A/N: The main character, Keiran, uses he/him pronouns. He is an intersex trans man with both a vagina and penis. The words used to describe his genitals are hole, front hole, dick, cock, and cocklet. If this makes you uncomfortable do not continue.
The rolling hills of Ceinmoore were verdant and bright this time of year. As Keiran leaned back on his elbows, he watched waves of grass shimmer in the sunlight. His horse was a few meters away, tied to a lone, scrubby tree on the hillside. He had no need of its shade as he lay nude under the shining sun.
It was a beautiful day, one Keiran was content to spend lounging around without his usual armor. There were monsters in these parts, so he was not entirely safe, but few would approach in such an open area in the middle of the day. The dark elf took a sip from his canteen. A few drops escaped the corner of his mouth, spilling down onto his warm brown chest. He did not bother to wipe it away. It quickly evaporated in the summer heat.
The green valley stretched out on either side of him, following the winding river that weaved through the hills. Keiran stretched out on the soft lambgrass a few meters above the riverbank. He smiled as the soft tufts brushed his sides and face. His hair splayed out in a halo of dark curls under his head. The elf turned his head to the side, pressing his face into his arm to block the sun. Each movement was accompanied by a soft, lazy groan.
It had been nearly a week without a job. Keiran was by no means well off. He would rather have a bowl of stew in an inn than another moore hare cooked over a campfire, but he appreciated the quiet times when he could retreat from civilization.
The hunter rolled over onto his chest to sun his back as well.
He laid out in the grass for a few hours, soaking up the heat. It was only when his stomach started to growl that he accepted he would need to go hunting. By then, it was early afternoon.
Keiran sat up and stretched his arms up toward the sky. His spine cracked and he sighed as it settled back into place. He stood and wiped any remaining bits of grass and dirt off his skin.
His horse lifted his head in mild interest, then went back to tearing greenery from the ground once Keiran walked past him.
His clothes were hung from the lowest branches of the tree. They were still slightly damp from his attempts at washing them in the nearby river that morning. Still, he dressed himself for entering the woods. The dusty rose linen clung to his shoulders and chest, and water darkened his pants around the ankles. His boots stayed folded against the trunk.
Keiran often preferred to go barefoot, only owning shoes for the sake of his trade. Monsters took any uncovered flesh as a weak spot. He would be safe for hunting in the daytime, though.
He slipped his quiver over his shoulder and grabbed the bow from beside his bedroll. He gave his horse a quick pat on the shoulder and walked up the hill toward the tree line. There would be better hunting up in the forest.
The elf passed under the oaks and maple trees like a shadow, dark and silent. His long elven ears perked up at the sounds of birds twittering in the branches above. He crouched down low and slowed down once he caught the rustling of leaves up ahead.
Keiran crept forward, his bow ready in front of him. He kept his eyes on the gently shaking limbs. There was a moment of pause, then a blur of red fur burst through the leaves, bleating in a panic. Keiran tried to aim at the rapidly fleeing deer, but it was gone by the time he had drawn back the arrow. Its footsteps quickly faded away.
As he loosened his pull on the bowstring slowly, he realized the bushes were still trembling. The dark elf swung around and re-aimed at the bush. He expected another deer, maybe a wolf. Instead, a light green substance began to push through the leaves, and then envelope them.
Keiran stood and straightened his bow. Disgust contorted his face as a five-foot pile of slime dragged itself through the bushes and into the open. He cursed under his breath.
Of course, he would find a monster when he was least prepared to fight it.
His bow would be useless against the slime. Its translucent body revealed the remains of clothing inside of it, as well as a few partially dissolved arrows similar to his own. He would need fire to kill a slime like this.
Keiran tried to step back from the slime, hoping he had not caught its attention just yet. His hopes were dashed as the blob swung its dribbling body toward him. Drops of goo landed centimeters from his feet and he took another step away. That only seemed to encourage the slime, which began convulsing and inching its way toward him.
"Oh dear."
Keiran had no intentions of becoming this thing's dinner. He turned and ran.
The slime burbled angrily at losing its easy meal. It gave chase, slinging out long lines of goo and pulling itself forward. A few nearly came close to catching his feet as he ran.
He jumped over tree roots and fallen logs, and all the while the slime followed. The elf was nearly out of breath by this point, but he did not give up. The tree line was just in sight, and soon he broke through it. His bare feet hit the lush lambgrass once more, but his ankle rolled under him. Keiran fell down the suddenly steep slope. He failed to catch himself with his arms, scraping the backs of his forearms as he slid down.
When the terrain evened out he rolled to a stop. With a grunt of pain, he pulled himself up and dusted off his shirt. The grass had stained his sleeves and the knees of his trousers. He wasn't far from his horse, but he had no scroll or bottle in his packs with which to fight the slime-- and it would be too dangerous to lead it to the tied mare.
Keiran instead turned to the river. He picked up his pace as he heard the slime gurgle and slap the ground behind him. Mud squished between his toes, but was soon washed away by the fast current.
He turned to see if the slime still followed, but it was nowhere to be found. Only a trail of ooze down the hill remained in its wake. He glanced around nervously. If it had followed him in, he could not see it among the river.
Perhaps it had been washed away by the current?
The elf took a step toward the shore, and suddenly the water turned thick around his feet. He yelped as his legs pulled out from under him, and he landed chest-first on a wobbling surface of slime. Strands reached up around him and latched onto his arms, his shoulders.
Keiran realized with horror he'd fallen into a horrifically stupid trap. He kicked and thrashed, but the slime monster only held on tighter. Its thick green goo pulsed around him as it dragged him into its body.
There was little he could do to escape its grasp, especially as it tried to plug his mouth and nose to suffocate him. Keiran's lungs burned, and his heart was racing with fear and adrenaline.
"Get off me," he yelled into the goop invading his mouth, and it quivered in a way that made him nauseous. His arms were sucked into its mass, and the slime began to move around him.