Chapter 15: Tactical Withdrawal
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
In a flash of light, the man was gone, the human pulling out some kind of stone that teleported him from Slimey’s clutches to a place unknown.
AH! YOU STUPID! STUPID STUPIPDSAOCWAK CWKA ;LASCACW SLIME!!!!!!!! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! I sent to Slimey, the large blue slime immediately deflating from my mental abuse.
Of course I knew why Slimey had attacked the man, it sensed danger, reacting on instinct to protect me as the human suddenly flared with mana, his fists preparing to strike.
I couldn’t blame Slimey for it’s actions, it had done so to defend me, but at the same time, I was also frustrated that my quarry had escaped.
All that effort, all my deceased employees… gone. With Dave laying half dead on the sewer floor still bleeding profusely.
Ok, Hiro, you just need to calm down, accept this L and keep pushing, you have a lot of questions but right now Dave needs me and there MUST be other humans about.
Ordering Slimey to heal Dave, the large Holy Slime moved with purpose, almost as if to make up for my scolding.
It slithered quickly, pulling the injured krocotaur into its body where it began nursing the injured reptile.
It was time for a tactical withdrawal. My answers would need to wait.
MINION MENU
Slimey: Holy Super Slime LvL 13
HP: 1650/1650
MP: 210/300
Skills: Dissolve LvL 6. Slime Shot LvL 5. Cleanse LvL 5. Foam LvL 2. Solidification LvL 5. Bounce LvL 3. Physical Resistance LvL 4. Cold Resistance LvL 2. Mimic LvL 1. Blend LvL 1. Duplicate LvL 1. Shape Change LvL 1. Slime Bullet LvL 1. Holy imbue LvL 1. Mend LvL 1.
Dave: Blighted Krocotaur LvL: 14
HP: 103/470
MP: 20/70
Skills: Bite LvL 4, Iron Tail LvL 3, Blend LvL 1, Swim LvL 3, Endure LvL 2, Pain Resilience LvL 2, Minor Regeneration LvL 1.
Slime #36: Elite Cleaning Slime LvL 2
HP: 100/100
MP: 10/10
Slime #56: Elite Cleaning Slime LvL 3
HP: 83/110
MP: 9/20
Slime #79: Elite Cleaning Slime LvL 2
HP: 100/100
MP: 0/10
Besides Slimey, all of my other slimes were dead, save for three. Leaving me with five minions to my name, this venture a costly one that had seen so many of my children slain. All around me were shattered slime cores and puddles of blue goop. The remains of my allies, my servants. Who had died attempting to fulfill my whims.
But it was ok.
Their sacrifice was not in vain. I was alive and important lessons had been learned, lessons that would go to making sure such a catastrophe didn’t happen again. Lessons I would reflect on.
I retreated back to my domain, Slimey healing Dave with his own natural regeneration kicking in, improving the creatures… complexion?
Creeping through the tunnels with my entourage of survivors, I took a long look at what had gone wrong.
I was too confident, too sure in my success. My repertoire of minions not diverse enough to deal with the level of threat presented. I had no information, no scouts beforehand, no traps or proper ways to defend myself or protect my minions from a superior foe.
All my hard work had been flushed down the drain and no one was to blame but myself.
But I’d get it right next time.
Slinking back to my domain I let out a squeak, uncovering what appeared to be several large spiders.
Roughly about foot big, the tiny bugs were actually very docile, not bothering anyone or anything unless it touched their web.
Considering the entire sewer was pitch black and my squeakerlocation didn't pick up eyeballs, it was a safe assumption that the spiders just couldn’t see, and their sense of vision was tied directly to their connection with their web.
Reflecting on my recent failure, I decided now was a good moment to diversify my arsenal.
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I reached out into the darkness, my mind brushing against the spider, the usual command of my will overlapping theirs.
Yet, somehow, it was strangely… different. Like I wasn't merely forcing one will to submit but two.
As if I were pushing out a foreign source.
[You have laid claim to a minion!]
[Name this minion?]
Spooderman, obviously.
Fortunately that feeling didn't last long as the spider quickly fell under my control.
[Name: Spooderman]
LVL: 1
Species: Lesser Taruntual.
HP: 15/15
MP: 25/25
Skills: Spin Silk LvL 1, Paralytic Bite LvL 1, Pounce LvL 1, Poisoner LvL 1, Blend LvL 1.
The first thing I noticed was that compared to level 1 slimes, THESE SPIDERS WERE SO MUCH BETTER!
Slimey wiggled beneath my body, the giant slime shifting its mass to swallow my newly acquired minion.
HEY! STOP! BAD SLIME! BAD!!! I scolded, Slimey hesitantly retracting its gooey tentacles from Spooderman sitting on its web.
I then went about dominating the other spiders on my path, the same feeling occuring between them as I named the subsequent spooders 1, 2, and 3 respectfully.
