CHAPTER 109: SLIME ROSES AND CREEPY CLUES

From Finn’s very logical—well, obvious—guess, they were deeper underground now. Not great for them. Judging by the whirlpool earlier and the fact they hadn’t fallen too far, they were probably somewhere under the city.

They began moving through the strange cavern, Finn still catching his breath after dealing with those creatures. The unease set in almost immediately.

Something about this place felt wrong. Not just creepy—it was off. The air hung heavy with a damp, sour smell, like forgotten leftovers rotting in a dungeon fridge. Every drip of water echoed weirdly, bouncing off unseen walls, making it impossible to tell what lurked nearby.

Why was there even a place like this down here, completely separate from the abandoned buildings above? The walls weren’t stone, exactly—more like thick, fleshy membranes that pulsed softly, as if the cavern itself were breathing. Finn’s skin crawled just thinking about it.

A cold breeze whispered through the cavern’s hollow, carrying faint sounds of something skittering far off in the darkness. His ears twitched. He wasn’t sure if the sounds came from slimes nearby, Seraphina breathing weirdly, or the cavern’s own strange pulse. Either way, it didn’t help with the creeping dread knotting his stomach.

As they walked, the shallow water shifted under their steps. At first, it was cold, but with every stride, it grew warmer, like a bath slowly heating up. "Weird..." Finn muttered.

Finn glanced at Seraphina to see if she’d noticed, but from her blank expression, she clearly hadn’t. She had the instincts of a wet fart.

After some time, the water grew thicker, faintly tinted purple instead of its original dark murk. Only then did Seraphina finally react.

"This feels like the same stuff from when we first got here... in that nasty water," she said, gently kicking at it.

Finn shrugged. "That might be true, but it’s not the same—wait, what am I even saying?" He rubbed his face, trying to clear his foggy thoughts.

He looked down with a sigh—then froze.

A slime shaped like a rose drifted against his leg before floating away.

"...What the hell..." Finn muttered, watching it disappear into the darkness. It shimmered faintly, translucent and mesmerizing.

The walls around them seemed different too. Not solid—pulsing, almost breathing. He didn’t like it, but he decided not to think too hard about it.

Another slime-rose brushed his ankle. Then another. Soon, more began drifting toward him.

Finn’s curiosity got the better of him. He started following them, like a cat chasing a laser pointer. The bizarre shapes were unsettling... but also kind of cool.

As he drew closer, one of the slime-roses lifted slightly, its center stretching upward like a worm. Every time Finn moved, splashing the water, the slime seemed to wiggle in response—like it was listening to him.

"So cooool!" Finn squealed, practically bouncing with excitement, completely ignoring that he hated slime and all the obvious red flags flashing around them.

The slime noticed his excitement and started wiggling and dancing along, matching his energy perfectly. Finn genuinely smiled, feeling oddly happy about it.

Seraphina finally caught up and looked down at Finn, who was now squatting to get a closer look at the slime. She glanced at the slime, then back at him, trying to process what on earth she was seeing.

Finn looked up at her with pure joy. "Look! It’s excited to see me." He pointed enthusiastically at the slime, which responded by wiggling even more.

Seraphina blinked, torn between thinking he was a man-child or a man on something. Maybe both.

"Yeah... uh, Finn."

"What is it?" Finn kept his eyes on the slime, grinning like a kid.

"We still need to get out of here and get back to everyone else. Remember?"

Her words hit Finn like a splash of cold water, pulling him out of his slime-induced trance. "Right." He stood up, ready to leave.

The slime watched Seraphina with what looked like pure disdain, a silent hatred that made her shiver—but she ignored it.

"Besides... don’t you hate slime? Why are you even interacting with this one? Makes no sense."

The slime seemed to deflate at her words, its wiggly, joyful movements slowing and fading.

Finn opened his mouth to reply, then paused. She was right. He had totally contradicted himself. "Yeah... but it was cute."

Seraphina sighed. "Whatever you say, Finn."

Finn waved a half-hearted goodbye to the slime and started walking away with Seraphina. The slime stayed behind, its little form watching them go.

They continued moving, but soon more slime roses floated around them—only now there were more shapes, different forms. Some looked like ribbons, softly brushing against Finn’s ankle. He couldn’t help but notice it all.

Seraphina, however, grew increasingly disturbed, unsure how to voice the unease knotting in her stomach.

Meanwhile, Finn kept walking forward, his eyes glued to the slime. He was drawn in, fascinated by the bizarre beauty and intricate shapes—who could have created such delicate art with something as gross as slime?

’It was simply magnificent!’

He felt a pang of guilt for leaving his little slime friend behind, but shrugged it off. It was just a slime. Wait, what was he even thinking?

He hated slime! After everything, why was he suddenly so captivated?

"I hate slime! What am I doing?!" Finn muttered in disbelief, stopping dead in his tracks.

Then it hit him—he realized where he’d been walking all this time. The slime weren’t just random blobs floating around.

They’d been arranging themselves... guiding him.

And that "somewhere" they’d been leading him to was right ahead.

Finn stared forward, a sinking feeling settling in his gut. How dumb had he been to follow them without question?

But even with the alarm bells ringing, part of him was oddly calm — like this whole twisted slime dance was somehow meant for him, like he was a puzzle piece fitting into a sick, slimy jigsaw.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, bracing himself for whatever came next.

Because he now stood where they had been leading him...