Mimic Slime Story: Ch11 · 10:22pm Aug 12th, 2020
Plans made and plans carried out. Our slimy protagonist is growing in many ways that have nothing to do with physical size.
Hunger. I'd thought all along that if I had the opportunity to devour as many creatures as I could, that I would. The problem was that the cult—Children Of Anarchy—was a minor powerhouse of the city.
This city considered itself free, but that was an unattainable goal so long as their were cults and religions present. There were no guards in the city—control of the streets long having fallen to the various groups that ruled them.
"I still can't believe we're the biggest cult in the city." My accomplice was surprised, but it'd slipped into the role of co-leadership well. "I finally got the full numbers and this is insane. I thought the Children Of Anarchy recruited from the gangs, but the gangs themselves are just smaller parts of the cult."
Walking up behind it, I put my form's hand on my accomplice's shoulder. "You said that earlier."
It turned its head from the mass of papers on the table and looked up at me. "I'm still trying to get my head around this. How did the city let a bunch of street toughs—let alone this bunch—take over a third of the city?"
Knowledge was something I could help with. "The city has been without enforcement—guards—for nearly two hundred years. In that time the major religions took the lion's share of power away from the previous ruling class. The scraps—mostly the places the religions didn't care about enough to protect—slowly fell to ruins until the cults started to unite. There were hundreds at first, but as of today there is only twelve."
"Right, and eleven of them are tiny and trying to hide from the religions so they don't get stomped for heresy, which meant that the one that had no supernatural ties was allowed to do as it pleased because it was completely ignored by the big players." It threw its arms up and let out a groan. "So how did Talon wind up in control?"
"I don't know, and I can't ask without breaking my cover."
"Yeah, I'll work on that. We need to hold this cult together or the city will fall apart. I'm sorry, Tess, but we can't exactly just go on the eating rampage you wanted." Emotions were easier to pick up, but harder to understand. My accomplice was sorry for something outside its control.
"I deduced that already. Eating these creatures would mean destabilizing my feeding grounds, and that would mean a reduction in food overall. I don't want that. What I think would be best is to expand. If we take control of other cult areas, we can grow in power and I can dispose of their leadership."
"You want me to find another cult that we can take?" My accomplice sounded surprised, but there was something else to its response that I couldn't discern.
"Yes, but this will be easier. We're not going to defeat them with force of arms or assassination." The map of the city that was spread out on the wall before us had an area marked in red—which was our area. "Here. We will defeat them in a way they won't expect."
Where our takeover of Children Of Anarchy had been a top-down attack, I had implemented a bottom up one with the Righteous Fist. Where our patrolled streets bordered with theirs, I invested money into businesses to show their neighbors how much better the Children Of Anarchy were. Where their patrols wandered close to ours, I ensured our patrols had the best equipment.
Their leader was a mage creature who, according to my accomplice, had shown a tendency toward earth magics. After my brief struggle with the creature that had formerly led Children Of Anarchy, I wanted to be as far away from any mage creature when it came time for them to die as I could.
"How are your plans proceeding?" I asked it.
"The Father Of Darkness religion has not yielded any actual control to us, but they are content to ignore our patrols so long as we keep their peace and leave their paladins alone. I spoke with a priest who assured me that they appreciated the assistance." My accomplice had a grin that surprised me with its own hunger. "They can't even see that this is its own power."
"Their scuffle with the All Mother continues, then?" I asked.
"Yes. The great irony is that the All Mother blame them for the priests you killed. If this keeps going, it could interrupt the big ceremony next month. Wait, I told you about that, right? All the religions are supposed to come together for some great big ceremony. Some kind of fertility thing or something." Standing up, my accomplice shook its head and turned to me. "I can't see these two resolving their little holy war before that, though the support we're giving Father Of Darkness means they have more priests and enforcers to deploy along their border-streets."
I wrapped my accomplice in a hug and pulled it against me. Always, when I did this, its heart would speed up for a few moments before slowing back down again—and now was no different.
"But we remain neutral."
"We do, Tess. Always neutral. Always the sensible and understanding Children Of Anarchy. This is insane, but it's working, Tess." My accomplice hugged itself tighter against me.
Love? Yes. I loved it, but love scared me.
"How's your arm?" I hoped the topic change would distract it from its feelings.
"Healing. Thank you for saving my arm. The scars are a little stiff, but Flame had some advice to help me with it." It shifted in my grip, turning its head and resting it against my form's chest. "He is trying to teach me magic, but it's stupid. It doesn't make any sense. He told me that's a problem since understanding magic intrinsically is required to cast even the simplest spell."
My accomplice's idea to learn magic had been a surprise to me, though given how powerful such creatures could become, I was all for it. "What about a spirit?"
"I don't want that. I'll give up on magic before I let something affect me like that." Its words were vehement and final. "And no gods or any other weird stuff. I'll just have to work out how to understand it despite Flame's pessimism."
"What do you want, Accomplice?"
It laughed and looked up at my form's face. "You always call me that when we're alone."
"It's the only name I truly know. I called you my accomplice for so long that you encompass the word, rather than the other way around. So you are Accomplice."
"But when we have company…?"
How could I explain it? It was asking for how I think, but how could I have the knowledge of how I think and be able to think about it at the same time? "I have no idea. You change titles as easily as I can change faces, Accomplice. I listen for what title you use on the day and continue to use it. The part of me that speaks when we are not private is not exactly me." It was the best I could explain it.
"You think and act differently enough that I can understand that, but I don't think it's a different you, just another side of this you." It rested its head against my form's chest again and just relaxed there for some time. "Tomorrow I will meet with the All Mother representative and talk about expanding our patrols into their streets."
"They called you a soulless heathen last time, didn't they?" I asked.
"Yes, but I learned from what you taught me and started reading their religious texts. That's how the Father Of Darkness' people gave ground. I spoke the words they wanted me to." It looked up at me. "You've taught me so much, Tess. I've never truly had power, but now—now I think I like it."
Love. Love made me want to hear my accomplice say such things and smile as it did. Love still scared me, but I think it is good for me.
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Things are looking up. Which I assume means they're going to go horribly wrong.
Oh, I see. A handful of groups with their own agendas forced to prop up a city or the whole system collapses. There's a familiar situation.
Ah, political puppet mastery. Smash the action figures against one another so they never suspect the hands moving them, gaining strength all the while. It's really the same tactics the slime's always employed, just on a larger scale. The question is how long they can keep this up before someone catches on...
5334869 You know, I didn't even think of this as being like Ravnica, but it's a good enough comparison.
5334865 It's almost like I foreshadowed something good as possibly bad.
5334564 Shhh