Go deep(er).

>>895424
Follow tracks to the left

Chiggedychoo 2018/08/19(Sun)21:53 No. 898126 ID: 6f6552
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After some discussion you both decide that the best thing to do would be find a way back to the surface first. Left seems to be the way to go, since it’s roughly in the direction you came from.

“I had no idea there was a track down here,” says Humphrey, “I wonder who laid it and what for.”

“No idea,” you reply, “I don’t think I ever was in here even when I had my whole core together.”
There are a few moments of silence as you plod along in the dark.
Something suddenly occurs to you.
“Hey, Humphrey, why were you the only slime who waited for me to come back?”
He doesn’t answer immediately.
“Just, it’s kind of weird. I’m grateful you did, but why only one? Why did nobody else come back?”
“It’s complicated,” he says with a sigh, “but the thing is I just had to come back. How could I not? I can’t explain it. I was just as scared as the others but I couldn’t make myself leave. I just hid and waited. I guess the others were just scared enough that the knight would still be there, that they decided it was safer to stay away.”

That is what a body-controlling predator would have its host say to put potential meals at ease!

>>898139
What?

>>898126
Tell him that you appreciate his devotion in the face of death. He gets to be your right hand man!

...
Sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect everyone.

Maybe they found other leaders in the absence of their ruler.
Do you hear anything coming down the tracks?

>>898126
Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad to have you here.

I'm glad you stayed.

Wholesome quest. Pet his feelers

Chiggedychoo 2018/08/29(Wed)21:24 No. 899547 ID: 7779cc
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You never considered it before but it's quite likely that without a ruler, your people sought other leaders, and if that's the case, you hope that you can win them back without having to destroy someone's King or Queen. If it comes down to it, you'll do what you must to look after your people.
“Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad you stayed,” you tell him with a warm smile. You give him a friendly pat on the head and he beams at you in response.
“Just doing my part to protect our wonderful queen!”

Chiggedychoo 2018/08/29(Wed)21:25 No. 899548 ID: 7779cc
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You continue walking down the tracks for quite some time, making more idle chatter as you go, until you begin to see a light far ahead of you. A few minutes more of walking and it starts to grow larger and larger, until you realize it’s daylight!
“Look, we found an exit!” says Humphrey excitedly.
You squint ahead at the light and notice a strange figure silhouetted against the light, standing in the doorway. Two eyes gleam at you through the dark, almost as tho daring you to approach.
“Do you see that... person?” You whisper to Humphrey. He stares ahead at the figure, almost seeming to freeze in place as he takes it in.
“I see it... your highness, I think ... I think that’s the Knight...”
You’re cracked heart beats quicker. “But that’s impossible! What would he be doing hanging around a place like this?”
The two of you stop and stare at the shadowy figure nervously. In your current state a confrontation with the knight could be devastating. If he was able to almost kill you before, he certainly could finish the job now.
On the other hand, it‘s entirely possible he wouldn’t even recognize you like this. He might just stay his hand.
You shake a little, not sure if you should proceed or turn back and advance further into the caves. One way or another you’ll have to come through here to leave, since you can’t guarantee there will be another exit in the other direction.
What should you do?

Uh...

well, that's not a slime. We came down here to recruit slimes, so we're not leaving yet. We just found a potential way out, and that's why we went this direction. So mission accomplished, suspicious shadow or no. Let's go back and see if we can find any slimes.

Random hero goes to caves and encounters slimes...
FLEE!!!

run!!!!

>>899552
You can't call finding an exit a success if it's actually blocked by certain death.

Yeah flee. There's very few things with drawn swords that are okay to approach, even if that's not THE Knight.

You don't need a glowy slime in broad daylight. Let's go back to the dark caves where bioluminescence is more appreciated.

whelp, we found where this path leads, now time to do the age old adventuring thing of back tracking and seeing where the other path went.

Methinks the "knight" might be a machine or golem.

This would explain why there is another one on a seemingly abandoned mineshaft.

Even if they aren't, they are definitely not the knight. Even if they were extremely young when they fought you, that would still mean they are now pushing 60+ years old. They would be in no condition to fight or explore abandoned mine shafts at that age.

I say go talk to them. Extend an olive branch, but do it cautiously. (maybe reform so you look like a regular slime)

>>899548
Is... it moving at all? Maybe it's a statue or something standing in front of the light.

Chiggedychoo 2018/09/20(Thu)20:40 No. 902576 ID: 7779cc
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You decide against moving forward. Death surely waits, and you hope to the gods they can’t see Humphrey’s light. You both sneaky sneak away from the opening and back to the ledge you started on.
Meaning the only way forward is now through that dark hole. So you push onwards!

