Chapter Three: Sludgy

Sludgy

Night had fallen, Sparks, Eldwin, and Matlus set up camp alongside the base of the waterfall it was a long climb down but they made it. Eldwin had collected the firewood by his Lord Sparks’s orders of course, Matlus wrote down he needed matches in his notebook and they materialized in his hands, he explained to his two traveling companions that he could only make objects with normal or magical properties not conjure up the powers of the elements.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, why were you this far away from XnoSnow?” questioned Eldwin.

Matlus looked at the fire and then down at his hands, “I’m looking for someone dear to me, that I lost a long time ago.”

Sparks asked if it was a friend of his, to which Matlus replied “Yeah a very dear friend of mine.” Eldwin asked where Matlus last saw his friend, “I last saw him being dragged away by a group of bandits, I don’t even know if he is still alive.” A few tears formed in Matlus’s eyes, Eldwin reached to wipe them away, “Don’t f*****g touch me!” Eldwin quickly pulled his hand back.

Suddenly a bubbling sound came from the river, something round started to rise from the center of the river, then eight long protrusions came from its sides, four of them came crashing down towards the party’s camp, Sparks pushed Eldwin and Matlus out of the way and just barely managed to avoid being crushed.

“What the hell is this thing?” Sparks yelled.

Eldwin ran behind a tree and peaked out to watch the showdown that was about to begin between his Lord and the monster. Matlus pulled out his pistol and wrote “Shocking Bullets” in his notebook and loaded the pistol with his materialized bullets, “It’s a Swept River Sludge-o-Pus, but everyone just calls him Sludgy because he is the only one of his species still alive.”

‘I don’t f*****g care what everyone calls him, he is about to be dead,” Sparks leaps into the air and downward slashes his sword towards Sludgy, one of his large mucky tentacles grabs Sparks by his legs and holds him upside down, he slowly lowers Sparks towards his mouth to consume him, “Hey Magic Notebook Kid!!, a little help!” Matlus rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, “Say Please.” Sparks’s eyes widen, “What?!” Matlus repeats, “Say Please and I’ll help you.” Sparks yells, “F**k no, I rather be eaten.” Matlus grins, “Hey it’s your funeral man” Matlus turns around and walks away from the side of the river, “Wait!, please help me!” Sparks whines, “Music to my ears.” Matlus says under his breath.

Matlus points his gun and aims for the inside of Sludgy’s mouth, “Thunder Shot!” a bolt of lightning shoots from the gun and zips into Sludgy’s mouth, this strike causes the monster to fling Sparks into the air, Eldwin rushes from behind the tree and catches his falling Lord, “Are you okay my Lord?” Sparks gives Eldwin a hate filled stare, “Shut up!” he smacks Eldwin causing him to drop him. “I’m sorry that I upset you master.”. Matlus watches as Sludgy retreats into the murky river once again, “I wonder what caused him to attack us?” Matlus thought.

The Party worn from the battle retires to their campsite and rekindles the fire; Matlus lies across a log that he dragged towards the fire, looking up at the sky, he is startled when he hears Eldwin speak to him, “This person really means the world to you, don’t they?” Matlus looks at him, ‘Yeah, I wanted to marry this person.” Eldwin sits in front of the log, “What were they like?” Matlus grins, “Funny, talented, with this beautiful smile, like something out of an oil painting.” Eldwin smiles, “Sounds like a real catch.” Matlus sits up, “So what is the deal with your relationship with Sparks?” Eldwin looks at Matlus confused, “What do you mean?” Matlus clears his throat, “How can you care about someone that domestically abuses you?” Eldwin begins to chuckle, “I’m not like that Matlus, I’m nothing more than Sparks’s man servant in debt to him.” Matlus becomes apologetic, “I’m so sorry, I thought there was more to you guys.” Eldwin laughs, “No nothing like that, I thought his wife how to dance.” Matlus smiles, “She must have had two left feet?” “Well actually I think sheep have hooves.” Matlus scratches his head, “His wife…..is a sheep?” “Yeah of course she is” Eldwin grins.

The two said goodnight to one another and Matlus looked up at the sky again, “I’ll find you one day, and when I do I’m never letting go ever again.” A tear slides down his check and lands on the grass below him.

Sparks wakes from his sound sleep and goes behind a tree to relieve himself, his urine splashes onto a small purple-mushroom and it begins to glow a faint green, something floats into Sparks’s face, “What the f**k are you?” the glowing green orb speaks, “My name is Butinn, the mushroom pixie.” Sparks looks at the green orb and turns around and walks away, “I need to stop smoking my mystic herb.” Butinn flies around him in circles and Sparks pulls a fly swatter from his belt loop and smacks the mushroom pixie causing it to fly into a tree and faint, “God that thing was annoying me.”

Eldwin rushes over to Sparks, “I saw what you just did master, how could you hurt that poor little bird?” Matlus squints his eyes and looks at Eldwin, “Eldwin that was a mushroom-pixie.” Eldwin looks at Matlus, “That’s what I said it’s a poor little robin.” Matlus begins to speak and then stops himself. Eldwin rushes over towards Butinn and picks the little pixie up, “Are you okay little birdie?” Butinn begins to float again, “Yes I am fine, that brute didn’t kill me.” Sparks rolls his eyes, “You’re just a figment of my imagination anyway so why does it matter?”

Butinn explains that he is in debt to Eldwin for waking him up from be fainted and owes him one life-sacrificing rescue, he vanishes leaving his protection spell on Eldwin so that if Eldwin has nobody to help him Butinn will appear to help the humble man servant.