The ordeal with the scholars trapped in slime was over, Plague, with the help of Blue Raspberry, had managed to free the three from a gruesome death. It seemed there was more to be done however, for as the researchers went on their way back to their homes, they had informed the duo about the direction an Elder Ooze had been seen going. Apparently it was close and this trail was what was left of its passage. The masked woman really didnt think this day was going to turn out quite like this, and was even more excited now that she would most likely be meeting a grand elder slime. 

The armored knight, who admittedly had done most of the work, was now asking Plague if she wanted to assist them in finding the Ooze. If they could have seen her face they would have witnessed a girl filled with giddy excitement, although she was doing a good job at hiding her enthusiasm. She normally did not get along too well with others, and while her first impression was probably not the best, it was still exciting to be asked to help with such an endeavor. 

"Of course syr! I would love to track this big ol beauty down with you. I'm assuming if we just follow this trail we should stumble upon it right? Ooo i got an idea, how about you lead the way, since you can eat slime afterall, and i will protect the rear from bad guys. "

It would have seemed odd after how she treated the scholars, but Plague was now acting like a small child who was way to excited to track down an Ooze.

"Yeah, that's a great idea! I can clear the path, easy!" they responded just as enthusiastically.

Plague's excitement may have been contagious, as Blue Raspberry seemed just as excited and giddy as she did. They were happy to take the lead, quickly walking along the trail of bubbling slime, eating a clear path through it, with the masked woman right behind them. They were following the green ooze road, off to see the elder ooze, the wonderful elder ooze, in the Marsh Flats! They almost wanted to link arms with her as they walked, but wasn't sure she would accept that.

They actually weren't sure exactly why they were eating a path through the slime instead of just walking alongside it like they'd done before, but they were too excited about meeting someone who liked oozes to really think much about it. This would be much faster if they weren't in their armor, at least. Plague seemed to like oozes much more than she liked people. Maybe she'd be willing to keep their real identity a secret. It at least would be nice to reveal that they were an ooze on purpose instead of the person just figuring it out because of their mistakes while trying to act human. Still, they wanted to be absolutely sure she wouldn't tell anyone about them.

"Hey, are you good at keeping secrets? I want to show you something, but you need to promise not to tell anyone."

It was extremely exciting, to ditch the annoying scholars and make a new friend who was just as excited to track an elder ooze as herself. After agreeing to work together, Blue Raspberry went to work clearing a path while Plague escorted from behind, making sure no others were following them. It was bound to be an odd sight, a suit of armor and a doctor walking through the center of a large slime trail. 

Many would have called the duo crazy, and well Plague was a bit out of her mind, but she had Blue, and armored knight with the ability to cast slime removing magic. Considering how the day started, she really couldnt have thought about a better situation. The trip itself went rather quickly, not having anyone nagging or bugging the knight made them move much quicker. As they continued Blue Raspberry eventually spoke back up, asking if she could keep a secret, admitting that they had something to reveal but needed it to remain a secret. 

curiosity crept in, she loved secrets and really wanted to know what such a brave, honorable knight had hidden deep down. Maybe they weren't really a knight, or maybe they were ugly underneath that helmet. With giddy excitement, Plague tried to contain herself. 

"Of course! I am the best secret keeper around. In fact, I have a secret of my own that I will share with you, but only if I deem your secret juicy enough."

"Okay!" Blue Raspberry replied excitedly.

They stopped clearing the path for a moment and faced Plague. They were happy that she could keep a secret. Now they felt much safer revealing this to her, and they'd even learn a secret about her in return. As long as them actually being an ooze was a juicy enough secret for her. Well, oozes are pretty much living juice, right? This should be perfect for her requirements.

The blue ooze crept out of the gaps in the armor and slowly engulfed each piece, absorbing them into the goo and storing them away in some other space. The ooze grew into a shape that was vaguely humanoid, but devoid of any of the small details, like musculature or joints. Their limbs grew directly from their torso, no shoulder apparent. They resembled thick, blue noodles. They had no visible elbows or wrists. The arms were disproportionately long and ended in hands that had three fingers and a thumb while the legs were oddly short and simply ended in flat stumps. Their head looked as if it was modelled after Plague's mask, the front elongating into a point. Altogether, the ooze stood about seven feet tall.

"I'm actually an ooze. I really was eating the goo, not just making it disappear! Am I juicy enough? What's your secret?"

The armored knight completely stopped removing the ooze trail from the ground, now standing and facing the young girl as they prepared to divulge their secret. Plague stood there in disbelief and watched as a blue substance began to slowly ooze out from the joints of the armor, an odd slime like being completely consuming the suit and now standing there in full form, a perverbial ooze person so to say. If they could have seen her face underneath the mask, it would have been one of pure shock, her small child like mind still processing what it was she was seeing. 

