Alix breathed a sigh of relief when he found the job still posted to the board, although he wasn’t surprised that it was still there. It didn’t pay much, but it was worth more to Alix now than just the monetary reward. He pulled the job from the board, passed it over to Dilbert to get stamped, quickly changed into proper travelling gear, and then headed out, eager to get started on the job as soon as possible, as it was unlikely that he would make it back to the city before nightfall, if he even made it back today at all. He read over the job again as he made his way down the rings of the city.

Job: Open

My mine is infested with Metal Slimes, which has forced me to pause operations. I need them cleared out so I can get back to work. Location is the Tonk Mine, a league east of Galdea.

Reward: A warm meal daily for as long as it takes to complete the job, a lifetime discount of 15% on all ores and minerals sold by the Tonk Mining Company, and various uncut gems valued at two hundred gold in cut form.

~ Borel Tonk - Mining Guild #381

For anyone else, the job would be considered pretty poor. For the time it would take to complete, the average adventurer could earn a lot more than the miner was offering, which amounted to nothing more than a hot meal. The discount on their wares was useless to them as they were adventurers, not merchants, and uncut gems were worth a fraction of what they were worth cut. At best they could be sold for a few gold coins to the right buyer, which wasn’t enough to justify the trek out to the mine. That was after a day spent underground fighting an unknown number of slimes, which Alix had heard most thought of as ranging from unpleasant to mind-numbingly boring.

For Alix, the uncut gems were merely a bonus, something to give him an excuse to use his lapidary skill. If he was lucky, Borel Tonk would have some Osmiridium for sale that he could get a decent discount on. The meals were negligible. It was what he could harvest from the metal slimes that drew his attention and made the whole thing worthwhile. Whatever loot he was able to gather from fighting them would be his to keep.

By the time he reached the towering main gate that led out of Galdea’s defensive wall, festooned with guard towers and battlements, it was approaching late afternoon, and Alix realised that there would be no chance to complete the job and return before nightfall. It wasn’t a problem for him, as the weather was pleasant and he carried enough supplies in his inventory to live comfortably out on the road. They included stores of food and drink, a spacious tent, several changes of clothes and footwear, and a warm bed.

The dust filled air of the Warehouse District was quickly replaced by the clean meadow air as he made his way across the bridge and out into the countryside. Alix felt a weight he hadn’t realised he was carrying lift as Galdea fell away behind him. Every moment in the city he was tense, worried that he would somehow be unmasked. The ring told him that none of the Galdean’s should be able to do anything to harm him, but he didn’t want to test the depths of what they could make him endure.

It would have been simple to turn and walk towards the mountains, back to the keep, leave the guilds and all their drama behind, but he found he was truly enjoying himself for the first time since arriving in Babyl. He felt like he had more of a purpose other than just to die for the Terminus Ritual. Although he missed Tifayn’s company terribly and he wanted to spend time with his daughter, he respected that she knew what was best for a demon child, and he hoped to return before too long. He couldn’t spend the rest of his time adventuring, no matter how appealing it sounded. Already he was beginning to forget that he had other commitments.

What is it that I actually want to achieve here? Alix contemplated as he walked. I need to get back to the keep eventually. Maybe after I’ve ranked up a bit. I hope Faisal isn’t causing any trouble.

It took Alix a couple of hours to reach the Tonk mine. The farmlands around Galdea were extensive but they were soon replaced by rocky hills. Luckily the road was well built, to handle all the traffic of ore and minerals that presumably was supposed to be flowing out of the place, so it was easy enough to follow it to its source.

The scars of the mining operation were visible long before he came upon the group of buildings that stood a short distance away from the mines entrance. One appeared to be a house, while another looked more like a small guildhall, while the last looked like a large warehouse. They were all stout buildings carved from tight fitting blocks. The mine itself was a bowl carved into the side of the mountain, stepped sides signs that some surface mining had once been done, but it looked like most of the activity was now confined to underground mining, as the entrance was heavily fortified, with a large gate, although as Alix drew closer, he noticed the gate currently had a massive tear through wide enough that he could have walked through it.

What kind of a slime can tear metal like that? Alix wondered. I thought slimes were barely more than blobs of jelly.

Before he could ponder further, a voice called out to him.

“What business do you have here boy?” a man called from the doorway of the nearby house.

“I’m from the Adventurer’s Guild. I’m here about the job that was posted,” Alix replied.

