Training as a Slime (90)

The lonely golem surveyed the castle grounds. The fallen dukedom lay buried in a foreign dimension as if hiding from something sinister. Yet, the enchantments were secured and intact, the stones polished and no dust settled. Alice had never thought she would return to this familiar place, if not for her master's noble sacrifice.

Her first immediate task was to find the next guardian in this region... one that could rival the previous. "How did Alpha cope with being alone... it is so boring," Alice thought.

"Right! Alpha... was killed by them...," the golem said sadly to herself. The first butterfly effect had already appeared the moment it arrived. "Does it mean I am the new guardian? Noooo!" it cried in agony. The golem bit its nails thinking, "If Master had not sacrificed himself and sent me here, the egg would be left alone and the updated instructions would have been uploaded. My presence had already disrupted the timeline. Argh! So frustrating!"

"Maybe, just maybe there might be another one left behind," Alice thought and activated her radar but failed. "Strange...," Alice thought and tried again but couldn't engage the system. Bunches of shimmering and glowing creatures caught Alice's attention. "The ancestors... are they trying to tell me something?"

Her dainty marbled feet pressed against the cold hard floor, her steps echoing empty chambers. The orbs led her to a room with a pillar of fire. "The eternal flame..." Alice gasped at the twirling fire contained in the crystal. Unlike the common eternal fire, Alice recognised the cause of the black flames. The orbs swirled around the crystal pillar as if pleading for help.

"The eternal flame had consumed the essence of darkness. As Master said, only the mantra of eternal brightness will bring balance to the castle," Alice thought and started chanting. The black flame roared and split into two; a bright white flame with a black pearl and a black flame with a white luminescent pearl. With the balance restored, the shimmering orbs surrounding the crystal scattered.

"Done and dusted! Now, to find Alpha's replacement," Alice said with pride and a big smile only to find emptiness greeting it back. Reminded of the past, Alice became even more resolute to salvage the present. Wiping the tears away, the golem touched the control panel, "Link!"

The castle immediately powered up and activated an archaic system in its land. "Search guardian candidates," Alice commanded. Several beams of bright yellow lights shot across the room, contrasting against the blue-glowing castle. The yellow lights disappeared after detecting suitable life forms. Holographic images of several beasts appeared- an alicorn, a salamander, rock bunny, Alice and an egg. "The egg, the egg!" Alice anxiously commanded but its finger accidentally selected the salamander.

System, "Initiating... evolving salamander into Guardian of Hall 777." The salamander burst into flames but being impervious to fire, it swallowed the fire with a loud burp. A water bubble then encapsulated it, christening it with a new look. The salamander became a water elemental with sacred fire within its belly.

"Please name the new guardian," the system requested.

"Alpha," Alice replied.

"Accepted, please specify master of Hall 777," the system echoed.

"Cori Byten," Alice answered.

"Qualification not met. Control is given to administrator Alice until further notice," the system announced in the room.

"Alpha, assume human form," Alice commanded.

"As you wish," Alpha said. The amphibian transmuted into a boy with dark blue hair and golden eyes at her command. 

"Here, wear this," Alice said giving him uniform.

The salamander boy obliged, sliding into the shirt and pants. 

"Your first task is to set up a boundary and rejuvenate the land discreetly without alerting any of the gods, don't worry I will set up the boundary with you," Alice said with her hands behind her back looking like a mentor.

"Your second task is to report to Duke Noel that you are the new guardian. Do not let him know about me, you will be the undercover. If he asked how you are being selected, let him know the system did the auto-selection. If not most likely you will be silenced," Alice warned.

"And your third task is to find resources for Cori Byten, protect Cori Byten, and find a way back to Earth for Cori Byten," Alice said sternly and the boy nodded with innocent clueless eyes.

Alice wondered, "Why is Master so important?"

The scene of being trapped in the game hazily replayed in its mind, reminding who its saviour was.

"Okay Alpha, let's set up the barrier," Alice said and touched the crystal pillar of yin and yang fire and a protective aura spread through the land.

The boy summoned his sacred fire and scoured the skies covering four corners of the land. 

"Nice firewall!" Alice praised.

The boy looked at her confused, "Nice?"

"It means you did well," Alice patiently explained.

With the barrier set up, Alice sat and summoned the bubble tea, "Here, have some."

The boy took a sip and his eyes immediately brightened, "What is this chewy ball? What is this sweet nectar?"

"This is bubble tea," Alice said with a tinge of sadness mixed with her smile. "I'm happy you like it!"

"System, call Duke Noel," Alice commanded.

"Calling..." the system answered.

"Now, I will be hiding, do not tell him anything about me. Just report to him in your salamander form," Alice advised and speedily left the room.

A screen pulled up, showing a young man lounging by the pool drinking and sunbathing. He pulled down his shades and looked at the lizard, waiting for him to speak.

But the lizard stood still and looked back blankly with innocent golden beady eyes.

"Mmm," the man nodded.

The lizard nodded back as if in acknowledgement.

The screen closed.

"What was that? Was that it?" Alice wondered through the system, unsure when to appear. Alice went about her day, accepting that the reporting had been completed.

The salamander split itself into a million pieces to search for resources.