The White Stag [1]

3 days have passed since Trewy and Nemu left the demon castle.

As before, they walked through the forest. But unlike before, the forest was much less dense. The last 2 days they even found a clearing where they could spend the night. The Jura Forest was huge, so huge that it could fill a continent. Even the rainforests from Rimuru's old world were not nearly as large, Rimuru had told Nemu. This also led to the fact that the forest varied greatly. From light forests with few trees, to dense forests through which one could hardly move, everything was there. A large area was covered with swamps and mangroves. These were areas of which there was little information. Not only the swamps were a problem, poisonous plants, dangerous monsters and other dangers were everywhere. According to rumors, there were even plants that directly attacked groups of adventurers.

But these forests all had something in common. Nemu wanted to visit them. Secrets and mysteries therefore had to be hidden. Even the dryads never went to these areas, or at least they never told Trewy about it. Dryads were not a mystery only because they were few. Dryads mostly kept to themselves. If they were seen, it was usually only briefly. There were no reports of dryads staying with a clan for more than a day. The reason for this? They had no interest. Dryads had the task to protect the forest, for them there was nothing more important. And since the forest was so vast, they almost never came into contact with other races. Let alone talk with them. Besides, they had another reason. They did not interfere in conflicts within the forest. When 2 tribes fight against each other, it was not the task of the dryads to settle it. The dryads only appeared when the forest was threatened from the outside. Thus, they were often unaware of what was happening inside the forest.

Even Trewy had little information about the forest. Her sisters mostly had a "find out for yourself" attitude. Trewy was no different, only Nemu was eager to share his knowledge.

Currently, Trewy and Nemu were on their way to the Rabbit Tribe. Nemu wanted to finally visit the first place on his list. His inner map, which he had through Guide, helped them not to get lost. Following a normal map would probably have been impossible here. Most parts of the forest were a sea of trees. Even experienced adventurers would get lost without a doubt.

The Rabbit Tribe was one of those places in the deep forest. Yet they did not live very secluded. When they were hunting, they often traveled great distances, and when they met other tribes, there was often trade or just conversation. Nemu wondered why they lived so deep in the forest when they sought social contact. Originally the Rabbits lived in the Beast Kingdom, but according to reports they left that part about 100 years ago and retreated into the forest. This was one of the reasons why the Rabbit Tribe was one of their targets. He wanted to find out why they left their home.

After 3 days, something unexpected happened. All of a sudden Nemu stopped. They were avoiding monsters, but now there was something in front of them that felt different. They could not see it yet. Trewy could not even feel it yet. Only Nemu knew through his magical perception that something unusual was in front of them. A few hundred meters away from them.

"There's something in front of us." Nemu said as he stopped. Trewy also stopped.

"A monster?" She asked.

"It's a life form, but it feels different. More natural. Almost like a dryad but still different. It's hard to describe." Nemu said while focusing his perception on the being in front of them.

"A dryad? Are you sure?" Trewy knew there shouldn't be any dryads here.

"No. It's definitely not a dryad but the aura feels calm and natural." He said while shaking his slimy body.

"Is it dangerous?" Trewy asked, still not sure what to make of it.

"Can't tell yet. But I don't think so. It's not a monster like the others we've dodged so far."

"So we'll look at it, right?" Trewy said, although she already knew the answer.

Nemu smiled. It wasn't really a smile, but since Trewy was with him she could see his reactions by now. That was remarkable, by the way. Telling slimes apart, even after dealing with them for a long time, was impossible for most. And after only a few weeks, Trewy herself could tell what facial expression Nemu would make if he had a face. However, it's not like Trewy wouldn't go there even if she was alone. After all, that's what their journey is all about.

"Okay, let's go. But we should move slowly, maybe it is dangerous after all. Wouldn't be the first time a monster tried to lure us with an unusual method." Scents, monsters hiding in the ground, monsters hiding in the trees, even monsters disguised as trees. They had seen a lot, but had always been able to avoid them so far. The most effective hunting method that had worked even for them was still Kumo's web. So they knew there were possibilities and they should always be careful.

It was still 200 meters away, they moved slowly and carefully through the forest, mostly hiding behind trees to see something, but so far they had no luck. All of a sudden Trewy stopped. "I feel it too." She said, sensing the creature for the first time. "It's like a monster that has bonded with a nature spirit. You're right, I don't think such a creature would attack us."

A nature spirit. That was why Nemu compared it to a dryad. Dryads were also spiritual life forms connected to the forest and nature.

As they walked another hundred meters they could finally see something.

"Is that a..." Nemu couldn't quite describe it.

"It looks like a White Stag." Said Trewy calmly

What they saw was a White Stag. But it was twice the size of the deer they had seen before. There was also an aura around it that was difficult to describe. Although it had a snow-white coat, it was surrounded by a green aura. But most imposing were its antlers, which were easily the size of a full-grown man. With long horns all pointing upward, toward the treetops. It had something majestic. What also differed from the snow-white fur were the eyes. They shone in a green flickering light. Trewy had told Nemu before that the eyes of dryads changed color depending on which spirit they had in them. Trewy had blue eyes because she had a water spirit and green eyes were definitely a nature spirit.

And... it was not alone. Several deers of normal size were gathered around it. They almost didn't notice because they couldn't take their eyes off the stag.

