A few more days of travel landed Alisson at the center of Sabasa. Dascha had led him to a large mountain in the middle of the island. It was certainly an odd geographic feature – One did not see lone mountains, but chains and formations of them; this one in Sabasa stood completely alone.

  According to Dascha’s books, great swordsmen would make pilgrimages up the mountain. Under what circumstances and why, Alisson didn’t know. Apparently, if they were judged worthy, they attained the power of a slime. Alisson could only think that there were slimes living within the mountain somewhere. He didn’t know about the tradition and the history of the Sabasa, and that might cost him dearly – There may be actions which must be taken to attain this power, hidden in elaborate rituals.

  Considering how fuzzy the details were, and how Dascha hadn’t been able to tell him much, that was, anything, this practice may have fallen out of style in recent years. This led Alisson to think that perhaps the slime population on the island had been exhausted or depleted in some way. He hoped not.

  On the way to the mountain, they encountered numerous Monolithian warbands. They held with them no captives, no glamourous decree, only a desire to cleanse the world. Alisson avoided them where he could. Some groups were as large as a hundred men, he didn’t need unnecessary attention. Dascha seemed to want to slay them, to enact revenge. Her eyes burned and her tail wagged with killing intent. But he had to temper her.

  It was good she was able to restrain herself with his commands alone. He didn’t want a dog that needed a leash.

  The journey up the mountain was a simple but long affair. There was already a trail in place. It looked worn and unkept.

  After a day of travel, they reached the summit, having found nothing out of the ordinary. He asked Dascha if she knew what to do, but she only shook her head. He looked out over the land below. The view was stunning, but despite the elevation, he couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. He saw a few burnt villages from a distance, bodies of water, and that was it.

  Alisson didn’t want to believe that there required some complicated ritual that was no longer possible thanks to the destruction of the people here. He searched the summit with Dascha.

  As the sun fell, they found their lead – A cave hidden in the rocks. There was a row of swords along either side of the entrance, stuck into the earth. He flicked his head to Dascha and they began their journey into the mountain.

  As they descended the tangled mess of caves, he spotted several discarded swords and other pieces of armament laying on the sides of the path; as if they were warnings to future warriors. He spotted both odd mushrooms and glowing crystals that hung from the ceiling, giving a dull blue glow to the whole interior. Surely, if the outside world new about this mountain, it would’ve been picked apart by science teams many times over. If Andestine caught wind of this, if they hadn’t already, the whole mountain might be leveled to examine it, to garner some sort of advantage from its flora and crystals. Alisson stayed away from the mushrooms and stalactites, not wanting to disturb anything.

  They came to a larger room within the network, that seemed to be a dead end. There was a great lake within, simmering with effervescent water.

  “An underground spring…?” Alisson mused to himself.

  Certainly, it was humid and the temperature here was high. Grass even sprung from some patches of the ground that were covered in dirt.

  Other than the odd setting, there didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary that could point towards the existence of a slime.

  He started to examine the area with Dascha, weapons at the ready. They came across a large gash in the wall of the cave, that led to a glowing blue, gelatinous substance. Alisson stepped closer, squinting.

  He stumbled back when he suddenly heard a voice filled the cave.

  “Child of our enemy, why have you come?”

  The voice was serene, but clairvoyant in some resounding way; as if it had been made a crescendo of tuning forks. It spoke in fluent Sidonian, oddly enough.

  Alisson stared at the crack in the wall. “Unworthy and ignorant I may be, I have come to attain a selfish power that I have heard exists in these lands.”

  “The last hosts have all perished. We have lost mass. We require more durable hosts and new breeding grounds. You are traveled. You will travel away from this place?” The voice responded instantly.

  It was hard to make out what it was even asking of him, but he nodded. “Yes, I plan to leave this island as soon as I’ve attained whatever power you may offer me.”

  He could then hear a burst of static that hounded at his ears for a moment, and he cringed, before the voice suddenly redoubled, “The Sabasa army – Is Gone – They’re all dead.” The voice spoke between bursts of static. “You are stronger than them – You do not understand – The host is in grave danger – Lacking knowledge.”

