Slime Apotheosis

[PlateGlassArmour]

I was just reading Mass Effect: Good Boy [ME:SI] where the main character is a sentient Varren and accidentallys a race of sentient Varren into existence, and it gave me an idea for a story.

Wanted to write it down before it Poofed away. Hear me out: Stereotypical magic/fantasy/rgp world with various gods and monsters. Due to interference from the god of Life/Chaos (for shits and giggles), or maybe even just random chance, the main character is the world's first slime with an INT higher than 1 (i.e. smarter than a rock that wants to eat stuff). The problem of course being, well, they're a slime. Slimes can't talk, they don't have hands, and (importantly for the story) they reproduce by fission; with the daughter slimes being slightly varied from the parent (that's why there's so many kinds of slimes). Normally, the result is random variance, but what if a less-stupid slime wanted to be smarter?

Not sure where it would go from there, but I thought the idea was cool. I plan on running it sort of like a pseudo-quest, in the sense that I'm going to be taking ideas for the direction of the story from comments, but I'm not going to do it turn by turn or anything. It's going to have much less of a planned out and thematic story structure than Hive Daughter. Also, the chapters are going to be less structured, so they may be shorter than my other stories, and they may not end on a nice clean idea. If that's not your cup of tea, that's fine. This is mostly just the exploration of an idea for me, and anyone else who wants to participate.

Oh, and my Discord server is always open if you want to talk about the story there. https://discord.gg/GnNbXFP

So, here is the first chapter of Slime Apotheosis:

Chapter 1
o0O0o0O0o

?

I…

I be one.

One I.

I look, but there is not more of I.

There is no we.

I want to have we.

o0O0o

I think. I use food. I grow. Time happens.

I look for food. I look for more like me. I look just to look.

Around me is cold and some water in the air.

I find one like me, but not like me. It does not think, or do. It sits there, like a small part of food, but it is not food. Not for me. I feel bad it does not think, because then there would be a we, an us, not an I. But it does not, so I leave it be.

I decide to look farther. Maybe there is more, that is not here.

o0O0o

I still have not found more of what I am. I have seen another two that were close, but also did not think. They were closer to each other than they were to me. Perhaps they are a them. A we that does not have me in it. That would be nice for them. But maybe you need to think, in order to be a we or a them? If you do, then that means that we are all alone, those ones because they are stupid, and me because there is only one like me even though I am less stupid.

As I am looking, I eventually find light. I am used to the dark, so it is strange to me. It is warmer as well, with less water in the air. Behind me is cool dark inside, in front of me is warm dry outside.

Maybe there are others that can think, in the light.

I continue to look, when I am in the light, except it does not stay light. Even though it is still dryer and warmer, and more open. So I am outside.

More time passes.

I think, and I am. I eat and I grow. Some dead animal, some big wood, some small almost wood that is all around on the ground. Even some of the light, when it is bright enough. Some rock, but rock isn't very good. I have had enough rock when I was inside. Maybe that is why the others are stupid. All they eat is rocks, so they think like rocks. I wonder why I can think then? Maybe I ate something that could think. I'm not sure I want to think of that. Maybe it just happened. Yes. That is what I will believe. It just happened.

As I grow, I get better, bigger, and more able to think. Words for my thoughts are still hard though. I don't have the... large enough thinking for them yet. They are bigger words than I can hold right now. Maybe in a long time, I will be big enough to hold all the words I want.

o0O0o

Sometimes an animal tries to attack me. I can't decide if they can think or not. They don't eat rocks, and they are actually looking for food instead of just sitting there, but they are not very good at looking for food, since they keep finding me. They get stuck to me, and they struggle a lot, until they slow down, and they stop, and then they are food.

Maybe there is food that thinks it is food? Is that thinking then? I will need to consider that...

No. Probably not. You need to be thinking you are thinking for it to be real thought. You can't just think you're food. For all I know, rocks think that they're rocks!

I am still getting bigger, but I can tell that I am getting bigger slower now. It takes more days to get bigger than it used to. I can also tell that I am getting more thoughts slower too. I can hold bigger words now, but not as big as I had hoped.

There is something I could try though. I have been ignoring it for a while now, because what I was doing was working well enough. I knew I could make more of what I am as soon as I was big enough to do so. It is a part of me. I just have to decide to do it, and it will happen, now that I am big enough. It must be simple, if even the others can do it.

I will try, and hope that I will not be alone any more.

As it starts, I think more than I have ever thought. There is so much going on that I can't do very much of it, but I get parts of it. This is what happens when one like me or the others becomes two. It also explains why I can have thoughts while they do not, since I can tell that the two that I will be are going to be different than the one that I am right now.

