There wasn’t much to discuss once the challenge was set. Only a few more rules were presented to the participating group of Myles, Ashra, Tail, Mitchel, Kendra, and Lyna.

“I will be setting the tone and the steps,” Minerva explained. “Then one of your party will add a step. We will continue back and forth until someone gets three faults. With each fault, the steps reset. At three faults, the competitor is eliminated.”

It all seemed too simple to Myles.

“What’s the catch?”

The regional boss and her copies looked at him, confused. “Catch? This is not a competition of fish, Runner! This is a competition of dexterity, memory, and skill. Well, some Skills too, but all of this leads to one simple conclusion.”

“And that is?”

Minerva smiled, and Myles remembered he wasn’t dealing with a normal person by any stretch of the imagination. As a reply, she began to cackle manically as the air flooded with the scent of mint. To him, her energy seemed boundless as she laughed and raised her hands to the sky, pulling the ambient scent into the air before taking a hand and slamming it into the ground as she posed. Her action called for more sound from the world around them, and the beat grew stronger as the heavy bass thumped in his chest like a second heartbeat.

“That music is the ultimate unifying force. It brings together the body, mind, and spirit into a single harmonious entity. Nothing matches the strength of a beat!” The beat was consistent, sending its bass through the collected mass until she offered her hand to the group once more. With the gesture, everything stopped and the world was silent once more as her reflections vanished into fog. “Now, who will be the first to test themselves?”

“Hold this.”

Lyna didn’t the team a chance as she stepped forward and tossed Mitchel her helmet with Rocky before returning the armor to her inventory. The armor was replaced by a simple shirt and, as wonders never ceased, a flowing skirt. With her pink hair and pixie features, she seemed like a whole other person as she smiled so earnestly.

“I can handle this. Halflings dance all the time at festivals. Mists, we have a whole night dedicated to it. I can dance until my feet fall off.”

The Runners didn’t question her and only cheered in support.

“Go get ‘em,” Myles said, and the slimes meowed in support a moment later.

“Don’t die,” Kendra added.

“Show them your skills,” Will cheered.

Looking down at the helmet, Mitchel looked confused. “Why am I holding this?”

Lyna looked over her shoulder and grinned. “Rocky likes to watch.”

Mitchel nearly dropped it out of principle as Lyna laughed.

“That’s not creepy at all,” Kendra muttered.

Ashra stood by as quietly as Tail, observing for when her time came.

The music began again, becoming as close to quiet as it could while the bass started up one more and thrummed in their chests.

A moment later, Minerva began.

“The rules are as simple as I could explain. Match my movements, then add one of your own. We will continue our back and forth until one side accrues three faults. Once you do, you are eliminated, and we start all over again with the next member. If everyone falls, you lose your right to contest the lake region except by combat.”

The way she showed her pearly, pointed teeth in a smile after told Myles everything he needed to know about that option. It wouldn’t be an easy fight, and they were better off trying to win this Minerva’s way.

Lyna grinned, the sass dripping from her expression as she made a gesture Myles was unfamiliar with to the region boss. “Then let’s do this.”

The music rose with Minerva’s smile, and the competition began in earnest.

“Keep up.”

The music silenced itself as the regional boss took her place mirroring Lyna. Striking a pose, light welled up around the siren from below as if someone had lit a spotlight, but she paid it no mind. As graceful as the water she rose from, the siren began to move as a leg extended to the next of the crystal tiles. The light followed her, extending in a wide area and sweeping towards the floor until the tip of her foot touched down. As it connected to the crystal tile, a single beat sounded as Minerva looked toward the halfling.

“I’ll keep it simple to start.”

Will all the self-control she could manage, Lyna mimicked the action. The same beat sounded. “Now I add a step?” Minerva nodded, and Lyna grinned. She swept the foot backward, tracing the floor before returning to the starting position. Unlike with the first step, the music continued until Lyna’s step ended, looking back at the siren.

Step by step, the battle continued between the two as the Rising Stars cheered her on. Surprisingly, Lyna lasted for a good five minutes before she got her first fault, but once she started, she couldn’t stop. The moves got faster and more complex by the step as Minerva pulled out all the stops. Though they were single moves, the methods were complex and precise.

