Slimes, Trees, and Bark.

by 3Hamstersinatrenchcoat

Summary:

Ren buys a ranch on the Far Far Range and finds a crash site containing none other than Martyn. Who knows what will happen between them?

Notes:

• Inspired by [Restricted Work] by enemyofrome (Log in to access.)

Something I cooked up cause my evil brain combined hyperfixations into one mess after I read a fanfic by enemyofrome. I’m so sorry for what I have created. I’ll update soon.

Chapter 1

Welcome Mr “RenDiggitydog”

 

The 7zee corporation would like to welcome you to the Far Far Range. 

 

You’ve been welcomed

 

And we congratulate you for taking up the task of becoming a slime rancher.

 

Congratulations given

 

Good luck on your new journey 

 

Luck wished

 

On another note, we detected a ship malfunction close to your ranch. Please ignore that, it is absolutely normal. It was simply an empty cargo ship. Here is a coupon for 10% off your next purchase at the 7zee store as compensation for the possible crash site. Valid one time only. Cannot be used on multiple items

 

The 7zee Corporation: Providing opportunities out of engine malfunctions, one rancher at a time.

 

Ren skimmed through the letter as he stretched out from the cramped sleep he just woke up from. One year of being stuck in a stuffy capsule doesn’t exactly do wonders. 

The spaceship he was previously in had been transformed into a rather quaint home. Not much but it had everything he needed to stay comfortable. 

He glanced at the code he was given absentmindedly. It expired six months ago. Not much of a use there anymore. 

The sun was rising, flooding the house with light. The light reflected across the shiny new Vacpack he was given. He strapped on the storage tank onto his waist and held the nozzle in his hands. It was lighter than it looked but it would still take him some getting used to. He put on his sunglasses and walked up to the door, opening it and taking his first steps into the Far Far Range.

The ground was carpeted in a light pink grass, although there were patches of dusty reddish brown dirt here and there. He kicked up some dust beneath his feet when he stepped around. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and looked out towards the ranch, taking in the scenery. 

After a few moments of standing around, Ren decided to walk around a little more. He came across a set of archways separating the ranch from the rest of the Range. He walked underneath them, looking at the light filter through the shapes. He continued forward, exiting the ranch fully. 

Ren found himself in a large flat clearing carpeted with soft coral grass. It was surrounded by large coral fossils and stone cliff sides. There was a path to the right that led deeper into the Range, but it seemed to be blocked off by a recent landslide. He looked around and found quite a few patches of wild  carrots growing, picking a few and putting them into his vactank. He looked over to the left and spotted a large fruit tree, providing a nice soft spot of shade. Ren walked over to the tree and sat down in the shade, leaning against the trunk. 

He picked up one of the fruits that had fallen  from the tree. It was a light red with yellow spots. It was almost a perfect sphere, save for the little crown-like shape it had around its stem. He felt his vacpack vibrate and a screen on it lit up. 

Pogofruit. Safe for consumption.

Ren looked back at the fruit curiously. He bit into its soft flesh, feeling its juice trickle down his hand. It tasted mildly sweet, but it felt indulgent. He hadn’t tasted anything like it before, but he enjoyed the flavour greatly. He decided to collect more of them, maybe he could bake something tasty with it. 

He was so distracted in his task that he didn’t notice something sneaking up behind him as he vacuumed more fruit up. He felt something bump into him, leaving an odd pink sludge on his vactank. He turned around to see a pink blob smiling back at him. 

Pink Slime. Diet: Everything. Favorite food: None. “Their coral hue is scientifically proven to be the color of cheer.”

Ren looked back at the slime and felt himself smiling. “You’re a happy little guy aren't you? I guess these are the ‘slimes’ that I’ve heard so much about.” He gave it a poke and it chirped curiously at him. “So this is what I’m meant to be ranching?”

He looked up and saw there were a lot more than one slime staring back. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, but they were all curious about him. 

“Hi?” He backed up nervously. They didn’t seem like they were threats, but there were a lot of them. He held up his vacpack nozzle at them. “I’m warning you. Don’t come closer or I’ll use it!”

The slimes responded by jumping at him. Ren tried to run away but he slipped on an unsuspecting slime and fell down. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the worst—

—which was them jumping around on him before getting bored and moving on. He quietly stood back up and cleared his throat. “So. Not dangerous. Got it.”

