Master Of None

Chapter 656 - 656. Lingering Slime

Su and Onyx had been chatting while taking the right path around the fallen smoke stack. They had a lot easier times since there were dwarves moving along with the same or nearby destination. Su marveled at the fact that every single dwarf was working toward the same goal at the same time. It was a great coordination to reclaim the fullness of their city. 

"Help!!! There's one left!!!" The shouts of a woman came from a nearby doorway. Right after a dwarf woman clad in light metal armor stumbled back out of the door. Following her was a small yellow acidic slime. 

"Onyx, calm the woman down. I will smash the slime." Onyx and Su had been working together all day if not more now. They had developed the best teamwork possible in a short time. Onyx had already been on the move before Su had spoken but he still replied with a yes as he moved. 

The woman was rushing away for the small yellow slime. Su could tell the armor wasn't a pair for a dwarf in a combat position and doubled her efforts to get between the two. Just as the slime was compressing itself slightly to bounce on top of the woman Su's shield was there. 

The slime landed on the shield with a very slight hiss. The shield easily resisted the acidic body of the slime but it was still able to slowly be dissolved if left too long Su pushed the slime away trying to get it off the shield and found that it was still attempting to move towards the dwarf woman instead of being focused on her.

"It wants the metal you have on your body. Move back so I can get room to break its core." Su was going to put a little distance between the dwarf woman and the slime so she wouldn't risk any pieces of the slimes' body hitting the woman when Su used her shield slam strike to break the slimes' core. 

Onyx had shifted in to larger size and was putting himself between the dwarf women and Su. He slowly pulled back making sure that he stayed coiled and ready to block any attack at all. As soon as Su saw this she stepped back and watched the small slime attempt the same movement to bounce forward again. However, she moved forward first. 

The slime had stalled itself to make the bouncing movement in attack which gave Su the chance to come forward and slam her shields point down on it. The core was easy to locate and see. Su easily slashed it with the shield and split it clean in half. Su surveyed the area and watched as a golem with a spray nozzle and large tank arrived. 

"This is the small slime that was causing trouble. If you could please wash it away." She asked the golem which immediately started its work. Su had seen many of them performing these actions on the walk toward the high forge and knew exactly what to say. 

Onyx relaxed, "Miss, you should be unharmed. I did not see the slime touch you." Onyx was quick to examine and assure the woman that there were no injuries. 

The woman looked at Onyx and Su amazed. She thought that she would be done for. "When that pest fell out of the pantry I thought that I was done for. I saw so many of those that had the slime touch them. Thank you so much." The dwarf woman had not expected to come home and find a slime in her pantry eating away at the metal containers her food was in.

"We would never walk away from someone in need. It was lucky that we were here." Su was glad that someone had been around to help the woman when she needed it. 

"I spend all my time mapping out the caves and sneaking round only to come home and almost get taken down by some blob of snot. I swear." The woman was getting over her previous fear and was now heading toward annoyance and anger. 

"You map the caves?" Su had not met many dwarves other than those with the medical systems. This was her first encounter with someone with a mapping system let alone a dwarf that mapped out the caves. 

"I do. Someone has to get through all those unexplored areas and find those mines. But we all pulled back because of those pests. I was finally coming home to check the damage they had done and of course there was one here. I should have known to have a guard with me." The woman was scolding herself for her own lack of thinking. 

"I think it must be very exciting to explore the caves." Su wanted to part ways but her curiosity was grabbing at her. 

"Yes! I have found many iron mines, a few gold mines, and even helped with a team that found and mapped an ancie- ehm, yes I helped with a lot." Su caught that the woman was about to excitedly say something she was not supposed to say. 

"Well, actually. I may have a job for you if you and your hero party are interested." The woman had changed her mannerisms in a second. It was a shock for Su who had expected her to just want to go to her home and clean up. The woman rushed inside grabbed a backpack that had plenty of roled papers and a few scrolls. "If you're heading this way I am willing to bet you are going to the high forge. I was going to speak to the elder about a time to return to the caves. But this is fated." 

Su and Onyx could only look at the dwarf woman confused with what was going on. Instead of trying to pry she decided it was better to have a guide directly to the high forge. She didn't know what else would hold her up on the way.

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