By the time another few minutes passed, the halfling accrued two more faults, and the match was over and the music stopped cold.

“Sket,” Lyna cursed, panting as she bent forward, placing her hands on her knees to support her upper body.

The siren stood up, brushed some imaginary dirt away from her, and grinned still looking as fresh as a spring rain. “And that’s one. Next.”

***

The next half an hour was filled with rhythmic combat full of back and forths between Runner and region boss alike, but their fates were as sealed as Lyna’s.

After Minerva defeated Mitchel, Tail, and Kendra, the remaining members of Rising Star learned the truth in her earlier confidence. The siren hadn’t missed a step yet and barely seemed winded. Apparently, matching the strength of the beat was harder than they’d considered. Myles was already stepping up before Kendra slunk defeated from the tiles.

“Who is next?”

There wasn’t much of an option in Myles’s mind, but an arm stopped him as Ashra stepped forward. “I will be your challenger.”

Are you sure, Ashra? Ashra wasn’t one to be smug, but at that moment, that’s all Myles felt as he asked again. Are you sure?

“I am sure. Trust me, Myles.”

Myles said nothing more and felt only the slightest twinge of nervousness. It wasn’t like Ashra would be hurt if she lost, but the monsterkin also wasn’t one to walk willingly into defeat. If she thought she could take her, Myles knew there was every chance in this world and the next that she knew she could.

“Do you need the rules repeated?”

It soon became clear that she had no intention of breaking the established agreement.

“No, but I have a request of you, Lady Minerva.”

“Lady?” The siren’s eyes widened slightly, but the smile on her lips didn’t show the malice Myles feared. ”What would that be?”

Ashra didn’t waver in her confidence as she made the request. “May I make the first move?”

Minerva seemed surprised by the request and waved her hand dismissively toward the other dungeon denizen. “You may.”

“I will not waste your grace,” Ashra said, bowing slightly.

With that, the undercurrent of music began once more.

The familiar power of a Skill welled under Ashra, and Myles felt the blowback as she shot off into the sky like an arrow from a longbow. With his enhanced vision, he could see every wisp of cloud part around her as he followed, but the move was anything but simple. Her ears trailed behind her as she tucked herself in, spinning like a top before reaching her apex.

As she slowed to a stop, she posed as if she would run through the sky at that very moment before the air seemed to bend and distort under her glowing legs. For a moment, Ashra somersaulted, kicking off the sky itself before extending herself to her full length. Then, she kicked off the air again and shot back towards the crystal stage. As she descended, Ashra spun towards the ground like a cyclone before another series of glowing side kicks slowed her into a more gentle motion.

With barely a noise, she landed and transitioned into a slow turn as a gentle cloud of vaporized water wafted around her.

Looking up from her position, Ashra straightened herself and smiled. “Your turn.”

No one spoke as Myles looked at the monsterkin in awe.

Minerva just sighed. “Triple fault.” Ashra’s jaw dropped and Myles prepared to argue before the regional boss continued. “You were to do a single movement. That was more than one more, at least four or five if I counted correctly, which I did. It was a nice try though. Next!”

Ashra looked at the others, her perk from earlier gone as a dour expression painted every facet of her features. It was still subtle compared to many others, but it was the most expressive sorrow he’d seen on her since they’d met.

“I am sorry, Myles.”

Don’t you dare be, Myles scolded. That was incredible! You were trying to do something she couldn’t, right? A move there was no possibility of her mimicking?

Ashra nodded but still only spoke across their link. “Yes, but it failed to work. I did not realize if I went first, it would be faulted.”

He couldn’t deny that, but it gave Myles an idea.

“I await your challenger.”

It was time to put his money where his mouth was and sat down.

"Myles, I’m all for taking a break, but are you going to do anything or just give up?” Kendra asked.

“Oh, I’m doing something.”

He grinned as his legs rippled under the fabric of his pants. Through the cuts in the fabric, metallic slime bubbled as the symbiosis ended, and Squishy emerged in all her metallic mimicry of humanity.

