Chronicles of a royal pe.., p.1
Chronicles of a Royal Pet- Drifting in the Aether, page 1
part #5 of Royal Ooze Chronicles Series
Chronicles of a Royal Pet
Drifting in the Aether
Ian Rodgers
Text Copyright ©2018 Ian Rodgers
All Rights Reserved
Dedicated to my beloved Uncle Jim Rodgers (October 23rd, 1959 – November 10th, 2018). He always tried to live life as best as he could.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Farewell…
Chapter 2: …and Hello!
Chapter 3: Birthdays
Chapter 4: The Rising City
Chapter 5: Welcome to the Jungle
Chapter 6: I am a monster
Chapter 7: King of the Oozes
Chapter 8: Fire that burns
Chapter 9: The Ruby Fortress
Chapter 10: All that is red
Chapter 11: Water that drowns
Chapter 12: Palace of Pearls
Chapter 13: Joke’s on you!
Chapter 14: The Legacy of Typhon
Chapter 15: The Dweller in the Void
Chapter 16: Sky that liberates
Chapter 17: The Changing Storm
Chapter 18: Ah, Hell!
Chapter 19: A new path
Chapter 1: Farewell…
“Goodbye, everyone! I won’t forget you,” I said, giving out farewell hugs to the people of Haven village. Well, they were less ‘people,’ and more, ‘sapient Oozes infused with a soul.’ So, you know, a lot like me.
The villagers of Haven were Soul Oozes, however, whereas I was a Royal Ooze. An entirely different brand of ridiculous compared to their own. They looked like lumps of black slime molded into a humanoid shape with a red spherical core where a normal person’s heart would be. I was a large, spherical orb of purple goo that had a rune-encrusted golden orb inside of me. And my arms were merely tentacles I grew for the sole purpose of offering hugs. Still, I hugged them all, given that I would likely not see them again for a very long time.
“We’ll miss you, unca Jelly,” one of the young Soul Oozes warbled, and I couldn’t help but coo at the adorableness.
“I’ll miss you as well, Miniature Tom,” I said, patting his head. He giggled, and I moved on to one of the last of my hug-recipients.
“It was a truly wonderful experience having you here with us,” a Soul Ooze who resembled an elderly man said. Pallo was his name and being one of Haven’s civic leaders was his game. He was a kindly soul who had helped pull the Soul Ooze colony into a proper settlement with his talented management skills.
“Stop, you’ll make me blush!” I said, waving a tendril at him shyly. He chuckled before growing serious.
“I don’t know if we can ever truly repay you for what you’ve done. But know that you are always welcome here in Haven, no matter what.”
“Thank you,” I said gratefully, bobbing my round body in such a way that it mimicked a head nodding. He smiled at me before stepping aside and letting the other members of the village hierarchy say their goodbyes.
If not for the fact she was comprised of semi-opaque slime, the next Soul Ooze could have easily passed as a beautiful human woman. Sistia was an educator and a lynchpin of the Soul Ooze community. Without her, a lot of problems regarding morale would have become much worse.
“Jelly…” she said, before trailing off. She looked like she was struggling with herself to say something, only to swallow whatever it was and chose instead to give me a watery smile.
“Good luck.”
“Thanks, Sistia,” I said, wrapping her up in a hug. She twitched in surprise before sinking into the parting gesture. I released her after a few moments. “Take care of the kids, alright? They’re as precocious as they are adorable!”
She giggled at that, before sliding away to permit the last pair of well-wishers. One was another Soul Ooze, as could be expected. He had the features of a handsome young man made of slime. Which was a compliment. Really!
The other person was not slime-based. In fact, she was a dwarf maiden, and a person I was honored to have as a friend. She was holding hands with the Soul Ooze, and there was a warm, fuzzy feeling radiating off of them.
‘Ah, true love!’ I said wistfully, ignoring the pangs of jealousy I felt at not having anyone to love like that. I bounced my way to them and wrapped them in a big, tight hug before plopping them back down.
