A Blob and its Boy - Part 1
Written By: Vitani

It was a nice sunny day in the lands of Hillsfar. Only half an hour ago the sun had risen. The campsite where the travelers had rested for the night was in a clearing that was closely surrounded by trees on all sides except one, where a dirt path meandered through the dense conifers and maple trees. There were two tents in the clearing and both were pale green pup tents, not very large at all and in appearance made of cheap materials. In the middle of the campsite was a fire pit that had been lit the last night and extinguished sometime in the early morning hours before the sun had come up over the horizon. Near the fire was a portable table made of cheap blue plastic that was very durable. It could be folded up in a matter of seconds and was useful for preparing the various foodstuffs that the travelers always brought with them on their long hikes through the woods. The travelers always started their hikes from their log cabin deep in the Hillsfar forest. It was a typical log cabin with nothing out of the ordinary about it, except for its unusual inhabitants.
 
It was about 8 am when the first tent flap opened and a young boy emerged sleepy and visibly upset. He had green eyes and brown hair cut short in a buzz cut style. He was only 5'6 and weighed a mere 150 pounds, which was unusual for a boy his age. He surveyed the campsite and noted that nothing had been moved or stolen since he had last checked the night before. The boy next looked around expecting to see something or someone familiar, but was disappointed. He subsequently turned a bright shade of red and strode over to the other tent. He was visibly displeased with the situation since he had intended to have left the campsite around 7 am. It appeared that the morning watchman had forgotten to stay at his post.

The boy picked up a stick and slammed it as hard as he could against the door to the tent while yelling to the slime to wake up.  The slime ventured out and yawned.  "Is it time to leave? I just went to sleep four hours ago."  The boy answered as frankly as he could.  "We are lucky to be alive. You were supposed to be guarding the camp this morning.  Imagine what would have happened if an evil slime had approached and attacked.  We need to be in town soon."  With that the boy quickly went to tear down the camp and prepared everything for the last leg of their journey.  The slime, being smarter than the boy and far stronger physically, was the leader so it did not help.  When everything was ready the two walked down the trail quietly.  A few hours later they arrived at the town with nothing out of the ordinary happening, which was to be expected because the section of the wilderness that the two lived in was almost uninhabited save for a few wild slimes.

The town they approached was called Robinsville and was neither remarkably large nor small for a Hillsfar town, with about 200 residents and at any time about 100 visitors.  The town had several inns and taverns, a public bath, and several recreational parks.  There was a circus in town for the week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hillsfar independence, where the neighboring kingdom of Zemth had been overthrown in a revolution over unfair taxation without representation.  The boy and the slime moved through the city methodically until they had reached their predetermined destination, an old inn located in the southwestern section of the town.  The name of the inn was the Jumping Candle, named after a visiting mage who had a candle that jumped around and which unfortunately burned down the nearby armory.
The two travelers entered the old but well maintained inn and they approached the innkeeper, a rather rotund and cheerful brown haired man named Barney Jenkins.  The slime had found this place to be to his liking on one of their previous ventures into town, so afterwards they always went to this inn.  After a quick casual conversation Barney gave the boy a key and told him his room number was 14 on the second floor.  He gave the slime a different key and informed him that his room was number 42 on the sixth floor.  On the second floor both of the friends parted and went to their respective rooms to store their provisions and supplies. By now it was 4 pm, and the slime had business to take care of.  The boy was simply the slime's loyal servant and the slime knew that the boy had other business of his own.  The slime moved out of the inn and after some time reached his destination, the Spell Shop.  The slime was lucky this time. It was almost time for the shop to close.  The slime moved to the counter and asked Molly, the shopkeeper if she could measure the slime's level to determine if it was now powerful enough to buy a spell.  Molly was a nice shopkeeper who was willing to go out of her way to help the poor and the destitute.  She was unfortunately always broke because of it too.  People only had to pay her tips when they went to her shop. 

"Well I have some good news and some bad news for you today", said Molly.  "The good news is you have reached level 2 but the bad news is that you aren't at a high enough level to learn a spell yet.  Keep trying and I am sure you will level up soon."  The slime was happy enough to have been leveled up and didn't feel too bad about not being able to purchase a spell.  "Thanks for the help, Molly. I'll be back as soon as I can defeat some more monsters."  The slime would celebrate his new level in the inn later that night.  The slime paid Molly 4 gold which was a small amount of money.  The slime stopped outside the shop and thought about where to go next.  "Well, I have a 104 gold pieces on me.  I have just enough time to make it to the item shop." The slime moved across the street and entered the nearby item shop.
 