Much as she had appeared in the dreamscape of Somniums, the slime once again appeared humanoid. Squishy had long silver hair with a pair of equally long rabbit ears, a silver dress, large, black, soulful eyes, and was no larger than a child.

She waved happily at everyone.

“By the Pantheon, what is that and why did it come from your pants?” Kendra nearly screamed.

Squishy’s large eyes turned to Kendra, smiled again, then looked forlornly at Myles, making a motion for him to stand. Myles attempted to flex his muscles without the symbiote’s help, but the movements were weak. He was recovering, but it wasn’t enough to let him move alone yet.

“I can’t.” Squishy cooed softly in disappointment as Myles looked at his team. “Everyone, you remember Squishy.”

“That is Squishy?” Kendra asked, brow raised in concern. “Myles, we talked about you building a harem, and if this is what…”

Lyna snickered, interrupting Kendra before Myles could as he turned beet red.

“Mists, no!” Myles said, cutting off Lyna before she could make a joke. It wasn’t fast enough as Squishy sent a questioning reaction to the [Monster Tamer], making him split attention before the young slime looked elsewhere for the answer. “No, you’re not in a harem! Kendra, it…” Myles hesitated, considering the words and how strange they felt. “She sees herself as my daughter.”

Kendra seemed torn between surprise, amusement, and… something Myles couldn’t quite identify... jealousy maybe? “You realize how insane that sounds, right?”

Squishy looked between them and sent Myles another question as Ashra of all people intervened.

“Myles was there when they were born. He was the first face they saw. It is not strange at all.” Though despite knowing the story, he could tell from Ashra’s connection, and his common sense, that it was anything but normal for such a young slime to have such a complex grasp of identity.

Myles had other matters to focus on though as more emotions and feelings crossed the link urgently. “No, you’re not insane. Insane means unable to process the world properly, Squish.”

Squishy nodded as the others looked on at the strange, yet normal display.

“And she was your legs…” Lyna asked carefully.

Myles sighed. “Don’t think too hard, Lyna. She helped me walk. Don’t make it weird.”

Kendra raised a brow, and Myles rolled his eyes.

“Fine, weirder than it already is.”

Squishy smiled, happily oblivious to the situation. The slime seemed to drink in being acknowledged by the others as she looked back to the group, and then out at the stage excitedly as she sent the questioning emotion towards Myles.

“I want you to go out there, and listen to the siren,” Myles explained. “If you need something explained, asked me. I’ll be right here, but the goal is to mimic her movements and add your own.”

Squishy opened her mouth, mimicking the movements of speech but saying nothing before turning. With all the confidence of a child, she walked out onto the tiles and into the lion’s den.

Myles could feel the eyes of the others on him still and responded the best way he knew how. “I know what I’m doing, and if worse comes to worst, I can still compete. It’s worth the risk, I promise.”

Tail’s voice carried softly on the wind as they spoke. “We trust you, Myles.”

Myles nodded, and the others continued to stare. They couldn’t afford much more as the first tone of music chimed across the lake and stole their attention like a thief in the night.

The battle began anew.

***

From beyond the veil of the dungeon’s seal, Darwin smirked watching the multifaceted scene unfold. Minerva was one of only four skill guardians with the guardians of Body, Mind, and Willpower still to be triggered. He didn’t question the Overseer’s choice in the challenge put forth but at the same time…

“Really? You’re really doing a dance-off?”

The [Master of Ceremonies] got no reply, but he knew well enough from his time in the dungeon that there was always a reason for the choices the Overseer made even if it didn’t make sense to him.

Mists, especially when it didn’t make sense to him. Then again, Darwin was a bit biased about the music choice. He was always more of a fan of Elemental Overture than King’s Guard.

Still, he was surprised some of the Runners could even keep up. The skill guardians usually required a minimum attribute of twenty to even compete with their challenges, but the upper teens were doing well enough until the complex movements began. Others had even managed to get a fault on her first. It was rare, but it happened often enough that these Runners' creativity had to be commended.

It was too bad so many had devolved into combat. So many had already slain the relatively weaker region boss and were currently awaiting the rest of the groups to finish. It was hard to blame them for doing what Runners did. It was still going to be entertaining when the cut for broadcast was finished.

