‘4th of Biron, 875 A.C.

--- Evolution complete.

Those words changed my whole world. A finality of what my life was to be. It has been over two weeks since my life almost came to an early end. Were it not for a small slime monster feeling sorry for me, of all things. Although, I guess a better title for it would be ‘My Hero,’ if I wanted to be sentimental about it.

That slime has taken the name Newb. Though I do not understand why this creature would take such a demeaning name. I would have long since asked them, were they not still unconscious. That is correct. They have yet to wake up since it saved me from death and battled my former traveling companion. And who knows what would have happened to me if it was not for her.

She told me that her name was ‘Aylia’. It appears that Newb the Slime had saved her when she was trapped in the Newb Dungeon. She is a spirit of some kind, though she was hesitant to tell me more. I do not know why, nor have I inquired, since I am bound to the one she holds dear. Who knew that a slime of all things could carry such a kind heart within it?

I should probably tell you about what had happened to me, since I have this opportunity, Mom. In order to save herself and the life of that slime, the spirit offered me a deal… and I took it. At the time, it felt like the right thing to do, but as time goes on, my decision frays at my sanity.

At least the spirit can talk to me. I think in life she may have been some kind of Psionic. Or a Mage that focused on telepathic abilities. Either way, she is scarily efficient at communicating directly into my mind. If it were not for her speaking to me, I am afraid I would have already given up.

As part of my release, Aylia triggered an ‘evolution’. I did not know it at the time, but it changed my very species to ‘fit’ the needs of her… friend. Though I do think that she may consider the slime her own master. I was changed for the sole purpose of being able to assist that slime. It now resides as a ‘part’ of me, in a way.

My ‘evolution’ allowed the slime to bond with my body while it recovers. Neither myself nor Aylia know when that will be, however. I am able to sense its Status, in a way, letting me know that it is surely, but slowly, recovering. Though its Life is at max, there is a major injury that will take a long time before it can be fully recovered. That same injury is preventing it from waking up. I compared it to a state of a ‘Coma’, if it were human.

Now, I am in a tree. Aylia told me to get my rest, but my mind is restless… And since it had been such a long time, I thought I would write to you again, Mom. Like I used to.

My new species, “Human, Slimebound” altered my physiology to the point that I believe that I will henceforth be considered a ‘monster’ to all normal people. And dare not think of what Father would say, but it would most likely end with “You have to think about what effect your actions will have on this Kingdom…” If you were here, Mom, would you chide me for such a decision? Or smile and comfort me, like you used to?

That reminds me. I managed to convince Father not to pass along the throne to me. Instead, the power would go to the hands of the people. Can you believe it? He told me that I got this side from you. Your ‘ideals’, as he phrased it. I hope so… It made me happy to know that I am something like you, at least.

My mind has calmed now, so I will try to get some sleep. I hope that this new path will lead me to a place where I can save Father from whatever that man has in store for him. I will save him. I promise.

Love,

Rikia

Rikia Seimens put her pen down and looked around, stretching her back as she did. Though the tree was not uncomfortable, it was nothing compared to sleeping in one’s own bed. Though she liked the idea of being on her very own adventure, as strange as it had become, she had hoped it would include more beds at some point. Although, it was not as bad as she had once thought it would be.

Since she had woken from her evolution in the deep forest, she had noticed a couple of differences about herself, aside from the obvious. Being a Slimebound, she noticed she did not mind sitting in a hard place for too long, as she once had. Or sleeping in one, either. She also noticed that she would require less food to survive from day to day, were it not for the slime. That could be a huge benefit to her figure one day, if she ever tried to fit into one of those stupid dresses the nobles insisted on her wearing again. Although, this change did come with a price. Her next three Ability slots were already filled, and she would not be able to obtain a new one until Level 15.

The other changes to her were all entirely physical. Where her hair was once all vibrant red, it was only that same shade at the ends. As the hair would approach their roots, the color appeared to be ‘draining out’ of them, going from the strong red to a red-grey, then to a colorless, grey gelatin, not unlike the shade of her master. Unlike the slime in question, however, her hair was not transparent.

Her skin was unchanged in color, still fair like her mother’s, but was a little more… squishy. She wasn’t sure exactly to what extent this slime-like change occured, and she would probably never really know… Not unless someone dissected her, that is. Her anatomy tutor would have loved to do just that.

