Anima Lumen's Story

Bliston lead the rest of the way, approaching the monolithic structure from the ground. After a moment of searching they found the entrance, curiously left ajar, and the massive daemon took the initiative by slowly easing himself inside and looking about.

As Iator's light magic illuminated the room ahead they could see the insides of the unlit foyer of the tower. The cobblestone tiles that the floor consisted of were moist with the trails of slimes. On the walls were strange glass globes that were enchanted as far as anyone who could detect magical energy could tell. Since the door was built for a human's size it was a bit difficult for the larger members of the party to fit through. What remained of a lovely red carpet with gold trim was strewn about the ground, eaten by acid and displaced. At the end of the room there was a stone tiled staircase leading further up into the tower.

Jor held his axe at the ready as he walked through after Bliston, giving enough room behind him for the other members of the party to file through. He looked carefully around the room, searching for enemies.

The gnome increased the brightness of the lights to see more of the room they were in. (Assuming that it was too big to completely light beforehand.) He made sure that he was in the center of the party. If he were to be casting spells he'd need the bigger fighters take the hits for him.

Bliston steadily walked further in. Taking residence at the foot of the stairs and peered up the way. "Alright, does anybody know what we're looking for?" He asked as he tried to gleam sight or sound of what was up ahead.

Agreeing to the positions, Taethion situated himself to the back of the formation. While he did draw his sword, he was more prepared to utter Prayers than actual slashing, but luckily he could assist in the guard of the middle, less armored members of the group. In case their newest ally could not manage the task for whatever reason.

Randi nodded as she moved into the middle, having no metal protection to speak of. Her clothes would dissolve in an instant against these Slimes, followed by her skin. She wasn't sure if her skills are of any great necessity in this situation. She would throw her knives at the vulnerable spots of the Slime, but feared the blade may dissolve before it could reach the nucleus. She kept her snake close to her but didn't feel as if he would be of much assist either. Still she kept up her guard in case something goes wrong.

Taethion looked about the room they entered and noticed the ruined carpet and the glowing orbs that lit the walls. It seemed so far there was no Slime welcoming committee to greet them at the door, so that's a relief. Even if there was the spoons would deter them, if it could deter the ones outdoor, so why not the indoor ones as well? Taethion could see the staircase thanks to the enhanced light of Iator's spell. It seemed going up is their next move, since he believes this Fumbledorf lives near the top of the tower.

Glancing about the room as she entered, Sylphine started taking in everything she could see. Don't lose focus this time, she told herself. There were strange glass spheres on the walls, and a staircase at the far side of the room leading upwards into a darkened atrium.

But more troubling, there was also an elaborate carpet that lay on the floor, ruined, and she could tell that the stone used to build the tower was the best quality for a magician's atelier. Normally, an atelier would draw magic energy from the earth, but once it was drawn, it would be lost to open air. Therefore, substances like stone, or even just plain old soil, had to be used to trap the magic inside, where it could be utilized right away.

This stuff isn't easy to get...whoever this guy was, I bet he was pretty important... She glanced at the vial Iator had handed her. Can't slip up at all. "It kind of goes without saying, but I'm pretty sure the only way we can go is up," she responded to the daemon. "Unless you'd want to check this place out thoroughly."

Florette walked in the center near the back, looking down at the vial of blue liquid she'd been handed. She swished it around curiously before taking a small sip, then a bigger one, before finishing the rest in one go. She started to feel oddly rejuvunated in a way, curling her fingers in and out, but she wondered if it would actually help.

---

Up the stairs was what appeared to be the commons room. There was a pot in one corner of the room, currently empty. In the other corner was a large open topped glass case which contained a basic green slime, next to the case being a large stack of dirty dishes and silverware. In the wall near the pot there was an oven and a stand with a cutting board next to it. This room was set up as a rather meager kitchen but quite suitable for a lone person nonetheless. In the center was a table with a large silver platter, the contents inside still covered. There were more of those odd spherical glass baubles mounted on the walls around the room. Oddly enough this room was larger than the room downstairs for some reason. The stairs continued up.

Bliston, once again leading the way, crept up the stairs into what looked like a dinning area. Once again there didn't appear to be any slimes, save for the one trapped within a glass case. This seemed far to easy so far. If this was the place where the blobs were coming from, shouldn't the inside of the tower be just as infested as the outside? He stood in the center of the room, sniffing the air for anything that might be out of the ordinary.

...this is starting to get a bit creepy...it's like he just invited us in or something... Remembering how the door had been wide open for them, Sylphine was really getting bothered. Eh, well, I guess if he were inviting us, he could stand to clean up his place a bit. Heh.

Just like the previous floor, this room was decorated in red and gold, though everything was losing its shape and/or color from age. It looked rather humorous when this was compared to the piles of sullied dishes in the corner...but then Sylphine noticed the slime in the glass case. What's that doing there? Is it like that red slime Oolaene had? Well, I guess it would make sense that this guy had something like that... But not quite. This case seemed to be designed more for keeping the slime in--while Oolaene simply kept hers in a tub, the glass prison holding this slime in was way too big for a slime this size. Everything was getting stranger and stranger by the minute.

Randi moved with the center group as she stared about the room. A dining room? I thought this was more like your traditional, enemy infested, building. Just what is the problem with this scene? Randi thought. She was quite confused with the sudden contrast of Slimes from outside to the inside. The only one they have encountered thus far was this trapped one. Then the thought dawned on her. Maybe the door wasn't left open by the wizard or somebody else, but instead was broken through by the Slimes on the inside. It would explain why there was so much Slime residue on the rims. The Slimes stuck in here finally broke out of their prison and have continued to flood the surrounding area endlessly! Especially if the villagers are correct and the Slimes are coming from this tower. Which would mean we could be extremely fortunate and little to no Slimes have yet been born, or worst case scenario, the tower will soon become overpopulated and a new wave of Slimes will come rushing down. Randi thought trying to make sense of this place. Lets hope its not the latter. She concluded as she looked about the room.

Taethion came up with the rear. His first impression of the room was similar to the first one, just with more to actually look at. He could tell much, just what he would expect to see from someone that would live in here. Of course they would have a kitchen and dining room, this was somebody's home. The scene didn't change much as this wizard continued with the red and gold decor. The only thing off about this place was the Slime in the Glass Case. Who would keep a Slime in the kitchen? That didn't make any sense at all! Yet the scene does make Taethion frown, because the upkeep of this place is sorely lacking. From the ruined furnishings, to the unclean dishes, and to what probably was going to be the Wizard's last meal, left to rot underneath that cover. Fumbledorf may just be dead from all of these signs of disrepair. And If he is, then what are they going to do?

---

Up the staircase was an obstacle. A solid wall closed off the path up to the second floor. Oddly enough it wasn't enchanted should anyone with magical senses attempt to analyze it. On the wall to the left was a painting. It depicted the cycle of night and day, the sun being the upper half and the moon being the lower half. Mounted in the elaborate golden frame for the picture was a silver spoon, looming downwards.

Iator was too short to reach the spoon himself so he nudged Bliston. "Try moving the silver spoon. See if it will go up instead of down."

