Slimantha the Slime Summoner stood in Bleakfyre forest, a towering golden structure, Gold Mountain, in front of her. A large golden double door led into Gold Mountain, but Slimantha’s brown eyes were not on the door. No, her eyes were instead on a trio of skeletons sitting at a round golden table, said table beside the door. She blinked.
The skeletons sat in golden chairs spaced equally around the table. Each skeleton held a small collection of cards in its hands. Suddenly, one of the skeletons slammed one of its cards onto the table, said table shaking from the force of impact. A different skeleton slumped its shoulders, and the remaining skeleton laughed silently.
“Are they playing cards?” Latril deadpanned. The swird woman stood at the left of Slimantha.
“Looks like it,” Slimantha said before bringing her right hand to her chin. “Why does this seem so familiar?”
Rose, who stood at Slimantha’s right, blinked. The tall green-skinned plant woman glanced at Slimantha and then at the rest of their group. Black and Samuel both stood at Latril’s left with Samuel at Black’s left. As for Mitsy, the petite mimic was here too, standing at Rose’s right. Rose’s pink eyes then went back to the still-contemplating Slimantha.
“Remember those abandoned ruins?” the plant woman said.
“Abandoned ruins?” Slimantha blinked and then squeezed her eyes shut. She thought harder, her right hand still at her chin. “Abandoned ruins …”
“Remember the brick golem?” Rose said, almost in deadpan. “We fought a brick golem there.”
“Brick golem?” Slimantha opened her eyes. Said eyes lit up. “Oh, right. The brick golem.” She lowered her right hand. “I remember the brick golem. I sicced an eldritch abomination on it. Good times.” She smiled. Her eyes then went back to the three skeletons. “So these are the same three skeletons that were guarding the entrance to that place.”
Slimantha’s gaze shifted away from the card-playing skeletons and to Gold Mountain’s golden wall. A collection of golden weapons sat in the green grass, propped up against the wall. She glanced over the weapons—a sword, a shield, and a bow and quiver of arrows.
“I don’t remember them having golden weapons though,” Slimantha said. Her eyes returned to the skeletal trio. “Did they upgrade?” She then glanced at Rose, and the slime summoner’s eyes began sparkling. “Do you think the golden weapons have any cool hax?”
Rose giggled, her right hand going up to her lips. “Well”—she lowered her right hand and glanced over the golden weapons—“I suppose it’s possible, but”—Rose shrugged—“those weapons are probably just golden.”
Slimantha pouted. “But I want to see cool hax.” She bit her lower lip.
“Can you please”—Samuel slouched over—“not tempt fate by saying stuff like that? Opponents with hax—cool or not—isn’t actually a good thing, is it?” He straightened up, and his blue eyes came to the skeletal trio. All three of the skeletons turned to stare at him, their empty eye sockets boring into him. “And somehow”—Samuel sweatdropped—“I’m the one who got their attention.”
The three skeletons lowered their cards to the table. They stood and then made for the weapons lying against the wall. One took the golden sword. Another took the golden shield. The last took the golden bow, quiver, and arrows. The skeletal trio readied their weapons. The one wielding the bow aimed said weapon and loosed an arrow.
Slimantha’s brown eyes followed the incoming golden projectile. A tentacle of viscous blue whipped out from behind her and effortlessly swatted said projectile away. Slimantha pouted and crossed her arms. “I’m not seeing hax,” she said, her tone disappointed. Then she sighed, her arms lowering. Her slime tentacle batted a second golden arrow away. “I so wanted to see hax.”
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“I’ll handle them,” Samuel said and stepped forward. His right hand went to the sword sheathed at his left hip. Her drew said sword, the weapon’s gray metallic blade slipping free from its brown sheath. “This may not be the weapon the goddess had blessed me with, but it should be more than enough for these three.” He readied himself as the skeletal trio’s eye sockets turned to him once more. The bow skeleton turned its bow to him. He zipped forward.
“He’s so fast now,” Rose said in awe. Beside her, a certain mimic, Mitsy, nodded in agreement.
