A light breeze swept across the Thraghurn plains, rustling tall grass and bending wildflowers in the soft dawn. Morning mist clung to the hills like a sleepy shawl, and above, the sky stretched open and calm. From the heart of a hilltop grove, smoke curled gently upward, breakfast was in progress.
The camp was busy but disorganized, as usual. The magical stove crackled with inconsistent heat, sizzling beneath a dented skillet. Orchid stood beside it, humming a tune of questionable origin, stirring the pan with blissful cheer.
Across from her, Kyle sat motionless, his eyes narrowed in deep suspicion as he scrutinized the contents of his breakfast plate like an archaeologist uncovering a long-forgotten relic sealed away for humanity's protection. The food before him jiggled faintly with each breeze, as though alive with malevolent intent. Its glistening surface bore an unsettling sheen, and tucked within the folds of egg and mysterious sauce was a small, perfectly cut cube of orange, its color far too bright to be natural. Every fiber of Kyle's being screamed caution, his instincts honed not through combat, but through a long history of being ambushed by culinary surprises. There was something wrong here, and the quiet bounce of the meal seemed to confirm it.
He poked it. It jiggled.
Then, horror struck. A cube of something orange slid out from beneath a mound of eggy mass.
"...Carrot," Kyle muttered darkly.
Adiw leaned over. "She did it again?"
"She said it was a new recipe. She didn't say it was an ambush."
Sinryo glanced over from his seat, finishing a slice of toast. "At least it smells better than her last attempt."
Kyle held up the fork like a blade. "It smells like betrayal."
Just then, Orchid skipped over, carrying another plate. "Good morning, Kyle~! I made your portion with extra nutrition today!"
He stared at her with the same look someone might give a war criminal. "Why is there a vegetable in my breakfast?"
"Carrots help you grow tall and see clearly!" she beamed.
"I'm already short-sighted and emotionally stunted."
Jessica covered her mouth to suppress a laugh. Fahleena, ever dramatic, raised her keyblade and declared, "This food carries the essence of a forbidden alchemy! A dangerous dish meant to awaken the soul!"
Kyle didn't even look up. "You're not helping."
Adiw nudged him. "Just try it. Maybe this time it's… survivable."
Fuhiken sat off to the side, quietly sipping tea. He did not intervene. He had learned that some battles had to be fought alone.
Reluctantly, Kyle cut off a suspiciously bouncy corner of the omelette and brought it to his mouth, earning the full attention of the entire party. He chewed once, then paused. His eyes lost focus for a moment. He chewed again, slower, blinking like he was recalibrating reality.
"…It's crunchy," he said flatly. "And sweet. And... wait, spicy?" His expression twisted, then slackened into blank confusion. "Why does it taste like it can't decide what class it is?"
"Side effect of the carrot," Yuuna noted, flipping a page in her book. "Debuff:
"That's a thing?!" Kyle exclaimed, pointing at his plate like it had personally betrayed him.
Orchid beamed, hands behind her back. "Oh! I accidentally used the mana-carrots I grew in the spirit garden. They're really energetic!"
Sinryo leaned in. "You mean the ones you watered with unstable potion mix?"
Orchid nodded proudly.
Kyle slumped. "Great. I'm eating a root vegetable with a built-in status ailment."
Orchid clapped her hands. "You like it!"
"I respect it. That's not the same as liking it."
---
With breakfast digested (somehow), the party packed their gear and moved out, crossing the last stretch of the Thraghurn region. The open plains gave way to hills speckled with glowing flowers, and in the distance, the jagged peaks of Dwargo loomed like teeth in the earth.
But first came the slimes.
Jessica spotted the first one. "...There."
A translucent red blob wobbled across the grass, followed by two green ones, a yellow one bouncing with enthusiasm, and a white one sitting still like a monk meditating.
Fahleena pointed dramatically. "A field of squishy foes! Prepare for impact!"
Yuuna, eyes on her book, added calmly, "Different colors. Different immunities. Don't waste spells blindly."
"Friendly reminder," Kyle said. "Slimes are weak to physical attacks. Most of them. Right?"
"They should be," Sinryo nodded. "Unless they're... weird."
One jelly flopped closer. The yellow one. It paused, then jumped toward Fuhiken. It hugged his shin.
"…It's affectionate," he said, utterly unamused.
Kyle took a step back. "Is this the one that hugs before exploding?"
"No," Yuuna replied. "Yellow ones are playful. Immune to thunder."
Another red jelly charged at Adiw. He struck it cleanly with his blade, splat, the jelly burst into harmless goo.
