Chapter 5: Uses of a Slime Companion
Wayra decided that the best thing for them to do was to leave and get to the other side of the tunnel. He couldn't breathe underwater, after all. Even though the slime seemed to be able to understand that he needed to breathe, he didn't want to find out that it was unable to get him air when surrounded by water. Or worse yet, that it didn't understand that air and water were different.
It had just wobbled after him when he climbed out of the hiding hole and scampered down the path some more. The adventurers did not seem to notice that they had been robbed, and he counted that a blessing as he headed out.
The purple slime was surprisingly fast—just rolling?—he couldn't tell; it didn't have noticeable features right now, alongside him. Soon, he saw the orange light of an evening sun not too far ahead of them both as they reached the end of the tunnel. He was glad to once more be close to the shoreline trees and brush.
He left the cave and walked. The slime kept following him. He gave it some side-eye and continued; they were losing sight of the cave mouth in all the mangrove trees. Yet, the slime followed him.
"Don't you live in the cave?"
There was no response.
"Aren't you going back there?"
A little wobble. What does that mean? Anything? He stopped. "You should go back." He walked on. The slime followed.
I guess... that means no. He sighed again. "Well, you ate a gold coin, so, uh, you better... work hard." He huffed.
He was carrying the Message close to his chest again; it was making his arms tired. "Also, you ate my clothes and my sword sling. So."
He talks a lot. I guess it is good that the earth-pointy gave me his words. She slid along after him. I want to learn to make those words.
She tried making a sound, but only a series of burbles followed. How does he make those words? How is the sound inside of him?
If she had not already made a deal with the sword, then she might have tried eating it again to see if she could coerce that bit of knowledge out of it.
When they left the cave, she felt... vulnerable. There was so much openness around them, and the kobold seemed determined to go out into it. The other noisy things never stay either. I never thought about where they might go.
It was logical that they were moving further away, but she was getting further and further from all the nooks and crannies of the cave that she knew how to hide in. Further and further from where she had been born.
She paused; she didn't know if she should go with him. When she paused, he paused. "Are you going home?"
It was home. She knew every inch of it. It was a blessing, but it was a burden. She had found herself wanting to get closer and closer to the Loud Things and learn more about them, and that was a good way for a slime to get herself killed.
But he couldn't hurt her, and now, it seemed like, he wouldn't even try to.
Plus, he was the right size to fit in her, which she found she liked a lot. She moved up to his side again. No, I am going to come with you. Wherever you are going, I can go with you. I want to go somewhere I don't know all the inches.
Besides, he seemed as if he needed some help; he would have gotten cut in half a little while ago if she hadn't pulled him out of the way and rescued him. He also knew more about being in spaces like this, so it was a good opportunity to leave home.
The kobold walked a long time until they reached the edges of a town. It was dark; more than once he wobbled and looked feeble, and she would press herself on his leg and hip. You can lean on me. I would carry you if I knew where to go.
His stomach had been growling, but it hadn't for a while now.
He sighed. "Finally, a town. I wish that you had not eaten my clothes."
She knew what the word meant now, and she remembered eating them. They were pretty tasty. She wondered what different things she would get to taste if this busy-sounding and loud place let them in.
I think I can help make up for eating your clothes.
She rolled up to him, pressing on his leg, and then she flowed over him, expanding, pulling him in.
"What?! No! Hey! You quit it! Hey!" But she ignored him as he flailed and bapped at her.
It was so futile. It made her feel quite strong. He also didn't seem like his whole heart was in it, and that was endearing. Is this what it is like to find someone cute?
Oh no, it's trying to eat me again. He couldn't resist it, even though he wanted to. The town was right there. If he could figure out how to get in and trade these coins for clothes and food, his whole life would be better than it had been in days.
But the slime was doing who knew what after it wouldn't stop following him, and he felt his frustration practically ready to boil over.
Then, it settled around him without going up over his face. It draped itself over his shoulder, around his waist, and moved his sword to his back. He held still, confused as it stiffened and flexed like it did in the cave, and it became the same color as his clothes.
Somehow, it was not that heavy. He was sure it could weigh him down if it wanted to, but it only felt about twice as heavy as he remembered his clothes being. It finished wrapping around him, holding his sword to his back for him, and it looked exactly like his clothes.
"Well, fine, I won't try to say that is not pretty helpful." It irritated him to have to agree with the slime at all, though, so he groused with, "But you would not have had to do it if you hadn't eaten my stuff."
Also, that gold coin. He bemoaned the loss of it internally; he didn't know what it was worth, but his master had always been delighted to see them above all other coins, so he was sure it was the most special.
There was no reply, of course. Even though the slime seemed to somewhat understand him, it didn't seem capable of answering anything back. So, he took a deep breath, and he walked up to the town.
The walls that surrounded the place were mostly wood, many of them were mossy, and there was a feeling of decay over many of the structures. It took him a moment to identify the creature that he saw. It was a deep red, fuzzy all over, with brown eyes and small antlers next to long and tall ears. The face was a little like a rabbit, with long whiskers that had curls in them. The wings on his back were silvery, nearly hidden they were so clear. I think they are all called jayune. This one was pointing a fishing spear at him. "Name and business?"
When the guard had first moved, Wayra thought his heart was going to jump out of his mouth, but he swallowed and cleared his throat. "My name is Wayra, I'm a kobold. I'm walking north to deliver this sword for my master. I'm all by myself, and I want to buy food."
He spoke slowly. He had not used so much Common all at once, hesitating here and there between words. At home, all of them spoke the same language as dragons, but he was certain he had been chosen because he had spent time trying to learn Common from adventurers that were trapped in his master's dungeon. No one else really knew the language of dragons though, so he was glad he knew Common. He just wished he had spoken it more often out loud.
The guard looked down the road behind him. "You are only one?" Wayra nodded. The guard raised his spear. "Very well, you may proceed, but please behave well."
Relief made his legs wobbly, but he put his nose up and walked into the town with as straight of a back as he could manage.
There was the smell of food in the air. It made his stomach growl and just hurt. He had never been so hungry in all his life. He followed his nose to the first place he could smell the food. It was a wooden cart of some sort, with a jovial-looking, black-haired halfling selling something that smelled like it was made of meat on bread with sauces.
"How much is one of those?"
"A copper. You have one, friend?"
After the adventurers and after the forceful slime, the conciliatory feeling of this halfling, only a few inches taller than him, with his large belly, almost made him want to cry. I'm just hungry, he told himself as he got into the elven adventurer's purse and took a coin out. He held it up. "This works?"
"Sure thing. Let me get you a taco."
It came wrapped in a little crinkly paper, and it smelled like heaven. He scampered off so that no one could take it from him, hiding in a darkened alleyway behind some barrels.
He groaned with delight as he bit into it. It was hot and juicy and salty with a lot of fresh vegetables on it. The sauces were sweet with a hot kick to them. And he was so hungry. He was about to eat the thing in two bites, but a tendril lifted from his shirt. "No! No, no! You already had a coin."
But no matter how he danced and tried to move his arms above his head, the tendril made contact with the paper of the taco and there was a wet slurpy sound.
After that, it was just gone.
"Why are you like this?"
He took out another coin and went back to the cart.
"Hey, friend, that was fast; you must be starving. Tell ya what, it's almost closing time. Why don't you take two?"
Wayra's eyes shone up at the kindly gentleman as he took one in each hand. "Thank you!"
And this time, when he hurried back into the alley, his shirt let him have them. He ate both. It made his stomach hurt; the food was really rich after so long without anything.
But he didn't care. He finally felt full.