Chapter 93 – Run

The frustration of no Stamina was real as Aarav slunk along on his belly. The upside to doing that was that he could Consume the dirt as he went. Mana coated the floor in a thin layer, almost like wax that protected it from the elements. Hungry Slimes, too, obviously! How much Mana must it take to maintain this? Oh well, the dirt is fine for now. He was alone in the passageway between rooms, and it was time to try something else he had wanted to do.

Pulling up his Camouflage menu, he chose the Skin option he had acquired when the King touched him. This one was going to feel good! As soon as he thought it, the outer shell of his body turned into a golden brown like the King's skin had been. He would have called it a Mediterranean look if he were still on Earth. So now he was sliding on the floor like a giant cyst. The feel of skin under his paws felt right, though. It was a unique sensation and something he would never take for granted again. He had had to get rid of Gryphon skin from his library of textures to add this one, but it was worth it.

The skin on his body was smooth and cool to the touch. Not worrying about homeostasis to survive meant that Aarav could be okay at any temperature. Although he hadn't tested this new body with extremes, just because he could stay did not mean it was comfortable. Right now, he was the same temperature as the cold muraled floors. Unconcerned, the Slime continued moving. Snatching insects as he went were unlucky enough to be in his path. I like being able to just walk-slide along a hallway and not worry about anything other than my next meal or what I will do next. No predators here, he thought about the King and Queen and the aura of danger they gave off, mostly.

Instead of ten minutes, Aarav took like half an hour to drag his sorry ass back to the lab. By the end, he was cursing himself for his weakness and lack of Stamina. Training it should be one of his priorities, and his Mana and his Health and his Skills….it was a very long list of weaknesses with dust and dreams in the strengths column.

Aarav slumped as he entered the lab. Getting to zero Stamina was always an uncomfortable experience, and the feeling of unstoppable lethargy was not like low blood sugar. It was more like hitting the wall in a marathon. If pushing through the pain also resulted in blood loss-yeah, it was terrible-not as bad as the Mana headaches when that bottomed out but still not pleasant.

Three figures in the lab moving with a clear purpose greeted him upon entry. Nice to see the missed me! Of course, he hadn't expected them to be worried about him, and they were the ones that caught him. Why is a small part of me still a little disappointed? If you don't care, Aarav, then you won't hurt. It was how he had lived a life before, and a particular Skill would not let him sink into previous ways.

"Ahh, your back," Haemish walked into the room, looking around. His three apprentices continued to work, ignoring both mentor and captive. "Good, good. We have much to be about." Haemish bustled about as well, careful not to meet the Slime's eyes. A furrow creased his brow. Was he worried about me? No, it's too much to hope. What's up with me being so needy all of a sudden. I have never needed anyone, and I am not about to start now. Cue The Way Forward is…Forward.

Surprising himself with his sudden elation, Aarav climbed up onto the table and called to Haemish, "I'm out of Stamina and Mana both, got a couple of potions for me?" Haemish turned and regarded the Slime.

"A gave you three potions yesterday. How are you using up your resources so quickly? Resources is your Mana, Stamina and Health…" Haemish belatedly explained.

"I gathered, and my Skills and Magic use it. Come on, Haemish! It's just training, you know!" Aarav beseeched the rotund man, knowing he would cave eventually. He just couldn't help himself, and he had to come to everyone's aid. At least the ones he knew, of which Aarav was now one.

While Haemish moved about looking for the necessary vials to restore Aarav, the Slime continued to speak. "You know I have taken the Oath now, and so you can start training me. I am not sure I like Chemistry, and I wasn't great at it in school. But I am guessing this is more like Potions from Harry Potter?"

Haemish's muffled voice came out, buried in and among the various boxes and containers in his lab. "What? I don't understand half of what you just said, and it is Alchemy. Not whatever you said…." The man gradually became more irritable as failure to find what he searched for continued to mount.

"Mr Haemish!" Taler called out, but Haemish ignored him and kept looking. Aarav turned at the sound of his voice. He saw the man was holding two vials, one with a green liquid and another with blue. They were just as mesmerising as before. Aarav couldn't take his eyes of them and reached out to take them from Taler. The man was not paying any attention to Aarav's need instead of calling for his mentor. "Mr Haemish, I have –"

"What is it, Taler!" Haemish exclaimed without removing his head from the box he was currently searching.

"I have the vial here, Master!" Haemish continued searching in the box for another few seconds before Taler's words finally penetrated the fog of irritation, and he straightened slightly red-faced.

"Ahhh, right! Thank you, Taler. That is right, just hand them –" he turned to the Slime and was caught off guard by the Slime. I need this potion. I need it! Aarav was still oblivious to their looks as both men failed to move. Aarav reached out a paw from the floor where he sat and looked up at the potions. Taler blinked and cleared the haze from his mind, then leaned down and tipped the potion vials over after removing the stoppers. The cascade of blue and green liquid mixed as it poured the short distance from the lips of the vials straight into Aarav's mouth. Lifting his head to receive it, he swallowed it all and smacked his lips with relish as the warmth that spread through his body restored him.

"That's the stuff!" Aarav focused on the two men standing before him now that the mesmerising liquids were out of sight. "What?"

"Uhhh…you're a sack of skin…what's that about?" Taler reached further down with the hand not holding the vials and picked Aarav up with ease, all two and a half kilograms of him. Turning him back and forth, Taler set the vials down. Then ran his other hand over the new smooth skin surface of Aarav's body, marvelling at the firmness of it. Yes, Taler didn't know that his obsession with feeling Aarav resembled a large breast.

"Hey! Would you stop tickling me! I don't like it, and it tickles!" Taler reddened and set Aarav down on the counter. "What was that? You can't just start touching someone without their permission!" Aarav asserted himself again and then looked between the two people staring at him. Rion and Marteen had both been ignoring the whole of the exchange, content to remain focused on their tasks.

"But…you were clear before and now…this!?" Taler spluttered while Haemish just continued to stare, now examining Aarav from all angles like he held the secrets to the universe, life and women.

"Would you still staring at me!" Aarav shot the comment at Haemish like a bullet. "I can bend with my surroundings. I can choose what my body imitates. The colour and texture of the materials I find." This particular Skill was hardly a secret but perhaps the extent to which he could mimic things was. He didn't feel like he was giving too much away by talking about it. He would have to speak to people eventually might as well be Haemish and Taler. Aarav remembered that there was more to the Strong Camouflage Skill. He had ignored the other part because it had not been relevant or essential at the time.

Strong Camouflage Lv. 18 Exp: 1388 / 1540

Store up to 10 Textures that you can use - Grass, Tree Bark, Loamy Soil, Tree Leaf, Panther Fur, Water, River Bed, Brick, Griffin skin, Griffin Feathers. Camouflage range of effect grows Xcm per level.

There it was, just at the end of the Skill description. He could extend its effect outside his body to the surrounding, based on the level that exceeded his body by eighteen centimetres now. Should I give it a go now or wait…? A brief but furious mental battle "wait" won out. He reasoned that it was better to wait until after they had given him something. So far, he felt he had given and given and gotten nothing in return. Okay, some food and a bunch of potions but nothing permanent! That's what he wanted.

He would test it once they had given him something because he was sure they would want something from him when they found out.

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