Chiggedychoo 2018/09/20(Thu)20:41 No. 902577 ID: 7779cc
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As you go the tracks eventually come to a halt. Upon closer inspection it appears that they were left unfinished. Several rails and beams lay stacked neatly close by.
Also of note, Humphrey is no longer the only source of light! Tiny mushrooms litter the ground and walls, each one giving off a blue or pink glow. They look pretty appetizing, and you suddenly remember how hungry you are.

eating them carelessly is probably a very bad idea. is there some way you can envelop a tiny piece of one, and if it starts having any ill effect you can essentially just jettison the piece of your body that’s absorbing it? your mass is precious, but it’s also useful, and sacrificing a little is better than risking tainting the whole thing.

>>902577
Hold off on the shrooms for now, unless you know they're safe.

>>902579
Do this.

Eat a tiny part of a mushroom and if something bad starts happening, then eject that little bit from your body. But if nothing bad happens, then go ahead and eat.

>>902577
Eat one. Just one.

Can... can slimes get poisoned?

As a slime, I think your dietary restrictions are a bit looser, namely that you don't have to think twice about eating strange mushrooms in a cave. Go ahead and eat them til you're full.
Turn off Humphrey's illumination for now to save battery power, or something.

Slimes are pretty tolerant of what they eat and you need to bulk up. Go on a mushroom spree!

>>902585
Science!

Eat metal beams while you're at it.

Chiggedychoo 2018/09/21(Fri)08:34 No. 902647 ID: 7779cc
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You’re hungry but you’re not stupid. The last thing you want is to eat something that will destroy you from the inside. You pick up a mushroom and consider it. It doesn’t look especially dangerous, but looks can be deceiving.
If it’s just a poisonous mushroom, you can probably still eat it and you’ll be just fine. However, the important thing to remember as a slime is that, in a manner of speaking, you literally are what you eat. This means that if you eat enough of a poisonous food, you won’t be poisoned yourself, but you will become a poison slime.
You also don’t want to eat something that has the potential to infest you and overtake your mind. You’re certain you’ve heard of some mushrooms that can do that, and the thought chills you to your broken core.
“Humphrey, do you know anything about these mushrooms? Are they ok to eat?”

Chiggedychoo 2018/09/21(Fri)08:34 No. 902648 ID: 7779cc
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Humphrey has already eaten some. He looks fine. Sheepish, but fine.
You decide to let him be your litmus test for eating. You pack a handful of mushrooms and store them in your bag on the off chance they turn out to be ok.

Chiggedychoo 2018/09/21(Fri)08:34 No. 902649 ID: 7779cc
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You try to eat a metal beam to sate your hunger but that's not the kind of iron you're supposed to have in your diet! You drop it.

It looks like the cave keeps going and the mushrooms get thicker further on.

humphrey....... sigh
anyway, we might as well keep going! ask humphrey if he knows any tunes. maybe he can hum a lil song as we move on

wonder if the glowing shrooms will make humphrey glow more?

The knight appearing here, it's impossible of a coincidence for that to happen after so many decades.

It's an illusion, either left behind by the knight to prevent passage here, or simply a general illusion that displays your biggest fear. Or perhaps it's some other creature that's displaying that illusion. I say we go back to the knight and face it...
well, after we're done with the stuff down here. No point walking that far just to confirm an illusion until we're carrying enough stuff with us.

Humphrey always seemed like a fairly palatable slime, I doubt it is easy to turn it toxic.

>>902649
Keep going then, let's see what else is down here.

Chiggedychoo 2018/10/21(Sun)21:39 No. 907877 ID: 7779cc
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You progress further into the cave, following the natural path made by the mushrooms. It seems as tho they grow even thicker the deeper you go, their light shining almost as brightly as Humphrey. Humphrey is humming a tune to himself, the colorful fungus seeming to put him at ease.

You turn your thoughts to the knight blocking the exit a ways back. There’s no way they would still be there after all these years. Even if they did manage to live that long, what would be the point of coming and blocking off a random exit to an abandoned mine? You can’t figure it out, and it just stresses you out trying to.
You’ll worry more about it later, when and if you end up needing to come back and face them.
You’re starting to get pretty hungry now, and those mushrooms are looking more and more appetizing. Humphrey seems to be doing fine. He also, you remember, is carrying a bag of food. Maybe you can snack on some of that instead?

>>907877
Eat the food. If the mushrooms turn out to be fine, you can refill with those.

>>907877
Eat food, collect mushrooms to replace it. If the mushrooms are safe then hey, you didn't lose any food supplies!

Eat food, you brought it along so it would be a was not to eat it

Accidentally eat Humphrey.

>>907877
If you are worried about parasites you could probably eat the mushrooms if you peeled and removed the gills?
Unless the food you brought is perishable I don't see much reason not to eat them. Maybe do it a bit slower than Humphrey though.

Eat the food you brought with you and save the mushrooms for later.

>>907878
Yeah

Eat some mushrooms, this plan is unsinkable.

>>907877
Stop short, be embarrassed when Humphrey doesn't stop quick enough and ends up with your tail in his mouth.

Delicious mushrooms! Eat them all.