Slimantha’s black shoes lightly tapped the gray brick floor of the ruins as she walked. Various bits of plant life poked up from between the floor’s bricks, and an assortment of vigorous vines clung to the gray brick walls. Overhead, various holes showed in the gray brick ceiling. It was still day, and sunlight filtered down through the ceiling’s holes.

Slimantha glanced at a white spider lily as she passed it, a smile coming to her lips. Samuel and Rose walked behind her. Rose pressed a bit closer to Samuel and fluttered her pink eyes at him. Slimantha came to a stop and stretched her arms. She yawned, a ray of sunlight shining down on her. She turned to Samuel and Rose.

“You two haven’t seen any birds, have you?” Slimantha said. She then glanced to the side and gestured to the distinct lack of birds.

Samuel blinked and then glanced about himself. “I see your point,” he said, noting the distinct lack of birds.

Now Rose took a moment to look around. Her beautiful pink eyes scanned the place, stopping on various bits of plant life. She then glanced up. “I’m not seeing any birds here,” she said.

“I see,” Slimantha said, bringing her right hand to her chin. She closed her brown eyes for a moment. Then she re-opened them. She lowered her hand. “I got it! The birds must be hiding!”

Samuel facepalmed. “No, I don’t think you got it,” he said. He then glanced about again. “I think the birds just aren’t here.” He looked at Slimantha, his blue eyes meeting her brown eyes. “Could the info have been wrong?”

Slimantha pulled the map out from her right pocket. Her brown eyes went to it. “No, this is the place,” she said. “The slime said there were lots of birds, so,” she glanced around, “where are they?” She hung her head and then put the map back into her right pocket.

Rose stepped up to Slimantha and smiled. The tall plant woman’s pink eyes met Slimantha’s brown eyes. “Maybe the birds already left,” Rose said.

“That’s probably right,” Slimantha said. She turned away from Rose and looked deeper into the ruins. “Let’s continue on.” The soft tapping of her black shoes on gray brick recommenced as she led the group deeper into the ruins.

Her lips twisted into a huge smile as she came to a stop in front of a round well constructed of gray bricks. A few vines bearing small pink blooms crept along the outer sides of the well. “See,” she said, gesturing excitedly to the well. “This is so the right place. The info so wasn’t wrong.” She placed her hands on the well’s rim and peered down into it. She couldn’t see the bottom.

Samuel stepped up beside Slimantha and peered in too. He squinted his blue eyes. “I can’t see the bottom,” he said. “Maybe we should just ignore the well.” He and Slimantha both pulled away from the well.

Slimantha looked at Samuel, her brown eyes meeting his blue eyes. “No, we just cannot ignore it,” she said. Her eyes went back to the well. “It is a well. There has to be something important in it.” She made to climb up the side of the well but then stopped. The color drained from her face.

“Is something wrong?” Samuel said. His blue eyes were on Slimantha.

“What,” Slimantha shakily turned to Samuel, “if it is a bone-eater well?”

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Samuel blinked. His face went blank. “Bone-eater well?”

Slimantha glanced at the well nervously. Her brown eyes then went back to Samuel. “Think, Samuel! Think!” She clasped her hands together cutely. “What if this well hungers for bones?! What if it hungers for our bones?!”

“Is that,” Samuel blinked again, “even a thing?”

“Well, what if it is?” Slimantha crossed her arms. She then glanced at the well, which may or may not hunger for her bones. “I’ll send a slime in. They don’t have bones.” She extended her right hand in front of her, and a ball of viscous blue, a slime, materialized on the gray brick floor. The newly summoned slime looked up at her, its body jiggling a bit. She smiled at it and then pointed at the well. “You know what to do.” The slime nodded and then bounced up and into the well.

She peered over the rim of the well again, peering down into the dark depths of the well. A wet-sounding plop drifted up from the depths of the well. “You OK down there?!” she said, leaning a bit further over the edge. “I see! So just an ax?!” More plopping sounds drifted up. “Bring it up!”

She pulled away from the well. Her brown eyes sparkled and were fixated on the well with interest. A series of plops sounded, and then the slime bounced up and out of the well, carrying a golden ax with it. It presented the ax to Slimantha.

Slimantha the Slime Summoner shifted the two-handed ax in her grip. She wore a small smile on her face. Her brown eyes went to Samuel. “Check it out,” she said. She gave the ax a test swing. “This weapon is totes cool. Don’t know if it is magic or not, but you want it?”

“You’d look so cool with that weapon,” Rose said, stepping closer to Samuel. She fluttered her beautiful pink eyes at the hero.

Samuel looked from Rose to Slimantha. “Actually, I just want the magic sword the goddess blessed me with,” he said. “Cool or not, that thing is most certainly not it.”

“I see,” Slimantha said, her eyes going to the attractive golden ax. “Back into the well it goes then.” She tossed it back into the well. “RIP ax.” Various clinks drifting up from the well’s depths as the ax fell back to the bottom. Her eyes then returned to the slime she had previously sent into the well. “Go scout this place. Remember we are looking for a magic sword.” She pointed to the side. “Now go.” The slime bounded off. Her brown eyes then went to Samuel and Rose. “Let’s take a break while the slime does its thing.” She smiled and plopped down on the well’s rim.

“Aren’t you worried that well is going to try to eat your bones or something?” Samuel said, his blue eyes on Slimantha.

“Obviously, it can’t eat your bones if you don’t actually go in it.” Slimantha pointed at her head with both her hands. “Think, Samuel! Think!”

Samuel laughed. “I guess that makes sense,” he said. He took a seat at Slimantha’s left. Rose then sat at his left.

Slimantha smiled, glancing at Samuel and Rose. She then reached into her left pocket and pulled out a cheese sandwich. She brought the sandwich up to her lips and took a bite. She chewed and then swallowed. Her brown eyes then went back to Samuel and Rose. “You guys want a bite?” she said.

“Sure,” Rose said. The sandwich was handed across Samuel to Rose.

Samuel’s blue eyes followed the sandwich as it passed him, reached Rose, and then made its way up to Rose’s lips. He watched as the green-skinned woman took a bite. “Why not? I’ll have a bite too,” he said. Rose smiled at him and handed him the partially eaten cheese sandwich. Holding it firmly, he brought it to his lips and took a bite. He chewed and then swallowed. He looked at Slimantha and handed her the sandwich back. “You know? This was kind of an indirect kiss.”

Slimantha froze, and then her brown eyes went to Samuel. “You know?” she said. “That is right. You totes just kissed Rose.” She smiled a huge smile and then returned the cheese sandwich to her left pocket.

Now Samuel froze. At his left, Rose pressed closer to him. Slimantha glanced at the two of them, and then her brown eyes went to a bouncy ball of blue. Her slime had returned from scouting.