The bitter cold of falling rain against my face brings me to consciousness.

My eyes creak open, and much like yesterday, I’m slammed by the symphony of aches coming from every part of my body. Without moving my head, I look down at myself, and let out a sigh of relief.

My body is all in one piece, and I don’t see any major injuries.

My main fear quashed, I close my eyes again and let the biting chill of the drizzle make me feel alive.

Chatty? Lotus quietly asks.

‘Yeah?’ I reply, my mental voice somehow hoarse.

Oh thank goodness… you're okay. She says, her relief evident. I was afraid I’d have to drag us to a medic or something.

I shoot air out of my nose in amusement at that imagery. A skinny, ragged girl, being dragged through town by tiny purple tentacles.

Finally feeling alive enough, I sit up slowly, and look around.

I’m in some decrepit back alley that probably hasn’t seen a person in decades. Dead trees grow out of the cobblestones, biting into the walls of nearby buildings. I see the only way in or out of this little area is a small gap between adjacent houses.

My eyes continuing to drift, I notice a small pile of glass shards sitting next to me. Each piece of broken glass is neatly stacked onto the rest in a small pyramid. Excited, I look at the palms of my hands.

No glass, just fading scars where the shards had been.

‘Did you take those out?’ I ask, pointing at the glass.

Anxiety trickles from my connection to Lotus. Y-yes… I didn’t want to just leave them in, they hurt real bad.

I nod, remembering she feels my pain too. …I guess it would be our pain, even if it’s my body.

‘Thank you.’

It’s no big deal! I was doing it to help myself. She says bashfully. I can’t help but smile.

My health accounted for, and nothing currently causing me pain, I raise my eyes skyward.

High in the air above me, is the ledge of the second section, where I just fell from. If someone had asked me if I could survive that fall yesterday, I’d have said no.

But apparently I’d have been lying.

‘So… How’d you do it?’ I ask, my curiosity killing me.

Oh! I just made a layer of slime above each cut, and then filled in the wound with it. Then I’d grab hold of the glass, and slowly pull it out.

I huff in amusement. ‘Not how you got the glass out, how we’re still alive.’ I clarify.

Oh! The girl says, embarrassment flooding my mind. I just made a big ball of slime around us, and let it burst when we hit the ground. It took all the force, leaving us mostly unharmed… She hesitates for a moment. We did break some bones, but I healed those too.

I nod, impressed with what she pulled off. Although I avoid thinking about how she got slime onto my bones.

A long sigh leaves me. ‘Now what?’ I ask myself more than Lotus.

Despite my question being mostly rhetorical, Lotus answers anyways. Well… we could just go out into the woods.

Almost immediately I go to firmly say no… but stop myself. With Lotus’ new slime abilities, maybe we could make it work.

‘Hey Lotus… That thing you did with the slime core, was it a one time deal?’

Lotus thinks for a moment, confusion trickling over to me. Oh! The stone I ate? No, I can do it as many times as I want.

‘Hmmm… What does it do?’

I get the main ability of the monster, or a random one from the monster’s ‘grade’ if it doesn’t have one. She explains. Although I don’t really know what a tier is.

I shake my head, not knowing either. But it doesn’t matter, we now have a way of getting stronger. I could position myself so that Lotus could get a kill with her slime, and eat the cores. Excitement starts to warm me up, fighting off the chill of the rain.

‘Hey Lotus…’ I start. ‘How far can your slime go, away from me that is?’

Lotus thinks silently again. Well… About two hand’s lengths? She answers.

I nod. That’s plenty. A bit close, and things could easily get dodgy, but it’s still longer than my knife.

Oh! But it doesn’t have a limit if I just shoot it out, like at the church! She adds. But then I can’t control it anymore.

I slap my forehead. That’s so much safer! I can climb into a tree, and just shoot wads of goo at monsters below.

My face stretches into a smile.

‘Lotus, you want to go hunting?’

────────────

‘Shit!’ I swear, jumping to the side, rolling to my feet.

A fraction of a second later, and the ground I had just been standing on erupts. Our opponent, who found me before I could get anywhere near a tree, shoots out of the ground, soaring a few feet into the air before crashing back into the ground. With its body out of the ground, I’m able to see it clearly.

A man-sized, bright red, worm writhes around on the forest floor, a circular mouth of razor sharp teeth wriggling in my direction. Small spikes adorn its tough hide, probably used to crawl through the ground quickly.

Less than a second later, and the worm shoves its head into the ground, plunging into the soil.

I glance around, looking for any sign of where the thing is, but see nothing. No disturbed earth, no rumbling, nothing.

‘Shit!’ I say again, this time angry. How am I supposed to fight this thing when it keeps going underground?

Dodge! Lotus suddenly screams. Without hesitation, I comply, throwing myself to the side once again.

For a second time, the worm shoots into the air. When it lands on the ground, it seems to look at me eyelessly, before letting out a horrible screech. Then, like clockwork, it burrows underground.

Maybe it’s annoyed too?

‘How’d you know it was coming?’ I ask Lotus.

I’m… not sure. I could just feel it getting close.

