Slimes, though seemingly simple creatures possess a surprisingly complex method of digestion not seen by many other species. Once they engulf their prey, either by trapping them in their slime or falling on them from above, the process begins almost immediately. The gelatinous body of the slime secretes powerful enzymes that break down organic matter with remarkable efficiency. These enzymes can dissolve flesh, bone, and even some metals, reducing their prey to a nutrient-rich slurry that the slime absorbs.

In the early stages of digestion, the prey is often still alive, trapped within the semi-transparent body of the slime. Struggling only hastens the process, as the movement encourages the enzymes to work faster. The prey's structure begins to disintegrate, muscles and tissues dissolving into a soupy mix. Bones and tougher materials take longer to break down, but they too eventually succumb to the slime's relentless digestion.

The absorbed nutrients are distributed throughout the slime's body, fueling its growth and regeneration. Any indigestible materials, such as large bones or metal objects, are gradually expelled and pushed to the surface of the slime until they fall away. This natural expulsion mechanism prevents the slime from becoming encumbered by waste, ensuring it remains a mobile and effective predator.

However, as slime continues to increase in size, either through hunting or through other means, the rate of digestion begins to slow considerably. In cases where larger slimes, typically classed as “greater slimes”, are observed, there have been moments where the material or sometimes even prey have been expelled. In these cases, that which the slime had consumed and expelled can range from decades-old to even centuries-old. This was the case when 10 Charcha-hawks, long believed to have gone extinct some 280 years before their discovery in the slime, were expelled from it. Currently, multiple noble houses have taken it upon themselves to reintroduce the animal to the region where they had originally lived.

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The skeleton struggled in the thick ooze as he tried desperately to pull himself from the slime but with each moment, he was pulled deeper and deeper into its mass. He could feel his left arm drifting uselessly beside him, shattered from the fall. Panic surged through him, but he forced himself to focus. He was not going to die today, not now after everything he had been through.

The slime’s enzymes began their relentless work on his skeletal frame, creating a tingling sensation that spurred him into frantic action. Leaving his arm behind, he began the slow process of moving through the slime. Moving with one arm was hard enough, moving through what was the equivalent of hardening concrete made it even harder. At a certain point, he could barely even move since the slime around him now felt like tar.

Around him were the remains of whatever the slime had eaten before. Bones of animals, humans, and some that he wasn't quite sure what they belonged to were suspended around him while various pieces of armor and weaponry were beside them. He could see the rusted and twisted remains of swords, shields, and helmets, all slowly dissolving in the gelatinous mass. As he swam, his fingers brushed against something solid and metallic. A rusted sword, half-dissolved but still sturdy enough was floating in front of him. Seeing the blade, along with the pulsing orb in the distance, an idea came into his head.

Turning to the orb, which was at least a solid 40-50 meters away, the skeleton began its arduous swim toward it. Every movement was a struggle against the thick, viscous slime, which seemed to resist his every effort. The closer he got to the orb, the more intense its pulsing became, casting eerie, shifting lights around him. The glow illuminated the grotesque scene around him, highlighting the remnants of countless unfortunate souls.

When he was only 10 meters away, his bones having atrophied somewhat, the slime seemed to sense his intent, the ooze becoming so hard that he could just barely move through it. Alongside this, the tingling grew even more and soon, some of his ribs began to snap off, dissolving into the gelatinous mass around him.

The dull numbness that now covered his whole body, the few remaining markings on his bones fading away one by one, made him more and more tired but he did not stop, not now. With another mighty push, he managed to close the distance, now only a few meters away. the glow of the magic stone was blinding as he neared, pulsing now like a heart pumping blood.

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He was so close to the stone now that he could see the hundreds of markings covering it, each one glowing with unrestrained power. He could barely look at them with the way they hurt his eyes but he pushed forward, now laying a hand on its surface. It was cold, so cold that he thought he was touching ice yet it radiated heat like it was on fire. He did not care though as he leveled himself out and placed the sword at its edge before pushing it.

For a moment, he thought that was it, it was dead and he was done…but the sword didn't go through. Even though the magic stone looked like a fleshy yet perfectly spherical orb, it did not go through. It was being pushed away by tendrils of slime. He tried again and again but it wasn't working, the slime was just too strong and kept pushing it away. He tried one final time before he felt something snap.

His Sacrum, a bone located directly in the center of his pelvis and which connects directly to his spine, had broken off, effectively cutting him in half. He began to drift away as the tingling grew more and more severe. He began to slowly drift away from the magic stone, the bubbles around him growing more and more as he did so. No like this, he thought as he tried to move but the slime was simply too hard to do so, god please not like this. Yet as he drifted away, he felt…something.

For a moment, it felt as though someone had wrapped their arms around him. Looking down, he saw white, spectral arms wrapping around his ribs. What? He thought weakly as the sound of a woman's voice whispered into his ear.

Stay strong she said as he felt himself being pushed slightly towards the stone. By now much of his bone had been eaten away, leaving him heavily decayed yet he felt no pain, only numbness.

“I-I don't know if I can,” he thought weakly as his vision began to slowly darken around the edges.

“You can, just remember the blessed words of the Night Mother.” the voice said soothingly as he felt himself being pushed toward the stone. He turned his head to see who was speaking to him yet he saw no one. Turning around, he thudded lightly against the stone. He had no idea what the voice meant, he thought he was just having a near-death hallucination to comfort himself but being by the stone again, he decided to try one final time.

Closing his eye flames, he held the sword in front of him in a stabbing position. With his eyes closed, he began to slowly repeat the words that were slowly echoing in his head. He wasn't sure what they meant but he repeated them anyway.

"Vermor…senenar thal…rilan dor thalin…verna…silun…melir…" he said, slowing down near the end as he pushed his sword forward.

Slurp.

The noise echoed around him before leading to a very deafening silence. He slowly opened his flames, no longer feeling the tingling around him. He was confused, obviously, yet when he looked down, that confusion vanished immediately.

Somehow, someway, he frankly wasn't even sure, his sword had pierced the magic stone. Black flames crackled around where he had stabbed, leading to cracks that spread throughout the whole of the stone. With each crack, more black flames spewed forth and around him, he could feel the slime around him becoming less and less thick before he felt as though he were just in water.

He began to slowly move away but even then that was not needed as he found himself being shot off the slime and onto the ground below it. He skidded against the slimy stone, breaking even more bones in the process but he did not care, he was free.

Turning around and looking at the massive slime, he began to very quickly crawl as debris and bones showered around him. Chunks of wood, metal, and even stone rained down around him and at some points almost hit him but he was able to just barely avoid them. The bones of the slime's previous victims also rained down on him, narrowly missing him as they shattered like ice on the ground. Eventually finding refuge behind a number of stone pillars, he watched as the slime died.

The magic stone rapidly shot out lights the tendrils inside flailed around wildly. As more and more cracks appeared on its surface, the black flames spread more and more. Eventually, a shrill noise began to fill the area as the stone was fully engulfed in the flames. Then, something weird happened.

Unlike the slime from before where it exploded when its stone was damaged past a certain point, the massive slime instead did something else. Its entire mass seemed to collapse inward, folding and compressing itself as the stone’s energy dwindled. In a matter of moments, the magic stone fell to the ground with a loud crack, and silence filled the room. The skeleton peeked out from behind the pillar and stared at the now lifeless stone, specks of black flame still sticking to it but rapidly going out. He stared at it for a few moments before slumping backward against the stone pillar. He felt weak and tired, the whole ordeal damm near killing and leaving him feeling drained. Without much resistance, his flames were snuffed out as he went to sleep.

It was then that the stone exploded.