The horned man raise a brow at this request but did as asked. He reached out and started fiddling with the spoon, on the off chance that this was some secret trigger or something.

As Bliston pulled on the spoon... Not much happened. But he did manage to move the painting away from the wall a bit which revealed behind it a strange mystical device built into the wall. It was a dial which was designed in a similar manner to the Sun/Moon cycle on the painting, one half being made of gold and pointed, resembling the sun while the other half was silver and round like the moon.

"Oh for the love of... did the damn wizard seriously install a magic lock on this." He turned back to the obstructing wall. "This is going to be a hassle, dwarf, what do you think." He turned towards the hairy berserker. "You know much about stone work? Think we could just break this thing down and move on?"

While Bliston did his thing, Iator studied the lock. He cocked his head, "Bliston. Just turn the dial. Have the moon side on the top." He said.

Jor shrugged. "Th' walls be thick. We might be able ta break em, but try th' Gnome's idea first."

The daemon sighed and reached out again, clutched the dial with his fingers and started to turn it until the moon image was face upwards.

As soon as the dial was turned the moon portion glowed a light blue. The whole tower started to rumble as the magic triggered a massive mechanism. Large stones and metal gears grinding as the structure of this tower could be felt changing. After a couple minutes the rumbling stopped but the wall in front of them hadn't budged an inch.

The gnome stroked his beard. "Progress." He looked down at the painting again, searching for any hidden clues. "The spoon pointed downwards, towards the moon, it is also nighttime. But neither of those worked. Hmm." He looked at

Bliston. "Perhaps the sun should be on top."

Bliston grumbled something before turning the dial again.

A similar process occurred as the sun was turned upwards. As the machinations of the tower happened however the wall began to slide into the middle of the tower, opening the path for them to proceed upwards.

---

The next floor appeared to be a library of sorts. Shelves with all sorts of books lined each of the walls. Papers was generally scattered everywhere in a disorganized mess. There was a large iron table with what looked to be an extremely luxurious armchair, the frame made of solid gold. It had deep red sewn cushions which made it seem all the more comfortable. Books were stacked beside it but on the table was just a single book, smaller than the rest and open to a specific page. As with the previous two rooms there were enchanted glass globes mounted on the walls. Something about this room felt unusual, as if everyone were somehow... Lighter. The stairs continue up.

Because she had been leaning against the wall while the others worked on the puzzle, Sylphine let out a surprised cry as the wall started moving. She managed to regain her balance before anything could get knocked down, though.

This room's a library, huh... Surprisingly, even though the desk was piled with books and messily-scrawled notes, the rest of the room was very well-organized. As she passed by the books, Sylphine caught sight of a few titles that made her want to reach out, but she sternly reminded herself not to lose focus again. It wasn't long before she found herself at the desk, looking at the papers and the single opened book that lay there...Despite it being a bit rude, she peered down to read some of the notes, carefully removing some from the stack.

Jor walked around the room, blankly looking at all of the books. Iator, however, wanted to see the book the wizard had left open. If there was some hint as to what was going on, it might be there. He nodded to Sylphine. "Good idea. His notes may have something important in them as well."

Taethion and Randi waited patiently for the wall to let them proceed. When Iator cracked the code the wall slid open. They both could hear all those gears and such turn about within these walls. This Wizard obviously has this place altered for whatever reason. Most likely to guard this Slime business.

As Randi entered the room she looked towards all the books. A wizard with a library is nothing out of the ordinary. So far this place has been more ordinary than it should be. Even the secret doors and puzzles is ordinary when compared to a Wizard. Something just doesn't make sense around here. She did notice a strangeness to the room though, she felt a bit lighter.

Taethion walked about the library. It was quite the impressive collection of reading material. He couldn't help but search around, he does like to read from time to time. Many people are not fortunate enough to become literate and him having to read from a Prayer Book as vital, he learned at an young age to read. He looked about the shelves but it seems they are all on Alchemy. Then he came across some Religious Texts as his face brightened up he spoke, "Ah!" as he then searched about. He eventually came upon a title that read, "The Distinguished History of the Order of Saint's Illumination." He took the book from the shelf and flipped through it's pages. At first it seemed like your normal book but then he noticed strange scribblings on the pages. It looks like notes left by the Wizard or at least he assumed that. He wasn't quite sure what it meant yet but it could be important, so he decided to take the book for himself.

While the others were looking at the various books, Bliston noticed a section on demonology. The apparent subject material sitting right in front of him made him... uneasy. This distaste grew when he spotted one book in particular. He held his hand up, hesitated a moment, and pulled it off the shelf. On it was written the title "Accounts and legends: The Archfiend and the seven dukes of the seven Hells." Bliston stared at it. Just stared at it for the longest time. Then with a snarl he flipped it open and started ripping the pages out and tearing them up, before throwing the tattered and maimed remains of the book on the ground and stomped on it.

On the page the book was open to it read the following:

March 7th, 10XX,

I cannot wait any longer. The door is holding it but with each pulse of the heart I can feel my wits being shaken. It howls, it moans and sobs. If I had known better I would of never created it but it's too late now. I must go and destroy it. I regret what I've done and what I am about to do but I cannot risk it escaping into the world. If it does it could spell the undoing of mankind.

I have cast a delayed enchantment over the dial. If I do not make it out within ten minutes then the passage shall close behind me for I will already be dead. Hopefully I shall succeed but in the scenario that I don't it must not escape.

I have told Anima to not come downstairs until I return. I have closed the passage so that Anima will be safe. My heart could not bear the thought of Anima coming to harm if it were to escape some how. Such a sweet soul Anima. After all, it is my greatest achievement on this earth to have created it. For Anima's sake I must do what I can to make this world right again.

If this is the last page of my diary then I am already dead. Please heed my warning and do not let Animax Malus escape it's confines. It's a danger to the whole world.

The notes Sylphine was investigating were highly detailed alchemical processes, including numerous diagrams involving slimes. What an educated mind could gather from these blueprints is that he somehow was using objects infused with potent magical power of different varieties and transmuting the slimes. There is numerous references to "expanding intelligence and awareness" throughout the notes, particularly when regarding the hypothesis's and conclusions.

"...this guy was really crazy about slimes, huh?" Sylphine murmured, shuffling through the papers and trying not to make a huge mess. "What was he trying to do with all this, though?" She looked up at Iator, pushing the notes away for a moment. "Did that book say anything?"

"Animax Malus." The gnome said slowly. "Anima." He shook his head. "I think he either released or created something that the world just isn't ready for. And if it's not with the slimes outside, that means it's still in this tower." He looked at the page again. "We need to find out what this creature is and how to destroy it."

Gently taking the book from Iator, Sylphine read the entry herself. "Makes you wonder what this Anima thing is, huh...I don't know what it could be, but he makes it sound like it'll spell Armageddon or something. Maybe it's a...well, it has to be a slime, obviously...a slime chimera dragon!..." Right after the words left her mouth, she thought about how stupid the mere idea of that was. "Wait, that doesn't even make any sense."