Though not knowing a whole lot about slimes in general, she was at least getting some first hand experience in what it was like to sort-of be like them. She did not just feel less ‘human’, she felt like she was indeed a Monster now. And that was mostly because of her last small quirk - the ability for her master to meld to her abdomen and chest as it siphoned small amounts of energy from her.

She also became very aware of a semi-solid orb of condensed slime that now sat right between her modest breasts. It was that orb that housed the helpful and interesting spirit, Aylia. It seemed that slimes were more interesting creatures than most gave them credit for. She supposed that if she ever had the chance, she would research more about slimes, and what they were actually capable of. She knew that someone had to have studied them in the past, right?

Enough idle thoughts, Rikia, she told herself. Focus on getting Newb back up, and then you can find out what your future actually holds… It does not matter if I can never return to normal society, I suppose. I only want to save Father, then I will be ready to go wherever Newb decides. Those final thoughts were the last to cross her mind before sleep claimed her…

“Wake up, slave!”

Rikia’s eyes flew open. Then she yawned and sat up. Aylia always woke her in the mornings, and yes, she always called her ‘slave’. Having such a demeaning title irked her, but try as she might, the spirit did not budge on the matter. That would not mean that the girl would stop trying to get her way. After all, it was that sort of persistence that wore her father down.

“You know, you could try being a little nicer to me… I am carrying your friend in me.” Her lips frowned, and a single, slightly less than perfect eyebrow rose. It was her look of scorn.

“If you are ever deserving of better, slave, I will call you as such. But you are lazy, weak, and lost.” The former princess was hurt by such comments, and her determination fell. “If you had the correct skills to get us out of this wretched forest, then I might have considered showing you a small measure of respect. But, as it is…”

“I understand that you might have been a bit shy on your number of choices, but such insolence towards a member of the royal family is uncalled for. If we were near my guards, I might -”

“But,” the spirit interrupted, “we are not. You could try carrying yourself like someone deserving of respect, but most of this time, you mope around, aimlessly wandering the forest. How you have not been eaten by the indigenious monsters here remains a mystery to me.”

“Probably because your incessant prattling has scared them off. I could grow stronger if you would let me! As it is, you continuously tell me to hide, or run! I swear…”

The argument continued onward for some time, all the while, Rikia pulled some of the berries she had found from her satchel. When she wasn’t talking back to the spirit, she fed herself. She then pulled her hair out of the tail she was sporting and began the process of putting it back up again. The process then moved on to checking her armor straps, her staff tied to her back, and making sure her new weapon belt was secure.

While perhaps it seemed to any sane individual that talking back to the one who saved them was a fool’s errand, this was not, in fact, an argument. Having already been worried about her own sanity, and Aylia picking up on this, the two were going through a morning routine to get the priestess’ spirits up. Without such a seemingly mundane argument between two young women of a high-born status, the process of adjusting to her new life and body would have been much harder upon her psyche.

After another few minutes of this back and forth, Rikia sighed contentedly. She glanced down towards the orb currently hidden beneath her armor. “... Alright, so… we explored the path along the small creek leading into the swamp yesterday, but because the predators in that area are, as you phrased it, ‘likely to eat us up and use my bones for toothpicks,’ we should avoid that area for the time being… I know I have asked you before, but… are you sure you did not see which direction from the Great Tree we had flown?” Her eyes started to track something new in the area, considering her options.

“Alas, I did not. My connection, and therefore my sight, immediately ceased upon my host being struck by that brute. I am also still unable to follow the flows of mana, as my only source of information is secondary. Through you.” Though she was not trying to bring the young girl down this time, Rikia still felt a small pang of guilt at Aylia’s words. If she had not been so helpless, then maybe Newb wouldn’t have had to put its own life on the line for her… Or maybe it would have been more prudent for the slime to have just left her to die.

Shaking her head to clear such unwanted negative thoughts from her mind, the ex-human took her leave. She was about ten meters up, but that did not stop her from leaping out of the tree. Though, she only did this to land on the back of a passing boar she had been watching, hoping all the while that it would pass close enough for her to do so. Protein was still an important part of an adventurer’s diet, after all.

As she fell, she pulled the serrated shortblade from her belt. This particular weapon had been transferred out of her master’s storage at the time that Aylia brought her out. The ‘once in a lifetime’ event had allowed her one opportunity to open Newb’s inventory, and she decided that arming the one who would protect the slime was also an important step. But since she did not have the appropriate skill selection for using such a weapon, it had taken the priestess some time to use it well enough for anything.

