“So, what the hell are you two?” Isaac sat on the rock they had used to do the ritual, between his two new servants.

“Winter is a slime!” the blue one replied.

“Summer is a fire slime.” The red one followed.

The man facepalmed. “Right.”

“I have never heard of something like this happening. Not in thousands of years.” Tyrannia crossed her arms.

“Never?”

“Absolutely never. Someone would have noticed something at some point. There was already research done on slime intelligence back in my day, and no one ever suspected them of being anything smarter than ants.”

“Well, what about the tears? Does that not imply emotional distress?” The sound was returning to the woods, little by little.

The woman sighed, running her gloved hands through her black hair. “I suppose it does. But since nobody thought slimes to be sentient...People just assumed it was some kind of individual variation. Something that had to do with chance. Monster scientists had always theorized slimes simply had the trait that made them able to cry, or not.”

“And you people never stopped to question why that genetic difference existed?” Isaac raised an eyebrow. The slimes watched the duo curiously, perhaps not fully understanding the conversation.

“...No. I suppose we should have started there.”

In a way, Isaac understood the reason they hadn’t investigated it further. This was a world of magic, not one of science. Stuff happened because the gods decided so, not because there was a complicated universal process that dictated the rules of the universe. If they were not the creators, then they would also fall under that same mentality; that things were the just way they were, no deeper reason behind it.

“I might have to introduce proper scientific procedures to this world once it belongs to us.” The man tapped his chin, his eyes drifting to the slime duo. “Still, that doesn’t explain why these two can talk. Either of you cares to explain?”

“Winter doesn’t know!” The blue slime made a gesture that looked oddly similar to a raised chin.

“Why the hell do you look so proud of it?!”

“Summer and Winter could not talk before.” The red slime began, much more verbal than their counterpart. “Some slimes can talk to each other, but not to humans. Summer thinks this is the first time something like this happens.”

“Tyrannia, could it have something to do with your sigil?”

“Perhaps. I do admit you are my first prophet ever, since I did not have a reason to obtain one before.” The woman went deep into thought. After a minute, she looked up. “I might have a theory.”

“Yeah?”

“Let us say that the slimes who cry are those who are sentient. That means they are a tiny minority. If they have a way to talk to each other, then that means we simply did not have the tools to understand them. My sigil offers you the capability to speak with your servants, no matter the language, which has erased that barrier.”

“Makes sense, somewhat.” Isaac nodded. “We might want to look into it later on. Slimes are an untapped source of manpower if it is true. For now, I’m more interested in learning what these two can do for us.”

“Oh, oh! Winter can explain this one.” The slime raised one tentacle in the air and waved it around, and Isaac was instantly reminded of a child asking for their turn to speak in class.

He saw Tyrannia’s eyes softening up considerably at the adorable display.

“Fine.”

“Slimes can do two things. Shapeshifting and cloning. Shape shifting is when...uhh...slimes’ shapes shift? And cloning is when we clone.”

The man blinked. Then looked at Summer.

“Master is ignoring Winter...”

“Hush. He is just trying to learn. Come here.” Tyrannia picked the blue slime up, bright eyed. Soft spot for kids, huh?

“It is as Winter says.” The red slime began. “Slimes can change our shape, texture, and coloration at will, and we can make clones of ourselves. Depending on the amount of copies, it can be a perfect replica slimes can fully control.”

“Is there any limitation to either of those powers?”

“Yes. There is a limit to how many clones Summer and Winter can control, and how perfect our shapeshifting can be. Summer and Winter can get stronger if they eat living things.”

Isaac nodded. “The more things you eat, the more clones you can use, and the better you will be able to turn into stuff. Right. Does it have to be alive things?”

“Yes. Alive and with magic,” they curtly replied.

Summer spent the next few minutes explaining the details of their power and current situation. As of right now, the twins had minuscule amounts of mana. It was only the fact that they were experienced in both combat and shape shifting that let them survive that battle. The reason Summer had taken so long to begin fighting as well was really simple; there were simply out of power. That fight had basically drained them both of all energy.

Isaac went deep into thought, as he thought about the abilities of his new servants. Both of them were powerful, but it required them to be well fed by a constant supply of magical living beings. The issue was how to procure their substance.

Tyrannia might have had a few ideas.

“Tyra-” Isaac turned back towards the deity, doing a double take when he saw what had been going on for the past few minutes.

“Weeee!” The ice slime flew through the air for a couple of seconds before falling perfectly on Tyrannia’s arms. “Again!”

“One...two...go!” The deity launched the creature several feet above her again.

Isaac blinked once, then turned back towards Summer, who looked back at him, unmoving.

“Isaac, Isaac. I require our nation has a special place for slimes on it. If they are sentient, they can turn them into my followers, can we not? Then we should make them our citizens.” The deity said, interrupting the staring contest, a wide grin on her face as she caught Winter once more.

The man facepalmed again.

“Winter is still a child slime...” Summer breathed a really human sounding sigh.

 

---

“Ahem...” the woman coughed once. “If those are the limitations of their power, then we have one very simple solution.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“We just have to feed them humans. Trees and animals won’t work, since they do not have mana, and quite frankly, humans are numerous enough for a couple of disappearances not to be noticed.”

“Do you mean to just murder random civilians?” Isaac asked, double-checking. The warm smile she had when she was tossing Winter around, gone.

“Or do as road bandits do and attack convoys, yes.”

The man crossed his arms as he thought about the idea. It had its merits, and realistically, the slime’s ability would be incredibly useful to have. Isaac understood murdering people for power was simply the way this world worked. The idea, however, had one big issue.