"I think there might be someone else in this tower." He said. "Animax Malus is not this Anima. He acted like Anima needed protection. If he managed to keep this person safe, they may know more about this creature."

Glancing at the diary again, Sylphine muttered, "Interesting naming sense this guy has...their names are so similar." She put the book back on the table. "Well, I guess we'll have to go to the next floor now...oh dear, what are the others doing?" Surely enough, she had noticed by now that some of the others had started wandering the library. And...oh no, was that paper being shredded? Good thing the owner of this place wasn't around anymore, or else he'd likely be very angry...

Bliston had about finished his impromptu vandalism by this point. He spat on the ruined remains of the book, wiped his mouth, and started walking away when noticed the wind mage looking at him. "What?" He snapped.

Randi stood by the wall, she didn't have a particular interest in books. She just wanted to know what the problem was an deal with it. If they founding anything about that here, then they should use it to finish this errand.

Taethion looked at the other religious texts but didn't see any thing that particularly interested him. Instead he heard the sounds of ripping and turned around to see where it was coming from he eventually heard a what from Bliston. He must be destroying books or something. He decided to enter the main area of this library where the others are mostly hanging around. "Well are you guys ready to continue? I don't see anything out of the ordinary in here." He spoke towards the group in general.

The girl didn't even bother giving much more of a response to the daemon other than a pointed look, before turning back to the others. "About that...we found something rather interesting just now..." She told the others about what the diary said. "So the wizard's really gone, I guess."

"And he created a monster called Animax Malus." Iator chipped in. "I bet that it's still here and that it needs to be destroyed if we're to save the village."

"Did you say it was called Animax Malus." Bliston spoke up. For the first time since he had been introduced to the group, the daemon had an appearance of concern on his face.

The gnome nodded. "Yes. He seemed to think it could cause a catastrophe of huge proportions."

The horned man turned his eye's back over towards the section on demonology. A few gears suddenly started turning in his head. "If it's what it sounds like... then that might not be too far off."

"Then we should get moving."

Bliston returned his gaze to the group, grimaced, then nodded. Picking up his war club and holding it tightly he started up the stairs. He paused a moment half way up and called back. "Choir boy... you join us up at the front. I think we're gonna need you in the next minute or two." And then he pressed on.

---

Up at the next level was what appeared to be a very well equipped alchemists laboratory. It was here that everything started getting strange. Everything was floating, the desks, the chairs, the bottles and tools, everything. Even the party could feel the pull of gravity relinquish it's grip over them as they became weightless. Potions and bottles of every sort all labeled hovered in place like it was suspended in a thick transparent fluid, softly floating through the air. Again, the same wall mounted globes were present in this room. The stairs continued up, though the party might not necessarily be walking up them but rather floating up them.

Bliston tightened his grip on the war club and looked about. "We're getting close to the top now if the gravity slime on the roof is starting to effect us." He let his club drag along the floor just slightly, readying it for use. His own weight was enough to keep him mostly grounded, compared to the others. "If you see anything useful here grab it." With every step the daemon seemed to be a little more on edge.

Might as well start flying now... Feeling herself already starting to float upwards, Sylphine guided herself towards the stairs. On the way, she passed a number of floating capsules carrying unfamiliar liquids. Something in there could be helpful, but on the other hand...what if she accidentally picked up a poison? There was no time to thoroughly check right now. As soon as she reached the staircase, she turned back towards the others, ready to help them get through the room if it got too bothersome.

Randi started to float around and she wasn't happy about that. Still she moved about the room sort of in a swimming motion. She saw all that junk flying about, some of them being potions. She was no alchemist and wouldn't really know what's worth taking. There were some labels. She decided to look at the one's closest to her not really interested in swimming about this room especially if they are close at hand to ending this problem.

Taethion began to float and he sort of gasped at the moment. "What the!?' He spoke aloud as he floated about. He had no idea what was going on and began to flail his arms and legs about. He had no coordination at this point, "I think I prefer standing on solid ground." He spoke to no one in particular. He seemed to be doing front flips and back flips in air as he tried to coordinate himself, but was doing a poor job of that.

Randi read some labels and tossed them away but stopped at one that read, "S. Transmogrification." This one had a label that she didn't understand what it meant. All the other ones were obvious, and didn't seem necessary to deal with this Animax Malus creature. If this has some weird name it could be a number of things, but it was more interesting than some of these potions that read like Essence of Stinkweed, or Blood of Newt. "Eh, if anything I may bring this to some Potion Shop and they can tell me what the hell it is." She said to herself as she pocketed the potion.

---

With their business in the laboratory finished the group ventured forth up into the final level of this tower. As they ascended the stairs their gravity started to reverse, pulling them towards the ceiling instead of the floor. As they went the gravity started to feel normal then it started to get heavier until they felt at least twice as heavy as they normally do.

The top floor was perhaps the most interesting of them all. There were what appeared to be seven large glass cylinders set in some sort of strange arcane metal contraption, all of which were held firmly to the floor which was currently serving as the parties roof at this point. The cylinders were arranged with three to each side of the room and one at the back.

Of course perhaps the most notable feature about the room was the being in the middle. Arranging various notes that had fallen onto the table which was set upright on the ceiling was a strange light green humanoid figure. It was a slime but it shared numerous humanoid traits, it's form possessing what looked to be a head and two tentacles in leu of arms. When it looked up it even seemed to have eyes and a portion of it's head seemed to fall back like hair, only as a solid piece much unlike hair. When it looked up it seemed more feminine in figure, although that could be arguable as it was simply a rough shape with very little to no definition outside of basic humanoid design.

Perhaps what was most notable about it to some was that it practically shined like the sun to anyone who could sense divine energy. It was extremely saturated with holy power. To top it all off among the fluids which stained the roof they walked on, highly potent holy water was mixed in.

"Ah! Visitors! Hello there. I am Anima Lumen, a helping slime. Sadly the maker isn't here but if I can help-" It paused suddenly. It's voice was very feminine, almost indistinguishable from a human female's voice though it was notably in the higher, as some would say 'Squeakier', range of voices. It's, or perhaps her since while it had no physical gender technically it was definitely more feminine than masculine, expression changed from a big bright smile to shock as the energy radiating from Bliston could be felt by her very keen sense of energies. "Eep!" She wasn't exactly quick but she hopped as fast as she could away from the group by pushing off the ground as a leaping slime would until she was in a corner of the roof where she put what could be considered her back to the wall since the containers were on the floor meaning they were nowhere close enough to the roof to hide behind. "Look out! There appears to be an entity amongst you who is emitting demonic energies! You had best create distance from it or you could be negatively effected!" She warned the group in a scared tone of voice, still trying to be helpful even though she had fled from them as far as she could put herself.

In the other three containers who's lids hadn't come open were three other slime types which floated in a fluid which matched their magical energy signature. One appeared to be not a slime but in fact a massive diamond about the size of a human toddler. The other appeared to be made out of a pinkish purple brain matter that wobbled and undulated in the weird briny substance it was submerged in. The third was a blank grey looking one which was notable in how uninteresting it was to look at. Each of these containers appeared to have a slot at their base in which an octagonal case was fit in. The containers that were open were missing their octagonal cases while the ones that were still closed still had them. The octagonal cases each seemed to radiate a specific magical energy relating to the type of slime they seemed to have produced.

