Adrianne’s eyes darted between passageways as she traced Mino’s trail of mana-less air.
Oie!
Adrianne’s boot lurched to a stop right as her boot stepped in a small puddle of slime goo; however, she wasn’t concerned with the sticky situation.
“How did he already—”
“Oh. A water-type wreath crystal.”
From behind, Novus’ eyes sparkled. Primarily because of the enormous, pulsating, blue crystal. The pulses lasted a few seconds as the mana in the atmosphere guided a water current inwards from a mountainside opening into another high above the ceiling like a backwards river.
If one were to look at Avalan from a bird’s eye view, one would notice a tremendous western reef with a reverse waterfall running up the tallest and only mountain on the island. Fish of all types flung up the water as giant eagles swooped in and gobbled them by the pound. Due to these hungry eagles, no player dared to climb the mountain to discover its mysteries.
On the other side of the mountain, an opening spurted tons of water in seconds as it fell into the same basin where the party had found the secret Slime Caverns entrance.
Somewhere in the middle of that process was the water wreath crystal that directed the entire odd phenomenon. Unfortunately, no one had a chance to investigate as a scream grabbed their attention.
“HELP!”
Sticky and burned traces of battle were found all around the area, courtesy of the man currently being held up by a gigantic slime arm.
Thud!
With his leg stickily grabbed, Percival slammed into the ground like a ragdoll by a gigantic slime figure at least fifteen meters tall. The gigantic slime figure wielded such strength that a single crash of its arm created tremors.
Gack!
Covered in goo, the blow was semi-cushioned as Percival was knocked unconscious but still alive. Then, suddenly, the gigantic slime figure gurgled in response to the feeling of numerous eyes gazing upon it.
BOSS Monster – Vitality Slime Colossus - Lv.8
An amalgamation of multiple threatened slimes that have melded together for survival. Primarily, these slimes live in areas with abundant water, minerals, and minimal predation. Minimal intelligence is found in these types of slime forms. The pure weight of this form limits mobility in exchange for pure destructive power.
Rank: Black Iron (Peak Tier)
Body Aspect: Black Iron 99 (99%)
Mind Aspect: Black Iron 13 (46%)
Soul Aspect: Black Iron 34 (12%)
Skills: Healing Ooze Lv.5, Slime Condensing Lv.8, Sticky Slime Lv.2, Morph Lv.8
Abilities: ???
“Getting into trouble the moment we take our eyes off him like a child.”
The mockery of Percival’s trouble-finding antics soothed Adrianne’s fear of the giant slime monstrosity. She had never seen anything like it before, and more than anything, the way it slammed down Percival frightened her. Meanwhile, Novus wasn’t anxious like Adrianne.
“Slimes truly are the best housekeepers.”
“They’re what? Hey! Wait up!”
Following Novus’ rush into the few spots without slime goo, Adrianne inched closer to the hulking Slime Colossus.
Thud!
OIE!
Shivers went down Adrianne’s spine as a sticky slime goo wave sailed past the duo. The tremors made it harder to move and only worsened as they got closer, but thankfully, the pair had a few movement tricks.
Three crimson rings appeared beneath Novus’ feet as he used them to lightly step in the air like when he had rescued Percival. Adrianne was less fortunate as she only had her Quick Movements skill and reflexes to aid her speed. Nevertheless, it didn’t take long before they were within swinging range of the Slime Colossus’ arm.
SLAM!
Mid-swing, the Slime Colossus’ arm solidified into a deeper green, and the resulting thud was more like a boulder slamming against the ground. The impact left an imprint on the ground, and both Novus and Adrianne vowed never to get hit.
“Are they making slimes with steroids now!??”
Adrianne’s complaint did little to ease her tension, and hopelessness flashed through her eyes. But then, Novus sped ahead of her, and she regained her battle clarity with a violent shake of her head.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Ptch!
Novus’ sword slashed against the Slime Colossus’ back and left behind a burning gash. Before he could celebrate, Novus hurriedly avoided a swinging arm.
Ptch! Ptch!
Adrianne’s swords slashed soon after, and the Slime Colossus had two burning wounds spreading on its leg.
In response, the Slime Colossus raised its arms high in the air and slammed down with two hardened tremors. If it could scream, it would be letting a horrendous one loose.
Tch.
However, the burning gashes didn’t seem effective as the area around the wound hardened into a darker green and sealed any raging burns from their source. Finally, the burns dwindled, and when they vanished, gurgling slime goo regenerated any wounds.
Another reason why trespassers hate slime guards so much. Regeneration powers.
Slam! Slam! Slam!
The Slime Colossus boiled with bubbles as it rained down attacks on the dodging Novus and Adrianne. With each dancing movement, the duo left burning lacerations; at the very least, the burns were dealing more damage than the Slime Colossus was healing. However, each moment was like dancing on a sword's edge.
…
“Adrianne!”
“I got it!”