  The voice was interweaved with many others that interrupted each other, some whispering and others shouting.

  Alisson furrowed his mouth. “I may not understand what to do or what it is that you offer, but I’m willing to accept it. I understand you might not have the capacities to relay to me accurately the information that the Sabasa have so passed down.”

  “Correct – Understanding – First a piece of us will detach – Reproduce – Lose mass – Accept it – Hand yourself over to it – You must do this – You must accept.”

  Alisson squinted in suspicion. Its words gave Alisson a bad feeling. Dascha perhaps saw his unease and she stepped nearer.

  “This is normal? You know this?” Alisson motioned to the slime in the wall.

  Dascha bobbed her head. “…It’s a Pact. Accept it.”

  There was that wording again. ‘Accept it’. Something was telling Alisson that this was a tad more involved than just a binary yes or no as to whether or not he could attain this power. This slime amalgamation must’ve made similar arrangements with other Sabasa warriors in weeks prior, but since they had all died, is why it said it had lost many hosts. Referring to him as a ‘host’ was a bit ominous for his taste.

  Alisson finally made up his mind regardless. “Let’s do it. I agree to whatever terms you lay out.”

  He agreed, mostly due to Dascha’s guileless stare. To attain great power, there was always risk.

  The slime in the wall bulged and coalesced, and with a squelching noise, a small piece of it fell down the wall, and onto the ground. It flattened across the ground like a viscous liquid.

  “Outer wall – Weak – Unnecessary – Get rid of it – Strip.”

  “My clothing and armor?”

  “Yes – Get rid of it – Accept.”

  Alisson swallowed, and looked at Dashca. She bobbed her head quickly.

  He had to strip for this. He still had no idea what he was in for, but complied. He had spoken to Marenix what felt like so long ago that one shouldn’t be ashamed in one’s body, but living by those words were a different thing. He tried to ignore the fact that Dascha was staring at him as he got into his birthday suit, and then stared down the puddle on the ground, probably blushing.

  To his surprise, Dascha didn’t get worked up, she only backed away a good distance.

  The puddle on the floor started to creep closer to him, somehow. He started to similarly back away, but the voices resounded through him again, “Accept it.” They all said.

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  He stopped backpedaling, and swallowed hard, standing his ground. It reached his toes, and he winced at its coldness. It started to creep up his body. It was an interesting sensation, like thick water running over his skin. He felt shivers down his back as it rolled up to his shoulder, and then around his neck, then up to his head.

  It covered his ears, his nose and his eyes. He tried to close his eyes, but the liquid somehow peeled them apart. He could feel it start to fill the insides of his ears. His jaw similarly was being pulled open, and the goo started to seep between his lips down into his throat.

  He quickly started to panic, raising his hands to his head and trying to wrench the liquid from him as it penetrated deeper into his skull.

  His brain – It wanted his brain! He realized this and became even more panicked. The slime in his throat went upwards, and more still flooded in through his nostrils and his eyes. The sensation was unlike anything he’d experienced before. It was a complete overload of all his senses; he felt tingles, sharp stabs of pain, a cooling numbness, and an overall distinctly uncomfortable feeling which welled at his stomach and burned its way to his shoulders.

  He couldn’t even swallow or scream out. He fell to his knees, hands on the slime at his ears. It felt like it was tearing at his very brain, filling his skull with its form.

  Dascha had ran closer, and held his hands.

  “Accept it.”

  She said hurriedly, pulling his hands away.

  Accept it!? How could he accept this – The very violation of his mind and body! It felt like he was – A sudden flash of Celis flew through his mind, then one of his days at the Academy, then one of a random acquaintance. A sudden barrage of memories assaulted him, stumping his train of thought. Then he realized why – The slime was poking and prodding at his mind! It was running through and reading his entire brain!

  Just how could he accept it!?

