The party was thinking about the oddity that a slime race would bring. Not that they were hateful of them, the one who had managed to use slimes against the other races of Genesis was evil, not the slimes themselves. They had not caused the harm because they desired it.
Slimes had an important function within the world as a monster species with amazing adaptability. They had uses to the natural order of the world and were also numerous at times. They were both prey and predator allowing food a cycle in certain ecosystems to thrive. Without them the world would be missing a large portion of monsters needed to flow properly.
However, slimes had never really become properly sentient as a race. They had not developed in the same way towards sentience that any one would be able to call noteworthy.
Yes, there were species of monster that became races that could change their shape and form who were reminiscent of slimes. However, they were not slimes at the core of their being and were not keeping themselves as such. A water slime was just a water slime. A yellow acid slime was just a yellow acid slime. They were monsters, that was that.
Considering that the party was now in the dark elemental plane and they were in an area of what could be called barren dark rock and wisps of dark mana, they were sure that the land would not allow for the nutrients necessary for the slimes they knew of to live either. It was assumed that this obsidian slime race might be living nearby and able to survive here. Now that was hard to believe.
"There is nothing around here and they say that there is a race here?" Remey was trying to search for any herbs or plants at all, but it just seemed like the lands here were made of dark affinity rocks, sands, and whatever else had no chance of growing anything.
"This is a place near the border and it is related to decaying dakar mana, the dakar mana here is closer to the more dangerous forms of dark mana. I can feel the damage it can cause." Onyx had left Walker's shoulder and was using his shadow to hide most of his body. The party did notice that his shadow was stronger now, more defined like he had just condensed it better than before.
"So you managed to break through a little with the purer manas then?" Alice paused her humming to ask excitedly when she noticed that Onyx was acting a little more focused and chatty now. She knew that it would mean a lot for him to advance white on their journey so she wanted to make sure she was showing him some celebration.
The others also knew that Alice was thinking about Aurora, she might be primarily the light affinity side, but she was extremely close to Onyx and could be called the matriarch to Onyx's patriarchal role for their race. Since Alice was the one who primarily cared for Aurora and worked with onyx more than enough to be called close, it would mean more to her that they were close right now.
"I have, I can tell the difference like Brother can, this mana is decaying dark mana. It is slower and it eats away at everything. It makes sure that what is here will slow too. That what is here will become what it needs to be to grow anew." This insight was not different from what Walker knew and felt, but he could see it in the way that onyx's eyes flickers, Onyx understood more than he couldn't put in to words.
The duality of light and dark being within onyx allowed for his perception of both to shine that much brighter. The idea that both light and dark mana played vastly in to life and death manas was interesting and telling about their roles to the world itself. It also shed some light on the shadow side of things.
The combination of light and dark mana being shadow was interesting. But the combination of life and death mana being undead? It was like a parallel that could inspire or stump many scholars of mana and magic.
"Well, I am glad we are getting stronger but I think we should worry about what might be out here, shouldn't we?" Both Su and Gil were preparing themselves for a fight as they spotted a shift in the darkness ahead of them. Walker also felt it, a denser dark mana that seemed to be more consuming. It was like the decaying dark mana but more voracious. Hungrier almost.
"You are not ones to be consumed and returned to the flow of balance. You are those brought by those of purer darkness to assist my race to return the land as it should be." The words were a strange mix of mana and sounds that echoed around in the dark terrain. Luckily everyone understood what was said due to the translations of the system but Walker understood it even greater.
Ninety five world years old
This is an obsidian slime race member known and following the value and process of decay. While taking in the dark decaying mana, they balance the manas that cause decay as much as possible. Not only do they worship the one called the god of decay, they are known-'
The all around appraisal cut off as Walker realized he had begun to look at something a little too deep for him. This wasn't the world or the will of existence blocking him but the cleric of decay themselves using a skill to block the information. They had used a skill to keep their information hidden, something rare but also clearly sending a message that they wished to keep themselves private.
Walker rarely looked in to other's classes and information except for when he was truly worried that they might be speaking or dealing with someone dangerous.
"I ask you to remain private in your and my matters. You are not an ally of mine nor my people. We will only ever act if we see our balance broken and the flow broken. As those said to have returned the flow, you should understand the importance." The dark decaying mana gathered slightly greater than before as some of the black stones and rocks broke in to smaller pieces around the humanoid dark shape.
As the dark mana calmed again, the humanoid form was clearer.
Tall and defined as if trying to copy the shape of other humanoid races, it was easy to see a little of the elven race's sharp ears and maybe a little more of the demi-human races' sharper fingernails. But they weren't necessarily the same. The body was condensed slime making it denser and darker standing out against even the ambient dark mana in the air that would obscure any normal person's vision. Striking even greater were the multiple cores that acted as eyes and what Walker sensed was a heart.
The obsidian slime race had more cores in their body that acted to connect and work as organs. This was where they were able to make themselves a race. Their intelligence grew because they had grown naturally more cores within themselves. Allowing for the functions of their body to grow as well. Walker was amazed.
"We have been asked and have accepted the handling of the small undead area that came to be. We have no intention of offending you. We did not know what the obsidian slime race appeared as. In our world, the slime species are monsters and have not been able to or can advance to a sentient race such as yourself. I don't even know if there are other sentient slime races-"
"They existed once upon a time and were eradicated. The obsidian slime race and a few stragglers of other affinity slime races exist. We are the strongest here because we dedicate our existence to the very source of what we are made of and from." The words were sharp and clear. That the obsidian slime race persisted because they had a purpose and would not deviate from that purpose no matter the cost.
This unwavering dedication was not cruel or malicious. It was pure and clear to Walker and the entire party that it was what drove them from the very center of who they were as a race. To be united so strongly that they would not even consider spreading from their purpose was rare. When it wasn't corrupted, it was even rarer. Read full story at 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩
"We are prepared to assist the issue at hand. The true dark sage said that you and maybe your people would meet us. We would like to share culture with your people while we have the opportunity." As Walker spoke out, the cleric of decay appeared to shift their body slightly considering what he had just been told.
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