Syl: Chapter 110 (Patreon)

Chapter 110 : Chains

"This is crazy. I trust you, but the reality of this situation is just too absurd," Trixie exclaimed, her head shaking in disbelief.

"Is it really that absurd? I know Gramps said I was an [Experiment], but I didn't think I'd be that different from the others." I questioned.

"Ha! Did you give one of them a nickname? That's cute." Trixie giggled, "So what's this experiment?"

"Well, I got told I died before accomplishing anything and got offered a chance, which led to me waking up as a slime. I've also encountered another [Experiment] who was born an orc and evolved into a troll." I explained briefly.

"Eww... They seriously put someone in an orc?" Trixie started fake gagging, "I'm guessing you must be an old soul then?"

When I stared at her blankly, she continued talking.

"You die, get your life judged, get rewarded or punished, then get thrown back into your next life once your soul gets cleaned."

"Yes... That sounds about right from what I've pieced together."

"So they're sticking old souls in monsters... Very interesting. I wonder if it's from boredom or if they are trying something new." Trixie murmured, placing her finger on her lips in thought. "The orc, as disgusting as that is, makes sense at least. Even something like an animal monster would make sense, or an elemental, maybe a demon."

"But not a slime?"

"No. How do I explain this.... Uhh..." Trixie started grumbling and scratching her head. "Have you ever interacted with a monster or monstrous humanoid other than this orc troll?"

"I lived with goblins for a brief time," I answered.

"Okay, good. So, they technically don't have souls. Or at least not a soul like the humans, elves, dwarves, and so on. But they are still alive and think and feel; I'm sure you've experienced that."

"Yes, they had their own tribe, loose organization, and understanding of skills and traits."

"Exactly. Now, to drop it down a level, even animal monsters have feelings and instincts. They'll breed, form packs, nests, and so forth." Trixie continued, and I nodded along, "Dropping it another level, even elementals, which are like semi-sentient bundles of mana, have bare minimum instincts and feelings. They usually guard an area rich in their element and feed their desire to grow and eventually become something more."

"Okay. Then what about slimes?" I asked, hoping to get to the point.

"Slimes have none of that. They don't think. They don't feel. Their only instinct, if you can even call it that, is to eat." Trixie explained. "The world treats them either as pests or as a resource. Even livestock gets treated better; slimes just... Are."

I frowned. What she said did corroborate with some of what I experienced, especially with how dumb some of my brethren acted. I recalled the orange slime entry in the book, which sounded anything but stupid.

"But I've read about some slimes setting traps and doing things that suggest intelligence. Like an orange slime." I replied, hoping for an explanation.

"Yes. And you'll note that all of those are dungeon-based slimes. They are mindless drones directed by the Dungeon Master; consider them movable traps or a controlled dungeon hazard." Trixie disputed, "Even a Queen Slime doesn't have the pack or maternal instincts; they will literally eat over ninety percent of their offspring."

I must have been showing a grim expression as Trixie smiled at me softly, "Hey. Don't worry; none of that matters to you. You're basically an entirely new species at this point. Very cool."

"Right... Thanks." I replied.

While I didn't care too much about never running into another slime like me, I was now concerned about how my situation would be handled should it be revealed. How would I be handled if I was considered a new species? Would I be captured for study and preservation or perhaps executed outright to prevent a new race from forming?

'Queen Slime was one of my evolution options...'

"You really get lost in your little world a lot, huh?" Trixie asked loudly to get my attention.

"Sorry. I'm just concerned about how I'd be treated if I truly am as unique as you say."

"I think it's amazing, but what's on your mind?"

"Well... What happens if I pick the Queen evolution. Would my offspring be mindless?"

Trixie's jaw dropped, perhaps now understanding my concern, and I felt relieved that she was under a magical oath. She snapped out of her shock and surprise and raised her finger as if telling me to hush.

"Do not tell anyone you can evolve into a Queen." She warned in a harsh tone, unbefitting of the clown persona or the cheeky know-it-all. "As for what would happen... I think there are two likely possibilities, the first being that they become like other monsters and have some minor intelligence."

"And the other?" I asked with bated breath.

"That they are born completely under your control. Drones for you to command, a dungeon master not limited to a dungeon." Trixie said grimly.

I understood the ramifications but recalled Keldenar with his golem city and army. "It doesn't sound that different from the Golemancer who controls thousands of golems and his own city."

"Oh, there's a Golemancer city now? I'll have to go visit." Trixie said enthusiastically, "But I'm assuming even with his power, he's still one person. What if you control your children, get them to evolve into Queens, and then also control the children's children? You could exponentially grow at a rate that could literally cover the world. You slimes can basically eat anything and convert it to slime mass. Heck, I vaguely recall a slime that could even turn mana... into... slime..."

Trixie suddenly paused as if expanding on an errant thought. Suddenly, chains apparated around her and jerked violently tight. She seemed startled initially, then shook her head and frowned at the sky. "I wasn't actually going to do it!" she shouted, and then the chains slowly vanished.