  He struggled more furiously. He saw it as a monster trying to tear him away from his memories of Celis, like it was trying to overwrite him. He tossed and turned on the ground, tearing at his head. Dascha backed off with a sullen expression.

  With that a sudden thought emerged in his head. Why did he come here? To attain strength. For Celis. For Celis.

  He grit his teeth. This is what it was. This is a power that no normal man can grasp. Only seasoned warriors of mental fortitude can accept this violation in exchange for strength. Alisson’s eyes flared with a sudden determination. He wasn’t any normal man, he was Alisson Vi Nuam! Some stupid slime wasn’t going to overrule him!

  He fell loosely onto his back, staring up at the ceiling through the blue filter of goo that enveloped his eyes.

  Come and prod all you want! He thought to himself. He would accept it, let it do as it wished. He saw Dascha crack a smile out of the corner of his vision, and that only redoubled his resolve in that this was the right thing to do, even if it was against his better judgement, and against his primal fears.

  He felt it wriggling inside his throat, inside his sinus, inside the sockets of his eyes, and most of all, around his brain. It felt like his skull was being squeezed from every angle. A barrage of thoughts assaulted him all the same. He held onto the reasoning that if this thing wanted to kill him, it would’ve and could’ve done so already.

  Alisson didn’t know how long he sat there on his ass. Phlegm had started to leak from his mouth. At first it had been an uncomfortable experience to say the least, but now, after so long of it, he was numb to it. He had essentially recalled his entire life, and it had left him mentally worse for wear. All the good parts, and all the worst parts.

  Alisson was even starting to get used to the feeling. It was like being drowned in water. Somehow he could still breathe through the slime.

  He felt it withdrawing itself. It must’ve been hours. Dascha had sat down nearby, watching intently. His body was freezing cold.

  He didn’t realize it was out of him for a few moments. He sat up with sudden clarity, touching his own body, and sighing in relief that everything was normal. Before him was the puddle once more. He stared intently at it.

  It began to bubble, and from it, rose a vaguely humanoid figure.

  “Hi there! You survived! Congrats!”

  It spoke to him in a sudden, high pitched and high energy voice.

  “The hell…?”

  “I figured this would be the best voice to address you in. You act like you don’t like this archetype, but in reality, you really do!”

  Alisson frowned. “What are you?”

  “I’ll explain everything as clearly as I can.” As it spoke its form became more humanoid and it developed a dark mouth and large, dark spots on its head for eyes.

  “Mom can’t really articulate things too well, so sorry on her behalf that you didn’t know what was going to happen to you.”

  Alisson nodded slowly.

  “I am a piece of that bigger slime you saw in the wall. I was just a few hours ago, a brainless and amorphous amoeba – But now, I’m a full-fledged sentient being!”

  The slime made a prideful pose, tilting its head.

  “And before you go asking questions, just shut up and sit back, because I’ll tell you everything!” It said, leaning forward. “That whole poking and prodding your brain thing wasn’t just for fun. I scanned and absorbed all the information you’ve stored there!”

  “You have all my memories?” Alisson asked tepidly.

  “That’s what I just said! This is how we slimes form a pact with humans and other animals. Mom separates a piece of her body, we absorb every little detail about them, and then, we can work perfectly together! You and I are now a perfect match, in both body and mind! Not to intrude on your love for Celis, that is.”

  The slime also spoke perfect Sidonian. It already knew who Celis was without him saying anything. Alisson readily accepted what it was saying as the truth.

  “You can think of it this way – Slimes are parasites! We latch onto hosts and form a symbiotic relationship. I’ll help you fight and other physical needs, and you’ll supply me with your bodily resources! Like blood, waste, sweat, anything you have. And then eventually, after I’ve absorbed enough resources, I can split into two. Or rather, I’ll grow in mass to better fortify you.”

  Alisson got to his feet warily. He was about to ask what these fortifications were but the slime answered for him.

  “Here, I’ll show you!”

  It surged for him and wrapped around his body. A thin layer soon covered the whole of his flesh. In doing so, it suddenly became transparent, and one couldn’t even tell that anything was around him.