He decided it would be a good idea to nab a few to begin making some money. He sucked up a couple slimes into his vacpack, they didn’t seem to mind much. He began walking back towards the ranch, but stopped in his tracks. Something had caught his eye. He knelt down to take a closer look at it.

It was a sheet of paper with some writing on it. It was covered in pink slime and smudged around. He picked it up and tried to make out what it read. 

…Crash?…shouldn’t have snuck on…ranch nearby….help?

Ren looked back at the clearing. He sniffed the air, it smelled like smoke. If someone was out there, he had to help them. He ran towards the smell, trying to figure out where it was from. 

He found a ledge off to the side that he hadn’t seen before. He looked down and saw a campfire not too far down. He jumped down to investigate it. 

As he walked closer to the fire he saw a big metal structure lodged into a crevice in the rock. The 7zee logo was painted on it. The cargo ship. 

He was going to investigate when he heard some steps nearby. Ren turned around and spotted someone walking. The person froze when he spotted Ren.

He had scruffy blond hair that seemed like it hadn’t been combed in quite some time and was wearing a faded green shirt that had seen better days, covered by a black and purple 7zee worker jacket. He was wearing a nametag that read “Martyn”.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Ren asked. He approached Martyn.

Martyn backed off. He seemed nervous. “Step back. I don’t want to fight.”

“What? No that’s not…” Ren trailed off. He looked over at the edge of the ledge they were on. It looked like it was about to crumble down into the sea below any minute now. “Be careful! You’re about to—”

The cliffside cracked under Martyn’s feet. The rocks sank down instantly into the swirling sea.

Ren rushed to the cliff. He tried to grab Martyn before he fell but he was too late. Martyn struggled and tried to swim out, but the sea dragged him deeper. It was almost like it was swallowing him. 

Ren had to think fast. If he waited too long Martyn would be lost forever. He grabbed his vacuum nozzle and switched it onto the highest mode it had. He reached down as close as he could and turned it on.

He leaned down and moved it around in the murky waters. He felt something hit the nozzle and used all his strength to pull it out of the sea. It was Martyn, but he was knocked unconscious. He felt freezing cold.

Ren slung Martyn over his shoulder. He ran towards the ranch as fast as he could. He needed to get Martyn into something warm, and now. He could deal with the repercussions later.  

 

Chapter 2

Notes:

New chapter alert! I stress wrote this one during the fires happening so it might not be as good and i apologize for that, but I got it out there.

Ren opened the door to the ranch house and sprinted inside. He gently lay Martyn down on the bed and covered him with a blanket. It was rather thin, but it was the only one he had.

Ren desperately scrolled through his contacts on his workstation. There had to be someone who knew what to do. He called the first person he recognized, Gem.. 

Gem’s voice rang through after some time. “Hello? Ren? You didn't fall off a cliff did you?” Her face flashed onto the big screen above the desk. 

Ren breathed out a sigh of relief. “Hey Gem. No no I’m fine. It’s just that—” 

“Ren. Who is that in your bed?”

Ren looked up at her sheepishly. “I’ll explain later. Gem, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about uhh…what to do if someone falls into the sea?”

Gem blinked twice. “Did…did he?”

“Yes…”
She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes tiredly. “Is he breathing?”

Ren looked back at Martyn and saw a rhythmic rise and fall in his chest, interrupted by bouts of shivering every now and then. “Yes?”

“There’s hope then.” Gem sat down at her desk, seemingly searching things up. “I assume he’s cold?”

Ren placed a hand on Martyn’s forehead. It was ice cold. “Definitely yes.”

“Hypothermia. Did you jostle him around or shake him too much when you brought him back? If so, check his heartbeat to make sure he still has one.”

Ren gingerly placed a finger on Martyn’s wrist. He could feel a pulse, albeit a slow one. “His heart is beating.”

“How do you even end up in these situations?” Gem muttered, mostly to herself. “Don’t try to warm him up. Wrap him up in the thickest clothing you have. And if he wakes up, make him warm tea. Got it?”

Ren looked back at her.  He didn’t want to waste any more of her time. “Got it. Thanks Gem.” he ended the call and turned back to Martyn. Ren frantically looked through his closet to see if there was something he could give Martyn.

He came across a thick woolen cloak. It was a deep red with a jagged white tooth pattern at the bottom. He had made it himself for a costume a long time ago. Maybe he still had the crown somewhere…

Ren looked back at Martyn. He gently draped the cloak around Martyn, trying not to move him around too much. Martyn felt a little warmer now with the cloak wrapped around him.