Not a super helpful answer, but I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Again!

And again I listen, dodging a third time. Like the first two attacks, the worm chews through the ground I had just been standing on… Wait.

‘It keeps attacking where I’m standing!’ I say excitedly. ‘Lotus, can you change the composition of your slime, like make it stickier, or more watery?’ I ask, the beginning of a plan forming in my head.

She doesn’t answer at first. I… I think so, but I don’t think I can make very much of it like that.

So she has a limit, can’t just make slime endlessly.

‘Alright, so I want you to make your sli—’

Dodge!

I continue my dance with the worm, leaping to the side. This time I manage to stay on my feet, not needing to go into a roll.

The worm is not happy, its red skin becoming darker. It shoves its fat body underground, like the soil is the surface of a lake.

‘Make your slime real thick, so the worm will get stuck, or at least slow down, and then put a huge amount right below us.’ I instruct.

If I do that, I can only do it once, and you’d get burned! She warns.

I nod, not too worried. She can just patch me up later.

The girl mentally sighs, her usual peppiness gone. Then I feel a tugging in my ankles, and purple slime starts to pool at my feet.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I hiss in pain, but stay where I am. Have to make sure this bastard actually hits the target.

In just a few seconds, there’s a massive dollop of goo, like someone had scooped it with a spoon, that reaches my knees. I grit my teeth, the burning getting pretty bad, when Lotus shouts.

Now!

I throw myself to the side, hopefully for the last time, but hit the ground hard as I find my feet stuck in the slime. Fear rushes through me, but I don’t get time to think as the ground under the purple lump explodes into the slime. The worm shoots into the goo, and slams into my feet, pushing me the rest of the way out.

Landing on my side, I turn my head to stare at the monster. It writhes inside the purple suspension, trying desperately to find purchase and pull itself out, but fails, its small hooks finding nothing to bite into. The red leather lining its body slowly gets lighter, turning into a shade of pink, before dissolving completely. Under the skin is green muscle, from which dark purple blood leaks out into the slime. As the muscles take their turn burning away, the creature’s thrashing starts to slow, eventually coming to a stop. I watch in horror as the last of the muscle burns away, quickly followed by the organs, and finally, the monster’s strange assortment of bones.

As the slime begins to evaporate into the air, the last of the worm vanishes, leaving nothing but a glowing red stone.

Once there’s no slime left, I hobble my way over to the circle of missing grass, and grab the monster core.

I hold it up in front of me, looking at it closely.

Unlike the slime’s core, this one is the size of a small fruit, or maybe a larger berry, and is quite lumpy. The red light coming from within is much stronger than the slime’s core, although it does have that same peaceful air about it.

‘...Is this gonna be safe to swallow?’ I ask Lotus. ‘It really seems like it’ll get lodged on the way down.’

Don’t worry! She reassures me. I can just use slime to force it down.

I frown. That doesn’t sound especially pleasant. But if it’s the only way for us to get stronger…

Before I can chicken out, I throw back the rock, and swallow. To my surprise, the core doesn’t cause any discomfort, let alone get stuck. And like last time, as soon as it hits my stomach, it gets hotter before shooting up my spine.

Ggghk… Lotus grunts.

‘You okay?’ I ask worriedly.

Y-ye-ah… She stutters. Hurts way less than last time.

I nod, remembering how she screamed with a shiver.

Suddenly, a glowing white rectangle appears in the air in front of me. The outer edge is lined with pointy, white flowers, their stems weaved together to create the lines. Inside the shape, words start to appear, much like back in the church.

Welcome New User Chatty! You have reached bond level one with your symbiote, giving you access to their menus! At this level you cannot take any actions in these menus, but it should help you understand your partner better. [Bond with Lotus the Resonant 0 -> 1]

I stare, wide eyed, at the writing before me. I can… look at Lotus’ menus?

Ohhh! That’s so helpful! She giggles happily. I wasn’t sure what some things meant, so I was gonna have to read them to you. This is so much better!

I nod, agreeing that her having to read everything out would be a pain.

‘So, how do you open your menu?’ I ask.

Before the girl can answer, the rectangle’s writing shifts.

You have consumed a [Larval Blood Worm Core] and have gained the ability [Soil Swimmer]. Additionally, you have gained 2 evolution points, which you can use to upgrade your current abilities.

Wow… That new ability sounds useless! How exactly will Lotus crawl through the ground when she’s in my head? All that pain for that?

My eyebrows furrow in anger as I kick a rock, immediately regretting it as my burns scream in pain.

Tears in my eyes, I sit on the ground.

W-what should I upgrade? Lotus asks, sounding a bit overwhelmed.

I sigh. ‘I can handle it.’ I assure her. And if I opened the menu by thinking about it, then thinking ‘upgrade’…

Just like I suspected, the words on my floating pane of light begin to rewrite themselves. They do so rapidly, taking only a second or two to finish.

