With quivering sprout and sizzling roots she met the ground with a small thud. Escaping her bin of water was strange and felt completely different than she had imagined it would.

It was time to decide where to put those lovely beautiful status points!

So, I could put them all in one or the other, but my gut is seriously having reservations about that. I mean, what if I end up putting them all in a useless stat? No thank you! Best to feel the water right? Come on Dita you got this!

Now that she pondered it, she didn't really know how to actually spend them. Was it just a thought? Focusing on intelligence she repeatedly chanted in her mind.

Raise int by one point! Raise int by one point! Raise int by one point! ...aww man.

No luck.

She hesitantly pressed her hand out and selected it, which obviously didn't provide any physical resistance but oddly seemed to do the trick.

One in int and two in res and fire! Hmph I'm sure this will work out! Right?

She wanted to believe but something told her that it was risky no matter how she decided to spend them.

Pressing the confirm button appeared to be twice as hard to activate as the previous inputs. Who designed this thing to be so finicky?

After a moment of wrestling the status bar which must have looked to the slimes like she was delirious from the unknown heat.

The curious enterarage of worried faces overwhelmingly beckoned the question that came just a moment later.

[How do you feel brave slime?]

She grasped the question but quickly shook her head unable to give the curious blue monarch a positive diagnosis. Gazing at her surroundings, she surveyed the slimey town in all its glory.

There was a surprising amount of skill put into the hovel like homes. On second glance, it looked like they even had some form of running water and maybe an underground spring. At the very least, she didn't seem to be robbing them of their livelihood. This came with a big sigh of relief.

She always used to call me a leech, I won't be like that again. Mother did you know? I don't miss you, I'll show you and all your stupid family. Ah, what does it matter she's probably long since gone, and it serves her right!

The slight memory of her past and the strained relationship she had nearly left behind resurfaced as she could feel the melancholic emptiness of history attempting to repeat itself.

No! I'm not going to waste my second chance.

She pushed past the crowd with her determined gaze fixated on what she supposed was the exit. The slimes looked as though they wanted to say something, but not a single one of them had the heart to say it. Maybe they could sense it, the bitter feeling of her past mistakes, past pains that still hurt.

I won't become like you. And I won't die.

She managed to follow the lighter area trudging past much smaller slimes she assumed were children.

The light of what she had guessed was the exit slowly came into discernable view. Instead of the dusty plains with the terrible bird, she found a strange room filled endlessly with crystals. They seemed to emanate a constant breeze that was refreshing and reminded her of a refrigerator back on earth.

This isn't it!

Her fury subsided momentarily as she realized how ridiculous her goal had been. To storm outside and kill something to try and level up before she died was wishful thinking. She had to come up with something more, something that could buy her time.

Trapping? I am pretty sure I could capture something but how would I kill it? Do I just look around for fights like last time? No that was a very rare and close match, I'd die years before finding a repeat.

She snapped her leafy appendage trying to figure out what would make sense but she kept coming up short. The momentary fun of leveling up was eclipsed by the almost suffocating difficulty of her situation. Not only was she unbelievably weak, she was literally killing herself thanks to a certain someone.

Is there any kind of healing I can do? Maybe I'm missing a detail. Something must be able to save me. Might as well look.

{Name: Dita}

{Lvl 2. Nightgloom}

HP: 05/34

MP:20/20

SP: 1/1

AP: 16/16

{Attributes}

Current status points: 0

Strength: 2. Agility 0

Speed: 0. Dexterity: 0

Constitution: 0. Movement: 0

Magic: 1 Intelligence: -1

Luck: 6. Defense: 1

Resistance: 2 Mind: 2

Power: 1 Charisma: 7

Fire: -18 Water: 5. {Allignment}

Ice: 2 Wind: 5. -4

Earth: 25 Light: 19

Dark: 42 Lightning: -10

{Affixes}

Decrypt lvl. 1. {Titles}

Blessing of Ancor lvl. 2. Acolyte of Prejudice

Lucky lvl. 1 Bloodroot

Nocturnal lvl. 1

Fenfire lvl. 1

From what she could remember, the only two with any chance of providing healing would be Bloodroot or maybe blessing of Ancor.

