Sunlight, fresh air, the smell of grass, and the sound of leaves rustling in the salty breeze greeted Zac as his chem-cask was opened. Without hesitation, a shapeless mass of Zac lurched upwards as he began extricating himself from his prison of the last few weeks. Ripples crossed the surface of his body as he steadily changed his form back towards its familiar humanoid shape. There was a round of startled gasps and cries, including those of the oxen pulling the cart, who were startled by the sudden shifting of the cart's contents, as Zac continued to ooze out.
"I thought the slime monster was an urban legend," Zac heard one of the Zaunites gasp.
"What," Sett cut in, "you thought I was lyin' when I said someone travelin' with us in the crate? You gotta trust your boss more."
"I figured it would be some criminal you didn't want the Pilties finding, not this!"
"You gotta problem with 'this?'"
"No, boss. Just don't believe my eyes."
"Long as there's no problems," Sett responded with a nod before turning his attention up to Zac, "and how 'bout you, big guy? Happy to finally be free?"
Zac finished moving the glowing orbs that served as his eyes up to his head before answering so he could look at Sett as he spoke. His parents had taught him that that was the polite thing to do.
"It feels nice to stretch," Zac answered.
With each word that he spoke, his mouth became more defined.
"May I get out and stretch more?"
"Go for it."
Moving steadily so as not to disturb the oxen again, Zac pulled the rest of himself from the cask and formed the lower half of his mass into long legs and feet. Then, he stepped down into the road. He let his feet ooze outward so he could absorb the more of the ground's textures; pebbles, both smooth and sharp, loose dust, and the grooves the wheels of the wagon left in the road.
In some ways it did not feel too different from Zaun's paved but frequently cracked and dirty streets. On the side of the road however, Zac saw something that was very, very different from what he saw on Zaun's streets and went to it. He stepped onto the grass. This was an entirely different texture, soft and squishy compared to the road, with all the little blades almost tickling him.
"I like this," he said.
"Good news," Sett said, "we've got plenty of grass here. Trees, and bushes, and flowers too, if that's the sort of thing you like."
"That sounds very nice."
He took several more steps into the grass, splaying out his feet further which each step until he was far enough from the road that he could comfortably melt down to lay in it. Zac had seen grass and many other plants in the cultivars of Zaun. Since the people who visited them were usually left in an improved mood after doing so, he quite enjoyed visiting the cultivars himself. However, since they were frequently crowded, he would choose to remain hidden in the irrigation pipes and air ducts of the glass parks rather than venture out and enjoy the plant life himself. As he felt the grass brush against him though, Zac promised himself that when he returned to Zaun, he would make more of an effort to find some quiet corners of cultivars where he could lay like this.
Above him, the sky looked impossibly blue. If this was the color the sky was supposed to be, he finally understood why Janna was associated with a bluebird. The openness of it all was equally beautiful and terrifying. The sky went on forever. There were no cliff sides or buildings or smog between him and that expansive forever.
He didn't dwell on it long though, as a brightly colored bird flew overhead and caught his attention. Its belly was white, but the tops of its wings were a golden yellow color. He had no idea what the bird was, almost certainly not the black-backed rock swift or the scrap sparrow or any other Zaunite bird, this one was too brightly colored to be any of those. Vibrant birds didn't survive long in Zaun's dull environment.
His eyes followed the bird until his view was suddenly obstructed by Sett's face looking down at him.
"Don't want to bother you cause you look so comfy and all," Sett said, "but, we do got places to be. You don't gotta go back in the crate, but you do need to get up."
"Okay."
Zac sprung back up, his body returning to its humanoid shape much faster than when he had first emerged from the cask. He gave a quick look behind him just to make sure he wasn't accidentally leaving part of himself in the grass and spoke.
"Let me stretch a moment longer please," he asked, "then I will be ready."
Sett nodded and stepped back, knowing well how far his companion was capable of stretching. With a noise that sounded like a sodden towel being slapped around, Zac flexed himself. He reached his arms down to touch the ground several paces before him before letting his limb snap back to him like the tension of a slingshot being released, he moved a mass of himself up from his feet, through his chest, along his arms, and back down his body, and wrapped his arms around his body in such a way that would have been impossible if he possessed any bones.
Back by the cart, The Zaunites all watched their city's urban legend flax whatever concoction of chemicals he was made of with a mixture of fascination and unease until, at last Zac rolled his shoulders and rocked his head side to side, from the front of his face to all the way down his head's tendril.
