Chapter 983 Finding Pyuku
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Once done with taking care of storing the monsters' bodies, we decided to keep on moving, guided by Aquarina's senses, which sensed Pyuku very close by.
"So how did you meet Pyuku? I've read and heard about Slimes, but he's the only one I've ever seen…" Mist said.
"Well, yeah, we meet him back in the Amazonian Jungles, where our tribe used to be located." Said Aquarina. "It was in one of our many adventures, we just found him out of nowhere pretty much, wandering about aimlessly. He was hungry and started eating the monsters we hunted… And showcased how he could gain some of their abilities when eating them."
"Since then, he has accompanied us for years. Always showing up to help sometimes, though, these last years, he has become quite lazy." I explained. "I don't know why but he just doesn't like to fight anymore and just lazes around and eats."
"I don't really mind because he still occasionally helps but… I was worried he was growing depressed or something." Aquarina sighed. "I… I haven't taken good care of him I guess. He's much smarter than other monsters, maybe he wanted to meet more of his kin or something."
"I see…" Mist nodded. "Maybe he ran away because he heard there was a slime nearby? Or sensed it!"
"Another slime?" Wondered Aquarina. "In here from all places?"
"We've read and investigated about this elusive race of creatures, but there's very little aside from common knowledge." I said. "Though, we've discovered they used to be very common several hundreds of years ago, until they became increasingly rare."
"Are they wild monsters or something?" Wondered Zack. "If he's so smart, there's no way, right?"
"They're a strange bunch, there might be subspecies that were more animalistic, and also those that were smart, kind of like in the same category as dragons in that regard." I explained.
"You dare compare us Dragons with mere Slimes?!" Asked Ignatius angrily, but we ignored him.
"But why did they disappeared?" Wondered my little brother rather innocently.
"They were overhunted. Young slimes seemed to be everywhere at one point, so much they were seen as pests. They were hunted to near extinction because of how easy it was to kill them. Their materials were also quite useful, their slime serves to make Mana Potions and Health Potions, and has multiple hygienic usages, while their core holds mana and is pristine, used primarily to create magic artifacts." I explained.
"W-Wow… I didn't think they could be this useful, but… overhunted?" Wondered Mist, feeling a bit bad. "Poor Pyuku… Maybe he lost his family or something…"
"Pyuku is definitely special compared to other slimes though…" Aquarina said. "No slimes in the books we've read have his abilities. He can seamlessly shapeshift into larger forms than his actual size, and his whole Absorption Ability is also very unique. He also seems to grow stronger by eating monsters, although he stopped being as gluttonous for years now, eating just whatever food I offered him…"
"It feels like… He just lost the entire will to fight, huh?" Luck sighed. "Maybe… he started to realize he was alone in the world."
"…"
At Luck's words, we felt extremely sad, and suddenly, everyone fell into silence.
Until Lara reprimanded him.
"Luck! Did you had to say something so gloomy like that?!" She said angrily, hitting his head with her scepter. "Don't be so pessimistic! I'm sure there are others like him somewhere!"
"Ouch! Okay, sorry! I was just saying what I had in mind… I somehow can relate to him, a bit…" Luck said. "When I lost my big brother I… I felt so alone and sad. It felt like nothing else really mattered. If I didn't had Lara with me back then, I might have died prematurely. Maybe… by my own hand."
"I told you to stop saying such things!" Lara cried, hugging him. "Dummy! I'll always be there for you!"
"Hahaha, okay, calm down, sorry… Maybe I shouldn't have opened myself too much there." Luck apologized.
"No, it's fine." I smiled faintly. "I really appreciate you telling us this… I hope you never feel like that again, Luck. If you ever felt like talking, we're here for you too. We're your friends after all."
"T-Thanks, I'm fine, really." Luck felt embarrassed at my words. "I've mourned my brother and… I've avenged him. I think I can move forwards. One step at a time, but I can."
"Well said bro." Zack smiled, patting his shoulders. "You got us."
"Thanks Zack." Luck laughed a bit, feeling blessed to have us.
"Indeed, you have us as well." Suddenly, a large and colorful bird appeared above us.
"Ninhursag?!" We all felt a bit surprised.
"Hello children, well done, you've cleansed most of the cave of the golems, but left several alive." Ninhursag said. "I acknowledge your strength and also your compassion. It is good to trim down the dangerous monsters, but they're also an important part of our ecosystem, leaving a group alive will keep them coming, bringing forth more benefits to it. Although they're mostly mindless creatures that attack anything on sight, golems eat dirt and excrete it back, clean from any toxins. They purify the stone they eat, kind of like earthworms. They're necessary to keep this floating continent clean and healthy."
"I-I see…" I nodded. "We were talking about a lot of things, actually…"
"I did hear a bit." Ninhursag quickly turned into her real form.
FLAASH!
"Pyuku seems similar to me, we might be the lasts of our kind." She said. "He is a mysterious being, and he was present in that invasion of the Blue Demon's Army… I also remember something he said when he came to that jungle."
"What do you mean?" Aquarina raised an eyebrow.
"The Blue Demon… He was looking for someone that had gone missing." Said Ninhursag. "He hadn't come to simply avenge his father in the Jungles. He was also looking for someone known as the "Demon Prince"… I don't know who that might have been, he died before he could find him but… Pyuku being intelligent, and also quite mysterious. I guess I felt rather suspicious about him."
"That's…" I felt taken aback by that information.
Was Pyuku… this entire time, someone else completely?
But that's…
"Hey, Pyuku! PYUKU!"
However, Aquarina interrupted my train of thoughts, running towards the slime, which was at the end of the vast corridor.
"…"
He was looking at a huge mural.
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