Time passes by, nothing new or ground braking happens. Gizmo and I test new inventions, proving what I talk about to be truth. Magical tools that can measure non magical things. This gives him more to work on, and more to work with on his golems. He even perks up at the idea of solar panels, converting sunlight into mana. But that one seems to be a way off.
Nothing happened over the course of weeks, I got better using my voice, and my bones where still small, making them useless for now. Mana forging still didn’t yield any more results, but I guess that’d make things to easy if I got another tier up so soon.
Getting specific, my speech is now much more understandable, and more responsive. The built up muscle memory after enough use made it much easier to talk without lagging, and mouth formations much easier to form without mishaps.
I still have to plan out my bones however. I want the joints to be interlocking, and the idea of a rib cage to protect my core is very appealing The possibility of replacing the mana cage with a an enchanted ribcage also came to mind. I also have plans to fuse bones with cartilage like slime. Maybe that would be enough and I wouldn't have to form the bones in a interlocking way. Ill find out when the bones are large enough.
Gizmo had also made a point to let me know that I’m able to access the mana sail’s core room, and showed me how. It was like a pattern memory puzzle. Taps and swipes in a specific order over the surface of the door seemed to be good enough. Though I guess a lot of the magic behind the security feature was the magical fingerprint of my mana. Each persons mana apparently has its own frequency, including mine. Just to make sure everything was secure, Gizmo had even dragged a normal slime into the building and had me hold it and try to unlock the door with it.
It was odd, the slime was unresponsive to me, and didn’t try to escape my hold. It reminded me of when you hold a cat, it put up with me, but I could tell it wanted to be doing anything else. It had tried to go for Gizmo any time I had sat it down, but as soon as I picked it up, it went into a sort of idle mode. Maybe it had something to do with a being a slime monarch? But how much could you command such a simple and smooth cored being? It doesn’t even seem to react to human intention or instruction.
After that though, I had convinced Gizmo to let me keep the slime to see if anything further can be achieved. I was a slime monarch, so finding out how to command my own species seemed like a step in the right direction. So while I’m not working with it, the slime stays in my old jar.
Gizmo had returned back to the city for his arena matches a couple times since then, leaving me on my own. That leaves me with time to… explore my self. As well as figure out how to communicate with the slime. He hadn’t come back with any more gifts, but that’s not what matters. He does come back with foods and other needed provisions.
Speaking of returning from the city, he should be coming back soon. It had been about five or six weeks since I got my voice. This will have been the third time coming back from his arena sessions. I would consider passing the time with some personal entertainment, but the last thing I want is for him to come home and catch me in the act.
It does feel like it’s taking a bit longer for him to come home, but I shouldn’t worry. He hasn’t gotten into any trouble, at least anything he’s told me about. Which is next to nothing. I haven’t even been filled in on about the guys who had the forced enslavement crystal. Maybe stuff is actually happening, and he just doesn’t talk about it…
Now I’m starting to worry. But just as I start to ponder what is actually happening while Gizmo is out, I see his wagon come around the bend. I hop down from watching at the kitchen window, and sit at the front door like a dog might.
I hear knocks at the front door, and stretch myself up to look through the small port window, and see Gizmo with someone else.
“Pass-word?” I ask with a smile.
“I didn’t know we had a password.” He said with a huff. The man beside him looked confused at the interaction. At that I take the bar off of the door, and open it.
“Welcome back. I didn’t know-oh you would be bringing company.” I said pointing to the man.
“Introduce yourself.” Gizmo said, elbowing the man in the waist. As he did this, I noticed the golems working to unload the wagon.
“I am Chris lawn Elleus, High knight under the lord Jean Sen Argil. It’s a pleasure to… meet you?” he said saluting and reciting his greeting, then started trailing off as he finally looked down and seeing me.
“What’s with the look? Never see a-an talking slime?” I ask with a smile.
“I…” he started.
“Play nice Guinevere. No one has.” Gizmo sighed. At that I walked past the knight and hugged Gizmo.
“You took longer coming home. Was-is everything okay?” I ask.
“Your overlapping again. And more or less.” He said. Over lapping is what we call it when I say something that overlaps what I’m already saying. Practically saying two things at once. Solve some bugs, ten more pop out. That’s how programing works, and I guess enchanting too. It only started happening when I got more confident with talking.