Wait a sec, when did it get to level two? Why didn't I get a message? Did it happen when I was asleep?

Blessing of Ancor

A divine blessing of the slain god of decay. Though called a blessing it is expressly dangerous and malefic by nature. Often corrupting without consent.

Ancor, blessed of rot, the husk of ancients and symbol of death. Bless us your kin to decay the world until there is nothing left.

Dark allignment gained.

Dark affinity + 30

Eventide lvl. 1

????

????

????

????

????

Aha! A new skill! Here's hoping it heals!

Eventide lvl. 1

Consume the light in your surroundings to rob all with reach of sight and sense. Unfortunately the caster is also left senseless.

The deepest darkness serves no master. The eclipse of the past has no beginning and no end.

This, this isn't what I needed. Heck, how would I even use it if I go blind too? It sounded so cool too…

She thought so hard she swore she lost a point of health in the process.

Wait! How did I forget! Skill points!

She curiously gazed at the window noticing some new additions following her creation screen just prior to her departure as a plant.

Skills

Skill points: 5

Cruel heart. Lvl 1 Cost 12

Bloodsucker Lvl 1 Cost 4

Eventide Lvl 1 Cost 1

Moonlight Burst Lvl 1 Cost 1

Diamond Dust Lvl 0/1 Cost 6

Dream Symphony Lvl 0/1 Cost 3

So I've got a few choices. I wish they would give me more info on what happens if I raise them! Though if I'm trusting my gamer gut, then bloodsucker might just be able to save me.

She had a small plan she had constructed that hinged heavily on the fact that bloodsucker might just have healing attached to it. The description mentioned satiation but no specifics on what that meant status wise.

I don't know if it's worth it, but here goes nothing! Bloodsucker level up! Confirm! And…

Bloodsucker lvl. 2

Devour a medium portion of the opponents blood forcibly taking it as your own. Bloodsucker deals shadow damage and satiating the caster a moderate amount. If the victim survives they may be cursed.

WARNING! Opponent must have blood.

A specialty of sinister beings. The magic was originally constructed by a dark god of unknown intent. Nezeah stole from the heavens and was cursed to never die but never live free of remnants of pain and suffering.

Woah! It changed a lot! But is still really vague. Though I think it's worth a try! Let's go project mosquito!

She charged with a second wind of hope giving a happy glance to any slime she passed. They responded a number of different ways but usually looked confused.

This time passing the houses and communal places of the slimes seemed refreshing, even if she wasn't out of hot water yet.

Maybe I should ask for directions? It couldn't be too far right?

Stopping by a nearby group of slimes she drew on the ground with her root foot, trying desperately to pinpoint her inquiry.

[The food is over this way.]

[No no, she's asking for the toilet! Can't you understand anything?]

Both were hopelessly dense, so she rushed past them for a sign of change in the scenery.

It was a truly beautiful settlement considering it was built by and for slimes. It made her reconsider if the slimes of this world were actually pretty high ranked.

Though the grunts that couldn't grasp her question make this outcome seem all the more distant.

A general store, even an armor shop? I didn't even know slimes wore armor. Are slimes the humans of this world? No, no that can't be. But they're still pretty awesome.

She nodded to herself mid gait just in time to run smack dab into a large red slime.

[Hey! Watch where you're go--]

The big slime with an axe spoke in a far more gentle voice than she expected, stalling out before it's sentence reached its conclusion.

[Hey aren't you the slime that ventured past the expanse of the death plaines? ]

Should I tell him? He seems kind of dangerous, for a slime. Wait! Maybe he could help me!

