Lohan, realizing the immediate threat had been eliminated and that Apex guild reinforcements could arrive at any moment because of Doran’s call, decided it was time to start the withdrawal and cleanup protocol.
The black slime clone gently detached from Pip’s body, spreading out like an oil slick over the corpses of the enemy Players that hadn’t fully vanished yet, while quickly returning to its original blue color.
Meanwhile, Pip flew high in the sky to act as a lookout to keep them safe while Halon digested the corpses.
Lotus and her group watched with fascination and a bit of dread as Lohan’s bluish black biomass engulfed the remains of the gear and the life essence of the defeated. They grew even more shocked seeing Pip’s armor, wondering just how high its rarity was, now understanding why Halon had said that below Level 15, probably no one could pose a threat to the little fairy!
Through the Predator title, Lohan felt the flood of nutrients and data fragments flowing into his core, converting Apex’s arrogance into raw biomass and new Uncommon evolutions for him!
In just a few minutes, where there had once been bodies and golden armor, only dark stains remained on the ground, which the game system would turn into particles and let vanish.
Obviously, Lohan didn’t digest the gear, choosing instead to store it in the Astral Chest.
"We have to go, now!" Vonde warned, looking toward the city gate where the movement of other Players was starting to increase. "News of this massacre must already be in the hands of Apex’s leaders, who’ll bring in an even bigger number of enemies here before long."
Pip nodded, performing a high speed circular flight maneuver before descending again so Halon’s clone could return to his body and he could take off once more. "Follow Pip! The home of the stars isn’t far from here!"
The Silver Lotus group started running after the fairy, entering the shelter of Mythlorien’s colossal trees.
As they moved away from Aethelgard’s zone of influence and dove into the magical density of the deep forest, the tension in their shoulders began to ease.
They kept glancing at Pip, who was now back to his cute self without the black armor, and thought about the stark difference between his current appearance and how he looked without the armor.
After a few kilometers of nonstop running, Pip signaled for them to stop at a small rocky plateau covered in bluish moss.
The fairy landed gently in front of the group, and Lohan decided that was the ideal moment for a full explanation.
He completely removed the slime armor from Pip, causing the biomass to condense into a small, glowing blue sphere that rolled along beside the fairy.
The shock in the Silver Lotus group was immediate and palpable.
Jenny let out a gasp, lowering her axe, while Lotus’s blue eyes went wide with utter disbelief.
Now free from having to worry so much about their own safety, with Pip standing so close to them, they could finally take a closer look at that little boy’s appearance.
Before them stood two tiny creatures, about the size of a human palm, one with short brown hair and translucent butterfly wings that gleamed in the evening light. Pip looked like the very picture of cuteness and fragility, the exact opposite of the armored god of war who had just torn apart a band of Apex mercenaries.
"You... you’re our guide?" Zach asked, his voice coming out hoarse with surprise. "Pip... you’re so cute!"
Pip puffed out his cheeks, crossing his tiny arms over his chest. "Pip is cute, but Pip is strong! Halon said the size of a star doesn’t matter, what matters is how brightly it shines!" the fairy exclaimed, his voice sounding like the chiming of bells.
However, the real shock was yet to come.
The small blue ball of gelatin, which had been sitting there inert until then, suddenly projected a tiny hand, identical to that of a human baby, but made entirely of crystalline Slime.
The little hand waved in a friendly manner at the group, while a system interface appeared simultaneously in the vision of every Silver Lotus member.
[Halon: Welcome to Astralis, everyone. Sorry for not greeting you all in person at the gate, but to make sure you’d stay safe, we only sent Pip and a clone of mine.]
Vonde looked at the little gelatin hand and then at the text on his interface, feeling his brain spin. "Halon... Hayes... you... you’re a Slime?!"
Skye froze, her gaze fixed on the small blue mass that was now rhythmically contracting and expanding, as if breathing, with two small, bright white eyes staring at them in an adorable way.
She recalled every story she’d heard about Halon, about the mythical Player who conquered the first dungeon, the world’s first open world killer, the war machine on the mind of every Player in Elysium, the one humiliating the big corporations.
She’d expected to find an orc warrior in mystical armor or an elven mage of overwhelming power, not such a cute little blue ball!
"A Slime..." Skye murmured, an incredulous laugh escaping her lips. "The leader of the most advanced guild in Elysium, the world’s first open world PK... the Player everyone imagines when they think of the strongest in Elysium is the weakest race in the game? This challenges everything everyone thinks they know about you all."
[Halon: Weakness is just a perspective, Lotus, don’t worry about it, at Astralis Requiem, the last thing we care about is how powerful someone looks. Now, keep following Pip. The tree headquarters is waiting for us, and the guild members are eager to meet the new members.]
Lohan felt a deep satisfaction seeing their shock.
He knew their reaction to his race and appearance would be priceless!
Pip also let out a cheerful laugh at the sight of the Players’ faces and shot back up into the sky, leaving a trail of silvery pollen in the air. "Come on, everyone! The home of the stars is beautiful at night, and Elle will definitely make a feast to celebrate your arrival!"
The Silver Lotus group resumed their walk, but the atmosphere among them was now completely different.
The more they learned about Astralis, the more shocked and confident in this guild they became, feeling anticipation and excitement for what the future held for them there.