As it raised from a slamming attack, Novus stepped onto the Slime Colossus’ arm. The Etched Villager’s Sword left a long streaking wound that sailed towards the head of the colossus. Meanwhile, Adrianne’s twin swords did the same on the other arm as Novus’ crimson rings helped her ascend.
The two met at the Slime Colossus’ head, where they crossed strikes at a few of the cores stashed in the Slime Colossus’ head.
Puchi!
Several cores were slashed in two as the Slime Colossus hurriedly flailed Novus and Adrianne off.
…
The Slime Colossus slammed one of its arms into a slime wave that sent the duo tumbling in sticky slime.
“Yuck!”
Adrianne was briefly distracted by the slime sticking her to the ground, and Novus rushed to burn her out.
“Focus!”
…
Novus and Adrianne’s attacks finally sent the Slime Colossus retreating as it rapidly morphed into a ball of slime goo. At the end of its transformation, it resembled a massive version of the slimes the duo had already defeated multiple times.
“Jump!”
Novus’ yell caused Adrianne to momentarily panic before she watched a crimson ring spin to her aide. In a leap of faith, Adrianne jumped and grabbed onto the ring as it hoisted her into the air.
Adrianne watched as the Slime Colossus rapidly expanded to cover the cavern floor and soak up the slime goo that had spread around the area.
When it finally reformed together, the Slime Colossus was a few meters taller, and its health showed a moderate recovery.
“This battle is going to take forever!”
“Get used to it.”
…
Finally, the Slime Colossus was at half health.
“Take that you sh—”
“Adrianne! Watch out!”
Novus was the first to notice.
The slime volume of the Slime Colossus’ arms shrunk, and the legs rapidly bulged with strength. Then, like a kangaroo, the Slime Colossus jumped up and headed down. There was no doubt an immense amount of force heading down, and Adrianne was centred in the splash zone.
She remained rooted to the ground, frozen in fear as the image of a Slime Colossus grew in her sight with each moment.
You useless—
The crimson rings that Novus used to jump in the air sent him colliding headfirst into Adrianne’s body, the result of a decision made in split seconds. Although Novus could probably think of better options, time was limited.
OIE!!!
By whatever miracle, the Slime Colossus hadn’t solidified its body, and in a blunt wave of sticky slime, Novus and Adrianne were pushed to the wall of the inner mountain area.
Sizzle. Sizzle.
Novus’ Crimson Aura wreathed the area around him and shielded Adrianne. The refreshing, burned scent pulled out Adrianne from her daze as they both coughed up blood from the blunt, gooey impact.
Warning! You are at extremely low health. A health consumable is recommended.
If I take another hit like that, I’ll be dead.
Something flickered in Novus’ eyes at the thought of death.
"Heh."
Am I truly thinking about death here? Against a puny Slime Colossus?
"Ha, haha..."
A slight chuckle and a burning madness sprung Novus’ mind into action.
Meanwhile, Adrianne felt the pain of her innards wanting to crawl out. It wasn’t until a chuckle escaped Novus’ lips that she reopened her eyes and tried to breathe again.
The first thing she saw was Novus’ arm pressed against the wall behind her, and the light of the pulsating wreath crystal behind him shadowed his appearance. However, one detail shone through the shadows: Novus’ eyes.
The unmistakable golden colour was stained like a drop of crimson paint had fallen into them. Adrianne heard a meek voice flow from her pale lips, and for the second time, she questioned her courage.
“Novus—”
“It's okay. I expected too much, too fast.”
The hopeless look in Adrianne’s eyes turned hurt as she gazed at the crimson-stained eyes revealing a disappointed look.
SLAM!
The party member Percival has died.
Unable to immediately sense Novus and Adrianne, the Slime Colossus had begun a slamming attack towards the only living thing still near its vicinity: Percival.
Still unconscious, Percival had already been on the brink of death from his earlier battle. The Slime Colossus had only sped up the inevitable.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Angry that it couldn’t find Adrianne and Novus to smash, the Slime Colossus began slamming its arms into the surrounding slime goo without restraint.
Tremors rocked the slime goo around them; however, Adrianne’s gaze remained on Novus’ eyes.
“Look.”
It was one decisive word, but it rocked Adrianne to the core.
Behind those crimson eyes were the three crimson rings that allowed Novus to step into the air. Suddenly, each of them caught on fire as the slime goo around the duo burned away. The rings connected, and the flames consuming them blossomed into each other and combined into Novus’ broad back.
In a blaze of glory, the crimson flames accumulated and burned like the unyielding resolve flickering deep within Novus.
Novus’ eyes smiled at Adrianne.
Woosh!
The steam from the evaporated slime goo was wiped away instantly as two boldly flaming wings sent Novus spiralling into the cave sky.
Adrianne covered her eyes from the rush of hot wind that pestered her eyes. When she succeeded in opening her eyes again, dozens of dazzling crimson flames shone in the cave sky like a promenade of crimson stars.
“Vyir.”
And, a crimson dragon that commanded those stars to descend.