The owner of this shop was named J, but nobody really knew the person's real name.  Rumor was that J was an escaped prisoner from the nearby castle but nobody talked to the authorities about it because they had no proof.  J was a wild person who carried a cutlass on her at all times.  She would as much skin you alive than sell you any of her merchandise but the slime needed to buy some items and this was the only item shop in town.  J greeted the slime as it entered the shop. "Either buy something or leave. I hate slimes."  The slime looked at the items for sale.  The cheapest item was a torch that cost 8 gold pieces.  It was an ordinary, unlit torch made of wood with a swath of oiled cloth on the top.  I need to buy four torches, said the slime to itself.  The slime noticed that some herbs had recently been brought in from the medical herb farms.  The cost was 24 gold pieces, which wasn't that high of a price so the slime decided to purchase two of them.  The slime purchased the supplies and was about to leave when the shopkeeper, now in a pleasant mood because of the sale, asked the slime if it would be interested in purchasing some dragon scale for only 20 gold pieces.  Now the slime knew that dragon scale was relatively cheap but decided to buy it anyway.  At this rate the slime was going to be out of money very quickly.
 
As soon as the slime left the shop it equipped the dragon scale over its heart, and yes slimes do have hearts.  They just happen to be very small and hard to see.  Very few people bother to look closely at a slime and those that do are subsequently devoured.  The slime then proceeded to count out how much it had spent to determine how much money it would have left for that night's party.  After counting twice to ensure accuracy, the slime was horrified to discover it only had four gold pieces left. "I'd better make sure to have the boy pay for lodging this time," said the slime to itself.  "I can't rely on credit here in town.  I can't believe I spent all my money on this trip."

After the slime was done shopping for the day it headed back to the inn. By now it was 8 pm and the sun had long since disappeared.  A full moon was out tonight, which meant that the werewolves would be out and about.  Luckily they never bothered to enter the towns or cities, preferring to roam the countryside.  That was another good reason for the slime to have made it to the town that day.  When the slime reached the inn he entered and waved to his servant.  The boy had already reserved them a table in the now crowded inn.  The slime leaped up onto one of the empty chairs and informed the boy about what he had recently purchased.  He also told the boy that they would be leaving the next day.  The boy excused himself so that he could prepare his pack for the next day's journey.  The slime waited for his meal to arrive that the boy had ordered for him.  Fried apples and grog was all the slime required since it had a very slow metabolism and was energy efficient. 

The slime had just finished devouring its meal when a royal messenger from the nearby castle approached the table.  The messenger was a young man, no more than 23 years of age. He was wearing the dark red shirt and pants of an official royal messenger and bore the mark of Trebek, the insignia of the messenger order of Tantegel Castle.  The slime had never personally met a royal messenger before and was surprised when the young man handed it a scroll with the official royal seal on it.  All the man said to the slime was that it was very important that it be at the castle the next day at 10 am sharp.  The King wanted to see him immediately and being late was not an option.  The messenger left almost as quickly as he had entered and the slime hurried up the stairs to tell the boy that they were going to visit the king.  The boy was shocked to hear the news.  The slime then hurried to bed and made sure to wake up early the next day.

The next morning the slime and the boy were packed and ready to go by 7 am.  After a short walk they left the town and headed for Tantegel Castle, which was very close to the town.  In fact it was only 5 miles north of the town.  When they arrived at the castle the drawbridge was down and the guards let them through without asking any questions. Apparently word had reached the guards that the slime would be arriving, although judging from the suspicious looks aimed toward the boy nobody had said anything about a servant.  The slime and the boy crossed the drawbridge, which was suspended over a deep moat with many unknown and mystical beasts. No one really knew what lived in the moat and nobody was ever foolish enough to take a swim there. 

The slime entered through a pair of great red doors into the Great Hall, where the king entertained himself and his guests.  The room was empty now as it was primarily used at night or in the evenings.  There were many tables in the expansive room and chairs were stacked on top of each other in one corner.  There were 3 doors that entered the area, counting the main doors they had just entered. One led to the kitchen and the other led to the central stairwell.  The central stairwell had passages to almost every section of the castle and there were countless doors that all were wooden and looked identical. This served as a way to confuse an enemy that tried to capture the king because the enemy would have to open many doors before finding the right one. This would give the king ample time to escape.  The only problem with this system was that guests were often lost in the castle.  The slime and the boy were now lost.

The slime had almost decided to randomly open one of the doors and enter to ask for directions when one of the doors opened and two guards beckoned for them to enter the royal throne room.  The guards were dressed in red and held long spears.  They also had round bucklers, which were most likely to serve ceremonial rather than as battle instruments.  The slime entered first and observed that the guards shut the door in the face of the boy. Apparently the king only wanted to see the slime.  The room was large and the slime noted that almost everything in the room had the royal red colors on it.  The throne room could have held well over 200 people in it but currently there were only one hundred people there.  Many of these people were guards or servants, although there were numerous advisers.  The throne where the king should have been was empty but not the queen's throne.  The slime was confused at this sight. Didn't the king ask for him to come?  Where was he? 

Just as the slime was about to ask a guard where the king was a servant approached and instructed the slime in how to approach the queen appropriately.  The slime listened and when motioned for by an advisor moved forward.  Although it only took a few minutes to reach the throne and carry out the proper procedures to honor the queen, it seemed an eternity to the slime.  Never in its life had it expected the great honor of seeing the queen, much less being invited to the royal court.  The queen acknowledged the slime's presence after it was finished blessing the queen.  Then the queen began to speak softly but forcefully.

