The ceiling was dripping slime. Glowing slime.
I blinked, squinting. I wasn't hallucinating, right? I closed my eyes. By Sithis's shadow…
I opened them again; it was still there. I cursed. What the hell had caused this?
Green slime pooled on the grey stones of my workshop floor. I grimaced as it oozed over the metal of one of my summoning circles. That would be a pain to clean…
I made a gesture, casting an ice spell. The temperature abruptly dropped as the slime solidified and froze.
Another wave of my hand and the entire mess disappeared. The slime had stained the metal of my circles. I would have to recast them. I knelt beside the circle, muttering a string of curses under my breath as I began to pull up the metal strips.
"Papa?" Daris's voice came from the stairs behind me.
"What is it?" I asked, succeeding in removing one the circles and proceeding to the next.
"Um…what happened?"
"Not sure," I said, the metal of the second circle coming free with a scraping noise. The last circle shone an eerie green. I winced, the slime had somehow sunk into the metal.
"Something must have caused the slime to appear…" I tugged at the tinted silver. It felt damp beneath my fingers. Disgusting. "Did I leave a potion boiling?" I murmured, struggling to remove the corrupted metal. It kept slipping through my fingers.
I didn't think I had left any potions over the fire…
"Papa?"
"What do you need?" I questioned, finally managing to pull the entire circle out and placing it with the others. I wiped my hands on my tunic, rising and turning to face my son. He stood at the base of the staircase, red-gold eyes wide.
He was paler than normal. I frowned. "Are you alright?"
Daris shook his head, staring down at his feet. "Um…well…" He glanced around the workshop nervously.
I followed his gaze. One of the large tomes I had collected while in Black Marsh one hundred years previous sat open. I crossed the room, picking up the book and scanning the page.
"Golem creation and maintenance," I read aloud. Oh…the pieces were clicking together now. My anger drained away. I flicked my gaze to Daris, who didn't meet my eyes. He bit his lips, hands clenched into fists.
"Daris," I said softly, closing the book with a quiet thud. My son said nothing, squeezing his eyes shut. I walked over, kneeling beside him.
"You tried to make a golem?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle. Daris nodded.
"I-I just wanted to help. Mama's so tired all the time…and you're really busy…"
I sighed. "I know."
"I just wanted to help…" my son said quietly, his voice trailing off.
"It's alright," I murmured, leaning forward to embrace him. He gave a muffled sob.
"But I ruined your circles," he cried.
"They can be replaced," I told him, "it's alright. I'm not angry."
"You're not?" His tear stained face peered up at me.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I have made larger mistakes. The consequences for those were far worse. A little slime is not that bad."
"Really?"
"Really," I said, pressing a kiss to his dark hair. "Now, do you want to learn how to make a golem that won't dissolve into slime?"
His bright red-gold eyes were wide. "Can I?"
I chuckled. "Yes."