Chapter 4 [Slimes | Kyle]

"Doo doo, dow wow, doo doo, dow wow, duh doo doo doo dow. Dun un dun dun! Big wheels keep on turnin'! Carry me home to see my kin!"

As Kyle ventured toward the hills, he sang and studied the people sleeping along the way—his neighbors. Just as he and his family had been, all of them were naked, and when he asked his Grimoire about this oddity, it was unable to answer.

"Doo doo, duh dow! Sweet home Alabam—huh?" He glanced back, barely able to make out the last of the bodies he'd passed. "Hmm. I'm movin’ pretty fast, ain’t I?"

I walked by that last couple nearly a half a mile back. So that puts these hills around… Kyle stared at the Map as he thought. It was slowly filling itself out—though linear, of course—and he did his best to compare the area to what it looked like on Google Maps. They ought to be somewhere between home and the ol’ cabinet factory, but I can't picture these hills at all. There won’t nuttin’ but a field there—flat as a board.

"Any ideas?" Kyle mentally urged the tome to flip to the first page as he asked, something he'd had plenty of practice with as he switched between walking and jogging. He found it disturbing how the book knew his thoughts even if they weren't directed toward it, but he tried not to dwell on it since it wouldn't do him or his family any good. For now, anywhos.

[This greater world is unaffected by any unnatural changes made. If these hills didn't exist in your home, then they were cleared by your people.]

"Could be." Kyle nodded. He'd file that information away for another day, in case it might be helpful later. He switched to a light jog and asked another question, "You mentioned… earlier that… some species had different… Tiers. Can you tell me… anythin’ else… about that?"

[Data will become available as you incorporate experience from slaying beings of each Tier.]

"Damn shame," he sighed and—deciding that he didn't have any more questions for the time being—broke into a run.

After about five minutes of alternating between jogging and running, Kyle reached the base of the closest hill and felt he'd gained a better grasp of the Energy trait. As he'd suspected when first seeing the three designations, it was closely related to 'Stamina' in most of the RPGs he'd played or Gamelit novels he'd read.

At a light jog, his Energy drained at a rate of about one per minute, which wasn't great since he only recovered a measly five a day at rest. When running, it was depleted rapidly—around one every few seconds—and he’d gained some insight from his little test. Even after all of that running, he was hardly any worse for wear. Sure, he was a bit out of breath nowhere near the extent that he should have been. Kyle still felt like he could run that distance another time or two.

I feel like I can go forever. What I’d like to do is run myself dry and see what happens, but that recovery rate… I think I already pushed it a bit more than I ought’ve.

[Health | 168/170 | 5/cycle]

[Energy | 83/130 | 5/cycle]

[Mana | 140/140 | 7/cycle]

I'm not even sore after all o’ that. Wish I had more of all these. I’ll need help testin’ ‘em all out. He stroked his beard and considered his ‘Prime’ Attributes—a term he’d decided to keep using since his Grimoire hadn’t said anything otherwise. It would take time to discover all the intricacies of this System, and he wouldn't be able to do it alone. He'd collect more data once Leah was awake and they could discuss their individual experiences. For now…

Squelch Squelch Squelch

Kyle could hear a cacophony of strange noises from the other side of the hill, many of which were very similar to the sounds made by the creature that caused his early Awakening. He took a deep breath, and his Grimoire naturally floated down and to the side so that it only took up a paltry portion of his vision. His body tensed slightly when he noticed this. It was like the tome knew that there was danger ahead. Instinctively, he reached for his lower back, only to be reminded that he was naked and unarmed.

What I wouldn’t give to have my Glock right now…

He dropped to his stomach and crawled forward, quietly making his way to the top of the ten-foot knoll. Though it wasn't the time for it, Kyle recalled his Grimoire's words. In reality, this bit of land would have only been a mound around two or three feet tall before being leveled by human equipment. It made him wonder how many other changes there would be. How would humans fare in locations where man-made lakes or streams were the only water sources? What would this experience be like for those Nevada folks who relied on Lake Mead?

Concentrate, Kyle. Worry about you and yours, not everyone else. He shook his head and focused as he crested the hill in a low crouch. His eyes squinted against the late morning sun, and once they fully adjusted, he almost gasped.