I can only change a little bit of it at a time, and it's happening all at once, so I don't think I'll get more than a little bit done before then end, but I try to move the part that makes me different from the others further than it was before, while still making sure that I stay a person. I want there to be an us, but I still want to be an I as well. I hope I can do it.

o0O0o

When I am done, I am now a we. And I can think more clearly. We are both smaller than I was, but we can each hold thoughts just as big as before, maybe even slightly bigger.

Now that I have some thoughts that are actually extra, I can look at other self closer. We really are very close to the others, other than thinking.

We are blobs of almost-like-water. There is something in the middle that is like a shiny rock that is also-like-water. There are little bits of small plants inside as well. And parts of what used to be animals, but now is like thin, white rocks.

We eat and continue to look around while we think. If being two helped us to think better, I wonder if being more than two would also help?

We are still big enough to split again if we want, since we have been eating and thinking for many days. One of us decides to split and the other decides to watch.

We try to push the same thing as last time further, and it does go further, but not by as much this time. Maybe it is like growing bigger, that trying to do too much of the same thing slows down.

It is interesting to see the split. First, the almost-like-water part becomes smaller, while the rock in the middle becomes a little bit bigger. Then the rock in the middle of the blob splits in two, then the big blob of almost-like-water slowly becomes two. The one watching notices that it takes most of a day. But for the one splitting, it seems very fast because so much is happening all at once the whole time.

Then there are three.

Three can hold onto more thoughts than two did, but the one that became two can only hold smaller thoughts.

It is nice to be even more than one, but we decide that we still want to hold bigger thoughts. Maybe once the two new ones are bigger, we will see if the one that did not split still holds bigger thoughts.

For now, we will continue to eat and grow.

o0O0o

It's nice to finally have the words to describe myself. I'm still working on it, but I can tell that I'm getting better. The words are good for ordering the way I think. They help me to keep my goals straight.

My current goals...

I would like to be able to comprehend bigger words, or really, ideas. The words I can use are an okay way of measuring it. What I really want is the ideas that the words are used to describe.

Also, I would like to continue to look around, and see more of the world. I have not yet given up on finding more like myself.

 

[Jordisk]

Slimes don't have access to any screen, or do they not yet have enough intelligence to access that screen?

Intelligent Slimes are able to direct the changes made during fission, rather than them being random. After a certain level of intelligence, what else will the INT Slimes go for? Shapeshifting to take a form that can communicate? Aerokinesis or Aeromancy to manipulate winds into sound, so they can talk?

Also, it says that they are now a we rather than an I, and they can tell how large the thoughts are. I guess that means there is INT Slime to INT Slime communication? Part of the split was actively choosing not to go for "hive mind", though it was an option.

 

[PlateGlassArmour]

@Jordisk There are no 'character screens'. The world doesn't have gameplay mechanics to that degree, it falls one or two notches further on the 'real' world scale.

As far at the we/I confusion, part of that is that the little lime didn't really get the whole "other people" thing yet. There's a specific stage in child development when you realize that other people can hold thoughts that are not yours, and you do not know. The slime isn't really that advanced yet, in that respect. So, in an attempt to remain a person, they were actually pushing to try to remain an individual. Oops. This will be brought up later, but essentially, the slimes that all originate at smart slime MK.1 form a very weak/loose hivemind. Partially because there are some fun things that can be done with that (I have some cool ideas for much later evolutions of slimes), and partially because I just really like hiveminds, and I like exploring the concepts surrounding them.

 

[Jordisk]

@Jordisk There are no 'character screens'. The world doesn't have gameplay mechanics to that degree, it falls one or two notches further on the 'real' world scale.

As far at the we/I confusion, part of that is that the little lime didn't really get the whole "other people" thing yet. There's a specific stage in child development when you realize that other people can hold thoughts that are not yours, and you do not know. The slime isn't really that advanced yet, in that respect. So, in an attempt to remain a person, they were actually pushing to try to remain an individual. Oops. This will be brought up later, but essentially, the slimes that all originate at smart slime MK.1 form a very weak/loose hivemind. Partially because there are some fun things that can be done with that (I have some cool ideas for much later evolutions of slimes), and partially because I just really like hiveminds, and I like exploring the concepts surrounding them.

Click to shrink...

I mentioned game screens because your introduction said Slimes have INT 1. Even if it is "hidden" like a D&D character sheet (characters have no clue that it even exists), it is a character sheet. Though you did answer my question, they cannot access gamer-type screens like every other Slime Character I have read about.

