Chapter 7

Having witnessed the death of Alax, I thought it best not to continue down the path he’d come from. The creature he’d been fighting, well more appropriately running from, wasn’t listed as a monster of the floor. The second floor, from the records we’d been given, had three distinct monster types. There were goblins still, though they were listed as goblin warriors, rather than just normal goblins.

Then there were creatures called Jaguars, which were extremely large, deadly cats, much like the wolves on the first floor were large, deadly dogs. The third type of enemy on the second floor that I was supposed to look out for was slimes.

Bulbous, gelatinous blobs that could dissolve flesh and bone in a matter of seconds. Those were the most terrifying of the three on the floor, considering the only way to deal with them was magic. And I only had four fire balls left.

Which meant the creature that Alax had died to wasn’t one of the enemies. Instead, it was akin to the cow of the first floor, though obviously much more powerful, and intelligent… than the poor creature I’d slaughtered only an hour or so ago. From what I knew of wildlife in the Tower, just because they weren’t listed as monsters didn’t mean they weren’t violent nor threats. Some were territorial, others would attack and defend themselves if provoked. Meaning Alax had done something, probably something stupid, to get himself attacked.

With the very recent violent death of Alax on my mind, I moved cautiously through the jungle, keeping my eyes peeled for any signs of danger. The air was even heavier within this dense area, and it wasn’t long before I felt sweat dripping all over my body. It was muggy and miserable, and when combined with my already drenched feet, not a small bit uncomfortable. The people who spent most their time on the second floor, I knew, had specialized gear meant for this climate. Ceremonial boots and basic leather armor were definitely not floor appropriate.

Which was all the more motivation to find the next portal as quickly as possible. I made my way through the woods, noting flashes of color here and there in fallen leaves and along trees. Some were creatures with no legs, snakes if I remembered correctly. That was what they were basically called, at least. I knew some could kill you by strangling you, while others could kill you with their bites. In short, they were creatures you didn’t want to deal with, if you could avoid it.

There were also colorful birds and small creatures, like miniature, thin versions of the massive hulking beast that had killed Alax. Monkeys, I think they were called? Was the creature that had slain Alax a gorilla then? If so, he was a complete idiot. The notes given to us on the second floor specifically warned against fighting against such creatures alone. They were fiercely territorial and protective of their young. And not only were they ridiculously strong, but they were smarter than basic creatures, fast, and relentless. If you pissed one off, the only way to survive the encounter was to either kill the thing or exit the floor. Still, their pelts were used quite often in cloaks, and there was a market in town for the creatures.

Greed will make you bleed. Commander Phyr’s adage echoed in my mind. Another lesson he’d taught to us, that he’d learned from his fifty years in the Tower.

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Today was not the day when I would try to take on a gorilla. Nor was that a goal for any time in the future. For now, I’d stick to basic monsters as I searched for the portal to the next floor.

Something stung the back of my neck as I walked, and I swatted at it instinctively. My hand burned to the touch, and as I looked at my fingers, I noticed a slimy, green liquid. I froze for a single second in fear, before instinct, some inner, primal reaction, took over. Without really understanding why, acting solely based on training, I threw myself forward, rolling hard into the ground, coming up and turning about all in the same motion, as I heard a sickening splat on the ground. Like someone had dropped a patty of meat on the rocky ground.

Where I’d been just a moment before, a blob of green, shifting slime sat. Within the center of its mass, a large eyeball looked at me, unblinking. Technically there was a second way to kill a slime. If you pierced that eyeball, it would die. As I watched, the eyeball floated around within its green mass, flowing freely throughout, darting like the trout had in the water.

I took a cautionary glance upwards, and my heart froze in my chest. Making themselves known, now that the first had made its move, were a good half dozen of the creatures. Their green color made them blend in almost perfectly with the large leaves above, and I watched as one actually slowly half slid, half dripped off a leaf, to fall beside its counterpart. They jiggled about, and then began to roll towards me.

“Shit.” I said under my breath. If it were a single slime, maybe, just maybe, I would have tested my mettle against it. I was curious if I could actually hit its eye somehow with my sword, while avoiding the dissolving properties of its flesh for my body and gear. Iron was not impervious to their acidic trait, but at the very least, dissolved much slower than say, human flesh. Stronger weapons, acquired from the blacksmiths, would last longer. Even better, magical weapons were immune to the slime’s acidic traits, according to what we’d been taught. I had none of those things. Just an iron sword, and four fireballs.

I made a quick decision then, as another slime plopped down beside its companions. More and more were popping up above me, and I realized I must have stumbled into one of their nests. Thankfully, as far as I knew, slimes were ambush predators. If they couldn’t literally get the drop on you, they weren’t terribly hard to evade.

Still, I wasn’t going to let the chance at some slime jelly go to waste. We’d been taught that killing things in the Tower, would automatically grant you their items, even if you weren’t nearby when they were absorbed by the Tower’s magic. Meaning, I could take a single, calculated risk, for a bit of reward, without being greedy.

I summoned my ball of fire in hand, taking note of the three blobs approaching me. They were close enough that if I timed my throw right, I could land the ball of fire between them all. Would the small blast and lingering flames be enough to kill the creatures? Maybe? Would it ensure they were slowed enough to make sure I could get away? Definitely.

With those thoughts in mind, I pulled my arm back and threw the fireball forward. At the same time, a heavy weight slammed into my left side, as searing pain and a slimy, sticky feeling drew my full attention. A green slime, the size of my head, lazily dripped off my left arm, taking with it my leather armor and wooden shield, leaving the flesh on my arm burning pink, completely bare.

“Shit.” I cursed again, realizing standing still to aim as I had, had given the creature the perfect time to ambush me. Even though I’d thought I was being cautious, I’d been complacent. Underneath the literal canopy of leaves high above, it was impossible to tell just how many slimes there were, and more importantly, where they waited. Between the slimes, my burning arm, and the gorilla I’d just seen, one thing was clear. I needed to get out of this forest, and quickly.

“Shit.” I said again, as another sound of plopping jelly impacted just to my side. I summoned another fireball, my third, and took aim. “Shit.”