Well as tragic as that was, life goes on. As decades passed, that would leads to Esma's side of the story. The cave that was renowned had became almost forgotten by most of the people, until it was just an old shrine for the villagers nearby. It was around his time an ordinary slime wandering around found it and decided to make this, it's home. As a common slime going through its day's, going around eating anything plant base it'll crawl over hoping to evolve. Until stumbled upon something difference that it wasn't used to, it wasn't a new plant life, it wasn't some special type of Manaore stone, or even a normal dead corpse of an animal.
It managed to stumble upon the well preserve remains of Yanagi, normally ordinary slime that tries to digest corpse, but without the special mutation it can't fully digest anything other than special stones. But this time was different, call it luck, call special circumstances, but it was never documented or experimented to see; if a slime could actually absorb something possessing divinity. Judging it as something it couldn't consume it started to crawl over it, but something strange occurred once a slime touch Yanagi's as if her essence, had possessed the slime it started to expand.
Days, weeks, months pass the process wasn't simple as the slime had slowly encroach it's body all over Yanagi spreading itself as thin as possible growing three times its original size. Until one year had passed, it had completely swallowed Yanagi whole. Little by little it absorbed her Ki, mana, flesh, bones but there was something there, something unexpected, her soul was still imbedded in her body. And after another year, the completely absorbed Yanagi was gone and a new entity was born.
I met her when I was 13 on my first travel out of the village, her unique appearance carrying a beautiful mix of gold yellow orange overlapping each other giving me a A feel of the season of fall in the old story books I read As a child growing up. Which caught my interest, so I kept her with me as well as she took a liking to me as at that time I was unable to use any taming magic. We decided on Esma since that was the only word she was able to say at first, looking back I should have really question why a slime was able to talk in the first place.
Throughout my misadventures she'd saved my life countless of time, some even without my knowledge. It wasn't until I was at death's door why she showed me her true nature and form, she was my first companion, first friend, and my second-in-command. Yes she who I'm holding in my hands shouting in my face, is my best friend the queen of slime Esma.
"Hey!, hey, hey are you even listening to me" she asked
As I was reminiscing on meeting her, as a means to completely block her out.
"No, not really, what were you saying" I replied to her.
"Oh… you know nothing special, just that he's over their drinking a potion so?".
She said with a with an arm like slime appendage pointing out as I turn around to look only to see Kari chugging down a dark violet color liquid from a vial.
"What the hell man, your are against me!, Commander of Berettas 4th division one of the five Fang General, Duke Kari Gundulf. You have insulted, ignored, an annoyed me throughout this entire fight and -",
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't want to break you're a whole speech any more than this or people are going to start to think that I don't like people finishing their sentences, but when was this ever a two sided fight I have not once tried to hit you. You're the one throwing all the punches, I would say… I'm the one being attacked here. So why the tantrum" unknown replied interrupting Kari's monologue.
Kari eyes went bright bloodshot red, more and more veins started to pulsate around his body, his armor started glowing as if he was being heated from the inside. But with all that going on he was not showing any signs of angry in his expression, but a new calm expressionless look on his face. As if he was completely done with this situation.
"You're right, no more outbursts, this is all been me, so how about this, let's make this a real fight the goal is simple".
More concerned with what he just drank unknown replied " I still don't want to fight but what is the goal this time",
"Oh… Nothing too hard, you'll just have to beat me before I".
Kari stops to play with his goatee under his chin as thought about it for a second.
Then said "Okay… I know before, I blow this entire area to kingdom come".
" I see, there are some problems with that plan though seeing as how you used two mid tier spell already, I don't think you have much mana left in you. To be honest you're already showing signs of mana deprivation, over using it is going to cause a bit more than just blacking out at this point" unknown replies.
"Hold on, I don't think that's what he meant when he said blow the entire area" Esma whispered to unknown jumping out of his hands onto his shoulder.
"Whatever was in that vial seems to be gathering a tremendous amount of spiritual energy right in the middle of his chest as if it's a ticking time bomb" she whispered.
Unknown with a shocked look on his face turns his head back to Kari and said "What did you do?" Kari smiled,
"What did you just take?",
Kari remain silent.
"Please tell me that you didn't get what I think you just got into your system, but how the hell are you able to have gotten that, there's only one person who could made any more of that she should be dead" unknown said with a frightened look on his face.
Kari then looked at him with a surprised expression and said "So you know of ladys demise?, that's funny I don't think that's public knowledge. Hell I don't even think some people in mine military knows".
(Sfx Shau)
(Sfx Clang)
The moments the last letters left his lip, he had summoned his blade that was on the floor to guard his body. Within a blink of an eye unknown was facing him with his right fist to Kari's chest only to be blocked by Cobolt. All in the nick of time took him to finish that sentence.
"Wow… her again" Elsma said while still on unknown shoulder, Kari was slowly turning up the heat on his blade to the point that it was even burning him. But he notice it didn't change unknown's strike, as his fist was still on the blade, has he look down he realizes that there was an air current circulating around unknown fists like an armor of air over his gauntlet.