Chapter 43- I Need A Hero

Morpheus’s body floated motionless in the water, lines of arcane magic pulses through his veins trying to heal his body.

A little shadow swam out of his cloak and stared at its master. It’s eye staring at him with confusion and worry.

The shadow transformed into a bulgur, it’s long legs dangled in the water from its oversized body. The shadow shot out a tentacle, latching around his whole body.

The bulgur kicked its legs and took off down the underwater cave, the young chimera shortly following.

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Morpheus laid on a flat rock surface, only a few inches next to the water. His whole skin was tinged a bright red with the brilliant light of arcane magic.

He aggressively coughed up the water clogging up his lungs, he curled over and onto his side while still coughing.

A tentacle began to stroke his face.

He shot up, but his head was spinning in circles and he fell back, smacking his head on the hard surface. He opened his eyes slowly to see a bulgur’s legs leaning over him.

“Thank you Fuzz.” He weakly said.

He stayed there for a minute to regain his strength.

He weakly pushed himself up, and his blurry eyes could make out a cave.

“Where are we Fuzz?” He asked.

“Gurgle.”

“As I thought.”

Fuzz disappeared into his cloak, the shadow was still shy even after saving his life.

He looked down at his hands and noticed they were bright red. He shook his hand, but the colour stayed. The young chimera’s head was still spinning and he had a hard time processing his surroundings.

He got up slowly and stretched his back, he suddenly realised that he didn’t have his axe or his pouch.

He looked down at his feet, his pouch was there but his axe was not. He quickly picked up his pouch and checked the contents. All his money was gone, along with his dark elf bow and the dead lincilns.

He looked around for his axe but he couldn’t find it, and his heart sunk. Blood Axe of the War Orc was his unique weapon that was soul bound to him, it was apart of him.

He looked down and noticed he was in his birthday suit, his pipe, dangling between his legs. Morpheus put on the trousers he first bought in Ervos, along with the same shirt and jacket. ‘No shoes again’ he thought.

Morpheus wiggled his toes as he looked around his surroundings. A large cave, embedded with red crystals, multiple smaller caves sprouted off from it. Behind him was the still water Fuzz dragged him up from.

He scratched the top of his head, wondering where he actually was. Morpheus glanced down to a flurry of notifications.

You have levelled up Arcane Hardening Level (19)

You have levelled up Absolute Heal (E) (4)

You have levelled up Absolute Heal (E) (5)

You have levelled up Absolute Heal (E) (6)

You have levelled up Arcane Hardening Level (20) (Evolve possible)

Warning! You cannot level up Arcane Hardening anymore, you must evolve the skill.

Warning! You cannot level up Arcane Hardening anymore, you must evolve the skill.

Warning! You cannot level up Arcane Hardening anymore, you must evolve the skill.

Warning! Forced evolution of Arcane Hardening.

Evolution in progress, stats and achievements have been analyzed.

Skill remained passive. Skill keeps all of previous skill.

Arcane Tuning: Tune your body with arcane magic. Your body is now able to hold arcane magic with your very cells, hardening your body. Increased capacity of arcane your body holds with level increase.

Due to coming back from the dead you have been given the title ‘Death Defier’. +5 Vitality.

“I died!” He exclaimed.

Warning! You have angered Thanatos.

Due to wasting a god's time you have been given the title ‘Lollygagging a God’. Decreased favour with said God.

Morpheus let off a weak smile, defying death and pissing off a god was apparently on his bucket list.

He ran his fingers through this damp hair, wondering if he was in Hel. He looked further down to see another notification pop up.

You have entered the dungeon ‘Slime Central’

Morpheus took out Dagger of Black and hooked it on his trousers. Slime’s didn’t sound terrifying, neither did they look scary. But the young chimera was still cautious. The word slime reminded him of crawling through the whale's intestines and getting shot out from its behind. A shudder went down his spine.

He looked around the large circular cave again, small green flowers that contrasted the red crystals were embedded into the walls. He followed the cave wall up and he saw a rope hanging halfway down from a ledge.

He was about to fly up there to check it out but he heard a squirting noise from the left on the cave wall.

(Slime, Bug Eater, Level 45)

The slime was oozing out of a small gap in the cave wall, the rest of its body soon followed. It was three feet tall and two feet wide. It was slightly transparent, except for the few bugs in its body.

The slime began to slowly crawl over to him, it’s gooey green body rolling, picking up fallen stones on its way.

Morpheus unsheathed his dagger and approached the little slime. He brought his dagger across its body, it pierced the membrane and the green liquid seeped out.

“Well that was easy.” He said to himself. He hadn’t seen the kill message pop up so he got closer to slash it at again.

The slime bounced up and onto his head, it’s green slime invading his mouth. Morpheus panicked, he tried to throw it off but it wouldn’t budge. Instead, he began to wildly slash at it, piercing its membrane causing its inside to leak out over his body.

