Beist quickly walked out the door of the bed and breakfast, ooze in a barrel securely held between his upper left arm and lower left arm. After the effort of getting it into the barrel, he didn't want it to get loose because he dropped it, especially not in the middle of the village.

This mission was far more important than the previous two. Why on Charon Lloyd had put it at the bottom of the list, Beist had no idea. Did he think stopping an elder ooze from leaving a slimy trail of destruction across two regions wasn't as important as taking some notes about an ooze's reproductive habits? Even as a fellow scholar and ooze enthusiast, Beist couldn't believe this.

"An elder ooze is quite a bit larger than a normal ooze. It's lived a very long time without budding into more oozes, and eaten enough to reach a massive size. They're extremely dangerous and can cause serious damage to the environment and to people." Beist explained to Percy as he walked out of town and found a nice, open area.

"We have no time to walk. We'll have to fly."

With a quick tap to one of the gold charms hanging from his horns, a large griffon suddenly appeared and looked down at Beist with a short trill. Beist reached up and scratched her feathery neck with a smile, but he couldn't show the big griffon some love for very long. There was some urgent business to take care of.

"Dora, this is Percy. We need to fly fast. Urgent business to deal with." Beist said as he climbed onto Dora's back. Dora laid down to make it easier for him, and once he was settled, he looked to Percy.

"Well, climb on. We need to hurry. Dora doesn't mind."

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Oozegon Trail
Chapter: Three
Description: A massive elder Ooze has been spotted moving through out Charon, and leaving behind a massive trail of acidic, toxic slime in its wake. Many hunters and scholars have been using this trail to track the elder creature in the attempt to study it, however there has been no luck in ding the beast so far. Unfortunately a group who was studying the Ooze have found themselves trapped in the trail of slime and are unable to get out. The trail is 20 feet wide, a foot deep and extremely acidic, beginning to eat away at their clothing. We fear the scholars will die and any information they have gathered on the Elder Ooze will vanish with them. We need you to rescue them secure their data.
Requirements:
- Requires at least two people (you and one other)
- You must make at least 6 post to complete the mission with each post being at least 200 words
- Must rescue the scholars from the slime trail
- Must not get stuck and die yourself
- Once you complete this mission you gain access to chapter four. (which needs to be a separate topic)

---

Bringing Pets
Griffon (Sleigh Bell) in pet pocket
Woolful (My Best Friend) in space pocket
Mephit (Stables) in space pocket
Snow Owl in pet pocket

Oh sure run around on the land for a couple days, now get in the sky. Percy grimaces as he looks at the Griffon. He wasn't afraid of heights or flying, but it was his least favorite method of travel. He could manage land and see being part person and part shark. None of him was an aerial creature, so he would grumble and get on.

"So we finally gettin to kill somethin' er what? Sounds like this ain't something that's gonna just get shoved into a barrel...and I figured ye ain't got a big enough barrel tucked away in wherever the hells ye pulled this ride out of."

Percy hated having to shout over the wind, but damn was this griffon fast. At the very least it meant he wouldn't be stuck in the sky for too long. Though Dora might not appreciate the death grip the triton has on her feathered fur. The silver lining for both of them was that traveling and living on the sea meant he didn't get motion sickness. Though the meals of alcohol, steak, and cheese-stuffed bread didn't make this a comfortable ride for him.

"Can ye get this thing to move any faster? I'd like to be done flyin ASAP as possible."

"No, we don't have to kill it. We don't have to shove the entire thing into a barrel, it can be reduced in size by removing some of its excess mass to allow us to contain-" Beist started to explain, but thought Percy might understand better if he spoke more plainly. "Cut some chunks off of it until we can fit it in the barrel."

Dora looked back over her shoulder with an angry screech and glared at Percy. Beist gave her some pats on the side and then also looked over his shoulder at Percy.

"She's not a thing or a ride and its very rude for you to call her that. Her name is Dora and she is one of my companions. You should be more polite to her for letting you ride on her back. She only did it because I asked her to, but I won't force her to if she refuses." Beist shouted over the wind to Percy with an attitude that he'd never shown Percy so far. He thought the Triton had been rude before, but he'd excused it in the name of working together. However, he wouldn't tolerate such treatment of any of his beloved companions. He treasured them far more than the Wereshark.

Dora narrowed her eyes and then looked forward again. She was already flying as fast as she could with two passengers on her back. If Percy did anything else to upset her, she had half a mind to just buck him off despite Beist's likely protests. She was too proud to let herself be called a thing or be reduced to just some ride.

