Dorin led us through the streets as they slowly began to fill with monsters. The shamblers added to their own numbers with every civilian they took down, and it was quickly apparent that there was little we could do for them. Until a cure was found—if a cure was found—we had no way of helping the fallen.
We kept to the shadows of back alleys, only risking our luck in the open when we had no alternative. Dorin took the lead, with Samri right behind him. Samara was in the middle, leaving Tanev and I to bring up the rear. The little girl clutched me in trembling hands, just as she’d done the day we’d met.
My core pulsed gently, and I willed the warmth of my mana to reach her. It wasn’t enough for a Soothing Touch, but I hoped that it would be enough to ease her fears. Between me and Dorin, she was in good hands…even though I had none.
With each step, the ashen colors in the air grew thicker. The fires had spread, making Tanev cough from the ash, and so, too, had the decay. It was as if each shambler born spread the decay further, like a disease that infected the air as much as those who breathed it. I made a note to check all the survivors for signs of decay after they were safe. Breathing in this much couldn’t possibly be good for their health.
“Just around this corner!” Dorin whispered. “My forge is on the other side of the street.”
Between us and the far side, three shamblers stumbled in the open. Dorin took the bolt from Samara’s crossbow and breathed flames onto the end before slotting it back into the weapon.
“Samri, you and I will get the one on the left, Samara shoot the one in the middle, and Tanev get Suri close enough to get the one on the right.”
Both of the children grinned, happy to be a part of the battle. Dorin shot me a look and I wobbled affirmation. I would not let Tanev come to any harm, certainly not from small, human shamblers. They weren’t even tall enough to touch the roof eaves, let alone squish a slime like me.
On Dorin’s count, we leapt from our hiding place. Samara’s arrow flew first, shooting past the rest of us. It buried itself to the fletching in the monster’s arm, but not before the flames ignited its frayed clothes. It screeched in agony as its flesh burned. The other two shamblers turned their heads toward us.
“Go get ‘em, Greenbean!” Tanev cried, running out and dropping me at the feet of one before retreating several paces back.
Much as I wanted to wiggle my slime in exasperation at the nickname, the shambler eyed her instead of me. It rushed forward, and I easily latched on. With each step, I dissolved another piece of it, starting with its feet, then knees, then its waist. By the time it was close enough to touch Tanev, it was reduced to a crawling set of shoulders and arms. She took one step back, and that was too much for it. It clawed at air before I engulfed its hands and head, erasing it entirely.
“Do they taste good to you?” Tanev wondered.
“Not particularly,” I answered. “The rocks at High Ridge taste better.”
She tilted her head to the side and rubbed her chin. “You eat rocks? Like, real rocks? Or the stale bread pieces in a rock salad?”
“Just rocks.” To prove my point, I let my slime dissolve the cobblestones beneath me, leaving behind a flattened surface.
She just nodded in excitement, making her pigtails swing behind her. “I’ll make you a rock salad with real rocks when we get home.”
That was…sweet? Or at least, I thought it was. She picked me up and squeezed me. It was hard to tell if she was excited or if, perhaps, she was related to serpents in the same way Dorin was related to a dragon. Her constrictor tendencies put her well ahead of the curve for many species of grapplers.
The final shambler fell to Samri’s blade. A gash across its legs and a charred section of flesh across its chest indicated that Dorin had disabled it before letting his son deal the final blow. Samri hopped around his father.
“Can you show me how to breathe fire like that?” he asked.
Dorin gave a rare smile. “We’ll see, little dragon.”
Footsteps pounded on the cobblestones accompanied by the shifting of chain mail. A moment later, Mattis appeared with another guard, followed by a dozen refugees. A mother clutched a child while another clung to her skirts. Two men held hammers like weapons as they brought up the rear of the group. Each face looked haggard and dirty.
“Master Ironclaw, sir!” Mattis shouted. “We brought as many as we could find, and more should be in your forge.”
No one questioned it as Dorin and I ushered the weaker humans towards the temporary sanctuary. Several more groups of survivors already waited, cramming together on the steps under the eaves of the forge. Even more waited on the street in groups while the guards defended the block from shamblers. We joined them, as we all waited for the last of the guards to arrive with their groups. The refugees looked up as we approached, unsure what to make of the two monsters leading their frantic flight from the town. Some recognized Dorin and relaxed, while others eyed his horns and scales warily.
One mother screamed when I hopped out of Tanev’s arms, but I ignored her. What did I care if humans were afraid of me? They answered to Dorin, not to me. By being his ally, I was perfectly safe from harm. At least, that was the idea; one that was swiftly disproven when a bundle of straw slammed into my top membrane.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Ouch!” I cried. “What gives?!”
“Begone, foul monster! We have enough trouble without you.”
In an instant, I engulfed the straw before surging up the attached handle. If they thought a broom would be enough to harm me, then they were even more foolish than I thought. Even a lesser slime would know better than to try attacking me at their level. The woman holding the broom yelped and dropped the object, leaving me to consume it entirely.
[Consume Man-made tools/weapons: 3/5]
“If you want to keep throwing tools my way, I don’t mind,” I said. “I could use them to evolve.”
