A relaxing afternoon had passed by the time that the friends decided to move on into the forest. Newb hopped down to the base of the bluff and looked around. The trees and foliage were so thick that it couldn’t see any easy way in. It decided to head right, or North according to Aylia, to see if there was a better path. After all, why ruin its relaxing day by squeezing through the bushes and other natural barricades?

After another hour or so, as the Sun was beginning to fade from the sky, the pair spotted a path that went into the forest. The way that the branches and leaves worked together to create a natural ceiling reminded the slime of its home cave. The trees lined each side closely, leaving very little doubt about where most Advens would go. The fading light left the ‘plant tunnel’ in darkness, not that this would impede our Monster turned Adventurer.

A few more hops and it was deep enough in the forest for a very specific announcement.

--- You have now entered the Forest Maze Dungeon. May your endeavors find fruition.

“... Aylia. Did you get that?” Newb inquired.

“Yep. It’s another dungeon,” she answered. “I’m not familiar with most dungeons, but I might be able to help you navigate your way through. I have heard, though, that there are certain dungeons that act as a passageway into another area. You might run into a Party here, so be careful.”

“I will. I also appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you,” the slime stated in response. The path continued onward into the darkness, veering off a little ways ahead. Distance was difficult to gauge in this Dungeon, whether it was caused by all the ambient Energy that Newb was seeing, or by the natural formations around it, it was hard to tell. What it did know is that it would continue onward.

After a few moments of quietly sliding forward, the slime monster felt a little odd… almost like something was-

“Eeep!” A high-pitched screech sounded out from above. The cautious jello attempted to dodge out of the way, but it was too late for that.

--- You have suffered 30 Life from being bashed strongly.

The club that landed square on top of it was also very unexpected. Although, the most concerning fact was that it had taken a decent portion of damage. Sure, its defenses were not as strong as they had been, but it should have shirked off a bunch of damage from the strike due to its Toughness Skill. The slime was a little irked that it had taken such a powerful hit from one strike. Curious to see what it was that had attacked it, it grabbed a “lift” up using the club so that it could see what this adversary looked like. It kind of wished that it hadn’t.

And what came face to blob with Newb was an ugly leathery face. The Monster that had so brazenly attacked it was about two meters tall. Its body was completely devoid of any hair or fur, with only pockmarked, rippling muscles covering it. Its arms, one of which was clinging to the branches above, were wider than the slime itself, but it did not have any legs to speak of. The yellowed incisors, held on either end by even larger canines, jutted out from the peeled back lips.

“It’s a Deathape! Watch out for its breath attack!” Aylia hastily relayed to her friend, a hint of worry in her voice.

Newb launched itself from the slowly rising club to latch on to the Deathape’s eyes, pulling itself into as thin of a strip as it could manage. It then cast a Magic Missile point blank at the creature, which had improved to include four. The deathape screamed that high pitch scream once more, dropping its club, which was made out of what looked like a giant femur, incidentally. It then grasped the slime with its fingers, pulling it back from its red tinted eyes. Newb tried to cling to the face as much as it could, but the Might of this beast outclassed its own.

“It’s fast, strong, and could sneak up on me…” the slightly quivering pudding itemized. “But let’s see how it likes this!”

Pulling forth the serrated blade that it still held on to, the slime shot it forth as quickly as it could towards the Monsters eyes, just as it began to take a deep breath. The blade flew true, striking dead through the thing’s right eye. It screeched in pain as it dropped the viscous ovoid. Newb oriented itself midair to land directly on top of the club.

“I’ll take this since you have my knife!” The club vanished into the slime monster as it laid claim to the opponent’s only weapon… at least that is what it hoped to do. The deathape pulled itself up and away from the ground, screeching all the way. “You know… If I was a monster in this Dungeon, I would use an ambush from multiple of me…” it then launched forward as quickly as it could.

And just in time too, as a loud thwump sounded out behind it. It re-oriented itself and saw that there was another terrifyingly strong deathape, growling as it missed the heroic jelly. The slime monster, in turn, responded with another Magic Missile to the creature’s face. While that Spell was launching, it attempted to cast a Minor Rejuvenation on itself.