"Holy hell, i knew it! you were eating that shit! So wait? You are actually an ooze? Woah, that explains a lot! So what is happening here, are you friends with this thing we are hunting? Orrr...is it part of your family?"

She was surprised to say the least. She had been working along side an ooze person the entire time. She really didnt know what to do to be honest.

"That is crazy. Well i would love to show you my secret, but it would actually be rather dangerous for both of us. However once we find this big ol Ooze thing, i can show you what my secret is. "

"No, I don't know the elder ooze. Not all oozes know each other, you know. I don't think we're related... Maybe? Probably not, though. All the other oozes I've seen weren't as smart as me for some reason. None of them even tried pretending to be human. Wait! Unless they are and I just can't tell! Is every knight in full armor another ooze? Are you an ooze too!?"

Blue Raspberry thought about all the other oozes they'd seen which honestly wasn't that many. They'd only seen two. But neither of them seemed to be nearly as smart as Blue Raspberry, so they weren't exactly lying. They also didn't actually know why they were more intelligent than your standard ooze. Whatever those scientists had done to create them had been a mystery and the scientists were now dead, devoured and digested by the blue, raspberry-scented ooze.

"Hey, we're right here, you know." a voice spoke in the back of Blue Raspberry's mind.

Well, that probably wasn't important. What was important right now was learning Plague's secret that they had promised to share if the ooze's secret was juicy enough. And this ooze should definitely be juicy enough since they're basically an energy drink. That's practically fruit juice, but more squishy and energizing! Blue Raspberry listened excitedly for the masked woman to share her secret.

And was immediately disappointed. They drooped down sadly, but looked up again when Plague said she would share her secret once they find the elder ooze. Though they wondered why it would be dangerous to show that they were also an ooze in disguise.

"Then let's go see them as soon as possible! I want to see it! You can ride on my back, it'll be faster." Blue Raspberry exclaimed in a bit of a rush before their body morphed and shifted yet again, this time taking the form of a giant wolf. After a moment, the outermost layer of their good changed color and texture, matching that of the grey fur and a normal-looking dire wolf with electric blue eyes lied down in front of Plague.

"Sadly i am not an ooze, i was not blessed with such luck upon my birth. However it is amazing to know one, i didn't think Ooze's were able to speak. "

She was still very much excited to have learned that Blue Raspberry was an ooze, it changed the whole situation. She was now determined to befriend this person, making an alley out of the creature was something she would cherish for a long time. They were slowly making their way along the trail as a collection of trees began to come into view. A small patch of forest littered out here among the fields. The trail led right towards the trees, and was the most likely place for the elder to be hiding.

As Blue Raspberry suggested they hurry then, obviously eager to learn what her own secret was, the blue slime began to once again transform, this time taking on the odd shape of a wolf, with grey fur forming on their back. Yet another surprise buried deep beneath the gooey surface. With excitement rising towards the surface the masked woman slowly climbed atop the wolf ooze, unsure if it was safe or not. So far they have had a decent interaction though, so she had no reason to believe this knight meant her any harm.

"I've never ridden an ooze wolf before, not really sure how this works. "

She lightly chuckled, half as a joke and half as complete truth. But despite that, she was eager to venture forth and discover what other secrets were waiting for them inside the trees.

With plague on their back, they began running toward the elder ooze, following their slimy remnants. They didn't even have to try to use their superior wolf sense of smell that they certainly must have in this form thanks to such an easy to follow trail. Though, they definitely could have, for sure.

Quickly, the trail lead into the trees and swampy ground of the Marsh Flats, no longer the grassy fields of the Luna Valley where the two had become acquainted. The elder ooze shouldn't be too far. However, the ground became a bit more difficult to traverse. The space between the trees was too narrow in some places for the giant ooze wolf, making them go around at some points and even double back to stay on the trail of ooze. The ground was also squishy and the ooze was much heavier like this, causing them to sink into the muck. It might be a bit easier if they changed into something else, or maybe the two would just have to walk together, the ooze having to resume their humanoid shape.

They looked over their shoulder, their head turning a bit farther than one might expect a wolf's neck to be capable of, and looked at Plague. Their head tilted, trying to silently ask what she'd prefer. For some reason, they just couldn't talk when they took on an animal shape. Maybe because animals can't talk? Either way, they needed advice and weren't quite sure how to ask for it like this. 

The next several minutes were fun and exciting, speeding through the open fields on oozy wolf back, headed right towards the forested tree line. The excitement continued to well up inside the young woman as they finally breached the forest, the environment quickly transitioning from flat easy to traverse fields to muddy, thick, dense swampland. 

