POV : FORT BONE

Back in Fort Bone, Atlas enjoyed his free time playing with the baby trolls. Portilla and Crushir were growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and their little warlord outfits were starting to look too tight.

‘Didn't I just replace these?‘ Atlas thought as he watched them bounce around. He sighed. ‘Alright, time to fix this.‘

"Papa, are we getting more clothes?" Portilla asked, her bright green eyes full of excitement. Crushir bounced in place, eager as well.

"You sure are," Atlas said with a grin. He wasn't going to keep buying outfits from Paws and Claws, not with their rapid growth. Instead, he had another idea. He was sitting on a whole bunch of slime bodies and figured, ‘Why not put them to use?‘

Taking the two trolls by the hand, Atlas led them to the Forgenator. The massive machine whirred to life as they approached, and the baby trolls clapped with delight.

Atlas set up the Forgenator for its first scan of the little trolls. "Stand still, you two," he said, trying not to laugh as they fidgeted with excitement. The machine quickly captured their measurements.

"You’re gonna grow fast, so this’ll help me keep up," Atlas said, producing two slime gambesons for them. The Forgenator worked quickly, crafting custom gambesons—padded leggings and tunics that would fit comfortably under their future armor. They even came with a slime-infused stretch that would allow for some extra growth.

The trolls giggled as they tried on their new gear, and Atlas added some specially tailored pants to complete the outfits. "There, much better," he said with satisfaction. "You’re both ready for whatever comes next."

"Thank you, Papa!" Portilla squealed, spinning around in her new clothes.

Crushir gave a little nod, his serious face belying his joy.

A bonus of the Forgenator was that for just one more extra coin, Atlas selected custom tailoring for the gambesons, tweaking the design a little. Now, the baby trolls looked like they were wearing mini karate warrior outfits.

Atlas couldn’t help but grin as he stepped back to admire his handiwork. ‘Alright, that’s freaking adorable,‘ he thought, trying to maintain his usual stoic demeanor, but failing miserably.

Portilla struck a fierce pose, her mossy green skin contrasting perfectly with the outfit, while Crushir tried to imitate her but ended up wobbling a bit.

"Look, Papa! We are strong warriors now!" Portilla squealed.

Atlas chuckled. "You sure are." ‘Cute and deadly... what a combo’

Besides making them look absolutely adorable—‘and he really couldn’t help but stress the word adorable‘—the gambesons made from slime offered more than just a cute-factor. They were flame-resistant.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

‘That’s the real bonus,‘ Atlas thought. The number one thing trolls had to worry about was fire, but now, with these custom outfits, that wouldn’t be a problem.

"These will protect you from any nasty flames," Atlas said, patting Portilla’s head.

Crushir flexed his tiny arms, as if ready to take on any fire that dared to cross him. "We are strong, Papa!"

Atlas grinned. "Yeah, and now you’re fireproof too."

***

POV : CELESTIAL WAGER

After the Portal Crushers completed their raid on the Slime Dungeon, the chatter in The Celestial Wager was electric.

"The slimes lasted longer than expected," one bettor commented, still scrolling through the battle replay. "Three hours! I thought they’d crush it in half that time."

Gorvax, who had bet on a quick defeat, grunted in annoyance. "Two deaths, though. Better than nothing. They’re tougher than I thought."

"Two deaths are still two more than they usually suffer," another alien remarked, clearly not too happy with the outcome of their bets. "But it still feels like the slimes were barely putting up a fight near the end."

Meanwhile, the ever-hopeful Lurox brought up the pickled slimes again. "Nobody’s ever thought to use salt with slimes before, you know. It could revolutionize slime cuisine!" he exclaimed, still fascinated by the idea.

Virelia, floating by with a tray, smiled and shook her head. "We don’t have salted slime as a dish yet. Strange, really—nobody in the galaxy ever thought to try it." The news left Lurox pouting once again.

‘‘‘‘

POV : FORT BONE

Looking at an empty spot within Fort Bone town, Isabella and Barbara were chatting about the new restaurant.

"Can you believe it, 125 floors high?" Isabella grinned, practically bouncing in her seat. "With siege cannons on top! Atlas said it’s not just a restaurant, it’s a watchtower. He wanted to make sure we can spot trouble from miles away while we're enjoying our meals."

Barbara nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense—combining defense with leisure. Quite efficient. Though I’m more interested in how we can adapt our wasteland ingredients for the menu. We’ll have to carefully monitor for toxins and ensure nutritional integrity, especially with mutant meats and the flora we find out here."

Isabella leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Oh, I’m already ahead of you! I’ve got some ideas—like a slime and giant ant pierogi combo. I know it sounds weird, but think of it as the wasteland’s own surf and turf! And for another course, how about a mutant deer steak? Grilled to perfection!"

Barbara raised an eyebrow, a small smile on her lips. "That’s...unexpected, but it could work. The slime, if neutralized properly, would create an interesting sauce, and the mutant deer could be a strong protein base, as long as we handle its preparation with care."

"Exactly!" Isabella beamed. "You make it sound so fancy, but it’s going to be fun! With your smarts and my cooking flair, ‘Bone Appétit‘ is going to be the best—and safest—spot to eat in the wasteland!"

Barbara said, “Are you sure you want to partner up for this versus running it alone?”

“You betcha. You know I’ve always wanted my own restaurant, but running the Portal Crushers hunting teams takes a lot of my time, so a partner who also understands the joy of exploring wasteland ingredients would be a plus.”

“Well, then I shall endeavour to provide excellent research alongside you. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I got an achievement as well from the slime fight.”

Isabella was surprised by this.

“Yes, it popped up after the fight. Here look.” Barbara shared the info from her status screen.

‘‘ACHIEVEMENT ACCOMPLISHED‘‘

‘‘TITLE: Gourmet Slayer‘‘

‘You’ve discovered that slimes, much like snails, hate salt. Who knew? You annihilated one with a sprinkle, adding "seasoned killer" to your resume. Congratulations, chef. Now, if only anyone had thought to use salt before.‘

Bonus: When cooking with wasteland ingredients, food will provide bonuses.

“That’s going to be great for us!” Isabella said. She wondered what the bonuses mentioned would be.

‘‘‘