Chapter Twenty Four: Danger, run or hide, yet it still finds.
Looking at the mass Waynev began sneaking on the left side of the wall, entering the water slowly to avoid creating a splash. She was submerged up to her neck in the near frozen liquid.
“Another limit. Another cost. Take your time but forget naut.” Shadow whispered the short phrase, her way of giving luck Waynev noticed beginning the slow march.
The ground under her feet was mush, the only sounds heard was small splashes of water indicating movement of the other slimes.
Her sight allowed her to avoid the clumps of them, while occasionally having to wait for one to roll past her.
The majority of them were on the surface however a few had sunk to the bottom of the small lake and were idle in all movement.
Were they dead or resting?
Taking a sharp turn she slowed her movements further as two groups were on her left and right.
On water the slimes movements were swift and deadly, in a horde this large she would have moments before drowning.
She would have to teleport out instantly or be buried.
Which calmed her surprisingly enough.
Either she succeeded or she didn’t.
Worrying about it wouldn’t make any of this easier Waynev thought, her fingers going numb following her toes.
Reaching solid ground it took everything in Waynev not to jump out of the pond and start shivering wildly and start rubbing herself to try and get some of the heat back.
The ground was tough but it felt warm and alluring to Waynev, like a warm bed in an icy winter.
Almost pulling her to sleep.
But she didn’t need sleep.
She needed that slime.
Pushing herself off the ground and again resisting the urge to shiver she continued to crouch towards the burrow.
The cavern had heights relatable to the long corridors that brought her team to the party.
All of them now were waiting for her, she couldn’t fail now.
Each step of the way everything in her body told her to head back to safety, to Kresley, to her party.
Everything except for Shadow.
“We’re getting close now.” Her voice tickled her numb head.
“Keep it up, stick to the walls and we should make it.” The voice of reason was back, helpful as ever.
Something Waynev wouldn’t admit to missing if asked.
Avoiding a group of clumped together slimes near the wall Waynev was meters away from the once distant burrow.
Getting close enough to see the outlines within Waynev climbed up a few of the holes in the walls before finding one that was empty.
Making her way through the small, very claustrophobic tunnel Waynev eventually found a spark of light. Thankfully it was enough to illuminate the otherwise somber hive.
The illuminae rock hung from the ceiling within and directly below it was what looked like a human sized pool with pink cloudy liquid within, unlike the water from the lake Waynev could tell it had something thick in it.
“There it is.”
“Pink honey. Royal Slime my ass.” Shadow’s comments weren’t unfound as Waynev peered at the surroundings, the hive didn’t have bees but slimes however.
Though there was something missing.
“If that’s the royal slime, where’s the queen slime or king slime?” Searching the small hive left only small red outlines as indicators of her progress.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
It was the perfect moment to collect the contents, Waynev began shimmying down the walls avoiding the odd small bubble-figures and began approaching the target.
Getting closer she was poised to run at the first sign of danger but it was not only desolate but also quiet, too quiet.
Approaching the basin, she took out the empty potion bottle but stopped as she noticed a small horde of items behind the basin, that was a lot of loot.
Making sure to collect the honey first Waynev collects a glass and waterskin before going to the pile of loot.
From the pile, everything was balanced ontop of eachother, grabbing anything from the pile would cause it to collapse and would likely alert the slimes.
“Maybe we should just leave. Our goals been accomplished.” Shadow whispered but as Waynev looked further into the pile she noticed something that they had been missing for a while.
A map.
Looking at the other knick nacks which had some magic property or curse on them, Pill had been very specific when talking about the difference between enchanted items and cursed items.
Unless we take it to a professional we won’t know, and even touching the wrong item in some cases could be enough to trigger it.
Taking hold of the safest and perhaps least appreciated treasure there, Waynev began slowly pulling carefully as each tug the pile of loot became more and more unstable.
Until finally there was only an inch left, turning her body towards the left wall she climbed out of Waynev considered for a second, would this be a bad idea?
“Since you're going to pull it anyway. Don’t pussy out.” Waynev ignored Shadow and the vilifying scenario.
The map fulled free, Waynev could see the loot tower was on a mission to fall, scrambling to the wall she already began climbing out as the crash sounded before her and the previous calm laborious tunnel froze.
For a full second until Waynev heard the most unusual screeching any animal-No, any monster had ever made.
Like a sucked in scream all around her the cavern shuddered then moved all slowly began moving towards the nest.
“Shit.”
Looking to the water Shadow’s sight allowed her to see the massive red outline reaching for the surface and bursting through.
The screaming of the queen was so intense Waynev blacked out for a few seconds, as if the world froze but looking around at the red pulses coming closer Waynev realised there was no way out.