--- You are now under the effects of Minor Rejuvenation. You have recovered 13 Life.

--- You have lost 58 Life as you are burned by Acid.

Just as it finished casting its Spells, it was blasted by some kind of purple-black acid. And that hurt. The slime actually made a small squealing sound as it burned, but that was short lived as another 13 Life replenished, dampening the pain. It then leapt off the main path, behind a tree.

“How often can they use that attack?” the sizzling gelatin mass inquired.

“It is hard to say. I would estimate that they are a little higher Level than you. However, they do not appear to have your Mental Attributes. If it is a Mana based attack, I would think that they could only use that attack once, maybe twice during any given encounter,” the spirit provided. The slime hoped that she was right. Although… if it was a Mana based ability, maybe, just maybe it might be able to survive this.

Newb stuck to the side of a tree, the opposite side from the path, and began to climb. It went above the initial branches and then hopped over to one side close to the trunk, hoping to not be seen at least for a moment. It saw that the two deathapes were climbing up higher, and starting to circle around a couple of trees away from where it sat observing them. They would likely try that pincer attack once more, but this quick-learning monster would not let them have their way a second time. It cast Invisibility on itself, and then leapt from branch to branch until it was on the other side of the path. By this time, the slime had recovered another 39 Life, feeling much better after that. And then it settled in, planning out its own ambush attempt.

The Monsters had swung down to where the slime had been a few moments prior, but were clearly confused at the lack of a target. Newb took this opportunity to position itself so that it was above the beast with a weapon. It then applied one of its sonic essences to the club in its Cache, and dropped it down upon the overgrown, legless monkey. The club reverberated with the Energy it was imbued with, causing a loud crack to sound out as it impacted the beast. That one fell out of the trees, dazed but still breathing.

Although it was a little disappointed to see that its target still lived, Newb was happy to know that dropping an item did not, in fact, count as an attack. It used the confusion of the one that watched its fallen comrade twitch on the forest floor and maneuvered above this one. It did not have any additional weapons to drop at this moment, but it didn’t need one. It was fully recovered from its earlier wounds, and ready for anything this dumb ape might throw at it. Although, it was not still under the effects of Rejuvenation.

With that bolster to its own confidence, the slime dropped from the branch onto the large head of the creature beneath it. Instead of making itself as thin as possible, it spread itself out to cover the entire head, collecting its blade, and hoping that this thing breathed. It did not, however, appear to require oxygen. At the sudden attack, and this actually did count as an attack, from a semi clear gelatin ‘bag’, the beast clawed at its face in an attempt to tear it off.

--- You have suffered 42 Life from a rending attack.

After seeing that its attempts were not as effective as it would have liked, it did the one thing that the unassuming ball was counting on - it breathed acid again. Newb responded by activating its Voracity Ability.

--- Would you like to consume your victim?

--- Would you like to store the “DeathAcid” attack?

The slime chose “Yes” and “Yes” to both, opting to store the attack for a rainy day. What followed was its body seeming to move of its own accord, its body quickly expanding to cover the entirety of the now struggling deathape. The breath attack barely had time to leave the ape’s throat before it was engulfed by the voracious jello’s ability.

--- You have successfully stored the attack, DeathAcid, as an essence.

--- You have successfully consumed the enemy, Deathape Youth. Your Life has recovered by 100. Your Mana has recovered by 20. The consumed victim’s Soul has been converted into nutrients for your body. Might +10, Vigor +15. You will not be able to consume anything else for: 1 hour.

The body of the Monster immediately condensed and dissolved, which recovered its Life and Mana, as expected. The Soul of the creature being used to permanently boost its Attributes was highly unexpected. The slime landed on the branch below a little dumbfounded. It quickly set that issue aside, and lept down towards the other deathape, that was only now recovering from its daze. Now that there was only one left, it should be significantly easier…

Both its newly acquired Might and the lack of a partner worked against the remaining deathape. It died a few moments after, still managing to deal a whopping 96 Life damage to the enterprising slime. The beast had picked up both clubs in a rage, but the lack of almost all of its evasive actions worked heavily against it. A few Magic Missiles, along with a casting of Minor Rejuvenation, saw to it that it didn’t last long, and that Newb was standing at full Life by the end. The enterprising slime had also tossed its blade again, which ended the life of the beast.

