All About Slimes!

[Knight9910]

True Slimes
Amorphous creatures composed of a gel-like substance which absorbs and contains magical energy. The exact type of magic their jelly contains is determined at birth, and gives each variety of slime its signature color. This slime jelly is found naturally only as a part of these creatures, and true slimes are composed 100% of slime jelly. There are two things which can be considered "organs" in a true slime - commonly referred to as the eyes, though they are not used for seeing as eyes usually are - however these are in fact concentrated knots of highly charged slime jelly, and act as the slime's nucleus and central cortex. Any similarly amorphous being which is not composed entirely of slime jelly, such as giant amoebas and seals, is not a true slime and is instead classified as a slimoid.

It is unknown where slimes came from. Their kind has existed on this world for eons before the first humans, even before the first dragons. Some scientists postulate that they are a primordial life form, from which other beings may have evolved. Some even go so far as to suggest that the slimes' progenitor, the King Rainbow Slime Abiogenesis, is in fact the original creator of the world. These are, however, little more than fringe theories which are not accepted by the scientific community as a whole.

For each of the eight variety of slime there exists a single primordial slime of great power, known as a King Slime. These King Slimes are often seen as the progenitors and rulers of their kin, and in the days when humans and slimes coexisted peacefully, many of them were even worshiped as gods by humans as well. Times change, however. With the Magitech Revolution, it was discovered that slime jelly had many properties which made it invaluable for industry. Obviously, it would be unconscionable to cast aside such a resource over such petty trivialities as "morality" and "respect for the sacred." As such, humanity has largely abandoned its faith in the old slime gods in favor of hunting their spawn for profit.

---

Red Slime (Acid Slime)
Contrary to their nickname, red "acid" slimes are not actually made of acid, nor do they have any true acid-based powers. Rather, they contain destruction magic in their jelly matrix, which grants them the power to destroy matter with their touch, rapidly disintegrating it into constituent particles. There is no type of mundane matter that a red slime can not destroy, but the amount of time it takes to do so does vary based on their level of power and the hardness of the material they are trying to disintegrate. Items which have been magically enchanted can also resist their destructive touch, depending on how powerful the enchantment is and how strong the slime is.

Needless to say, red slimes are one of the most dangerous varieties that any fighter-type Guild member can face. Once a red slime reaches the size of a human being it has usually developed the ability to destroy lightly enchanted steel in less than a second. It can likely destroy a fighter's weapon before even being cut, then destroy their armor and the flesh behind it with the next attack. It is highly recommended that any fighter-type bring along a mage for backup whenever they are expecting to face a red slime, and if they enounter one without magic support they should avoid confrontation at all cost.

Of note, it is not actually strictly necessary for red slimes to cause the amount of destruction which they invariably cause. They have the ability to "turn off" their disintegrating touch at will, and they do not have any requirement to eat (nor does any other kind of true slime). The only thing that red slimes seem to gain from destruction is pleasure. Causing destruction is in fact a great joy for a red slime, and many say that they can even "taste" the essence of what they destroy. Many red slimes develop a favorite "flavor" of items to destroy, basing their preference on anything from material, to color, or even to the history of people who have held the object.

Red jelly is known in the magitech industry as the universal solvent, and is used in the processing of materials such as manastone and orichalcum ore, which can not be properly refined using mundane solvents and acids. Unfortunately, red jelly is also highly unstable which, along with a deal made between the Guild and the Red King Slime, means that it sees only limited use.

King Red Slime, Nihil
Unlike other slime kings, the King of Red was never revered or worshiped by humans. Rather, it was reviled as a great and terrible god of destruction, and appeased with offerings and hollow praise in the hope that it might stay away from human society. This has not changed, even after the Magitech Revolution.

Of course, as a pure red slime, Nihil does share its kind's weakness to magic. Though it can destroy even enchanted materials in mere nanoseconds, it can not resist spells or break through magical barriers. However, this weakness does very little to hinder it. Despite often being mistaken for a mindlessly destructive brute, Nihil is in fact a very intelligent and skilled fighter, fast enough to dodge even point-blank magical attacks, and incredibly adept with its destructive touch. If its foe attempts to hide behind a magical barrier, Nihil will destroy the ground beneath them, dropping them to their death. Should the enemy try magical flight to avoid that, Nihil can destroy the air to suffocate them. If all else fails, Nihil can also escape rapidly by destroying the ground beneath itself to burrow away. It will then strike again when its enemy's guard is down, or even ignore that enemy and turn its vengeance upon their friends and family instead.