"I want to thank you for the services you have done for our country in the woods against the wild slimes in the past.  They have constantly been an annoyance to the people of this land, who would like to visit the great forest more often.  I however did not call you here simply to acknowledge your past services but to offer you a chance to serve the crown in a more significant way.  My royal scribe will have your quest for you if you decide to accept the challenge."

The slime did not hesitate for even a moment before accepting the offer.  The queen then nodded and a guard walked forward to guide the slime to the scribe's office.  The slime had assented to the task for several reasons.  First, it was his patriotic duty to his country to serve the crown if called upon.  Everyone in the kingdom was expected to serve his or her country.  Failure to do so could result in banishment, imprisonment, or death. Worse, fellow citizens would become very angry and distrustful of the coward who failed to show allegiance to any cause. Second, the slime had finally been offered a chance to prove to others that it was not just an ordinary slime but something far greater.  Third, the slime was low on funds and could use whatever financial rewards were available.

The slime was led back out the door it had emerged from and straight past the slime's servant to another plain door, which the guard opened with a key.  This room was rather small and plain, with wooden walls that were seven feet high.  There were few furnishings in the room.  A few pictures of historic heroes of old and some scenic pictures of landscapes from far away were on the wall at periodic intervals.  There was a large partition in the room.  There was a large oak desk in the middle of the room where a young man in his thirties was bent over a scroll of parchment making notes.  He did not notice that the guest had entered with the guard until the guard made a slight coughing noise.  The scribe looked up and nodded to his guest.  The guard told the slime that he would wait outside until he had finished his business with the scribe. The guard left muttering about how stupid scribes were and about how inattentive they were at pleasantries. 

The slime didn't know what to do so it moved forward and told the scribe what had happened in the royal throne room.  The scribe must have heard the story countless times before because he methodically searched a nearby file cabinet for something.  He quickly pulled out and handed the slime a royal proclamation stating that the slime was now in the king's service.  There was a bank where the name needed to be filled in.  The scribe asked the slime for its name.  "My name is Brian", said the slime hesitantly.  "The scribe filled in the name and then hesitated.  "He looked up with an inquisitive look on his face.  "That's an unusual name for a slime."  The slime had heard this before.  The slime gave its usual response.  "The history of my name is rather complicated and would take a long time to tell." Oops, thought the slime. My usual response was not the right one to use in front of a scribe.

After convincing the scribe that revealing its history would endanger its life, the scribe decided not to press the matter.  The scribe signed the letter of marque and handed it to the slime with a verbal warning not to lose or sell it.  It was an important document that thieves would be likely to steal if they could mange it so the slime decided to hide the marque after leaving the room. Then the slime was handed a pouch of money, which it was told contained a mere twenty gold pieces. The slime shortly later left the scribe after thanking him for taking time out of his schedule to help him.  The slime left the room and hid the marque in the boy's bag.  If anyone was going to get his throat slit while sleeping, it wasn't going to be the slime.

The guard who had been waiting impatiently outside the entrance to the scribe's room led the pair back to the castle entrance.  After waving good-bye the pair headed off back to the town.  By now it was 2 pm but the slime decided that they needed to head back to the forest as soon as possible. This time their destination would not be the home where the two of them lived but a field in the middle of the forest where they could set up base camp for fighting against wild creatures.  By that night they had reached the field without any conflict.  They set up their camp in the dark and awoke early the next morning.  The first thing they did that morning was to chop down some trees and erect a pike barrier around the camp zone.  Slimes would stay away from spiked poles and knowing that the base camp was safe was a reassurance that there would be no unwelcome visitors.  The second thing they did was to eat breakfast followed by setting up the rest of camp because in the darkness of the previous night it was next to impossible to erect the bathrooms and the cooking tent.  After they had finished setting everything up the slime told the boy what had happened in the royal palace.  By the time the slime had finished telling the story it was noon.

The slime left the boy behind to watch over the camp and to gather food.  The boy was decent at hunting animals such as deer and buffalo, but not magic creatures like slimes.  The slime had only been out for a few hours searching for an enemy when it spotted an evil slime moving toward it from a shallow ditch about fifteen feet away.  The slime waited until the evil slime was within a few feet before moving aggressively toward the now tired evil slime.  The slime lashed out and struck the evil slime.  Neither of the slimes carried a weapon. However, the evil slime did not have dragon scale to protect itself.  This allowed the slime to easily defeat its opponent after several punches were thrown.  The evil slime shriveled up and disintegrated once slain in battle.  All that remained was a leather pouch with some gold in it that the evil slime had found in the woods.

The slime breathed a sigh of relief and examined the contents of the leather pouch.  The slime hadn't said a word since the battle had commenced. "I can't believe how quickly that battle ended.  It used to take me several days to wear down an opponent like that.  I wonder if it was the level advancement or the dragon scale that tipped the battle in my favor.  The evil slime fought like all the others. Maybe my battle skills are just better than they used to be, but still this is cause for celebration."             

Written By: Vitani
Date Submitted: July 30th, 2005

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