 

[PlateGlassArmour]

I mentioned game screens because your introduction said Slimes have INT 1. Even if it is "hidden" like a D&D character sheet (characters have no clue that it even exists), it is a character sheet. Though you did answer my question, they cannot access gamer-type screens like every other Slime Character I have read about.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. Sorry for the confusion. The mention of INT 1 was mostly shorthand that people familiar with RPG's would understand, the world itself doesn't work in such a discrete, neat, mechanical way. It's messy and complicated and full of exceptions like 'real' worlds are.

When I mentioned the fact that I wanted to do a slime story in my discord, I was pointed at not one, but two Isekai's that use slimes, and I definitely don't want to take that route. So monsters won't have 'skills', and living things don't have 'HP', they just get injured and heal.

Oh, and I am curious to see other slime stories you have heard of before, to compare the ideas they have. I haven't had very much luck tracking down any that are of reasonable length.

 

[Skip Sandwich]

@Jordisk There are no 'character screens'. The world doesn't have gameplay mechanics to that degree, it falls one or two notches further on the 'real' world scale.

As far at the we/I confusion, part of that is that the little lime didn't really get the whole "other people" thing yet. There's a specific stage in child development when you realize that other people can hold thoughts that are not yours, and you do not know. The slime isn't really that advanced yet, in that respect. So, in an attempt to remain a person, they were actually pushing to try to remain an individual. Oops. This will be brought up later, but essentially, the slimes that all originate at smart slime MK.1 form a very weak/loose hivemind. Partially because there are some fun things that can be done with that (I have some cool ideas for much later evolutions of slimes), and partially because I just really like hiveminds, and I like exploring the concepts surrounding them.

Click to shrink...

My personal rule of thumb when designing rpg settings with intelligent monsters is as follows;

These represent the level of understanding that comes intuitively to the creature, formal schooling can let creatures perform "above thier weight class" via rote memorization and imcreased general knowledge base.

I.e. it doesn't take an INT 20 to complete a masters degree in Physics, but it does in order to use that degree to invent General Relativity.

Int 3 - self aware and has emotions, but no language skills
Int 5 - simple language and counting skills
Int 7 - complex spoken language, no formal written language but creates pictograms/drawings, understands advanced counting functions like mutiplication and division
Int 11 - human equvilant speech, math and writting skills, could self-teach themselves up to an elementary school level of education
Int 13 - could self-teach themselves up to high school level of general education
Int 15 - could self-teach themselves up to an associates degree equvilant
Int 17 - could self-teach themselves up to a batchlors degree equvilant
Int 19+ - could self-teach themselves up to a masters or doctorate degree equivilant and beyond

 

[Nihilo]

Depending on how transparent they are, they could have an easy time hunting in a lake or river. Transparent gel becomes effectively invisible in water.

I'm also thinking about them using their cores as reference to learn how to create a protective layer of denser gel around themselves, and from there comes shapeshifting --by giving it varying degrees of rigidity and elasticity to force the internal semi-liquid medium into a more defined shape-- and shit like crystalline weapons and armour.

 

[Jordisk]

Yeah. Sorry for the confusion. The mention of INT 1 was mostly shorthand that people familiar with RPG's would understand, the world itself doesn't work in such a discrete, neat, mechanical way. It's messy and complicated and full of exceptions like 'real' worlds are.

When I mentioned the fact that I wanted to do a slime story in my discord, I was pointed at not one, but two Isekai's that use slimes, and I definitely don't want to take that route. So monsters won't have 'skills', and living things don't have 'HP', they just get injured and heal.

Oh, and I am curious to see other slime stories you have heard of before, to compare the ideas they have. I haven't had very much luck tracking down any that are of reasonable length.

Click to shrink...

They were probably the same ones you have read, the isekai stories. There was one where the slime was born from the aura of a dragon-god, and another that was not "reborn as a slime" but rather "trains slimes"

 

[PlateGlassArmour]

So the mechanics of slimes in general in this world basically boil down to the fact that their core (which is slime magically compressed to the point that it is a dense crystal) is basically their brain, but they can control the slime connected to the core like their body. The bigger the core, the more slime they can control. So slashing at the slime without hitting the core does no harm to it, unless you physically separate an entire chunk (which then needs to be replenished from the core). Some slimes have developed the ability to use this to their advantage by being able to shrink the gel part by growing their core, and then growing back to full size.

The other thing that is worth mentioning is that these slimes have a bit of control over their surface tension and viscosity, and some macro control over their gel, but they don't have much fine control at all, compared to the slimes from other settings that form facial features and the like.

