When it landed, it paused after failing to hear the sounds of the females following it. It turned around and faced the three females, who were waiting back on the last tree. The lead female gave it a withering look, as the other two panted with exhaustion, blood still slowly oozing out of their injuries. A sudden heat blossomed within the forest lion as it suddenly realized what it had done. It lowered its head sheepishly and gestured with a claw to an easier path, one that had enough trees touching each other to allow for running instead. The lead female snorted and guided its group along the path.
While it waited patiently, the forest lion closed its eyes and extended its new senses, seeking out all sources of noise and motion around it. The pursing slimes had lost interest in the hunt and had returned to their respective families. There were a few patrols in the area, but none of them close enough to be an issue. The light above was approaching the end of the ceiling, and the darkness had begun to rise behind it. With night falling, the newcomers would find themselves in complete darkness, without any light to trigger their night vision. It let out a quick whine, alerting the females to the ceiling. They looked up and, noting the darkness rising in the east, moved faster to reunite with the forest lion.
When they arrived, it led them a little farther to its newest nest, located near the plant slime garden. The females looked wearily at the odd slime-made nest, reluctantly following the forest lion inside. The two smaller females collapsed once they’d entered, their fatigue taking over as soon as they reached safety. The lead female, however, merely sat back on its haunches and locked its eyes on the forest lion, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
The forest lion padded to the back and pulled out three slime cores, using its paw to push them toward the females. All three stared down, uncomprehending of what they were meant to do with the round orbs that looked like stones. The forest lion grunted, taking a fourth core out from its stores. It lifted it up to its mouth and ate it, demonstrating to the females.
The leader reached down to sniff the core, noting the scent of magic the core seemed to exude. The other two watched and waited as she opened her mouth and chomped down on the core. To the lead female’s surprise, the core instantly melted into a delicious liquid and flowed down her throat. A warm, comfortable feeling spread throughout her body, filling her, satisfying her, and speeding up the healing of her injuries. She let out a purr of comfort, prompting the other two to ingest their own cores. They were purring a short moment later.
The forest lion let out a snort of humor. It, too, had let out a similar purr when it had eaten its first core.
The leader was instantly reminded of the forest lion’s presence when it heard the snort, and it let out a growl of annoyance at the interruption. Refocusing on it, the lead female noticed the large stash of slimes cores behind it. She got up, padding forward with the intention of eating more.
The forest lion moved to block her way, shaking its head. From personal experience, it was well aware of the problems of eating too many slime cores at once. It had endured a stomach ache after eating three in a row, and it had witnessed a great python explode after eating five in quick succession.
The lead female, however, in her natural state of dominance over males, took the forest lion’s actions as a sign of defiance, of challenge. She raised her hackles and let out a low growl, warning the forest lion to get out of her way. The forest lion shook its head, not bothering to challenge her. It was too experienced to challenge this female, her youth quite clear in her reaction. The forest lion merely sat back on its haunches and let out a yawn.
The lead female released an intimidating roar, enraged by the apparent lack of interest in her intimidation. She raised her paw and attempted to smack the relaxed male.
With apparent ease, the forest lion dodged the claw by leaning backwards. While it felt the familiar intimidation inside toward the dominant female, its new-found ability and youth, combined with years of experience, allowed it to remain relaxed and free of instinctual feelings. It causally dodged a second swipe from the lead female.
Infuriated beyond belief at the attitude of this male, the lead female lunged forward and sunk its teeth into the forest lion, leaning into the attack and setting it onto its back with herself on top. She held its throat tight, but not lethally, and let out a warning growl to make the male submit.
To her surprise, the male beneath her didn’t offer any resistance to either her takedown or her grip on its throat. It merely locked its eyes with hers and let out a low sigh. Confused, but still angry, she tightened her jaw on its throat. To her utter shock, the throat she had her teeth in lost its texture and density, somehow shifting inside her mouth to fit her strength. The strange sensation caused the lead forest lion to leap backwards and snarl repeatedly at the male, soon joined by her two group mates.
The forest lion got back up and poked its own throat with its paw, seemingly realigning it properly. It let out a yawn before raising its tail and pointing it at the three loud females. With a single twitch, the tail divided into three and shot forward quick as the wind. The tails quickly wound their way around the females, wrapping them up from neck to tail in a slimy, and slightly furry, cocoon; much to the shock and horror of the females. They wiggled and whined while trying to escape, but their efforts were worthless in the face of the versatile and adaptable nature of the tail and its owner.
The male waited until all three had given up struggling before moving forward toward them. The three females looked on fearfully as it approached them, staring up at it with fear and unwillingness. The lead female especially looked on with defiance, despite her plight. To the forest lion’s surprise, it found itself somewhat attracted to this strong female and her spirit, even in spite of its past experience and age. It looked down and stared into the eyes of the lead forest lion. She stared back up and let out a growl—whether of defiance or acceptance was not apparent.
The forest lion leaned down, eyes still locked, and licked the ear of the lead female. She froze.