With all of its power, one might expect the Red King to rampage without regard to the Guild's activities. Certainly, it has no problems causing small-scale havoc and killing just about any person who irritates it. However, Nihil is also intelligent enough to know that being powerful is not the same as being invincible. It has been injured before by sneak attacks and by large scale attacks with magitech siege weapons. Though Nihil triumphed even in these encounters, it was not without a cost, and the beast has become well aware that it could theoretically be beaten and killed.

At the same time, the Guild knows that the cost of confronting the Red King would be unacceptably high. As such, the Guild and the Red King have come to an agreement. The Guild agrees to leave Nihil alone and to only hunt its spawn should they cause trouble for humans first, and Nihil agrees to stay away from major human settlements and to only destroy humans that attack it first. As for how long this armistice will last, none can say. Both sides have been accused of bending the terms of the agreement to suit their own whims, and it is likely the truce will be broken as soon as one side thinks it has found an advantage over the other.

Guild Threat Rating: A
Guild Order: Keep On Watch

---

Orange Slime (Magma Slime)
Orange slimes contain the power of incendiary magic inside their jelly matrix, allowing them to control their own body temperature at will; mature oranges can burn hot enough to melt steel with their touch, or to cause potentially fatal third degree burns in humans just by sitting nearby. They are also capable of spewing blasts of flame from their bodies that are hot enough to cause insant sixth degree burns, but they rarely need to do so, as most enemies can be driven off or killed simply by turning up the heat.

An orange slime's greatest weakness is its lack of strategic thinking. They are by no means unintelligent, but rather they are notoriously quick to anger and tend to lose all sense of reason and logic when in a rage. Typically, an angry orange slime will simply set its body heat as high as possible, then let loose with a rapid barrage of fire blasts, and will continue this tactic even if its attacks are clearly having no effect. An orange slime actually capable of mantaining its composure under stress and thinking strategically might just be the most dangerous opponent imaginable... fortunate, then, that the Guild still has yet to encounter one.

Orange jelly has few uses in magitech, as its primary attribute - being hot - can be easily accomplished by other means. The far more valuable resource is their shells. Mature orange slimes can burn hot enough to melt stone and metal, which bonds to their surface and has earned them the nickname "magma slime." Over time, these minerals harden into a shell, which eventually becomes too heavy for them to move and is then discarded. At one time, people were content to scavenge these cast-off shells, which were highly prized for the valuable ores which can be extracted from them. Since the Magitech Revolution, the ever-growing need for resources to fuel industry has forced the Guild to seek these shells more proactively.

It is, at least, considered polite to spare an orange slime that chooses to abandon its shell early and flee... of course, as mentioned, orange slimes are notoriously quick to anger, and rarely run from a fight.

King Orange Slime, Calamity
As with most of the slime kings, the King of Orange was once worshiped by the humans of its region. They called it Pel'uea, and believed that it was the spirit of the volcano that gave birth to their island nation. In exchange for their worship, Pel'uea gave them warmth, turning their frigid arctic land into a beautiful tropical paradise. It also granted them offerings of deep-earth ores never seen anywhere else in the world, smelted from the ground by its own body heat.

With the Magitech Revolution and the hunting of slimes, Pel'uea and its followers were among the first to militarize against the rest of humanity. The Orange King's supporters fought hard, however they had acted rashly. They had not taken the time to gather allies. They were alone in their war, and the Guild's knights were swift and deadly, mercilessly slaughtering both orange slimes and Pel'uea's human followers. At last, they cornered the great beast itself in the island caldera, and prepared to end it once and for all.

No one knows what dark power Pel'uea called forth next, for no one on either side ever returned to tell of it. Many of the Guild's best people were lost that day, along with billions of gold pieces worth of hardware, ships, and siege weapons, all in a single devastating blow that the organization still has yet to fully recover from even decades later.