Slimantha’s brown eyes followed the hero as said hero maneuvered behind the bow skeleton before said skeleton could loose its arrow. Rose was right. Samuel was faster now. However, Slimantha had no trouble following the hero’s movements. She watched as Samuel took out the bow skeleton with the hilt of his sword. Her eyes followed him as he sidestepped a downward slash from the sword skeleton and then swept the skeletal monster’s legs out from beneath it. Her lips twisted into a smile. Only one skeleton, the shield skeleton, remained. She reached down to the left pocket of her brown pants and pulled out her emergency cheese sandwich. She brought it to her lips. She took a bite. Her eyes followed Samuel the Hero From Another World as she chewed.
Samuel blocked with his sword as the last skeleton bashed its shield at him. He held fast. Then he kicked his right leg out, catching the skeleton’s shield dead center. The force of the impact sent the skeletal humanoid monster toppling over in defeat. Samuel was victorious. He had defeated the skeletal trio.
“They”—Samuel slipped his sword back into its sheath—“seemed weaker than I remember.”
Slimantha returned her emergency cheese sandwich to her left pants pocket. Then she headed over to one of the three defeated skeletons. A golden bow lay beside the skeletal creature, a quiver of golden arrows at said creature’s back. She crouched down and prodded the skeleton with her right pointer finger. The skeleton did not respond. She blinked and then stood up. She glanced at the other two unmoving skeletons. Her brown eyes then went to Samuel.
“They’re fine,” the slime summoner said. “They just need to to sleep it off. They’ll be up and skeletoning again in no time.” She gave Samuel a smile.
“Actually,” Black said, stepping up to Samuel, “you’re probably just stronger.” Her black feline tail twisted around and gently stoked the hero’s right thigh, bringing a soft blush to his cheeks. “Remember that stuff that elf got you to drink. That was divine nectar. You probably got a buff from that.” She leaned a little closer to him before adding, “Its just a temporary buff though.” She pressed even closer to him and laced her hands together at his back. Her tail swished behind her. “How about a well-done kiss?” She rose up on her tiptoes. Their lips pressed together. They shared a kiss. Then they pulled away from one another, both their faces slightly red.
“So,” Slimantha said as she now stepped up to Samuel, “how strong do you think you are right now?” She stepped back, a big smile on the slime summoner’s face. “Think you can take me?”
A towering mass of viscous blue exploded upward from behind the slime summoner. Many tentacles jutted out from the horrifying mass of blue goo behind the long-haired brunette. Swirling clouds gathered above. The sunlight grew dim. Gusts of wind crashed downward. A strange vibration that could be felt in one’s very soul spread outward—spread through Bleakfyre Forest.
Slimantha sweatdropped as Samuel took on a look of fear. She frowned as the wide-eyed hero shakily backed away from her. Her shoulders slumped and the towering mass of blue goo behind her melted away. “I-I was totes going to hold back,” she said, sounding oddly small. The sky and sunlight returned to normal. The gusts of wind died down. That peculiar vibration faded away.
“That was you going to hold back?” The voice was Latril’s. The swird woman’s eyes were on the slime summoner. “No wonder you didn’t seem to be taking me all that seriously when we fought after I tried taking over Bleakfyre. Just how powerful are you anyway?”
“I’m powerful.” Slimantha’s voice still sounded small, and her eyes had a distant look to them. “I think I scared that guy I saved from a bear.” She turned to look at Latril. “Might I be a bad person?”
Latril smiled. “Come here,” the swird woman said. She placed her right arm around Slimantha when the slime summoner stepped up to her. “Look. You aren’t a bad person. You’re just overpowered as”—an expletive slipped out from between Latril’s lips—“and that can be intimidating.” She shifted around so that she now faced Slimantha, her hands at the slime summoner’s back. “Feeling better?”
Slimantha nodded and then gave Latril a kiss on the swird woman’s left cheek. “Thanks for cheering me up,” the slime summoner said before pulling away. She glanced over the rest of their party. Then her eyes went to the golden double door leading into Gold Mountain. She pointed at said golden double door with her right hand. “Let’s go save Mimi. Super special Mimi-rescue team go!”