In a realm where beings of many forms coexisted, there lived a slime, a simple organism that thrived in obscurity. Its gelatinous body, resilient and self-sustaining, made it immune to predation. Most creatures ignored slimes, considering them both inedible and insignificant. Slimes posed no threat, and in fact, some animals discovered that bathing in slime, if done cautiously, could cleanse their bodies without causing harm. However, slimes became more aggressive when they detected the presence of blood.

One particular slime, which had once resided far from human settlements, found itself unexpectedly close to the walls of a burgeoning city. It was now trapped in an unusual bucket alongside several other slimes. A large creature, wearing protective gloves, had roughly scooped up the slime and dumped it into the bucket while it was contentedly consuming a patch of decaying mushrooms. While the slime was not particularly selective about its diet, those mushrooms had been particularly flavorful, and it was slightly annoyed by the interruption of its meal.

The bucket was uncomfortably warm, and the slime found itself surrounded by too many of its brethren. Slimes, however, never attempted to devour each other. There was no substance in another slime's body, and the cores of two slimes would compete for control if they merged. It was far easier for slimes to simply harden their bodies against each other and ignore each other's presence.

The bucket continued its journey, dragged across the field until several large creatures picked it up. The slime had managed to work its way to the surface of the bucket and was close to escaping, but the sudden movement disrupted its efforts. After a while, the bucket was tipped over, and the slime, along with the others, fell into a long pipe. This pipe transported them to an underground wonderland of new and exciting things to consume.

Being a slime, the creature adapted effortlessly to its new environment. For several months, it happily feasted on the strange substances it found in the underground tunnels. The food was different, resembling trash more than the rotting plants it was accustomed to, but it was still sustenance. One day, the slime stumbled upon an unusual patch of mud and gunk that glowed strangely. Despite its lack of concern for appearances, the flavor of this substance was magnificent. Whatever the gunk was, it had originated from a smaller opening in the wall and had flowed down into the tunnels, transforming everything into a culinary masterpiece. The glass and other materials dissolved at a rate that the slime had never witnessed before. And it was then that the slime heard a new and unfamiliar sound.

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The slime recognized that it was raining, as the air was heavy with moisture, and it could sense the rising water around it. While water would not typically pose a threat to a slime, this water was forceful, and the slime found itself being carried away, leaving its cherished feeding ground behind.

Eventually, the slime found itself pressed against an odd metal wire mesh. The water was pulling some of the mass around its core away from the pressure, and the slime could sense others of its kind being pulled apart as well. It wasn't overly concerned until it lost enough mass that it couldn't maintain a full body, leaving only its core behind. Surprisingly, the slime didn't die, and as the water retreated, the core fell into the muck alongside the others.

The slime's core found itself nestled between several others, and for some reason, they stuck to its core. The mass continued to grow as the core became entirely covered by other cores. It also felt like it could rebuild itself from some of their mass. Converting most of the cores, they became slime again, and the oddly shaped slime moved out of the muck.

The slime made its way back to the pipe and the strange mixture of substances and resumed eating as usual. It barely noticed when some of the larger creatures showed up again and passed it by.

Sounds carried from down the tunnel, and the slime was slightly irritated because it usually ignored such sounds, but now it seemed to pay attention. However, it didn't understand what the sounds meant.

"Oy, this grate is a bust; there are only a few broken cores left," an odd voice called out from down the tunnel.

"No worries, let's check the next one," another voice replied.

The slime gave the equivalent of a shrug; those sounds just didn't make sense, so it went back to eating. This process repeated itself for several years, with the slime consuming the refuse from this particular area, sampling various odd liquids and components. The waters would come frequently for a while, then vanish. Each time, the slime would wait for its body to be removed, fall down, and consume the other cores with its own.

Until one fateful day, another gloved hand picked it up and placed it in a jar.

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Part of a journal entry from the notes of Alchemist John Moore:

My current studies on the cores of creatures have hit a dead end.  Even though magical abilities can be shared with a tamer, the ability to transplant a core and grant humans abilities as well has failed.  I will have to find another pathway.

I did find the specimen that the sewer cleaners mentioned, an odd slime with a semi-solid core.  The remains of other cores are still stuck to it, but the creature seems just like a normal slime.  Perhaps such a simple creature could push my studies of cores to a new height, although slimes are odd given they are energy cores and have no body core like most creatures.

Perhaps I should be focused on creating a creature to merge with instead of one to implant.