The Inera continent had a variety of landscapes. The human kingdom of Rethia was filled with forests, while the Elven kingdom of Vylara, was a magical forest where the trees touched the sky. But strangely the closer you got to the mutual border, the sparses trees became.
Instead it was the Blorana plains, a dry plain with lonely trees, and tall yellow grass. Their group of three took refuge under one of these trees for a break.
They hadwalked for a day. That was how long the vortex spell lasted in the sky. Jack's sole goal was to get far away from that walking disaster that calls herself a slime slayer. But the memory of that vortex still lingered.
Aria sharpened a rock on another rock with obsessive focus.
"Say Jeanne can you tell me more about Vylara?" Jack squeaked. He was on Jeanne's shoulder again. They were still walking north but with a slower pace.
"Like... What is stopping that monster from crossing the border and eating me for breakfast?" Jack continued.
The priestess' smiled. It was entertaining seeing Jack's fear of being vaporized into xp points. It was adequate punishment for defiling her.
"The Veil and the Treanthe's." Jeanne replied, her eyes on the horizon.
Putting her rock down, Aria tilted her head. "I thought the Treanthe's were stationed at the capital, not at the border?"
Jack glanced at Jeanne with confusion, practically begging her to explain.
"The Treanthe's are one of the strongest Elven Guard. And yes they were stationed at the capital but a few years ago they were moved... For some reason the elves think it's a necessary precaution against the church," Jeanne explained.
She took a small sip from her canteen.
"And Jack. High-ranking Officials, Clergy, Nobles, or Adventures can't cross the border without going through a lengthy application process."
A wave of relief washed over Jack. It meant that crossing the border bought them buffer zones from the church and from his natural enemy.
[The elves are quite wary of the Church and Rethia as a whole.]
They continued walking in the plains, sometimes coming across dirt boars, snakes and giant grass scorpions. These were all level 10+ and Jack didn't feel comfortable engaging them. Not while being on the human side. But then a creature showed up. One that made Jack want to fight it like it was divine will. Or perhaps it was pure primal instinct.
"Are you sure Jack? They're harmless?" Jeanne said, shielding her eyes from the midday sun as she squinted at the monster.
Even she didn't feel any need to kill it. Aria however felt nothing. Except mild curiosity and maybe a tiny bit ofamusement.
"Yes I must. There's a deep biological urge," Jack said.
There was a single slime. Its core was bigger than Jack's entire body. Its hue was a mighty red.
[Wine Slime Level 9]
[Wine slimes feed on grass and insects. They are passive. The host would be considered a monster by even other slimes for attacking one.]
The Wine Slime's gelatinous form wobbled, it had a sweet aroma coming from it that even the two ladies could smell. Jeanne was used to alcohol from church ceremonies but this one smelled far sweeter than the watered-down wine the priests drank.
"Look it's mocking me with its luxurious size. Its tentacles are bigger than me." Jack started to rage.
He slid down Jeanne's back to the ground.
Taking off his metaphorical jacket, he bounced through the grass. This was the day. The day Jack would commit the ultimate sin of slime-brotherhood. The day that foreshadowed Jack as the first Slime Tyrant.
Aria watched with mild amusement as Jack bounced over. He didn't have the moonlight dagger skill active as this was a matter of slime pride. Tentacle against tentacle.
"Oh its waddling away," Jack said, "It knows I am dangerous. The Alpha."
The red wad of jello in front of him was slowly getting away.
He extended a tentacle, prodding it forward like a duelist extending their glove. The Wine Slime merely absorbed the light tap, continuing its blissful, unaware journey across the plain.
"Jack it's kind of cute." Jeanne shouted.
"He's not cute he's a disgrace," Jack shouted back.
The Wine Slime took another bounce, leaving a small, glistening trail on a blade of grass. With a war cry that was more of a high-pitched squeal, Jack lunged. His body collided with the Wine Slime's. There was no satisfying 'Thwack', no epic explosion of goo. They simply merged for a moment, like two drops of water, before the much larger Wine Slime simply jiggled, dislodging the smaller grey blob that had so rudely interrupted its brunch.
Coughing up red slime, Jack said, "It is strong."
Jeanne giggled.
The Wine Slime turned around, its gelatinous form quivering. Jack saw his chance. He latched on top of it and begin to commit his special move against slimes.
His tentacle switched form, into a spoon like tentacle. And he began scooping up parts of the Wine Slime. He began to consume the other slime piece by piece.
It looked weird.
[Slime Wine HP: 98/100]
Jack saw the health bar and realized it was a battle of attrition. A battle he would win because of his superior willpower.
---One hour later.
In the plains, a murder scene was laid bare. The body was no more. Red goo were scattered across the grass; it was gruesome. A sole slime stood on top of the corpse.
"Victory is mine," Jack declared.
A few droplets of red fell from him. He couldn't digest the other slime fast enough. Instead of digesting he absorbed its wine. Jack now had a very distinct smell of alcohol that he, surprisingly, liked.
[Title: Slime Cannibal acquired. Host is feared by Slimes weaker than him.]
"Awesome," Jack hopped proudly to his companions. Jeanne wasn't amused.
"You attacked it, you merged with it, and you literally started eating it from the inside out?" Jeanne's one good hand covered her mouth.
But Aria was smiling.
"How did the blood taste?" She teased, enjoying the petty display of dominance from her unlikely ally.
"It's sweet."
Aria tilted her head before grinning and walking towards him. Jack sensed what she was going to do. And she did just that. She took a bite out of him.
[HP: 38/50]
"You're right," she said, licking her lips. "It's good. You taste like a summer vineyard, Bobo." She had taken to calling him that again when she was in a particularly mischievous mood.
After that the trio continued to the nearest town to rest before departing to the Border Town.