“You suuuure~?” I ask fluctuating my tone in a prolonged manner.
“Yes, nothing my grand daughter need’s to worry about.” He chided.
“Okay… I’m Guinevere, talking humanoid slime.” I said turning to the knight and holding out my hand. The knight took it and shook, seemingly a little hesitant.
“He’s here to meet you actually. Lord Argil has gotten wind of my “grand daughter” and wanted to be filled in. We also have some other business to attend to. I’ll ask that you stay in the lab during that time.” Gizmo said patting me on the head.
“Oh, okay…” I say. Gizmo lead us all into the kitchen, which serves as a living room since there wasn’t any where else to stay. Signs that Gizmo rarely hosts any guests in his tower. With all of us sitting at the table the knight speaks up.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Now then, let me start with asking this. What makes you different from normal slimes?” he asks.
“I… I can list the ob-vious. The ability to think, I have feelings, I can plan.” I say counting my fingers for each point.
“And the little miss has taken after me, likes to explore enchanting, and inventing” gizmo said winking towards me somewhat subtle.
“Yea, learned ever-y thing I know from him.” I smiled playing along. Hopefully it just looked like excitement to the knight. From what I can tell, Gizmo doesn’t plan on telling him everything, so might as well play it by ear.
“I see, have you made any enchantments?” he asks. To that I pull out my eyes, and voice ring from my body and set them down on the table.
“She made those herself. Imagine my excitement when some odd one off attempts of mine spawned the possibility of something like this. She picked up on the trail of seeing magic, and sound magic, to make eyes and a voice.” Gizmo preened. Wow grandpa, your really good at taking all the credit.
“I see. Now how does a slime enchant?” he asks. I take and put my pieces back where they go so that I can answer.
“With the mana from mon-sters I eat?” I say almost questioningly.
“I see, are these enchantments any more effective than the ones made by normal means?” he asks.
“Not that I can tell. Sure the mana seems to be different, but we haven't seen how her enchants would function on magic tools. She’s only enchanted things that only she can use. I’d be hard pressed to find a way to use her voice, or eyes. Even then, have you ever asked an enchanter to work on another mages enchants?” Gizmo asks.
“I usually get cursed out and scolded. I guess it’s true that every mage has their own dialect when in comes to enchanting.” The knight replied.
“Exactly, even if I wanted to, lets say, make use of her eyes in a golem, id have to find out what channels the enchant runs information through, how its powered, how its translated….” Gizmo started.
“Okay I get it. Moving on, Why are you… Humanoid?” The knight asked.
“Because everyone else is? Grandpa has men-tioned that people might not take kindly to me-e, but I still want to try and be a person.” I replied in a way that insinuates that my reply is easy to deduct.
“But why does a slime want to be a person?” he asks.
“Why do humans and other civil beings want to be peo-ple? Why not just live as primi-tives in caves? Why try to be better?” I retort.
“Because that's what our ancestors grew out of. We have history and lessons from the past we stand on. We also have our principles that keep us from reverting to such tasteless acts and state of being.” He said.
“And I have grandpa. He’s my example for how to be.” I said pointing to the man in question. He was a slight red with a sly smile at my remark.
“Like I told you, she’s my grand daughter in all but blood.” Gizmo smiled.
“I see, so you imprinted on a human, and adapted to a state of humanization.” The knight deducted.
“As much as you imprinted on your command-er and trainers, and adapted into your role as a knight.” I shrug.
“Humans don’t-“ he started.
“Social roles and jobs are human ad-aptations. Friend-ships and professional relationships are a type of imprinting. Try and brake down what each of those thing into their basic comp-onents without the civil decorum, and you’ll see that I’m, if not correct, closer to the truth than you are.” I say. The knight was glaring daggers at me now.
“You’ll see that my granddaughter has the mind of a scholar. Coming from the perspective of a slime instead of someone raised as a human, her perspective is a little off set from ours” gizmo sighed.
“Try not to compare huamns to monsters in the future. Poeple might react poorly. It’s more of an insult than being compared to a beastkin.” The knight said.
