“This…” Petven explained dramatically, holding a small dark crystal between his fingers as we walked, “is a slime core. It’s like the brain and the heart in one. You destroy it, or better yet, pluck it out, and the rest of the slime simply pops.”
“Huh,” I replied as casually as I could manage. “And it’s magical? And I assume pretty valuable?”
“Verily,” Petven nodded solemnly, with his apparent signature grin. He was overtly intensely charming, off-puttingly so. But hey, company was company, and I was learning lots.
“So, how do you get a core out of slime without breaking it?” I asked.
“Well… at our rank, we can simply reach in and tear them out,” he replied casually.
“What?” I balked. No fucking way. How strong were these guys? How badly had I fucked up?!
“Petven, a pigeon could pluck a core from a lesser slime, don’t be a dick,” Martrix chuckled, plucking a few notes on her lute absently. “We mostly deal with basic slimes, and those little blue buggers only really have one real weakness. Eh, Kimrel?”
Kimrel grinned, drawing his massive long sword, which gleamed under the sun. “Ya cut 'em in half and pull the core out!” He answered.
“So… terrifying,” Candy whimpered.
I was inclined to agree. A giant dragon with a sword. Definitely scary. Even if the more time I spent with him, the more of a goof he seemed to be. It was probably just the dragon thing, and the armour thing, and the very deadly sword thing.
Martrix nodded. “Anything else doesn’t work so well. Unless you destroy the core, piercing or bludgeoning them does pretty much nothing, just fills right in. Even magic is pretty ineffective since they’re so absorptive, and while they are quite flammable, that can both destroy cores and quickly get out of hand. ”
“Cutting them open is only easy when it’s a pink or blue slime. Greens are tough, anything beyond that… is really bad. Even a handful of blues can be disastrous,” Frida piped up with a grimace.
Everyone fell into a strange silence. I held my tongue.
It was bizarre that slimes were such a threat in this world. Given how bright and colourful they were, it just didn’t… fit. And yet the most brightly coloured animals were always the most poisonous. Actually, their very ability to be so colourful was indicative of their danger. They weren’t worried about being seen.
None of this really let me off the hook for getting gobbled up by Candy. Though in my defence, I was only beginning to wrap my head around any of this now. How was I supposed to know I needed to clarify that I wanted poison and parasite resistance skills?
So… it was at least solidly Michelle’s fault. And mine for being so cocky. I internally groaned. What a mess.
It was gorgeous. The forest on one side gradually faded into the distance, the winding river amongst the rolling hills and the dotting of trees on the other. I could already make out Appleby, surrounded by crop fields. It wasn’t a city by any means; a town was maybe even a stretch. It was a village, wooden homes, maybe cobble or stone too.
It couldn’t make out the details from this distance, but it certainly seemed cozy. Especially once I noticed the field of trees, which I assumed had given the village its name. Apple nearby, Appleby. I almost hoped it wasn’t that stupid, but that was kinda how places were named if grossly underwhelming.
“So uh… how do you go about exterminating a hive then?” I asked awkwardly, trying to pick the conversation back up.
“That’s above our pay grade,” Martrix shrugged. “We just try to slow down their growth.”
“I hear they don’t even want to exterminate them,” Petven piped up. “Let them marinate long enough, and they turn into a dungeon. That will be a gold mine for Lord Grosswin.”
I nodded, making a mental note of the name. I already knew about the dungeon thanks to a certain insider. But good to get confirmation, and to know they were a “gold mine.” I wanted to ask. But I had already asked a lot, yet they seemed happy to answer questions.
My own paranoia was becoming a problem.
“Why are dungeons so good to have?” I asked. “I mean, I know people explore them and stuff, but… how is that profitable for Lord Grosswin?”
“Because he owns it,” Martrix gave me a funny look. “Delvers might go in looking for treasure, but only with his approval.”
“I heard up north they have a toll on dungeons, is that true?” Petven asked me.
“Uh… I’m not sure, I’ve never been to one,” I scrambled to reply without really giving an answer.
He simply hummed. Was my lack of knowledge obvious? Was I showing my hand? Was I just overthinking everything? I had no idea. It was profoundly stressful.