“About time one of you answered. I’ve been shut down for weeks.” Text above the man read Borel Tonk, Lv. 42, Miner.

What do you expect when the reward isn’t worth the cost of the commute?

“Is there anything else you can tell me about what the problem is?”

“Not much to tell. Woke up one morning and the mine door had that massive gash in it. I sent some workers in to investigate and something chased them out. Only thing they could tell me for sure was that there were some metal slimes in there. Well, good luck.” Borel Tonk stepped back inside and closed the door before Alix could ask any further questions, of which he had plenty.

Is he trying to say a slime made that hole in the door? Alix wondered if anyone else had shown up to attempt the job and given up as soon as they saw the place. It was no wonder the job had been there for so long. Just by looking at the condition of the door, the job should have paid out four to five times the amount. Remember, you aren’t here for anything other than the Quicksilver.

Without any idea of what was waiting for him, or where exactly he was supposed to look, Alix headed down through the open quarry to the mine entrance.

A sharply metallic breeze blew out of the gash in the door. It was roughly double his height, and cut clean through the solid metal door. Up close, he saw that the door had to be at least five inches thick. How could a slime have carved through such a thick door?

I didn’t think Metal Slimes were this powerful, Alix mentioned to the ring.

Slimes in general are not this powerful, but not all of them are as simple as everyone thinks. I am curious to see what did this.

You’re curious? I’m worried whatever is in there is going to bring the mountain down on me.

Alix slipped through the crack in the door and entered the dark mine. He pulled a self-igniting torch from his inventory, an item he had purchased from the Adventurers Guild that he had been looking forward to trying. It came with a tab that once pulled would ignite the torch. He gripped the end of the string, pulled, and in a shower of sparks the torch burst into flames.

In an instant the mine was illuminated. There was no sign as to what had torn a hole in the door, or of any Metal Slimes. The inside of the mine was easily traversed from years of work. Tracks littered the floor, heading off into the darkness, with the occasional mine cart sitting idle. Some were full, some were empty, abandoned on the day the slimes invaded the place. He couldn’t help but notice that the ground seemed to be remarkably clean for a mine.

At first there was only one path to take, but after a short walk the path began to branch, tracks heading off further into different parts of the mine. The walls glittered with trace elements of whatever it was Tonk mined here. Alix had expected to see ore littered in corners and rough gemstones embedded in the walls but everywhere was unnaturally clean.

Alix took turns at random, walking until he reached dead ends, or the passages became too confining to walk down, when they changed from well worked paths to rough cut shafts. He ended up always returning to the largest central shaft that led gently downwards into the mountain.

Alix guessed that he walked for an hour before he finally found a Metal Slime. His torch had been burning low, its hour burn time about to run out. He pulled a fresh torch from his inventory, lit it, and the flames illuminated further down the path than the dregs of the previous one had been able to. Just on the edge of the shadows, a lustrous orb on the ground reflected back the flame.

Metal Slime. Lv. 2.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Finally,” Alix said quietly, unsure if the slime was even able to hear or not. They didn’t have ears, but he had encountered weirder things during his time in Babyl than a ball of metal that was able to hear.

Alix drew his sword and advanced on the slime. It didn’t move at his approach, or when Alix raised his sword. When he pierced the slime with his blade, it burst with a puff of metallic dust, leaving behind a silver puddle, which Alix quickly absorbed into his inventory.

* Obtained 10 Quicksilver.

“NOOOO!” a cry screamed out from deeper in the mine. Then a towering mass of metal sped out of the darkness, a shape that looked like a beast of legend armoured in blades and spikes.

Alix barely had time to wildly swing his sword to deflect the creatures swift blow. It didn’t carry any weapons, instead using its entire body as a weapon to beat at him. He expected to be pummelled into the ground, but his sword sliced through the swinging metal appendages as easily as it had the slime. With another cry, a shower of Quicksilver fell to the ground. Alix quickly absorbed the precious metal as the creature stumbled back, grasping the severed stump where an arm had been.

This had to be the creature that had rent a hole in the mine door. Alix couldn’t believe the cheek of Borel Tonk offering a reward that amounted to no more than some near worthless uncut gems and whatever he decided to class as a warm meal, when the truth was so much worse.

What is this thing? Alix asked the ring. It was the first time his analysis skill had failed to identify something. All he saw was Slime Construct ???

Watch out where you poke your sword, I think there’s something else within the slimes.

Is it using the metal slimes as armour?