I’d hoped that my nonchalant reaction would have been enough to prove that the weapon had been completely ineffective, but the woman apparently didn’t learn. She took a hammer, one which presumably belonged to Dorin given that it was from his forge, and threw it at me. Not only was her aim atrocious and the object landed right in front of me instead of actually hitting me, but I took the liberty of consuming it as well.
Consume Man-made tools/weapons: 4/5
“Stop!” Tanev cried, putting herself between me and the crazy woman who was reaching for another weapon.
Before she could throw anything else, Dorin’s hand caught on her wrist. I slid under Tanev, putting myself in front so the determined little girl wouldn’t actually be in harm’s way.
“Mrs. Malsory,” he growled. “Take care what you throw. Both my friend and my child are in your line of fire.”
“Friend?” she cried in a shrill voice that made several of the humans flinch. “Of course you would call it a friend! You’re a monster! Unhand me!”
Dorin released her from his grip but never took his eyes off her. “Mrs. Malsory, I’m your neighbor. My family has owned the house next to yours for over sixty years.”
“And yet, you have horns like a common ox. If Captain Ultyr were here he’d—”
“Captain Ultyr is dead,” Dorin interrupted, raising shocked whispers from the survivors. “He died by the hand of a giant shambler. The very same, in fact, that Suri defeated a few minutes later.”
“Its core was lackluster, but it was filling, I suppose,” I added, flip-flopping part of my upper membrane. “You know, I thought herd animals like humans were supposed to be good at working together or something like that. Guess my information was incorrect, as I’ve only seen them cower and bite the pod that feeds them.”
Was it harsh? Yes. Was it undeserved? Mostly. The woman, Mrs. Malsory or whatever her name was, deserved every word for her derisive actions. Eyes drooped to the ground as shame filled the small forge.
I softened my voice and wobbled in a way I hoped the humans would find silly. “Now, you’re all scared of being eaten. I get that. It’s the number one fear of a slime, you know. My kind die from being eaten by other slimes more than to any other cause. But, unlike my kind, you can face it as a group. This town was once a sanctuary, but now it’s a death trap. If you want to live, you need to work together to flee. Fighting me and Dorin only wastes time and resources, especially since we only want to help you.”
Just as I finished, two more groups arrived. Mattis did a head count, before saluting to Dorin.
“Master Ironclaw, sir. The guards you instructed have all returned with the survivors they could find. There are seventy-six adults and thirty-five children, for a total of a hundred and eleven, including you and your family.”
“Thank you, Mattis.” Dorin took a deep breath and raised his voice for all the survivors to hear. “Listen up! We’re going to take shelter at a safe place in the forest. Keep an eye on the children and stick together. We don’t want to be picked off by these beasts. Do that, and we’ll have warm, safe campfires before you know it. Guards take the rear and call if you need anything. Suri and I will take the lead.”
I hopped to Dorin and climbed to his shoulder while the humans picked up their scarce belongings and stood.
“Do you think they listened to my speech?” I asked him. “I don’t think I’ve said so many words at once.”
“Not unless it had to do with rock properties,” he said dryly. “But I think you got a few of them to rethink their stance, at least temporarily. We’ll just have to see if it was enough for them to follow us into another den of monsters.”
With the survivors in tow, Dorin and I made our way through the streets. He said we were going south, but the sun’s heat had long-since vanished from my senses. Cold winds carried the town’s embers, and I was sure that the fire was spreading somewhere.
Where the shamblers haunted the streets, we exterminated every one. Dorin took Samara’s crossbow and began shooting those further afield while closer ones were dissolved in my slime. The guards worked together in the rear to take down any who snuck up behind, and only called for Dorin’s aid once during the trip to the walls.
The stretch of wall Dorin chose was tucked between two larger towers. It had neither gate nor door, which caused considerable confusion to the humans.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t we going to the south gate?” Mrs. Malsory cried in her sharp voice.
“The gates are likely overrun with monsters. Any guards who still remain will soon flee and hopefully will follow our tracks into the forest,” Dorin explained. “There are fewer shamblers between the gates, which makes them the better escape way.”
“Escape way? How do you figure that? Do you expect us to climb them and jump? None of the children and few of the adults will be able to make that!” she shouted.
“Why bother going over when you can go through?” I asked. Rather than wait for an answer, I hopped to the wall and shoved myself into a crack between the stones.
“Oh yes. How helpful. Unfortunately, humans cannot contort into the space of a flea.”
“Quiet,” Dorin growled.
I went back to work. The soft and sandy stone fell away under my touch. Each rock that dissolved widened the crack until it was a rather sizeable hole. Unlike the last one, this entry was as tall as Samri, and wide enough that Dorin could fit through without issue.
“Ready to break the enchantment when you’re ready, Dorin,” I reported once I was finished. He nodded, brandishing his axe.
Mana rippled down my pseudopod as I pressed it to the shimmering mana that coated the outside of the walls. It shattered immediately, and I greedily ate the pieces.
[Enchantment consumed:
Defensive enchantment: 3/5
Evolution requirement progressed:
Consume Human Defenses: 3/3
Evolution details revealed
Evolution path: Apocalypse Slime, Tier 3
Requirements:
Consume Child’s Toy: completed
Consume Man-made tools/weapons: 4/5
Consume Human Body: completed
Consume human defenses: completed
Cause a cataclysmic disaster: completed]