The only tales to be told of the battle came from coastal villages miles away. They spoke of a towering, mushroom-like pillar of ash and flame rising up from the island, of the sky catching fire, of a great wind that blew down their houses and destroyed their ships... Those brave souls who went to investigate in the aftermath reported that the island was completely gone, lost forever beneath the waves. In the years since, the land has fallen into eternal winter under a blackened sky that pours down toxic ash like snow, poisoning the land and the sea.

Since that day, Pel'uea has been known to humans by this name: CALAMITY.

The King of Orange has not been seen since, and the Guild's official stance is that the beast is dead. The calamity which gave it its new name was apparently a suicide attack, meant only to spite the enemy that was surely about to slay it anyway. There are some who disagree, who argue that the King might have survived, that it could have retreated into the magma chambers deep beneath the island, that it may at this very moment be rebuilding its strength to unleash one final catastrophe to wreak revenge upon the entire world...

Of course, the Guild does not give any credence to such preposterous and paranoid ramblings.

Guild Threat Rating: None
Guild Order: Not Applicable

---

Yellow Slime (Volt Slime)
Containing the power of electric magic inside their jelly matrix, yellow slimes are living power reactors capable of generating virtually infinite amounts of bioelectrical energy inside their bodies. When angered, yellow slimes can discharge their stored energy, spraying bolts for meters all around. More powerful slimes can focus their discharge, capturing it in a magnetic field in order to strike with frightening accuracy against even distant targets. The strongest yellow slimes can manipulate metal objects with electromagnetism, and even manipulate ions in the atmosphere in order to alter the weather.

Yellow slimes are by far the most militant against humans. They dwell in a land devastated by the war between slimes and humans. The once prosperous nation known as Sturmikuste is now an alien realm whose flora, fauna, and formerly human inhabitants have all been heavily mutated, some through magic and some by constant exposure to the supermassive electromagnetic field that envelops the region. Normal humans are not welcome in this land, and the King of Yellow's dedicated followers are always ready to respond as swift as lightning to the large-scale hunting of slimes, especially those of the yellow variety.

In spite of this, yellow slimes are arguably the most lucrative and highly sought after variety of slime. Living yellow slimes are often captured and enslaved for their ability to produce near-infinite amounts of bioelectric energy. As well, though their dead jelly loses its ability to generate electricity, when properly refined it is highly efficient at storing electricity. A single yellow jelly battery that is the size of a thimble can store ten times the electricity that could be stored in a traditional chemical battery that is the size of a breadbox, and can discharge and recharge that electricity with almost zero loss. For this reason, small-scale industrialization of yellow slimes remains a highly profitable venture even in spite of the dangers involved.

King Yellow Slime, Hastoros
Under the protection of their so-called god of weather, Hastoros, the nation of Sturmikuste became a center of trade and progrss. They helped to pioneer the Magitech Revolution, and of course being the nation with the largest population of yellow slimes, they were the ones who discovered that yellow jelly could be used as a power source. Knowing that their old god would need to be sacrificed in the name of scientific progress, they turned on Hastoros. The ensuing battle changed both their region and human-slime relations forever.

First, the greatest mages of Sturmikuste cast a spell, combining all their powers to imprison their old god within the earth. Next, they prepared a magitech device to harness the imprisoned king's electricity, which would provide power to their entire civilization for thousands, if not even millions of years.

However, the mages miscalculated. Hastoros' electromagnetic power could still reach past their magical barrier, much farther beyond it in fact than they had thought possible even in their most generous estimations. Their power-harnessing device was crushed in an instant and reformed into the Trident of Hastoros, a 500-meter long forked pike, which it then plunged into the ground, deep enough to pierce into the King's subterranean prison to conduct its full electrical powers.

With the Trident, Hastoros remade its realm. A storm the likes of which had never been seen before descended upon the capitol city and destroyed it in its entirety. Of the rest of the nation's inhabitants, those who remained loyal were spared and in order to complete the removal of humans from Sturmikuste, Hastoros called on its ally, Monster King Levi, to transform them into monsters. These "blitzenkind" appear superficially similar to the humans they once were, but with colorless skin and yellow jelly blood that must be regularly recharged by Hastoros' own electricity or they will die.

