A Slime's Sacrifice

Earlier that day as Baal, Feathers, and the scavenger had climbed the mountain; Bunny led the trickster, another scavenger, and Suo down into the forest.

Her master and lover had given her a long list of tasks to accomplish: hunting and gathering food, collecting resources, finding water, and really anything else of use they could find. The group was small but the forest was the goblin’s domain. Even before they had joined behind the orc’s banner, they had prowled the dark shadows of the forest. Now they were also stronger and better equipped than they had ever been. Bunny had reinforced fur armor and the magical dagger she had trained with. The scavenger had tanned leather breeches and carried both a spear and short sword. The trickster had been given a fox fur cape that helped it blend even more easily in the shadows and was becoming a decent shot with the short bow. And the slime...

“Suo?” The slime asked as the goblin stared at it.

“Slimey strong!” Bunny cheered with a toothy grin.

The slime rolled past the goblin without acknowledging the compliment.

The trickster scouted ahead, using the low branches to move unseen. They also had two stone axes as well as a new metal one. As the trickster laid snares and hunted small game, Bunny and the scavenger harvested wood and plants. The slime bounced along, having a fun time playing with, and eating, any of the plant monsters they came across, and finding the small harvest-able plants even quicker than the goblins.

Bunny also tried some of her own skills as Baal had shown her. The dangling plant trap monsters were immune to her spells, but the forest critters were not. She could activate Tranquility as she harvested and smaller beasts would gather nearby, sitting in a peaceful daze as the other goblins bashed their furry little heads in. She even managed to charm a boar before it noticed them and turned hostile and had another free ride.

This was fun!

They spent the day filling their inventories with wood and plants, meat and furs, and even filled the water jars they had been given. It was still early afternoon when they reached their fill, but without being able to carry more Bunny decided to turn back.

The hardest part of the entire trip had been stopping the slime from eating the resources as they harvested them. It didn’t seem to listen to anyone but their master and it especially avoided direction from the ex chiefess. The almost petulant way the slime acted around her vaguely reminded her of the way Feathers would sulk when the tribe’s males gave the enchantress all of their attention.

Awhoo!

The howl rang out through the forest.

Bad sound! She thought to herself in alarm.

“Go fast!” She ordered the group.

At least it sounded as though the animals were parallel to them and not blocking the path to the mountain. Still, she picked up the pace of her mount and made a detour to go further around that area. Bunny and the scavenger rode the feral pig while Suo bounced alongside. The stealthy trickster moved ahead as the scout making sure their path was clear.

It came as something of a surprise to him then, when he encountered another goblin scouting from the cover of the trees. This goblin sported a light green mohawk on his spotted head and wore only the simple loin cloth he had spawned with. It also carried a leather sling with it, but without a rock it looked like it was out of ammunition.

The trickster trained his bow on the possible enemy. The other goblin might have been a trickster as well, but it was oblivious to him. Under equipped and under leveled, the two goblins were worlds apart. The threat of the lone goblin wasn’t much, but if it was scared and running for its life then it could bring danger to them. The trickster took aim and steadied his shot.

The boar riding goblins, however, were much less stealthy as they emerged from the underbrush nearby. The new goblin immediately spotted that group and jumped down to them.

“Help!” The goblin screeched.

The trickster kept his aim but waited for the leader’s reaction.

“No, busy!” Bunny replied curtly as they rode past the prostrating goblin.

The trickster let the tension go from the bow string. If the leader didn’t want to fight, he didn’t want to waste an arrow. The group moved away from the sputtering goblin when a loud whistle sounded from behind them. They turned to look at the goblin with his fingers still at his lips as another whistle answered from deeper in the forest... and another... and another...

The group moved faster but as the minutes passed, it was clear more noises were coming closer, moving to intercept from the forest.

A young goblin chased after them, bleeding and crying for help. Bunny urged the group forward. Baal had trusted her to lead the team, the resources he wanted were more important than whatever was happening to this other tribe.

Another club carrying goblin darted in front of them. This one didn’t bother to beg for help, it never broke stride in its sprint through the forest. A large black shadow chased quickly behind it.

A new goblin emerged in the path ahead of them as they pushed forward. This one carried a large stone ax and wore an ancient rusted helm.

“Stop!” The goblin ordered as it waived its ax.

“Move!” Bunny shouted back as the boar charged onwards.

The boar was already squealing in alarm and panting with exertion. The charm spell was pushed to its limits to keep the beast under control. As much as Bunny wanted to just run the goblin over, she doubted the pig would listen.