His attention was drawn to one of the groups still engaged in the musical duel of talent, Rising Star. A few members had already faulted out, but now another one of Myles’s monsters had taken to the stage after his star had fallen. The kinetic iron slime mimic was dancing along with Minerva, matching her beat for beat, step for step, and making things difficult as its body could contort in ways that bones didn’t allow to make more and more complex movements that the boss had trouble hitting in the same ways.

It was impressive to be sure as arms and legs contorted like boneless jellies to achieve fantastical movements. A buzzer in his interface caught his attention again and drew it down into the current scene.

The regional boss had hit her second fault.

***

Minerva was panting after that last series of moves. That… that slime had nearly bested her! The slime girl was unflappable, matching her movements with near perfection that bordered on mind reading, and she wasn’t even winded. All the while, the small metallic girl smiled as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She was even laughing!

Laughing!

It wasn’t as if she was perfect, but whatever Traits it had made it nearly impossible to fool her motor skills. She’d only gotten her faults when Minerva exploited that fact, but that damned tamer of hers. The [Monster Tamer] had the mind to crack down on those weaknesses as soon as they made themselves apparent. A trick never worked twice, or this would already be over.

After Squishy extended her reach to touch the space across the crystal stage in front of her with her left foot for the second fault, she realized the danger. There was a chance she could lose this. With that, the gloves, and the siren’s flesh, were off. Shifting into her elemental form took a constant flow of Soul Energy, but it was the only way to match the slime’s outrageous movement area.

Move for move, the flowing water and the metallic slime matched beats like a pair of synced metronomes. The sound was constant now, the song continuing to its conclusion until a new melody began…

Then another…

Then a third…

Back and forth the two danced, twisting and turning to the beat as the group looked on.

“What… the… Mists,” Kendra said after the fourth song began since Minerva had taken on the elemental form.

“This is not what I expected,” Will commented as Squishy twisted herself into a knot to place her limbs on four different tiles before snapping back to perform a new move.

“I expected as much,” Tail said bluntly.

No one argued as Myles spoke his mind.

“Honestly, I’m surprised it’s working as well as it is,” Myles said.

“Did you know this would happen?” Mitchel asked.

Myles shrugged. “I had a hunch.”

“You risked our victory on a hunch?” Kendra asked.

He rolled his eyes. “Like I could have kept up with that.”

A fountain of silver and water exploded on the stage as the two bodies reached for multiple tiles one after the other.

Kendra looked on as her sharp comments were dulled by the stone of reality. “Good point.”

“I don’t think we were meant to win this,” Tail added and seemed ready to say more until something changed.

All at once, the music and lights stopped, and all eyes turned back to the stage.

The battle was over.

Standing victorious in a ring of glimmering light, Squishy grinned waving happily back to the team as Minerva slumped to her knees, returned to her humanoid elementkin form. Her posture spoke of defeat as water seeped from her pores, drenching her form and giving her the appearance of an overworked [Dancer].

Not that she wasn’t, Myles noted, but a new message stole his attention before he could ponder it further.

Dance-Off!

Challenge requirement: Defeat Minerva in a series of Dexterity-based challenges. The last one standing will be declared the winner.

Victory Condition has been met: Have at least one member of your team outlast Minerva.

Victory Reward: [Calculation in progress]

Calculation in progress?

With all the parties still in instances, the dungeon was probably waiting until all the instances ended to dole out its prizes. It made him a bit nervous, but the pure joy flooding his connection from Squishy was hard to dismiss as Minerva spoke.

“I’ve been bested at my own game,” Minerva heaved, trying to get the words out as her form tried to recover from the strain. “I commend you all for abiding by the rules of combat and being good sports.” Her words grew slightly softer as her attention turned to the slime. “And you, Squishy, for giving me a battle I won’t soon forget.”

Squishy beamed and moved closer to the exhausted region boss. Myles felt her intent to speak, and the frustration at her inability to do so growing. As her tamer, he filled in the blanks as he motioned for the others to help him to the stage.

It took Kendra and Mitchel to stabilize him enough to move him with any kind of dignity to the center of the stage. Either could have carried him alone easily with their strength, but he felt that would have been a bit embarrassing.

