Mei got talkative as the Japanese markers got more frequent. “We’re approaching the shrine,” Hina said, translating once again.

Water dripped from the ceiling, stalactites and stalagmites dotted the tunnels, and their feet splashed in puddles as they walked. The Ito-clan members didn’t appear bothered by the moisture though. Bunty found it concerning since the jungle of bioluminescent mushrooms had ended abruptly. If anything, they had to be denser in areas of high humidity. Besides Mei’s wisps, the only source of light was the moss spread in abrupt clumps all over the distant walls and ceiling.

Bunty kept his axe in hand and Hina mirrored him. It wasn’t long before Mei, and her fox’s spine went stiff simultaneously. The spirit dissolved into a wisp of ethereal blue smoke as she assimilated it. When she scanned the cavern, Bunty spotted the same yellow glint in her eyes that he had seen before. He guessed her augmentation let her enhance her senses too. Yukiho had bagged her a powerful Core. No matter which aspect she nurtured, the augmentation or the frost fire, it would develop into something formidable.

If it were up to Bunty, he would’ve liked to turn back. The Ito-clan members carried on, and so he followed. Koki let out a high-pitched shriek when what they thought were damp rocks turned out to be a half-digested troglodyte corpse. The flesh and bone had greyed, and all there was no blood left.

“What is it?” Bunty asked in a whisper

“I don’t know,” Hina answered. “Most beasts shed the bones or turn everything into shit.”

Then a slight shimmer on the wall to Bunty’s left caught his attention. It looked no different from any other part of the wall, but there was something off about the troglodyte-shaped patch. He knew it. When Bunty poked the area with his axe’s spike, it rippled. He grabbed Hina’s hand, without wasting another breath, and hurried her along to Yukiho.

“Slimes!” He said. “We’re surrounded by slimes. If you watch the ceiling, you’ll see the lights are moving.” A shiver ran down Bunty’s spine as he thought about their disgusting gelatinous fluid. “They must’ve digested every living thing in this area. We have to turn back.”

“Nonsense,” Yukiho replied. “They’re just slimes. The creatures are blind and deaf. If any get in our way, the frost fire can freeze them solid. Hina seems intent on the fight too, so she can help by shattering them to bits, and we’ll carry on.” She looked around the room. When the wall next to her shimmered, she hopped away from it, her cape stiffened. “The shrine isn’t far. We’re carrying on towards it.”

Bunty sighed, letting go of Hina’s hand. If push came to shove, he was confident in his skills to cut and run. Yukiho and Mei had already shown their spirits’ ability and willingness to do the same. Koki and Hina didn’t have such benefits, though.

“Stay close to me,” he whispered. “They shouldn’t bother us unless we agitate them.”

“Don’t worry too much,” Hina told him. “I know what you think of Yukiho, but she’s been up to the third interval. She knows how to deal with slimes.”

“I don’t think so. Even if she was looking out for the entire party like she claims, slimes are a threat to anyone in the first two intervals. They’re almost impervious to physical damage, and Cores that grant elemental spells and summons are much too rare. We don’t have the tools to deal with it. Yukiho’s spirit is especially ill-suited for something like this. If things go south, she’ll take Mei and run.”

Bunty hoped Mei truly didn’t understand English. If she enhanced her hearing along with her eyesight, Yukiho would soon find out what he thought about her. Before long, the slimes were no longer just on the ceiling and floor but in their path too. The party had to take care to go around them. Despite the chill in the air, sweat-soaked Bunty’s back and pits. One slip up and they’d get swarmed.

Mei’s enhanced eyes sighted the shrine up ahead. The party’s attempt at picking up the pace failed as more gelatinous obstacles appeared in their path. Things got worse for Bunty when the bridge connecting their approach to the final stretch to their destination came to an abrupt end. The party looked at him, expectantly. He’d have to find a way across despite the countless slimes moving like slugs on every surface around them.