While they were flying, the trail of ooze the elder ooze had left behind came into view down below them. A nearly straight line of slimy sludge that had replaced the grass and wildflowers in the valley.

"Well it ain't like I feckin knew it...she, feck, sorry, I didn't know SHE could understand me, sorry! I work better with fish and shite, birds and...well ye ain't a bird, but I ain't keen on yer kind...Seagulls can be right pricks, but you're better than that."



It was sort of an apology, sort of nonsense rambling, but it was probably the best Percy could muster in the moment. He was concerned with not falling off and dying at the moment. Percy squinted and searched the ground below, patting Beist's shoulder and pointing out the trail of slime.



"Aye, if ye can get me close enough I can handle to ooze shite, keep ye both from getting covered. An' you!" He pats Dora. "Anything I can bring ye back as an apology?"



Do griffons like chasing sticks? He could find a nice stick....maybe a shiny stone. Whatever. He'd have to rely on Beist for a translation if Dora was amenable to being bribed into friendship. Percy readied for a quick drop off though, half expecting the griffon to just turn and dumb him into the dirt.


Either way, he was ready to tuck and roll after this ooze. Punching and breaking things was his forte so the ooze should be easy work.

Dora let out a short screech and Beist let out a chuckle before looking at Percy.

"She said her favorite food is fish." He interpreted for Percy. Whether that was a thinly veiled threat or an actual request for what he could bring her as an apology, even Beist wasn't sure. He'd just delivered the message he'd been asked to.

Percy was ready to go, prepared to fight the elder ooze, but before it was even in sight something else caught Beist's eye. Down in the middle of the trail of slime, three figures were waving frantically. Beist gave Dora a pat on the shoulder and pointed down. She descended, landing off to the side of the goo trail in the grass before folding her wings up at her sides.

Beist slid off and onto his feet, the barrel containing the ooze from the inn's cellar still under one arm. Before he could even approach the three individuals in the middle of the ooze's trail, they already began shouting and calling out to the group that had suddenly arrived.

"Please, help us! We're stuck in here!" One of them called out while waving his arms.

"We can't move!" Another one shouted, sounding panicked.

"It's starting to burn!" The third shouted to them while looking down at his feet, trying in vain to tug them out of the sticky slime.

"Oh dear. Don't worry, we'll help you!" Beist responded, shouting back to them over the bubbling goo. He realized it might be rude to volunteer to do something without asking his current partner, but he couldn't just leave these people like this.

Unknown to Dora, Percy's favorite food was chicken so they could end up in a real scrap trying to eat each other if it come to it. Percy is ready to jump but seeing as they just land he opts not to tumble into the dirt.

He sighs seeing the people caugh in the ooze. Bunch of idiots. Who gets trapped in goo? It isn't like the elder moves incredibly fast from what they've seen.

"Well...yer fecked, any last words fer yer loved ones?"

"SAVE US YOU JERK" The three seem to yell out in total unison.

"Ok well not if yer gonna be rude about it." Percy put his hands on his hips looking down to Beist. "Ain't much I can really do 'cept just feckin wade in there meself..Probably can take the brunt o' the burns, but eh....savin' drownin people is tricky enough. If that shite's acid, then I ain't walkin in there to pull them out. Ye got rope?"

Percy opens his jacket just to show he really doesn't have much else when it comes to equipment. He has his mace and his clothes, that's about it. With a rope he could pull them out quick enough, but going out there and having them panic and drown him in acid isn't high on his list of things to do.

"Oh, don't tease them." Beist told Percy with a huff. How rude to say something like that to them. They were stuck in a bad situation, they didn't need to be mocked for it. Though, honestly, Beist also wondered just how they'd gotten themselves glued smack dab in the middle of the elder ooze's slime trail. Questioning them about their actions could wait until after they were rescued though.

"We don't have any rope." One of the trapped people replied sadly.

"I've got this bit of wire." Another one added.

"And how is wire going to help us? They can't pull us out of here with wire!" The third berated the first, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"No, I haven't got any rope, I'm afraid." Beist replied as he stroked his beard, trying to ignore their shouting and actually think of a way to get these people out while they bickered with each other. The ooze trail was only about ten feet wide. About the same width as the elder ooze must have been when it passed through here. That meant the trapped people were only about five feet away from the edge of the slime.

"I think I could just pull them out. I'll have to lean over the slime trail though, so it would be helpful if you'd keep a grip on me and keep me from falling over." Beist said, looking to Percy.