Naturally, the Guild's knights were sent to invade and retake Sturmikuste, however when they arrived they found that the region had been enveloped by an electromagnetic field, which destroyed their magitech devices and made their metal armor useless. Those who chose to press on in spite of this were struck down by bolts cast from the Trident, even though the weapon itself was only barely visible on the horizon.

Guild spies in deep cover have reported that Hastoros has even found a way to appear on the surface, at least in proxy, through the use of a 20 foot tall metal doll dubbed "The Iron King" which it can control telekinetically by means of electromagnetic manipulation. Though this multi-ton monstrosity would certainly be formidable in a battle, it is unlikely that it could leave the Trident's magnetic field and still remain animated. It is therefore only used for defense and to allow Hastoros to speak to its followers, an effect accomplished by controlling the airflow through a complex series of internal tubes and chambers.

Hastoros is also known to be allied with other enemies of the Guild, including Monster King Levi and several of the dark lords of Pandemonium, as well as having sympathizers among other races including the fairies, witches, and even some humans. This, along with its dedicated force of followers and swift reaction to the predation of slimes, means it ranks very highly on the Guild's threat list, even despite being imprisoned. If Hastoros were not imprisoned, it would likely rate an S-class threat, however as it is it only rates as A-class.

All of that being said, without any way to invade Sturmikuste at this time, the Guild's orders are only to react to the Yellow King's movements but not to attack.

Guild Threat Rating: A
Guild Order: React Only

---

Green Slime (Nature Slime)
Slimes containing the power of purity coming from nature, green slimes possess a wide array of abilities including healing, cleansing, and - most notably for those who wish to hunt them - the ability to nullify any magical force directed against them. The exact level of magic a green slime can nullify depends on its strength. The strongest of green slimes can negate high level magic, depower enchanted items, and banish otherworldly entities all with a single touch.

Very few of a green slime's powers are directly offensive, and as such they tend to rely heavily on allies to protect them. Green slimes will often charm animals with gifts of food, and many dwell happily alongside druids, fairies, and others who respect nature. Contrarily, existing alongside artifice causes a green slime to lose its power, and those which live too close to human cities will grow sick and may die.

Green jelly possesses great utility. Not only can it be used to insulate against runaway energy flow in Magitech devices, but it can also be applied to certain types of armor to help them ward off magic. In particular, the Guild has created a "green leather" by soaking monster hides in green jelly. This green leather is capable of resisting both physical blows and magic attacks, and is a key component in the armor provided to the Guild knights.

King Green Slime, La Fuente
On a distant continent, deep within a lush rainforest, there was said to be a great font of life and light. The humans who sought it gave unto it this name: La Fuente de la Juventud, the Fountain of Youth. It was said that whosoever drank from the waters of this fountain would gain eternal life, immaculate beauty, matchless strength, and the power to rule over all the world as a mighty god-king. Greedily, hungrily, the humans fought their way to the center of the forest, leaving a trail of ashes and blood in their wake.

Only one of their number returned to tell of what they found. In the center of the rainforest was a great tree, or rather a series of trees all twisted around one another with their tops stretching off into invisibility. Within the hollow core of this world tree was a great creature of slime. This King of Green accumulated energy from all around, and in turn it shown as a green sun, bathing the forest in a magical glow that gave new life to all.

The people attacked the tree, but in so doing they provoked the wrath of its guardians. First, a great shining eagle descended from the highest boughs and with a flap of its wings it created a hurricane of fire that wiped away half the assembled force. Next, a tremendous insect dragon crawled out from the depths between the world tree's roots, exhaling a miasma of decay that destroyed the rest.

This man alone had been sent back so that he could tell his people this: "La Fuente is the fountain of life and youth, and the fountain of death and rot. La Fuente is pure love for all the world, and undying hatred. La Fuente is god and guardian of the balance of nature, and must not be trifled with."

Once these words left the man's mouth, they were followed by a torrent of green liquid from every orifice, and then he collapsed. He was dead, and apparently had been for quite some time.

La Fuente has since come to be seen as the embodiment of everything modern human society despises. It is seen as obsolete and useless, as an impediment to progress and a destroyer of ambition, as the last bastion of an outdated philosophy that would stand in the way of mankind finally obtaining our rightful place as the gods of this world.

