Jameson looked over my shoulder, before yelping as he counted how many slimes we were currently facing.
I knew we weren’t going to get out of here easily, but I also knew that as an Avatar, I should be stronger than a lot of the adventurers here. I could make a difference.
“How long will it take for your cooldown to end?” I asked Jameson, who was still staring out at the Slimes.
“I-Uh, it’ll take me maybe five minutes before I can make a shield to stop this many!” He stammered, releasing the enchantment on the boxes as the slimes made their way closer.
Another large tree crashed to the ground, a steaming hole burnt clear through as one of the muck covered [Mud Slimes] bounced straight down the hill towards us.
[You can always run,] Psyche said, her usual cheer noticeably unpresent as she no doubt realized what I intended. [They can defeat the slimes. Probably.]
[I won’t,] I adamantly replied. [I won’t ever be a bystander again. These people showed me more kindness than almost everyone I met on Earth, I can’t just leave them.]
Psyche sighed, resigned. [I can’t stop you Cyn, but know that it will hurt.]
I shook my head, still watching the slimes get closer. [I’m not going to die again, I have magic now and these people need me. I can help Psyche.]
With that, I jumped from the caravan, leaving Jameson behind to work on regaining his cooldown so that he could form a powerful enough barrier to stop the slimes. I only had to buy about five minutes, and with the adventurers by my side, I was sure that I could do it.
I made my way over to Sam, who was grimly watching the slimes approach. His legs were shaking slightly even as he stood proud with his comrades, sword in hand, ready for the inevitable conflict.
I was amazed by his bravery. Even knowing that I would be fine, I was still anxious for the upcoming contact, so for him to constantly selflessly risk his life, he must possess nerves of steel.
“Hi Sam,” I said quickly, conscious of the rapidly approaching slimes. “Is there any way I can help?”
He looked down to me, and perked up a bit, even his shaking momentarily slowed as he considered.
“You can empower people right?” He asked. “If you can, I need you to do that to as many people as possible.”
I nodded in understanding, before racing through the lines and quickly tapping each person, transferring some of my soul to them through Soul Siphon. As I did so, I saw each of them stand taller, and I heard the familiar ding! of my [Mind] stat go three more times, placing both my [Mind] and [Body] stats at a comfortable 15 and 13 respectively.
“Hold the line!” I heard Sam shout, a skill that apparently somehow boosted the frontline fighters as an orange glow covered them.
I stood slightly to the right of the formation, still close to the front. I hoped that the adventurers as well as my recent stat increases would be enough to repel the slimes.
Speaking of, I looked up the hill at the five slimes barreling towards us, their trails smoky with the acidic burns they left in everything they touched. They weren’t far now. I swallowed, aware that these things could actually destroy my body, and prepared for them.
I wasn’t ready.
As they hit the shield wall, the sound of straining metal filled the air from the force the slimes were exerting on the thick iron shields. I saw the people wielding them with eyes tight with exertion as they stopped the slimes dead in their rampage. Sam’s skill must’ve been very effective if it allowed them to hold back such large, heavy opponents.
With the shield users stopping the slimes, the spearmen and swordsmen got to work, stabbing through the shield wall at the slimes. This didn’t seem to do much however, as their weapons seemed to just dip into the slimes with minimal damage done.
The battle seemed to be at a stalemate, as the slimes weren’t able to damage the adventurers because of the shields, and likewise barely took any damage because of their gelatinous bodies that allowed the adventurer’s weapons to just pass through them.
Something had to change, I saw Sam at the back of the formation having fallen to his knees as his Skill drained him. He looked pale, no doubt he was feeling the effects of buffing such a large group. He would not last long.
I thought about the possible weaknesses of a slime, and remembered how magical damage seemed to be able to kill me, someone who had similar defensive capabilities of the slimes. If it was good enough for me, then it would have to work against the Slimes!
Taking a deep breath, I held my hand out at the slimes, and watched as a purple glow built in my palm. I released the skill with a shout as the Soul Blast tore through the air and hit the [Fire Slime], the lowest leveled–and thereby the weakest, square in the center.
The slime fell back as a lull temporarily formed in the fighting, the adventurers looking towards me in thanks as they prepared to repel the slime again. As for the other four slimes, they saw their ally fall back and also jumped off the shields as if to check on the fire slime.
It wasn't looking too hot. It’s formerly red-hot exterior now a flickering orange as the smoke coming off it seemed to intensify. I looked towards it as I saw it slowly rise up again. It shook a little as it rose again to it’s full height.
I grinned a bit as I noticed how much weaker it seemed, before my mouth dropped open as I saw the [Water Slime] do something weird.
It extended a tendril that formed from its mainly clear gelatinous water body, and it touched the [Fire Slime]. As it did so, I saw the [Fire Slime] glow with renewed vigor.
I didn’t think this was very fair at all. How on Earth does water heal fire?!? I raged at how unfair it was, before remembering that I wasn’t on Earth anymore. I was in a world full of magic, for fucks sake, I couldn’t exactly expect the same kind of logic to apply.
Still shaking my head at the injustice of it all, I made sure to target the [Water Slime] now, knowing that it could heal the others.
My Soul Blast clipped it’s side, doing minimal damage. I frowned, but continued to keep shooting at it, slowly whittling away at it’s health while it concentrated on healing the other slimes.
Even with such a high level, it kept letting me hit it, seemingly preferring to focus on the shield line, greed evident. Even without a brain, it still apparently preferred to attack the bigger target, and the other slimes echoed this sentiment.
