Slimes

Slimes, also known as oozes, are a class of creatures whose bodies are composed of a substance known as Living Slime. Slimes typically possess only Primal or Functional levels of intelligence; those that do possess Intelligence high enough to be considered Ib are classified as Slimen.

## Living Slime

Living Slime is a substance primarily composed of a colony of cells that have merged into a singular being. Each cell contains an identical set of organelles that are capable of sustaining all of their own vital processes; however, a genetic and spiritual bond binds together the entire colony into one gestalten entity and renders individual cells incapable of survival when separated from their greater whole. If any cells are severed from the greatest concentration of the Slime's mass, they will lose much of their functional potential and be driven to do nothing else but return to the main body. Each cell collectively contributes towards a Slime's essence and the loss of a significant amount of cell mass will result in a proportional reduction in a Slime's Stats.

Under normal circumstances, the bonds between cells of Living Slime are incredibly difficult to sever and Living Slime is naturally resistant to physical damage; however, weapons treated with strong acids or strong bases may be able to pierce through their natural defenses. Slicing weapons such as cutlasses that are treated with chemicals of the opposing acidity of their target are particularly potent at severing off small sections of Slime to greatly reduce their size and the threat they pose.

Living Slime is naturally hydrophobic and has selective permeability towards most solid objects, allowing Slimes to freely envelop prey while avoiding the accumulation of too many random foreign substances. Living Slime is also capable of very quickly digesting and reintegrating the Living Slime of another Slime creature, so contact between two different Slimes can rapidly result in the weaker of the pair's absorption and death; however, it is possible for Slimes to not digest one another and use the merging properties of their Living Slime for sexual reproduction instead, in which case the two Slimes will briefly become one entity before undergoing a process similar to mitosis to create two new socially bonded offspring. While most Slimes seem to prefer sexual reproduction despite its inherent risks, Slimes who have achieved significant mass all own their own are also capable of asexual reproduction through fission and may do so depending on environmental conditions. Living Slime can usually sustain itself for 10 years before it needs to undergo the process of reproduction to revitalize itself.

## Slime Salting

If a basic slime comes into physical contact with a significantly more acidic substance or if an acidic slime comes into a significantly more basic substance, their cells will naturally breakdown and become an alchemical salt known simply as Slime Salt, which will have varying properties depending on the chemicals chosen and the breed of the salted Slime. While it would require an equal amount of the reversed acidity substance as the mass of the Slime to salt the entire creature, even small amounts of these chemicals can be devastating to a Slime if utilized properly.

### Slime Crystallization

If a basic and an acidic slime come into direct physical contact with one another, they will begin to rapidly bind to one another and fuse into an energy-dense slime crystal. Slime crystals are typically used as potent sources of elemental energy, magical catalysts or ingredients, or simply as precious gems for pieces of jewelry.

## Common Slime Species

Slimes are categorized by their natural levels of acidity.

### Acidic Slimes

#### Omnivorous Cubes

Omnivorous Cubes are clear Slimes that live in passageways, taking the shape of their environment of natural cavern tunnels or abandoned fortress halls. In the rare cases that they are found out in the open, they form a perfect cube, hence their namesake. The Cubes slowly slide along, consuming any organic matter in their paths. Because they are almost entirely translucent, creatures that primarily rely on sight to navigate have been known to accidentally stumble directly into them and become completely engulfed in an instant. Such an unfortunate fate is typically uncommon for their regular prey as few creatures that live underground rely upon the power of sight, but surface dwellers wandering into deep tunnels are quite vulnerable to this unless they can notice the odd shimmering in front of their lanterns caused by the refraction of the light in the Living Slime. Omnvirous Cubes hunt by cornering prey in the dead ends of caves; sometimes the sheer immensity of their body is enough to plug the entire tunnel and prevent airflow, causing their prey to succumb to suffocation and allow the meandering ooze to creep close enough to engulf them. Massive Omnivorous Cubes have been known to inhabit subway tunnels and devour trains whole, making greasing the exteriors of such vehicles essential in areas known for Cube infestation.

#### Marmelades

Marmelades are Citrus-fruit-consuming Slimes that carry a faint sweet scent and are incredibly hard to digest if eaten raw. Their young are exceptionally aromatic, sweet, citrusy, and absolutely delectable, which allows them to deceive unsuspecting fructivores into ingesting them. These young Marmelades will then lodge themselves in the creature's upper gastrointestinal tract and practically digest their host's food reaching a suitable size, at which point they rather painfully pass through the rest of the host's intestines along with their excrement; this process can be fatal for small animals or ones that are incapable of accessing enough nutrients to sustain both themselves and the Slime. During their gastrointestinal gestation, their host will often suffer from constipation and possess rather fruity bowel movements.

If only a fragment of the young Marmelade was consumed during the initial ingestion period, the piece of Slime will eventually become significantly dissolved until all that remains is a special Marmelade Slime Crystal. If this crystal remains lodged within the gastrointestinal tract for long enough, eventually sugars will begin to condense around it and form a Marmelade Pearl.

#### Muck Lurkers

Mucker Lurkers are an ambush predator Slimes that are known for nesting in thick mud and pools of quicksand.