A rosy light fluttered through the window. It was going to be dark out soon. His first night on the Range. He looked at the small corral he had hurriedly filled with pink slimes before rushing inside the house. He should probably feed them before nightfall. He turned back towards Martyn and gently stood up from the edge of the bed where he was sitting. He slowly opened the door and stepped out. 

 

…

 

Ren filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove. He took out two mugs and placed them on the table for when the water was done. He checked Martyn’s temperature with his hand. Martyn felt warm now and his breathing had stabilized. 

Ren heard the kettle start to whistle softly and poured the water into the mugs. He put a bag of peppermint tea in each one. He set them aside to steep. 

Ren heard the bed shift softly. He turned to look over at it and saw Martyn was sitting up. Ren smiled softly. “Good evening. Would you like some tea?”

Martyn shivered and wrapped himself up in the cloak. He looked at Ren and nodded. “That would be nice.”

Ren brought the tea over and handed it to him. He sipped on his own cup, feeling the liquid warm him up. 

“Thank you.” Martyn took the cup and drank some himself. He placed it down on the nightstand. “Thanks for helping me out there.”

Ren put down his mug on the desk nearby. “It’s fine. Although…I am curious as to what you were doing out there.”

Martyn looked down at the ground. “It’s a long story that one.”

Ren looked at the clock. “I think I have time.” 

Martyn hesitated for a moment, but nodded. “I snuck onto and then crashed a cargo ship. I pretended to be a maintenance worker and it worked, except I had no clue what to do when the ship actually started failing.”

“How long have you been out there for?”

Martyn counted something on his fingers. “Around six weeks?”

Ren almost spit out the tea he was drinking. “How did you survive that long?”

“I had stashed some food and a lighter in the ship just before I left. I was planning on getting out at the distribution station and sorting things out from there.” Martyn replied. He fidgeted with the hem of the cloak.

Ren looked at the window. He wanted to know more, but he didn’t want to push Martyn. He decided to ask one more question. “Why? Why did you come here?”

Martyn looked outside the window. It was dark out now. He seemed to be thinking of something. “Because I didn’t want to stay. I wanted to see the stars.” He looked back at Ren. “Why did you come here yourself?”
Ren thought about that question for a moment. He set his empty mug of tea down in the sink to wash later. “I guess I needed a fresh start. Something new. I couldn’t stay anymore.” He yawned after speaking. He was beginning to feel drowsy. “You should rest up.”

Martyn tried to get up to place his mug into the sink, but when he stood up he lost his balance and fell down. Ren rushed over to catch him. He took the mug from Martyn’s hands and laid Martyn back on the bed.

“I’ll take care of it. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Ren placed the mug into the sink. He walked over to the lamp. “Have a good sleep.”

He turned out the lights. His monitor was glowing with messages from Gem, and some from other people. He’d definitely have to explain this to her later. He turned off the screen and sat down on the chair. 

Ren heard some soft snoring coming from the bed. At least Martyn was comfy. He was dropping off himself. He took one last look at Martyn and closed his eyes, dropping off to sleep.

Notes:

This one was a little bit more slice of life compared to the previous one but don’t worry, the adventuring is coming soon. I’ll be doing a split of slice of life and exploring the world of the Far Far Range. Hope Yall liked it!

Chapter 3

Notes:

AAAAAH IM SO SORRY ITS LATE GUYS. I got caught up doing things but here’s the next chapter! It might be terrible because I was recovering from the shock of the fires and from not sleeping at all in like a week but we’re all better now cause of them. More notes at the end!

Thank you for ordering your brand new Vacpack model 2.1, now 0.01 percent lighter! (7zee corporation is not responsible for any injuries caused if the delivery drones drop packages on top of a rancher.) Making slightly better equipment, less materials at a time: 7zee. We also removed the landslide you mentioned, you are now free to explore the Far Far Range as you please.

 

Ren opened the package containing the new vacpack. If Martyn was going to make it in any way out on the Range, he needed one of these. He left the machine on his desk.
The sun had risen outside hours ago, but Martyn was still asleep. Ren had left pancakes on the table for when Martyn woke up. He had taken one or two for himself and ate them with sliced pogofruit. Ren was beginning to like the odd fruit. 

He looked over at his computer which was once again lit up with messages. He decided to get to reading them.

