Lord of the green slimes

This was an artwork done for Nimratu :)

"In the far reaches of the fetid basin, near the fallen kingdom a group of fortune seekers hack away at the rotwoods. The group of four mumble and grunt, barely speaking to one another as they progress at a painfully slow pace through the wet and cold swamplands. And the stench, it leaves no room for imagination why it is called the fetid basin, the rare spot that doesn't stink, being more of a curse than a boon, serving only to remind them of the smell once it inevitably returns. Their goal, the fallen kingdom a venerable treasure trove just waiting for someone bold enough to claim it all. It would still be at least several days until they reach it. Some days they'd only be able to traverse a mile, maybe two, the treacherous terrain requiring the construction of makeshift rafts or slow and careful plodding through waist deep mire which would freeze a dragonoid to the bone.

Their movement was slowed down by their party size, albeit small, they had run into another adventurer, traveling alone. A large dragonoid by the name of Nimratu who was also heading towards the kingdom, passing them five days ago, practically zooming across the landscape, covering three miles a day, or even four. Nimratu would not reach the central kingdom, they would discover something in one of the nearby townships which would change them. It wouldn't be long till this group would pass through that sinking hamlet too.

Blessing the stars as they enter the crumbling town, it isn't much, but at least some of the buildings and constructions could provide some more comfortable lodging than the cold ground. However the silhouettes of the long abandoned buildings against the foggy swamp creates an unsettling silhouette and they carefully enter, making sure there isn't anything surprising awaiting them. Once sufficiently satisfied that there aren't any beasts in the building or that it wont collapse on top of them, they settle down for the night inside one of the more central buildings, a structure that appears to be an old place of worship for Umi, the moon goddess. Despite having traveled a few days together already, they set their sleeping bags quite afar from each other.

They didn't know Nimratu was still within this town.

Barely getting any shut eye as they are awoken by one of their group cursing and calling out to them. To their horror the green slime which they had thought only to exist inside the central kingdom was here too and was currently absorbing one of them. In the scant light from the moon they could see even more of them stuff oozing from in between the floorboards. The slime was slowly enveloping the floor, and would surely swallow their gear and them too, if they didn't act now. scooping up all of their belongings which they are able, they rush outside, all of them managing to get out, the one member of the party being able to quickly remove gear that was engulfed by the slime.

Outside, safety wouldn't await them as now they heard the deep and guttural voice of the changed dragonoid.

"Comme... Shed your bodies and join uss...unite with our mass, for that's all you are worth, to come thiss far from your homess..."

The beast was huge, easily twice the size of any member in the party, as it moved through the mired landscape with brutish ease. With their equipment completely in disarray, the group didn't stand a chance as the slime beast added each one of them to his legion of thralls. In only a few moments, where there stood only one, now stood five beasts, not moving towards the fallen kingdom where they were thought to have been contained, but outwards, back towards where the adventurers had come from."