Speaking of the shield line, I looked over to them–before grimacing as I saw Sam fully lying unconscious, his buff quickly deteriorating. It must be getting close to five minutes now! I thought. Come on Jameson!
I kept launching Soul blasts toward the [Water Slime] and was at last rewarded with a groaning noise as it keeled over, seemingly dead. At this, a louder ding! then ever before sounded, and the adventurers cheered, the sight of the dead slime a great relief to us all.
I grinned, happy that I had finally done something that really seemed to be effective, as now the slimes no longer had a healer, and we could at last get to killing them properly.
My good spirits however, were quickly crushed as the [Water Slime] exploded. I wasn’t ready for it, and apparently neither were the adventurers.
While I was outside of the splash zone, the adventurers who the slime had been closest to definitely weren’t. Screams of agony erupted as the acidic slime covered them, slime finding its way through the shields and splattering against the men and women behind.
A loud sizzling rose into the air as a sickly sweet smell burnt its way through my nostrils, and I gagged as I finally learnt what happened when someone touches the slimes.
I saw skin peel, revealing the bloody meat underneath as the adventurers fell to the floor, faces behind hands, writhing in pain. I saw the way people convulsed as the slime burnt it’s way through their lips and into their faces, caustic acid tunneling deeper as they cried, begged, prayed for anyone to help.
The skin on their faces melted. I saw eyes liquefy and dissolve in the acid, noses flatten and disintegrate leaving nothing but holes. I saw their ears melt, before simply sliding off their skulls.
I saw clothes steam and crack, revealing the pink meat beneath as the slime breached their leather armor before dissolving the skin beneath, making its way into the soft organs and liquefying them.
I saw all of these things.
A lucky few knew to lean forwards letting the slime drip off them due to gravity, but as they wiped at their face in agonized panic, it was apparent when I saw the horrific visages of the survivors that even if they survived this encounter they wouldn’t live long.
Melted faces rigidly twisted in unbearable agony stared out, almost as if towards me. I swear they were pleading with me, begging for mercy. Accusing me of not doing enough to help. I stared on, aghast as I watched these damned people meet their fate.
Their screams echoed as, bolstered by the gap that had formed in the line, as well as seeking revenge for their friend, the rest of the slimes bounded forwards, causing the standing adventurers to step back, abandoning their fallen and injured comrades in order to close the gap, lest the slimes break through and they all suffer the same fate.
I stared wide eyed at the slaughter that ensued as the slimes reached the fallen adventurers, the shrieks of pain growing in intensity before silencing as the slimes simply crashed down on top of them.
It was the first clue that while I was taking this nonchalantly, almost as a game, for these men and women, it was very real. I saw lovers openly cry as they saw their companions consumed by the monstrous slimes that even now, approached, their appetite for death seemingly insatiable.
They would not last long. Not with their forces depleted, and their buffs faded. Exhaustion was clearly settling in as the adventurers stared towards the slimes with a grim determination, ready to once again hold the line. Despite their determination however, it was obvious from an outsider’s perspective that they would not survive this next clash.
I stepped back unconsciously, a remnant of my old life, suddenly afraid for the adventurers, especially the people who I’d talked to. I couldn’t bear to watch my new friends die.
People like Jameson and Sam were some of the first people who had ever really treated me with kindness. Certainly they were the first mortals to show me anything other than fear or respect.
[I know it’s difficult to watch,] Said Psyche sadly. [But you need to pay attention. Look now! Jameson is ready to cast the shield!]
As hard as it was, I tore my eyes away from the slimes, who still had dissolving adventurers visible inside them, and looked towards the caravans.
Jameson stood tall, a blue glow around him as he raised his arms high, casting his shield. I saw him falter slightly, and used my Soul Siphon to boost his magic as much as possible. He straightened, and suddenly a bright blue wall stood between the adventurers and the slimes.
The barrier stood tall, centered on Jameson and glowing a deep blue filled with power. For the first time, I learnt to appreciate the power of mages, and I understood why they were so in demand.
The wall repelled even the most powerful slams from the slimes, and they bobbed in agitation as they found they could not breach. Jameson stood proudly as if in defiance of the fate that was about to befall them all. I even saw the Arduin the [Caravan Master], who had been hiding away from the conflict in the front caravan.
I saw Sam get carried over to this caravan, and breathed a sigh of relief that he was okay, suddenly racked with guilt as in the crowd of adventurers I saw the friends and lovers of those that had met their end on the battlefield, their faces streaked with tears as they saw the now-skeletons of the people they had been close to.
I was watching all this from a distance, afraid to interrupt such an emotion-filled moment, but as the slimes turned towards me, I noticed one more thing. Something that made my blood run cold.
While the caravan and the adventurers were safe behind the strong blue barrier, I was not. The barrier was too small, and it only managed to cover the area close to the caravans.
Jameson had warned me to stay close to the caravan, but with my original position away from the bulk of the adventurers, as well as those steps back I took in the slaughter, I must’ve strayed too far.
The slimes, noticing that they weren’t able to breach the barrier, turned to me and, no doubt, saw that I wasn’t protected by it. They started to rush me.
“Oh, shit.” I said aloud, before turning on my heels and sprinting as fast as I could, the slimes hot on my heels.
Thank you for writing.
Can't she just go up? Slimes can't fly, can they? It's time to abandon crab mentality!
She can and will next chapter. But yea she's still getting used to her new body so doesn't always know what to do.