As they continued to push deeper it became obvious that this type of terrain was starting to wear on Blue Raspberry, the combination of mud, brush, and narrow tree lines made it hard to stay on track, sometimes getting pushed away from the ooze trail. It also could have been a sign of fatigue, she had no idea how long a slime could go carrying a grown adult on their back. 

As the wolf looked back towards her, it became obvious that they needed a rest. Tapping the top of the creatures back, Plague instantly slide of their back, the momentum of the run sending her sliding through the mud. It was fun to go speeding across the ground before coming to a stop. They were still next to the ooze trail, able to see it vanish into the dark part of the swamp. 

"Hey Blue, if ya need a rest I think we can walk the rest of the way, this seems like a good place for a giant Ooze to hide, we could be getting very close and may need as much energy as we can muster to calm the beastie down. "

Blue Raspberry transformed back into their humanoid form, but without their armor. They would have a much easier time in the swamp without the heavy armor making them sink down into the mud.

"Are you tired? I'm fine. I want to keep moving" they said to Plague a bit childishly.

They weren't tired from their travel thanks to not actually having any muscles that could grow tired. They wanted to go see the elder ooze and learn whatever secret Plague was going to show them. They didn't want to stop and rest and have to wait longer to find out.

The ooze walked through the muck, leaving a trail of cleaned off area that quickly refilled itself with the mud and dirty water. They made their way over to Plague who had slid a bit away and pulled a cup of blue liquid from their body, holding it out to her.

"If you're really tired, you can drink this. It'll make you feel better and then we can keep going to see the elder ooze. We won't have to stop and rest. I'll be fine." they offered, urging her to take the cup and drink it.

Though, if they actually were also an ooze in disguise, they weren't actually sure if this would help. Blue Raspberry didn't really feel energized from eating their own ooze. They'd tried it before and were left a little disappointed. All they did was reabsorb it. But other people had drank the living energy drink and felt good, so they knew if worked on them at least.

Plague looked at the bit of blue...liquid? Unsure if she should drink it or hang on to it for later, it could provide very useful for what she was planning to do. She took the blue Ooze that Blue raspberry offered her, a portion of them it seemed. Instead of drinking it, she placed the liquid in a glass vial that she kept on her body, tucking it away on her belt next to several other potions and bottles. She was good to and did not really need a rest, prepared for this moment and too excited to waste any more time.

"Thank you for that, I think I am fine for now, but I will keep it just in case things get hairy later, it might come in handy in a tight spot. "

Once the duo was ready, Plague sped forth, lightly jogging into the deepest part of the swamp, making sure Blue was with her. It did not take them very long to breech the thicket, bursting into a large clearing. It looked like an average swamp for the most part, thick mud, pools of water and exotic plant life. However the young woman paid no attention to any of that, for in the center of the clearing was a massive green Ooze, fifteen feet tall and huge, like a giant blob of snot just resting there in the mud.

This was it, the Elder Ooze, and exactly why she had come to this place. It pulsated and changed form over several seconds, just moving about minding its own business. This calmness would not last though, for as the duo would soon be detected by the creature. Plague looked to her blue ooze friend, grabbing a bottle of dark brown liquid from her belt. She uncorked it and began to drink, allowing the liquid to pass through the breathing cone on her mask.

Her body began to grow, the strength potion increasing both her muscle size and her raw strength. This was the first step, having now increased her ability to deal damage. As the effects began to consume her, Plague pulled another glass bottle from her hip, this one filled with thick, green liquid, like sludge from a sewer. She had only ever used this once before, and it had been an intense moment for everyone involved.

"Well here comes my secret. Once this potion takes effect I will not be a friend, you will need to get this creatures attention and let me at it! And no matter what, do not try to calm me down. "

The thick liquid passed through her mask and into her mouth, quickly consuming her entire being. In a matter of seconds the girls body began to twist and contort, her screams echoing out from underneath the cloth on her face. The leathers she wore quickly began to recede beneath and coat of dark black fur, her mask warping into the head of a large sewer rat. Ears popped up, whiskered grew and a long pink tail pushed forth from her body.

Now transformed, a large were rat with human like features stood there in the swamp. It was a sight to behold, a young girl now screeching in the afternoon air as the effects of her potion consumed both her body and mind. Red eyes would scan the forest, passing over the blob of blue goo, and instead landing on the massive green ooze. Rage, anger and hate began to course through her mind, all of the energy in the world bubbling beneath the surface, ready to explode at any moment.

Blue Raspberry watched Plague transform in amazement. They'd never seen anyone else change shape before. And they didn't even seem to be an ooze! So people other than the ooze could turn into animals? Blue Raspberry was lost in thought for a moment while Plague stared down the giant elder ooze that had noticed them both because of the screeching of the wererat next to the ooze.