Hi Ren! Heard you were finally on the range. Show me pictures of the slimes there okay?

He smiled when he read that one. It was from False, his best friend. 

They're really adorable! I’m sending you some right now.

There was a ding from the screen as a reply popped up, but Ren was distracted by some rustling coming from the bed. He saw Martyn stretching out softly, still wearing the woolen cloak. “Good morning.”

Martyn perked up and looked at Ren. He quickly got up and out of the bed. “Morning.”

Ren motioned over to the vacpac on the desk. “I got you something to help you when you decide to go. I'll walk you over myself so I can see you off”

Martyn walked over to the vacpac, eyeing it in surprise. He picked it up and played around with aiming it around the room. He turned back to Ren. “Thanks. You didn’t have to ya know. I can–” Martyn stopped and looked towards Ren’s head curiously for a moment. 

Ren realized what was happening. “Oh uh. There's some food on the table for you. I’ll be right back, I need to freshen up.” He rushed into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He looked at himself in the mirror and sure enough, there were two big pointy dog ears and one long brown tail attached to him. He frantically looked through the bathroom for something, knocking over some bottles with his tail. 

After some searching he finally found it. It was a tube of serum labeled See Me Not. Ren sighed in relief, he had remembered to pack it. He squeezed some out and coated his ears and tail with them. They slowly turned invisible, leaving no trace of their existence. Ren was still shaking. He had almost ruined his fresh start.

He looked in the mirror and saw no trace of his dog parts at all. He combed his long hair over where his ears should have been so Martyn wouldn’t realize he doesn’t have any, at least not where humans usually do. 

 He had to be more careful. It happened once, it could happen again. Ren opened the bathroom door and returned to the main room.

Martyn was standing by the door. He looked back at Ren and smiled. “So. You want to go out and explore?”

Ren swallowed his nerves and nodded.

Martyn opened the door and motioned for Ren to go first. 

…

Ren walked back towards the clearing. He was hearing Martyn’s footsteps behind him. He wasn’t how long he’d hear that for. They reached the path where the landslide used to be. It was now fully cleared out. Ren could spot a large clearing ahead, filled with small pogo fruit trees and what looked to be chicken nests. The pink slimes started moving over to the clearing, leaving behind a pink residue behind. 

Ren walked forwards without thinking. His mind was clouded. But he could still hear Martyn’s footsteps, walking diligently beside him. 

Martyn picked one of the slimes up. “You know…I never got a good look at these things until now. They’re a bit cute in a way.”

“Uhh yeah. You’re right. They are cute.” Ren remembered his first encounter with them, feeling a little embarrassed now seeing that Martyn seemed to have no fear of them. 

“You know…I came across a wall once when I decided to explore the world. It had one of these things carved into it.” Martyn put the slime down and watched it run towards its friends. 

Ren looked back at Martyn curiously. “What was it?”

“I’m not sure exactly. It seemed like the carving was a keyhole, but I didn’t have the key.” 

Ren wondered what it could be. If it was a door, what was behind it? And who built it if nobody else had this ranch before him. This place has secrets, but what exactly are they?

“Hey! Careful!” Martyn yelled. Ren felt a hand grab him and pull him back. “You almost fell off that cliff there.”

Ren looked down and saw a steep drop into the dark sea below. “Thanks man. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Ren looked back and saw that he had been walking for a while now. He didn’t know exactly what path he had taken but he didn’t recognize any of the landscape. The sunlight painted the rich red rocks around them a flurry of oranges and yellows and pinks. The sun was setting now. “It’s…beautiful. ” 

Martyn didn’t reply. He sat down on the cliffside and looked out towards the setting sun. 

Ren sat beside him. They watched the sun set without a word. It was completely dark outside soon. 

There was a light behind them. Then another, and another. Ren turned around to see what was there. 

There was an odd creature staring back at him. It looked like a slime, but it had impossibly thin wings and antennae. Its gelatinous surface was a soft purple, it was almost transparent. It had a soft smile on its face. But the most eye-catching detail about it was its soft yellow core, one that was glowing. He felt the familiar buzz of his vacpac as it displayed an image of the new creature. 

Phosphor Slime. Diet: Fruit. Favorite food: Cuberry. “Those softly glowing heralds of starlight.”

Ren was mesmerized by them. There were so many, every single one of them glowing brightly. It was his personal night sky. He picked one up and handed it to Martyn, who was also watching the slimes intensely. “You’ll need this if you want to leave while it’s dark.” 