To anyone who could see divine magic the octagonal case on Anima's container was still where it belonged, a similarly vibrant divine light radiating from the case.

This sudden shift in atmospheric stablization known as gravity really threw him for a loop this time. As if floating wasn't it bad enough it seemed this whole room went in reverse. The ceiling became the floor and the floor the ceiling, that large Slime up above them must be a gravity slime. Yet it's playing heavily with the forces of nature right now if everyone was forced to be stuck to a ceiling. What was frightening to think of was, that if this ceiling wasn't here they would be inside of a lake of acidic goo, dying a most painful death. Still this room seemed to be a major site of experimentation of some sorts. The tall glass cylinders were evident of that. Although these things all seem rather trivial when compared to a talking, humanoid Slime!

Yet this Slime introduced itself as Anima. "Wait this has to be the same Anima that Fumbledorf mentioned, this can't be some mere coincidence." Taethion thought. Yet this Slime seemed harmless in fact, very harmless. Her demaneor gives it away, that and the incredible amount of Divine Energy radiating off of her. What is she? A Cleric Slime? He humorously thought. Yet his attention was drawn away again by another source of Divine Energy. A strange object was emitting divine magics as well and oddly enough it was on Anima's container. Its obvious they are meant to go together but the Paladin is far from deducing all of the meaning and functions of this place. But as far as he could tell he was making new Slimes. Who in their right mind would make even more dangerous Slimes? Seems more like a hindrance on the world than a solution to it's problems.

Still the creature was rather comical as it or, maybe she, jumped at the sight of Bliston and hid. Then to add further to the hilarity she warned us about him as if he was geared to attack. Taethion laughed at Anima's display and then spoke. "Have no fear, this one of daemons isn't going to cause harm to us or you. So please come out, we do not wish to cause any harm." Taethion spoke to the creature. He wasn't quite sure but he felt calm around this one and bit trusting for a first encounter. But it's because he understands that most people that emit such strong light are of good spirit and kind heart. Not the type to think maligned thoughts or even give off the aura of murderous intent. Taethion watched this Slime further as he was curious to see a Slime both talk and emit Divine Magic.

Anima

"Have no fear, this one of daemons isn't going to cause harm to us or you. So please come out, we do not wish to cause any harm."

The member of this foreign group of people who seemed to glow with a the greatest amount of divine energy amongst the arrivals assured her. Though she felt somewhat unsafe near the large demonic presence she was quite trusting and came forward, inching closer until she was behind a wooden chair before she peaked out.

"I welcome you to Fumbledorf's laboratory all the same." She greeted them, trying her hardest to be welcoming despite the negative influence that was the daemon. "I do not wish to impose too much but I ask that you please remove your illusionary spoon perimeter. I do not understand why you would want to surround yourselves with the visage of such frightening weapons but I will respect your wishes should you desire to keep them up." She humbly asked them to lower the spell the gnome had cast to protect them from the slimes.

"Sadly the maker is busy attending to something but if I can answer any questions you are always free to ask me and I will answer to the best of my knowledge. If you require anything I am able and willing to help as I am a helping slime, One who's defined purpose is to help other sentient beings out whenever possible." She awaited any possible questions and/or requests these guests might have, still hoping they lower their spoon shield before talking further.

---

Pravus

He approached one of the containers, looking up at it and simply glaring. These tanks... How did this wizard come into possession of Tiathan medical tanks? He pondered to himself, recalling their design.

The Tiathan medical tanks were an important tool though their operation was expensive, limiting the use of tanks to those rich enough to afford such treatment. Whenever a noble or other important figures got sick or so seriously injured that regular and divine magic couldn't fix them properly they were submerged in these tanks. The bottom segment was designed to funnel power from the orichalcum grid into a chamber where it would then convert the type of energy into another type, typically either water magic or divine as both were well known for their healing spells, and pumped into the tank in the form of a spell. The medical tanks were designed to keep magic trapped inside, leaving the magic to remain inside until the subject absorbed all the energy. These tanks were the Tiathan's way of maximizing their healing's efficiency since a lot of power bleeds from spells that are freely cast. People didn't often understand just how much more potent a spell could be until the spare energy it produces is concentrated into the medical tank.


From what he could tell the wizard simply taped magical items onto the orichalcum sockets which were meant to connect to power cords. How primitive. Now if he had an elemental fusion core wired to an arcane battery array the process which he used to transform these things would have gone by at an exponentially higher speed. He noticed a number of key components missing from these sophisticated arcane medical apparatuses. Another missing part was the top section which housed a number of tubes that would perform basic necessary processes such as providing air, fresh water, nutrients and such. It allowed the occupant of the medical tank to remain inside for up to months. In it's place was a basic lid with wind magic inscriptions on the top. It seemed the magic generated bubbles of air inside the tank so the slimes wouldn't suffocate. He wasn't exactly sure what the slimes needed air for since they didn't appear to have lungs of any kind.

What he didn't know was that most types of slimes do take in air, the oxygen being necessary for their continued function. While it would take slimes longer to drown than most land dwelling mammals after a long enough time underwater they run out of oxygen and seize for a period of time before they expire. The reason why the lids didn't have holes in them was because if they did then the magical integrity of the tanks would be reduced significantly and the effects of the slime within could affect people outside which would be most unpleasant considering the more unique slimes present here. Pravus was not too keen on knowledge regarding slimes but he could understand the need for preserving magical integrity to better use these medical tank's containment of magic.

Day 6

The gravity distortion from the slime on top of the tower was getting harder to resist. It took a lot of Sylphine's concentration to remain close to the floor...or rather, the ceiling, as they should be saying now.

You can't take more of this, Sylphine! Pirika insisted, flattened upon her tamer's shoulder. Just land already!

If I land, it'll be nearly impossible for me to get back up! Sylphine responded, already feeling herself being pulled downwards a few centimeters each second. This is getting really out of hand already...

She wasn't expecting to be greeted by a strange female voice, and even less so when she found out the owner of that voice was a slime woman. Neither Sylphine nor Pirika knew what to make of this bizarre sight, as she greeted them as though her master had left only the previous day. As they looked on, they watched her panic at the sight of the daemon, and then ask them to remove Iator's illusory spoon. This felt rather...anticlimatic.

But Sylphine had taken note of how she had called herself "Anima Lumen." She has to be that "Anima" that was mentioned in that diary, right?...if only she knew what had become of her master...you don't suppose we could ask her about the slime problem out there, do you?

It doesn't really seem like a good idea. If she doesn't know what happened to her master, then she's probably isolated from the world. You can try, I guess, but it doesn't seem like a good idea, Pirika replied, glancing up at the tanks on the...ceiling as she was talking. There was something strange about those tanks, and not just the things they held...no, there were a lot of strange things about them. In fact, something made them look downright otherworldly...

