Onyx

[ CH 5 ] - Chromatic

The rhythmic crunch of footsteps against the lush grass echoed through the verdant forest. Gentle breezes rustled the leaves overhead, bringing a cool, refreshing sensation to the trio as they ventured deeper into the green expanse. Each step seemed to heighten their senses, making the silence between them feel alive with the sounds of nature.

At least, that's how it was supposed to be, until Grant stopped in his tracks and kneeled down to the bushes.

"Grant?" Kory called, tapping his shoulders as the man shook his head, shushing with a finger over his lips. Whispering instead, Kory continued as the two boys kneeled down next to him.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" His answer was provided in nothing more than a gesture as a finger pointed forward. In front of the trio, was a large batch of translucent gel monsters that hopped around a hole filled with water. A singular shining red orb shined within their centers while their beady black eyes were scanning like drones as the group hid deeper behind the bushes.

"Slimes already..." Jon muttered. "So, what's the plan?" He looked over to Grant, who provided a shrug.

"Don't look at me. This is your quest-" He gestured to them. "Not mine. You can tell me, and I'll give some sagely advice, but that's all you're getting.

"Then... we can try splitting them up? Take some for both of us?" Jon looked over, staring at the group of slimes. Seven, he counted out in his mind.

"If you can get them to split up, sure." Grant pointed at them with a smirk. "Look, that group of five. If you try splitting them up, one person could get way more than the other. Maybe a split of one and six, two and five, instead of the clean three four split."

"You're the ones with Richard's approval, so you're welcome to show me though." Grant shrugged as Jon could feel a twitch on his face.

Moments pass before Jon finally spoke again. "So you're seriously not helping at all?"

"I'm just here to watch." Grant shook his head as Jon frowned, nodding.

"Uh... We could try an ambush," Jon suggested, his voice laced with uncertainty as he scratched the back of his head. "If we both get one, it should be a lot easier." He glanced at Kory, who nodded, gripping his weapon tighter, the determination clear in his eyes despite the nervous energy radiating from his posture.

"Alright, ready then?" Kory unsheathed his weapon as Jon nodded, doing the same. They both looked forward, their hearts pounding at their ribs. They glanced at one another, subtly nodding before they saw a perfect set of targets, mid-jump.

With a quick lunge forward, they both cleaved through their slimes, watching their blades cut them clean in two. However, both slices narrowly grazed the cores, splitting them as they landed, their gel slowly trying to reconnect.

"That's not easy to get in one try..." Kory commented, swiftly stomping on the fallen slime nearby while Jon copied the attack with his own enemy; reducing them to two puddles of goop on the ground. The slimes' demise easily caught the attention of the rest as they began to hop their way over. The two boys split up in response, preparing themselves as Grant watched with a smirk on his face.

Especially once all the slimes began rushing towards Kory.

"They're not splitting..!" Kory grunted, his voice strained with exertion as he narrowly dodged a slime's pouncing attack. The creature's gelatinous body shimmered in the dappled forest light as Kory swung his shortsword, the blade slicing through the air but only managing to cut off a small chunk of the slime's mass. His breath came in short, sharp bursts, each movement driven by a surge of adrenaline as he stumbled next to Jon's side.