"Wire might cut yer heads clean off, clear ye ain't usin yer feckin brains if ye get caught in feckin ooze." Percy mutters to himself as he looks around for anything that might help them.

He could try and rip a tree out of the ground....that could be fun. At least he would be less mad doing something stupid and reckless....but where these idiots worth the trouble? The shark wasn't sure.

Maybe if they waited just a bit longer, the guys would die then Percy could hoist them out for Dora to snack on. Ah but then he'd have to rinse them off so Dora doesn't eat ooze which would also be a pain in the ass. All of this is a pain in the ass.

"Just keep yer healin ready fuzzball, I'll fish them out and throw them on shore....at least if I fall in and melt the world ain't losin much, ye seem like ye might actually be good fer all the shite happenin here."

Percy doesn't wait around for agreement as he tosses his jacket aside and start to wade into the slime trail. Thankfully, it isn't deep, but it does burn.

"All right hold still...QUIT GRABBIN." He growls at the men who start to cling to their savior. Percy grabs one by his scruff and tosses him back onto shore. It's unceremonious, but better than melting.

"My healing? Oh, of course, healing any burns from the acid should be simple enough once I get them out of- wait, what-?" Beist replied idly as he was about to change back into his true, much larger form and pluck the trapped three out of the sludge, but he looked to see Percy already wading out into it!

"What are you doing!?" Beist called out in surprise and a bit of panic. What if Percy also became trapped in the acidic ooze!? Then he'd have four people to rescue and no one to hold him and help him keep his balance. Well, maybe Dora could do it. Actually, she would probably be better at it anyways, being far heavier than the Triton. But still! This wasn't what Beist had in mind and was far more risky and definitely would end in more injury than his idea! But it was too late, Percy was already knee deep in the sludge and tossing the others over onto dry land.

With a resigned sigh, Beist tapped another gold charm dangling from his horn and a moment later a huge, fluffy green-wooled woolful appeared with a bleat.

"Leon, please heal their legs." Beist asked the woolful and it gave another bleat, looking to the man on the shore. His pants had been completely eaten away from the knees down and his boots were hardly recognizable anymore. Thankfully, the acid burns to his legs were minimal so far. If he'd stayed much longer, he likely would have needed more powerful healing magic than Leon could provide. The acid of the ooze trail was much milder than the acid of the ooze itself.

---

Woolful- Minor Healing

"Hold on....just....I need...OI FECKIN CALM DOWN" Percy struggled with the bedside manner part of saving people, but the two researchers pawing at him and almost pulling him into the sludge was grating.

He grimaced as he resisted the urge to dunk them both in head first and holding them awhile. Begrudgingly, he would instead yank them from the sludge and carry them both underarm like the prized pig at the fair.

It slowed him down some, but they were at least no longer in danger. The triton deposits them into the grass with a huff next to their friend. His hands and legs burn as he tries to flick off the ooze in the other direction.

"Get them first, sounds like they ain't used to pain an' I'm sick o' the wailin." Percy grumbled as he continued scrapping ooze from his skin. Well, these boots were ruined...pants too probably, but he can steal some more of those.

"Gonna have to wait on the fish there Dora, this river aint good fer that. Ain't really keen on feed ye anything from there." He puts his hands on his hips and looks to Beist. "What are we doin with them after this is over? Take'em back to town's probably safest, but I'm guessin we ain't gonna let the big fecker just roam free."

Beist and Leon were already moving to take care of the last of the rescued people's injuries before Percy had said anything. Leon used his healing magic on their acid-burned legs, their skin regenerating where it had been eaten away by the slime trail. None of the burns went deep enough to require much more powerful healing, thankfully. It seemed like Beist and Percy had arrive just in time to spare them from serious injury.

"So, what were you three even doing in that ooze trail? How did you even get stuck in the middle of it?" Beist asked curiously. With the urgency of the situation dying down now that they weren't in danger of being dissolved, he couldn't help but want to know how this situation had even come to be.

"We were trying to get some samples. The slime around the edges is all too diluted to study, so we went to get some from the middle, but..." One of them started, but dropped his head in shame.

"The slime in the middle was a lot thicker and we got stuck. We're slime researchers, trying to study the elder ooze that passed through here. It's what made this trail."

"Oh yes, we were already aware of the elder ooze. We were on our way toward it when we saw you stuck there." Beist said with a nod before smiling. "Oh, but if you're slime researchers, you can have this! Take it off our hands for us."