For her part, Sylphine approached Anima, keeping herself high up in the air where the gravity would be least effective. "If you're a 'helping slime' as you say, then perhaps you could tell us what's going on outside with those masses of slimes..." she requested rather bluntly. "...and also, about Animax Malus."

As they ascended the tower, Gale used his wings to coordinate himself, at least until the pull of gravity became too strong for him to keep himself suspended. He dropped down with an audible thud, taking a moment to adjust himself to the new perspective. Behind him, Asha walking a bit slower than the others, her palm pressed against the side of her temple as she muttered something quietly to herself.

"This is making me nauseous," she murmured, taking light, controlled breaths as she guided herself up the tower. Florette on the other hand seemed to be handling the gravitational change quite well, being a sensation neither she nor Lana had experienced before. She was too absorbed by her fascination to make any kind of comment, observing her environment and the way she moved in the air, at least until, like Gale, they were forced to put their feet on solid ground again. At length, they reached a room that seemed to be built for experimentation purposes, the most prominent specimen being the slime that, oddly enough, seemed to be shaped vaguely like a person.

While Asha looked for a place to sit down and relieve her headache, indifferent to the talking slime, Florette and Gale stood with the rest of the group, intrigued by the peculiar creature. Florette waved blankly at it as a sign of greeting, though she hardly knew what to say or make of the current situation. For whatever reason, it did seem to have some kind of aversion to Bliston, though they found it strange that a slime would react that way toward a demon, but that was mostly because they weren't really able to tell that the slime was infused with divine energy - Taethion did at least manage to talk it into coming down, though, and naturally, it asked for Iator's giant spoon to be put away.

"Well, aren't you friendly?" Gale said to himself, his hands in his pockets as he squinted up at the slime that called itself 'Anima.' He then turned to Sylphine in concurrence, shifting his attention back to the slime. "And yes, I do believe we're looking for the 'off button' for whatever the hell is spilling slimes everywhere because they're about to devour an entire village. That would be...helpful."

Anima

Although she asked nicely it seemed as though the spoon defense had yet to dissipate so behind the chair she stayed. When she saw the smaller human wave to her she meekly waved her tentacle towards the girl with a shy smile in an attempt to be friendly despite the worrisome situation.

It seemed this group had a few questions after all, most of which had to do with the incident. "Well, um... Firstly I unfortunately don't know this Animax Mallus you speak of. The maker never spoke of anything by that name. I am sorry that I couldn't be more informative regarding that." She answered the green haired girl's question about this 'Animax Malus' character.

"As for the situation outside, well..." She would never lie to people since that would be dishonest and most unhelpful but on the other hand it was all a result of her poorly managing a hectic situation making her feel like this mess was all her fault.
"I was told by the maker that he had to go fix something rather quickly and when he'd return he would finally let me out of my tank. I took a quick nap so I'd be rested for the big moment but when I woke up it seems the gravity slime had escaped from the lower laboratories and found it's way up to the roof. As a result of it's pull the tanks opened and a bunch of the slimes, myself included, fell out onto the roof here. The slimes all started creating all sorts of mayhem and it was really dangerous so I, uh, I kinda..." Though she had carefully worded her explanation she still found herself unable to cast the rest in a way that didn't make her failure seem all too apparent. With much guilt over this failing of hers and the way the others would feel about her after hearing it she continued.

"I hid. I hid and the slimes escaped. I'm so sorry if it's caused anyone any harm. I feel truly ashamed that I didn't stop them and I accept full responsibility for everything. If you all hate me now I understand." Her guilt was just as evident on her face as it was in her words. Her lips were quivering and though it would be difficult to tell droplets of holy healing slime residue was forming in the corner of her light spectrum sensitive slime 'eyes'. Her head sank down a bit behind the chair, her base pooling out a bit around the chair. She didn't know how these strangers would take the news but she knew that lying would just make her a worse slime and she wanted to be as good a slime as she could be though she was certain she was far off from that goal already given how unhelpful she was. She was certain these people would yell at her and maybe even hurt her for being such a bad slime. Much like a child being scolded the anticipation of said scolding made it seem all that much worse, so much so for her given just how little she understood people.

Iator

As they approached the top of the tower, Iator began to float. It was easy enough to propel himself forward and up the stairs but he was still unprepared for the total reversal of gravity. He landed with a thump and stood, his breath slightly knocked out of him. Instead of complaining however, he took stock of the room in pure appreciation of the magical genius at work. He saw the different slimes in their tanks along with all the mystical apparatuses. He'd never seen such a combination of unknown magics and technology before and if he'd had the time he would study these much longer. His eye caught onto the creature in the center of the room. His mouth opened wide as he heard the creature within begin to speak. It was completely unheard of for a slime to have *any* intelligence, and yet here it was.

The gnome stood dumbfounded by the sentient slime known as Anima. He was so entranced by the mere idea of what he was witnessing that he hadn't even been paying much attention to what she said. It was moments later when he realized that he should despell the illusion, she was obviously showing signs of fear. He released the spell quickly and approached it-her. "My apologies... Anima, was it? I was just so simply amazed by, well, you." He looked around the room. "It can hardly be your fault that the other slimes escaped. In fact it was probably Malus' doing." He had so many questions to ask but he also didn't want to overstep his boundaries.

Jor

When he started to float he knew it, this was the end. He'd been told as a child that going above ground was dangerous. that the sky simply dragged creatures into it and they were never seen or heard from again. He'd dismissed the idea at first but now it was painfully obvious. He wouldn't let the sky have him! He threw himself back down towards the bottom of the tower. To hell with saving people if it meant being taken by the sky.

Anima

Once the illusionary spoons disappeared she was a great deal more relaxed. She was still guilty about how she failed them despite not even knowing them until just a couple minutes ago but she was no longer on the verge of breaking down into slimy tears and begging for their mercy. "Th-thank you sir." She thanked the gnome for relinquishing his illusion.

"My apologies... Anima, was it? I was just so simply amazed by, well, you." She was quite flattered by that. She never really thought about it but as far as she could remember back whenever the maker would say nice things about her it made her feel happy. She knew that if she was good and did good things then people were happy and helping people made her happy.
In a way the gnome seemed to be a scholarly fellow like her maker. He definitely seemed to appreciate her in a lesser way but somewhat similarly to how the maker did.

"It can hardly be your fault that the other slimes escaped. In fact it was probably Malus's doing." He assured her. Seeing as how he wasn't upset with her that made her feel better. She was almost sure they were going to feel quite negatively towards her but so far at least one of them was nice and forgiving. She still had little idea who this Animax Malus being they spoke of was but it seemed quite bad given how they spoke of it.
"I am thankful that you are not too upset with me. If I can be of any help in any way at all I'm more than happy to do whatever task is needed of me." She thought for a moment and then came up with an idea.


"Ah! I know of some information which should be beneficial for you all to know. The slimes that escaped feed on the cases they stole from their transmutation tanks. Whatever item is inside the tank nourishes them with the energy type they've adapted to, allowing them to grow and reproduce at a hastened rate. If they are causing too much trouble all that's needed is to remove the magical item from them and they'll stop spawning slimes so often." She informed them, hoping that the little fact she happened to know about them would be relevant to their interests.

