Cherry & Lime

A few days have passed since we got back to the city, and it’s been a bit exhausting.

First, Sanor and Mallok went to collect the reward for the quest completion, and our party was compensated for the quest being more difficult than what had been stated.

Allamyne and I didn’t go with them since it might seem a bit weird for them to have a new party member when their previous one’s corpse was practically still warm. That's if there even was a corpse remaining in the first place, but it’s not like they could easily tell people that I was still around.

They were given the standard compensation for the loss of a party member, and they also put all my savings into their accounts. They boggled at the sheer amount of money I had saved, and were even further shocked when they realized that I still hadn’t had enough for just one elixir.

While they were doing that, Allamyne was taking me to get some clothes. I was currently borrowing some spares of hers so that I wouldn’t be walking around in the shredded, bloody armor of a supposedly dead person. Even bandits dressed better than that.

She was much taller than I was, but her clothes still fit better than my previous ones. It was super embarrassing when she came over to help adjust them so that they fit a bit better. She was smirking while she did that, and I’m pretty sure she’s been having a lot of fun teasing me.

For now, we were just going to be picking up a few basic outfits I could rotate between. No armor just yet, though, since we didn’t have the time for it. Also, when I’m human again, I might end up taller or something.

After many embarrassing and awkward minutes of buying women’s(!) clothing for myself, we met up with the others. Thankfully, Allamyne had reeled in her teasing a bit and had been super nice and understanding as she helped me find things to wear.

With all that sorted out, we headed to the Magical Afflictions Order. It was located in the central hub of the city, and easy to spot because MAO buildings are always tall, somewhat imposing, and covered in an off-white plaster.

We had to wait a bit, and in the lobby area were a handful of other people, though only two of them had a visible affliction. One seemed to be endlessly dripping water, and the other would twitch as sparks occasionally shot out of him.

“Jade?” a woman called out.

“That’s me,” I said, standing up to follow him.

“The room is a bit small, so you can only bring one other person with you, unfortunately.”

Wordlessly, Allamyne continued to follow me, and it was only after entering the mage’s workroom that it even occurred to me that I could’ve asked one of the boys.

I guess Allamyne has become the closest one to me this past week. Or maybe she’s just happy there’s another woman in the party? She’s mentioned wanting that before. Or… I don’t know. Anyway, I’m glad she’s here.

“I’m Affliction Specialist Moore,” the mage said. “In your preliminary report, you said you were a human who had fused into a slime, becoming a slime person. Could you tell me about the event in detail? Or anything significant you noticed over time if it was a more gradual change.”

“Um, I think it took a few hours or so, but I was unconscious from blood loss and pain.”

Allamyne grimaced and nodded. “That’s about right, though we were in a cave and we were too worried about what was happening to her to keep track of time.”

“So,” I continued. “A goblin lord was swinging his axe at me, and just as it did so, a slime happened to fall from the ceiling, just as I was being struck. Both the slime and I were… severely wounded,” I shuddered.

“Thankfully, Allamyne here was able to blast it with fire while I was on the ground, which took its attention away from me. I remember what my… what my wound looked like, and a lot of the slime had gotten in it.

“Another of my party members poured a greater restoration potion into it, and it began to heal back up. It felt incredibly cold and hot at the same time, and the pain was excruciating. I’m actually glad I passed out. When I woke up, I was made of slime.”

“Hmm…” Moore tapped her chin as she considered things. “Those things alone would not cause such a reaction. What other potions or magical treatments had you used that day?”

“None.”

“What enchantments were on your armor, as well as the axe that struck you?”

“Just standard protection and durability enchantments on my gear. I don’t think any of us thought to check the axe, but considering how crappy the thing looked and the fact that it was wielded by a goblin variant, I doubt there was one.”

“Any other magical items on your person during the incident?”

“A ring that gives a small boost to my strength and a necklace that gives a small boost to my stamina.”

“Were you casting any spells at the time?”

“I can’t use magic.”

“Were there any spells being performed on you by someone else?”

“A song of haste.”

“Hmm… Were you under the influence of any magical substance, potion or otherwise?”

“No.”

Moore frowned and thought for a while longer. “Non-magical substances?”

“No.”

“Any encounters with magic of another realm at any point in your life?”

“No, not that I’m aware of.”

“You said you were human. Perhaps you have partial heritage from another race?”

“I don’t think so. From what I can remember about my family, it’s only been humans at least back to my great-grandparents. Heritage from another race completely fades out after only a couple generations if I remember right?”

“That’s correct. And you weren’t under a curse or hex of any kind?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Well, those are all the standard questions. And slimes, being such simple creatures, are already as understood as much as they can possibly be, meaning it can’t have been anything to do with the biology of a slime that caused you to merge with one.

“So this leads us to some standard tests. If there is still not a result afterward, then we’ll have to begin conducting research and trying more intricate methods.”

“Um…” Allamyne spoke up. “Outside of flames, my own understanding of magic is pretty limited, but she was hit by a spell not even 10 seconds before being attacked. Could that have anything to do with it?”

“You didn’t mention this?” Moore asked me accusingly.

“I didn’t think it would be relevant. It was just a lightning spell from a goblin. Or, a hobgoblin to be specific,” replied.

“That…” Moore began, before tapping her chin while she thought some more. “Enumerate the events to me once more, please, including that lightning spell.”

I retold the whole thing for her again, this time including that hobgoblin’s attack. But since she had just learned about it, it wasn’t new information.