I finished gnawing on my last bit of jerky.
Mercifully, we were getting closer and closer to Appleby. But of course, that brought a whole new issue. I had no money, I had nowhere to stay or anything to eat.
“Is there a… mercenary guild or something?” I asked weakly. “I’m not actually sure where I’ll stay here.” It sounded extraordinarily pathetic, but that wasn’t such a bad thing considering I was relying on goodwill.
“Nah, the company just puts us up in an inn for the night. Then we’re continuing on,” Kimrel replied casually.
“Are you staying in Appleby?" Martrix asked, giving me a look that I couldn’t decipher.
“Yes?” I replied. Mostly because I was not remotely in a rush for more walking.
“Well, you can probably find work as a farm hand. The apples are in season, you wouldn't have to wander off into the woods,” she offered, only teasing slightly.
“Oh yeah, good idea,” I nodded. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she muttered, nodding to herself.
Ah, shit, she was definitely onto me. Or at least suspicious. I wasn’t a bad liar by any means, or at least I didn't think so, but I was at a massive disadvantage here.
Working as a farm hand seemed as good a plan as any. Assuming I could find work. And parasitic slime willing. Candy was a factor I had to keep in mind. There was probably a doctor or something somewhere, maybe a priest? Maybe I could try to get her… removed?
Though she would figure out what was going on. And I didn’t want to know what organs she would eat first if I pissed her off. I was essentially being held hostage in my own body.
I shuddered.
And… was it weird that I was almost a bit unwilling to part with Candy?
Yes, yes, it absolutely was. But she had a sense of things from earth, it was kinda nice to just be myself with someone. Oh my god, I was losing my mind out here. If it wasn’t for Candy, I wouldn’t need to hide anything!
Though she was a reminder of all the power I had briefly had. Except without her, I could be doing the whole progression fantasy thing normally. If it wasn’t for Candy, [Protagonist’s Progression] would actually be useful.
No, I couldn’t get attached to this horrid slime. She was literally the cause of all my problems. I had to get her removed. The only problem was… how could I go about that without her catching on?
This was going to take a lot of scheming.
Maybe if I faked my death, she would leave of her own accord? How could I fake my death? That was the same issue. I couldn't ask anyone for help without Candy overhearing. She seemed to speak English or Common, whatever it was. Or at least could understand it even if she couldn’t verbally speak it. Did she speak other languages? If I learned another language, it might give me a bit of a loophole. Or maybe I could write a note?
If I subtly scribbled something on a piece of paper, she might not notice it. Could she even read? Speaking and reading were very different skills even within the same language. Maybe I could pass a note to someone asking for help. That honestly seemed like my best option, but it was definitely something to be tested with less critical information being communicated. I would have to try just asking a question to Candy by writing it on a piece of paper and seeing if she would answer it.
Still, even that half-hazard plan didn’t solve the issue of who to ask for help in the first place. Slimes being parasites seemed fairly well known, and their capacities definitely scared people. The ogre giant hadn’t been powerful enough to free me from Candy, and Gozka had made it sound like she had known what she was doing. It meant I would need to find an expert specialist.
Ah fuck. Literally none of this was simple.
“Well, thanks for the conversation and the jerky,” I smiled as we reached the village.
“Of course, no problem,” Martrix replied. “We’re staying at the Hissing Rose if you want to share an ale later.”
“Oh,” I blinked. Wait what? Share an ale? Like, get a drink or… Was I being asked out? Surely not. She was probably just being nice, offering me an option if I couldn't figure out lodging. “That would be great, but I should probably figure out where I’m staying. But I’ll drop by if I can,” I hurried to add, not wanting to seem rude.
Martrix nodded. “If not, I’m sure we’ll see you around. Maybe don’t get lost, though, next time,” she added with a wink.
I could feel myself blushing. Oh my god, maybe she was flirting. Cool… And also kinda unfortunate given the circumstances. I would have definitely taken her up on her offer if it wasn’t for… everything. Fucking Candy.
But hey, at least I had made new friends. I said my goodbyes and turned to face my next challenge.
Employment.