“Valen, Katherine, thank you both for everything. Especially you, Kat. Without your help, I’d never have made it to Drakon,” I said truthfully. The young adult dwarf scoffed slightly, her cheeks red from the praise.
“Yeah, well, it was good for the both of us,” she said, trying to hide her feelings beneath a bluff exterior. She then narrowed her eyes at me. “And the only reason you’re getting off with calling me ‘Kat’ is because you’ll be gone soon. But heed my warning! You only get one freebie!”
“Duly noted,” I said, chuckling. I glanced over at Valen. “You best keep a close eye on your girlfriend. She’s a handful. And no, that wasn’t just a short joke.”
Valen laughed while Katherine fumed. She then smirked evilly at the young being she had crossed an ocean to find.
“You know, I can’t exactly punish Jelly, but you’re still here with me. And, we’ll be heading off to Windfish City soon. There’s plenty of time to tease you mercilessly,” she warned with an evil grin.
The slime that made up Valen’s face paled somewhat, making his head look brown then black. As I marveled at the unique nature of the Soul Ooze’s physiology, I picked up on Katherine’s words.
“Oh, you’re both leaving?”
“Yeah, in a few days or so,” Katherine said, looking back to me. “Since Valen is the best trader in Haven, it makes sense for him to try and make connections with other merchants and peddlers so this place can flourish. And I’m going with him to reconnect with some of my buddies.”
“I see. You’ll be taking up your old job, then?” I asked. Katherine shrugged.
“A girl’s gotta eat! And I can’t exactly help Valen with the business aspects of his trip. But, I can help in other ways. Plus, well, it’s been several weeks since I last stole something, and I’m getting sticky fingers,” the dwarf replied.
I shrugged. Well, technically I wobbled in a way that suggested a shrug. Curse my orbular nature!
“Well, have fun, and don’t get caught,” I said. “And Valen, if you need to, feel free to use the illusion spell I taught you if you need to disguise yourself as a human.”
It bothered me that she was going back to a life of crime, but I knew she was a good person in spite of her job.
Katherine was a member of the Dark Guild, a group of thieves and other unsavory types that banded together for protection, and now ran most of Erafore’s organized crime. It was the Dark Guild that had provided the land and money for Haven to be built, and it was with its assistance that smuggled the sapient Oozes out of Orria, far away from the cruel madman who’d made them.
Valen too had spent a stint with the Dark Guild while trying to help his fellow Soul Oozes hide, which was how they had met. I knew that as long as he was by Katherine’s side, she would never go too deep to the dark side. The two lovebirds were made for each other.
~Quite interesting. Meat and slime, somehow falling in love with each other. Sounds like the premise to a trashy romance novel.~
‘Yeah, I can see that,’ I replied to the voice in my head with a mental chuckle. Now normally, when a voice talks to another person in your head, that’s a bad thing. In my case, the voice belonged to a Spirit of Knowledge I had accidentally helped create when some of my soul and magical energy was absorbed by an ancient and mystical book-sorting artifact.
Her name was Tara, and she knew a vast amount of information. The entire contents of the library within the Royal Varian Mage’s Academy, to be precise. She was always helpful when it came to providing details and facts and was a welcome headmate.
‘Think we should tell Rosa to wrap things up?’ I asked Tara, who hummed for a bit.
~Yes, I suppose that would be wise. Wouldn’t want her to get too worked up before we leave.~
I agreed and called out to my other friend and traveling partner. “Rosa! Wrap it up, we have to go soon!”
‘Awww’s’ of disappointed rang out from the crowd of young Soul Oozes, and a grey little fairy with wings of glass, a body the color of lead, and a big chunk of ruby in her chest flew over to me with a pout. She was utterly adorable, though, and I patted her head fondly.
“There, there, Rosa. I know you were having fun, but we have to go now.”
My Carbuncle Familiar pouted some more, but then sighed. (Fine. But I get to hug the princess first when we get back!)