Martyn took it in his hands but didn’t speak. It lit up the red cloak that was still around him. 

“You can have my cloak too. I have no use for it anymore.” Ren sighed, looking back at the large expanse of black sea. “Goodbye, it was nice to meet you. I wish you didn’t have to go.”

“Who says I’m going?”

“What?”

Martyn stood up from his seated position and let the phosphor slime fly out of his hands. “There’s too many secrets to discover here. I need to stay a little longer to figure it all out. That is, if that's alright with you.” 

Ren looked at Martyn’s silhouette, lit up by the soft glow of the slimes around them. It was a risk. If he found out… Ren might not see the light of day again. But something inside Ren told him that Martyn wouldn’t do that. Ren needed a friend in this new world to explore with him. A friend that would help him. That might someday accept him as he is. He had to make a choice. And somehow, he felt he wouldn’t regret it.

“You can stay as long as you like.” Ren held out his hand. “The name’s Ren. I don’t think I’ve introduced myself quite yet.”
Martyn took Ren’s hand and shook it. “I’m Martyn.”
“Great to meet you Martyn.” 

“Nice to meet you too Ren.”

Ren spotted the moon rising up into the sky. It was getting quite dark now. There was a chill in the air he didn’t notice before. “We should be getting back soon.” 

Martyn nodded. He started gathering a pair of phosphor slimes in his arms. 

Ren tilted his head to the side. “What are you doing?” 

“It’s too dark to go out there. But these can light up the way.” Martyn took his headband off and tied the slimes into a small bundle with it, attaching them to his storage tank. The slimes didn’t seem to respond much and nestled in closer to each other. But now the light produced from them was enough to see around them by a few feet. Ren decided It would be a good idea to gather a couple of them himself for the ranch. 

“Lead the way then.” Martyn bowed down dramatically, allowing Ren to walk first. 

Notes:

Another chapter done! Now that they’re sticking together who knows if something will form between them? They have to unlock the secrets of the range first though!

Chapter 4

Notes:

AAAAH I swear i didn't forget about this i've just been so busy with so many things. But here's chapter 4! A little short but i'll hopefully be writing a lot more soon.

Ren woke up to the sound of the alarm he had slowly grown accustomed to. He had gotten into a routine now. Every day he would get up, wash up in the bathroom, go out to feed the slimes, and then make food for himself and Martyn. It had been about a week since he first arrived on the ranch. He was rather content with the routine. 

But Martyn seemed like he wasn’t. Every day we was itching to go out and explore. Usually he would be gone in the morning and only come back late at night. Somehow that didn’t satisfy him. He seemed to be looking for something. 

Ren looked over to the desk where Martyn had passed out working last night. There were various drawings and a map of the land scattered about next to Martyn. Ren picked up one of them. 

It was a round door carved with what looked like slimes. There was a sketch of a key next to it. Ren could have sworn he saw one of them once while gathering more pogofruit. He put it in his pocket for later. 

Martyn jolted awake. “Dude! Sorry. I thought you were…nevermind.” He looked like he hadn’t slept well. 

Ren handed him his breakfast. “Are you going to go out today?”

Martyn nodded. He scarfed down the food and walked towards the door. Ren followed him out. 

There was a spring in his step that Ren hadn’t seen in a while. They walked towards the cliffside where they had found the phosphor slimes before. The red dirt behind them clouded beneath their steps. There was a sense of peace here. Ren had found a chicken nest or two around here before. He had built a small raggedy coop for some chickens in the ranch. Some of them had stone-like marks on their faces and a black crest. He was curious about those. 

Martyn was taking careful steps. There were bits of the narrow path down the cliff that fell down constantly.

Ren was not so careful. Ren let out a yelp as he suddenly felt the ground give out beneath him. He tried to grab on to the cliff side but he couldn’t move fast enough. He closed his eyes and held his arms out to break the fall.

He didn’t feel the ground, but he wasn’t falling anymore. His arms seemed to be stuck in something. It was… bouncy?

He heard a rush of footsteps arrive soon after his fall. Ren opened his eyes to see Martyn rushing towards him. Ren tried to wave at him but he couldn’t get his arm unstuck from whatever it was lodged in. 

He looked down to see a large mass of pink. It looked almost like a slime, but around ten times bigger. 

Martyn noticed the pink blob. “What is that ?”

