The sensation of sitting in the box was not the most comfortable, between the remaining tingling of pain from the earlier assault & what could be described as an itching from the shabby wooden confines. The convoy of carriages continued on towards their destination, whatever that may be, with a view from the uncovered crate consisting of the cheap cloth for the roof of the carriage, the stern, almost unblinking face of the warrior woman as she glared at the unrecognizable, gelatinous mass that was once the unnamed monster she had fought earlier, the hunter & his still hooded female companion, though now the beast could make out that she had dark, almost ebony like skin from what little could be seen of her when the light caught her lower face & a single braid of hair, the same colour as the blue of the night sky or perhaps the depths of the ocean, that came to rest & then hang just below her right shoulder. The scenery that was visible from the back of the carriage largely consisted of the, almost spotless, blue sky above & what little greenery could be seen within the constraints of the beasts limited eyesight before the colours eventually became inseparable on the horizon or until they met with the dreary, faded brown of the carriage's cloth covering or the rutted dirt path the carriage trundled along. The only thing that stuck out amongst this backdrop was the carriage behind with a rather worried driver & soldier clutching his weapon at it's front.
Aside from the spinning of the carriage's wheels & the clopping of the horses that pulled it forwards there was hardly a peep, no one wanting to break the silence of the moment, except for the hunter who was seemingly dozing off to the monotonous sounds of the carriage journey. Until... eventually.
"Not too long now."
The driver proclaimed.
"Hm...hmm..."
The hunter barely acknowledged the response before seeming to nod back off.
"Good, we can keep this thing under better guard in the city... provided it doesn't escape."
The warrior exclaimed in reply, eliciting a somewhat annoyed reaction from the sleepy hunter.
"Uuuaaaahhh..."
First a yawn.
"I don't think the big lugs going to do anything, given how you practically butchered him earlier, he's just a new breed of slime as far as I can tell, albeit an odd looking & possibly, intelligent breed, isn't that right Blubby?"
'I don't actually know, but that seems about right for n, WAIT A MINUTE, BLUBBY?! I'M NOT KEEPING THAT AS MY NAME!!'
'Blubby' bubbled out another inaudible response, yet as he realised what he had been called he seemed to fizz slightly as well, rousing the hunter & causing the female knight to stand, gripping her blade.
"OK, OK, both of you settle down... I'll assume that was the 'Blubby' crack, just a jest, I'll mind my words until we figure something out, if you can understand us, you've gotta be able to communicate in some way..."
The hunter trailed off as the creature & its guard settled down.
"Perhaps that thing's the reason we ain't seen any slimes in these parts the past few days? It's been real quiet out here recently, at least on the trouble front... No monster attacks, adventurers focused on the Red Teeth lot, real good conditions for moving goods to & from the city... Hope it lasts for a while, city ain't had a chance to exploit the calm yet. Everyone could use a coupla weeks of this... Get things moving, trade going full for a while, it'd be nice."
The driver at the front of the carriage broke the mood of the moment by making his opinion known & all within earshot, even the hunter, seemed to rouse & take note of the content his words.
"Hmmm... No monsters or no slimes specifically?"
The hunter inquired.
"Nothing... No monsters at all... Came on a bit sudden as well, got quiet around 3... 4 days ago, I'd say."
The merchant responded before returning his thoughts to steering the carriage as the dirt road began to turn.
'I don't know if I was in whatever that place was for that long, at least not that I know of. Then again, what was that place... And that feeling when I got here'
"Pop, pop, popop, pop."
The slime in the box popped his thoughts out, unintelligible as they may be, which caught the attention of the hunter & his cloaked companion, the warrior was less interested in the story & had tried to remain focused on the now potentially disastrous monster that she had so easily bested earlier.
"Hey, Bubbles, do you remember anything about that, try 1 bubble for yes."
The hunter asked, raising a finger into the air.
"And 2 for no."
He said with a second finger raised.
"Give it a try."
He said, now with his arms folded, looking at the slimy mass inside the box.
'Okay, let's try that.'
'One...'
A single bubble formed on the surface of the gooey mess, before bursting & returning back to the slimy surface from which it spawned.
'Two...'
As the hunter was about to start talking & the warrior readied her hand on her blade for an attack, the second bubble formed, before quickly popping and quickly receding back into the creature.
"Huh... I suppose that'll do for now, eh Bubbles. At least we can do yes & no's with you."
The hunter said in response before turning to his companion.
"Hey, come on Ade, your face won't break if you smile, we're almost there."
His companion drove her elbow into his side, barely receiving a response from the hunter, 'cept for the movement of his upper body.
"Heh, don't worry Bubbles, you'll be out of there soon, even if the accommodations might be a little... difficult."
The hunter tried to sound enthused as the slim shadow of the city came into view from between the carriage canopy & the tip of the box.
'Great... I suppose Bubbles is better than Blubby at least… '