  “I know every crook of your muscles, every which way you move, how you like to handle your fingers in the handle of a blade…I’ll move with you, make you faster, stronger.” It whispered in his ears giddily. “Oh and uh, I’ll be thinking of myself as a girl. It’s what you would like too, deep down. I’m not some animal to you.” His groin suddenly felt tight, and he winced. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle here.” She giggled.

  Alisson didn’t know whether blush, scowl, or be happy at this straightforward explanation. He realized that in the slime enveloping him, his body temperature had now stabilized, and he was snug. It was very comfortable. He no longer felt the cold cave underneath his feet, but the slimes embrace around every piece of his body.

  He tried to move and found his limbs maneuvering faster than he could will them to move. He would think to move his hand and then already see it in front of him. He would will to clench his fingers only to find them already clenching, hard. He could feel the power in his hands.

  “I see that little smirk. Aw…You’re happy, aren’t you? C’mon, just admit it! Praise me! Praise me!”

  Alisson warily broke out into a little chuckle. He knew that this was just a parasite trying to make him feel good and like it back, but he couldn’t help but do so. “You’ll need a name. Firo.” Firo was the Sidonian word for goo. “And yes, this does seem quite extraordinary.”

  He could see now why warriors would seek out this boon.

  “But increasing your strength isn’t the only thing I can do!”

  His body suddenly became a vibrant red, and then a cool green. “I can change colors and texture to camouflage you. I can also alter my viscosity in a number of ways, to help you grip things better or cushion stop blows. That flimsy armor you were wearing doesn’t hold a candle to my protection!”

  “This seems like a lot to take in…” Alisson muttered.

  “You’ll get used to it! After a while you wouldn’t even know I’m here with you! I promise I’ll stay quiet like Dascha if you’re with your mate. Wink.”

  “You don’t have to say ‘Wink’ out loud.”

  “I can’t wink! I have to!”

  Alisson thought for a moment. “Fair enough.”

  After a little while longer of moving around, he noticed Dascha staring intently at him and he remembered he was completely nude.

  Firo was quick to remark, “Aw, don’t be embarrassed master! I can make it look bigger if you want!”

  Alisson frowned. “ ‘Master’?”

  “You act like you don’t care, but deep down you actually really like being called that.”

  Dascha stared with wide eyes before muttering. “…Master.” She clearly took Firo’s words to heart.

  Alisson heaved a deep breath. “Please refrain from saying personal things out loud for everyone to hear.”

  “Will do, master! But Dascha doesn’t count, she’s a doggy.”

  Alisson adorned himself in clothes once more, with Firo under all of them, clinging to his real body.

  It appeared that she serve as both a physical enhancement, and his last and strongest layer of protection. Firo’s nature as a slime would probably endow her capacity to solve various special problems; For instance, lockpicking.

  “So, is there anything else I need to know about this arrangement?” Alisson asked, sheathing his now paper-light sword.

  “Nothing you NEED to know, no. Mom has an important job for me, though. She’s kind of in the dumps since all those Sabasa got killed by Andestine, and we lost a lot of our family. So, she wants me to go to distant lands, and reproduce lots! She doesn’t have the mass to spare anymore slimes, so I’m her last hope for the time being.”

  It certainly felt odd that Firo could make references to Andestine despite having just been born and never speaking about them, but he supposed it was use in that she was able to think on the same page as him.

  “Very well. Then you know my overall objective.”

  “Yes, master.” She said, suddenly solemn. “I’ll do my best to help you fight against Sidonia, and your sister.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Oh and uh…Would you mind collapsing the cave one your way out? It’s what mom wants. It’ll be a long time before she gathers her strength to make more kids, and other humans coming and killing her wouldn’t be any good.”

  “That is a simple matter.”

  He did as she asked with the Moonlight Cannon on a low charge. He stared out across the lands from the summit of the mountain, illuminated by the moon.

  With this, he had found himself the second piece of his puzzle here on Sabasa. He set out to return back to the western tunnel, and to Sidonia.

  ***