Chapter 6: Please Construct Additional Pylons
In the dark recesses of an old decrepit castle, one long abandoned by the mortal realm and left to stew in its filth and dust, a small green slime wiggled back and forth, attempting to break free from the cocoon of foreign slime wrapped around itself.
Sitting atop Slimey, I inwardly smiled, watching as the monster’s struggles within my cage of slimes was reminiscent of an old monster capturing game called "REDACTED DUE TO COPYRIGHT" if I recall correctly.
Be. Mine. I sent, the monster’s feeble will clashing against my own with me winning out. It’s thoughts of Dissolve! Dissolve! Dissolve! Turning quickly instead to Protect! Protect! Protect! Just as the others before it had.
[You have laid claim to a minion!]
[What is this creature's name?]
Slime 10 of course. I said, naming the latest slime in my collection that quickly slinked off to join the big mound of jelly beneath my feet. Well, flippers? Bottom? My big juicy plastic? My rubdunkadonk? My train of thought was interrupted by a message of flashing words in my mind.
[CONCATULATIONS! ON BUILDING YOUR HORDE!]
[NEW QUEST UNLOCKED!]
[Your defenders have grown! But so too, should your territory!]
[Quest: Construct Territorial Pylons 0/5]
Reward: Skill+Minion Capacity Increase.
ConCATulations? What's with the typo? And now I’m constructing pylons? I sat(floated atop Slimey) there for a moment, wondering how exactly I was supposed to create a “pylon” with no hands and a bunch of gooey amorphous monsters under my command that had taken forever to gather.
Suddenly, a shock seemed to course through my system, like a heartbeat that pulsed and sent a wave of energy seeping out of my core. In that moment, a sudden rush of euphoria cursed through my body as my consciousness seemed to vacate my rubber shell and ascend.
I became aware of my territory, of the space I called my own. Not in the sense that I owned it but rather that it was a part of me, a part of who I was with each inch and crevice of space containing my will.
It wasn’t that the domain I had claimed was mine, but rather, the claim I placed forward was an extension of my will, an extension of me. The FILTHY DISGUSTING PIECES OF CRAP THAT COATED EVERY INCH OF MY DOMAIN WAS ME!
Suddenly I was back within my shell, my grimy rubber duck body rocking back and forth in anger.
UGGGGH! I WANT TO BE CLEAN! I DESIRE TO BE CLEEEEAN!
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
[Dungeon System Interface!]
[Name: Hiro Dungeon]
[Level: 1]
[HP: 4211/7000]
[MP: 200/1000]
[EXP 230/500]
Tamed Monsters: 10/10
Pylons: 0/4
[SKILL LIST]
My system screen updated, showing me that I had maxed out on minions while displaying a tab for pylons.
Great. Thanks for the useless information.
There was still no button or tutorial for making a pylon. Leaving me frustrated to stew in stagnation and filth.
For a bit, I wandered aimlessly through my territory, allowing Slimey and myself to recuperate before making any big moves.
It was actually interesting, watching Slimey repair itself. Unlike humans who's regenerating was based on cellular division, the goop that comprised the body of a slime was actually made from the filth they collected and absorbed into their body. I suppose it made sense, given that slimes were monsters engineered from repurposed monster cores to keep sewers clean.
Next, I, and my entourage of slimes began to move to the edges of my domain.
While I could “see” everything in a fifty meter radius that was my domain, anything beyond that was black. Like a fog of war mechanic in one of those real-time strategy games I used to play, except the fog didn't go away as I neared.
At least, if I’m remembering video games correctly? It feels so weird getting glimpses of my past. BUT THIS IS NO TIME TO REMINISCE!!
At the edge of the abyss, I braced myself upon the bodies of my slimes, taking in the toxic moist air into my body and then compressing myself to activate squeakerlocation.
Immediately my sound wave painted an image in my mind, my squeak bouncing off of every surface of the black void to report to me what I already knew lurked in the shadows.
Winding sewer halls and monsters.
Mostly slimes, giant roaches, bulbous creatures with six legs, and something bumpy on hind legs with a massive maw and a tail that I could only surmise was a walking crocodile because why wouldn’t a sewer have a crocodile?
After scanning my surroundings I understood my situation better.
I was at the top of a T-shape, the river of slime flowing down to me from two different sides before conjoining to head downstream.
To the right of me was a giant croc, the boss of this area it seemed as everything shied away from the monster casually lazing around while to my left and bottom, were the slimes, bugs, and various creatures that dotted the area.
Resting on the cobble walk that made up the walkway, I pondered my situation. Mostly, I pondered how the heck I was supposed to make a “pylon” or anything for that matter when I didn’t have any hands to craft things!
SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH.
Man, I wish I could just shut my mind and go to sleep. Recharge my mental batteries but nnooo-
[NOW ENTERING HIBERNATION MODE!]
Who what now-
*****
[Narrated in the voice of Sir David Attenborough]
As Hiro unwittingly placed himself into a coma, the slimes guarding their rubber majesty stood on alert. The little green spherical gels composed of acidic filth huddled together to form a barrier around their commander.
Although neither moon nor sun penetrated the thick sewer walls, time passed, with the minions dutifully protecting their master, dissolving bugs that lingered to close or boxing in and subsuming other slimes to add their mass to their own.
Eventually, as their master rested, the usually docile slimes, now motivated under the control of a greater will, moved to protect their liege, becoming predators that attacked anything and everything that neared and adding the dissolved masses of their prey into their own.
This went on for three days and three nights, the gelatinous omnivores conjoining with each other to tend to their injuries after each bout and run-in with a foreign monster until finally, something miraculous occurred.
The slimes began to harmonize. The red cores of each slime being in such close proximity that they began to fuse, merge with one another and share cell membranes. Instead of ten individual minds speaking the word protect! Protect! Protect! It became one unified voice. The wills of ten that clearly stated.
Protect.