"Perhaps we could even go and find the maker! We could ask him what to do! I'm sure he'd know of a solution to this predicament! I believe he is down in the lower laboratories right now so we could head there and speak with him." She felt because she believed she had just come up with the solution they all needed. She knew he told her to stay put and she didn't want to disobey but given what's happened so far she felt that he'd need to know. She was a bit uncertain about leaving the lab and had a number of doubts about what she suggested they do but ultimately she knew that as long as she was helping people then she wouldn't be being all that bad a slime. She needed to make it up to the group for her failure and showing them to her maker was perhaps the best way in her mind.

She noticed that one of the people seemed to be weary and was looking for somewhere to sit.
"Here, do sit down if you are not feeling well. I'll try and help diminish whatever ails you." She brought the chair over to the swordswoman, offering it to her. After offering the chair she closed her eyes and put the ends of her tentacles together. She uttered the prayer for what was a rather basic divine healing spell and cast it upon the woman. Anyone with any knowledge of religious prayers could plainly hear her prayer was a basic healing prayer for clerics of Dedarius. If the spell were to take effect as it should the effects would mend minor wounds and lessen all pain to a moderate extent. Though the spell she had cast was one of the more basic prayers known it seemed somewhat empowered by her natural divine energy. Those who have the ability to sense divine magic and a sufficient knowledge of religions would know that her energy corresponded with the divine energy seen in clerics and paladins of Dedarius.

As Adelheid and the group ventured towards the tower, he could remember that as he arrived, he felt a bit anxious, though eager to enter, so he could help the group with solving this issue. The trek through the tower left him somewhat disappointed. Except for the slimes trapped in cases on almost every floor, about every room was empty, various belongings placed in ways that indicated that they had seen recent use; just as if the owner could just walk back in and continue where he had left off. The rooms with abnormal gravity did throw him for a loop, as he had never experienced any manner of gravity alteration before, noticeable as he tumbled through both altered rooms like an oaf, much to his own embarrassment.

As the group made a stop on the ceiling of their latest survey, Adelheid’s reddened cheeks returned to their regular coloration as they met with the sentient slime, whom introduced “herself” as Anima. The fact that she exuded divine energy hadn’t gone past him. He had first written it off as it belonging to the paladin on previous floors, due to the close proximity to him, but in the end it was undeniable it did not belong to him. The fact that it belonged to a sentient slime of all things greatly confused him, and left him weary of their “hostess”. greater confusion spread through his being as he witnessed it healing one of the individuals in the group, with a prayer addressed to Dedarius. It was not so much the prayer uttered; it was a basic one, one that most people would be able to perform with practice. No, it was the potency of the prayer casted. It had the force behind of what a cleric or paladin had.

“What sort of mockery is this?” Adelheid uttered in befuddlement. He highly doubted the slime had any faith in the god she called upon to perform her prayer, and was vexed, that some wizard was able to doctor a slime into able to produce prayers of such intensity though more than likely putting no faith in Dedarius, while he struggled making his prayers work nowadays. “This goes against all conventions, no one without putting all his faith in their god should be able to perform miracles like these, and i can hardly color you as being a disciple of the one you prayed to. I request you explain as to how you, the anomaly that you are, are able to do so this easily.” he said with an noticeable, harsh edge to his voice. Once again something that should not be ever possible happened; witnessed even. He had to get answers, any answers, as this discovery was shaking at the pillars of what he knew were facts, and absolute truths.

Taethion

Taethion felt bad as the Intelligent Slime seemed to feel ashamed of it, or herself. She didn't seem to know who Animax Malus is so she immediately believes this ordeal was her fault. Taethion felt bad that she perceived them to place blame on her for something he was sure she didn't do. He was about to speak when Iator removed the barrier and spoke to her himself. The Gnome seemed to have calmed her down before she felt even greater shame. Her sad mood seemed to be shifting back to that rather eagerness to help. He smiled when she was becoming happy to help and then began to provide some information. It seemed what she spoke of is most likely the reason why these Slimes are so numerous. It seemed clear to him that their next move should be finding these cases and taking them away from the Slimes. Destroying them all however, is a different problem.

Then his smile shifted into a frown as she mentioned her "maker", the Wizard of this tower. He looked down to his boots, she doesn't know that her creator is dead. How can he tell her something like that? It seems she treats Fumbledorf as some sort of father figure. How can you tell anyone that is like a child that her father is dead? He worries Anima will not take that bit of information well. She was on the verge of tears from them basically just asking questions not even accusatory. She will undoubtedly cry if she hears that the Wizard is no longer with them. She then moved towards Asha curiously as Anima went to heal her. He was quickly surprised by Anima's healing capabilities. It was a low level prayer but the amount of divine energy was equal to Clerics of a high caste. It's power was even more so than his own, rivaling even his output on a more advanced prayer. It was quite something else to see something created not by Gods that can have access to godly power.

What was Fumbledorf doing up here!? Yet then came a voice he has hardly heard since speaking with him in Appleton. It was the Paladin that lent his skills to our quest here. He seemed to be bordering on pure outrage that Anima can do the things she does. It seemed her capability with the Holy Arts perturbed him in such a manner. Taethion could hear the edge on his voice and he worried that the knight's outburst is going to accept Anima and she probably won't have a clue about it. He wasn't quite sure what to do, but he decided to step in. "Of course, I understand this seems strange my friend but let's not be so hasty with her. I am sure she meant no disrespect to you or Lord Dedarius. Lets just calm down and talk though whatever the problem is." Taethion spoke in a calm and reassuring voice. He hopes his attempts to defuse the situation would work.

Randionalia

She landed on the floor with a bit of an ooph from the sudden gravity. She didn't mind floating but the change in perspective was a bit dizzying. Still she adapted quickly but began to dislike the strength of gravity here. She liked to feel free and light and not heavy and burdening like this. Still those thoughts changed when the group was a (more so than others) surprised by the talking Slime. It sounded and even looked like a woman, just what sorcery is this? The room was no less strange with the assortment of magical equipment spread about. She wasn't sure what to think of it all but was focused on ending this problem, and not discussing the mystery of it all. It seemed the Slime could be helpful and wanted to be, but it seemed everyone was stuck conversing with it. She just wanted this to be over and then the Dwarf suddenly darted with a speed she has never seen of a Dwarf. She almost laughed, he seemed so afraid on his way out. She would not soon forget this. It seemed a fight was about to take place in the room over the Slime's abilities. She could only sigh in frustration over this commotion.

Asha took the seat with some sense of relief and, curiously that relief expanded as she watched the slime cast some kind of healing spell on her, and it seemed as though a great weight was being lifted from her shoulders. She made a brief gesture of thanks but said nothing more of it, making slight note of the talking slime's peculiar abilities. She watched in relative silence as one of the newer members pitched in by addressing the nature of the slime's holy powers while Taethion attempted to resolve the situation in a more calm manner. For the moment, she simply listened and took in what information was being thrown out.