Beist placed the barrel containing the trapped ooze on the ground where it wobbled slightly from the struggles within.

"An ooze we removed from a cellar."

Beist turned back to Percy as the researchers inspected the barrel.

"Well, we should get going. There's still an elder ooze to stop. Here."

Beist pulled a towel out of his belt pouch that definitely was too large to fit inside it, especially with all the other things he'd pulled out and put back into it, and handed it to Percy.

"I don't think Dora would be very happy if you got on her back with all that slime on your legs."

"Tie your shite to a stick next time."

The researchers look amongs each other like they hadn't thought of that. Percy just sighs and refocuses back on Beist, scratching his chin idly as he does.

"Gonna be a pain in the arse fightin that thing, I can wear it down, but it's gonna wear me down based on the feckin juice its leavin behind. Ye got any ideas?" He didn't gesture to his destroyed clothing, but it was obviously it would be a war of attrition if he was to try and go toe to toe with the elder ooze. For once, it was a fight Percy wasn't exactly looking forward to.

Beist had pretty much seen the limit of what the shark is capable of. He was a physical, up close fighter and there wasn't much beyond that. Percy did know the fuzzball had plenty of tricks though. If either of them were going to have a plan to beat this thing, it was going to be the one who could read well.

He holds out a hand to decline the towel, "I'll be honest I think I'm good on flyin today, unless absolutely necessary, I'm pretty quick on land surprisingly."

"Oh, hm."

Beist was a bit caught off guard by Percy's refusal to fly on Dora anymore. They didn't really get along that well, but he'd thought they got along well enough. All the banter between them was just harmless teasing wasn't it? Maybe Percy really just didn't like flying. Beist wasn't the most comfortable person in the air either, but flying was the fastest way to travel and they needed to move fast if they wanted to stop the elder ooze as soon as possible.

The researchers were all healed up, so Beist sent Leon back into his pocket space and then shared a look with Dora and hesitantly sent her back to her own pocket space as well. If Percy refused to ride her any longer, he couldn't force him even if he felt they'd get there much faster on her, which of course, he thought was indeed absolutely necessary.

"Very well, I suppose... If you're sure. We'll think of plans for how to deal with the elder ooze on the way. Are you going to just... run there?"

Percy had just said he could move pretty fast on land, but how exactly did he mean that? Was his plan to just start running? How were they planning to fight if they were completely out of breath by the time they were face to slime with the elder ooze? There was still a ways to go to reach it judging from the ooze trail that continued on past the horizon.

Percy is quiet for a moment watching two animals just kind of get absorbed into Beist. Magic is weird. He cracks his knuckles and neck as the researchers sat on the solid earth catching their breath.

"Ye didn't have to ye know, fish just ain't exactly known fer bein in the air...feels unnatural fer some reason, I ain't feckin know." He pauses a moment before looking to the researchers. "Oi...where was this thing goin?"

They look amongst each other a moment before shrugging, "We just wanted samples, we figured if it was going anywhere dangerous we could just get out of the way."

"Look how that turned out....feckin idiots." Percy sighs, "Well if it's like any other beastie it's probably searchin fer somewhere to rest, something to eat, er someone to....well it ain't doin that so eat or sleep is the options."

Once he feels loosened up from dragging those scholars out and the burning sensation subsides he turns towards the path of ooze in front of them. The only benefit right now was it did not seem necessary to track this thing since they could just follow the trail.

"I'd be a lot faster if it was near deep enough waters, but aye, just gonna start running. If ye wanna fly above to scout er whatever else ye might have in yer apparently magical pockets, go ahead. Ye already know I ain't got much to offere 'ere beyond just fightin the thing."

"Well alright then. I'll fly ahead and try to make a plan of action before you arrive then. It should be easy to follow the trail even if we're separated." Beist reasoned. He couldn't force Percy to fly if he didn't want to, though he definitely wouldn't arrive as fast. He didn't know how quickly Percy could run, but he really doubted it was as fast as a griffon could fly.

"You can still keep the towel." He added as he climbed onto Dora's back. Disregarding not wanting to get the slime all over Dora, having acidic slime all over his legs couldn't be healthy. He had plenty of towels stored away in his bag, which was indeed magical and able to hold much more than it looked like it should have been able to. He found Percy's remark about his magic pockets amusing.

Beist held on as Dora took off, following the trail of the elder ooze eastward, toward the Marsh Flats, leaving Percy to make his own way there.