Arthur crouched lower, watching the creature carefully. "Blue, can you attack it and kill it?"
"Yes, Master. I'll do it right away."
"Wait!" Arthur grabbed Blue's attention before the slime could act. "That's a Grabbit. It's a monster stronger than a slime, so are you absolutely certain you can do it?"
"I'm positive. I'll hunt it down!"
The confidence in Blue's voice felt genuine rather than bravado. Arthur weighed the risk for another moment before committing. "Alright then, do it!"
Blue waited until the Grabbit moved into an open space between two large trees. No cover, nowhere to dodge quickly. The slime launched a water projectile, the sphere of compressed water crossing the distance in under a second. The Grabbit tried to leap but the projectile caught it mid-jump, slamming it into the ground with enough force to break bones. It twitched once and went still.
Arthur approached carefully and confirmed the kill. Clean, efficient, exactly what he'd needed. He picked up the Grabbit by its hind legs and turned back toward the cave. "Good work, Blue."
"Thank you, Master Arthur."
They returned to the cave entrance where Green and the others waited. Arthur held up the Grabbit. "Anyone know how to prepare this for cooking?"
The slimes exchanged what might have been looks if they'd possessed faces. The purple one spoke eventually. "We have no knowledge of human food preparation, Master Arthur. That's outside our experience."
"Right. Of course it is." Arthur sighed and set the Grabbit down, pulling out his hunting knife. He'd watched servants prepare game before, had some vague idea of the process. Skin it, gut it, remove the parts that weren't edible. The execution would be messy and amateur but functional.
He got to work, focusing on the practical task and ignoring the voice in his head that kept pointing out how far he'd fallen. From prince eating breakfast with his family to fugitive butchering his own meals in a cave. The contrast was almost funny in its completeness.
When he finished, Arthur had several pieces of relatively clean meat and a pile of organs and skin he'd need to dispose of properly. He gathered dry wood from the forest floor and arranged it near the cave entrance, then used friction to coax a small flame into existence. The fire caught and grew, providing heat to cook the Grabbit meat.
The smell of cooking food made Arthur's stomach cramp violently. He speared a piece of meat on a stick and held it over the flames, turning it periodically to ensure even cooking. When it looked done enough he bit into it despite the heat.
Bland. No seasoning, no sauce, barely cooked through in some places and borderline charred in others. But it was food and his body needed it desperately. Arthur ate methodically, consuming enough to quiet his hunger without making himself sick.
Blue and the others watched the entire process with apparent fascination. "Is this how humans sustain themselves?"
Arthur wiped grease from his chin with the back of his hand. "More or less. Usually with better preparation and actual seasoning, but the basic concept is the same."
"Interesting. Very different from how we feed."
Arthur leaned back against the cave wall, feeling strength slowly returning as his body processed the food. "Everything about us is probably going to be different. But we'll figure it out. That's what matters."
Green moved closer. "What's your plan now, Master? You have food, shelter, and your first summoned slime. What comes next?"
What came next was the real question. Arthur looked at the slimes gathered around him. Blue who'd helped him hunt. Green who'd saved his life through healing. The others who'd offered shelter without asking for anything in return. He thought about the three previous owners and their failures, about his father's betrayal, about everything he'd lost and everything he still needed to gain.
"Practice," Arthur said finally. "I need to get stronger, learn what this talent can actually do, build up enough power so that I can defend myself properly. Then we'll see about the rest."
Green pulsed with approval. "A solid foundation before ambitious action. The previous owners could have benefited from that approach, if I may say."
Arthur stood and brushed dust from his clothes. "Exactly. So let's get started. I want to try summoning again, see if I can manage multiple slimes or if there's a limit. Then we'll work on combinations and abilities."
He had a long way to go before he'd be ready to face anything seriously dangerous. But he'd taken the first real steps. Summoned his first slime, hunted his first meal, survived his first night in exile. The rest would come with time and effort. Arthur was willing to invest both.
"Alright, that's a great approach, Master Arthur."
"Thanks." Arthur paused, considering his next move. Maybe he should make Blue more powerful. The question was how to accomplish that effectively.
"Master, if you want to make Blue stronger, you should summon more blue slimes so that Blue can merge and become stronger."
Arthur turned toward Green. "So merging makes you guys stronger?"
"Yes, Master Arthur."
"How did you know what I was thinking about? And how do you know merging makes you guys stronger?"
"Well, I'm a bonded monster with you, so I can read your thoughts and all. Blue can do it too. As for how merging makes us stronger, it's because our survival instincts tell us to do so. That's how."
Reading his thoughts. Arthur felt a chill run down his spine despite the warm air. "Reading my thoughts? That's kinda creepy. But alright, I understand. I'll summon another blue slime."
"Thanks, Master. I'll protect you more efficiently once I'm stronger."
Blue's voice carried genuine gratitude. Arthur closed his eyes and focused inward, thinking about summoning another blue slime. This time he added specific parameters to the visualization. Not just any blue slime, but one as strong as Blue already was. One that could speak and function at the same level.
Power flowed out of him and something materialized. Arthur opened his eyes to find a second blue slime hovering in front of him, this one already speaking.
"Thanks for creating me."
A golden panel appeared in Arthur's vision.