‘Standing’ with Squishy, Myles translated. “Squishy says thank you for the fun.”

Minerva blinked, taken aback by the comment. Then, she seemed to consider it and smiled as she got back to her feet. “It was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?”

Squishy vibrated with excitement.

“She wants to know if you will…” The slime continued to express her intentions to Myles. It was more complex, but soon the picture came together. “Squishy wants to know if you will do it again when you’ve had a chance to rest.”

Minerva smiled, but Myles didn’t need empathy to feel the sadness behind it. “I’m sorry, little one, but you’d have to ask the Overseer about that. It is not my decision to make.”

There was that name again. Without Silpha to bother, this was as good a time as any to try and get some answers.

“How can we reach the Overseer to ask?”

Minerva seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. Her eyes widened just a bit and looked as though she were about to answer before the world shimmered and wobbled as if it were made of mirror glaze falling over a poorly treated layer of frosting.

Her mouth moved, but her words became garbled as everything seemed to melt away. In a burst of glimmering fireflies, the tiles, the reflections, Minvera, and the world around them, vanished, and they were all back on the shore. All around them, Runners sat, stood, and cheered as a new message appeared across the Runner’s interface.

All active challenges have been completed.

The Lake has been claimed.

Ownership has been awarded to Dane and His Brothers for being the first to defeat Minerva, the Placid Reflection.

Additional Rewards calculated.

Unique Victory Reward is awarded to Rising Star for being the first and only group to defeat Minerva’s challenge properly.

Reward: Exemption - All members of Rising Star have immunity to decisions about the region made by Dane and His Brothers. This includes but is not limited to taxes and travel bans. This does not automatically make this area a safe zone.

Reward: Victory Statue - The Placid Reflection

Reward: Ability Refresh - All Traits and Skills have had their cooldowns refreshed.

Myles cursed. He hadn’t expected to be the first, but the message kindled a surprising fire in his oven. Why hadn’t their ‘proper’ victory counted as the victory?

If they were the only ones to complete the challenge properly, why wasn’t the lake rightfully theirs?

The thought echoed across his link from every member of his team. Kendra fumed more than the others, indignant at the fact victory had been stolen from Squishy of all people. The only one that wasn’t concerned was the slime herself.

He’d have left it at that, but the interface wasn’t done with him yet as a set of new messages appeared.

Monster Stage Increased!

The requirements have been met for a species and Class evolution for [Kinetic Iron Mimic] Squishy.

Allow Squishy to Evolve?

Y/N

His heart nearly stopped as he read the message.

Squishy had gained enough experience and skill to evolve. He should have seen it coming sooner after their battle in Somniums. As he was held up by the others, Myles looked at the smiling monster in front of him, a fierce ally, a deadly opponent, and one of his first monsters. Squishy felt Myles’s confusion and pushed urgently against his indecision. He could feel their connection strained with her wanting to grow stronger, to contribute, to be more like Ashra and himself.

Squishy wanted to grow, and who was he to stop her?

Evolution in progress.

Light enveloped the small child, and just as quickly as it had come, it withdrew into her form. The air hummed with energy as he felt a tug on his mana and Soul Energy. Myles allowed it to flow, careful not to let it rip from him as a thought occurred to him. Was this what the others had seen before with Ashra? In another moment, the light had fully dissipated, and outwardly, not much had changed for Squishy. One thing he quickly noticed was her eyes. Still solid black pools of curiosity, but it was tangible now, less of a primal desire and more of a desire to learn. Her mind was working faster than before in more complex ways with her nature exerting itself like a fireball thrown at a snowbank.

If that had been all, it would have been enough to give him pause, but his interface was going wild as he focused on her.

Monster’s Race has changed from Slime to Slime Monsterkin.

Class [Kinetic Iron Slime] has fused with [Mimicker] to become [Kinetic Iron Mimic].

[Kinetic Iron Mimic] Class has been acclimated from accumulated skill levels and experience to Skilled.

Racial Traits have been lost:

Trait - Symbiote has been lost.

Trait - Core Soul has been lost.

Trait - Slime Regeneration has been lost.

