Chapter 110: Chains

Chapter 110: Chains

"This is crazy. I trust you, but the reality of this situation is just too absurd," Trixie exclaimed, her head shaking in disbelief.

"Is it really that absurd? I know Gramps said I was an [Experiment], but I didn't think I'd be that different from the others." I questioned.

"Ha! Did you give one of them a nickname? That's cute." Trixie giggled, "So what's this experiment?"

"Well, I got told I died before accomplishing anything and got offered a chance, which led to me waking up as a slime. I've also encountered another [Experiment] who was born an orc and evolved into a troll." I explained briefly.

"Eww... They seriously put someone in an orc?" Trixie started fake gagging, "I'm guessing you must be an old soul then?"

When I stared at her blankly, she continued talking.

"You die, get your life judged, get rewarded or punished, then get thrown back into your next life once your soul gets cleaned."

"Yes... That sounds about right from what I've pieced together."

"So they're sticking old souls in monsters... Very interesting. I wonder if it's from boredom or if they are trying something new." Trixie murmured, placing her finger on her lips in thought. "The orc, as disgusting as that is, makes sense at least. Even something like an animal monster would make sense, or an elemental, maybe a demon."

"But not a slime?"

"No. How do I explain this.... Uhh..." Trixie started grumbling and scratching her head. "Have you ever interacted with a monster or monstrous humanoid other than this orc troll?"

"I lived with goblins for a brief time," I answered.

"Okay, good. So, they technically don't have souls. Or at least not a soul like the humans, elves, dwarves, and so on. But they are still alive and think and feel; I'm sure you've experienced that."

"Yes, they had their own tribe, loose organization, and understanding of skills and traits."

"Exactly. Now, to drop it down a level, even animal monsters have feelings and instincts. They'll breed, form packs, nests, and so forth." Trixie continued, and I nodded along, "Dropping it another level, even elementals, which are like semi-sentient bundles of mana, have bare minimum instincts and feelings. They usually guard an area rich in their element and feed their desire to grow and eventually become something more."

"Okay. Then what about slimes?" I asked, hoping to get to the point.

"Slimes have none of that. They don't think. They don't feel. Their only instinct, if you can even call it that, is to eat." Trixie explained. "The world treats them either as pests or as a resource. Even livestock gets treated better; slimes just... Are."

I frowned. What she said did corroborate with some of what I experienced, especially with how dumb some of my brethren acted. I recalled the orange slime entry in the book, which sounded anything but stupid.

"But I've read about some slimes setting traps and doing things that suggest intelligence. Like an orange slime." I replied, hoping for an explanation.

"Yes. And you'll note that all of those are dungeon-based slimes. They are mindless drones directed by the Dungeon Master; consider them movable traps or a controlled dungeon hazard." Trixie disputed, "Even a Queen Slime doesn't have the pack or maternal instincts; they will literally eat over ninety percent of their offspring."

I must have been showing a grim expression as Trixie smiled at me softly, "Hey. Don't worry; none of that matters to you. You're basically an entirely new species at this point. Very cool."

"Right... Thanks." I replied.

'Is more being added to her oath?' I wondered, trying to recall the exact wording of the notification.

"You've come a long way from a little blue slime... I guess that explains your mana and why it tastes so good; you're like a monster half a step into becoming a spirit." Trixie commented, "Although, why did you come to this floating island?"

"I'll tell you now, but I just have a question. Does your oath involve all my secrets?" I asked curiously.

Trixie paused, then started thinking. The chain briefly appeared again in its entirety, and after she examined it a bit more closely, she shuddered. "Shit."

"I came looking for a yellow slime to absorb and gain its trait," I said promptly. Multiple extra links got added to the chain, and Trixie stared wide-eyed.

"Wait, absorb it?" She asked, her voice a little panicky before the full force of the chains wrapped around her. I chuckled nervously as her future fear must have reared its head again.

"Well, shit. You got me there..." Trixie sighed deeply as the chains disappeared again, "I guess this is my own fault; I had no idea what a big little secret the blue goblin could be hiding... It was just too much of a tantalizing puzzle. Guess I'm fully on team Syl now."

Despite what she said, she candidly didn't seem too concerned beyond those brief restraining moments. Quite frankly, I felt like this worked out well for me, at least emotionally, as I could vent some secrets and frustrations to someone now. Although mentally, I still felt like I wanted to get away from this meddlesome pixie and whatever future pranks she would cook up.

"Well. Getting back to your mana situation... I'm a little stumped, to be honest." She said, sitting on my head again. She likely wanted to examine my mana closer or have another treat, which I allowed for now. "Beyond your mana being turned up to eleven and stuck there, I can't sense anything wrong with it. Maybe you're using more mana than normal when you cast, but it seems to regenerate so fast that it doesn't matter?"

"Ha... I wonder if I'm stuck like this till I can speak to Gramps; hopefully, he will notice it before then."

"Don't worry about it so much, let's focus on the now." Trixie said patting my head, "So you wanted a yellow slime? Surely, they aren't too hard to find up here."

"I did find one, but I accidentally killed it... My plan was to either find another or force one to spawn."

"That's a shame, but your idea is pretty sound, especially if you kill or get rid of the two creatures hogging all the essence."

"Wait, two things are stealing the essence? I know you said you passively feed on it."

"Yeah, I take a tiny amount, although, after your spells, I probably won't need a refill for days. Longer if I keep sitting on your head." Trixie replied, then licked her lips, "Seriously, your mana is delicious. I think I'd want to keep you around even without the oath."

I was slightly startled by the random skill increase, but then I realized we were still in the sky during this entire conversation. With how perfectly I was floating in place, I don't even know if I could call it flying at this point. I guessed that [Enchanted Wings] was likely pushing my skill to improve rapidly.

"Something wrong?" Trixie asked, noting my silence again.

"I just realized we were flying this entire time. I'm surprised nothing came to attack or investigate." I replied.

"Oh, they certainly came to investigate. I've just been hiding them and us." Trixie said with a giggle and waved her hand.

The air shimmered and abruptly changed, revealing a completely different scene. A herd of pegasi circled us as if searching. They seemed to notice the change and started to whine and snort aggressively. I turned to Trixie as if expecting an answer, but she had vanished.

"Damn, pixie..."