On a less ideological and more practical level, La Fuente's presence has completely blocked colonization of the new continent. As well, it is still widely believed that the King's living jelly has the power to confer immortality and godhood, making that a highly sought after prize. With its legion of monstrous guardians, La Fuente is considered the second most powerful true slime in existence, an S-class threat on par with demon lords and elder dragons, and a top target for elimination.

Guild Threat Rating: S
Guild Order: Eliminate

---

Blue Slime (Giant Slime)
Out of all the varieties of slime, blues have the greatest capacity for growth and expansion. They grow faster and larger than other varieties of slime. They can also reproduce spontaneously by dividing themselves, or conversely multiple blue slimes can combine to form a single larger and more powerful slime, approaching the size of a king slime. These false kings are often referred to by slime researchers as prince slimes.

Though blue slimes are easily the most numerous type of slime, they do not possess any other abilities beyond their potential for growth, and are rarely any more intelligent than a common animal. Because of this the Guild considers them to be the weakest of all varieties of slime, and often uses them for training and to test the aptitude of new recruits.

In magitech operations, blue jelly is used as a diluting agent in other jelly compounds. It can help to stabilize more volatile jellies, or act as a filler to extend the amount of another jelly compound at the cost of reduced potency. As blue jelly is used in conjunction with almost every other type of jelly, it is a good thing that it is so plentiful.

King Blue Slime, Big Blue
There is a place in the ocean where the floor gives way to a great trench, miles wide and deep enough to touch the blazing mantle of the world. Within this trench resides a being so massive that it fills the entire trench and beyond, a great king of slimes referred to as Big Blue.

Even with its massive size already making it the largest known living organism on the planet, Big Blue continues to grow. Once a year its mass breaches the ocean surface and erupts into a great geyser of blue slime, which rains down upon the islands and coasts for miles around.

This "Slime Rain" has become a part of the Guild's initiation rites, during which prospective recruits show off their skills and slimes are slaughtered by the thousands. However, the annual culling of blue slimes predates the Guild by many centuries, and is something that even slime sympathizers begrudgingly support, even if they often say they wish the event was handled with less celebration.

As for the King of Blue itself... it is unknown if the creature is actually aware of the fate that awaits its offspring following the Slime Rain. Big Blue doesn't seem to have any desire to move from its ocean trench - or perhaps it has simply become too ponderously large for it to move - and the Guild has no desire to disturb it, content instead to continue preying on its children.

Guild Threat Rating: D
Guild Order: Ignore

---

Indigo Slime (Ice Slime)
Slimes containing the power of ice magic inside their jelly matrix, indigo slimes have the power to freeze anything.The most obvious difference in appearance between an indigo slime and blue slime is the layer of frost that constantly coats the outside of an indigo. As the slime moves, the shell of ice breaks and reforms into razor sharp edges and spikes. This danger is made largely redundant by their freezing abilities, however.

As is the case with an orange slime's heat, indigo slimes do not even need to touch an opponent or object to damage it. As their own body temperature plummets, nitrogen and oxygen in the air turn to liquid around them, and human beings can freeze to death almost instantly even through mutliple layers of protective clothing. An indigo slime's powers also grant it an incredible defense. The colder the slime's body becomes the harder it gets. The strongest indigo slimes can drop their body temperature to one degree above absolute zero, becoming so solid that not even a meteor impact can damage them.

Indigo jelly sees use as an industrial coolant in magitech engines, as well as for refrigeration. Unlike many other variety of slime, the indigos seem to care very little about humans preying upon their own. They will defend themselves if attacked, but do not seek out conflict even against those they know have slaughtered slimes before. The Indigo King as well does nothing to prevent the predation of its offspring, so long as humans don't attempt to hunt on the glacier where the King itself makes its home.

King Indigo Slime, Glacios
In the northern sea, there is to be found an enormous iceberg that never melts no matter how far south it travels. Those who have landed on this miserable island of ice tell stories of trapped shipwrecks full of frozen corpses, of deep ravines that spew forth icy wind, of fleeting glimpses of a monstrous eye watching them from behind the walls of translucent ice, and of countless indigo slimes living and thriving in the frigid wasteland. This icy shell is the home of... no, this iceberg is the master of all indigo slimes, Glacios.