Anima

“What sort of mockery is this?” It seemed one of the others weren't all too happy with her. “This goes against all conventions, no one without putting all his faith in their god should be able to perform miracles like these, and i can hardly color you as being a disciple of the one you prayed to. I request you explain as to how you, the anomaly that you are, are able to do so this easily.” She didn't quite understand why he seemed so upset but it was unfortunate for her that someone was perturbed nonetheless.

"Of course, I understand this seems strange my friend but let's not be so hasty with her. I am sure she meant no disrespect to you or Lord Dedarius. Lets just calm down and talk though whatever the problem is." The man with the greatest connection to the divine amongst this group spoke in her defense. She nodded in agreement to his wise words.
"Yes, we can all discuss to our hearts content here in peace since this is a sanctuary of learning and progress after all." She added, hoping she could help temper the other man's harsher tendencies.

"As far as I can remember I have always been this way but I'll tell you what I've been told. Apparently, back before I was made I was a simple healing slime. The maker chose me and placed me in a vat of holy water. From that water I now stand before you all in this form. He had taught me about the source of my power and a little about how to draw upon it so that I may help make a better future for people everywhere." She explained to the man what he had asked for.
"I guess you could say he's 'Building a better world, one slime at a time!~' " She recited Fumbledorf's catch phrase in an endearingly sweet sing-song manner. Afterwards she laughed a bit, not at the phrase itself but rather at the memory of her maker's amusing eccentricities which makes him such fun to listen and be around.
"It's funny because it's a motto, a goal and a play of words all neatly wrapped together." She figured since the saying was more of an inside joke they would find it funnier if she explained it.

It was a smooth trip so far. It was great that the party was somehow back in shape, and another man of faith somehow joined them.

Along the way to the tower... The slimes were staying away thanks to the spoon and a little of this and that... and~ a talking slime appeared and offered them assistance. The slime seem to have said a prayer to heal Asha's ailments, but she somehow received a negative comment from Sir Adelheid.

"Sir Adelheid sir? Isn't faith for everybody? I don't really know much about religion since I've grown in the countryside with no church and knowing only a few prayers of thanks, but is a slime not allowed to recite the words of faith? She probably wouldn't even have learned it without even knowing about the god, and it probably wouldn't have worked without faith..." Adrian said without thinking twice, pointing out at a mere possibility. A trait which made him receive several negative comments from the others.

---

Selena was simply following behind the group the entire time, not yet offering the slightest assistance. She found it a waste of time as it have nothing to do with the quest, until just a bit while ago...

While everyone was talking, Bliston was losing his patience. They had something they needed to do, and objective to accomplish. And all these uncoordinated louts were wasting time chatting with a talking blob. His irritation born of a desire for swiftness was further aggravated by the presence of the slime herself.

It... it hurt.

He had smelt the increase in holy magic which had confused him at first. Now that they were in the room though, the effects of her holy aura was hitting him full blast. And it hurt. Bliston's nose was sensitive to the auras of sacred and infernal magic, and a aura this strong stung his nostrils, almost over loading them with a bitter sweet scent that made it feel like someone was jabbing tiny needles into his nose. The longer they waited about here, doing nothing productive and being forced to endure this aura that was actively assaulting his nasal cavity, the more the daemon's mounting agitation grew, until finally he snapped.

"I could care two shits and a damn about all this nonsense talk of gods and prayer." He growled. He stalked forward, shoving a few people aside. "You said there was another lab. Where is it?" He stomped closer towards the sentient slime until he was standing over her. His own aura was likely starting to push back against hers, especially now that his temper was starting to flair. He asked another question. "What were the other slimes that this 'maker' of yours was trying to create?" His voice had a growing edge in it's tone. "And how do remove these items from the slime's bodies?"

There was a short pause in the rapid fire questions he was listing off. Then the every shortening patience of the daemon caught up to him again and he leaned down towards her. "WELL!?" He shouted in her 'face' "TALK!"

Anima

As she spoke with the group the one she had warned them about was exuding more and more demonic energy. It was truly worrisome for her but she wasn't about to act on her suspicions until the larger demonic member of their group pushed through and started interrogating her, her fears coming to fruition. "You said there was another lab. Where is it? What were the other slimes that this 'maker' of yours was trying to create? And how do remove these items from the slime's bodies?" He spoke harshly to her, bullying her into giving answers when she would of given them anyways. Fate certainly was cruel to this poor blob of divinity.

"Ah-eh w-well you see th-th other lab is d-d-downstairs and t-the slimes h-he-he was making w-were well I-It's a l-little c-complic-c-compli-" She stuttered and stammered, clearly scared as her eyes were almost as wide as dinner plates with fresh slime tears forming at the corners. As he loomed over her she shrank down, her lower section pooling outwards as she compressed under the now towering goliath in front of her. His aura was starting to make her feel physically ill as it bit at the edges of her divine glow. Still, her divine power was truly mighty but size mattered and this hulking brute certainly had plenty of it.

WELL!? TALK!

When the ogrish half demon shouted at her her mind immediately assumed that the sharp jump in volume was going to be immediately followed with an attack with his oversized cudgel. Reacting with due urgency she sprang like a cheetah and flung herself under the table. For a slime she was surprisingly quick as she was able to leap like a leaping slime, forcing the slime in her lower body down with both great and sudden force which fired her like an arrow from a taut bow under the wooden cover that was the table. Given how slick the floor was she was unable to stop herself from sliding along on what would be the equivalent to her chest back out from under her protective barrier. Given how she was exposed to the large demonic barbarian she reached out for something, anything to pull herself up and hide behind. Naturally her left tentacle had unconsciously reached out for the holiest person in the room with the exception of herself: Taethion.

Catching herself on his boot she scrambled up and hid behind him, keeping him between her and the awful thug. Her whole body shook with fear as she believed her life and quite possibly the others were in mortal danger as the bulky fiend's demonic presence seemed to get stronger which was likely the cause for why the man was so angry. "P-Please don't let him hurt me!
His demonic energy is likely influencing his emotions making him irrationally angry! I-I'll help you stop him as he's clearly out of control but please be careful! If any of you were to get hurt here I'd never forgive myself!" She clung to Taethion's back and spoke in what was sort of a sense of misguided bravery. True she was extremely scared as she was completely not accustomed to being in any real danger whatsoever in as far back as her memory extends to. She was not without a metaphorical spine however as her sense of duty when it comes to helping others ultimately triumphed over her fear. If the obviously berserk demonic being hurt anyone she really wouldn't be able to forgive herself. Thus, even though terrified witless she was still willing to stay and support these people in their oncoming attempt to restrain the menace before them.

With that in mind she started praying for their safety, her holy radiance starting to shine even brighter like a beacon to all that is good under the sun.

I understand this seems strange my friend but let's not be so hasty with her. I am sure she meant no disrespect to you or Lord Dedarius. Lets just calm down and talk though whatever the problem is."
Raising a brow, the templar turned towards the paladin. “You seem awfully calm, all things considered.” He found Taethion’s passiveness regarding the situation at hand strange, since this was not a minor matter in his eyes. “I was well prepared to talk with this creature- a short pause, as Adelheid turned his attention back to the sentient slime. -as long as it is willing to explain itself, of course.”

