A Sticky Situation

It turns out that our short rests are more like little festivals. Crispin prepared food at his cook pot and Olive re-energised us with a tune on her lute. We were feeling refreshed and restored until Crispin decided to stick his paw directly into a pool of caustic slime residue in an attempt to harvest the valuable commodity.

We set off again as soon as we could, not wanting to keep Kenna waiting if indeed she was trapped somewhere within the caverns.

Our search took us through more narrow passageways, lined with yet more rickety tunnel supports.

“Hmm,” Crispin pondered.

“No,” I said firmly.

Thankfully Crispin made no further attempts at repair.

---

Some time later we emerged from the tunnels into another small open area. We were cautious this time, checking the ceiling carefully before we risked venturing inside.

I was certain the Amaranthine had blessed us when we noticed a small bedraggled Corvum standing with her back to the wall in the corner. It could only be Kenna, dark wings tight at her sides, eyes wide and clearly alive. But we looked closer and saw she was gagged and bound to the wall by thick restraints of sticky slime.

“Are you—” I managed, but Kenna’s expression grew frantic and she thrashed at her restraints trying to shake her head.

We followed her gaze down to the congealed pools of water in the cave floor, just in time to see them ripple and shake. Then with a hideous slurping sound, the pools themselves squelched up and out of the ground.

This time there were two small slimes flanking a much larger specimen that loomed threateningly between them. The largest was almost completely transparent. The only way to spot it was to look for the undissolved loot that remained within it: a leather boot, some coins, a wooden plank. It swayed hypnotically and I squinted to make out its edges in the dim cavern light.

“Remember not to let them—”

“I know!”

Olive leaped over our heads, straight into battle. She slew the left-most slime with two quick strikes of her blade. Thank Hanera she had learned from the previous encounter to avoid multiplying the problem by slashing the slimes in half.

“Take that!” Crispin exclaimed, drawing the attention of the other smaller slime.

He tried to purify it with holy fire but the magic just wouldn’t take. It seemed only to slide off the creature and singe the floor. The slime lunged at him with surprising agility. Crispin bravely turned tail and ran, inadvertently luring it back down the corridor by which we had entered.

“I guess that leaves you,” I said pointing at the greater slime.

I leaped ahead of Olive and put myself between her and the giant blob, letting go of all control and letting anger flow through me as I moved to protect the little Jerbeen. The slime reared up, terrifying in its silence, and slammed amorphous limbs down with enough force to shake the cavern walls.

“You can do it, Plume,” sang Olive. “It’s slime time!”

Invigorated by her poetry, I struck the creature with my staff using all my strength to push it back and gain us some ground. But for all my intent it was not to be. It pushed back against me with impossible force, hemming me in and then with a sudden burst of speed it opened its maw and swallowed me whole.

Crispin battled the remaining small slime in the confines of the tunnel, fighting with magic and mace, finally resorting to physical violence when his cantrips turned out to be all flash and no fire.

According to Crispin, when he had dealt the finishing blow an apple had flown from the creature which he snatched right out of the air, crushing it in his paw. If only one of us had been near enough to see it.

I struggled inside the great slime, thrashing my wings and trying to hold my breath as some strange current in the creature pulled me towards its centre. With a violent frenzy of motion I exploded forwards and burst out of its confines, gasping for breath.

“Wow,” said Olive. “That didn’t look fun.”

Together we dodged and weaved, taking it in turns to strike at the slime and then retreat to a safe distance. We took some lucky blows from its writhing limbs but we kept well away from being sucked in.

But just as Olive and I were gaining confidence, the creature switched up its game. It backed away from us and a patch on its surface shrank and inverted, stretched and pulled inwards into a hollow tube.

“What is it doing?” I wondered, stepping back into a defensive stance.

Then it became clear. Its insides churned as it moved the suspended objects inside its mass into position. The leather boot was first. There was a squelching noise as the boot fell into the hollow and then a rushing pop as the slime accelerated the boot like a ballista and fired it directly at us.

There was no chance to say anything at all as the boot flipped, lace over heel, and thumped straight into Olive’s head. A moment later she hit the floor.

“Crispin!” I shouted. “Get in here!”

The slime reared again and began to advance, firing the coins at me as I beat a hasty retreat, trying my best to block the flying currency with my staff.

Suddenly Crispin was there, his hands glowing with light. He touched Olive on both sides of her head and her eyes opened suddenly. She was breathing.

“Get back!” I said. “Here it comes!”

The great slime bore down on us, rippling inexorably across the floor. It lashed out with two formless limbs and Crispin and I dodged backwards to safety. Which, unfortunately, left Olive alone on the ground before it.

The slime slid forward and engulfed Olive. Her face was trapped in a frozen scream as the currents inside the slime pulled her deep into its core.

“That’s not good,” I murmured.

Olive floated towards the hollow.

“I think it’s going to—”

“Quick, grab Kenna and let’s get out of here!” yelled Crispin.

Looking at the dwindling strength of our party, it seemed like a good idea to me. I reluctantly turned away from the slime and rushed around it to the poor restrained Kenna.

“Alright,” I said. “Time to go.”

I had no time to think, so I just applied force to the situation. With a guttural squawk I used my staff to lever the Corvum free from the wall. The remains of her slimy restraints stuck her firmly to the staff.

“Sorry about that,” I said.

I decided I would worry about it later and turned to flee, just in time to see Crispin and Olive’s escape attempt.

There was an almighty thump as the slime ejected Olive. She sailed through the air on a collision course with Crispin. He held up his pot and, with a great clang, caught Olive inside. Then he was scurrying along the side of the wall to the exit, towards safety and freedom.

But the weight was too much and he slipped, paws scrabbling for purchase and fell into a pool of slime. Olive spilled out of the pot and into the pool beside him.

I shook my head and sighed. I would have to do this myself.

I took one last look at the great slime descending upon them. Then I controlled myself and ran towards the others, leaping over the pool and tossing Kenna and my staff to safety. I turned back and had time to haul Olive out too before the slime made its final attack.

Once again, Crispin took another beating while lying prone in a pool of slime.

“Crispin!” I cried in alarm.

I was sure he would drown as the creature deposited a fresh layer of slime on his head. But Crispin weakly raised his paw to give me the thumbs up sign and I knew he would be okay.

With no little effort, Crispin extricated himself from the pool. Together we scooped Olive back into the pot, made our escape, and fled.