟͖̮̈̑ͅg̴̢͔̦̝̟̅̑͌͑e̷̪̗̎̇̆̒͆̅ ̸̨͚̟̳̜̣̪͕̕o̷̱̦̳̜͇̦̺̍͌͌͌̕f̴̝͚̙̜̅͊̓͆͠ ̵̡͔͍̠̮̦̑̀̂̕t̷̢͉̺̤̟͓̝̫́̀̀ȩ̵̄̍͂̾̑m̶̰̠͒͌̓̃͆͐͝͝͝p̶̖̂́͠é̶̯̂̅̿͛̚̚r̵̟̓a̴̬͍͈̽̋́̅̌͋̒̈̚ͅt̵̨̙̙̟̎̕e̸͙̞̯̾̅͒̿ ̴̝̩̓̐͊̑͊̆̋͘ȃ̶̮̠̲̈̀͒̉̀͗͛̍n̶̰̝̹̭̯̺̟̅̔͊͂̎͛̂d̴̹̝̝̲́͛̌͛̓ ̷̮̣͈͂͜c̵̢͖̰̰̜̬̪̪͑ͅö̸̗̳̼̫͕͓͍́́͂̏͌̂̃̕̕n̸̢͔̞̰̙͎͉̫͆̈t̴̨̧̳̰̽̓̅ͅĭ̷̛̛̭̣̳̻̜͖̭̆͛͜͠͝͝ṅ̴̛̜̺̲̪̮͕̇̇̏͆̍̚͠e̵̡̱̹̍̂́͒̆͝n̴͍̫̩͛͑̈́̆͋̃͠͠t̷̢̜̣̎̿̀̋̋a̵͓̩̙̫͍̥͎̮̭̅̔̈́̾̒̚͘͝ḽ̵̢̨̼͇̝̖̃̈́̽̋́́͠͝͠ͅ ̵̳͙̯͉͈̥̒̌̽͒̃͝͝͠z̸̯͚̫̗̣̹̜̣̓̊́͒͛̃̕̕̕o̷̬̮͚̜̠͛̓̀͝ṅ̵̺͍̌ë̶̡̯́̑ṣ̶̲̺͙̯̥̲͓͛̍͐́̂̏̚͠͝.̶̞̫̎ ̸̻̳̳͚̈́̕E̴̖̠͖̗͛ḽ̶̛̞͇͍̉͑̚̕ͅe̷͕̱̘͔̫͒̾͂̽̍v̵͉̻̰̪̜̫͕͙̣͌͐̚ḁ̴̢̖̥̱̼̘̓̋̄̄̾̌̐̍̒t̴̝̭̭̻̱͓͎̒̒ͅͅi̵̙̪̰͈̅̅͌o̷̺̩̜̗̟̰̠̎̈́͊̇̀̇̾̐ǹ̸̯̬ ̷̙͆̎͊̑̆͝r̶͔͘a̴̢̱͚̲͓̠̓̐̈́̀̽͑̕͠n̶̢̝͙̲͉̉̊̈́g̵͇̱̖̯͇̃̈́ͅé̷̬͎͇̰̤̂̏-̵̜̥̝͕̲̊-̶̣͖̙̝̰̥̺̒
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
Oberon felt his mind expand as if someone were stretching apart the plates of his skull. The empty void of space, the distant light of stars, the crashing clouds of nebulae, the warping planes of gravity and space, the distorted flow of time...Something at the edge of his fleeting consciousness flitted, something watching him, but he had not yet
witnessed it.
With an effort that took the instinct of survival, like jerking back in that moment when your chair tilts too far, his vision shrank. A bright sun seared his being, white-blue hot but further away than he could fathom. This held the spinning world below him in its grasp, on a swift orbit teetering on the edge of hellfire and frozen abyss. And there was something else--a ring, or a wheel, turning in pondulous clicks of a thousand years, ticking like a clock. To his mind it was a brighter, cloudier Milky Way, a
fog that threatened once more to blind him. But finally through this the world below him seemed to come into...better focus. It had...a name, he wasn't quite sure he could read it. It had continents, oceans, weather, and...magic. Magic ran through it like blood vessels through the body, or nerves from the spine. But magic was nothing without...without what, exactly?