Ren tried to move to get a better view but couldn’t shift around much. “It…feels like a slime.”

Martyn cautiously stepped forwards. “It looks like a slime from here.”

Ren spotted a message station nearby. Gem had talked about them before. Martyn seemed to have noticed it as well and moved over to check it. He seemed to understand something 

“I’ll be right back okay? Don’t get in more trouble.” 

Ren tried to sit comfortably on top of the giant slime. He was starting to lose feeling in his arms. He watched as the sun reached its zenith above, with no sign of Martyn anywhere. He tried to reach the message station but it was just too far away. 

Ren wondered if Martyn even had a reason to come back for him. They weren’t friends. They barely knew each other. If Ren was gone Martyn could take the ranch for himself. Of course Gem might notice, but he had a habit of not talking to anyone for extended periods of time. Nobody would know he was gone. 

Ren felt his tail droop. It was still invisible. But if Martin had seen it…

Nobody knew what happened to Ren. His parents said he didn’t always have the canine features on him. His mother supposedly found him one day with a bite on his arm. The next morning he woke up with a tail and a sparkly set of sharper teeth. The next morning his ears had become pointed and furred. His parents took extra care to hide his ears and tail. Ren didn’t understand why for a long time. Then one day he forgot to tape down his ears under a hat and…

“Hey! You still alive up there?”

Ren was relieved to hear Martyn’s voice again. “Yep. Doing alright, a little hungry though.”

“This guy is too. I need you to do one thing alright?”

Ren could feel something happening below him. The slime felt like it was…growing? “And what’s that?”

“Brace yourself. This thing’s about to blow”

Ren could feel the slime shaking beneath him. His arms were getting loose. He tried to pull them out again, this time he could feel them coming out. 

With one final heave he popped out of the slime and onto the ground below. He got a good look at what he was trapped in. It looked like one giant slime. It was stuck to the ground, unable to move. Martyn was shooting pogo fruit right into its mouth.

Ren looked over to the message station and opened the file inside.

If I'm correct, you’ll be finding a Gordo here. Now I won't tell you what to do when you find them, but I will tell you you’re going to want a lot of food on hand when you find them. Good luck new rancher,

 

-J

 

Ren heard a muffled explosion. He felt a glob of pink slime hit him in the back. He looked behind him and saw the Gordo had disappeared, leaving a handful of slimes and an object in its place. Ren approached it. 

It was a stone key with a smiling pink face on the handle. It seemed to glow in his hands. He took out the sketch of the key he had in his pocket. They were almost identical.

Martyn came up behind him. “So that's what they look like. Now all we need to do is find that door…”

Ren handed it to Martyn. Martyn took it. The sun was setting already. 

“But first you have to get cleaned up. You’re all pink!” Martyn teased, picking off some pink slime off of Ren’s shirt.

“You too dude, you’re all covered.” Ren picked at some slime in Martyns hair.

“Let's head back then. Be careful now, I don’t want to save you again today.”

Martyn began to walk up the slope back to the ranch. Ren smiled and followed behind. He would never hear the end of this, but he didn’t mind it all too much.

Chapter 5

Notes:

Guess who remembered this exists. Ill get back to writing this one soon I have so many ideas I swear. But enjoy this chapter, which also happens to by my submission for treebark week because I had no clue what else to do. Heres day 3, Struck. This is where the treebarking starts.

“Follow the ledge here. Be careful this time alright?” 

Ren nodded. He looked down at the slightly narrow ledge. He saw the spot where he had slipped and fallen the day before. He winced, the sunburn still ached a little. And it took the rest of the day to wash the slime out of his hair. He was glad Martyn was there to help, but he stayed close to the cliff wall this time. 

Martyn seemed excited. Very excited. Ren knew he was at his happiest when he was exploring but he had never seen him this thrilled. It was a nice change of pace. 

After some walking they came to a large area, encircled by the familiar red cliffs of the Dry Reef. There were some places that were elevated, with many slimes jumping up and down from the higher areas. Some of the pink slimes were resting in the soft coral colored grass that sprung up in patches. There were pink bushes made of a spongy material dotting the landscape, growing at the bases of large trees with soft magenta foliage. It was rather pretty, all things considered. 

But something else had caught his eye. There was an arch seemingly carved into the right cliff. It led into a tunnel.