That being said, she was now in the Amatuer tier for both skills acquired from this particular weapon. That meant she was no longer prone to stab herself with it while fighting. She landed on the beast blade first, missing its heart by a fair margin. The monster, called a Man-eating Boar, roared out and charged forward, shaking itself as it did so. Not being deterred, Rikia pulled her own dagger from its sheath and stabbed the boar into its neck for a hold, and pulled the other weapon out. Then, she stabbed down again, aiming for the creature’s heart this time.

The beast must have sensed its own demise because right as she stabbed down it leapt over a fallen tree, into some thorny bushes. It had been too late for the boar, which landed dead upon the ground, but the last attempt left the adventurer stuck for a moment.

--- You have been stabbed for 8 Life.

--- You have been scratched for 1 Life.

--- Your head has been struck for 13 Life.

“Oh, Creator’s piss!” Rikia cursed, pulling her dagger out of the carcass to begin cutting herself free of the thorns. Her leather armor, reinforced by small, mithril plates would normally protect her from this type of damage. But in this case, the branches had stabbed her neck and face. She was just lucky that they had missed her eyes.

And yet, despite that small blessing, she really hated this forest…

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

- Congratulations! The Skill, Toughness, has improved to Amatuer. Vigor +4.

- Congratulations! You are now a Level 5 Slimebound. Might +1, Vigor +2, Soul +1.

Having been freed from the thorns, with only a minor amount of snark from the voice in her head, Rikia pulled what would be her rations for the next day or two from the bushes. She found a relatively clear spot on the forest floor, and began to dress the carcass. While she would not be able to consume all of it, her appetite from sharing her energy with Newb required quite a bit more than just a small handful of fruit. She found that if all she had was that small amount during breakfast, then she would be weakened by midday. By night, she would be ravenous. She imagined that this was not unlike being pregnant.

Since the first, and only, time letting herself get that hungry, the semi-slime made it her mission to at least have something filling in her diet. And meat tended to work the best from among the limited selection she had. After her original rations had run out and she became ravenous to the point of eating the first small animal that crossed her path, she decided that she needed to learn how to survive by herself in the wilderness.

Her first few attempts at hunting were… interesting. Between almost getting herself killed by attacking the wrong predator, and harvesting the inedible parts, the slime-girl had her work cut out for her. She corrected her mistakes from the ‘kind’ criticism that Aylia offered, and through trial and error. Once that obstacle was overcome, another hurdle promptly presented itself. With no previous training in cooking, it was an adventure all on its own. There may have been a couple nights of food poisoning involved…

Relief eventually came in the form of both the Cooking and Survival Skills. The weight of ignorance was slowly being lifted from her mind, and the thought of whether she would be facing another night of fitful sleep or feverish chills was alleviated. Not that this would remove the threat entirely, but she most definitely would not miss the constant vomiting and inevitable weakness that followed such frequent poisonings. It was only because of her higher Vigor that she was able to survive through that experience.

Survival was two-fold, having supplied the knowledge of how to properly dress the carcass and how to survive in the Forest, including which herbs were safe to consume. Cooking, on the other hand, supplied the proper way to prepare her meal with the ingredients she had available to her. Being able to not feel sick, weakened, nor lost had drastically improved her mood.

Aylia had not been lying earlier when she said that Rikia did not have the proper Skills to be able to survive out here. This had left her rather depressed, finally understanding what the term ‘roughing it in the wild’ actually meant. Now that she was obtaining these rather important Skills, her faith in her choice of career was restored. Being finally able to take care of her general needs left only one last issue. A Party to help her survive the other dangers that the forest and subsequent Dungeon presented.

The new monster girl finished dressing the boar steaks, salting them and then wrapping them in thick leaves that would flavor them during cooking. With the current food concern alleviated, she stood and vacated the area before the stench of a fresh kill drew the larger, meaner predators.

“So, to the Ridge next?” Aylia piped up, having remained silent while Rikia secured her food.

“Yeah. The ridge… Why did we not go there before now again?”

“Because you were not strong enough to climb a steep slope before?”

“Ah… Right. Guess it is time to try again. My Might has improved quite a bit since the last time.” Rikia ran a hand through her ponytail, a gesture that was quickly becoming a nervous one.

“Well, there is no way to tell for sure until we get there.”