[Merge slime to unlock humanoid form? Yes/No]
Humanoid form? Arthur hadn't known that was possible. He selected yes without hesitation, curiosity overriding caution.
Blue merged with the newly summoned slime, both creatures flowing together in a swirl of translucent gel. Light flared and Arthur shielded his eyes against the brightness. When it faded, something completely unexpected stood where Blue had been.
A humanoid figure with a smooth, glossy body that constantly dripped like thick gel. Muscular build, broader and more defined than any human Arthur had seen. A featureless face without eyes or mouth, yet somehow still conveying awareness and attention. Semi-transparent skin with lighter patches visible inside, giving the impression of internal organs made from concentrated water.
The figure wore clothes. Worn adventurer gear. Leather straps across the chest, bracers on the arms, loose green pants, boots, and a red scarf wrapped around the neck with a matching sash at the waist. All of it soaked and partly stuck to the body, dripping steadily. Blue fluid pooled beneath its feet as it stood in a ready, aggressive stance that suggested combat training.
"Wow, you look incredible, Blue!"
The words came out louder than Arthur intended, surprise making him yell. The humanoid figure turned toward him and spoke with Blue's voice, though deeper now and more resonant.
"Yes, Master. Thanks for evolving me. I'll protect you at any cost for trusting me."
"Yeah, sure. I'm counting on it."
Another golden panel appeared.
[User's mana increased significantly once again.]
Arthur stared at the message, mind working through implications. With each summon his mana increased. Which meant the more slimes he created and bonded with, the larger his mana pool became. Which meant he could summon even more slimes. Which meant the cycle could continue indefinitely as long as he had time and patience.
Build a slime army. Increase his mana to massive amounts. The strategy crystallized in his mind with perfect clarity. Not just surviving, but actually building power that could rival kingdoms. Power that could make his father regret everything.
Arthur's eyes glinted with the hope of a goal finally within reach. He wasn't helpless anymore. Wasn't weak or useless or demon spawn. He had a path forward and the means to walk it.
"Green, how many slimes can I theoretically summon?"
"There's no hard limit, Master Arthur. Your mana pool determines how many you can summon at once, but as long as you have mana, you can keep creating more. And each summon increases your mana capacity, so the limit grows with you."
Exponential growth. Arthur felt a smile pull at his lips for the first time since the ceremony. "How long does it take for mana to regenerate?"
"For someone with your talent, roughly six hours for a full recovery. Faster if you're resting, slower if you're active."
Six hours. Arthur could work with that.
Summon, rest, summon again. Build up his forces methodically while his father assumed him dead in the forest. By the time anyone realized he'd survived, he'd have power they couldn't comprehend.
"Blue, what abilities do you have in that form?"
The humanoid slime raised one arm and water coalesced around its fist, forming into a blade. "I can create weapons from my body. Swords, spears, shields, anything I can visualize. I can also increase my density to become nearly impervious to physical attacks, or decrease it to slip through small spaces. My water projectiles are stronger and more precise now."
Versatility and power combined. Arthur nodded slowly. "Can you fight hand to hand?"
"Yes, Master. The evolution came with combat instincts. I know how to use weapons and how to fight without them."
Perfect. Arthur turned to the other slimes watching from inside the cave. "What about the rest of you? Can you merge and evolve like Blue did?"
The purple slime spoke up. "Yes, but we'd need you to summon more of our respective types first. Merging requires at least two slimes of the same color."
"And you'd all gain humanoid forms?"
"Potentially. It depends on the individual evolution path. Blue specialized in combat, so the form reflects that. I might take a different shape based on my poison and knowledge specialization."
Arthur's mind raced through possibilities. An entire army of evolved slimes, each one specialized for different roles. Combatants like Blue, healers like Green, knowledge specialists like Purple, and whatever the others could become. All of them loyal beyond question, all of them growing stronger as he grew stronger.
"How long until my mana recovers enough to summon again?"
Green pulsed thoughtfully. "Based on what you've used so far, probably three hours. You didn't completely drain yourself."
Three hours. Arthur could spend that time learning more about his abilities, understanding the mechanics of the talent better. Maybe practice merging the other slimes once he'd summoned enough of each type.
He settled back against the cave wall, mind already working through strategies and possibilities. Blue stood guard near the entrance in his new humanoid form, an imposing figure that would give any attacker serious pause. The other slimes arranged themselves around Arthur in their protective formation.
For the first time since his father had swung that sword, Arthur felt something other than fear or anger or desperate determination. He felt hope. Real, tangible hope that he could actually accomplish what he'd set out to do.
"Rest, Master Arthur," Green said quietly. "When you wake, we'll continue building your strength."
Arthur closed his eyes, letting exhaustion pull him toward sleep. His last conscious thought was of armies. Vast armies of evolved slimes, powerful enough to challenge kingdoms, loyal enough to follow him anywhere.
His father had tried to kill him for possessing a trash talent. Arthur would show him exactly how wrong that assumption was. He'd show everyone.
But first, rest. Then more summoning. Then training. One step at a time, building the foundation that would support everything to come.
The cave fell quiet except for the steady drip of water from Blue's form and the distant sounds of the forest beyond. Arthur slept, and his slimes kept watch, and somewhere in the capital his father probably celebrated a death that hadn't actually occurred.
Time would reveal the truth. Arthur would make absolutely certain of that.