Below him, in the holler between the rise he was situated on and three others surrounding it, there was a veritable horde of Slimes. The creatures crawled around slowly, scrambling atop each other like bugs as they tried to force themselves out of a dark opening in the foot of the hill opposite him.

They look like… giant Orbeez…

Kyle poked his head a little further out. The drove of critters varied in color; brick-red, brown, gray, and a murky clear. They were translucent but not transparent, too darkly colored for him to see through their bodies unless the light caught them just right. As a whole, the mass looked like a cheap camouflage quilt sewn by some woman without a fashion sense… except they were wet, squirming, and… eating each other?

Squelch

He watched as a brown Slime more than halfway up his hill oozed onto a clear, effectively smothering it. Small holes burst open on the brown one's body as the clear one attempted to break free, but it eventually stilled and began to dissolve within the other.

Tiny bubbles poured from the clear one's corpse, and he counted the seconds it took to completely liquify. After nearly five minutes, the bubbles stopped, and the brown Slime began to move. It seemed to be slightly larger than before, but it was unchanged otherwise. Kyle maintained his position and motioned for his Grimoire to move closer before Appraising the creature. It was close enough that he could smell the filth rolling off it.

[Slime | Stage 1]

[Genus | Mire]

[Tier | 1]

[Health | 41/50]

"Not much here," Kyle whispered. "Is this all you know? Can they see or hear me? It’s not like they have eyes or ears."

[Appraisal is un-Endowed. You have two Innate Ability Points available if you wish to upgrade this Ability. More information becomes available with each Stage.]

Endowed..? Kyle thought seriously about upgrading the Ability but decided to wait for now. He wasn't sure how often more points would come around, their value, or what other Abilities were available. Unlike his Attribute Points, which he could mostly understand, there wasn't enough information to act brashly with his other points.

He picked up a few nearby rocks and watched the Slimes squirming below him. Though he'd poked his head up higher, even the closest showed no signs of seeing him, and he was beginning to doubt that they could see at all. Before trusting that hunch, he wanted to test it. The Slime he’d been watching had moved back down the hill, but there was another slurping up the remains of the first’s victim. It looked like these Slimes had drifted away from the group, which suited his purposes just fine.

[Slime | Stage 1]

[Genus | Mire]

[Tier | 1]

[Health | 40/40]

Alright, let's start around ten yards…

Judging the distance, Kyle chucked one of the small stones to the creature's right. It didn't land quite ten yards away, but it was close enough. The Slime didn't react and only continued to trudge slowly up toward him.

He picked another stone from the small pile and tossed it closer, this time around five yards out. Still nothing. Three yards… nope. About three feet… The rock landed, and the Slime stopped. A section of its body quivered before it crawled swiftly toward the projectile. Well… swiftly when compared to its prior, leisurely pace. It was still no faster than a slug would be if it were the size of a kid’s bowling ball.

Well… I reckon they can't see after all. How’d it sense that rock? Vibrations?

Kyle felt confident that—be it sight, smell, or feel—their senses didn't extend very far, and he wanted to get a better look at the critter. Slimes were usually the weakest creatures in most games, and based on their Tier and low Health, he felt that should also be the same here. If that was the case, he'd stumbled across the perfect training ground. And who was he to let such an opportunity go to waste?

Cautiously, Kyle began crawling toward the oblivious dirty brown creature. He kept his movements as soft as possible, hoping not to alert any of the other alien beings if they happened to have better senses than this one. His hands shook as he approached the lone Slime, from excitement just as much as apprehension.

It only took a few seconds to reach the tiny gelatinous monster, and he crouched just outside the strange critter's senses to get a better look. Now that he was close, it was easier to see through the Slime's…

Skin? Dermis? Not really sure what to call it… Hmm… membrane? Yeah, I’ll go with that.

Within the… membrane… Kyle felt he was staring at mud packed loosely in a Ziploc bag—having kids, he'd actually seen that before. Within the murk, he could see several small stones, including the one he'd tossed near the beast a minute prior. And there was… something else. It was hard to see, so he moved closer and pressed his cheek to the dirt so the sun was positioned directly behind the Slime.