--- Congratulations, you are the victor! You have gained the following:

- Congratulations, the following Skills have improved:

- Cache has improved from Untrained to Amatuer. Soul +1, Intelligence +3.

- Dodge has improved from Untrained to Amatuer. Finesse +1, Agility +3.

- You have gained Acid Resistance. Acid Resistance has improved to the 2nd Degree. Resistance has improved from Untrained to Amatuer. Vigor and Grit +1, Resolve +2.

- Congratulations! You are now a Level 13 Slime. Might and Intelligence +1, Vigor and Soul +2.

- The following have been boosted by Unlimited Potential:

- Agility, Awareness, and Soul +2, Luck +4.

- Dodge and Stealth have obtained additional SP.

“Very well done, Newb,” Aylia praised. “I thought we might have been in trouble for a moment there, but I am glad that you are becoming strong enough to ensure our continued survival.”

Newb accepted the praise with thanks. The results and gains of the fight were good, but it seemed like those things would have to keep increasing in number to actually be of much use. The slime monster thought for a moment about what its comparable levels would be with the other monsters in this area. “Aylia, you said that you thought they might be only a little stronger than I am? So, do you know what their average Levels are?”

The spirit thought it over for a few moments while it collected the two remaining weapons off the ground. “From my scans, they are around Level 15, though there might be larger ones that could reach around Level 20.”

“You know that I am only Level 13, right?” From the silence and lack of a response, the growing monster figured that she hadn’t considered that. “I was only Level 12 at the beginning of this fight. Does that mean I am a lot stronger than I am supposed to be for my Level?”

“Most definitely!” she exclaimed. “I would have expected all of your fights to have boosted you to at least Level 15 by now! I don’t get what could be - Wait… Let me check into something.” She seemed to get a little quiet at the end.

Then it hit it - Was this spirit that it was housing able to see its Stats? “Can you look at my Stats whenever you like?”

“Not whenever I like, no… But due to our unique circumstances, and the fact that your own body is my vessel…” she paused, appearing to think over her next words. “The longer that I remain within a vessel, the more perks that my home comes with. In a non-living home, it would be pretty limited. But, in a living, growing vessel…”

“And you had decided not to tell me this!?” Newb was, understandably, upset.

“No, that’s not it! I just didn’t know how to breach the subject,” Aylia deflected. “I mean, how do you go about telling your friend that the sacrifice they had made to help you may have come with some additional strings attached?”

“Considering that you were the one who told me there would be side-effects, and I had accepted them, I would have thought that it would have been simple!” The jello retorted. It was just hoping that they were past this stage of arguing, but apparently it went from arguing to keeping secrets.

“Alright! I messed up, okay!?” she yelled back, her voice cracking towards the end. “Look, I should have said something, but-”

Newb cut her off, “I can’t talk to you right now. So, just stay quiet while I think this through!”

With that, the slime monster continued deeper into the forest, not really caring what happened. It really needed to vent its anger at being lied to. The feeling of apparent betrayal did not sit well with it. Not one bit…

The slime ran head first into the forest, not caring for anything. It had seen a fork or several in the path, but ended up taking whichever one fit it’s fancy at that time. It’s memory was a bit clouded at which paths it had actually taken, but in that moment, it did not care. The spirit appeared to have respected its wishes to remain quiet, and had not offered any guidance on the matter.

After maybe an hour of randomly choosing paths, it found itself at a small pool of water and a dead end. It sat at the entrance of this small enclosure, finding that as it had kept getting deeper and deeper, the path began to be more and more wall-like. There were now thorny vines lining the path, the points of which looked to be as sharp as needles. Even with its considerable defense, Newb figured that the thorns would go right through it. There may have also been the fact that they were oozing Energy as well, marking them as more than just regular flora.