Amazing! You have slain (Slime, Bug Eater, Level 45)

Morpheus managed to throw it off and kick it across the cave. He spat out the thick green liquid that invaded his mouth and shook it out his ears.

“Fuck I hate slimes.” He muttered.

It seemed Thanatos heard his displeasure. He looked around to see dozens of slimes beginning to ooze out of the wall.

(Slime, Bug Muncher, Level 128)

(Slime, Bug Eater, Level 64)

(Slime, Bug Eater, Level 99)

“Oh fuck.”

The other smaller caves became blocked off by a small army of slimes, all slowly rolling towards him.

He looked back up to the dangling rope hanging from a ledge where he couldn’t see past.

Morpheus weakened the space around him and jumped. He grabbed the rope but it snapped on as soon as he put his weight on it. The young chimera tried to grab onto something but surprisingly his nails dug into the stone.

‘Arcane Tuning is pretty useful.’ He thought.

He hauled himself up and looked back over the edge. Morpheus could barely see the cave floor with how many slimes where down there.

Thankfully, the slimes weren’t the best at climbing and they just began to herd beneath him.

He kissed his teeth, and looked behind him. It was a winding cave much smaller than the others. Red crystals lined it, with the same green flowers.

He ignored the sounds of slimes beneath him and dug one of the crystals out of the wall.

‘Arcane Mana Crystal’ This crystal is formed when there’s a high concentration of arcane magic.

He just rolled his eyes, they were not helpful to him. But he did pick up a few just in case, since he had lost all his money. He could only fit two of them in his pout since it had been damaged.

Morpheus looked down the cave, it was just big enough for him. He wondered why there was a rope hanging from the edge, someone must've left it up here, or they died.

He unsheathed his knife and crept down the caves. He had been walking for ten minutes when he saw a skeleton sitting against a wall, bugs crawling around its skull.

“Poor fucker.” Morpheus said.

The skeleton's clothes were all torn, a bag sitting next to it, also crawling with insects. He glanced down to its feet to see a pair of old leather boots still tightened around his bones. It it’s lap was a pile of arcane crystals.

He shuddered, but then wriggled his toes.

“Sorry mate.” He said to the dead skeleton.

He carefully undid the laces and took off the boots, he looked inside them to find they weren’t that worse for wear.

“Dead man’s shoes, nice.”

He sat down opposite and put on the old boots, they weren’t the comfiest but it was better than barefoot.

He crawled in all fours to check around the skeleton, his boney hand was still clutching on to his bag.

Morpheus looked into the dark eye sockets of the skeleton and carefully removed the bag.

He shook the bag and brushed off the insects crawling around it. He twisted the lock and the lid opened, he began rummaging through it.

Some paper, a journal, a line of rope and some ridiculously hard bread. He tossed the bread aside, he would rather starve than eat it.

He flicked through the paper.

‘Job request, investigate the swamp, possible arcane crystal mine.’

“That explains why he’s here.”

He opened the journal and began to read it.

‘A big fucker swallowed me up whole, I was just peering over the edge.’

‘Arcane crystals are pure, it’s a pity I can’t take them all with me. I could be a rich man with three wives.’

‘I found the exit, it’s located near the treasure room of this dungeon. The slimes have completely blocked off the room and the exit, it’s like they all know exactly where I am and where the exit is. They have a collective mind of sorts.’

He flicked to the end of the book.

‘Three weeks I’ve been stuck down here, I have an endless water skin but my food has run out. I would kill a god for an ale right now.’

“Me too.”

‘If anyone finds this, tell Gimmy he’s a bastard for sending me down here. And tell me mam Sarah that she can sell my unique soul stone collection. May Chaac rain down on me and take me to the afterlife.’

“Chaac, huh.” He said to himself, he had never heard of the god Chaac. Morpheus should’ve picked up a history book.

He got up and paid his respects to the man, he died a horrible death. Morpheus walked further down to the tunnel and found it was a dead end.

“Fuck.”

Morpheus doubled back and picked up the journal. He flicked through it, trying to find information that may help him get out of this dungeon.

He found absolutely nothing, only the man’s desire to bed a woman.

He headed over to the cliff face, his eyes bulged to what he saw.

(Collective Slime, Absorber of Insects, Level 189)

The slimes had joined together and created a mega-slime. It stretched five metres up and learn against the cave wall.

Morpheus sat down cross legged and began to sort through his options.

In the journal it said that the slimes blocked off the treasure and exit room. But if all the slimes turned into a giant one there might be fewer of them at the exit. Or he could jump down now and try to escape, Morpheus had to be smart about his decision.

The young chimera didn’t like waiting, but then again it was his life on the line. And so, he waited.