“No deal,” I said sharply. “I get to hug Liliana first.”
(We shall see about that!) Rosa said, before cackling maniacally. Of course, her voice sounded like crystal bells and completely ruined the image she was going for, resulting in a third bout of pouts.
~Careful, Rosa, if you keep pouting like that, your face may freeze into that expression,~ Tara warned teasingly.
As my two female companions chatted, I turned to a person who had been leaning against a wall during the entire parade of hugs and farewells. He was a tall man, reaching seven feet in height, and wore a large dark grey trench coat that burned with enchantments to my senses. His whole body radiated power, and I was sincerely glad Jeris Cowl was on my side.
“I’m ready to go.”
“Finally!” the
(Big bad sorcerer can’t handle love and cuteness? For shame!) Rosa cackled. Her laughter halted instantly as he shot her an annoyed look.
“I can handle it just fine, but even a priestess of Nia would choke on the amount of sweetness I just sat through. I mean, did you have to hug every single one of them? We’re on a tight schedule, you know!”
“Wait, how did you hear what Rosa said?” I demanded, shocked that her telepathic words had been intercepted.
“Little gal wasn’t exactly being subtle with her words,” Jeris said with a roll of his eyes. “You’ve got to be careful. Even if it was being said through a mental bond, there are all sorts of spells and creatures out there that can pick up on things like that. Telepathy isn’t as secure as you might think it is.”
All three of us showed concern at that, and I filed the information away for later. If he could hear me and Rosa speaking, did that mean other mages we’d met could do so, too? And what about Tara?
“Well, time to go,” the extremely tall mage said, scooping me up into his arms. Rosa quickly fluttered over and landed on top of me.
“This is humiliating!” I said, squirming indignantly at the treatment.
“Oh, please. If a princess can carry you like this, so can I!”
“She held me better than this!” I shot back. The man sighed.
“Whatever. We’re going. Now.”
And with that, there was a crack of displaced reality as the trio vanished into thin air. One moment they were there, the next they were not.
Chapter 2: …and Hello!
Traveling via teleportation was normally a disorienting experience. I had only experienced it five times in my life before this point, and in each case I suffered through a wave of vertigo, accompanied by a strange sense of queasiness.
This time, however, cradled in the arms of Jeris Cowl, I did not suffer a single bit of teleportation sickness. In fact, the only reason I knew we had left Haven and appeared elsewhere was due to the fact I suddenly sensed a familiar presence. And lots of stonework.
“That was the smoothest teleportation I’ve ever had,” I complimented, hopping out of my ride’s arms. Rosa fluttered down from her perch on the man’s shoulder onto my ‘head,’ nodding in agreement.
“It is my specialty, after all,” he said proudly. I bobbed up and down, simulating a nod.
It made sense, after all. He was none other than the Wide-Open Emperor Jeris Cowl, X-ranked adventurer and most powerful wielder of Dimensional magic ever born. He could teleport from one side of Erafore to another without breaking a sweat and would jump through the myriad realms of the Aether with contemptuous ease.
That he was being used as a delivery boy tickled me pink. Literally. I turned a pale shade of purple whenever I laughed or experienced strong emotions of mirth or embarrassment.
Which was a new discovery to me as well. I was certain I hadn’t had this ability when I left my owner to travel the lands. It was probably a recent change, likely linked to the change in my core I’d discovered upon landing on the shores of Drakon.
What had once been a perfectly smooth golden orb the size of a fist was now a fist-sized golden orb covered in countless runic symbols. I could not read them, nor could Tara or Rosa. Whatever they meant, it was a mystery to me. I’d seen similar runes on the cores of the Soul Oozes, though, which made me suspect it had something to do with my own soul. Something, as an Ooze, I would normally not have, but thanks to my owner, I possessed one of my own.
And speaking of owners…
“Jelly!”
I had barely any time to react before I was scooped up into another set of arms. This time, however, I did not fight it, and happily sunk into their warmth.