Glacios at the least does not seem to be actively hostile toward humans. All those who have set foot on the icy plain say that they were never attacked without provocation, even though the beast was most certainly aware of their presence. As well, very few of the shipwrecks show signs of battle damage, but rather seem to have landed on the iceberg by accident and been trapped by the ever-expanding ice. Glacios doesn't even seem to care about humans preying on indigo slimes, just so long as they don't attempt to do so on the iceberg itself.

However, one should not mistake Glacios' passivity for friendship. The beast does not show hostility, but neither does it show compassion or mercy. Those who dare to attack Glacios or to hunt slimes on its iceberg will find their warships dashed to pieces with ice-tipped pseudopods, and the survivors purposefully trapped on the iceberg to slowly freeze to death, a fate which will also befall anyone who tries to help those people. Even accidental shipwreck victims who have been rescued from the icy waste say that the creature and its spawn seemed to be willfully deaf to their pleas for help, instead dispassionately watching as they and their friends slowly starved and froze. If Glacios does have a heart, then it is surely as black and cold as the ice itself.

As Glacios does not seem to care about much of anything, it is not considered to be much of a threat. The iceberg does pose some danger to ships, but its slow drifting movements can be easily predicted, and these predictions are published annually in an almanac of oceanic dangers that is provided at a reasonable price to all explorers. The Guild's official order is to avoid the beast. Since even rescuing shipwreck victims from the iceberg is a risky proposition in itself, Guild members are told to ignore any such distress calls unless the one calling is a high ranked Guild official, or is otherwise rich or famous enough to make it worth their time.

Guild Threat Rating: C
Guild Order: Avoid

---

Violet Slime (Quantum Slime)
The most bizarre form of slime, violet slimes contain translocation magic inside their jelly matrix, granting them an array of little understood powers including teleportation, bilocation, and invisibility. Violet slimes are either the rarest form of basic slime, or perhaps simply the most elusive. Even other slimes know very little about them.

Fortunately, violet slimes are rarely aggressive. When threatened, their first instinct is usually to turn invisible and teleport away, rather than to attack. If escape is somehow impossible, or if an enemy has truly earned their anger, then they make devastating opponents. Their spacial powers can affect not only themselves, but also any matter they can touch, allowing them to crush enemies with intense gravity, to reverse gravity and send an enemy flying into the sky, or perhaps most horrifying: to teleport away individual parts of an enemy's body without the rest, tearing them to pieces.

Some have even theorized that violet slimes may possess the power of quantum immortality, being able to survive after their own death by pulling in a clone from another time, or perhaps another dimension, where they are still alive. Guild members have reported seeing slain violet slimes reappearing, which would seem to support this theory. Of course, since all slimes of the same color look exactly the same, this is difficult to prove.

Violet jelly theoretically has many useful applications in magitech, but requires more study before proper use can be made of it. Such studies are slow, as violet jelly is not only very difficult to acquire, but also highly unstable. It must be refined and diluted within minutes of harvesting or it will fade out of existence, leaving not even atoms behind.

King Violet Slime, Naught
Little is known about the King of Violet. It does not interact with humans, and those who have sought it out and returned to tell of it have little to report save that they did indeed see the creature for a few seconds, only to instantly find themselves somewhere miles away with no knowledge of how they got there.

Piecing together the various momentary descriptions paints a picture of a creature of immense size, floating through the air as if gravity had no hold over it, its body absorbing light to appear as a cloud of deepest black. Some claim that looking into the beast's body, they could see visions of alien worlds and bizarre futuristic cities. One individual even claimed to have been sent back in time from many centuries in the future, though he died before his claims could be proven. The Guild has ruled his death to be a suicide.

Because of the mysterious nature of this creature, which the Guild has designated only as "Ø" or "Naught", there is no official threat rating listed for the beast. In fact, it is only within the last decade that the Guild even acknowledged Naught's existence at all. For a long time, it was regarded as a cryptid and the Guild's official stance was that the violet slimes had no king.