I waited for a moment, pausing in case of ramifications for my actions, yet none came, allowing me to turn my attention back to my new minions.
As my first of its kind, Spooderman obviously deserved its own name.
The four spiders joined my retreating menagerie of monsters, the creatures hopping onto the unconscious Dave being carried by Slimey and using him as a bed.
Oddly, the four spiders were doing a little dance of some kind, shaking back and forth much to the detest of Slimey who wasn't happy about others riding on it. But even as small as they were I got a sense of intelligence that was roughly the same as a regular slime. The only difference was that they didn't communicate in a word but rather emotion.
And right now they were excited. Mostly hungry, but excited that they'd get to hunt prey.
Now back in my near spotless domain, I deposited Dave in a pit that served as his bed before allowing myself to be submerged by Slimey's body.
First thing first, a nice slime bath.
Entering my domain the first thing I noticed was that I was filthy. Not as bad as I had once been, but still dirty after hanging around all those pollutants.
Actually, come to think of it… I had been sitting in and out of Slimey the entire trip, it should have kept me clean so how was I so dirty?
Nevermind that, I was getting distracted! Now that I was in a safe place and out from immediate danger, I needed to review all that had happened!
SLIMEY COULD SPEAK!
Well, not really. It had used me as a mouthpiece, speaking words in a language I didn't understand.
But the man did, enough to lower his guard! That meant that there were changes, abilities unseen that Slimey had undergone!
Perhaps it had absorbed more than just the affinity from that nun?
Perhaps it had taken its memories?
Or perhaps the soul of that priestess lay dormant inside Slimey up to that point!
I didn’t know! And after spending an hour poking and podding Slimey I got no answer other than wiggles and jiggles.
Turning my attention to the new additions and survivors, the spiders had already spun their webs, each Taruntual taking a corner of each hallway at the tip of the T shape of my domain.
Which I guess is fine… although it is kind of an eyesore… actually… I don't like it.
Suddenly, Slimey moved, the blue slime swiftly wiping away the webbing much to the dismay of my spider minions. It was almost as if it were responding to my disgust, acting on my behest despite no orders being given.
Yet despite the eyesore being wiped away, I wasn't happy.
Mainly because my spiders weren't happy.
The emotions they felt from having their webs taken down was nothing but sadness.
Crap…
Good morale is good for the company. What's good for the company is good for me…
I'm a good boss.
I ordered my spiders to get to work setting traps, of course outside of my domain before I had them line the pathways with strings of silk that led up to a web that clung to the ceiling like a carpet for the roof.
An early warning system to things outside my domain. If anything touched the webs it would alert my spiders who would then alert me.
After all, one couldn't be too careful.
Spooder directed the other spiders, a task on hand as Dave let out a groan.
Perfect.
Now situated within the safety of my domain, I knew what I needed to do next.
The dungeon quest….
Kidding, IT WAS TIME FOR A TRAINING MONTAGE!!
TIME FOR PAIN! GAINS! AND NUMBERS GOING UP! My monsters were weak! They were torn to bits after their first encounter with a human! What would happen the next time they encountered a human? Or multiple?!
If there was something I knew about mankind it was that they were tenacious beings, rodents. After all, I used to be one!
If you saw one, it was only a matter of time before they multiplied, their numbers a tide. Adventurers were the worst of them, greedy beings who would no doubt be drawn to my domain with thoughts of treasure of glory!
BUT I HAD NO TREASURE!
But they didn’t know that, and I needed to be prepared. Those grubby money hungry humans!
Plus, perhaps the secret of Slimey’s speech and use of the nun’s clothes would be revealed upon the slime leveling up.
Turning my attention to the gelatonus goop, it was just wiggling about, attempting to fill in the priestess outfit it pillaged off the nun’s corpse.
***** Lhikan
Elsewhere:
Lhikan gasped, stumbling out of a blast of light that deposited him onto the cold stone floor.
“HuH?! Healer! Fetch a Healer! GO! ONE OF THEM HAVE RETURNED!”
Lhikan blinked, his breaths coming in gasps as he bled onto the Prior who held him in his arms.
“Lhikan! Hold on! I’ve sent a scribe to fetch healers!” The man of the cloth assured, his eyes darting toward the white portal that shut. He frowned, his attention turned back to the veteran soldier, the man tasked with protecting their priestess.
If he was this injured…
The Prior knew, knew that Natalie had fallen. He had felt a severance not too long ago, a feeling of lost that haunted him all day. Now he knew why.
“Nurse Joy is coming!” A scribe yelled, racing down the nearby spiral stairs.
“Hang on Lhikan!”
“I… I…” Lhikan muttered, his eyes widening as the drugs he’d taken began to wear off and his body was undergoing the backlash.
“Save your breath knight, conserve your strength!” The Prior demanded before Lhikan firmly grasped the religious man by the shoulder.
“We found him.” Lhikan said firmly, his eyes locked with the astonished priest’s before Lhikan’s gaze wavered and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.