And talk it did. During the sentient slime’s explanation, he started to realise it was infact, well natured, and that he perhaps had been projecting the anger he felt towards the late wizard upon the slime. For after all, the child does not bear it’s “father’s” iniquity, it’s merely the product of the fathers sinful experiments. But why exactly is it sinful? This question suddenly popped up in his mind, and stopped any further course of thinking. Indeed. Why was it sinful? Because Isanditus has decreed so? Because it slighted He Who Can Do No Wrong? He no longer served him, and had decided to rely solely upon his own judgement. So what was exactly so wrong?

"Sir Adelheid sir? Isn't faith for everybody? I don't really know much about religion since I've grown in the countryside with no church and knowing only a few prayers of thanks, but is a slime not allowed to recite the words of faith? She probably wouldn't even have learned it without even knowing about the god, and it probably wouldn't have worked without faith..."

“True enough. I… think i’ve made a mistake.” The tenseness in his body faded with a sigh, as he realised this had been unnecessary. Just as he was about to apologise towards the slime, the one of demonic heritage, made a remark about having no further interest in their discussion, and strode forward, right in front of the slime, and started grilling it for questions, much like he had done so himself. He noted however, that his aura was growing hostile, which frightened the slime so much, it hid behind Taethion, and pleaded for protection. But even then, was still concerned about the well being of others.

At this point, Adelheid felt quite guilty about the way he had treated the sentient slime, and felt it was his responsibility to ensure no harm befell it, nor that it had to feel threatened. He placed his shield hand on Taethion’s shoulder, so he would have his attention as he spoke. “I made a mistake. One that i would like to rectify. Your companion is starting to lose his temper, so i feel it would be better if the three of us, and perhaps the boy left the room so that he might regain his calmt again. That, or he leaves the room instead. I feel after what has been said that i am obliged to strike down all who would harm this… creature, even if it so happens to be one of your companions. With that said, i leave the decision to you.” During his talk, Adelheid had placed his right hand upon the pommel of his blade. If the daemon would decide upon violence, he would, true to his word, deal with the aggressor.

Iator

The Gnome watched as first the new paladin and then Bliston threw angry words at the poor slime. It was obvious that Bliston had become agitated by her presence though the new paladin seemed to have come to terms with the fact that she could cast divine spells. When it looked like events were going to come to blows and Anima had hidden behind Taethion, Iator stepped forward.

"Fighting will get you nowhere! We are not going to attack our comrade Bliston and we are not going to attack an innocent slime. Bliston if you cannot handle her presence at the moment, then step out and cool off. The rest of us will find out what she has to tell us. There is obviously nothing else up here to do at the time being."

Jor

The Dwarf had gotten all the way to the first floor before he started to calm down. It was darker now, but he could see fine, dwarves had such a keen sense of sight that they could see in all but magical darkness. When he came to his senses he realized that the source of the pull must have been the huge gravity slime. But that didn't mean he was going to head back up there. He looked around and noticed that the room had changed from the first time they'd entered.

There was an opening and a trail of black ichor leading to it. He walked closer, curious. He readied his axe and made sure to step carefully as he headed into the entrance and down some stairs.

Taethion could nearly sigh at the moment Bliston went off the handle. He had hoped no one would be so aggressive with her, it was clear to him that she couldn't stomach it. She was absoultely terrified and unable to answer Bliston's questions. Anima instead hid underneath a table and then behind him suddenly. His formerly calm posture was now a bit comical as he gave quick squeal and lifted his arms away from the Slime that was now behind him. He lifted a boot up as slime covered the soles and heels and his cape and parts of his pants and armor were being slimed. "Hey, hey! Your getting slime all over my armor!" He cried. He then calmed down as she spoke. He began to shake his head as this was all becoming a bit much. Then Adelheid spoke after being calmed down by Adrian's words. While he was glad his issues with Anima were resolved, his gestures about Bliston was unnecessary. This had to stop before some decides to take Bliston's anger as grounds for assault.

Iator then entered the brewing fight and spoke words that were correct. "Yes Iator is right, fighting over this matter isn't going to lead us to where we need to be." Taethion spoke as he looked over to Anima. "Please don't be frightened, Bliston is angry but that doesn't mean he is going to attack anyone. He...just has a way with people." Taethion spoke trying to reassure her that she isn't in any danger. He then looked towards Adelheid, "Thank you Ser Adelheid but attacking Bliston isn't going to be necessary. Honestly, he doesn't mean harm to anyone here." He spoke looking back and forth between the Slime and the Paladin. "He was only agitated by the situation, we have bigger problems to deal with than the ethics of creating a talking, divine slime. Also what Iator said is likely true." Taethion spoke as he looked at Anima. "Your Divine Aura is very strong and Bliston is most likely bothered by it. After all his Infernal Heritage does not mix well with Divine Energies." Taethion spoke.

"Now I hope we have a better understanding, because we need to get back to the task at hand. We need to end the threat the Slimes posses and quickly. So whatever we need to do in order for that to happen, lets do it now." Taethion finished.

Bliston felt a level of distaste rise up in his throat as the blob thing started throwing around statements that painted him as frothing mad man, and he almost started snarling again. But Iator yelled back at him and Bliston forced himself to reign in on his irritation.

"I'm not angry." He started off slowly, responding to the gnome. "I'm just frustrated with the lack of progress we've been making because of this group's tendency to stop and gawk at everything that gets dropped in our lap!" He let Henvoraak's head drop from his shoulders and hit the 'floor' with a loud thud. "Encase the rest of you have forgotten, we are on a time table. That little village that you were oh so staunch about helping is supposedly going to get destroyed by morning. So in the interest in preventing that from happening and getting back on progress with our original task, I suggest we start progressing forward, kills this abomination the mad idiot wizard concocted before it gets out of control and finally move on with our lives! You want to ask it questions? Then do it on the trip down!"

His little rant over, Bliston then stormed out of the room and started marching back down the stairs, somewhat expecting at least a few of the others to follow him. He continued down at a purposeful pace, experiencing a little difficulty part way from the shifting gravity generated by the giant slime on the roof. As he cleared some distance away from the others, the paladin and the 'holy blob' especially, Bliston's senses started to clear now that they weren't being bombarded with holy energy. It was at that point that Bliston started to smell something that made him suddenly pause in his march. He sniffed the air a few times to be sure it was what he thought it was. It was faint, but foul. And very familiar.

His pace started up again, but this time with less composure and more haste.

Iator

The gnome sighed as Bliston stormed out. "Frustrated or not, Bliston has a point. We should finish with our questions soon, grab whatever we might need to stop these slimes, present company excluded, and be on our way. Animax must be defeated before he can bring harm to the village." He looked at Anima, "Will you help us take down this threat or will you be staying here?"

Jor

Jor was just reaching the top of his own stairs and Bliston came down. "Ack. We've got a problem. Th' slime's na' there."