Guided by Fate (Fiz-Bun Fluff)

Chapter 11

The large wooden gate lowered behind us; we had left Kaeol and were now on our way to Chulain. There were short trees around the city.

"We're going... this way, right?" I asked, pointing toward what looked like a redwood forest, only wood was a dark green and the leaves were a vibrant red.

"Yup~!" Fiz hummed. "This is the Elderwood, the oldest forest we've ever found. It's supposedly been growing since before the Goddess arrived, but..."

"But what?"

"I have doubts that's possible. The Ancients ruined the world - that's why she came here to recreate it, actually," She said, her ears bouncing as we walked.

"Who exactly were the Ancients?" I asked.

"Uhh, old people? They lived here before we did, and they practiced magic in every aspect of their life. Eventually, all their magic fused into a new variety, which led to their downfall."

"Let me guess: Ancient Magic?"

"Mhm, mhm!" Fiz agreed. He ears suddenly straightened, shifting slightly.

"Wha-"

"Sh!" She said, holding out a finger.

It was quiet for a moment.

A branch snapped, then there was a faint sizzle. Fiz suddenly lept to the side as a large blob of green goop landed directly where she was.

"Slime?" I called out as it wiggled.

"Slime!" She agreed. "Careful, it's acidic!"

I nodded and gave it space. "What do we do?"

The slime wiggled, and I slid to the side as it lept to me. The patch of ground it was sitting on had been killed completely.

"It'll only melt organic matter, but if you have any bases we could neutralize it," Fiz said. "You could also puncture its membrane until," She jumped out of the way gracefully, leaping five feet and to my side. "It can't hold itself together."

I nodded and lunged at the slime, stabbing it three times before it tried to jump. Fiz and I moved separate ways, and my back was to a tree. I had an idea, and after stabbing it another three times, I got to see the outcome.

It left at me, but I dodged and it slammed into the tree. Viscous got came oozing out of the blob, and it collapsed into a puddle, with a thin, plastic bag-like film laying on top.

"Great job, Tommy!" Fiz clung to my arm, giggling.

"It wasn't that cool..."

"You didn't get hit at all! Most people slip up at least once in their first swordfight~"

I laughed. "It was pretty slow, honestly."

"Maybe the goddess blessed you too!" She grinned.

"Blessed me?"

"Mhm!" She nodded her head rapidly, her ears bouncing. "The goddess sometimes blesses people with special talents... She blessed me when I became a priestess, and now I'm really good at dodging!"

"Makes enough sense, honestly. The goddess who created this world could easily give people stat boosts."

"What boosts?"

I rubbed her on the head gently. "Don't worry about it, Fiz. Let's keep walking."

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Alright, sorry about delay between chapters. I had this entire chapter nearly finished, but didn't like the ending I was using, so I sat on it for a few days, then finally finished it in a way that makes sense.