Martyn walked into the tunnel first, turning on the flashlight he attached to his vacpack. The light revealed the tunnel walls were made of a blue stone, something Ren was not used to seeing. It was cool to the touch and didn’t leave a dust on his fingers. As they walked deeper into the tunnel, Ren began to spot small crystals growing from the walls. They were a deep blue in color, reflecting their faces in the dim lighting. 

They came to a larger, dug out area. In front of them lay a massive round stone door. It was made up of three rings each one with an elaborate design carved into it, with a chiseled face of a slime in the center. In the very center, there was what looked like a keyhole. 

Ren took out the stone key he had been carrying. He turned towards Martyn, who nodded and stepped to the side. He pushed the smiling face on the key into the carved out slot on the door. It fit perfectly.  

The door began to glow. A pink light traveled through the lines in the design. The rings began to turn and rearrange themselves, revealing carvings of many slimes hidden by the scrambling of the rings. Then, the door sunk into the ground. It was no longer closed. 

The sunlight shone through the other side of the door. There was another message station waiting for them past the door.

 

The Indigo Quarry. A place like this is great to be in. It’s less cluttered. Sometimes you need that to clear the mind. This was where I first met him, you know? I didn’t know he had bought the old ranch next to here. I was studying the mineral composition of the rocks one day and he had fallen into—

Hey! Don’t tell them that part!

…Actually, maybe that’s a story for another day. 

 

• T

 

The Indigo Quarry was mesmerizing. Tall columns of metallic crystals rose out of the ground, each one growing in a hexagonal shape. The ground beneath Ren’s feet was solid and there was no dust coming off it. It was a deep dull indigo. It was far more open compared to the Dry Reef, and it was much cooler in temperature. He turned to Martyn, who seemed to be as amazed by the quarry as he was. It was beautiful.

Ren felt something hit him suddenly on the back of his head. He saw stars for a moment before falling face first onto the hard stone ground. He tried to sit up but everything was spinning. When he did, something fell from his head into his lap. It was a bright blue slime. One that was covered in many sharp rocks. It was purring happily. His vacpack’s screen buzzed on again.

Rock Slime. Diet: Vegetables. Favorite food: Heart Beets. “These slimes ore totally metal.”

“Ren? Ren! Hey!” 

Ren saw a pair of fingers snapping in front of his face. He tried to focus on them but everything was blurry. He was feeling really tired. He almost slumped over, but something held him up. 

“Let’s go back home. We’ll be more prepared next time.” 

Ren felt someone help him stand back up. He recognized that voice, it was Martyn’s. He liked the sound of his voice. He leaned onto him to keep his balance. 

“Martyn! Can you talk more? I like it when you talk.”

“Oh! Uh…” Ren felt Martyn heat up quickly. “I don’t know what to talk about.”

Ren leaned on Martyn more, craving the heat. “Anything please. It’s nice. You have such a lovely voice.”

 “Um okay…There is an old story I know. They say deep in the heart of space ruins lie…”

…

Ren woke up, but kept his eyes closed. He didn’t remember how he got home. The last thing he remembered was listening to an old legend. It was entrancing. A treasure hidden deep in ruins of a land that once was. A place where all the places in the universe lay at your feet. Somewhere where you could go anywhere, anytime. A place where you could finally find the palace where you belong. 

“Ren?” 

Ren rolled over slowly. His head was aching with a dull pain. Martyn was there, holding a cup of tea. It smelled of peppermint. “Hey dude. What happened?” He sat up in the bed slowly.

“You got hit in the head pretty hard. You should get some more rest after this.” 

Martyn handed him the tea. It was warm. Ren drank it slowly, feeling the warmth travel throughout his body. He massaged the back of his head to try and soothe the pain. 

Martyn took the empty mug and put it into the sink. He turned towards the projects on the table. Ren knew he would be working on them all night. Again. “I’m going to let you rest now.”

“Wait.” Ren took Martyn’s hand. “Can you maybe…sleep here tonight?” 

Martyn turned around. He turned slightly red, though Ren couldn’t imagine why.“You didn’t get a concussion right? Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah I’m just. Worried. Worried that you don’t sleep enough.” Ren muttered. “And the bed is big enough for the two of us and more.”

Martyn looked at the mess of circuitry on the table and then looked back at Ren. He sighed and crawled in under the covers beside him. “Just for tonight. Because I’m worried about your head injury.” 

Ren smiled. He reached over to turn off the lamp, leaving the room in darkness. “Goodnight Martyn.”

“Goodnight Ren.”