Not this way at least.
Turning tail her back scraped against the small tunnel back until she reached the hive, this time slimes were patrolling the main tunnel… along with a few on the other side of the wall.
Perhaps there was another way out.
Running and brushing Waynev skillfully evaded the majority of the slimes trying to catch her, with the few throwing themselves at her thankfully off-course.
As she jumped down to the surface she noticed the pillars, she was in the other cavern.
Not relaxing her guard however she turned to see the rest of the cavern before she was met with a near blinding sight.
Red filled her vision as she saw no way out, pivoting suddenly she looked to one of the pillars before calling her power.
“Tele-port.” Calling out the first half just as the slime was on her Waynev was thankful when the stone below her changed in diameter a second later.
Holding onto the surface Waynev stabilised herself before looking behind, hoping the slime hadn’t found her already.
Instead she was met with the slime surrounding the pillar and already beginning to reach the top, Waynev barely had a moment to move before jumping to the next pillar, where the slime followed!
Just as she landed the pillar lurched as if from her weight but looking down at the climbing red Waynev knew she was in trouble.
Huffing and puffing she began drawing back for a small sprint again just as the slime began to reach it’s surface-
Her form flew above the elusive form and yet it followed and followed and as Waynev jumped from pillar to pillar she couldn’t help but feel it was cheating.
How could it be this big and this fast?
Nearly falling off she held onto the next pillar for a second too long feeling a wet sensation before immediately sprinting and lunging to the next pillar.
It was catching up.
Meanwhile Pill and Vaud were chatting, relaxed at their calmest dive yet.
No monsters had shown up to attack but at the same time the only herbs to be found was the common moss the stream helped grow.
They were woken by their reverie at the sight of a young woman running their way with her arms waving.
“Vaud, Pill,” Kresley’s face pained.
“The-the slimes they… they got Waynev!” She shouted half-exhausted half-tearful.
“One second it was quiet but the next I heard a crash and before I could take a look the slimes began flowing out of the hole and I couldn’t see her and I didn’t know what to do, I’m sorry but-” Kresley was stopped as the two men stopped looking her way at the large screech coming from the second cavern.
The crew turned to it, their torches barely reached as they saw the unbelievable.
Mouths falling in tandem, they could only stare.
Waynev was alive.
But not only that she was somehow outrunning the thousands of slimes coming endlessly from behind, then as she jumped they finally saw what she was desperately running away from.
A massive slime split off from the last platform to the next, half its size but still colossus and beyond their rank.
“Holy Potev, how is she alive?” Pill couldn’t look away from the determined look on Waynev’s faced as she made it to the next pillar but she was running out.
Beginning to turn tail, Pill quickly told the others.
“Guys she may be able to outrun the queen slime, but we definitely won’t.”
“RUN!”
Already beginning to sprint Kresley and Vaud spared a look before focusing on their own feet, Waynev was full of surprises.
She could make it.
Dodging and weaving Waynev finally made it to the last pillar.
“Ready and jump!” Shadow signalled as Waynev’s next jump was more of a drop than anything.
The slime chasing her sailed above her head, she had to be fast.
Quickly picking herself up she looked ahead and her suspicions were confirmed.
The king slime was almost her size after splitting itself which meant.
It could be killed.
Turning back however Waynev could see the red blips in the distance slowly multiplying and the previous pillar’s king slime was slowly making its way to the grou-
“Noope.”
Waynev looked to the human sized slime in front of her and raced forward dodging the slime's usual midsection tackle with ease.
It was too predictable.
Her legs carried her away from the screeching until she finally saw the hole of the passage, Kresley was peering through her expression turned from hopeful to ecstatic as she turned and began jogging.
Jumping through the hole with one lunge, Waynev nearly slammed into the wall but had enough room to catch herself, kicking off said wall she quickly caught up with Kresley still with the map under her arm.
“Hey Kres-” Waynev huffed out with a grin.
“We got more than we bargained for, huh?”
“Honestly-” They turned a harsh corner, Waynev feet screeched from the sudden stop and start.
“-I don’t know how you made it out.” Kresley spared a look before they began approaching the stairwell.
Vaud and Pill were there waiting, there eyes stayed on Waynev with their expressions showing surprise.
And from the looks at the scroll under her arm, they looked pleased but also pensive.
“Waynev are you alright-”
“-did you get the royal slime or was that scroll our only loot?”
“I’m fine thanks Vaud, Pill I did get the honey but this isn’t a scroll.” Unravelling the inside out map after checking quickly for red outlines down the long hallway their eyes all fell on two spots.
One in the bottom right corner was the name M. Truevalor.
The other, was a red X painted between Dockern and Aestern.