The frost fire wisps spread under Mei’s guidance, as she tried to find an alternate route. There was none. The only option Bunty could see was to scale the wall to their left, shuffle across along the top and then drop down on the opposite side. It was easier said than done, though. Slimes covered the surface. There weren’t just the dog-sized blobs roaming around aimlessly, but dormant flat creatures as well that almost blended into the rock face.

Bunty tied one end of his rope around a tall and wide stalactite, securing it with an intricate knot. It always helped to have a fail-safe. He fasted the other end around his waist before starting his climb. Hina kept hold of all the loops, releasing it slowly as Bunty climbed. She tried her best to keep the rope taught without pulling him back. Too much slack and it would drag across the slimes, alerting them of human presence. It wouldn’t be particularly good for the rope either. The treatments that made it resistant to the elements would most likely be useless against a slime’s digestive fluid.

Little frost fire wisps followed Bunty. “Keep going and don’t look back,” Yukiho called. “If any slime gets too close, Mei will freeze them. If they’re stunned, they can’t alert the others.”

Bunty wasn’t sure the beasts could communicate, but he tried his best not to think of it as a possibility. Spiders, troglodytes, and wolves didn’t bother Bunty. However, the image of drowning in a massive slime while it digested him alive, terrified him. The damp wall didn’t help either. Bunty made a note of investing in chalk. It would help deal with slippery handholds.

All of a sudden, the rock under Bunty’s right hand wobbled. His heart leapt into his throat as he watched his fingers sink into the cold, gelatinous substance.

“Frost fire!” He yelled! “On my right hand!”

Yukiho translated and a moments later a wisp flew into the slime. It solidified around Bunty’s hand as he pulled with all his strength. Fortunately, his timing proved just-right. Parts of the slime’s outer surface cracked and splintered as his fingers found freedom.

“Keep moving!” Yukiho yelled. “If it recovers too quickly, we’re not going to make it.”

Bunty swore under his breath. They’d run the other way and survive. He, on the other hand, would be left to his own devices, facing countless slimes in a compromising position. His axe would be useless against the creatures. Bunty sped up his sideways scramble, keeping an eye out for more slimes. The wisps danced around him, illuminating his path. Bunty was three-quarters of the way across when his left foot sunk into the rock face. Moments later, his right hand followed.

“The slimes are coming out of the wall!” Bunty exclaimed. “Pull me back, Hina!”

“There’s no pulling you back,” Hina yelled. “That’s not a wall, Bunty. You’re climbing across a massive slime!”

Bunty looked up to find the surface above losing its rocky texture. “Hit it with all the frost fire!” Bunty ripped his stuck limbs out so hard he almost fell. Mei didn’t need a translation. She did what was required. The wall froze around Bunty. It only lasted for a couple of minutes, though. The surface cracked and then wobbled.

“Hurry!” Bunty couldn’t tell whether it was Yukiho or Hina shouting. Koki and Mei’s increasingly louder words in Japanese got in the way. He didn’t need telling though. If he let go, the fall or a mass of slimes would kill him. If he held on, the giant slime in disguise would consume him. The only escape was moving forward.

Almost the entire wall was like jelly now. The frozen bits floating away from one another caught Bunty’s eye. He leapt at the closest one, grabbed on and used the forward momentum to propel himself to the next. Hina still had a hold on the rope. So, when he missed a handhold, and his arm plunged into the jelly. She pulled him back. Bunty’s visioned narrowed, and he kicked at a frozen chunk of slime to facilitate his escape. It worked, but his left palm now had a long cut across it, and every bit of exposed skin stung.

Translucent tentacles sprouted from the giant slime and wrapped around Bunty’s right leg and arm, arresting his flight. A trio of frost fire wisps froze the appendages and Bunty broke free. He used their stumps as footholds and jumped. Another clump of tentacles burst from the wall, charging at him. Unlike the last lot, they appeared solid and opaque. Bunty let go of his handholds and dropped, hoping to grab onto something else lower down. The amorphous limbs were too fast and swung into his side and face. They failed to catch Bunty and flung him to safety. He landed hard on his back and was glad to see the tentacles retract. The rocks around him were still solid. He hoped they remained that way.

