The Glimgob village was like nothing Hestia had ever seen before. Nestled between the trees and bushes, it spiraled upward and outward like a woven basket of life. Homes were carved into the trunks, draped with moss and glowing fungus. Ladders of vine, bridges of fallen trees and branches coiled up with vines, and pulley systems made from fishbones and bark connected every part like an intricate organism.
The Glimgobs moved like ants, busy, cheerful, and always with purpose.
Some harvested bright blue mushrooms that glowed softly at dusk. Others carved patterns into wood, sang strange clicking songs, or danced around small fires with masks swaying in rhythm. Children, or what Hestia guessed were children, rolled in leaf piles and fought with twigs shaped like blades.
The moment Hestia followed them back to their village, they accepted her presence like the sky accepted clouds.
She stayed.
She watched.
She learned.
For the next few weeks, Hestia became part of them.
She trained each morning beneath a certain tree that was twisted like a spiral shell. Her mana was now flowing, eager, refined, vast, she could now use it as humans use their lungs, it was an action of pure instinct.
Her mana capacity swelled. She was still just a slime, but with the essence of something greater pressing just beneath her surface.
She kept hunting and refining her battle style, she was extremely careful to not target someone stronger or let anyone follow her back to the village.
She was enjoying these times and slowly she fell into routine, each day felt like the one before, they were peaceful and fun.
During this time she had leveled up twice and was now Level 28. Hestia had invested 1 point into spell capacity and 5 points into durability.
She learned to use her magic. With spell capacity increased she spent a lot of her time into coming up with best way to use it up. After days of brainstorming a decision was made.
Hestia began training her magic on top of what she did in previous days. Time flew by and she could see improvements, she could now cast her magic in instant and use it for couple minutes. Her illusion was looking realistic enough so that even most capable of monsters would confuse it as the reality.
She was settling into her new routine, it felt like she had lived like this her whole life.
But peace, as always, was temporary.
It happened one gray morning.
She had just finished her daily hunt and was returning home.
Smoke. Screams. The sharp sound of wood snapping.
She rushed back, moving faster than ever before, a blur through the undergrowth.
The Glimgob village was under attack.
Blue-skinned, broad-shouldered creatures twice the height of a Glimgob were smashing homes, roaring with laughter and cruelty. Trolls. The weakest of their kind, but still monstrous. They swung crude clubs and stomped through mushroom gardens, tearing apart everything in their path.
Glimgobs were each on their own. Some tried to fight back, others tried to lead children away. It was chaos.
But then Hestia arrived.
They never saw her coming.
She launched forward, her body turning into a spear of light and momentum. She crashed into the first troll's side, sending him flying into a tree with a wet thud. Another tried to swing its club, but she dodged mid-air, she disappeared from trolls eyes and reappeared behind it and launched a barrage of attacks.
In less than thirty seconds, three trolls were down.
The rest froze.
Terror replaced arrogance.
They ran.
But Hestia didn't stop.
She followed them across the forest. Across stones, rivers, and rotting logs.
To their den, a broken ruin in a ravine, damp with moss and battle stories carved into stone. It could barely be called a village, but still it was home to at least fifty trolls.
She slowed down and observed them for a moment. Best course of action she could come up with was to use her magic. She put an illusion on herself and disguised as the strongest and most terrifying creature she had seen.
A Black troll appeared, Blue trolls were scared to the bone. Confused and terrified, the trolls were easy prey. Hestia could pick them off one by one. She had killed ten of them.
That's when he appeared.
The chieftain.
Taller than the others, his horns curled back, and his fur cape dragged across the dirt. He didn't fight.
He fell to his knees. He growled, thumping his chest.
Troll Chieftain* "Mighty One! We surrender! We surrender! Spare us, and we will serve! Please! Show us mercy."
He was desperate, chieftain banged his head against the ground. Trolls peeked from behind rocks, wide-eyed and pale.
Hestia paused.
Her core pulsed. She remembered what Sol said. Her skill. xp Steal. It didn't have to be about death. It could be about command.
She closed her eyes and gathered her illusion magic. Her body went back to that of a slime. She began forming words out of her slimy body.
Hestia* "I will allow you to live, under some conditions. First of all, you will not do any harm to me or to those that are close to me. Secondly you will have to work for me."
She took a small break, gathering herself back into a ball.
Hestia* "And finally, 30% of all xp your tribe earns. Yours, your children's, your children's children, belongs to me."
Hestia* "If you agree to these terms I will let you live. The choice is entirely yours to make."
The trolls nodded so quickly they nearly dislocated something. They agreed, desperately and without hesitation.
Hestia gave her first command to trolls and headed back to Glimgob village.
Hestia* "Wait for my return."
Back in the Glimgob village, Hestia was met with silence. Then cheers, chirps, rhythmic drumming.
They gathered around her.
One stepped forward, the elder with a shell cane. He raised his arms high, then pointed at her.
Then at the village. Everyone bowed down in gratitude. Elder began speaking.
Elder Glimgob* ''Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of out hearts we thank you for saving our village. If it wasn't for you we all would have perished. That is why we humbly beg of you, stay with us and become our guardian.''
She was surprised, these small creatures wanted her to stay with them and be their guardian. Even if they have known each other for a little bit more than a month.
Hestia formed a message in response.
Hestia* "I accept. I will protect you. All I ask In return, is that you form a contract with me and become my subordinates. Then 10% of your earned xp will flow to me and allow me to protect you from even greater threats."
The elder nodded solemnly. A pact was formed.
The Glimgobs danced around her, singing songs and cheering.
Hestia let them. She had never known this kind of belonging before.
Later that night, beneath stars that blinked through the forest canopy, she told them of the troll village. Of their surrender. Of the new agreement.
There was no fear in their eyes.
Only trust.
They believed in her.
The next morning, Hestia set out again, this time not as a wanderer, but as a leader.
The trolls awaited her return in the ruined ravine.
This time, they did not flinch when they saw her. They bowed.
She pointed with a shimmering illusion.
Hestia* "Follow me, we will be heading back to my village and we will rebuild it together. With all of us we will make it greater than before."
And the trolls followed her back to the Glimgob village.
Two tribes, once worlds apart, now walking the same path, under the rule of a slime who once knew nothing but darkness.