“And just to be sure, there wasn’t anything else either of you can think of that occurred before the lightning and after the use of the potion?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Let’s see… That hobgoblin mage… were its legs uncovered?”

“I… Yes, actually. I remember hitting its calf with an arrow.”

“That’s got to be it, then. As unlikely as that scenario was, other possible scenarios are much more unlikely to be true.”

“Uh, excuse me? I turned into a slime because a goblin didn’t wear pants?”

Ignoring me, Moore launched into an explanation. “Alright. So I considered the possibility that your potion may have been a different one entirely, but that seems unlikely considering that not only are you alive after sustaining such an injury, but also that a restoration effect that potent simply can’t be mixed or replaced with anything else.

“To tell you what I think actually occurred, I’ll need to give you a brief history lesson.

“Way back when magic was first discovered, it was found that outside of racial abilities, only about 20% of people were capable of using it.

“Naturally, there were many who resented this fact. And so there came to be people who desperately worked to obtain magic for themselves.

“A rare few succeeded. They found that in places where the environmental mana is denser, spells and enchantments became slightly more powerful.

“They used the naturally dense mana of those specific places, combined with the sacrifice of numerous lives to rip away the mana of those beings, and through an intensely strong desire to force something unnatural to occur, the lives of those sacrificed would force more mana into the person performing the ritual.

“It was through this ritual that they were able to form a connection with the earth and cast unpredictable spells. These spells were wild, and while the casting of two lightning spells from them may have outwardly appeared the same, the mana within would fluctuate and distort in ways that are far too complex to explain here, in addition to me not knowing a great deal about that topic.

“But this connection came at a cost, and that is that they had to be in direct contact with the ground at all times, and if they left the area of dense mana for even a moment, they would permanently lose that connection.

“So what all that means is that, by chance, a goblin was born with an ability to sense mana. This isn’t unique, and occurs in maybe 5% of people, regardless of their ability to actually use that mana or not.

“It desperately hungered for power and was able to force mana from, presumably other goblins and creatures, into the ground to increase its connection.

“So after all of that happened, you came along, were struck by that wild spell, and before that mana could fully dissipate from your body, a potent restoration effect was introduced. That effect attached itself to both you and the slime simultaneously.

“So, that is my hypothesis. It is impossible to prove, and further testing would perhaps prove me wrong or right, but what I do know, is that because your body was restored to its current state, this is now its default state, a slime person.”

“I… Okay, I have some questions, but if this isn’t an affliction, then would an Elixir of Within or something like that fix this?”

Moore shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Elixirs and other such things can only change the body to a certain degree, and changing one’s race entirely is outright impossible outside of bizarre accidents such as what occurred to you.”

I slumped in my seat, while Allamyne gently rubbed my shoulder.

“Now, I’m sorry to be rude, but I do have other people to see, so if you have no further questions, then I’m afraid that we will have to cut off our session here. If you wish to do further tests or get a second opinion, you will have to come in another day. There are fewer people in the morning, so that would be the best time.”

“Oh…” I said sadly. “Well, I did have just a couple questions relating to the goblin.”

She nodded. “Go ahead.”

“We did notice that the population of that fortress seemed to be a little lacking. Does that mean it sacrificed a lot of other goblins to form that connection?”

“That seems likely, yes.”

“Okay. And then how come that mage goblin wasn’t the goblin lord? And now that I think about it, the goblin lord only attacked us once the mage was dead… Or, thought was dead.”

She thought for a moment, then shrugged and said, “Probably, it just wasn’t lucky enough. It was one of the more powerful goblins, sure, but not in the way that other goblins achieve greater power. It even differed from other goblin mages, using forced mana rather than natural mana.

“As for why the lord didn’t attack until afterward, if I had to guess, I would say it’s because the lord was using the mage as protection. It may have been a vile, vicious creature, but it still had a sense of self-preservation. With its most powerful asset eliminated, it felt cornered into attacking directly.”

I had asked those questions to see if they added any credence to her hypothesis, and I suppose they did. I also supposed that it didn’t really matter, because I was now stuck this way regardless.

I sighed and got up. “Well, thanks. Um, do you know if the library would have a book detailing slime biology and such? Considering how it applies to me now…”

“I don’t know what they do or do not have, but considering how simple and common slimes are, I would presume that any information regarding them could be found there.”

“I have one question,” Allamyne said. “Her body is… well, a different shape than it used to be. The changes, other than being made of slime, are things she actually likes. Is she going to stay in this form?”

I stiffened at that, causing Allamyne to pull me into a side hug.

“Hmm... Slimes are formless creatures in their normal state. When they move around or attack, they change it somewhat to suit their needs.

“So whatever changes occurred would’ve been something you wanted or needed. As for staying like this, I believe that will be the case. Your mind and very being are your current shape, and when the body is malleable, that shape is what it will form into.

“Like how slimes always revert to being just a blob, you will always revert to how you are now. Though you are the first person made of slime I’ve seen, you are not the first I’ve seen to have a body that changes shape. In those cases, their most comfortable form will become their default form.”

“Okay, thank you. That’s the only question I had.”

I’m glad she asked that. I was too scared of a negative answer or further questions about the changes to do it myself.

Moore nodded and opened the door for us. “I’m sorry about your situation. At the very least, you don’t seem to be hindered significantly by it, nor do I think you have much to worry about concerning your health. Give it some time, and I’m sure you’ll adjust just fine.”

We returned to the lobby, where the other two realized it was bad news because of the expression on my face. They looked to Allamyne for an explanation.

“It can’t be undone, but there doesn’t seem to be anything serious to worry about, either,” she explained.