Looking closer only brought Oberon's frazzled, fragmented sense of identity back to something familiar. With the sense of physical awareness, he was able to pull himself back from the brink. This world had continents, made of rock, rock that turned molten towards its core, molten rock that shifted deep under the ocean. This world had mountains, rivers, lakes, clouds, deserts, forests, creatures. But now it was too far away for him to see. He was...still floating, here in the void.
But something flitted around him, in his peripheral. He might have been able to look at it, if he had more time. And it might have pursued its curiosity further, if he had provoked it, but he was already plummetting down.
That shining light that he thought might be Digbie had been up here longer than he had, yet somehow he descended first...but it wasn't far behind. Like a shooting star, Oberon dropped a thousand miles an hour back into his body. And as he jerked awake, every bone and muscle crackling as a strange mixture of pain and energy flooded his system, he forgot everything...except the sense of seeing vague, dreamlike images, and a distorted amount of information that he wasn't sure where it had come from, contained in the same mental "screen" he saw whenever he used an analysis skill...
TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!
(Immature) Sprite > (Adult) Sprite
You have Transformed!
Your Potential has increased!
Your skill Minor Heal has increased (3.0125 > 3.5125)!
Your skill Minor Heal All has increased, but you have not reached your full Potential. Increase was reduced (1.1 > 1.6)!
Your skill Light Affinity has increased, but you have not reached your full Potential. Increase was reduced (0.9 > 1.4)!
Unfortunately, no Variances were triggered by your Transformation...
Skill Gain: Light Affinity I!
You have developed a bond with the light element. At this rank, MP/SP cost for all Light-related skills is reduced. Light-related skills will develop more quickly. Increase the rank of your affinity by deepening your understanding of the Light element.
You have only begun to reach your full Potential. The Skills Light Ring and Gather Light only increase by 5 increments. Light Ring (1.3 > 1.55), Gather Light (2.0 > 2.125).
Several skills have developed at once.
Skill Rank Up: Monster Analysis II > III (2.9 > 3.075)!
Gain more information about a creature or other items directly related to a creature. You may now gain comparison information about the creature's physical capabilities contrasted with your own.
You have 14 Unspent Skill Points!
You are Very Hungry.
You are Very Thirsty.
You are Tired.
You have no MP remaining.
The Sprite's body had not changed a great deal, but he had definitely undergone a rapid growth spurt. He was about a foot and a half tall now, and his hair had grown a good deal. His wings had also begun to shed tiny, prismatic scales, and they stretched wider now as if a giant butterfly were trying to carry him off. While his muscles weren't necessarily more defined or all that much bigger, like that one buff fairy they had seen back at the cave, his proportions had changed somewhat. He definitely seemed physically "mature" now, with slightly broader shoulders as one might expect of a male humanoid. He felt sore all over, especially in his joints. But the slight glow from his body was a bit brighter now, and he was even more aware of any light on his skin--the world in general, suddenly seemed so much brighter for some reason, as if a photographic filter had been placed over his vision.
And nearby him, Digbie's body suddenly burst into blinding, off-white light...
Meanwhile, as soon as Torrent had decided on her evolutionary path, she felt her eyelids growing heavy. And as soon as she closed his eyes, her body slumped. The Lesserwurm's breaths deepened, but her muscles began to twitch every so often, like a dog that kicks its feet in its dreams...and her skin began to look gray, and dry...
She had never been able to recall it with true clarity the first time, but now that she was once more floating upward, the visions of her first transformation all came rushing back to Torrent's mind. The things she had seen back then--the cavern's interior, the forest, the curling smoke trails, the deserts and mountains, all of it was crystal clear for this moment in her mind. But now things had become so different...
They were farther North, so she could no longer see the cave where she had been reborn. She could still see all the trees of the forest, far below her. To the east, a particularly large tree glowed a light green color, bright enough that it seemed like a lighthouse beacon from here. Even further north, she could almost feel the same clouds of cold and snow she could see, and the howling winds that spun them round and round an even darker and deeper forest.