Something like that. Individually they are weak, but as a mass they present a greater danger.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Alix called as the slime construct amassed itself for another charge. Already metal slime was flowing across its body to reform a new arm. “I just needed some Quicksilver. I have what I need already. If you leave this mine peacefully, I won’t hurt you.”

The slime construct froze for a moment, although liquid still rippled across its surface like a strong wind over a lake. Alix couldn’t tell if it had understood him or not. He held his sword before him defensively as he backed up the passage, hoping to lure the construct to the exit.

All at once the rippling metal moved like a tidal wave, stretching to fill the width of the mine, screaming a sound like metal being twisted to breaking point, a sound that grated on his nerves like fire. Alix turned and ran.

The slime construct chased after him, screeching with every fluid step. There was nothing human about the noise. Every time it paused as if to turn and retreat back into the mine, Alix was forced to advance on it again and slash at it, making sure not to cut too deep. No matter how careful he tried to be, the creature still screamed out as if in deep anguish at every cut.

Once he reached about half way back to the exit, retreading his steps much faster in his flight, the creature stopped, as if unwilling to go any further.

“You are making this difficult for the both of us. If you will just leave peacefully, I will put down my sword,” Alix called out, unsure if the thing could even understand him.

With another scream, an explosion of rage, the metal wave rushed forward.

Alix raised his sword to strike again, but at the last moment he dashed to the side and slashed at the outer edge of the slime wall, then slipped through the sudden opening, dragged his sword across its rear, then slashed at the other side and jumped back around. Quicksilver rained down and he absorbed it before it could land all over him. He didn’t want to test if the potions here could heal mercury poisoning or not.

Instead of an outburst of rage like before, the slime construct was deathly silent for a few moments. The rippling vanished. Suddenly all the liquid metal dropped to the ground. Amongst the floor of Quicksilver, stood a very naked girl. Or at least that’s what she appeared to be at first.

Rising out of the puddles of mercury, the girl was all shapely curves, but her skin appeared light blue and slick, like glass, or gloss paint. Or Slime. Adding to the otherworldly look of the girl was the fact that her body was smooth and featureless, like she was wearing a skintight rubber bodysuit. Her eyes, liquid blue, glared at him from under hair that was the same shade as her skin. It hung heavily down her back as if it was wet. It was hard to tell if it was individual strands or one solid mass.

“Murderer!” she screamed at him.

“What? I didn’t kill anyone. I’m just here to do a job. You aren’t supposed to be in here.”

“You killed my children!”

“Your children? Those slimes were your kids? How was I supposed to know?”

“They were a part of me and yet separate. When you attacked them, I felt their pain. You didn’t have to be so mean.”

“I did ask you to leave nicely.”

“We don’t want to leave,” the slime girl replied, pouting.

“Well that’s too bad. This isn’t your mine and one way or another, you are going to leave. I told you I wouldn’t hurt you if you left peacefully. You can’t blame this all on me.”

“You didn’t hear my cries of pain?”

“You didn’t hear me asking you to leave?” Alix retorted, losing his patience.

“If you want me to leave that badly then you will have to take responsibility for what you have done.”

“What the hell does that mean? You aren’t coming with me.”

With a gracefully fluid motion, completely opposite from the jagged spiky rush of her previous state, the slime girl moved closer to him. Text appeared above her head, his analysis finally managing to identify what she was.

Pinum, Divine Slime, Lv. 326.

“What are you?” Alix asked, shocked at her high level when she had appeared to be so weak. Suddenly she was beside him, slipping her arm fluid around his, pressing herself up against his side, her liquid body conforming to his own.

“I’m what would have become of my children in time if you hadn’t mercilessly slaughtered them.”

“Come on, don’t give me that rubbish. I apologise for the pain I caused you, and for that first slime I attacked, but I can’t take responsibility for anything that happened afterwards.”

Pinum pressed up against him further, an odd sensation like a wave washing up against him.

“That’s the only way I’m leaving here without a fight.” She began to cry again, silver tears leaking from her watery blue eyes.

Alix was about to argue, but then he caught sight of her level again. Level three hundred and twenty six? How come she didn’t put up more of a fight? Also, her tears were pure Quicksilver and it took a lot of effort to absorb them all before they soaked into his clothes.

As he looked down at her watery eyes, and the body that seemed to undulate against his side without moving, he realised that this was probably the true fight.