"What happened?" I questioned, feeling defensive again suddenly.

"I think I figured out that you are, in fact, that type of slime, and I might have briefly believed that you were a future risk to the world. My oath seemed to not like that line of thinking." Trixie shrugged. "Sorry about that. At least you now know how powerful the oath I took was. And seriously, never mention that evolution to anyone."

"Thanks for the honesty... Weirdly, that makes it feel better?" I replied, feeling a little more at ease again. "Besides, even if I did take that evolution, I certainly don't plan on doing anything on that grand scale."

"Yeah... Like I said, I feel like I'm a good judge of character, and I don't think the current you would do anything like that. But time will tell, and when you are as old as dirt like me, who knows if you'll still be the same?"

"Wait, really? How old are you?" I asked.

"Rude! Never ask a lady her age." Trixie giggled, already having flipped back to the bubbly personality. "Anyway, since I've already made an oath, I might as well score some bonus points for the future. So, would you care to explain your mana situation in more detail?"

I nodded and started by explaining my theory about [Mana Slime] and [Mana Circulation]. I also explained in detail what had caused the situation, although I didn't mention my [Sub-Cores] being the reason I had overtaxed my mana output, placing the blame fully on [Multicast] alone. Thankfully, it seemed more than probable, and Trixie seemed very impressed with my magical repertoire. This also led to me admitting that I started as a simple blue slime. As our conversation continued, I noticed that the magical oath chain would keep partially appearing, and another link would be added to it before vanishing again.

'Is more being added to her oath?' I wondered, trying to recall the exact wording of the notification.

"You've come a long way from a little blue slime... I guess that explains your mana and why it tastes so good; you're like a monster half a step into becoming a spirit." Trixie commented, "Although, why did you come to this floating island?"

"I'll tell you now, but I just have a question. Does your oath involve all my secrets?" I asked curiously.

Trixie paused, then started thinking. The chain briefly appeared again in its entirety, and after she examined it a bit more closely, she shuddered. "Shit."

"I came looking for a yellow slime to absorb and gain its trait," I said promptly. Multiple extra links got added to the chain, and Trixie stared wide-eyed.

"Wait, absorb it?" She asked, her voice a little panicky before the full force of the chains wrapped around her. I chuckled nervously as her future fear must have reared its head again.

"Well, shit. You got me there..." Trixie sighed deeply as the chains disappeared again, "I guess this is my own fault; I had no idea what a big little secret the blue goblin could be hiding... It was just too much of a tantalizing puzzle. Guess I'm fully on team Syl now."

Despite what she said, she candidly didn't seem too concerned beyond those brief restraining moments. Quite frankly, I felt like this worked out well for me, at least emotionally, as I could vent some secrets and frustrations to someone now. Although mentally, I still felt like I wanted to get away from this meddlesome pixie and whatever future pranks she would cook up.

"Well. Getting back to your mana situation... I'm a little stumped, to be honest." She said, sitting on my head again. She likely wanted to examine my mana closer or have another treat, which I allowed for now. "Beyond your mana being turned up to eleven and stuck there, I can't sense anything wrong with it. Maybe you're using more mana than normal when you cast, but it seems to regenerate so fast that it doesn't matter?"

"Ha... I wonder if I'm stuck like this till I can speak to Gramps; hopefully, he will notice it before then."

"Don't worry about it so much, let's focus on the now." Trixie said patting my head, "So you wanted a yellow slime? Surely, they aren't too hard to find up here."

"I did find one, but I accidentally killed it... My plan was to either find another or force one to spawn."

"That's a shame, but your idea is pretty sound, especially if you kill or get rid of the two creatures hogging all the essence."

"Wait, two things are stealing the essence? I know you said you passively feed on it."

"Yeah, I take a tiny amount, although, after your spells, I probably won't need a refill for days. Longer if I keep sitting on your head." Trixie replied, then licked her lips, "Seriously, your mana is delicious. I think I'd want to keep you around even without the oath."

<Proficiency gained. [Aerial Finesse LV 2] improved to [Aerial Finesse LV 3].>

I was slightly startled by the random skill increase, but then I realized we were still in the sky during this entire conversation. With how perfectly I was floating in place, I don't even know if I could call it flying at this point. I guessed that [Enchanted Wings] was likely pushing my skill to improve rapidly.

"Something wrong?" Trixie asked, noting my silence again.

"I just realized we were flying this entire time. I'm surprised nothing came to attack or investigate." I replied.

"Oh, they certainly came to investigate. I've just been hiding them and us." Trixie said with a giggle and waved her hand.

The air shimmered and abruptly changed, revealing a completely different scene. A herd of pegasi circled us as if searching. They seemed to notice the change and started to whine and snort aggressively. I turned to Trixie as if expecting an answer, but she had vanished.

"Damn, pixie..."