"Well, well. Lookie there."

Nestled within the center of the creature was a small, spherical orb. It glinted dimly within the dark ooze, but Kyle still felt he knew what it was. It had to be something similar to a monster core, and it was likely what held this creature together. He grinned.

Perhaps all those games I played an’ 'childish novels' I read were worth somethin’ after all. His reflection halted when the Slime's membrane began to shake, and the monster started to move toward him. Shit. I got too close.

Even though the Slime had noticed him, that didn't mean he planned to rush his investigation. Kyle wanted to know more about these things, more about what he and his family could expect in this strange world, and more about how to defend themselves.

With a grunt, he pushed himself off the ground and backed away from the Slime. It crawled after him, making nasty sucking sounds as its filthy skin stuck to the earth. He didn't try to outpace, instead taking the time to study its movements. I think it’s time for a little hands-on testin’.

Kyle reached out and touched the Slime. Its membrane was sticky and produced a slight burn, but nothinglike that of the black one that had woken him up. The creature shuddered violently, and he yanked his hand back as a glob of muck burst from the Slime. It landed on his retreating arm before he could get out of the way.

The large brown clot splattered against his arm, covering it and splashing across his bare chest and shoulder. He winced, expecting the acidic burn to follow, but it never came. There was a subtle pang from the impact and a slight itch after, but that was it. Otherwise, the projectile had been no different from someone throwing a loosely packed ball of mud.

"Huh…" Kyle wiped off the mud. The grime had stained his skin a bit, but he felt perfectly fine. "An’ I only lost one Health…"

[Health | 166/170 | 5/cycle]

That wasn't enough to concern him, but it gave him a better idea of what to expect regarding damage. It also told him that he couldn't storm into the pile of Slimes and stomp around like he'd hoped.

Not yet, anyway. He glanced at his recovery and wondered what he could achieve if it were higher. Come on, focus. You gotta quit getting’ distracted.

Kyle shook his head and looked at the Slime, which was still trying to reach him. It hadn't shot another of those mud balls, and he wondered if there was some limit to the attack. Where’d it come from? Was that magic? Or did it just… spit?

He grimaced and threw a punch at the creature. His fist collided with the Slime and sank a little past his wrist. Surprisingly, the resistance of the Slime's body increased the closer his hand got to the center, changing from a liquid sludge to an almost rubbery substance.

"Uck…" The Slime's membrane made a nasty sucking sound as he yanked his hand back. He shook the mud from his arm and glanced at his Grimoire, which had flipped back to the first page of its own volition.

[Slime | Stage 1]

[Health | 17/40]

Damn, more’n half its Health in one hit. An’ it looks like my Grimoire dropped all the bells an’ whistles for the fight. Just the name an’ Health. How intuitive.

Kyle punched the Slime again, the second hit bursting open the protection around the center after its Health hit zero. Its body collapsed around his arm and splattered across the ground as if he'd just burst a water balloon with a small knife.

The smell was horrid, and Kyle gagged as he sifted through the beast's innards. It only took a moment for his fingers to run across the small, shining marble he'd seen in the Slime's center. He gripped the orb and examined it while his Grimoire moved into his view.

[Name | Essence Core]

[Value | 5]

[Description | Currency. A Core with weak ties to an earthen element. Can be traded in at Domain Shops or crushed to gain experience equal to the value.]

Currency? Domain Shop? Kyle looked over the Core curiously before tucking the item into his sqwallet—which he noticed was completely unsullied by the mud. He glanced at the second page of his Grimoire to see how his experience had progressed.

[Kyle | Stage 1]

[Exp | 36/100 | 3/cycle]

"So… that's ten experience from killing one itty bitty Slime." Kyle stroked his beard with his clean hand and asked, "Will I gain double the experience crushin’ this here thing like I do from killin’ ‘em?"

[No. The experience multiplier is only for enemies slain, not from any other means.]

"Dag nabbit. Figured it was worth askin’ at least. Thanks," Kyle willed the tome to the side, stood, and cracked his neck. Another stray Slime was coming right toward him. "Well, waste not."