“Yeah… And hope that there is nothing very dangerous when I finally get to the top,” she mumbled.

Aylia laughed, and the two ‘friends’ quietly made their way through the Forest…

It was only a fifteen minute walk to the Ridge. Aptly named as such because it did not look like a cliff to the one who named it, but still appeared like it would be high enough to get a good look around the area. And, if they were lucky, a line of sight to the Great Tree, where the Dungeon Boss resided.

As Rikia had learned, the Forest Maze Dungeon was huge. During the two weeks that she had been exploring, she had not found the edge, never received a notification that she left, and had explored what she felt was a significant area. With no direct path, no previous experience, and no map, they two had yet to locate any sort of exit. Aylia had commented once that this may have been a higher Level area, reserved for those Adventurers that had wanted a challenge.

Since most of her previous encounters required her to run and hide, it made exploring this area extremely difficult. There were a few lower level Monsters that wandered around, but the spirit surmised that they might have just been fodder for the larger creatures. This area did not receive many groups to clear it out, so there was a self sustaining ecosystem made within the Dungeon.

The fodder Monsters were such a lower level than the predator Monsters that they did not grant any experience to those huge creatures. What this meant was that a certain underleveled Adventurer turned Monster had something they could fight to grow stronger.

This Ridge seemed to separate the two areas, and the only way up was to climb. Though there may have been other paths to take, a pack of ferocious two-tailed wolves made their den in one direction, and a pair of giant lizards had a cave in the other. With as much danger as either one would present to a single low leveled individual, Rikia and Aylia had decided to try another route.

Only, all the other paths had some other sort of Monster lurking around. Luckily for the two girls, the predators seemed to only hunt in the evening and they almost never looked in trees. Well, not for a small pile of leaves and slime that the priestess hid under each night.

“... I am going to finally get out of this terrible place…” Rikia was motivated, for various reasons. Only one of those had to do with her personal comfort.

“Hmm? Did you say something?” Aylia asked.

“Only to hype myself up to climb out of here.” She responded to the spirit casually. In reality, she was afraid that she was not yet strong enough. Her physical stats had been really low back when she was just a normal human. And while her Might was still fairly low, it had more than doubled since the first time she had tried.

The ex-human took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she looked up the ‘wall’, trying to see if any one spot would be better to climb up than another. There were a few roots sticking out of the cliff-side that they would be able to help her as she reached them, but no one spot looked any easier than the rest.

“Here goes nothing,” she muttered as she applied a similar tactic to how she managed to make it up the trees: grab what you can, try to test it, and hope it holds as you put your full weight upon it. That, and a small amount of applied magic.

--- You are now under the effects of Strengthen, Your Might has improved by 30%.

The first few holds were fairly easy as the bottom of the ridge was slightly slanted. The dirt and rocks were mostly compact, only shifting ever so slightly beneath her boots.

The next part most definitely climbing, gravity still sort of on her side on the roughly seventy-five degree incline. The small rock protrusions and indentations in the wall that she had tried to make the first time around helped her immensely this time, and she quickly passed her record spot. It seemed like the climb would be all right, until the angle increased to an almost vertical climb.

This is where the roots assisted with her ascent. They were more frequent this high up than they had been closer to the ground. Rikia was almost halfway up the twenty-five meter climb when she heard it. A rumbling that caused some of the loose dirt and rock to fall on her. She quickly closed her eyes, lowered her head, and spit out the dust, but felt a small amount of debri in her eyes.

As she rapidly blinked her vision clear once more, the area shook again. Having already protected her face, the priestess was less affected by the natural elements, but more affected by the shaking around her. She felt her stomach make flip-flops, and what seemed like a rock joined in and settled in the middle. Slowly, she turned her head to get a better look behind her, hoping that whatever it was would not be tall enough to reach her.

Down the path that she had come from some fifty meters away, a large, bipedal, lizard-looking Monster was moving slowly towards her. It was about six meters in height and around eleven meters long, being a pale brown along its underside and a ruddy brown highlighted with a blue and yellow striped design all along its back and sides. Its head was almost two meters in length, each sharp tooth in its maw resembling a blade in length. Its cunning eyes looked at her with an intense hunger and maybe a little bit of anger, the ridges above making them look like two piercing yellow orbs. This particular monster fell into a category that was commonly referred to as ‘nightmare-dinosaurs’.

Rikia took in a sharp breath. “Well… Hells. I was hoping I would not see you again…”