 

[Solsticegelan]

I like this so much I'm already sad there isn't more to read. I've always found well-written stories detailing something growing from thoughtlessness to full sentience fascinating, and choosing to do so with a Slime "Hivemind" means I'm immensely interested in where this goes.

Especially when the title only makes me start humming "Return to Slime".

 

[Zenbeast]

Hive Daughter was great, so I'm excited to see how this goes.

When I am done, I am now a we. And I can think more clearly. We are both smaller than I was, but we can each hold thoughts just as big as before, maybe even slightly bigger.

Click to shrink...

So they are a hivemind? Interesting.

This will be brought up later, but essentially, the slimes that all originate at smart slime MK.1 form a very weak/loose hivemind.

Click to shrink...

Ahh, ok. So Slimey has an inherent aptitude for telepathy/psionics to allow this? Hopefully once it figures out how to actually create separate senti-slimes (distance at first by accident to break the connection) it will also figure out how to get smarter without becoming gargantuan.

How big is it right now?

 

[BlackMangoAde]

Watching pseudo-sapient beings grow in fiction is always cute and fun. I wonder if these little slimes will eventually conquer the world.

 

[JD.Forums]

So from what I understand we can't digest bones or wood ?
Based on that I would try to improve digestion to allow for better scavenging or maybe more efficient digestion.

 

[PlateGlassArmour]

So from what I understand we can't digest bones or wood ?
Based on that I would try to improve digestion to allow for better scavenging or maybe more efficient digestion.

Click to shrink...

We can, but it's slower. For that matter, we can digest rock, but it's very slow and inefficient.

 

[Jordisk]

We can, but it's slower. For that matter, we can digest rock, but it's very slow and inefficient.

Click to shrink...

Does that apply to ALL rock? Because we digest salt all the time, including Rock Salt. Though I guess a Slime doesn't really digest things but more "converts directly to mana/slime", while humans are more "break down into usable parts", so that answers my own question.

 

[Krazyfan1]

So i wonder how we'll figure out that other species are sapient?

 

[PlateGlassArmour]

Does that apply to ALL rock? Because we digest salt all the time, including Rock Salt. Though I guess a Slime doesn't really digest things but more "converts directly to mana/slime", while humans are more "break down into usable parts", so that answers my own question.

Click to shrink...

You are essentially correct in your guess. Slimes don't really use 'normal' digestion. They are one of the inherently magical species of this plane, and most of that revolves around the fact that they can 'eat' anything. If you're interested in some of my world-building background for the story, slimes were actually created by the being/beings that created this plane of existence as one of the first species, specifically because they cause there to be less matter over time. This helps combat the natural upwards growth of the plane from below. As an interesting consequence, there are some very oddly shaped mountains by our standards, and occasionally, a mountain collapses as it has been eroded/worn down/eaten enough; usually not all at once though.

So i wonder how we'll figure out that other species are sapient?

Click to shrink...

Luckily, our slime/s are fairly philosophical by slime standards, so while it might take them a bit to recognize the signs, they are going to keep looking for them in anything living them come across.

 

[Arcane Howitzer]

Luckily, our slime/s are fairly philosophical by slime standards,

Click to shrink...

From how a lot of slimes are described, that sounds like saying, "Rather cunning for a tree branch." Do this world's slimes fit that mold? Present company excluded, of course.

 

[PlateGlassArmour]

From how a lot of slimes are described, that sounds like saying, "Rather cunning for a tree branch." Do this world's slimes fit that mold? Present company excluded, of course.

Click to shrink...

I would perhaps say it is more accurate to say "Rather cunning for a slime mould" in the sense that they don't have any brains (and it shows) but they can still act.
Other than that? Yeah, pretty much.

 

[Jordisk]

From how a lot of slimes are described, that sounds like saying, "Rather cunning for a tree branch." Do this world's slimes fit that MOLD? Present company excluded, of course.

Click to shrink...

That bolded word seems more like what a Slime's intelligence is. As far as I can tell, they can eat, they can move, they can grow, they can split, and they can die. That is about it.

 

[JD.Forums]

I would perhaps say it is more accurate to say "Rather cunning for a slime mould" in the sense that they don't have any brains (and it shows) but they can still act.
Other than that? Yeah, pretty much.

Click to shrink...

...I'm not sure if you know this but slime mold is already very smart when it comes to logistics.
Just look it up on YouTube I'm a bit short on time to find a good linky.

 

[n ko]

Some truly exciting slime action!

No Brains. Only Slime (Mold).

 

[Edifier]

"Everybody loves large chests" on royal road did the start of an int 1 protagonist really well, assuredly it got smart soon enough but it did it really well.