Hebrew groaned as the impact knocked him to the ground. "Guys, don't leave me!" he cried, his voice full of fear.
"Shh, don't move," Raven whispered. She was already pulling an arrow from her back, her fingers quick and steady. Her eyes were locked on the creature in front of us.
The Big Pink Slime stood just a few steps away, its huge, jelly-like body pulsing with an eerie glow. It didn't have eyes, but somehow we knew it was staring right at us. It made a low, gurgling sound, almost like a growl, as it rippled in place.
Without wasting a second, Raven raised her bow and let the arrow fly.
The arrow hit the slime right in the center—but it didn't even flinch. The arrow just sank into its gooey body and disappeared. The acid in its body dissolved the arrow.
Raven's eyes widened. "Run!" she shouted, her voice sharp and urgent.
Hebrew scrambled to his feet, slipping once before catching his balance. Then he was off, running as fast as his legs could carry him. I turned and followed, my heart pounding in my chest. Behind us, the slime began to move—slow but steady. It was jumping.
We didn't stop to look back. All that mattered now was getting away—before it was too late.
"It's a Mother Slime!" Raven shouted as we ran through the trees, our footsteps pounding against the forest floor.
"A Mother Slime?" Hebrew gasped, his face pale as he sprinted beside me. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Raven didn't look back. Her voice was urgent, her words coming out in a rush. "A Mother Slime isn't just an ordinary slime! They're huge and dangerous—and they can create and give birth to smaller slimes!"
"You mean it can multiply?" Hebrew said, nearly tripping over a root. "That's horrible!"
"We're really unlucky to run into one today!" said the swordsman, gripping his scythe tightly as he kept pace with us. His voice was tense, and sweat rolled down the side of his face.
"It's a C-Class monster," Raven added quickly, "but don't let that fool you! Mother Slimes are tougher than they look—especially when they start spawning more!"
Behind us, we could still hear the wet, squishy sounds of the slime as it bounced after us. Its massive, slimy body jiggled with every jump, leaving behind a trail of sticky goo and syrup-like acid that sizzled against the ground.
The smell was awful—like something left out to rot—and every time it hit the earth, the ground hissed.
"It's catching up to us!" I shouted, my heart racing. "We need a plan, or it's going to devour us with its acid!"
"Just keep running!" Raven said. "We need to reach the open field ahead. We'll make our stand there!"
I nodded, pushing my legs to run faster. The sun was getting low on the horizon, its orange glow slowly disappearing. We were doomed if we met more monsters here.
Finally, we burst into an open field, the absence of trees only emphasizing our vulnerability. And there they were: slimes of different colors appeared also. Surrounded, we prepared our sacred weapons and relics.
Backs pressed together, we stood frozen, the silence heavy with the scent of impending battle.
"Prepare yourselves," Raven breathed, her voice barely a whisper against the slimes.
The slimes were created by the Pink Mother Slime; there were about ten different colored slimes.
"We don't know any spells," the Fire Mage responded, preparing his magic staff—a red orb and flame design blazing on its surface.
"I can't conjure or summon enchanted arrows either, so tough it up!" Raven said.
A small yellow slime lunged at Hebrew, but Raven's arrow found its mark, piercing the creature's stomach with deadly accuracy.
It vanished, consumed by the wooden arrow of Raven, who was already preparing for another attack. The remaining slimes attacked one by one.
Their size compared to their Mother was small, but these slimes were deadly too—they could produce acid and could be fatal or painful when dissolved on the skin.
The Mother Slime itself, however, was a relentless force. It could swallow a single person whole with its huge body and dissolve them inside. It charged Raven, who, despite landing many blows, failed to deter the creature.
The Swordsman swung his long black scythe wildly as many slimes attacked us.
"Earth boy, do something!" Raven shouted, dodging and running from the Mother Slime. It was slow but terrifying.
Meanwhile, the other slimes surrounded Hebrew and the Fire Mage. They fought desperately, swinging their magic rod and staff wildly just to keep the creatures from getting too close. The slimes were fast, slippery, and relentless.
"We have to help them!" the Priestess cried out. Her voice trembled with worry and was barely heard over the sounds of squishy footsteps. Without hesitation, she ran toward the middle of the battle—toward the gigantic Pink Mother Slime.
At that moment, the Mother Slime had turned its attention to Raven. It began spraying and spitting acid in her direction. Some of it hit her—just small splashes—but it was enough to make her groan in pain as it burned her skin. Still, Raven didn't stop. She kept firing her arrows, even as the acid stung her arms.
The Priestess, determined to do something, spotted a small stone on the ground and snatched it up. She ran straight toward Raven and the towering Mother Slime.
Raven was trapped. The massive slime loomed over her, ready to swallow her whole. But just in time, the Priestess threw the stone with all her strength. It smacked against the Mother Slime's squishy surface with a wet thud.
The huge creature paused and turned its glowing eyes toward the Priestess. Then, it leapt toward her with surprising speed. From a distance, it shot out a thick stream of acid.
BLOOP!
The Priestess tried to dodge, and though she avoided a direct hit, some of the burning slime struck her legs.
"Aaaghhh!" she screamed in pain, her cry ringing across the battlefield. The acid quickly ate through part of her clothing and skin, badly injuring her leg. She collapsed to the ground, groaning in agony, unable to stand or move.
Seeing the Priestess fall made Raven's heart race, but she didn't hesitate. She raised her bow and fired an arrow straight into the Mother Slime's side. The arrow hit—but just like before, it melted away the moment it touched the creature's body.
The Mother Slime, unaffected, began to slither toward the wounded Priestess, who was now crawling and sobbing on the ground, unable to escape.
But before it could get any closer, the Wind Mage and I rushed forward, standing between the monster and the Priestess.
We looked at each other and nodded.
"Now!" I shouted.
Together, we unleashed our magic at the same time. Wind and Psionic energy swirled in perfect harmony as we cast our spells, determined to stop the beast before it could hurt anyone else.