Penumbra
Interacting with: Joe/William
Location: The Abandoned Hut || Action: Waiting|| Emotion: Annoyance / Concern
A sunny day in the ol' Hamlet. A sunny day that was being missed by the local sentient slime. Needling little sleep, Penumbra spent most nights rearranging the cellar they inhabited. Once, when the hut was still new and full of life, the cellar would’ve been a safe space for whoever lived there. The trap door, the only way in, was made out of metal while everything else was stone-built. A peculiar thing to have installed in a hut in the middle of the forest but nonetheless it was that, combined with the seclusion it offered that made Penumbra choose this hut in the first place.
The cellar was big, about 5 metres wide and 6 in length and it was full of debris when Penumbra took over. Shattered glass on the flood, rotten food in the shelves that still stood, lots of broken wood and the smell of blood permeated the room yet there were no visible stains.
Most of the past few nights were spent in similar manner as the last with Penumbra, Joe and occasionally William cleaning the cellar to make it livable, presentable and especially, safe for both the monsters that would be caught, evolved or trained, then eventually sold and for Penumbra/Joe.
Today everything was completed. Everything but the actual hut which remained, at least from the outside, abandoned. A necessary compromise in the first months of business until a reputation is formed, resources are gathered and security can be provided. Sloshing around, Penumbra took account of everything in the cellar. Two small cages on the left as soon as you come in, one restored shelf on the right with some basic materials, a bookshelf that was currently empty towards the end of the room and a larger cage right in the middle of the room. In the left-most corner of the room, two cauldrons resided. One small and one almost as big as Penumbra. For any who’d wander in the cellar, they’d look out of place but for Penumbra and Joe, they were beds. Home.
A big sludge slowly pooled onto the floor. Sludge that formed Penumbra’s body appeared from a vent hole and Penumbra stood up. Imitating to the best of their ability humans, Penumbra tried to form legs and arms yet this was a skill they didn’t master yet. Their made up body ended up looking more inhuman than planned but it was a step in the right direction.
With the final touches done to their place of business, there were only two things left to do. One, get some monsters in and two, wait for William. Yet, William was nowhere to be found. An hour passed, then two, then three. The sun was slowly getting up in the sky. Almost all morning was spent doing nothing.
“
Joe. Climb on the rooftop, check if William is back with our first experiment. He should’ve been here hours ago." shouted the many voices of Penumbra, similar to multiple people talking all at once from far away in baritone.
The small form of Joe, rose from their cauldron and sloshed on the ground going up the vent and towards the roof. Joe was a small-ish slime, standing up to 1.1 metre tall. Not bigger than the average human child. They were made of a different slime type than Penumbra’s black, vibrant green with streaks of browns. Penumbra theorised that Joe was a forest slime, born or created artificially by some mage around this area but 'alas Joe wasn't the talking type and without Penumbra’s will keeping them docile, Joe would've probably ended up in the Hamlet before being killed.
A merrily song, sung in an off-key and with missing lyrics, could soon be heard. Joe poked a tentacle out of the vent to announce that someone was approaching. William.
"
I could've figured that out myself. He's almost at the door already. " said Penumbra before opening the cellar door which was barred from the inside. As soon as that was done, the door swung open and William's face came into view.
Glassy black hair, unshaved face and a pipe in his mouth, smoke coming out of it. His cheeks were red from drinking and he sported a few visible scars or how he called them “A sure way to get the ladies”.
“
Finally. You’re here and late. ” promptly said Penumbra. If they had a face, it would’ve frowned now.
“
Hello to you too, my gelatinous friend. I am not late, I am always where I need to be at the right time. Trust me. I come bearing gifts. ” replied William with a charming smile before giving Penumbra a hearty laugh at their annoyance.
“
Very well. Come in and if it ain’t worth it, I swear I’ll eat you this time. ”
One might be scared when a monster would tell him that but between William and Penumbra there was a friendship born out of each other’s desire for survival. A friendship which included constant threats, mostly from Penumbra and jokes from William. Neither would actually follow through with the threats but they kept making them and laughing them off later.
William's behaviour of being late and smug about it wasn't a first. Penumbra learned from early on that William likes spending time in the tavern drinking alcohol and flirting with the ladies. Not that the lady wooing worked that much but he still tried. That was, of course, if he didn't spend his time in the forest, hunting. A useful trait in a business partner seeing as most rumours and people like to spend their nights at the Inn.
"
I told you already, I don't taste nice. Now, if you'd have salt and some expensive spices, my meat would be just perfect. Otherwise you'd just choke on me or whatever's the equivalent of choking for slimes. " said William in reply with a laugh as he got inside the cellar, dragging a bag behind him.
William proceeded to walk towards the smallest cage and let out a whistle as he surveyed the room before dropping the bag in the cage and closing it behind him.
"
Hoowee. You sure don't waste time. When I left two days ago, this place was still a mess. Look at it now. "
"
As I've told you many times before. I need to learn more about my kind and how we function. Alas' that's impossible without understanding how monsters work. Now, quit dilly dallying. What do you have for me? "
"
Not sure to be honest. It's a rat of sorts. Though it could be a good monster to start your experiments on. "
As William spoke, he reached in the cage and pulled the bag off the creature he captured. Inside, the monster came to its sense and almost immediately tried to bite William's hand as he removed it.
Penumbra approached the creature with a look of curiosity. Circling the cage a few times, the monster cowed in fear. Monster recognising monster.
[Identity Monster]
With a critical eye, Penumbra studied the monster and after a minute or two, turned to William.
"
This, William, is a giant rat or it should be. Looks like you caught a very young one. This will do for now. Give me a few days and come again. I'll see what I can learn about it. "
"
Ha! I knew it was a rat! "
"
Not any type of rat but yes, a rat. A fully grown one can easily kill a man. Anyways, begone. I've got work to do now. " replied Penumbra with a smile.
"
Very well. I'll be back soon but before I leave, the adventurer guild is going to open up again soon. You should be careful. " added William with a concerned look towards Penumbra as they left.
Adventurer's Guild. A menace to all slime-kind. A well deserved one but a menace nonetheless. Penumbra’s thoughts raced, trying to think of potential plans. Only one came to mind. Buy monsters off them via William as a proxy. But these thoughts didn't last for long. The giant rat needed attention.
Member
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