It Started with Slime - Part 1

Chapter 120 - Stability

Your Skill Sharp Mouth of Consumption has increased to Levels 21, 22 & 23!

Your Skill Bird's Prime Eyes has increased to Levels 28 & 29!

Your Skill Ears of Echo Location has increased to Levels 18, 19 & 20!

Your Skill Smell of Watery Soil has increased to Levels 17, 18 & 19!

Your Skill Tough Slime Skin has increased to Levels 15, 16 & 17!

Your Skill Body Language has increased to Levels 2, 3 & 4!

He had been neglecting Body Language, but he still gained experience inadvertently. The growth might have been more substantial if he had put a little more effort into it, but he could enjoy his gains.

Your Skill Language Connoisseur has increased to Levels 90 to 94!

With a simple word or phrase from each language every day, the Skill just kept improving at a prodigious rate. He would soon be at a stage where all languages were instantly learned. He thought he wasn't far from knowing languages to a passable degree immediately.

Your Skill Poison Resistance has increased to Level 2!

Ahem, that was some bad food. Aarav was so hungry and failed to realise that it had spoiled to such a degree that even the Slime couldn't break it down before receiving the gift of poisoning. Luckily his Consume and Poison Resistance had worked together to get rid of it quickly.

Your Luck has increased by 6.2, 7.8, 6.6, 7.2, 8, 7.8 & 10.5! Your Luck is now 105.9!

Aarav's Luck had just gone over one hundred today, so he was keen to see what that would mean for the future. Aarav wondered what Haemish had meant about stats slowing down after one hundred, and I supposed he would find out now. Luck was his second stat to exceed the barrier at one hundred, Intellect the first.

Your Skill Mental Map has increased to Level 3!

That was probably from wandering aimlessly through the palace corridors. Even though he had been to many places, he had refused to make eye contact with other people.

Your Skill Skeletal Presence has increased to Level 23 & 24!

That was nice. A little more lifting power and strength in the Slime legs would not go amiss. He had not been able to gain any experience with his wings or fins, which was upsetting, but he needed to focus on his legs anyway. They would all come with time. What did improve was his tails.

Your Skill Quad Worm Tails has increased to Levels 17, 18 & 19!

...which improved Reaction, bringing it up to a whopping ninety-four. It was a good week.

It was time now to address the elephant in the room. "Haemish, it has been a week. You are right. What in the world is bothering you so much that you won't even say it to me? I think we have spent enough time together in the past days that you know you can be honest with me." Haemish still seemed reluctant, so Aarav threw in an offer Haemish could not refuse. "I will be sure to get you those pecan pastries you really like from the kitchen. You know ones that Head Cook denies you?" Aarav swore he saw drool leak out of the corner of the man's mouth. Woah, I had no idea this was one of my superpowers! Aarav leaned back and relished the moment he got Haemish to spill.

"You lied to me. You told me you didn't know what the symbols were no your status. I know that it should not bother me because you obviously did not know if you could trust us at the time. Considering the form of our initial engagement. But for some reason, it truly bothers me, more than I can comprehend or surmount." Haemish raised a hand to forestall Aarav's protestation. "No point in defending your actions, you had good reason, and I know that. I need to sit with this myself and work through it. It is not you. It is me." So some phrases really do transcend time and space and language.

Aarav just nodded in respect to the man's wishes and continued their earlier conversation. "So you think I can pass for a cupid? I have the wings? That's a type of fairy, right?"

"What on Blore is q pid?" Haemish asked confusion plastered all over his face. "You really are in an odd mood today, saying words I do not understand in the slightest." Haemish's had improved considerably, seeming more like himself in the few minutes since confessing. Aarav was happy to see that his initial language-related deception had not dampened Haemish's friendliness towards him.

"Nothing, just something in a dream I had." That was becoming a common excuse. Hopefully, it wouldn't stick too much. They might think him a seer or some nonsense like that.

"You have very odd dreams, do you know that?" Haemish said, chuckling at the absurdity. Aarav brushed it off. "To answer your question, yes, you could probably pass for a fairy. You would need to adjust some of your proportions. At the moment, you look like a baby that ate too many pastries."