“There’s a way.” Belamus glanced toward her, then shifted his gaze. “Delarosa—no, you’re still immobilized. Medello, you’re up. We’ll cast together.”
“Together?” Medello asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes. That slime can’t change colors fast enough to counter two elemental spells at once. It can only resist one at a time. You’re strongest with fire magic, right?” Belamus said sharply, his eyes locked on Medello with cool precision, already calculating the moment of attack.
“Y-Yeah!” Medello nodded, though clearly nervous.
“Then hit it with the strongest fire spell you’ve got. I’ll follow up,” Belamus instructed, his tone firm and unwavering.
“O-Okay!” Medello stammered, nodding quickly as she began gathering the heat of her magic in trembling hands.
Belamus raised his hand, eyes narrowing. “Now!”
On cue, he summoned another Shining Spear, the magical lance glowing brighter than ever. Beside him, Medello cast Fire Blast, a roaring, high-tier flame that scorched through the air toward the Rainbow Slime.
The monster reacted instinctively: its body shimmered red, adjusting to block the fire spell.
It worked. Medello’s flames hit harmlessly, dissipating into sparks against the crimson gelatin.
The moment the Rainbow Slime shifted red, it left itself vulnerable to light.
Belamus’s Shining Spear struck with perfect timing, piercing straight through its semi-liquid form. The creature convulsed violently, then collapsed in on itself, its shimmering mass dispersing into the grass.
The adhesive binding Delarosa evaporated along with it.
“Ughhh, that was gross! I mean, thanks for the rescue, but could you maybe not take so long next time?” she grumbled, wiping the sticky residue from her clothes. Despite her complaints, she was clearly relieved.
After defeating the Rainbow Slime, the group encountered a few more strong monsters along the way, but none that pushed them to their limit. Working as a unit, they repelled every threat.
Eventually, they reached a densely wooded area.
“I think… we’re close,” Mimi said, glancing around with growing anticipation. “It should be around here.”
Alas, finding a hidden facility in the middle of the forest was easier said than done. Even with a rough map, they spent some time circling through the trees, searching.
“Ah! There it is!” Delarosa shouted, pointing toward a rocky hillside.
At the base of the slope, half-hidden by foliage, was a large, steel-reinforced door set into the mouth of a cave.
“A door,” Belamus said, eyes narrowing. “Chances are high this is the place.”
“Do you think it’ll open?” Delarosa asked, tilting her head as she eyed the heavy door with a mix of curiosity and impatience.
They tried pulling at the handle, but it didn’t budge. The door was locked tight.
They could have forced the door open if they really wanted to; Belamus had no doubt about that. But barging into a research facility from which they hoped to glean important information? Kicking down the door was far from ideal.
“Open uuuuup!” Delarosa shouted, pounding her fists against the door with wild enthusiasm.
Belamus sighed, waiting to see if anyone would respond. If not, it might mean the occupant was simply out.
Then, a muffled shout rang out from behind the metal slab: sharp, irritated, and unmistakably in Goblin.
“Loud little pests! Shut up already! This door doesn’t open for riffraff! Go away, you stupid goblins!”
Belamus blinked, frowning slightly. The voice had used goblin speech. That cast doubt on whether the person inside was the dwarf who’d sent Mimi the letter. It might have been some unrelated goblin taking up residence there.
Still, it wasn’t impossible that a dwarf had learned Goblin with enough time and effort. Just to be sure, Belamus tried a different approach.
In fluent Dwarvish, he called out calmly, “We haven’t come to harm you. We only wish to speak.”
A pause. Then a surprised voice, this time replying in the same language.
“That’s Crystian speech… wait, are you a dwarf? But you were speaking Goblin earlier. Are you traveling with goblins?”
Belamus felt a flicker of confirmation. That voice had to belong to the dwarf scholar who’d contacted Mimi.
“I’m a human,” he clarified, “but I’m here with Mimi of Crystia. She’s safe; I’ve been protecting her.”
There was a thud on the other side of the door, like something had been dropped.
“Wh-What did you say? Lady Mimi is with you?! Let me hear her voice, quickly!” the voice behind the door exclaimed, suddenly flustered and far more alert than before.
Belamus turned to Mimi and nodded. She stepped forward, hesitant but composed.
“I’m Mimi Crystia,” she called out. “Were you the one who sent me the letter?”
Silence.
An awkward beat passed, stretching a little too long.
“Come to think of it,” the voice muttered at last, “I’ve never actually heard Lady Mimi’s voice before.”
Belamus and Mimi both slumped forward slightly, exasperated.
“If you didn’t know her voice,” Belamus asked, arching a brow, “why did you ask to hear it?”
“Just on instinct,” the voice behind the door replied sheepishly. “Still, only Lady Mimi would know about that letter. If you truly have the one I sent, pass it through. There should be a slot under the door.”
Mimi reached into her cloak and retrieved the letter. She knelt, slid it through the narrow gap at the base of the door, and waited.
A tense pause followed.
Then, with a resounding clunk, the door began to creak open.
A stout figure stepped forward. He was barely over a meter tall, with an impressive beard that seemed to flow like a waterfall of silver. Deep-set wrinkles marked his face, and though his stature was small, there was a sharpness in his eyes that spoke of long years and sharp intellect.
“Welcome, Lady Mimi,” the dwarf said warmly. “I’ve long wished to meet you. You are every bit as lovely as I imagined.”
He bowed with surprising grace, then turned to take in the rest of the group, his expression faltering the moment he saw the others.
“A h-human? And… goblins?!” He blinked rapidly. “What in blazes is going on?!”
Mimi rushed to reassure him, stepping forward with a flustered wave of her hands. “Wait, um, please don’t panic! They’re the ones who saved me and brought me here safely!”
The dwarf’s expression shifted slowly from shock to disbelief, then to reluctant understanding.
“So… you’re the ones who protected Lady Mimi. I owe you my deepest thanks,” the dwarf said, voice thick with sincerity as he dipped into a second, deeper bow, with genuine formality.