1.10 - Dungeons

Sylvan Sink Glade looked like your run-of-the-mill forest, yet it felt completely alien compared to the city behind her. The air was thick with something translucent she couldn't make out.

There was a brief passage she had to cross along the way, that consisted of a dark tunnel like an underbrush, before giving birth to sight of this place.

Like it was a portal of some kind, apparently, all dungeons in the world were interconnected, but not all dungeons seemed to agree on where they lay in the space-time continuum. 

As Ilse steps into the dungeon, the light fades into an eerie glow, and a humid smell fills her nose.

Remembering what little she could remember from Katarina's late-night advice, she immediately scanned for monsters. Anything of the offending nature. 

Not that she believed she stood a sliver of a chance.

Nothing. 

Still, the eerie stillness before her put her on the edge. She started moving inwards, grabbing an apple from her knapsack, she chewed on it, to soothe her growing hunger. 

It was juicy, sweet, savory. When was the last time an apple tasted this good?

She focused on finding her looming task.

Mucorrasp ivy. It was supposedly useful for its antidotal properties. It had 8 edges on its leaves, coming together at a sharp point, at its tip, its roots were said to be long and spindly. The color was supposed to be bluish. Green in the fall.

Brisk walking a distance of what felt like a mile forward, stumbled upon various bushes and plants. Many of them indeed look like the aforementioned plant with subtle differences. This one was 10-edged, this was red, and the other had short stumpy roots. 

It was arduous, but she did find a few, she thinks at least. They were scattered about, likely carried by the wind and the dispersing plant seeds. 

She stood up, plucking another one from the ground. Its bluish leaf had touched her more than, once leaving the surrounding area on it itchy and unnerved. She threw it into the knapsack, making sure to separate her food from it.

Stepping forward, her foot landed in something really squishy. Something gelatinous and it stretched upwards into her slippers. She shivered then Looking down she froze, a faint glowing slimy creature clung to her foot, morphing and shifting inside her slipper. 

"AAAAHHH!!!" she screamed, panicking, she immediately grabbed her knife, and as a gelatinous blob reformed on her shoe, she held her knife out. Ready to strike in retaliation.

But the slime didn't attack her. It had no eyes, but she felt the thing stare. 

"Stay back!"

The slime, pushed deeper into her slipper, tickling her foot, squirming and clinging to her skin. She yanked the slipper off in quick succession, but the creature's body started forming small tentacles-like limbs, sending slimy tendrils, towards her pulling her tightly.

Its texture was warm, gooey, and very slick. She tried kicking it off but its stickiness and elasticity were very adaptable, she had to pull her other leg away before it held that tight too. 

Its slimy tendrils started crawling up her body, expanding and expanding itself, shifting its body mass and slivering up her shivering legs. Its tentacles went up to her breasts, it's started curling around her tits. Tightening a hold around her nipples, the tendrils forming small holes, it started suckling on her. 

Ilse struggled but crawled backward towards the dungeon entrance, the relentless slime gripped her weak legs tightly. 

It whacked her across the head, causing her to fall to the ground. Its lower tendrils pressed against her crotch as it slithered up her thighs. It started rubbing at her pussy, the gelatinous substance slipped through her panty teasing her sensitive Area. 

She struggled for a while then decided to slap the the thing. 

The slimmed-down slime retracted its limbs and formed one big massive tendril swinging it around, and started slapping her with the girth of the thing in her face. Leaving wet, sticky pieces of gelatinous goo in her face.

She crawled further away, but the slime stood in her face. It readied another strike.

She scrambled to her feet, missing one of her slippers, she grabbed her knapsack and fled. Her heart was pounding as she sprinted towards the entrance.

A sharp pain stuck through her foot. A large thorn impaled she pulled it out, continuing her rush to escape it. She had enough of the plants, and she wanted to leave before the slime assaulted her.

****

As she limped into the guild, with a missing shoe, and a completely disheveled appearance, she received mocking stares from the other adventurers. She retrieved the murrorasp ivy from her knapsack, putting it on the table as well as the copy of the former contract. 

Ellete, put her earnings firmly on the counter, exactly 21 gold– not even half of what she required. 

"Impressive haul, for a zero." Ellete smiled smugly at her, teasing almost. " I couldn't help but notice, that your other shoe is missing, what happened, you got robbed by another beggar."

Ilse shook her head in embarrassment, the events of the encounter still weighing on her mind. "N-no, a slime attacked me."

"And you killed it?" Her eyes widened.

She shook her head. "I thought it was sentient, you know? So I didn't"

Ellete giggled. "Silly zero, slimes barely have animal-level intelligence, you got bullied by an overgrown amoeba."

Ilse scratched her head. It really was embarrassing then.

"21 gold, it's not much, guess you'll have to go back to delving in the deep dark dungeon."

It occurred to me, that it was getting late, she'd wasted enough time stumbling just to find the rooted plant, and by the time she returned, it would be evening. 

Ilse is gripped by the sudden realization that without Katarina here, she was essentially homeless, she'd have to sleep on the streets.

"What's the average inn rate around here?" she asked nervously. 

Ellete stared her down. "A cheap place, a night, maybe 15 gold? I think.

You should probably ask at an Inn and not a guild receptionist, idiot…" she blurted out her tongue for no reason. "By the looks of it, you'll have that money by next week. Happy hunting."

She waved a little goodbye.

Heavy footsteps, drummed next to Ilse. A very large but unattractive man leered at her lecherously. Practically drooled like a dumb oaf.

"Young missy, you can stay at my place for the night…" he gave her a cunning smile, she knew what his attention was. "I've got whatever you need and want. Food, jewelry, maybe even some money."

"N-no… thank you sir, I…have to decline…"

The man waved her off, and walked away, half annoyed. 

She turned to leave, looks like she had no choice then. She'd have to do two jobs to keep up the pace, which reminded her that more money, meant more problems, she needed to eat too. 

How long will Katarina's rations last her, a day, maybe three?

"Damn it."

As she walks away. Ellete called out to her. "Come here real quick zero!"

She turned reluctantly, she didn't want to be in Ellete's presence longer than Ellete could stand her, all she got from her was insults. And she didn't want to be rude to a representative of the guild....

"You look like you need a bath, the average inn, asks extra for such services rendered," Ellete, said with confidence, her eyes gazing at her barefoot, Ilse became shy, half wanting to hide her exposed foot. "Are you..willing to do some dirty work, Zero?"

Ilse raised a brow, was it another one of those "offers"? And did it involve lecherous ogres such as the man who stared at her just now? She supposed it depends. \

Ellette's face turned over reddish. She became overly nice. "i-I'd like to ease the pains of my Job, I require an… assistant after work. If you'll help me out, I could help you in return." 

She kept staring at Ilse barefoot, with a wide smile. "You could really use a cleaning."

Ilse was torn, partially humiliated, and aroused. Ellete was attractive but her meandering personality was repulsive. But, what other choice did she have? 

Ilse stared at Ellete, conflicted but, in need. "My name isn't Zero, it's Ilse."