“Slimey, make move!” The slime kept pace with the boar rather effortlessly but it ignored the order until the gobliness added. “Please?”

Suo jumped forward, sweeping the goblin off the path with a tentacle as the others raced past. The goblin countered with its ax, chopping at the slimy appendage. It did little damage thanks to the slime’s reduction but it still hurt. The slime withdrew the tentacle back into its amorphous body. Rather than risk further damage and delay, it launched its body into the warrior goblin, pushing them both over into the underbrush with a thud.

The goblin was momentarily stunned, but the slime needed no recovery. It plopped back out of the bushes on to the trail.

The shadows in the forest were no different than the patches lit by the afternoon sun to the slime. It felt, heard, saw, touched, and tasted all at once. Even more than the trickster running along the tree branches, Suo saw the details of the battles raging around them. So many of the boney whiny bad tasties were fighting and dying all around it, but they weren’t the master’s pets so they didn’t matter. The furry growly good tasties were slaughtering them by the second and leaving them. They must not think they tasted good either. But food was food. You needed to eat when you could. Even the bad tasties.

The colorless dark world flew past as Suo leapt to catch up to the others. The master had made it stronger and faster, but also smarter. It pushed its heightened senses as far as it could out around itself. It quickly found the squealy very good tasty and the master’s pets, but it also found something else. Something worse. The tall spiky rough bland tasties were about to give way to an opening of short pointy good tasties and in that spot were many more of the furry good tasties and whiny bad tasties.

Danger! Suo pushed itself as quickly as it could to catch up. Though the slime was slowly gaining ground, it finally did so only because the others were **** to stop.

The boar charged into the forest clearing before Bunny realized the situation and was able to stop its advance. Three of the shaggy black doggies were attacking a ragtag group of goblins who had made this spot their last stand.

Unfortunately for her, both parties were blocking the path and were now very much aware of their presence as the lead wolf turned to focus on her with its one good eye. It sniffed the air as it snarled at the new arrivals.

“Help!”

“Save Elder!”

“Kill!”

The goblins appealed their case in a cacophony of voices. Bunny wasn’t sure what to do. Her ride was already tired. Could it outrun the doggies? She didn’t owe these goblins any favors but were the odds better to fight here with them? Worse than dying was the knowledge she was about to fail her lord Baal.

The situation was solved for her as the slime rushed past. It launched itself around the first wolf, taking it to the ground with a surprised yelp. The goblins took advantage of the sudden break in the enemy formation to escape to that side. Bunny as well used the sudden confusion to move forward. If she could just make it past here, it would be a race to the mountain.

Seeing a chance at salvation the goblins swarmed around the boar riding duo even as the trickster scout skirted the clearing and took aim at the lead wolf.

Tiny green hands clawed at the boar, and the goblins on top, threatening to pull them all down.

“Move!” Bunny pleaded to no avail.

“Stop!” The largest of the goblins stood in their way and demanded.

Suo pulled away from the downed wolf and scooted under the legs of the one eyed wolf at the lead. However this one had paid attention and learned, it skittered back, snapping at the smaller slime.

The trickster fired into the fray but missed the swiftly dodging wolf.

Bunny pulled her dagger and readied the swarm spell.

“Take Elder! Go!” The big goblin turned to his side revealing a smaller, much older, goblin wearing tattered brown robes.

There wasn’t time to consider the bargain. Bunny just nodded in acceptance and the old man was hoisted up between her and the scavenger.

Another goblin had backtracked the path of the arrows coming from the trees and joined the trickster, flinging rocks at the wolves from a small sling.

“Go” the big goblin shouted again as he **** a path through the panicked tribe.

“Go!” Bunny agreed and shouted the command to her own followers.

Suo expanded around the third wolf stopping it from following the others as they rode for the far treeline.

“Slimey go!” Bunny ordered the slime again as they rushed past.

...keep them alive...

The only orders that mattered were master’s. Master’s orders were absolute. Suo strengthened its hold on the struggling wolf to prevent it from giving chase. The one eyed wolf clawed at the slime encompassing the smaller wolf. It tore Suo away in chunks of slime, but found little of substance to damage in the clear blob. It’s good eye caught sight of a tiny crystal like formation in the goo and it’s jaws snapped forward to catch it.

Crack

“Slimey go!” Bunny ordered again, but even as the boar slipped into the far trees the gobliness watched helplessly as the slime went limp and melted into the grass.

“Slimey!” Bunny yelled over the screams of the abandoned tribe being slaughtered by the wolves.