Gi and Poe made their way around the edge of the cavern, taking out any solo slime that they found. As they did, Gi's perception sphere grew larger and larger until it was now simple for him to see into the center of the cavern. The group of red slimes had dominated. Many of them were still small but a couple were even larger than Gi after all their slime farming. As Gi and Poe finished off their latest slime, he reviewed his progress and considered the time now dwindling past five minutes.

Designation: G1

Inherited Trait: [Human Intellect]

Evolution Points: 12

Abilities

[Tackle]

[Engulf]

[Prod]

Incorporated Traits:

[Stealth]

[Swim Speed]

[Arcane Bolt]

[Gluttony]

[Twin Core]

[Light]

[Speed Boost]

[Cure]

[Iron Skin]

Poe had also devoured a few slimes, but trying to get the little slime to explain the traits he got was an exercise in futility. Still, Gi had grown fond of the flying bastard and hoped he could still be in his gang at whatever came next. Thinking of what came next, the slimes had stopped spawning awhile ago and it had been harder and harder for them to find more victims to fuel their progress. The timer continued to tick down and Gi quivered nervously. What would happen after this?

Another flash of memory came from Danna.

Danna walked into a room wearing a small black dress, a pair of high heels in her hand. The room contained a bed, TV, and a small kitchen that the dopey follower paced in front of anxiously.

"Come on, Danna, why the hell would you do that?"

She didn't seem taken aback by the pathetic follower's yelling. Instead, she crossed her arms and stood her ground. "Listen, I've told you that when I'm nervous or scared, I don’t hold back. Remember when we went to Disney and I had to go on the scariest ride even though you wouldn't come with?"

"That's different from getting in an argument with my father!"

"Somebody had to stand up to him! You've got to set better boundaries for yourself."

The follower let out a frustrated growl and continued his pacing. Danna, to her credit, was still unflustered. The man eventually sat down on the bed in the small room and rubbed his hands across his face with a big sigh. Before he could say anything further though, there was a vibrating sound and he looked at the small object in his hand- a phone. His mouth dropped open as he read. "H-he... My father just sent an apology. What?"

"See? Even he knew he was out of line!"

"But he's never apologized before... ever."

The flash of memory ended there, leaving Gi fully back in the cave with the timer ticking closer and closer to zero. What was Danna trying to tell him? Should he argue with people? Set better boundaries? Both of those sounded good to Gi, but yelling at Poe wouldn't help and he had no time or materials to build a fence. He was really struggling with her message this time, but one line stuck out to him. When I'm nervous or scared, I don’t hold back. Gi was feeling scared now about what comes next. He could just wait and see or he could push himself to accomplish the bonus objective. Was he holding himself back?

"Boss?" Poe's query came as the little guy landed beside him. "Red slime fight Big Slime."

An idea locked in his mind. Something that Danna would be proud of. He extended an appendage sort of like he was using [Prod] and patted Poe on his membrane. Come on, let's get wild.

Gi dropped into [Stealth] and crept forward toward the center of the cavern. The red slimes had moved even further to the center and were now combating a giant slime that Gi hadn't seen in the cavern before. It was roughly a grey color and it seemed like light didn't reflect off of it as it should. Dozens of appendages grew from it sporadically and bat down red slimes as they tried to [Tackle] their way in.

From the red slimes side, one of the bigger slimes flopped in the center of their lines and burst out a spray of fire from its body that appeared to heal the red slimes and keep the grey appendages from the Giant Slime at bay. Until that slime ran out of juice, they were at an impasse.

The bursts of fire made Gi’s original plan unfeasible, but it did present an even better one. The red slimes were too stupid to attempt to flank the giant slime. Thankfully, Gi was not stupid. Poe let’s head around back.

They flanked around to the backside which was relatively quiet. A few other slimes of various types were hidden behind the giant slime, but Gi had already decided that he was going all in without holding anything back. Danna style. He was very aware of the timer that was ticking down in his vision though. He only had a couple minutes left to pull this stunt.

I’m going in, Poe. Attack when I give the signal.