“Get up!” Yukino screamed while Bunty lay winded. He scrambled away from the collapsed bridge’s edge and pulled the rope taught. Bunty coughed, struggling to take in air. His chest hurt and spots clouded his vision. A broken rib was the last thing he needed, so he begged Gaia to make it just a bruise.

Once he had regained his concentration, Bunty tied the rope off to a stalactite and used clamps to ensure it wouldn’t come loose. The party started its journey across straight away. Yukiho used her spirit-given abilities to run across the tether. It barely budged under her weight. Mei followed similarly, instead of bulging muscles, her figure appeared lieth and toned. Much to Bunty’s surprise, Hina crossed with inhuman speed too. He guessed she availed the dandelion fluffs’ weight reducing power. Baba often said that terror was an excellent teaching tool.

Koki brought up the rear moving much slower than the others. Bunty’s temples throbbed with every heavy heartbeat. Tentacles danced around the rope. The slime couldn’t see him, of course, but even a grazing touch would give him away.

“Use your frost fire, Mei!”

Mei looked at Yukiho hesitantly. The latter didn’t speak a word. It wasn’t until Hina screamed in Japanese did Mei finally make a move. She guided two of her last five fox fire wisps into the waving tentacles. They froze, giving Koki some respite.

“Tell him to cut the rope behind him,” Bunty told Hina.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“He’ll never make it otherwise. Koki is too slow. If the tentacles find the rope, they’ll get him almost straight away.”

When Hina translated Bunty’s message, Koki didn’t hesitate. First, he wrapped the rope around his right hand and arm. Then he released his leg hold, dangling by just the one hand. Then using his left, he fished a hand-sized knife out of his hakama and worked on cutting the rope. Bunty held his breath. The bamboo mantis spiders and intricate waving took forever to saw through.

Koki yelled in pain when he dropped with the severed rope and swung into the rock face below. Hina sent several dandelions down to him before the party worked together to pull him up. Bunty was glad he managed to hold on.

“He’s bleeding,” Bunty commented. He offered Koki his flask. The man accepted the offer with his left while his bloody right arm hung limp. After taking a swig, Koki thrust it back into Bunty’s hands, speaking in Japanese. “What did he say?”

“Koki is honoured that you’d share your brew with him before drinking it yourself,” Hina said.

“Why would I need it?” Bunty raised a confused eyebrow, looking between the pair.

Hina stroked Bunty’s cheek, and when she pulled her fingers away, blood painted them red. “It’s above your eyebrow,” Bunty said. “Looks like the slime lord whipped you hard.”

Bunty looked up at the countless tentacles dancing in the air. He thanked Gaia, and whatever kept the creature stuck in the wall. If it could move freely, they’d all be dead now. Bunty retrieved what remained of his rope—two-thirds of the original length and slung it across his torso. Neer’s journal was right: it wasn’t something a trapper or climber could ever cheap out on.

Yukiho checked on the party before egging them on. The party dodged smaller slimes as they scaled the rest of the path to the shrine. He found a dry spot devoid of gelatinous creatures and slumped down on the floor breathing heavily. The healing brew had stemmed the bleeding from his forehead and hand, but the bits that sunk into the slime lord continued to burn. Bunty needed clean cold water to wash up the digestive fluids before they left him with burns.

While the Ito-clan bowed to their shrine and recited little chants, he watched the giant creature in the distance. The walls around it cracked and crumbled. It wouldn’t be long before the monster got free. Bunty didn’t worry. A door sat at the end of a short tunnel not far from their position. He intended to run if the slime lord sped up its approach.

Hina joined Bunty, and he talked her through breathing exercises to calm her heart rate. He had no doubts that there would be more life-threatening scenarios in the future. She needed to learn how to remain calm and functional. Baba claimed that people with powerful spirits died all the time. It was the level-headed individuals that lived the longest.