Guild Threat Rating: None Given
Guild Order: Investigate

---

Brown Slime (Mimic)
While all slimes have the power to form their bodies into different shapes, brown slimes, which contain the power of transformation magic in their jelly matrix, have a shapeshifting ability unmatched by any other variety. They can change not only their shape, but also their size, color, and consistency, giving them the power to shift directly into the form of other animals or objects. Because of this, brown slimes are often referred to as mimic slimes, or simply as mimics.

Mimics are highly impressionable and naturally drawn to others, and for much of recorded history they intermingled freely and openly with humans, living together as equals. This did not last. Tensions had been rising between the two even before the Magitech Revolution, but especially in its wake, with the increase in slime hunting, many mimics militarized against humanity, unwilling to watch their fellow slimes be slaughtered for "mere money."

Humans, likewise, became paranoid of mimics. By mimic law, they must never take the form of a specific human, and must always leave a "tell" in their form that reveals their true nature. However, should a mimic choose to ignore this law, their transformation powers are so perfect that there is no reliable way to differentiate a mimic in human form from a regular human, except for high level divination magic. What's more, their impressionable and observant natures make them great at imitating other peoples' behaviors, and if they consume a human's brain they can even copy their memories, allowing them to make the disguise even more perfect. One's own friends and family could even be mimics without one's knowledge. When the mimics militarized, rumors began to spread of so-called "doppelgänger killings" in which mimics murdered humans in order to replace them, especially in government positions. Though the accusations were never proved, there were many anti-slime politicians who suddenly reversed their positions only to disappear mysteriously shortly thereafter.

Naturally, humans began to cry out for something to be done about the mimics, which they now viewed as dangerous monsters. Attempts at keeping the peace finally broke down and human nations across the world began violent pogroms to remove the mimics from their societies. The humans and mimics entered into a long, cold war which is still fought to this day. The practice of mimics taking the form of treasure chests in order to lure in and kill adventurers is a result of this war, considered a means to punish humanity for the sin of greed, which the mimics believe is the real reason their former allies turned on them.

Despite everything, brown slimes are still a little too close to human in nature for the mass populace to feel comfortable industrializing their jelly. Experiments have been performed in secret laboratories, which have shown their jelly to be extremely useful for its ability to transform into different shapes and take on different properties. It can act as a sort of inorganic stem cell, taking on the attributes of any item it's applied to. It could be spread on a cracked engine to instantly repair it, or placed alongside expensive machine parts and fuels to spontaneously grow passable replacements. Scientists theorize that one day it could even be adapted to work with the human body, to repair lost or damaged organs and limbs. Naturally, people of consequence have been long pushing for the populace to set aside their petty sentimentality and accept the promise that this resource offers.

King Brown Slime, Paradiso
Once long ago, there was a lost and weary traveler. Having been on the road for days, he was exhausted and starving. Just as he began to believe that he would perish upon the highway, he rounded a hill and saw there a blessed sight. There, amidst a verdant forest was a bustling town, full of people and smelling of delicious food. Near the town was a shimmering crystal lake teeming with fish. In the middle of it all was a castle so beautiful and fanciful in its construction that it seemed it must have come straight out of a fairy tale.

The people of the town were warm and accomodating, ready to share whatever they had the moment the stranger asked. They were also quite strange. Despite the abundance of food and beverage, the traveler never saw any of the townspeople actually eat or drink. As well, it seemed he needed only to introduce himself to the first townsperson that he met and then everyone else somehow immediately knew his name. More than once he would hear a story started by one person, who would leave and then the story be picked up again by someone else who arrived minutes later. Still, eccentric though they were, the people were very friendly and being around them made the traveler feel very happy.

The traveler departed from the town once he had recovered his strength. He went on to found a successful business, and he became quite wealthy. Years later, he decided to return to that friendly town, hoping to share his newfound fortune with the people who had saved his life. However, when he arrived at the spot where the town had been, there was nothing to be found there. Not only was the town gone, the entire landscape had changed. The hill was gone, the forest and the lake were no more. It was as if the entire countryside had uprooted itself and walked away. All that remained were occasional traces of a strange brown liquid like very sticky mud.

Stories such as this appear frequently in folklore from across the world. Minor details change, but the basic story remains the same. The town and the castle only ever seem to appear to people in need. Their fantastical beauty is only matched by the warmth and hospitality of their people. Then, after the one who encountered them departs, that person never finds the town again. Curiously, these tales even appear among different cultures which, historically, never had any interaction with one another, and so how the stories were passed between them is not known.