Poe chirped happily in response which Gi took to mean the little guy understood. Having the ability to speak without the increased intelligence to back it up seemed like a bad mix. Gi crept forward trying to get to about the halfway distance where the slimes normally become aware of him. His body rolled smoothly across the ground completely quiet as the shadows seemed to darken around him.

Before he could reach the halfway point, an appendage burst from the giant slime. Shit! Gi performed a [Tackle] away from the appendage which gave him just enough speed to dodge the oversized [Prod]. Poe! Attack, attack!

Poe swooped in from the ceiling, yelling his battlecry as he did. “Pooooooe FIGHTING!!” He smashed full force into the giant slime and three appendages erupted near the top to chase after Poe. Poe had become increasingly efficient at flying though and whether on purpose or through some instinct, he wove a path through the attacking limbs. As each of them managed to whiff him, he couldn’t get any closer to continue his assault, but neither could they hit him.

Poe chirped happily.

From the other side, Gi could see the membrane of the giant slime vibrate as blows started to be struck by assumingly the red slimes. The appendage that attacked Gi had retracted. Good work, Poe.

Gi launched himself across the space, performing a [Tackle] into the giant slime. This slime’s membrane had gotten much thicker than any other slimes that he’d fought, but Gi wouldn’t be denied. Two appendages launched from Gi’s body as he performed a flurry of [Prod]s into the giant slime’s membrane.

I feel like Goku. That odd knowledge flitted away before Gi could discover who Goku was, but it didn’t stop his furious attack. After a few seconds, he finally cracked the membrane, but it wasn’t quite broken and the giant slime finally reacted to the danger. One of the appendages that had been chasing Poe broke off and reached to slam down on him. Gi didn't have time to dodge. Two more [Prod]s and an even deeper crack echoed out from the giant slime’s membrane. He was so close.

Gi tried to start a [Tackle] to finish piercing it, but the giant appendage smashed into him. Gi flattened into the ground feeling cracks appear across his own body. The [Iron Skin] trait that he’d picked up was the only thing that saved him from being crushed right there. He reformed as fast as he could, gearing up for another [Tackle]. Meanwhile, the grey slime reached back around for another attack.

Poe flew in from the right side, crashing directly into the attacking limb. “POE. FIGHTING.”

Hell yeah, Poe! Gi finished his [Tackle] before another attack could come and his whole body slurped into the hole he’d made into the giant slime’s membrane. Immediately, the giant slime’s acid started to sizzle at his already weakened membrane, but Gi wasn’t about to give up.

Two appendages sprouted from his body and he tore through the membrane faster even than Poe could fly with his [Swim Speed] trait. From the outside, he could vaguely make out the burst of movement as the slime started striking down red slime after red slime in its panic. Each one became a little red splat as the giant slime’s desperation grew, but inside, all Gi had to contend with was the clock that had him at less than a minute and the acid that would kill him far before then.

The giant slime’s core was about the size that Gi had been when he’d first spawned. It looked like a crystal had exploded from a tiny center with various spikes and crags all across its surface. When Gi reached it, he didn’t hesitate and used [Engulf].

Using [Engulf] on the core itself drastically sped up the process of incorporating it, but this core was far bigger than his own and it resisted. He squeezed and squeezed, but each of his attempts were rebuffed. The acid continued to chip away at his membrane and he felt as one of the cracks deepened enough for a slow leak of his own fluid. He was going to die before the timer could end.

Now panicking, he compressed with all of his might, forcing every ounce of will that he had into the pressure. It wasn't enough. His mind cast about for anything that could help him and he landed on the one that had been a constant presence since he spawned.

Please, Danna, if you can hear me, help me out just this one time. I just want to win!

As though in response from Danna herself, the giant core finally cracked, shards of it breaking apart, and Gi took control over the entire thing. A rush of information and power swelled into him, immediately restoring the damage to his own membrane.

Eldritch Slime defeated!

Foreign Inherited Trait [Beyond the Veil] incorporated. Eldritch Slime's additional traits converted to 13 Evolution Points.

Exhausted, Gi collapsed into the growing puddle of the giant slime which had lost its acidity now that it died. Thanks, Danna. That was the last thought he had before the timer ticked down to one and all turned black.