“These people have been massacring my servants for eons. Did you expect me to have any sort of sympathy for them?” The deity interrupted his thoughts, an eyebrow raised.

Isaac held his hand up. “No, don’t worry, I’m not against it. I’m just worried we will attract attention.”

“I suppose that is a concern,” the deity said, as she sat down on the rock. “Then, what do you suggest?”

The prophet went back into thought, breaking the silence a few moments later. He already had an idea of what he wanted to do: to join the arena, mostly for training. He soon realized he could incorporate this new development into his original plan without damaging it.

“I’m thinking the coliseum is looking useful, now more than ever. You mentioned the slave collars would not work on us, no?”

“Yes. I do not believe they will even put a collar on me if you present me as your contracted servant. Why do you ask?”

“Because that gives us plausible deniability. It means we can commit as many crimes as we want if we don’t get caught in the act.”

The goddess tapped her chin, thinking about the idea. “So, we use the arena as a training ground for the day, as a way to build connections during the evening, and as an alibi during the night?”

“Yup. That’s the general plan. We can accomplish most of our goals by simply doing good during the matches, and then we can use the downtime during the night to either plan ahead, train further, or feed these two. What do you think?”

A couple of seconds passed in contemplation, the chirping of the surrounding birds indicating morning was soon to come. “I believe it is a workable idea. We would have to find a way to change clothes or sneak weapons in and out of the arena, however.”

“Winter can help.”

“Can you?”

“Winter can be your clothes. Or weapons. Not now, but if they get food...”

The man sighed after a couple of seconds. “I mean, it’s not a bad idea, but either way, we still need to feed you fir-”

“But, but...” the slime interrupted, then looked down. “Winter might not be smart like Summer, but they can be useful too.”

Isaac raised an eyebrow. What was this about? He shared a look with the goddess, who looked back at him,, equally confused.

Then, it clicked into place.

the twins, practically children by any stretch of the imagination, had just barely survived a life-or-death encounter.

Of course, there would be some lingering trauma. He had promised them protection, so he theorized that was the reason they were not afraid, but he had mentioned they had to be useful as a part of their contract. Their fear or death had been substituted with fear of being replaced and left to fend for themselves again. They were remarkably adaptable children, but children nonetheless. They needed guardians.

The man wanted to slap himself. He had forgotten one simple thing — having servants magically bound to him was different from them being personally loyal. He should have stopped for a second to consider the thoughts of the pair, rather than instantly ask them about what they could do for him. Because of that, he had put weird expectations in their head; that they would be discarded.

So stupid. Sure, he might not particularly care about hurting people, but empathy was something he would have to learn if he wanted to attain his goals. Though the fact that he could not see empathy as nothing more than a tool could also mean he had already failed at learning it.

At any rate, he decided to stop furthering his plans for now. He had to put the mental stability of his new companions first, for now.

He thought about the two. Winter and Summer. Thankfully, they were almost blank slates when it came to their understanding of the world, which meant he would have an easier time gaining their full loyalty. Their needs were basic: protection and a feeling of safety. The former they already had — the latter they could probably only get if they saw themselves as being useful. Summer was less forthcoming with their thoughts, despite being the most verbal of the two, but Isaac guessed they were feeling the same way. That they offered to explain stuff so quickly lent credibility to that theory.

So, make the two be useful, make the two feel safe, and he would have two really loyal and powerful slimes at his disposal.

Slimes that were more than willing to kill for him.

He recalled the scene he had seen minutes ago between the goddess and Winter. Alright. Empathy. I can do that. Maybe.

“Winter, come here.” He began. The slime slowly approached him, unsure. When they came close enough, Isaac picked them up, and sat them on his lap, like a cat.

“Huh?”

“Listen, I’m not gonna get rid of you.” He awkwardly tried to stroke the creature, almost as if it were a cat, much to Tyrannia’s entertainment.

Winter remained quiet for a few seconds, then looked down. “...really?”

“Really. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt either of you. You are my precious servants from now on. I will keep you both safe.”

The deity picked up on what he was trying to do after a few seconds. Instantly, she copied him, putting Summer in her own lap, and closing the distance between the four of them.

“Don’t let this one out of the comforting. They are most likely feeling the same way as Winter.”

Isaac simply nodded, extending another hand towards the red creature.

“...promise?” Winter asked, snuggling against him.

They sounded so small, so afraid. The deity’s eyebrows dropped when she heard their voice. Isaac felt her move her enormous wings to wrap them around the group moments later.

“I promise. You don’t need to try to make yourself useful either; I’ll find uses for you both.”

It was a really twisted version of what actual empathy would look like. But at the same time, maybe it was the thing they both needed to hear. Maybe this was as close as compassion as Isaac’s actions could get. The prophet did notice how weird it was for them to be talking about killing people one minute, then reassuring each other the next one, but he didn’t question it. Maybe this was how villains were supposed to receive affection.

“Okay…”

“Summer is ready too, master, mistress.”

Was this the true bonds Tyrannia had spoken about? Or was Isaac just manipulating the twins into being loyal to him?

The man himself wasn’t sure. How did bonds feel like in the first place? He thought about their current situation. The goddess and he were sitting shoulder to shoulder, her wings wrapped around them both as they snuggle the twins. Had the slimes been, well, not slimes, an outside might have thought the four of them were a family.

Was all of this real? Or was he lying to himself again?

He shook his head, filing those thoughts away.

“Good.” He replied. “Because I already have something for you two to do.”

“Yes?”

“We are gonna do like Tyrannia suggested. Let’s find a convoy to attack.”