#### Slippery Slug Slimes

Slippery Slug Slimes are a breed of Slime that leaves behind a trail of ooze as they move about. While normally they, along with most slimes, are rather slow, they are capable of gliding across their slime trail at rapid speeds and they will immediately reverse their course and do so should they feel threatened. In desperate times, they can begin to shed much of their excess mass to enable themselves to glide forward across unmarked territory.

#### Toxic Slug Slimes

Toxic Slug Slimes are a breed of Slime that leaves behind a noxious trail of ooze wherever they pass.

#### Lava Slug Slimes

Lava Slug Slimes are a naturally combustible breed of Slime that leaves behind a trail of ooze which ignites behind them as move around. Should they feel threatened, they are also capable of igniting their main body as well, but doing so will harm themselves as well.

### Acidic Ooze

The Acidic Ooze is the most basic form of Slime, though it is not basic in terms of acidity. It is little more than a blob of Living Slime that creeps about in search of sustenance.

### Basic Slimes

#### Foozes

Foozes are Slimes that reproduce by fission at arbitrary sizes based on conditions in their local environment. In safe environments, they will split when they are tiny, but, in particularly dangerous environments, they may choose not to split until they are gargantuan. Many small foozes may choose to amalgamate into one giant Fooze if they feel threatened.

#### Snail Slimes

Snail Slimes are Slimes that naturally possess a hardened shell made of Living Slime that has since been rendered lifeless and fossilized.

#### Rose Slimes

Rose Slimes are Slimes that create sharp, thornlike outcroppings of Fossilized Slime on much of their external membrane. When threatened, they can bulge the Living Slime surrounding these thorns outward to deter predators.

#### Aloe Jellies

Aloe Jellies are clear slimes that seem to just lazily hop about without a care in the world. They are rare among slimes in that they are strict herbivores and will not even consume even the lowliest of flies. The primary defenses of Aloe Jellies are their low nutritional value and unpalatable flavor, but they are still often preyed upon by Ib for the use of their Slime in medicine and cosmetics.

#### Slag Slimes

Slag Slimes are slimes that appear as lumpy black rocks when inert but are capable of rapidly rubbing their cells together to create enough friction to superheat themselves, at which point they take on a sleek metallic sheen. While in this state, they are capable of moving much more quickly than usual.

#### Jelly Bunnies

Jelly Bunnies are Slimes possessing a social level of intelligence that enjoy gleefully hopping around. They make for excellent pets due to their high intelligence and exuberant nature. While Jelly Bunnies prefer to eat fruits and vegetables, they are opportunistic eaters and will prey upon smaller creatures if they are unable to meet their nutritional needs by other means.

#### Rice Slimes

Rice Slimes possess much larger cells than ordinary slimes and these cells do not perfectly fuse to one another, making the creature resemble a great big glob of sticky rice. Rice Slimes primarily feed on small insects and bacteria and will not even attempt to digest most other types of creatures. Their primary defense mechanism is that they taste rather bland without proper seasoning and provide little in the way of nutritional value while being simultaneously rather filling, causing most of their would-be predators to become satiated before making a significant dent in the Slime's biomass. Unfortunately, their low caloric content makes them desirable prey to dieting Ib looking to lose weight without cutting back on their quantity of food consumed.

#### Mercury Slimes

Mercury Slimes are a toxic and lustrous breed of Slime that possess the ability to harden and soften their bodies at will.

### Neutral Slimes

#### Memory Foam

Memory Foams are an artificial breed of Slimes that can be trained to remember multiple complex casts which they can return to at a later time if given proper electrical stimulation. Due to generations of selective breeding, the species has been rendered completely incapable of surviving on their own in the wild, but they do have much use in both craft and construction in Ib society.

#### Sand Slimes

Sand Slimes are a breed of Slime that reside in deserts near oases. Their entire body has the consistency of a thick clump of wet sand and it digests its prey primarily through grinding friction instead of the regular use of enzymes.

#### Speckled Sand Slime

Sometimes mistaken for its distant relative the Sand Slime, Speckled Sand Slimes are also at home in deserts near oases. Their bodies are comprised entirely of highly reflective but otherwise ordinary Living Slime and they are known to cover their exterior membrane in a layer of glistening sand that dazzles their prey as they slowly lurch forward.

#### Piranha Oozes

Pirannah Oozes are suspiciously stealthy slimes that fill themselves with aquatic predators, especially eels, sharks, and the piranhas for which they were named, which they utilize to more quickly devour any live prey they envelop. While normally their bodies are clear save for the swarm of piranhas they carry in their depths, once they have captured prey and their swarm has entered into a feeding frenzy, they are known to turn a brilliant crimson as they are engorged with blood.

#### Metallic Slimes

Metallic Slimes are Slimes that take on characteristics of metals that they consume. They boast exceptionally robust physical defenses that put all other breeds of Slime to shame.

#### Stone Slimes

Stone Slimes are Slimes that naturally accumulate a hard, rocky carapace on the upper portion of their body while maintaining a sleek and slimy underbelly. They are known for constantly scaling and subsequently sliding down hills, sometimes ramming into prey at rapid speeds and rending them unconscious as well as easier to consume.