To the West, she could see the small shape of Guze and his captives making their way up the mountain ledges. They were near the peaks now, among curling trails of smoke and what might have been a large camp of some sort--and then immediately her vision swept up to the great scar across the mountains. It was as if some blade of impossible size had sheared off its tip. The rocks there were blackened yet smooth, with a glossy appearance. Within this smoking crater, many lights glittered. She had risen even higher by this point, so she couldn't pick out any details among the small figures moving in groups along the slopes and the ring of structures they had erected along the lip of the black crater...
Still higher she went, drifting through clouds. To the north, not as far as the ice and cold, a river meandered down out of the mountains. To the east, beyond the forest and the emerald glow, a sparkling lake. Even further in the west, and somewhat to the north, over the ridge of the mountains there was a tower like a mighty tree reaching up to the heavens. Its roots, too, stretched deep, deep into the earth. So far to the east that it became west again, a lonely, cold, desolate island where red lightning split the sky. Further beyond that, marshlands and mountains and untamed, wild lands.
She rose higher. A world, a planet, rotated thousands of miles an hour, yet from this distance appeared as no more than a soap bubble. A great city, too far from here to see, had called for her before but now it was silent. The island's red skies still held her in sway. And...she felt as if some sort of emptiness was drawing her further from the world...
She was more aware now than he had been the first time she had seen this vision. Aware enough to know things were different. Aware enough to try and put something together. Aware enough, perhaps, to
do something...?
Your Taboo has been Cleansed! You have been given forgiveness--don't squander it!
Your choice has pleased the Divine Spirit Jehanne.
"If thou wish to complete thine Favor for my sake, make use of thy cleverness, Crafting, and magics of the Earth to form the Stones, quartz, and other materials into the Beads of Prayer. Call upon me again, as thy prayerbook directs."
And with this, Jehanne patted Digbie upon his head. Comfort washed over him like sinking into a warm bath, and he began to drift down towards the world again...but, rather than the feeling of falling and plummeting, he instead experienced a suddenly darkness as if he had somehow fallen asleep while already falling asleep. And within this darkness, a window to another place opened up as if he were watching from above.
Within a room filled with books and all manner of study materials, a man in white robes under a cream coat knelt before a Wooden Effigy much like the one Digbie possessed. His brown hair, somewhat disheveled, fell to just above his shoulders and his face was well defined, angular in some ways but with a strong jaw. He wore a belt of golden chains, and a pin in the shape of crossed dove's wings fastened the collar of his coat. His hands were pressed together in prayer, and one of them held a loop of 8 beads fashioned from some sort of black, crystalline substance. Noticeably, the back of his knuckles were subtly scarred--like someone who has been in many a fistfight. As Digbie watched, the man suddenly looked up--as if he were looking straight through the goblin.
"Your servant hears, my Maiden." he spoke, breathlessly. Still, he had the kind of deep, bassy voice that carries even when one whispers. "When your servant arrives in Westlake, I shall do everything in my power to help him. Though you have not yet revealed to me his face...I shall know him by your Favor upon him." The man stood up and walked to the window, flinging it open to look out over a large city upon the shores of a huge, glittering lake. He held his hands out as if opening himself up to the light, and an expression of bliss passed over his face...although, there was something...slightly off. As if the man's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Still, though...his tone of voice seemed to be genuinely happy. It was kind of like...he didn't know "how" to smile, rather than faking it or being insincere...
"Whoever you are, my new brother...Rejoice, young man!"
And then Digbie awoke.
When he had transformed into a Demiblin, his body had burst into dark flames. Now, the exact opposite happened. The light coming from his every pore was blinding in its intensity. His skin seemed to be peeling--or rather, as if every cell of his dermis was turning over like a reversed scale. The darker hues he had been dyed in now lightened significantly. The blue markings from his Mystic variance became more refined--where before they were like swirling marks or some kind of artistic burns, now they became like real, artistic tattoos. The stony protrusions from his body's Earth variance became smoother, closer to the skin--they were less like spikes of stone growing out of him now, and proper armor or scales grafted to his body. And once again, he had grown taller and a little more muscular--he now stood four and a half feet tall, and his facial features and proportions were more like those of a teenager than a child. And, if their experiences with the likes of Crispy, Rattleskull, Rags Nar, and Guze were any indication...Digbie was actually quite handsome for a goblinoid. [[If you'd like to add or tweak any details like skin color, the shape/style of his markings, hairstyle, etc etc as long as it's purely aesthetic feel free.]]
TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!
(Immature) Demiblin > (Adolescent) Palablin!
You have Transformed!
Skills suitable for your Job:Skirmisher have been boosted. You have not reached your full Potential, the boost is reduced.
All Stats have slightly increased!
Your Taboo was removed!
You are Peckish.
You are Parched.
You are Tired.
You have overdrawn your MP! You are experiencing Minor Mana Burn! Natural MP Recovery reduced by 25%!
You have no MP remaining!
You have 1 Unspent Skill Point!
PixieSlime Party
As Ardur returned to the field, he could see that his friends had been wreaking quite the carnage against the Dungeon Core's minions--yet, they were still vastly outnumbered. He cast Minor Heal I on Steve, restoring the Oculus Spider's HP to full as notified by the Taming Skill's System bond between them. Asura finished off the Necroslime floating helplessly in the water with the multiple javelins he had been stealing, and the creature was soon nothing but goop sinking below the dark depths. However, in the process the Amorphous Slime had taken a hit from a Mana Orb, and even after killing his target he had to swiftly dodge a Poison Spit and another barrage of ranged attacks. His Slime Shell was almost broken to the point of uselessness...
"Ardur, you're back!" Trent said with relief, taking a blow from a Zomblin holding a primitive mace of wood and stone on his shield. Now that so much of the rawhide had been eaten through thanks to poison, the stone chipped at the wood beneath. However, Trent's return stroke split the grotesque creature's skull down the middle, all the way to its sternum. He wrenched his blade and kicked the creature hard in the gut, cracking a rib or two as well as knocking it loose. "But, who are you talking to?"
The now-healed Steve caught another Wisp in her webbing, which Momma Slime promptly helped her crush to death. But on the front row, a Fanged Lizard and Wisp unleashed their ranged attacks, as did the two Fanged Lizards and the other Wisp on the middle row. Momma Slime quickly rolled back, and Steve practically leaped on top of her for a ride out of danger, and Asura was busy weaving through more attacks himself. The Zombie Pixie in the middle row fluttered forward, as did another Zombie, and behind them the shuffling forms of several fat Dire Rats could be seen. And of course, the javelin thrower Zomblin took another parting shot at Trent, but the boy moved away rather than risk more damage to his shield. The pointed stick clattered somewhere on the dark rocks behind the group.
Before Ardur could answer, Undine launched herself out of the water like someone had thrown her by hand, turning end over end. She came down point first in the Fanged Lizard on the front row, then with a whiplash sliced it in half from snout to tail-tip. Unfortunately, afterward she clattered to the ground.
The Hipixie had just cast Minor Heal on Mother Slime, restoring her to full HP as well though she hadn't taken much damage compared to some of the others. Asura wrestled with the Zombie Lizard attacking their rear, trying to drain its stamina through a new wound he made. His Blood Drain skill hadn't yet triggered a specific stamina stealing ability, but he could still fill his HP return to full--he hadn't taken that much damage--and while his Stamina Low warning still blared in his head it didn't seem to have triggered HP drain yet. He was balancing on the edge of a knife, it seemed. He yelled at Trent that the way to retreat was clear, but complained about Undine--who the boy seemed to have just noticed, in all the fighting.
The Squire side stepped a Zomblin's wildly lashing claws and took its hands off at the forearm with one swing, torquing his hips with that same momentum. His shield slammed into the side of the creature's skull, breaking its jaw and knocking it down. He jumped on it with a roar, slamming his sword down with both hands between the creature's neck and spine and violently twisting to destroy its brain stem. The black miasma left its body, and Trent sat on top of it for a moment, heaving his breath.
"We can't turn and run that easily though! They'll catch our backs!" he gasped, once more turning to face the oncoming horde--and looking over at Undine again. "Wait, so that sword can...move?"
Steve and Momma Slime worked together to catch yet another Wisp. But now the two Fanged Lizards in the middle row were moving up to the front, and the Zombie Pixie pointed at Ardur with a growl full of black bile.