Racial Skills have been lost:

Skill - Mimicry (Iron) has been lost.

Skill - Mimicry (Form) has been lost.

New Racial Traits have been obtained:

Trait - Reinforced Core Soul has been obtained.

Trait - Devourer Core has been obtained.

Trait - Mistress of Slime has been obtained.

Trait - Kinetic Iron Production has been obtained.

Trait - Iron Flesh has been obtained.

New Racial Skills have been obtained:

Skill - Lesser Mimicry has been obtained.

Skill - Kinetic Iron Mimicry

New Resource has been obtained:

Resource - Kinetic Iron Slime has been obtained.

Squishy’s base stats have increased.

Squishy’s knowledge has increased.

To prevent mental exertion, Skill and Trait information has been minimized. You may recall it at any time using your Monster Lore skill. The following is a summary of your monster’s changes in the form of her interface.

Name: Squishy

Age: Child

Sex: Female

Race: Slime Monsterkin

(Kinetic Iron Mimic)

Patron: Rani of the Moonkin

Primary Class

Kinetic Iron Mimic

Skilled

Brawn: 17

Dexterity: 14

Will: 12

Influence: 9

Soul Energy: 90/90

Mana: 50/50

Kinetic Iron: 120/120

Elemental Alignment:

Tier One: Earth

Tier Two: Iron

Tier Three: Force

Skills:

Lesser Mimicry

Kinetic Blast II

Kinetic Redirection

Density Shift

Kinetic Iron Mimicry

Traits:

Reinforced Core Soul

Devourer Core

Master of Slime

Kinetic Iron Production

Iron Flesh

Hoard Guard

Soul Link: Myles Chase

Monster Lore Unlocked!

Kinetic Iron Mimic (Postulation) information obtained!

Kinetic Iron Mimic (Postulation)

Creature - Monsterkin (Kinetic Iron Mimic)

Unknown Threat level

Best Trait - Flexibility

Preferred Method of Attack - Mimicry (Postulation)

Special Attack: Kinetic redirection, Lesser Mimicry (Postulation)

Known Drops: Unknown

From one uncommon species to something more unique, the Kinetic Iron Mimic Monsterkin (Postulation) is the result of a combination of variables including long-term fusion during the formative stages and the extended uses of symbiosis. Though the evolution from monster to monsterkin is not unheard of, Slime-based monsterkin are not considered an established variant of the species due to the rarity of the event. As this specific evolution is considered to be a unique species, information is limited and will be provided as more entities are encountered and studied.

As the founder of this species, you have the right to register the official name of the Kinetic Iron Mimic (Postulation) to the Universal Codex. You may exercise this right at any time by speaking the command Name Species and then speaking the replacement name. This may be performed only once.

As you have two species to name, you may expand the command to ‘Name Species - Kinetic Iron Mimic’ or ‘Name Species - Kinetic Iron Rabbitkin.’

Study Kinetic Iron Mimic to expand this entry.

Myles’s head swam at the flood of information. There was so much to unpack, so many abilities to research and put to use, but in the end, that wasn’t what nearly paralyzed him. No, a flood of information couldn’t do what a single word could that rang out crisp and clear as a set of jingling coins.

“Da?”

A pair of small, warm metallic hands held his forgotten arm and looked at him beaming. Not even Lyna dared to interrupt the soft voice and soulful gaze.

Myles wasn’t even sure how to respond to that but held her hands with his and smiled, knowing a whole other level of confusion was about to enter his life. Before he could begin to sort it out, however, a new problem arose.

You have been offered a new quest by the owner of the lake region: Get Off Our Property!

Quest: Get off Our Property!

Difficulty: Easy

Objective: Get your asses off our property in the next fifteen minutes.

Victory Condition: Get off our property in fifteen minutes.

Failure Condition: Stay on our property past the fifteen minutes.

Reward: We don’t kick your ass or take your stuff.

Failure: We kick your ass, take your stuff, and leave you at the bottom of the lake.

As a member of Rising Star and this quest was issued by Dane and His Brothers, you can ignore this quest, its rewards, and its failure conditions without consequence. However, actions still can be taken against you personally.