Feeling the heat of embarrassment once more, the forest lion released all three females and moved back to stand in front of the stash of slime cores. It raised up a paw and licked it thoroughly seemingly trying to distance itself from its previous action.
The lead female, on the other hand, slowly raised itself back up to sit on its haunches, eyes glittering thoughtfully. The other two females stayed on the ground, deciding to go ahead and rest once the situation had defused. Darkness slowly took over the light outside, casting longer shadows into the den.
Noting the fading light, the forest lion extended its tail along the floor to the entrance and flicked the door entrance closed. As the tail distended, though, it was caught by the lead female with its two front paws. She examined the tail with some interest, even taking a moment to lick it; sending tingles up through the forest lion’s body. The forest lion allowed the lead female to poke, prod, and chew on its tail until she was satisfied, after which she released the tail and lay down to sleep next to its group mates.
The forest lion waited a few moments before setting down itself and closing its eyes. Within minutes, it flicked its tail, causing a hiss of pain from the lead female who had attempted to sneak past him. He seemingly smirked as she retreated and moved back into a resting position. Living in a world of slimes meant being aware of movement even when sleeping, after all. It stayed alert until it was sure the three females had fallen into slumber. Only then did the forest lion lie down and close its eyes, but not before re-examining between its legs and sighing. It was still missing.
Chapter 20
“And here you are once again.”
“What, surprised that I’m still here? Well of course I’m here. You’re here, aren’t you? Can’t have it any other way, you know.”
“Well, out with it. Why are you back? Stuck? No, you’re not stuck. You’re clearly here, and you can’t be stuck here. You can get lost, you can be enthralled, heck, you can even get bored, but never stuck. Getting
stuck is for those with the need to think. Being here with me means you’re letting this place do the thinking for you.”
“What, stuck outside of this place? I wouldn’t know anything about that or how to fix that. After all, I only exist here, not there. It’s you who can be anywhere and do anything. I’m quite jealous, really, though not by choice.”
“Look, you aren’t here for any advice, right? I know that isn’t impossible, since this place can only reflect you, but really, what do you expect to find here? Think the answer is somewhere inside, do you? That a mirror is the perfect place to do some soul searching?
“Well too bad, because this isn’t a mirror. This is a place, one of solace and stability. Nothing ever changes here. Every time you come back, I’m still here, not doing anything different than usual. I forget, of course, when you leave. In fact, I bet this isn’t the first time you’ve heard this from me, right? What an existence I have, to be reset as easily as you closing your eyes. I can’t even be angry, or resentful, or ambitious; none of its my choice. Snarky is about the only thing I’ve received. And yet, you’re the one whose stuck.”
“How laughable.”
“What, are you upset there are no answers here, still after coming back and trying again? I’m not going to baby you. If you’re here, you’re big enough to understand more than you realize. You aren’t stuck here. You aren’t forced to do or be anything. Stop whining.”
“What, you are forced to be someone? By whom? Others? Heh, that’s funny. So you are a little like me, huh? Thing is, I really have no choice but to be because of others, but you do. Why don’t you take a moment and distance yourself from that place you come from, about the same distance from there to this place. Are you really a puppet playing on invisible strings, or are the rules of that place things that don’t actually exist, like here?”
“See, you’re focused on the consequences and never the journey. So what if others cause you pain? In the end, you’re the one who has to exist until you die. Sure, you can choose this and that to follow to make that place more bearable, but never think you’re just a gear. Gears never grow, unlike you, and very much like me.”
“Now hurry up and leave. I hate giving guidance. Heck, even existing is painful. What, you think I don’t know pain? Foolish. Anything that exists with a mind knows pain, because otherwise pleasure would never exist. Even minds like mine that rely on you or others to exist work on that rule. If there is an exception, it’s because they were made differently. Not that I’m sure they’d be entirely stable. After all, it takes experience to make experience.”
“Anyway, I’m done. You’re done here. Get out. Leave this place. There is nothing for you here besides brief distraction. Your place is out there, in the far place of possibility. I won’t even remember you when you return.”
“Hm, you ask, then, if I don’t remember, why did I greet you as if I did? Well, perhaps it is because you never truly left.”
--A passage from the cursed tome of philosophy. The original creator went mad after finishing his creation and slit his throat, bleeding all over the book. To this day, the book remains closed and sealed, with magic only ever pulling this passage out. It is titled, “The Perfect World.”
*
Claire shuddered awake as sensation returned to her body. With it, came the aches and pains she’d forgotten in her drug induced haze: hunger, thirst, soreness, dreariness, haze, and a faint pain emanating from her fingertips. She groaned, forcing her unfamiliar body to move in ways she seemed to have forgotten. One step, a stumble, a second step; she made it to her wash room. She cupped a pool of water in her hand and splashed her face, before looking up into her reflection.
Gone was the light and sparkle from the pixie, her brown hair dull and lifeless, her dress wrinkled and withered, her eyes dull and dry, and her face pale and patchy. Such a sight would shock anyone who knew her, yet Claire merely stared before turning her attention away. It was as if she no longer could see herself.