"It's beautiful." Said Nemu.

Trewy nodded.

"I want to touch the hide." This time Nemu caught an eye roll from Trewy.

They were still standing by a tree about 100 meters away. They didn't want to go near it. Because they were afraid it would run away. Deers were very cautious by nature and would run away at the slightest danger. Sometimes it was just a leaf that fell from the tree. Fortunately for Trewy and Nemu, they did not move away when they saw a dryad and a slime. Dryads were reassuring to any peaceful life form in the forest and slimes.... they were completely ignored by almost all life forms. But because of this, the duo had many opportunities that other adventurers did not have.

"Have you ever heard of a white stag?" Asked Nemu.

Trewy shook his head. "There's a nature spirit in the stag, I didn't even know that creatures other than dryads could connect with spirits."

And since neither of them had heard of white stag, Nemu's secret weapon came into play.

'Guide, do you know anything about white stags?

[There are few reports of white stags. Most reports dismiss it as a mystery. But most reports have something in common. As soon as someone spots a white stag, it disappears. It doesn't run away but disappears into thin air].

Hmm, Nemu thought. Maybe teleportation? Or an ability like Trewy had? It would not surprise Nemu. Through the nature spirit, the deer had to be connected to the forest.

"There are reports of white stags, but apparently they disappear immediately after being noticed." Said Nemu.

Trewy was not surprised that Nemu suddenly knew something. After Trewy showed him her abilities, she wanted to know what Nemu could do. Of course, he also told her about Guide. She would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous of that skill, but as long as they were traveling together, they both benefited from it.

"So we shouldn't go near it." Nemu suggested.

"No, it already noticed us." Said Trewy and then Nemu noticed it too. The stag raised its head and looked in their direction. Their eyes met, but.... it didn't disappear. It almost looked like the stag was assessing what to do. The shy animals they met before didn't run away either. That was probably the reason. The stag knew that they were no danger.

"Then let's hope it doesn't run away when we approach it." By now, all the deer had noticed Trewy and Nemu. They hesitated. Ready to run away any second. But so far, they were still standing still. Trewy and Nemu were excited. This was definitely a chance they would never get again. A creature that was just a mystery, right in front of them. And so, they slowly moved forward. Praying the deers wouldn't disappear.

50 meters, 30 meters, 20 meters, 10 meters. The stag still didn't move, but didn't avert their eyes either. And then... They were standing right in front of the deers.

"It's beautiful." Said Nemu again.

They looked at each other. Even as Nemu spoke, the deers didn't move. But... They lost their tension. Nemu was now sure that the deers would not run away.

"Don't worry. We won't hurt you." Trewy said softly. Not that they could. The deer was huge, several times bigger than Trewy. And it was no simple monster. The stag had a presence much stronger than that of ordinary monsters. And under the white fur were clearly strong muscles. But it was peaceful. They already suspected why the stag always disappeared. Not that it couldn't defend itself. But it had no interest in senseless fights. Besides, it was not alone. The deers that were with him could be hurt.

The stag sniffed Trewy who was now standing right in front of it. The head was lowered so that the nose was on the same height as Trewy's face.

And then... Trewy tried to touch it. The stag's head recoiled slightly at first, but after they still made eye contact, it lowered its head again. And then... Trewy touched the stag's nose softly.

"That's amazing. It feels so good." She said.

Nemu could see it clearly. It wasn't just that the body felt good. The green aura the stag had around it moved slowly along Trewy's hand and reached her arm. Trewy's arm shimmered with a green calming light. Nemu wanted to do the same. Unfortunately, he wasn't that tall. He cursed himself. However, over the last few weeks his body became more flexible, unlike normal slimes that always had their same shape, he could stretch out parts of his body. And he was doing that now. So he reached the leg of the deer. Now the same green aura flowed through Nemu's body. They stood like that for several minutes. Until the deer reared its head again.

"What do we do now?" Trewy asked.

"Let's give him a name." Suggested Nemu. He had never given another creature a name before, Rimuru said to be very careful with that, but he felt like the deer deserves a name.

"You can't just give him a name." Trewy giggled. "Do you even know what that means?"

"Of course." Said Nemu, looking at Trewy in confusion. "But I've never done it before."

Trewy sighed. "You need a lot of Magicules to name just a normal monster. Let alone one as strong as the stag here."

"But I have a lot of Magicules." Said Nemu, finally noticing something.

"I cant feel any from you." Trewy said in confusion.

Oh, Nemu had forgotten something entirely. After getting his name from Rimuru, Nemu suppressed his aura. And he had never told Trewy. So she had no idea. Fortunately, the possibility of giving a name was entirely based on the amount of magicules. It wasn't very helpful in combat if you didn't have the right skills. For Nemu, it was only his hardening skill that was enhanced by the magicules. It doesn't seem that important, but it makes him virtually invincible. Except for really strong opponents, it made him invulnerable. But only against physical attacks. However, the stag in front of them was definitely strong and it would take him a lot. Maybe he would even faint, but he should be able to name it.

Nemu grinned. He kind of looked forward to Trewy's expression when he showed how strong he was. And so, since he had gotten his name, he stopped suppressing his aura for the first time.

And immediately, the deers vanished.