Training as a Slime (98)

Meimei stood in front of the cave with a puzzled expression. 

"This is my job. I guard the entrance to the dungeon," the sturdy elderly said with his hands on his hips. Meimei could see his hands were filled with deep lines of experience-lined thick callouses. 

"First, you have to evolve. But you can't exploit your potential since you have not reached that level. The next best thing will be this," the guard said. He dug his hand into the groove of a stone, and the wall slid open in the pitch-dark dungeon to reveal a secret room behind it. Fluorescent lights flickered on row after row, unveiling lines of giant robots.

Meimei's jaw could not hide her astonishment and surprise. Though the technology appeared to be older than Atlantis'.

"Treat this as a gift," the old guard tossed the key to her. "Find the one that speaks to you."

Meimei examined the crystal key, which seemed to be a simple black quartz. With the crystal in her hand, she bounced down the aisle and cautiously inspected each masterpiece. As she approached the end of the line, the crystal key started throbbing with a faint red glow. She looked around and spotted a black mecha beckoning with dark, fiery eyes. Instinctively drawn to the mecha, a faint voice called out her Atlantean's name. Her guts told her this piece of machinery was fated to be hers.

"Seems like you found it. As its new owner, you get to name it," the guard said with a smile, rubbing his 6 pecs abs satisfyingly.

Out of the blue, the salamander started to generate a burning sensation, causing the red slime to flinch. "Bloody Hell!" Meimei scolded, and the seal deactivated impetuously.

Upon receiving its name, a faint startup noise could be heard from the mecha. "The name Bloody Hell has been registered," a soothing artificial voice echoed from the 15-metre-tall black machinery.

"That's a good name," the old guard commented. His rough hands glided on the guardrail, his climb was sturdy yet light. "Bloody Hell is at least 15 metres tall, so you must climb to enter the cockpit. But once it detects your soul flux, you can teleport to the cockpit at your own convenience."

"Ah choo!" Meimei sneezed out of the blue, feeling a weight lifted off her body with a weird tingling shiver sliding down her back.

"Blundering Seas!" the guard was immediately taken aback, "health is essential. With a cold like that, we must start with some basic strength training and tonic supplements."

Meimei replied timidly, "It is... it's nothing, I haven't felt sick in my entire life."

"Let's not test your luck. We shall put the driving test on hold until you are properly trained and fed!" the guard demanded while spraying purifying water around her and urging her to return to the ground.

"Despite the manliness, he's quite the germaphobe...," Meimei sighed as she kept the words to herself, wondering why all the men she met had such quirks to them. 

Coincidentally, through the misty 'disinfectant', the old guard made out hidden purple texts on Meimei's body. "Oh my lord... I think we need some exorcist here. That's the dark-hold infection!" he said.

"Dark what?" Meimei asked softly. " First the term 'soul flux' and now 'dark hold'? What the hell is going on?" Meimei internally monologued.

"You need to be cocooned! You must be from that tribe! Didn't your parents warn you not to walk out of the village like that?" the old guard reprimanded while maintaining a safe distance from her. His eyes widened with wariness, "You! Stay there! I'll be right back!"

Soon, he returned with an elderly woman with white bunned-up hair.

"Ms Lane, here she is. Please help her," the old guard said with a mask on his face.

The lady sprayed a bit of water which stung Meimei a little. The red slime bounced back a step.

The masked old lady signalled with her hands, trying to reassure her. "Don't worry; I'm just checking how strong the dark hold is on you," she said. I'm just a researcher on this island. I came across several cases similar to yours. You can leave yourself to me, I will fix you right up."

"What is this dark hold?" Meimei muttered wondering what that water was made of.

"It is an ancient generational curse. The bonds are forged by nature. It protects the slime from all evils and ill intentions but the person will become cursed with star-crossed love. It also saps the power of those it interacts with and corrupts their minds. Few can escape with perfect sanity," the researcher added while drawing a magic circle on the floor. "The pain of removing the dark hold depends on the severity of the infection, if you can no longer tahan, sound out to us and we will stop the process," she reassured.

"I want to keep it... it is the last thing my parents gave me before they passed," Meimei said.

 "No, you have to remove it. It will bring harm to others," the old guard insisted.

"It's a rite of passage," the old granny advised.

"But this is the only thing that connects me to them," Meimei sobbed.

The researcher contemplated with knotted brows, "We will bind it to a book and seal it in a box."

"Ever the people pleaser, eh! Do as you wish as long as it doesn't see the light of day!" said the old guard.

Meimei agreed and entered the magic circle. The researcher placed a wooden container holding a book before her and started chanting in an ancient tribal language. The symbols in the circle glowed and peeled off the ground one after the other. Meimei levitated as the words formed a sphere around her.

The symbols began to emit a strange magnetic force, prying off the curse from Meimei's body. Black and purple fumes discharged and circled her body, leaving glowing scarlet symbols on her. "Ahhh!!!" Meimei screamed as her skin started to peel off her gelatinous body.

Droplets of perspiration dripped down the granny's back, her body became feverishly hot as she continued chanting.

Meimei's eyes shone an unearthly light when the last of her red skin peeled off her. Taking it as a cue, the researcher tossed the book and its container above the sphere.

"Stop!" screamed an unworldly manly voice from the little slime's mouth. However, the researcher persevered and chanted more furiously with targeted intention. As the being was sucked into the book, the dark and purple fumes merged with the peeled skin of the slime. The symbols broke apart from their host and encased the tiny dark red bead. Just as the bead prepared to float towards the book, Meimei lost consciousness and loosened her grip on the crystal key.

"No!" the guard yelled interrupting the ritual. Distracted, the granny broke her concentration and collapsed on the floor.

Without the chant withholding its power, the blood bead attempted to return to its host but was absorbed and trapped by the black crystal key instead. Meimei then graciously levitated back to the ground unconscious and as transparent as a crystal ball, radiating a soft gentle glow. It was as if she was a fairy from the heavens.