“Beastkin? Like lizard folk, wolf folk and all that?” I ask.
“Yes Guinevere. I guess you wouldn’t have seen one yet. But they are out there.” Gizmo chimed in.
“Are there monkey beast folk?” I ask with a smile.
“No of course not.” The knight replied. I gave an evil smile to Gizmo who gulped.
“No…” Gizmo sighed.
“That’s because humans are the monkey beast folk.” I stated through an evil smile. The whole room went silent aside from the golems still working away.
“You blasted…. Humans don’t have tails!” he yelled.
“Neither do chimps, or gorillas. Five toes, five fingers. Tr-oops and trib-es are formed of many under a single undeniable ruler…” I started. Counting off the similarities on my fingers.
“Are you insinuating humans are the same as some lowly animal?!” the knight started yelling.
“What? No. I have no such thoughts about animals or peo-ple. If you think that way about them, then I guess it makes sense that you feel that way about being called a mon-key beast folk. As for me, I was a normal slime, and now I’m this. In the end we’re all made from the flesh of god.” I shrug trying to redirect the mans anger. Nothing like bringing the aspect of being creations of the divine to do so.
“What?” “What?” both ask at the same time.
“What?” I ask.
“What do you mean? Flesh of gods?” Gizmo asked. Oh boy, I think I bit off more than I can chew. Lets see what happens if I try reason my way out of this with other worldly spiritual philosophies.
“I though it was pretty obvious. Reality. The gods made it right?” I say.
“Right…”
“What did they make it out of? Anything and everything is made from the same source…” I start.
“But flesh is flesh…” the knight said.
“But is a god’s flesh the same as human flesh? They are literately a higher power, it’s almost an insult to think of them in the same frame of reference as a human…” I state realizing that I may be mind braking the two men in front of me.
“I guess living your life in a cave, you wont realize how vast the world is…” I shrug.
“Gizmo? Why is your slime spouting such ridiculousness things?” the night murmured.
“I… because she has the sage title?” Gizmo slipped, immediately looking panicked at his own words..
“She has a title?” he asked even more startled by that revelation than the previous subjects. Gizmo cringed at his reaction.
“It can’t be that big of a deal. The world doesn’t change to me because of the title. Doesn’t for you either.” I shrug, trying to downplay the revelation.
“This can change everything!” the knight says.
“No, it really doesn't. The only thing information chang-es is your perspective…”
“No… It can change everything!-“ he started again, showing an unyielding excitement.
“Action with knowl-edge changes things. Knowledge with-out action is just information.” I cut off.
“With the title of sage, I’m sure the lord would have you as a court adviser! Come back to the capital with me!” the knight half demanded with a frantic smile.
I look towards Gizmo who had a look of worry and dread plastered on his face before looking back at the knight.
“No thank you..” I replied.
“I insist.” He said grabbing my hand. I just melted it and reformed it out of his grasp.
“I’m not leaving this tower.” I state, pulling myself away from the table.
“I think it’s time you leave.” Gizmo cut in getting up.
“Not without the slime.” He replied drawing his sword. He reached out to grab my poncho, starting to drag me. I simply dissolved the back of the poncho, leaving me exposed, but out of his grasp. At this point, Gizmo put two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle, causing every golem in the tower to collect around us. I started covering myself with my arms, feeling more embarrassed than I thought I would be by the scenario.
“I think it’s time you leave.” Gizmo stated. I’ve never heard him be this hostile before, and the aura he’s emitting is rather menacing.
The knight took in his surroundings, realizing he was out numbered and sheathed his sword. He started towards the door before turning back towards us.
“The lord will hear of this, the humanoid slime with a title, that of the sage.” He said looking at me. With that however the man left. Gizmo had gotten into the chest of clothes he had gotten for me and handed me a white sun dress. I put it on and we sat in the kitchen in silence.
The golems finished their work some time ago, but we still sat there, not sure as to what we should do.
“Why did he even come?” I asked.
“To cause trouble. I was expecting something, just not this. If it could have just been the emergence of a humanoid slime… I don’t think much would have come from it. But now…” he stated.
“Will we have to fight?” I ask. He didn’t answer. Instead he just looked at me with tired eyes and got up.
“we have work to do.” He said.