“Liliana!” I exclaimed, wrapping a pair of tendrils around her shoulders in an emulation of a hug. She giggled at that, and she squeezed me tightly.
“It’s been so long since I was able to hold you! Oh, I missed you, Jelly! So much!”
“I missed you too,” I said soothingly, feeling choked up as well. As we embraced, I took a moment to look over her.
She was not the little girl she had been when I had last seen her in person. Princess Liliana Augustine Roan, princess of the Kingdom of Varia, had grown up into a beautiful young woman.
Her brown hair was long and lustrous, reaching her hips and was as straight as if she’d ironed it. Her baby fat was gone, replaced by womanly curves and assets. She wore a stunning blue and purple dress that brought out her emerald green eyes.
But for all the changes time had wrought on her, she was still the same kind and loving person she had always been. I could tell. Her soul remained as bright and pure as it had been the day she found me in the discount bin at a pet store.
“Look at you!” I cried happily. “Growing like a weed!”
“And look at you!” she replied cheerfully, “as squishy as ever!”
She tilted her head with a frown as she peered at me intently. “Though your core looks different compared to last time.”
“Yeah, there’s a story behind that,” I said with a chuckle. “Oh, and you remember Rosa, right?”
My Familiar flew over and pouted at me, annoyed that I got to hug the princess first.
(Cheater!) she declared. The Ruby Carbuncle’s annoyance melted away as Liliana reached out and lightly petted her on the head with a finger.
“How could I forget?” Liliana said with a smile. “Verde was just as excited as I for your return.”
(Daddy’s here?) Rosa asked excitedly. I relayed her question and my owner nodded.
“Of course! He’s with Kine right now. I came out here to greet you.”
“Not to be rude, your highness, but how did you know we’d be here?” Jeris Cowl inquired. “I mean, I know this is your castle and all, but I’m pretty sure I arrived here undetected. How’d you know I would bring us to this spot?”
“A feeling,” Liliana said dreamily. “I just knew Jelly was coming home, and my feet carried me here. And then poof! There you all were!”
The X-ranker looked impressed by the connection she had with me, and I was flattered as well by how close we were. The goddess Nia probably had a little to do with it as well, nudging the princess’ soul in my direction. Since I was her champion now, I figured she was doing me a solid by sending Liliana my way.
“And how is the family?” I asked curiously.
“Dad is still as busy as always, and he’s started to get a few grey hairs here and there,” Liliana said cheerfully, still carrying me in her arms. “Mom is doing well. No grey hairs yet, though. She claims she won’t get any until she has grandchildren.”
“Sounds like them,” I mused. I had not been that close with King Tiberius or his wife, Queen Amdora, but I still found the two of them to be good people, as well as noble and able rulers.
“And what of Julius?”
“My brother is great as well! He’s really taken to the gift you sent him for his fifteenth birthday! He rarely parts with it,” Liliana said, giggling as she thought of her brother and his antics.
I jiggled in pleasure at that. Julius was her younger brother and the heir to Varia’s throne, and the two were as close as could be. Which was wonderful, in my opinion. It meant there was less of a chance for bitter sibling fights. Divine Family knows the Roans have had their share of family feuds.
I shook off the unpleasant memory of Liliana’s aunt kidnapping her and trying to use her in a dark ritual and instead focused on my beloved princess.
“And Kine? How has she been? And is the store going well?”
“Kine is great! She’s still as cute as she’s always been,” Liliana said with a giggle, which I joined in on. “And the store is going well so far. While most people are hesitant to buy Ooze products, those who do are always pleased with the results. Most of our sales are from the Academy’s student body and staff, but recently a few of the local notables have browsed our wares.”
“I have some advice for raising your Oozes, as well as a partnership offer from the Soul Oozes,” I stated. With a thought I reached into myself and removed from my ever-growing Dimensional Pocket a sealed letter, which I passed over to Liliana.