"Yep. Definitely weak to physical," he confirmed.
Fahleena dashed forward, yelling, "Let me try my fate!"
She hurled her keyblade into a green jelly.
"Keyblade Boomerang I!"
The keyblade spun midair, bonk, bounced off the jelly, and whizzed into a nearby bush.
"NOOO! My Keyblade of Destiny!"
Kyle leaned toward Sinryo. "Shouldn't she learn to aim that?"
Sinryo shrugged. "She believes in fate more than physics."
Suddenly, a blue jelly flopped in front of Gigih. He raised his hand, his spellbook glowing faintly.
A magic circle formed mid-air, flickering with crackling energy.
"Thunder I!"
The spell struck, ZAP!
The jelly quivered, its translucent body rippling with static from the spell's impact. For a moment, it stood perfectly still, then its gelatinous form began to tremble, sinking slightly into itself like a melting raindrop. A faint whimpering noise escaped its wobbling mass, followed by the unmistakable sight of tiny tear-like droplets sliding down its squishy sides. Its color dulled to a gloomy blue-gray as it slumped toward the ground, letting out a soft, pitiful hiccup that sounded more emotional than physical. The blue slime wasn't just reacting to damage, it was crying. Openly. Profoundly. Like it had just remembered a sad dream from a past life.
Gigih blinked. "Wait… was that sadness?"
"Blue slimes are emotionally unstable. Immune to thunder and sky-based magic," Yuuna recited.
Gigih frowned. "...It's crying. That makes me feel bad."
Nearby, a black jelly dashed past Sinryo. He lunged with a dagger, miss. Again, miss. The slime spun midair and wobbled in a way that could only be interpreted as deeply disrespectful.
"Did that thing just taunt me?"
"Yes," Kyle said. "With class."
Jessica slashed a white jelly, her blade passed through like mist. It didn't even move.
"They observe," Yuuna said. "Immune to ice. But they won't attack unless provoked."
"They should attack," Jessica muttered. "This is insulting."
Fuhiken shouted, "Focus! They're not dangerous, but if we get surrounded, "
At that moment, four yellow slimes dogpiled him into the grass.
"I… stand corrected."
---
Ten minutes of absurd chaos followed.
Green slimes danced in unison. Yellow slimes played tag with Sakura. Red slimes exploded with attitude. Black slimes dodged like arena champions.
"Sharp Shooter I!" Kyle fired from atop a rock, taking out red jellies with satisfying splats.
Fahleena retrieved her keyblade from a bush, then immediately threw it again. It bounced off a white jelly and soared into the distance.
She froze. "I will not chase it again, no, wait, yes I will!"
Gigih cast Wind I on a green slime. The magic circle formed, a swirl of glowing script and air pressure,
Whoosh! The jelly danced through it unharmed.
"Immune to wind," Yuuna called out helpfully.
"That's the third one today!" Gigih snapped. "Do these things read my book?!"
Jessica beheaded a yellow jelly.
"It made a squeak when it died," she noted.
"Happy squeak?" Kyle asked.
"Sounded like it had no regrets."
Fuhiken finally got back up, swiping off jelly residue. "I need a new job."
---
Eventually, the chaos subsided, and the vibrant battlefield grew still. The jellies, whether splattered into harmless residue or having simply lost interest in their squishy antics, began to drift away, bouncing lazily across the fields with no regard for the party they had just emotionally destabilized. Some waved cheerfully as they retreated, others sighed melodramatically, leaving behind trails of glittering slime like a dramatic exit from a strange theatrical performance. The adventurers, now thoroughly coated in goo of various consistencies and colors, collapsed into the grass with a collective groan. Their weapons hung loosely in their hands, clothes stained, dignity compromised. It hadn't been a difficult fight in the traditional sense, no severe injuries, no overwhelming threat, but the sheer absurdity of it all left them dazed, mentally foggy, and wondering if they'd just survived a battle or participated in a bizarre jelly-themed festival.
Sinryo wiped slime off his boot. "That was somehow both easy and exhausting."
Kyle nodded. "They didn't hurt us. But I feel attacked."
Sakura pulled a rice ball from her food bag. "I want lunch now."
Fahleena struck a pose on a rock. "Another victory for the Champions of Squish!"
"No one agreed to that name," Gaby sighed.
Yuuna quietly packed her notes. "Let's move on. Before more show up."
Kyle squinted at a bouncing black jelly on the horizon. "Yeah. Let's not tempt fate."
---