Chapter #3A Slime. by: Unknown A rust red head popped out of the pond. Carefully looking around, the slime searched for threats. Seeing only a couple of birds and a squirrel, she climbed the rest of the way out. Standing up she stretched, her body distorting before snapping back into the shape of a slender young woman. Cautiously she walked towards the abandoned castle. Her caution was not with out cause. Once a wandering troll had caught her on the castle grounds and had smashed her with a hammer. While it hadn't really hurt, a slime's being being tied to an almost indestructible gem rather than their gelatinous outer bodies, it had forced her to spend days hiding in her pond recuperating. Frankly she didn't really need to stay at this castle. She could easily drain her pond and search for a new place to live. But she stayed here.
Slimes lived by absorbing and discharging liquids, as evidenced by the damp footprints that she left. But they could acquire a taste for other things. Some slimes loved jewels, ending up in treasuries and dragon hordes. Others became fond of paper and ink, their moist bodies becoming the bane of libraries. This particular slime loved metals. She had been minding her own business, at the river were she lived with other slimes, when someone started scooping them up into bottles. A day later and a bump in the road found her sitting outside this castle. She had found the pond to soak in and regain her strength. Then she had gone exploring. And found it. Rusted armor and tarnished swords lay scattered around the castle. At first she had only looked, wondering what they were. Then curiosity got the better of her and she put the rusted tip of a knife in her mouth. Now every piece last piece of arms in the castle gleamed and her body had turned into the color of the rust she had consumed. She loved cleaning, and loved even more the taste of a clean metal blade, or a polished breastplate.
She froze in place at the sound of heavy footsteps. Panicked she looked around for a place to hide before diving into a suit of armor, squeezing her body through the open visor. Reorienting herself, she peeped through the visor, then held very still as someone came into view.
"So how long has this castle been abandoned?" The slime heard a woman's voice coming from the boots in front of her.
"It's hard to tell," A man's voice replied. "Given that monsters tend to end up in places like these, the upkeep and decay can be fairly erratic. Some creatures have almost a compulsion to maintain their living space." The man had musical accent. "Others do the opposite and take pleasure in destroying their surroundings."
A low gruff voice spoke up. "So what has been living here."
"What ever it is, it definitely does some cleaning." The woman said. "Look at the shine on this blade." The soft rasp of metal on stone echoed through the hall. With a start, the slime sat up, completely forgetting that she was hiding. They were touching her metal!
"Look out!"
"Sorcery!"
The slime looked around, confused by the shouting. At one end of the hall she say two men, one elf and one dwarf drawing their weapons. Then she saw a human woman holding a sword. It was one of her favorites, a long bladed hand and a half sword with a hilt wrapped in bronze wire. And that woman had it. The slime thought she said something, she must have because the woman started and tossed the sword at her. While the slime juggled the sword, the human rushed her. The slime reacted. The sword hilt fell neatly into one hand. The other hand lashed out, armored knuckles smashing into the woman's brow.
"Anne!" The slime whirled around. The human's companions looked on in shock as the woman dropped cold. There was a moment of indecision as they decided wither or not to attack what they saw as an animate suit of armor Then a roar filled the castle. A roar of the kind everyone recognized. "Troll!" The dwarf yelled, "Run!"
The slime didn't want to tangle with the troll again. But at the same time, she knew would happen to the woman if she got left there.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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