The slime took the time to get its bearings, but the attempt was in vain. It had absolutely no way of knowing where it was. It could attempt to break through the canopy up top, possibly getting a look around, but decided against it. The Dungeon may have special defenses at its disposal to prevent that exact thing from happening. Newb could break the silence with its resident library, but it was feeling particularly stubborn at that moment. The bitter ‘taste’ their argument had left in its gullet still remained, although it had softened ever so slightly.

There may have also been its refusal to admit that it was wrong, but it quickly shoved that thought away. The monster had yet to be wrong about anything, and therefore it was always right! There was that time with the cave collapsing… or my jealousy at the Sun that made me almost miss out on enjoying it entirely… or-

The jello monster cut that line of thought off. It was never wrong and that was final. Now that it made up its mind about that useless conjecture, it turned its attention to the pool in front of it. It could not quite put its blob on it, but there seemed to be something… calling it to there. Something that it could not place. Was that… music echoing in the air? No, that was not a possibility. Those ‘bard’ Advens were certainly not in this part of the Dungeon, right? Right.

But then, why was this pool of water so appealing to the little slime? And was it… glowing? A red tinted white light seemed to be subtly emitting from the pool, beckoning it to approach. And the slime was helpless to refuse such a beautiful thing…

*************

“No! Don’t go near it! Newb! Please hear me!” Aylia screamed again, trying to get her friend’s attention. She had been telling the truth back in the Dungeon Heart’s abode - she had no power over her host. She could not do anything that was against its wishes. And its wishes had be to not speak with her. So, all her attempts to warn Newb of the subtle, yet powerful, enchantment that had wormed its way into the slime’s mind, had been in vain.

She had noticed it almost half an hour ago. The sweet calling of one of the most dangerous things that could have found them - a Nightcaller. They were beings of Spirit that fed on other Souls to grow stronger. Her host had been particularly weak against these silent callings as it was now a being that resided in both the spiritual world and the physical world. And now the trap was almost sprung. She, and they were always females, would likely pluck Aylia from inside of her vessel, then take over the slime completely. They did like their possessions, alright.

Thinking back, this really was all her fault. The spirit had, in her past life, suffered a great emotional blow. One of the only people who she could have called a true friend had betrayed her. All because he had desired power. He had killed her when she was most vulnerable, but also as she was close to discovering what he truly was - a Monster in disguise. And she was not to be left in death, no. Rather, he took her soul, and carried it with him. Trapped, for what could have been an eternity, to fuel his powers. He used her to make something that had not existed before then, and she loathed him for it.

It was only by some chance that Aylia was able to get free. Creation had found her after he had lost her. It took her Soul, and rather than putting it back in the Cycle of Rebirth, stuck her in the very Dungeon Heart that Newb had found her in.

At first, she couldn’t allow herself to fully trust the naive slime monster. She thought that she could obtain her freedom by its actions, somehow, and then let it be. However, the amount of overwhelming trust from the creature had surprised her. Not only had it willingly allowed her to modify its very foundation, but it had called her a friend within the first ten minutes of meeting one another.

Over the past several days, Aylia had found that she rather enjoyed its company, and that it called her bluff whenever she was feeling the need to protect all her secrets and start hiding things from it. She did need rest, but not in the way that the Races do. It is more of a meditation to recover her psyche, which seemed to be always on the edge of insanity. In fact, that day that Newb had caught her interest had been the day she almost decided to give in to the call that the Dungeon had been whispering in her ear since she had been placed there.

The unrequited trust that the slime monster… no, her friend placed in her slowly made her feel wanted, needed again. Depended upon, even. And how did she repay it? By obscuring the truth when it would have been so easy to say, ‘Hey, I noticed that I seem to be developing some kind of symbiotic relationship with you. It seems the power you gain also helps me go stronger. Now I can help you more completely.’ Then there was, ‘Oh, you are also sharing a portion of your EXP gain with me… I hope that is alright.’

Aylia had been a terrible friend. If Newb hated her after all this, it would be worth it. But right now, she needed to find some way, any way, to save her only friend. She found that bond they shared, and put all her feelings into it - her fears, her new hopes, and even a small amount of love. She desperately tried to do something before both their worlds came crashing down around them…