Master Of None

"If the medium slime became a giant slime in just a few minutes, what do you think would happen to a massive slime if it eats a bunch of giant slimes?" Remey was trying to think of the worst case scenario. She knew that she was not very useful against the slime because of its decaying slime body. 

"If it does that we are going to be in for a much worse time. I know the brown mud slimes become a monster called a swamp thing. It basically lets water plants live on its body so it can absorb nutrients. They can be the size of a house and are nearly impossible to destroy since they can heal by making the plants grow faster. Not sure what would happen to a purple decaying slime though." 

Wade had studied up in the elven libraries before he went out. His main focus was the evolution of slimes over time. He wanted to be sure that he directed Calen and Alma properly to keep the slime from forming again. He also needed to hold himself to a higher standard since he was the only title holder in the group. 

"If we are going to deal with something like that we might need to retreat and figure out a better method." Walker could only want to air on the side of caution if the purple slime evolved in to a new type of monster. It was definitely not going to be turning in to a swamp thing. 

"I do have some special arrows my master gave years ago. They are made by dwarves and rarely make their way in to our hands. But if it is the worst case I will fire my last three at it." Wade was going to hold these cards until they needed them but had decided it was worth giving the trust to the heroic party. 

"I won't go in to detail, but we do have our own trump cards. If worst comes to worst we will use them." Walker gave a look to Gil who nodded. They both knew that if things were dire Gil would throw caution to the wind and use his arcane marksman system to the fullest. 

"I have been thinking about something," Su spoke up from a deep in thought state. "Remey made those antidote potions and they can heal decay. What if we coated our gear and weapons in it? Would it damage the slimes?" 

"It would be like water slimes and poisonous plants. If a water slime accidentally absorbs the oils from a poisonous plant it will slowly lose control over its body unless it is purified." Alma had become much more animated having this frame of reference to share with them. 

"Have you seen water slimes before? I read they are very rare because they can only form from very pure springs and will eventually become a water sprite." Walker was using his mental archive skill to reread the books he had found in the mansion's library before they left. He had read a small passage on the water slimes but found that they were so rare that almost no information on them. 

Wade gave a harsh look at Alma making her smile in to a frown. "Well...I read about it too. Yeah, I read about them once in the library and they are very rare. They can only grow in pure springs with pure water mana. Even a little impurity and they stop growing and could die." 

"I bet they aren't as cool as the lava slimes in those story books. They swim in lava and eat molten rocks. They can't even come on land!" Calen wanted to join in too, but she only had knowledge of the fairy tales she had read. Unfortunately, she had never gone to a volcano to see something like a lava slime.

"I don't even want to know what a lava slime would become if it grew big enough. They would be too hard to beat as a small version let alone giant or massive." Walker was letting all the new information seep in as he walked with the party. Alma was constantly expending mana to cause the decaying branches to fall from the trees. 

"Next time we come across a small slime we can drop some of the antidote potions on them and see if it does anything. If it harms them then Gil and Wade can have a modified arrow. I have some arrows that need to be filled with something." Walker gave Gil another look. This was an excuse For Gil to show off his arrows since Walker knew he would be anxious after only using regular arrows. 

Midnight had seemed to make a game of pulling the branches away from the trees and pile them up. She was having more fun than the party was. So much so that Onyx had left Walker's shoulders and joined her on her back. Waker was secretly thinking about how he was more comfortable with the heavy serpent off his back. Onyx was on a huge growth spurt and any day would need to start slithering around on his own.

Calen ran off ahead of the group to scout out the path ahead, she was back in an instant with a frown on her face. "Things are a bit rough up ahead. There are a lot of grey haired spiders. The problem is they aren't alive. They were partially dissolved by a slime but they weren't finished." 

This made the entire group fall in to battle stances ready to deal with anything they may find. Midnight ceased her game and Onyx went on to Midnight's shadow for safety. He was sure that his tattoo form would protect him and also make it easier for the group to battle. 

"Su, on your lead." Walker let Su take the lead since she had the best resistance to poisons and her shields had proven to be invaluable in the last battle since they had perfectly resisted the slime's body. 

They moved forward with a much more careful and quiet approach. After a few minutes, the group started to find the remnants of what seemed to be a spider massacre. There were torn and partially dissolved legs and torsos everywhere. The grey haired spiders must have numbered over twenty. "There doesn't look to be anything here now. I wonder why they left without finishing their feast?" Su was looking about and finding that the group was alone here. 

"What made them leave was most likely their master. It is normally impossible for a slime to be taken away from their food if they have encompassed." Wade was ginning the remains of the grey haired spiders a dirty look. He knew they were dangerous monsters especially in a large group, but they were still important for the forest's ecosystem. 

"The path we have been following appears to veer off towards the city again. The strange actions of the slimes might mean they are being made to attack the city finally." Alma said the one thing not a single one of them wanted to hear. If the slimes were going towards the eleven forest city that meant that the city was in grave danger. 

"Calen, go scout things out further. I want to know how far ahead the massive slime is." Wade's voice held steel ad he took on a more serious role. He refused to let his home fall to any form of creature. 

"The spider body parts are still fresh. The slimes must have recently been here. My bet s we are catching up to it." Walker had examined the legs from the grey haired spiders and realized they had not started to dry out in the least. 

"Good, I don't like the idea of showing up late." Gil was also becoming more serious. He wanted to be useful to the party and show off his strengths. He didn't need his skills to do his best. 

Walker and Su had caught on to why he was suddenly more motivated but kept it to themselves. They both knew that this was not the time to fool around and tease each other. Instead it was time to get themselves ready for action. 

"Walker pass out some of the low tier mana potions I made. We need to have full mana before we battle." Remey was right, the party and the elves were not fully rested and could not do their best if they came in contact with the massive slime at this second.

Alma watched as Walker handed out potions and even helped Midnight drink one to get in to tip top shape. "Why didn't Gil need one?" This question from her made Walker hesitate before handing three to Wade for him and his group. She was lost on why Gil would still be full on mana since he was an archer and not some form of mage that could refill their mana with skills.

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