Slimes and you, a Depthsborn primer.

  Slimes are one of the easiest Depthsborn to face. Even within the deepest Depths they are rarely more than a nuisance. Fairly slow, with limited combat ability they rarely are able to truly injure a Combat Pather.

  Despite this they are near universally hated by those who come across them. They do not bleed, they do not leave behind shells. They burst and coat the nearby surroundings in residue. They leave the battlefield slippery, they leave warriors discomfited by the mess. They coat everything. They get everywhere. They stink.

  They aren't worth the effort, they aren't worth the meager gains they might provide. At least not once you're capable of facing anything else.

  ~ * ~

  Fay did her best to keep her face neutral as Anya told her what her mother had said. It all but confirmed what Valene had suspected, what he'd hinted at years ago. Everything fit together almost perfectly. There was still a possibility he'd been wrong, but she doubted it.

  "Do you think you could find out where he might have been from?" Anya finally asked.

  "I…" Fay winced at how hesitant she sounded. She didn't have a choice, she couldn't give them any answers. "I can look. I have a suspicion, but if I'm right I can't give you the answers you want."

  She saw Anya start to frown and held up her hand. She knew they were alone, Alex was in his own office on the far side of the Holding. No one would know if she said anything, no one except for the three of them.

  "Anya, I can't," she said. "This isn't like with the wall. This is something I shouldn't even know about. I stumbled across something years before we met while researching, I didn't even realize the significance until Valene explained."

  She knew that wouldn't be enough, she could see Anya's face twitching as she worked her way through the irritation, trying to come up with another way to ask.

  "I promise I'll look into it. If I'm wrong I'll be able to answer you. If I'm right I'll tell you that much. If you ever learn anything that lets you ask the right question, say the right words… I'll tell you what I know."

  She didn't add that she'd be stretching the limits of the restriction if she did, that even admitting that the knowledge existed was technically a violation in itself. She trusted them, she knew they wouldn't tell anyone.

  "Thank you," Seb said.

  "Thank you," Anya mumbled. "It isn't fair."

  She saw Seb squeeze her hand, saw the wordless re-assurances passing between them as they made no attempt to hide. She wished they knew what to ask, or that the rules weren't quite so strict. She understood why. Some things were too dangerous to be shared, had to remain an open secret. Those who knew had reason, those who didn't, didn't.

  "You said you felt she might have figured out her Affinity though?"

  Anya nodded.

  "I'll send a message to them that I'll be willing to assist if her Seers are unable. Assuming you'd like me to?"

  "Yes, please," Anya said.

  "Any further shared dreams? Or other bond manifestations that pushed too far?"

  She saw them tense, saw them shake their heads without looking at her. She sighed, if they wanted to keep it a secret then it likely hadn't been nearly as extreme. The fact that it happened again, no matter the reason or method, was concerning.

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  "We've been careful," Seb said. "We haven't pushed ourselves anywhere near that point again."

  "We did find goblins using slimes as ammunition though," Anya said with a shudder.

  "That didn't push you as far?" Fay asked.

  "No," Seb said. "We weren't nearly as far down the tunnels. It was a horrible mess though."

  Fay made a show of making a note. Slimes were a known disaster, a mess no one enjoyed. If they ever allowed others to access those Depths there would need to be a clear note of the hazard.

  A few minutes later, after Anya had had the chance to tease her about her plans for quarters with Briana, she slipped out to ask Alex to join them. There were Holding related matters to discuss, from further businesses and lodgings to what use they could put the upper Depths access to now that it was no longer actively being used.

  ~ * ~

  Seb's thoughts kept circling back to Fay's hints. He didn't let it take up his full attention, not with Anya scant inches away and trying to pin him to the mat. He knew she was aware of his dwelling on the situation, every time he started to consider an answer she redoubled her efforts.

  They were grappling, no blade, no punching or kicking, not leveraging reach or range. They did break contact, did reposition time and time again, did tumble across the mat as they tried to take advantage of any small mistakes the other made.

  His thoughts kept circling back to what the secret might be, Anya's emotions kept bubbling up into frustration at how many secrets Seers seemed to have. She wasn't mad at Fay, she wasn't mad at anyone. She just wanted to know and there was nothing to know, not yet.

  They'd be headed back into the Depths tomorrow, back to pushing themselves. That was if they didn't both end up feeling so battered and bruised that they needed a day to recover even with Anya's minimal healing skills. Grappling wasn't something either of them was overly proficient at, on the other hand crashing into the floor and trying to recover before the other could catch them likely would keep them safe if ever they were overwhelmed.

  Do you think she- he began before the wall behind him interrupted the thought.

  It doesn't matter Seb, she answered.

  Sure it does, he sent as she overextended and he managed to flip her over his shoulder and into the same wall.

  Hey!

  Yes?

  No tossing, she said.

  You just flung me halfway across the room.

  I didn't toss you though, you stumbled, she answered.

  And you lunged too high and too soon.

  They both paused and smiled before shifting into more habitual stances. Challenges went on until they accused each other of cheating, or until one of them actually lost. They weren't done though, an hour was more than a warm up but less than they needed.

  Seconds later they'd fallen into their usual dance. The point wasn't to win, wasn't even to land a hit. They tested one another, took advantage of every opening, of the awareness they had of the aches and pains their exertion had caused. Half the time he fought bare-handed, the rest he leveraged his sword despite the challenges he faced in this style.

  Following that thought pattern Anya spun away, weaving through the remaining training dummies with a smile.

  Catch me, show me how you'd deal with the high priority goblins.

  For once the environment let him truly test his skill set. In the Depths she could act the part, push him to leverage his techniques and plans, but always in an empty cavern. Here the dummies provided more realistic chaos, they were still too weak to stand up to a real blow, but that wasn't the point. She could wander among them, attack him from one angle or another while he pushed himself to hinder her further.

  In the open she held the advantage, in close quarters she was more dangerous. When obstacles and mobility came into play? He stalked her, tagging her time and time again as she pushed them both to their limits. The room wasn't made for this, the dummies were shattering each time their clashes came too close.

  Finally he caught up to her, the slightest blunder leaving her cornered. He almost smiled, almost made a comment. He would have had she not taken his moment of hesitation and reminded him that she could still tangle herself into his arms and leave them both aware of their looming exhaustion.

  They stood there, both satisfied with their training, both happy with the outcome. They'd both won, they'd both lost. Neither was hurt, neither was unmarked.

  They pulled apart and looked at the destruction they had caused.

  Yshe will be furious, he sent.

  Let her, she answered. We were having fun.

  She was right, that had been fun. They'd learn the truth eventually, Fay had all but promised that. They'd never get past the restrictions that the Seer's Council insisted on, there would always be something.

  "If you're done, we have a reservation," Fay said from the doorway.

  Seb knew she'd been watching for at least a few minutes, he knew Anya had noticed as well. They turned to face her.

  "Are we late?" he asked.

  "Not yet."

  "Would you have interrupted us if we were?" Anya said.

  "No," Fay said with a smile. "The restaurant isn't going anywhere."

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