She nodded as dignified and heroic as she could manage.

[Hmm.. you don't look like much. Though I guess you look pretty unique. Nice to meet you, the name's Grogg and I'm the strongest slime in town. Well, at least stronger than most of the town. ]

She decided it was probably best to draw her name down in the ground and hope by some miracle he could understand it.

[So your name is Dita? Hm doesn't sound too brave, but I'll trust you for now.]

He crossed his slimy arms and huffed.

[It's lucky you ran into me, my boss isn't very happy with a sprout type in these parts. Call it what you will, you shouldn't stay here very long. Otherwise there'll be trouble. ]

Something about a slime making a threat made it way cuter than it should be. She could barely hold back her expression from changing to gleen when it shouldn't have been.

[That was it. I know you got ill after you came here but this place isn't always safe either. ]

She scurried in front of him as he turned, drawing a diagram on the ground questioning the exit once more.

[The exit eh? Take a right over there and follow the grand staircase to the first floor. Then make a left and go past the tall fellows. Careful though. Slimes are the kindest of the monsters you'll find in this town.]

The warning came as a shock.

There are other creatures in the town? But I've only seen slimes? Are they rare?

Reluctantly, she shrugged off the question sufficing to figure the age of answer of "seeing is believing."

As she scurried about she felt the sharp pain again signaling the loss of her health. That meant only three points of health separated her from whatever happens after death.

No no no! This is bad. I gotta rush down these steps!

It was easier said than done.

Her tiny root legs threatened to thwart her attempts at graceful leaps and bounds and made each step a daunting and fearful drop.

I'm about the same size as the slimes so why did they build these steps so humongous? Who's bright idea was it!?

Karma decided to provide an answer in a particularly large package. Massive constructs of moving rock stepped with booming, almost thunderous footsteps up the steps. One such giant nearly had stepped on her flat out. He surprisingly noticed after the fact apologizing with silent gestures. He even took off his stone hat and looked as though he was truly sorry.

She tried to give him a sign that she didn't mind and was just glad nobody got smushed. Though he seemed to be in such a hurry she wasn't sure if he ever really understood.

I've got to be way more careful.. one wrong move and I'll die even before getting a chance to try my secret plan! Well, I mean, dying is worse but dying in a really uncool way is even worse than that! I think?

She finally had reached the base of the massive staircase. Her eyes were awestruck at the differences from the upper levels. Firstly, it was much more empty and desolate as a whole. Secondly, the ratio of slimes was abysmally low. In fact, she couldn't find more than two in the crowd of lizardmen. They looked intimidating and frankly she didn't want to gather attention so she tried to walk in a direct path toward the exit.

[Hey pipsqueak!]

The hissing tone came from behind and to her side. It was oddly befitting of the amphibious look of the speaker. He was, if nothing else, quite muscular, but that certainly didn't bode well for his intent.

[I'm talking to you.]

Just ignore him Dita! It's ok. He isn't talking to you. It's just somebody nearby! Maybe his friend!

The lizardman had started tailing her, his mumbling words just out of earshot. The laughing gave her a bad feeling even if she felt like this guy was an idiot. He was still likely an idiot many times stronger than her, which meant she probably should deal with him before he follows her outside the safety of the settlement.

The lizardman had out paced her surrounding her with spear like tongues flicking and weapons at the ready.

[I said stop, you should listen before you get hurt.]

Crap! I knew it! They're thugs! They're totally thugs!!

Her mute state of being had caused the situation to go from bad to worse. Her gestures didn't match well against their dwindling patience.

[What's the problem? Are you deaf or stupid?]

The sound of metal against metal cleaved the air as the main thug drew his curved blade. It looked like an oar from hell. The twisted, barbed wire like substance on it wrapped around in a cruel mess. The rest of the thugs mirrored the first drawing their armaments that followed a similar trend of gruesome.

If they even poke me with one of these I'm toast. How do I get out of this??