"CURRRRRSSssse!" it slurred, and a black mist that felt like clammy hands all over him enveloped the Hipixie. The assimilated Slime reached the front row as well, and took a swing with a psuedopod at Steve, who nimbly ducked under it. Asura was hit by another Mana Orb from the remaining Wisp in the middle row, and now for the first time since the start of the battle the Zomblin javelin thrower was moving! Wielding that Bone Mace and Hide Shield, it charged towards Trent. If it hadn't lost its jaw, its roar would have been much louder--but the sound of bloody gurgles was almost as frightening. The human didn't even seem focused on the creature, though, and his mouth moved silently as if he were talking to himself...
As Ardur finished healing Asura, he received yet another notice that his MP was low. And when he used his Guidance to pray to Dhulfiqar, the last of it ebbed away...at the same time, the Hipixie felt a strange tingling sensation, almost like heat, spreading down his limbs. And...there was also a chill that passed up his back? For an instant, he felt some of the courage he had been filled with when calling on Galatine waver, and the horde of undead seemed all the more imposing...but then, a fierce anger seemed to bubble up in his chest.
Asura took a hit from the remaining Fanged Lizard's hastily lobbed poison spit, while he was disentangling from the now crushed to death Zombie Lizard. It didn't do much damage, especially since he had just been healed...but then...
You have been Poisoned! You are suffering damage over time!
Still more monsters were coming towards them out of the darkness...a Skeleblin cracking two whips made from some poor creatures' spinal cords. More Dire Rats, a cloud of Ghost Wisps. Behind them, another crowd of Skeleblins coming from further away, but rattling loudly...
The armored Zomblin was getting closer. It raised its weapon, eyes blazing as it targeted Trent. And the human...crouched down. He wasn't even looking at the monster, but instead reaching with one hand into the pouch on his hip--and with the other hand, his sword arm, he reached out. He dropped one weapon...and as his mouth continued to move silently, he took up another.
Undine's blade flashed. Trent's face started to turn blue as he coughed--as if he were drowning, on dry land. White tinged mana flowed down his arm into the sword--but he had told the group earlier he only had enough left for one spell. This pitiful amount was instantly devoured--and the boy slammed his blue vial against his lips.
As he chugged the Mana Restoration Potion, Trent's body lit up, only for it to be immediately drained as well. The Zomblin was almost on top of him, before it suddenly recoiled as the vial of glass shattered in its face. It was more a reaction to its sight being cut off than it was to pain, since it was undead, but it bought Trent the time he needed to take one step back, adjust his shield along his arm, and grasp Undine's hilt in both hands.
The boy's face looked haggard, as if he hadn't eaten in days. The light that had surged through his body had already been completely drained. But his eyes were still bright as he raised Undine up to the stony ceiling.
"AEGEUS!" he roared.
Undine had absorbed the mana of over half a dozen wisps, a fanged lizard, a smidgeon from Ardur and then from Trent, followed by taking all of a fully restored Trent's energy as well. And it was a sure thing that the Human had more MP than any of the monsters he was partied with, probably more than any creature they had encountered even after leaving the cave. But could he really qualify as a "Hero?"
Undine let out a howl.
"DEPTH CHARGE!" roared her wielder.
Trent brought the blade down. The water from the pool seemed to follow the motion of his arms.
A pressurized sphere of liquid slammed into the monsters in front of them. Like a singular giant raindrop from a really pissed off cloud, it hit the stone floor of the cavern and burst like a grenade.
The Zombie Pixie was practically torn to shreds, like peeling off one's skin by accident with a high pressure hose. The Slime was burst like an overfull waterballoon and reduced to a diluted stain. Two Fanged Lizards had their bones crushed and their scales flayed. The one living Wisp was flattened like a bug. All but one of the Dire Rats were mangled against the rocks. Only the Zomblin managed to get his defense up, raising the Hide Shield. Still he was blasted head over heels, losing a chunk of his armor in the process as the bones cracked, and landed in a sprawl that knocked over some of the approaching skeleblins.
The "rows" in front of the group had been almost entirely cleared, shaving away a few inches of rock and cracking the ground here and there. There was a little more than 30 feet between them and the nearest oncoming enemies. Their rear was clear, as was the air above the watery pool. In the distance, the Dungeon Core flashed angrily.
Trent dropped to his knees, breathing hard. He could barely hold on to Undine, but hold on he did. The light had drained from the magical weapon once more.
Now what?
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