I have been quiet maneuvering around the forest, so I don't know how this could happen.
The sky hangs heavy, bruised with hues of deep purple and gray, smothering any trace of twilight. My lungs burn as I dart through the forest, stumbling over gnarled roots and ducking under claw-like branches. The damp air tastes of moss and panic. I don't look back. I can't afford to.
Huff... keep moving...
I collapse behind the thick trunk of a tree, clutching at my knees. My breath comes in short, ragged gasps, each one sharper than the last. My heart slams against my ribs, screaming at me to run, but my legs tremble with exhaustion. This body is so weak.
This can't be real. It's too close. I've been running for miles—how is it still on my tail?
I chance a glance over my shoulder and immediately regret it. Slithering through the trees, consuming everything in its path, is a massive blob of dark purple sludge.
The Forest Queen Slime—only now, it's corrupted.
Tendrils of mist swirl around it, toxic and menacing, staining the very air. The thing's appetite is as limitless as its size; entire trees vanish into its gelatinous mass like crumbs into soup.
The system's screen flashes in my mind:
|Forest Queen Slime (Corrupted)
|Level: 30
|Traits: Devourer's Aura, Endless Consumption, Split Spawn
|Weakness: Dark
That's great. I don't have dark magic. What I do have is an increasing certainty I'm about to die.
I'm about to bolt again when I hear something. Footsteps. Frantic, uneven, and—oh, you've got to be kidding me—headed straight for me.
"Hey! Wait up!"
A flash of red hair cuts through the trees, followed by a girl—young, wild-eyed, and waving like a lunatic. She's running straight toward me.
"Nope." I veer right, refusing to be the protagonist in someone else's disaster. But when I zig, she zags.
She's like an unshakable shadow, and worse, the slime's still following me.
I'm starting to think she's the reason why I'm in this situation.
"Why are you running?!" she yells, her voice shrill with desperation.
"Why are you following me?!" I snap back, dodging a low branch.
"Aren't you a hero?! Kill this thing behind us!" she shouts, pointing directly at the academy badge pinned to my chest.
"I'm not a hero!" I yell, indignation bubbling over.
She glares at me like I've insulted her ancestors. "Don't lie! Isn't it your job to deal with things like that?!" She jerks a thumb toward the monstrous slime, now devouring a boulder.
I grit my teeth, frustration coursing through me. "So why are you dragging it to me?!"
"Because you're supposed to kill it!"
Oh, great. A delusional civilian with a martyr complex. Exactly what I needed today.
Eh, civilian, here?
"Do something already!" she screams as we dodge another quake-inducing roar from the slime.
I glare at her, my patience snapping. "Why don't you fight it, if you're so brave?"
"I tried! My magic doesn't work on it!" she shouts back, her cheeks flushed from exertion and, probably, rage.
"Oh, how convenient for you," I mutter. My sarcasm earns me a venomous glare.
"You fake hero!"
"Go away!"
"No, if I die, at least I take a fake hero with me!"
Our bickering comes to a sudden halt as the ground trembles violently. The slime's too close. The guttural roar it emits sends shivers down my spine. We're out of time.
Before I can react, the forest floor collapses beneath us. My stomach lurches as we plummet into darkness.
________
I hit the ground with a wet thud, pain shooting up my side. The air is damp, heavy with the scent of mold and decay. Great.
Of course, we'd fall into a cave.
"Watch it!" the girl yelps as I push myself upright, accidentally brushing against her in the process.
"It's not like I planned this," I snap, shaking mud off my coat. My eyes adjust to the dim light, revealing jagged walls and a narrow tunnel ahead. The only sound is the drip of water echoing ominously in the distance.
The girl grunts and chant a spell.
Torchfire.
A spark flares to life, casting flickering shadows across the cavern. I catch my first proper look at her: wild red hair tied in a messy ponytail, sharp crimson eyes brimming with defiance, and a layer of grime that does little to dampen her commanding presence.
"You're welcome," she says, holding up the small flame over her palm with a smirk.
Thanks for dragging me into this mess."
"You're the one who ran here, I merely follow," she retorts, clearly unimpressed.
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.
Now we're stuck in a nowhere I can't afford to make another enemy.
"Look, truce?"
She hesitates, then nods, extending her hand. "Fine."
Then there is silence for a while before she start introducing herself. "I'm Valeria. Since we're stuck down here, we might as well cooperate."
I glance at her hand but ignore it, instead pulling a small bag from my satchel and plopping it into her palm. "Master Eclipse. And do you have food?"
Valeria blinks, clearly not expecting this. "W-What? No, I don't."
I smirk, leaning back against the damp wall. "Then I guess you're stuck with me."
She scowls, her cheeks reddening. "Unbelievable."
We're an odd pair, but for now, survival comes first. The slime is still out there.