--- Kat --- 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

They’d knocked out four more bulb ponds, theoretically reducing the poison buildup significantly. Kat and Lily should be ecstatic at the progress they’d made. There was just one problem. After clearing out the one pond they’d skipped over? They hadn’t once ran into any further slimes. The bulbs had been left unguarded by everything except for the goblin things inside them and the stationary brambles. In the very final bulb location they’d destroyed the brambles had grown quite a bit and nearly become a dome... but it wasn’t all that scary. Not compared to the worry they were now facing.

Kat and Lily were both running low on energy once again but they didn’t feel tired. They were on edge with adrenaline pumping around their bodies. Kat was on her feet, looking around with a wary glance as she held Lily tightly against her chest. *What are we going to do?*

[The same as we always do. Our best. We’ve got plenty of time on the bracelet should the worst happen... even if I’d rather it not. It is technically morning so we might be able to sleep through the day and come back at night ready to fight once again.]

*I suppose that’s one less worry but I have a feeling that Appoline might be able to take out the city without us here. Or at least let out the mist to attack the surroundings. I mean... why give up on saving the bulbs?*

[It’s not like the slimes were helping that much. Not just three of them. Three is probably enough to keep anyone else from killing them without a team of guards and for us they were a challenge... but only the first time really. Four or five slimes would be far more dangerous.]

*Yeah and the worry is that they have at LEAST nine. Perhaps even more if the others manage to survive the ambush.*

[Well we just need Appoline, and as scary as they are. They can’t fly so I think we just jump in, try to get her, and if we need to fight our way through-] Lily’s suggestion was cut off when a giant roar boomed out from a distance. It was back towards the centre of the area, if a bit to the right. Kat glanced down at Lily who glanced up and nodded. There was apparently no time to waffle on this any longer. They took off into the air and flew towards the sound as swiftly as possible.

Something large was moving, crushing houses and trees in the distance. They couldn’t quite see anything yet but the sound made it clear there was something devastating going on. It took them nearly ten minutes of Kat flying as fast as she could for the problem to appear. I know where all of those slimes went...

In distance, at the very edge of what the poison mist would allow them to see was a giant pink slime that towered over everything else. Where the originals were roughly the size of cars, this new one was larger then most homes. It towered over the surroundings and if it wanted to, could probably reach out and touch the edge of the poison above them. Worse for everyone involved, was that it wasn’t too far of the guard cordon. And on top? Was Appoline.

Kat flew in closer, "What are you doing!" she shouted, hoping to get the slime to turn around. Her gamble paid off as the slime and the figure resting halfway into its head turned around to see her.

"Who dares interrupt the great Appoline?!" hissed the woman. Kat frowned at the question. It wasn’t even a statement. There was nothing in it that struck her as odd. Appoline was angry at her, and was ready to fight back. It was a simple statement... so why did her powers say that it was a lie? Lily?

[I... I don’t know? Maybe ’Great Appoline’ isn’t correct? The other answer is that she’s not Appoline at all... but what would that mean?]

*I think... remember that potion she was experimenting with? I think this might NOT be Appoline but someone trying to look like her. So that begs the question... are they tracking the real one? This fake? And who is responsible for the poison? Sure Appoline probably made it all... but was this actually done by her?*

[Is now really the time to ask those questions? I say we beat her up and then mention the issue to Ramor and let him figure it out.]

*The problem is that I don’t know how to beat a slime of that size. I don’t think I can freeze enough of it. Plus, if it’s made of smaller slimes it might have multiple cores... and how would I even grab Appoline out of the slime? I can probably lift her yes, but while flying I’m not sure I can pull her out...*

[Oh. I see the issue. Maybe try to punch her off the top? No that would probably do too much damage. I could try to scoop her out with my shadows maybe?]

*Ok. We’ll try that. I don’t think they’ll make it easy though. How much demonic energy can we afford to waste on this? Can we afford NOT to take this thing down?*

[Maybe a few low concentration blasts to make it look like you’re struggling to defend? See if we can get her to feel arrogant?]

*Hmmm...* Kat flew in closer. "I’m Kat, demon working for the guard and you’re under arrest for poisoning an entire section of the city,"

"Some fool demon things they can arrest me? I’ll show you! I’ll crush you with my minion’s power!" screamed ’Appoline’. From there, the slime charged forward ready to attack... and sure it was scary to see a small mountain of slime close in on you... but it wasn’t all that fast and Kat had been yelling quite a distance away.

Kat floated in the air awkwardly for a few moments. *So... do we just wait?*

[Kat... why would you WAIT TO BE ATTACKED!]

*She’s like thirty seconds to a minute out! What else am I going to do?*

[I don’t know? Throw some fireballs at her?]

*I thought we wanted to pretend to be weak and then grab her when she wasn’t expecting it?*

[Yeah, we are, and you can THROW SOME FIREBALLS to help with that.]

*I’m sensing some pyromania... but whatever as my girlfriend wishes.* Kat couldn’t find it in herself to be all that worried when the slime was so slow. It was big, tough and she was probably being a bit harsh on the speed of the monster. It was far away after all... but that didn’t make it any more intimidating with its bright pink colouring.

[Do remember how hard it was to fight the first few slimes.]

Kat sighed and started to throw some demonic fire over towards the slime monster. It didn’t bother dodging, simply throwing up a bit of its body to ensure none of them hit ’Appoline’ allowing for bits of its body to be frozen. There wasn’t much power in them though, so it was just the top layer of slime that froze before it was pulled away.

When the slime monster started to mix in actual attacks alongside its blocking motions, Kat was ready. Even if she was taking it easy she was watching the entire battlefield. Dropping a bit to dodge one glob of slime, shifting to the side to dodge another. Turning into water wasn’t an option. She had no idea if the slime would still carry her ’body’ away nor did she want to leave Lily behind like that so dodging it was.

The slime started to get smarter, or ’Appoline’ got better at directing it. Several slime balls came flying towards her at the same time, staggered slightly to try and box her into a specific area where she had no choice to be hit. In theory. In practice the slime was still a bit too far away for that sort of tactic and Kat was still able to dodge simply by moving out of the entire cluster of attacks. Usually going straight up, or far to one side. Going downwards was usually thoroughly covered.

Eventually though, Kat was in ’melee’ range. A large tendril of slime, more like a club really, rose upwards to take her out. There wasn’t any room to dodge because this tendril was massive, stretching further across then Kat could travel before it reached her. So she didn’t even bother. Kat breathed hard, letting demonic fire slam into the slime where she kept control of it.

Kat’s feet crushed the ice forming under the demonic fire and kept breaking her way downwards as the slime club past through her, allowing for her to pop out the other side. ’Appoline’ was screaming about something but it was hard to make out any coherent words in that mess. Of course, Kat now had to worry about the backswing. The club had just gone up... and now it needed to come down once again. *Now do I just go for a repeat? Or is there a better way?*