I was just another adventurer from the region, walking the road on a typical day, earning my keep. Honestly? Adventuring wasn't all that bad - decent pay, a bit of danger, but mostly peaceful. The sun warmed my back as I traveled, the sound of birds chirping in the trees beside the road. A light breeze carried the scent of wildflowers from the nearby fields.

Then I saw him. A gooid, maybe a half demon. The translucent blue-green substance of his body shifted and rippled in the sunlight as he sat. His form was roughly humanoid but lacked distinct features, constantly flowing and changing slightly with each movement.

In this world, gooids are usually seen as monsters — evil slimes, dripping chaos. But that's just a stereotype. Turns out, they have feelings too... no matter how sticky or squishy they are. I'd heard rumors from other adventurers who'd encountered unusual gooid behavior, but never believed them until now.

This one? He was sitting casually on a weathered wooden bench beside the road. Eating a potato. The villagers had fled from the small rest stop, leaving their belongings behind in their haste to escape what they perceived as certain death.

He didn't seem to care that his presence was freaking everyone out. Like he belonged there. Like this was normal. The gooid glanced at me calmly as I approached, his form rippling slightly as he let out a long sigh, and said:

"So... are you gonna try to kill me or what, tough guy?""I'm literally just eating a potato, y'know?""I'm not in the mood to kill you."

He looked calm, completely nude not that he had any distinct features to cover, just eating his potato as if this were the most normal thing in the world. It was my choice - make him my companion or kill him as my training dictated.