It shot out four pseudopods at them, its amorphous body jiggling and sliming its way toward them. It was hard to tell the difference between the slimy trail it left behind and the natural swamp muck which mixed together. This whole clearing might be made of diluted acidic goop. Blue Raspberry couldn't really tell since they were an ooze themself, but Plague might be hurt.

Two of the pseudopods lashed out at Blue Raspberry while the other two went towards the Wererat. The blue ooze began to spark with electricity, arcs connecting between their fingers. When the pseudopods got close enough, the electricity began to arc onto them as well, making them flinch and try to recoil from the electric blue ooze. Before they could retreat, Blue Raspberry grabbed them both and held them, continuing to pump voltage through them and into the body of the elder ooze.

It seemed to be taking damage and was agitated and by the pain, but not defeated. More pseudopods began to emerge from its body, preparing to attack.

Plague's attention was focused, narrowed in. She did not recognize Blue Raspberry or even care about their presence. All the young woman cared about was the giant slimy creature in front of her. Strength and rage pumped through her body, bloodshot eyes narrowed in on the beast as four ooze like pseudopods shot out towards the duo. Two of the long sticky arms headed towards the blue ooze, but she cared not for what happened to them at the moment, her only desire was the clash with the Elder.

In an instant Plague dropped to all fours and began to speed across the marsh, ignoring the sticks, rocks and ooze that tore at her ankles. She ignored the pain, pushed the fear from her mind and instead barreled towards her prey with nothing but anger driving her forward. Two more long pseudopods flew towards her, attempting to slam into her body and restrain the were rat. Instead she reacted, leaping into the air and catching both of the tendrils with her own hands. Using the momentum of the jump she soared towards the Elder Ooze, dragging its limbs with her, pulling and tearing. 

Now standing face to face with the Ooze, Plague growled and snapped, using all of her force she tugged on the now slacked pseudopods, causing immense stress and strain on the creature. It's ooze began to burn and eat away at the top layer of her flesh, but she cared for none of that, ignoring the pain and instead prepared to tear into the Ooze. 

As Plague tore into the elder ooze, globs of the acidic goo landed all around and splattered across the ground. The stuff mixed with the sludge and gunk of the marshy area, further increasing the acidity already brought on by the ooze's trail diluting itself with the water and soil. The surrounding plants began to wither and dissolve into the sludge, the tree roots being eaten away and weakening the tree's stability. Several trunks of dead trees started to tilt toward the massive ooze, creaking and groaning, their branches slowly closing the opening above like a gnarled aperture.

Blue Raspberry noticed their feet starting to sizzle and be eaten away by the acid and quickly stepped up onto a nearby rock, the pseudopods of the elder ooze still in their grasp, electricity still being pumped through them and into the creature. The ooze grew weaker as they became more numb from the shocks to whatever kind of nervous system it possessed, making it easier for the wererat to tear into it.

Blue Raspberry looked with worry toward Plague, standing in the middle of this danger zone. Not only were they worried for their friend's safety, but they also worried that the elder ooze might not be safe. They needed to take it alive, and Plague didn't seem capable of stopping her rabid assault on it. The massive ooze had shrunk quite a bit from all of its mass being torn and gouged away by the wererat's claws. Soon, it may not even be much taller than the armor that Blue Raspberry was wearing.

"Plague! Stop! You'll kill it!" Blue Raspberry shouted to her from their perch, hoping the wererat could hear them.

But there was another problem. How were they actually going to capture the thing?

It was nearly impossible to focus on anything else, her savage rage taking control as Plague just tore into the beast, swiping back and forth as small chunks of the creature were torn away. She had no idea how effect she was being or how injured it already was due to Blue Raspberries electric attacks. All she knew in this moment was that there were enemies present and she needed to kill them. Luckily for everyone involved, the blue slimes voice barely managed to peak through, scrapping the back of her conscious as they warned her, calling out to cease attacking. The Elder Ooze had already suffered a lot of damage right up front, and since they needed to take it alive, there was no sense in continuing the attack. 

Plague was not done though, the anger welling up inside her was not yet appeased. As the Blue Oozes voice entered her mind, the Were rat instantly stopped, turned and glared at her comrade. But she did not see a friend in this moment, and instead saw a hinderance, someone trying to halt her goals. With a blood curdling snarl Plague abandoned the Elder Ooze and started running towards Blue Raspberry, claws and fangs flashing forward as she attempting to pounce on them. The bottoms of her feet and her claves were starting to bleed, the acid from the area eating away at her flesh, but she paid no mind, pushing the pain from her mind as she closed in on Blue.