Of course, folk stories are still ultimately just that: stories. There is no record in all of history of a mimic king ever actually existing.

Guild Threat Rating: None Given
Guild Order: Not Applicable

---

Other Slime Characters

Apple Slime
A mischievious tricolor slime living in the fairy lands, red-brown-green, named because its natural form looks like an apple made of jelly, with a red and brown body, and green tendrils on top that look like leaves. For as long as Apple Slime can remember, its one and only wish has been to be a fairy of the noble court. It often uses its shapeshifting powers to take on the form of a young fairy boy before going into the fey villages to tease the locals with magical pranks. Specially prepared leaves enchanted with fairy magic are Apple Slime's favorite "food" and it is known throughout the fairies' forest that an offering of such can protect one from being the target of its tricks.

Human adventurers must be especially wary of Apple Slime, as they are one of its favorite targets for pranks. More, should an adventurer mistake Apple Slime for a real fairy and try to capture it, then they're in for an even bigger surprise. Unlike a real fairy, Apple Slime can not grant wishes or healing. What it can do is to dissolve its way out of any container it may be placed in, even magical containers, and escape along with any other fairies its captor may have. If Apple Slime is feeling particularly vindictive, it may also destroy its captor's gear and even clothing before leaving. Though it can easily destroy a person with its touch as well, Apple Slime dislikes violence and refuses to kill. Of course, many adventurers, having been left naked and unarmed in hostile territory, might have said that they would have preferred the quick death of instant disintegration instead.

Its habit of harrassing adventurers has earned Apple Slime both the ire of humans and the respect of the fairy queen. Despite its tiny size - only about 8 centimeters tall - Apple Slime's status as one of the very few tricolor slimes in existence has given it incredible power. It can destroy both mundane and enchanted items of almost any size instantly, can neutralize even the spells cast by a demigod, and can shapeshift flawlessly with zero effort. Apple Slime is currently considered the 8th most dangerous true slime in the world, with only the fact that it doesn't know (or perhaps simply chooses not to use) its full power keeping it from rating even higher.

Guild Threat Rating: B
Guild Order: Eliminate

King Rainbow Slime, Abiogenesis
An ancient and reclusive slime that lives deep under the ground, Abiogenesis is called the King Rainbow Slime because it holds all colors of slime and all types of magic within its jelly matrix, its body a patchwork of differently colored splotches which are constantly shifting. The title "King" is a bit of a misnomer, however, as Abiogenesis is in fact the ONLY known omnicolor slime in existence. This is a fortunate thing, as the combination of every type of slime attribute has given it a level of power that is beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, and no known weaknesses.

Little is known about Abiogenesis beyond that. There are stories of the beast dating back to the beginnings of recorded history, though it is thought to have existed since long before then. Slimes across the world believe Abiogenesis to be the first slime from which all others were spawned, and many worship it as their god. There are some who even suggest that Abiogenesis may in fact be the creator God of the entire world, or that the entire planet may be a manifestation of the ancient slime's shapeshifting powers. Naturally, almost all non-slimes refute this.

Needless to say, Abiogenesis is considered the most powerful and the most dangerous true slime monster in existence. Though the Guild has always denied the creature's divinity, they have nonetheless classified it as a G-class threat, placing it on the same level as ur-demons, great old ones, and wrathful deities. Even members of the Guild's inner circle are forbidden from so much as approaching the beast for fear of provoking it, as it is believed that if Abiogenesis ever became hostile, nothing short of direct intervention from a supreme being could stop it.

Guild Threat Rating: G
Guild Order: Avoid At All Cost

[Lemmy]

This is really cool.

Very interesting to see slimes take such a proeminent role in a setting. Specially with they been turned into an actual people, rather than little more than moving hazards. Mimics and doppelgangers being the same species was a nice take.

The Slime Kings are particularlygreat. I particularly like La Fuente and Paradiso, but they are all very fun to read about.

[Knight9910]

Thank you very much for the encouragement. It's nice to see people enjoy what I've written.

[Saylor_Man]

This is one of the most wonderful pieces of writing I've seen on this site. Good work!