1.12 - Downstream

Ilse headed back into the dungeon, wearing some borrowed clothing and shoes she retrieved from her temporary 'roommate.' The cute and moody receptionist had vehemently refused to lend her a cent but was kind enough to share food and living space with her. 

Which had its drawbacks. Elette had spontaneous mood swings, and it took a half hour to convince, her that no, she didn't want to participate in sexual activities first thing in the morning. 

And while her mana was at an all-time high, her corruption eased. Orgasm after orgasm made her physically tired and drained her lust. She didn't mind if Ellete wanted to nibble on the lower parts of her leg, but she couldn't deal with excessive lashing. Ilse's butt and ribs were still sore after Ellete had decided to play the dominatrix twice. 

Their stay together couldn't be long term, unless she wants to come out as red as tomato paste. One good thing that came out of the exchange is that some of her stats adapted to her ordeal.

She was a little stronger, but apparently, mana pl in the hundreds was uncommon and for a god-level individual in the thousands. It was going to get harder as she grew.

MANA: [5] > [7] 

CONSTITUTION: [8] > [9] 

CHARISMA: [10] > [11] 

The sting of poverty hurts. She missed the days of slobbering greasy pizza in her mouth chugging expensive beer, and pleasuring herself to mass-produce amateur AVs.

Oh god. She missed her porn, her vibrator. Sex was easy here, but it was dangerous. Zero's often disappeared from the street, only to be seen months again, emerging from some adventure's home. Broken. 

She shook her mind off the matter. It was time to hunt some mindless blobs. 

It wasn't long before Ilse found a small one roaming around. It stood still, eating some half-digested, animals whose bones stuck out, it looked very much like premature bird bones. 

She took her knife, readied the blade, and struck it in its center. It split just as she nearly pierced its core, splitting into two. The slimes maneuvered around, she took a step back as the double-halved slimes, bounced towards her with quick aggression. She struck it again, cleaving it in the middle. It split again, leaving her with three to fight.

Ellete had given her some advice. They could only split a few times, depending on their masses. It would take two or three more cleavings or a swift strucking to the core. 

Did their core split too, did it become smaller? If the damage was insufficient.

Tendrils flailed at her, she sliced it all away, it was too slow for her. 

The closest slime split apart, leaving a slime piece as small as her fist, its mass was too unstable, and it melted into the ground. 

Those that hadn't gone extreme mitosis. Bummed with energy. They assaulted her mercilessly, swarming her like a hive of predators. 

One had slipped underneath her new robe, its slimy tendril slick and cold wiggling up her thigh, touching against her crotch. – she jumped in visceral shock and disgust. Screaming but was involuntarily aroused. 

She ripped it off with her bare hands, leaving her hands full of sticky residue. 

She stomped the creature with her soft boots, she got from Ellete, crushing the invasive creature. 

Strangely it didn't split. 

Was the knife the weakness?

"Fuck me!" she swore. She was going to have to stomp them each manually, it was going to ruin the robe she was given. Elette was going to kill her or tickle her to death. 

As if in response to her words, they all shot out tentacle veins. But… they were too diluted to hold her. She smashed one of the others, stomping them. Leaving very small mana stones, dropping from the gelatinous residue. 

Were they truly mindless? Was there some kind of karmic system that was going to punish for killing a harmless slime?

She picked it up but was reluctant to put the mana stones In her knapsack. Instead, dragging it with her. There was a nearby river where she could wash herself. If no one was watching her. Which would 10 to one not happen? 

She pranced to the river, her speed impeded by the slimy gunk. She was curious as to what it tasted like, but refrained from testing, just in case it was poisonous. If she could find a way, to live in the dungeon, she needn't worry about accommodation and favors. Not that Ellete couldn't be fun, she just wanted her own space. 

She undresses herself, displaying her round breasts, to the open forest, her crotch was surprisingly and swiftly smeared with the gunky material.

She climbed straight into the river, ass naked.

The water was cool, and cold. It soothed her fraying nerves. It filled the ends of her skin, given her goosebumps, the heat disappeared, and so did the stress momentarily. She drifted into the water, enjoying the sensation. 

Ellete. 

Did she make the right choice following her home. She could always have taken the fat ugly man's offer, she was just concerned that Ellete would clung to her. Judging by her reactions, No one had engaged with Ellete in that manner before. It was a clumsy play, it was cringy but it was cute. 

Ilse sighed. It was the second bath for the day, but how was she going to explain the clothes? 

Something caught the rim of her eye. Under a tree, she noticed a hooded figure standing on the riverbank. She instinctively hid her breats, and floated towards the bank of the river, not turning her bank.

She recognized the face of the newcomer. It was her. Her striking eyes were too familiar. The girl she had approached attacked her on instinct. Spat at her and called her a useless zero. And yet, it looked like she wasn't far from being an apple of the tree either. 

The girl pivots, motioning across the river, walking through, a knife at her side. They stared each other down, neither moving. She walked again, her eyes dismissive. Ilse notice plant like mineral in her arms. 

Was she delving too?

Then she shifted, hopping towards her knapsack, snatching Ilse's mana cores off the ground in quick succession. 

Ilse froze. Then he exploded, and she dove out of the river into the wet sand, sprinting after the thief, still completely wet and wholly naked. 

Desperate, she gave a breathless chase, and then she fell on the forested path, giving up. The girl was much faster, she had disappeared into the entrance. Ilse's body burned, he struggled to breathe, and her ribs burnt like hell. 

She stopped.

She turned back to the river. Tripping and falling along the way, her shins scraping against the rough ground, her body ached, and she was left at the short end of the stick again. 

She fell to her knees, and she screamed, pulling out her hair.

"AAAAAAAA!!!!!"

She rolled over, naked, sunlight penetrating her crotch.

"Stupid bitch, I'm going to get you!"

No one could hear her, bar the wandering slimes of course. It was the second time she had been left at her mercy. 

Ilse sighed, and she got up. Brushing dirt off her body. Returning to the river. 

"Time to find another slime," as she marches back into the jungle.