Training as a Slime (100)

Due to the differences in the schedules, the gang was separated into different classes. Meimei and Cori were together in the same class, while the rest were scattered across the campus. At this point, Sky was in the hall of Kirin receiving a special lesson from a different Master.

There were only 10 slimes picked for this class. Sky was feeling very out of place in this setting. The salamander seal was not helping much either. It crawled around Sky's bouncy blue skin while beeping digits across its amphibian's back indicating the coordinates of his compatriots. This made Sky very self-aware.

"Stop it, I'm still in class!" Sky grunted, visibly conscious and worried about being put in the limelight. As if obeying his command, the salamander stopped and parked itself underneath the foot of the blue slime, hiding away from others' plain sight.

A greyish troll with greenish moss topping his head like a wig moved into the class. "Now class, be mindful of the lines you draw. ," he advised. "You are the selected few with talent in this area. Don't take your gift for granted." The class subconsciously knew their tutor's name, it was a weird and yet familiar feeling.

Noticing a cradle rocking in the background, Sky's curiosity piqued. Naturally, he asked without a second thought, "Sir what is in the cradle?" 

"Pay no heed to it. Just make sure you speak softly lest you wake him up. He's a dangerous one I warn you," he said sternly, his greyish finger stroking his bulbous nose.

"Oh...," Sky slumped back into his seat, fully accepting his answer without question. His mind drifted, wondering what the rest of the gang was up to. A set of drawing tools (brush, crimson ink, and a stack of papers) appeared before each trainee. As if second nature, the group of slimes picked up the brushes and started to doodle. The troll paced back and forth, monitoring the progress of their work.

"The dispeller is a rare and ancient job. Even before the gods came to be, we learned the art of dispelling all illnesses and evils. One wrong stroke and all your work will be for nought," the troll emphasised as he paced through the class.

The baby cooed softly. Graham put a finger to his lips and every trainee held their breath nervously, praying that his slumber was undisturbed.

Paying no heed to the lesson, Sky realised the crimson ink flowed smoother whenever he held his breath.

"Sky, what you need to do is maintain a smooth breath or finish it in one stroke," Graham advised, his voice echoing beside the little slime, "Empty your mind and let your nature take over."

Sky took a deep breath and zoned out. When his consciousness returned he had already finished the drawing.

Graham nodded satisfyingly at the drawing, "Practice till you can do it while asleep."

Sky was confused about how he was able to complete the "dispelment" without any awareness. Even his guts told him to hold his breath instead of doing things empty-headed, and the only way to do that is breathwork.

"Now, what you all have drawn is a basic dispel glyph. You can change it to a sigil and it will have the same effect. It can only be used once, so using it as a talisman is rather useless if you have something more permanent. That said you can use it to dispel an attack. You have to learn breathwork for curses, hexes, and illusions, as the drawing is more intricate and demands more attention."

"I can see why it's a lost art...," Sky thought as he imagined himself being barbequed by a fire attack while completing the dispelling on the spot.

"Now practice until the ink runs dry," the troll instructed. "At the end of this lesson, you should be able to do this," said the troll as he used a random brush to draw a symbol in the empty air. The class marvelled at the glowing blue strokes with the air holding it in suspension. 

"That looks familiar... Isn't that a smiling emoji?" Sky realised when the master finished the last stroke. 

The emoji flew to a black slime and dispelled the curse on her. Her black skin slowly faded into a gleaming silver colour. The class murmured of her beauty and Sky could only stare blankly at her. Somehow, thoughts of Meimei invaded his mind.

"Meimei's a lot prettier, "Sky contemplated, his heart thumping away like a wild horse as if meeting a predator for the first time. Returning to the task, his mind attempted to focus but his thoughts kept running wild. "Focus! Focus!" he muttered under his breath. Recalling the symbol, he picked up his brush and started drawing. As the tip licked the end of the drawing, an image of Cori inevitably replaced the silvery slime.

The symbol glowed but dissipated like a flickering broken light. Confused, Sky tried again. Despite his reattempts, he was not able to succeed. Graham walked over to the confused slime and instructed softly, taking care not to wake the baby, "Perhaps you should try another sigil." His clammy cold nails pointed to a symbol that no one but Sky in the room recognised.

"A broken heart emoji?" Sky lifted his eyes from the book and looked at the troll. Graham nodded without hesitation and waved his fingers hinting at the blue slime to continue. Sky, drew the symbol hesitantly, curious about its effects. 

The symbol glowed and lifted itself out of the pages. The symbol suspended for half a second in mid-air before decisively passing through the sky-blue slime. Sky felt a splash of spring water cleansing his mind and heart, his mind felt clear and decluttered without convoluted emotions. Even thoughts of Meimei dissipated. All that remained was the mission entrusted to him.

Graham nodded in satisfaction, "Practice more until everyone else in this room is dispelled."

Sky bobbed his body in agreement and went back to the drawing. His next target was the silvery slime, the symbol lifted and vanished into the slime- deactivating her charm skill. Other slimes who witnessed it panicked and started to find means of escape. 

However, Sky's agility only grew with experience, successfully subduing the infatuated slimes. The troll grinned. Silent words filled his mind, "Not only does this child have ample mental fortitude, but his innate nature also allows him to respond in time to all complete simple sigils in one breath. This little guy will be a force to be reckoned with in the future."

"Continue practising your breathwork with the previous emoji until the ink runs dry, then you're dismissed," Graham told the breathless Cori, visibly fatigued and drained. Though tired, he persevered diligently- as he lifted his eyes to meet his tutor's, his eyes shone with a natural mark of wisdom. Whatever was plaguing the teen, the tutor knew it was successfully dispelled. "Thank you, Tutor Graham," Sky bowed in gratitude before returning to his seat to study.