*ding*
Jump level up: 2
“Yay!” The snail cheered. The salamander corpse rolled over so the snail was on the bottom. “Oops! That’s ok.”
*ding*
Corpse: Cave salamander (lesser). Estimated experience: 20. Absorb experience?
“Absorb.” The snail commanded. It waited as the experience trickled out of the salamander and into itself. The snail used a gentle Jump to detach from the salamander before exiting the pond for the final time. With nothing else to keep it here, the snail returned to the borehole so it could climb up and out.
“Did the borehole shrink too?” The snail wondered. “Why is everything so small?” It complained. The snail made its way through the maze of crystals. It nearly got stuck a few times, but it managed to drag its new shell through every gap and eventually returned to the lava tube. The snail sat and enjoyed the roomy lava tube as it considered which way to go.
“Can’t go back, gotta go forward.” It declared. It struck out down the lava tunnel, feeling full of confidence. Danger sense flickered for a moment, and the snail retreated into its shell as quick as it could. “Eeep!” It squeaked it fear.
*ding*
Slime shot level up: 3
The snail mentally acknowledged the level up but kept its eyes on the centipede that had gotten too close. The creature with too many legs writhed on the tunnel floor as the slime gently held it down.
The snail had been traveling for a long time. The occasional trickles of water had grown so frequent that the snail had to travel along the side of a small stream that ran down the middle of the tunnel. Up ahead, the snail could see a different color of light.
The light was from an opening to the outside. The stream splashed down onto a pile of broken up stone in a small waterfall. “Oh dear, how will I get down?” The snail wondered. It carefully crept out sideways from the waterfall before aiming straight down. “Actually, this isn’t hard. I don’t know what I was worried about.” It thought.
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The land below the waterfall was very different from the sparse forest the snail had come from. The trees were much bigger and their needles grew much thicker and darker. The trees were so close together that the snail couldn’t see the ground below them until it got below the level of the branches. The snail reached the ground and headed straight into the forest.
“The ground is so moist in here, and there is moss stuff everywhere!” The snail rejoiced. It quickly aimed Identify at everything in sight. Sadly, everything nearby was lower than ‘basic’ quality and would provide no points. The snail slumped in disappointment, but managed to drag itself into motion after a few moments.
The snail dodged slowly around foxes, deer, squirrels, and one bear as it moved deeper into the forest. The snail was already out of sight when a few large birds moved past, stalking on terrifyingly large legs. The snail spent the first night in this new forest just inside the lip of a rabbit hole, well hidden. Days passed as the snail made its way downhill, but it found no plants that would provide points.
The large rodent snuffled as it stepped over the motionless snail. It kept going for a few body lengths before it was certain it had lost the trail. The rodent made a slow loop around, trying to rediscover the snail’s scent. While it was turned away, the snail moved forward as quickly as it could. The rodent started again on the trail behind the snail and snuffled along.
“What am I going to do? What am I going to DO?” The snail was panicking again and couldn’t think of any alternative plan. It gripped the ground as strongly as it could as the rodent drew closer. The rodent passed the snail once more, but it paused briefly as passed over the camouflaged shell. “It’s going to find me!” The snail wailed. It tried to turn to the side and hide under a nearby fern, but the rodent returned before the snail could make the distance.
The rodent sniffed at the camouflaged snail for a few seconds, then bit down on the shell. Pop! The snail used Jump and collided with the rodent’s nose. The rodent recoiled as the snail bounced away under cover.
The snail nearly had time to feel relief before it rolled over the side of a gully and fell several feet to land in thick mud. “Oof!” The snail tried to get its bearings and recover from the fear of being eaten. “Where am I?” It wondered. It tried to extend its eye stalks but they were blocked by something. It pushed harder, with its whole foot. “I’m stuck down in something.” The snail thought. It tried to push its way up through the stuff, but couldn’t find a grip.
The snail oozed out slime as it struggled. The snail slime was pushed under the snail and slowly lifted the snail higher. The snail managed to get one eyestalk to extend out of the hole in the mud. “I really need to get out of this stuff.” The snail thought. The snail began to use Slime shot straight down, trying to push itself higher. It ran out of stamina and was forced to rest before its shell got fully out of the mud.
*ding*
Slimy level up: 4
Slime shot level up: 4
“Oh good.” The snail thought tiredly. “Glad I got that.” The snail watched with lifeless eyes at it almost imperceptibly sand back into the mud. The snail rested as long at felt it could, but wasn’t sure it would have enough stamina to fully pull itself free. The snail strained to produce even more slime. It pulled against the suction of the mud on its shell. Its foot was on top of the mud, but the shell was still stuck. The snail used its last Slime shot, aimed underneath its shell, to try and force it upwards. With a soft shlorp, the mud came away from the shell. The snail slowly dragged itself to the side of the gully and off the mud.