Available evolution points: 2 Available upgrades:

[Excrete Slime] : You can create slime from any part of your body, and control it freely. Anti-infection 2:

1ep Healing 2:

1ep Range:

1ep Acid Strength:

1ep Ability Channel:

1ep Magic-eating Acid:

5ep Aura-eating Acid:

5ep Slime Conversion:

Locked

[Soil Swimming]: You’re an excellent digger, so proficient it’s like you swim through the ground instead of burrowing. Burrowing Speed:

1ep Stone Burrowing:

2ep Metal Burrowing:

Locked

I stare at the long list of upgrades in shock. There’s… so many options! For two seemingly low level talents… How many options will more powerful abilities have? My heart flutters excitedly.

Focus! What should we take now? Well we’re using acid as our main attack so we should upgrade it. Plus I’m almost certain soil swimming won’t actually work, since I’m not Lotus.

So that leaves five options, ignoring the ones we can’t afford. The duo of level two upgrades could be useful, but we already have them. I figure a new effect will be more useful to us right now than an improved one we already have. So that cuts it down to three.

The first, acid strength, could be useful… But we already have acid slime. So I ignore it for the same reason as the first two choices.

That leaves ability channel, and range. Range is pretty self explanatory, but its description gives me some interesting details.

Range: Your slime can be controlled 300% further. This increase decreases by half per level, to a minimum of 50%.

I rub my chin, deep in thought. So this upgrade has diminishing returns, each level getting worse than the last? …But that first level is quite a jump. Three times what we can do now… would be a bit further than I am tall! That’s… really good. Before I make any decisions, however, I check the last option.

Ability Channel: Your slime is now considered a part of your body for abilities.

I blink. Does that include soil swimming? My excitement rekindles in my chest. I have to know!

‘Lotus, could you buy the ability channel upgrade?’ I ask, trying to keep my enthusiasm out of my thoughts.

Sure! So… Upgrade… Ability… Found it! She says happily. Bought!

My face stretches into a smile.

‘Alright Lotus, now try and push your slime into the ground.’ I say.

Lotus doesn’t say anything, but I feel the now familiar tugging in my feet. The slime surrounds my feet, giving me a weird looking set of goo shoes, before pushing at the ground.

Immediately, I feel the slime start rushing out of me much faster than before.

W-whoa! Lotus shouts anxiously. Too fast!

I hear a crash nearby, and turn towards the sound. Standing at least a hundred paces away from me, sticking out of the ground, is a waving tendril of purple slime.

That’s… That’s so far! Lotus says in shock.

My smile just grows wider. Is the slime not limited by its range underground? That’s… really useful. As I stare at the small waving tendril of purple, I realize a problem.

It’s still only two hands tall.

So, the range doesn’t affect it underground, but does when it comes back out. That means… I should get more range.

I quickly explain my thoughts to Lotus, who gets really excited.

That means I can shoot spears out of the ground! She yells.

I mean… I guess, but her slime is physically pretty weak, so it for sure couldn’t stab anyone. But I keep that to myself, not wanting to ruin her fun.

I bought the range! She yells.

Slime starts rushing out of my feet again, and I see the purple tentacle grow taller. When it comes to a stop, it’s about my height.

Whoa, this is so cool! Lotus says joyfully. Hi Chatty!

Her tendril waves at me excitedly, and I can’t help but let out a strangled chuckle.

A sudden, sharp pain shoots up both of my legs, causing me to fall to the ground. I stare at my bare skin, seeing the angry red burns. I had completely forgot I was injured, too excited with Lotus’ new ability.

Guess I have some strong tunnel vision.

Chatty! Lotus yells worriedly. Are you okay?

I nod. ‘I’ll be alright, once you heal me.’

Right! The girl says, like she had forgotten. I forgot I could do that.

…I guess she did.

Get somewhere safe first. She orders, her voice suddenly authoritative, although still nervous.

I struggle to my feet, looking around at the trees around me, and then at the setting sun. A sigh slips between my lips. Where exactly is safe? My eyes drift to the west, at the tall pink crystal still visible in the distance.

I let out another sigh. Can’t go back there, probably still looking for me. So instead, I start examining the nearby trees for a hollow big enough to fit me. Thankfully it doesn’t take long, and by the time the sun sets, I’m already snuggled inside a cramped cavity inside a fallen tree.

As the dark settles on the forest, I start hearing strange sounds outside, growls, snapping of branches, and other, unidentifiable sounds. I start to shiver, both from fear and the growing cold.

I guess it’s warmer inside the town’s barrier?

My anxiety slowly grows as I lie in the wooden nook, afraid something will find me. But then I feel the gentle tugging indicative of Lotus’ slime. I watch, in the very faint light of the moon, as Lotus fills the space up with slime, stopping just under my chin. A tendril rises from the small pool of slime, and stretches itself across the log’s opening, sealing me in.

I just stare at the purple mass covering me in shock. I expected it to feel… unpleasant. But instead, it feels like… a warm hug. The cold is soon chased from my bones by the goo, and while the slime barrier probably can’t stop anything from getting in, it makes the noises outside muffled, allowing me to relax.

‘Thanks Lotus.’ I say, my heart filled with gratitude.

Of course Chatty… Goodnight.

‘Goodnight.’