“If it gets you out of here then I don’t care. Let’s go, we can discuss this later.”

Suddenly the tears stopped and she grinned in a way that made Alix feel completely outmanoeuvred. Then the grip around his arm rippled, and Pinum shrunk into herself. In an instant the girl was gone, replaced by a lustrous metal vambrace wrapped around his forearm.

“What are you doing?” Alix hissed, reflexively trying to pull the bracer off but having no luck. It was stuck to his arm as surely as the ring on his finger.

“I can be useful. Look.”

In a rush the vambrace melted and surged forward, expanding into a metal shield extending from his arm. Despite the size of it, and the fact it was solid metal, it weighed surprisingly little.

“My sword cut through you easily enough before. How will this shield do me any good?”

“Those were regular Metal Slimes, my own body is different. No other sword of weapon made of metal can get through my shield.”

Pinum reverted back to her position on his forearm.

“Do you have to stay there? How am I going to explain this?” Alix asked her, but she remained silent. He groaned and left the mine, deciding it was a problem to deal with another time.

Night had fallen while he had been dealing with the slimes but the moon was bright enough to guide him. He followed the path back down to the house and knocked on the door.

“Gave up so soon?” Borel Tonk said when he answered, tankard of ale in hand. The smell of roasting meats wafted out of the house, and he looked like he was already a few drinks in.

“Not quite. I’m all done. The slimes shouldn’t bother you anymore.”

“Really?” he replied after a few shocked moments, once the words managed to get through the haze of drink. “Are you sure you go’em’all?” he slurred.

“I did. You don’t need to worry about the warm meal, but I will take the uncut gems you offered if you have them handy, otherwise I can collect them from the guild in the next few days.” Alix knew that job posters had forty eight hours to settle their accounts, which some used to buy time to find the money while they tried to placate the adventurer with the deposit, but he would prefer to claim his reward now.

“What? Oh yes, of course,” Borel said, flustered, as if he hadn’t expected Alix to succeed. He retreated into his house for a moment, and finally reappeared just as Alix was expecting him to renege on his reward.

Borel handed over a large sack that he was visibly struggling to carry.

Looks like I misjudged this guy, Alix thought as he helped Borel lift the heavy sack. He took a quick look inside to verify its contents and saw dozens of large gems in the rough, far removed from the shards he had expected. A quick analysis revealed plenty of valuable gems. With his lapidary skill, he would be able to cut some magnificent gems. If he could find someone to buy them without asking too many questions, he would make a nice profit.

“You don’t happen to have any Osmiridium for sale?” Alix asked.

“Usually I would, but my men told me that the metal slimes devoured all of the stocks, and all other ore traces. They cost me a damn fortune,” Borel said, laughing to himself as if he couldn’t quite believe it had happened. “Do you have the job sheet with you? I’ll give it my seal. I’m not going to have time to travel to the city to close the job myself. I’m going to have to work double time to recover from this.”

Alix handed over the job sheet and Borel retreated back inside for a few moments. He returned and handed Alix back the sheet, now with a wax seal showing the Tonk Mining Company sigil and Borel Tonk’s signature. “Thanks for your help young man. Come back in the future if you are ever in need of ore and I’ll make sure to give you a good deal.”

Alix walked off into the night once Borel closed the door, a look of relief on his face. Once out of sight, he absorbed the bag of rough gems into his inventory.

“Where are we going?” Pinum asked, the words coming from some unidentifiable part of the vambrace. Alix couldn’t understand why she suddenly sounded excited.

“It’s too late to walk back to Galdea tonight. There’s a glade down the road by a stream I found earlier, enough space to set up camp for the night. I’ve had a busy day and I’m exhausted.”

“I can’t believe you are trying to get me into bed so soon,” Pinum replied, gripping onto his arm tighter.

“That’s not…never mind.”

Alix led the way to the glade by moonlight, and then cut into the woods when he heard the stream, quickly finding the flat stretch of ground where he had grabbed a drink from earlier. He pulled the tent from his inventory and quickly assembled the shelter. Once done, he pulled out the bed, a large wooden thing complete with plush pillows and mattress. He was too tired to light a fire to cook anything to eat, too tired to eat anything at all, so he instead stripped down and climbed into bed. Pinum only loosened enough for him to remove his shirt but quickly reattached herself.

This is the last thing I need, a disturbingly clingy slime girl. The thought chased him in to sleep. He dreamed of being embraced intimately in ways that should have been physically impossible.