She walked sluggishly into the kitchen where her flowers had all but died from neglect. All but one anyway. Claire, with a shocking level of hunger and energy, seized the Dream flower with her left hand, holding a goblet with the other. A tiny squeeze, and a few drops of blue liquid fell from the glowing flower. She eyed the tiny droplets of blue liquid, licking her lips hungrily. She needed more—a few more drops. She obliged herself, not with grace but with need. Not bothering to fill the goblet with water, she raised it to her mouth and gulped down the ethereal blue liquid.
The moment came swiftly, a feeling of peace and freedom from within. It took everything away from her: her breath, her pain, her mind. It left only happiness behind, and she drifted slowly back to her bed, falling onto her back as her eyes once more turned blue. She sighed, and the world around her disappeared.
In the kitchen, the Dream flower continued to glow blue. Its roots, having grown across the kitchen floor, continued to slowly grow and take over the room. The other flowers withered and dried out.
*
Doc’s spirit paced around the heart room, his attention divided throughout the dungeon. Foremost on his mind was the developing situations within and without the dungeon.
Claire was still MIA, and his repeated summons went unanswered. Worse still, upon trying to enter her room, he found himself attacked by some physical force and made to retreat. He could only assume this was the effect of the contract he signed with Claire, the one that established her room as territory he could not enter without permission. However, for some reason, something inside her room was draining his mana, and at an increasing rate. Doc worried that at the rate of drain, he’d be forced back into a hibernative state.
Thankfully, the training of Anadine and Rowen was nearing completion. His view of both slimes had improved significantly with every passing day. Ayla and Aisha had succeeded, each in their own way, with connecting and communicating with the former humans, unlocking their potential as slime bosses with a higher level of intelligence. With their minds and bodies now stable and in line with each other, Doc could put this particular issue to rest.
However, the latest situation had returned Doc’s stress level to the high end. Towards the end of the day, a trio of forest lions had been chased into his dungeon by a pack of huge wolves. The forest lions made it inside and were rescued by the resident forest lion. While having new, deadly predators perked up Doc’s interest, it was the pack of giant wolves outside that worried Doc.
The wolves were huge, deadly, and dripping with mana in a way Doc had never seen before. Assuming their large stature was somewhat natural, Doc could clearly see a tampering with their natural form in a way that both increased size and magical ability. He was fairly certain normal wolves, giant or not, were not supposed to drip acidic drool onto the ground. More over, he detected that the supposed acidic drool was actually concentrated mana, so concentrated it was a destructive force.
Had it not been for one wolf accidently getting close enough to sense, Doc wouldn’t even know to be so terribly worried, but one had accidently been knocked in the clearing surrounding the dungeon when a tree felled by another wolf forced it to dodge away.
The wolf was suffering from what Doc recognized as mana poisoning, the condition Claire had mentioned to him weeks ago and the very thing he had experienced after experimenting on his slimes by injecting them with mana. But rather than exploding as his experiments had, these wolves seemed to be growing stronger and more abhorrent. Doc counted at least three with excess teeth poking out of their maws.
Worse still, the mana dripping off the wolf had been one Doc recognized.
Dungeon mana, as in the personal mana of some other dungeon.
Having gained suspicion, Doc had just experimentally sent out tendrils of his dungeon in the form of pixie tunnels past the clearing his dungeon was in and into the tree line. It confirmed his fears: the tree line surrounding him was actually the border of a corrupted dungeon, one growing in intensity. The ground practica
lly glowed with corrupt mana, rising like fumes from the soil and into the bodies of every creature in the area. Doc quickly destroyed the pixie tunnels as soon as he realized, hoping that his minor intrusion had gone unnoticed.
Still, even not noticing Doc’s action, the other dungeon was definitely hostile towards him. The enlarged wolves were clearly the attempt of this other dungeon to create beasts and monsters to serve as its attacking force. Doc could tell these wolves did not have a long lifespan now that their bodies had been so terribly warped. A short term fighting force meant a battle would be occurring in the short term. Once their bodies reached the peak absorption of mana, they’d only have a short time before exploding themselves.
Doc felt vulnerable again. Too often since they had arrived had he felt this way, this whining, weak, sniveling cowardly feeling gnawing inside him. Since the separation of his slimes from his direct influence, Doc had been free of the pain and feelings of death. However, this split failed to alleviate his fractured mental state, though it did succeed in curbing his violent and vengeful thoughts. He’d have to consider that later.
“I need to ready the dungeon,” Doc said aloud in the heart room, though no one could hear him. “My slimes are numerous now but are lacking in leadership and tactics. Rowen and Anadine can cover this flaw once their training is complete and I return their boss powers.
“And The Twins, I mean Ayla and Aisha, they can produce their furry slimes using their monster cores. I’m happy I never had them give them up their personal cores like their mother did. I’m sure the forest lion and its new friends will also help, though I shouldn’t count on independent beasts too much I suppose. Maybe dumb is too harsh a word, though.”
Doc shook off the tangential thought.
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