"Okay," he said, "I am ready. I will walk behind the cart. I do not want to make the animals uncomfortable."
"I don't know if the oxen even care, but you do what you want," Sett said, "so long as we keep moving again."
He returned to the front of the cart, climbed back into the driver's seat, and urged the oxen onward again.
With long, stretchy strides, Zac walked behind the cart. The other Zaunites who had traveled to fight in the pit kept a respectable distance and frequently cast curious looks back at him. Ironically, it was Izzy and his mother, the two who actually knew what Zac was capable of doing in a fight, were not intimidated by him. They knew his soul was kind. Izzy walked right alongside him, looking especially scrawny next to Zac's bulk.
"You look happy," the young Zaunite said to him.
"I look happy?"
"Yeah, You've got a smile on your face. At least, I think it's a smile. I'm still not 100% sure with your face. Sorry."
"Hmm."
Zac reached up and touched the sides of his mouth. He could feel that its sides were curled upwards. This pleased him. Since becoming humanoid in shape was something that took a conscious thought, his face did not always show emotions automatically as a human's would. He was always pleased whenever it did.
"I am smiling," he commented, "I have things to be happy about. I get to see so many new things," he looked as the grasses that lined the road, "and experience new things too. Look over there, mountains. I have never wanted to climb a mountain before, but now I do. We should go climb a mountain."
"I don't think I would be able to keep up with you," Izzy admitted.
"Do you want to go to the ocean instead? The water here looks cleaner than in the Pilt."
"I don't know how to swim."
"Hmm. I will think of something else."
Zac hummed as he thought, sending ripples across the surface of his body.
Mairead let out a soft chuckle as she watched Zac and her son from the back of the wagon. Taking care not to scrape the wood with her augmented leg, she moved up towards the front so she could speak with Sett.
"He is like an excited child," she said, "not at all like Sump monster the stories make him out to be."
"You forgettin' how he pummeled those thugs?" Sett replied, "Wouldn't exactly call him a kid after seein' that."
"You pummeled them too and I wouldn't call you a monster, so I won't call Zac one either."
Sett shrugged.
"Never said I was callin' him a monster. I just wouldn't call him a kid. 'The Kid from the Sump' just doesn't have a good ring to it for a fighter's title, you know? Not goin' to call him 'The Sump Monster' either. Don't think that would be too kind, though it would get the crowd excited."
"Have you asked him what he wants to be called?"
"Zac," Sett said bluntly, "Just his name. He said he didn't need a title since he's only plannin' on doin' one fight, but I feel like I need to give him something. 'The Goo Creature,' perhaps?"
"I don't know if 'creature' is a much better word than 'monster.'"
"Sure it is. Look at these ox; they're creatures. Cats and dogs are creatures and people seem to like well enough. And on days when I ain't in a good mood, I can be a bit of a creature myself."
Mairead let out another chuckle.
"What are those?" Zac's voice suddenly interrupted.
Sett followed the direction Zac was pointing out towards the ocean.
"Those tall things?" he answered, "those are sea stacks."
"Sea stacks," Zac repeated, "I like them. They remind me of the building towers back home."
"Alright, how's this sound, after we rest up with my Ma and I get things set in the pit, I take you to the beach."
"I would like that very much. Thank you."
Zac pointed to a large rock down the road.
"I am going to go climb that rock to get a better look at them. I won't keep everyone waiting. I just want to look for a little while."
"I won't stop you."
With a nod, Zac bounded off down the road with what Sett and Mairead thought was somehow more bounce in his step. Before the boulder, Zac lashed his arms upwards like a grappling hook being launched and caught the top of it. He took several steps backwards, holding tightly as he did, until his arms were taught as a bowstring. Then he lifted his feet and snapped himself up to the top.
His body collided with the rock, spattering slightly with a squelching noise. This did not appear to bother him though, and his goo was quickly formed back into shape as he stood tall and looked out towards the sea stacks. There were five that he could see; tall spires of pale stone that poked up through the waves. Warm pink grasses grow stubbornly on the top of the stacks and anywhere else their roots could find purchase on the stone. More of the yellow birds spiraled around the formations. At one point, Zac saw one of them bring a fish to nest and he tried to image the little chick inside, likely still covered in its fluffy down feathers, happily enjoying the food.
"Alright," Sett said with a sigh as he watched Zac grin grow, "he's a little like an excited kid. Just a little though. He's an adult, I think. Hard to tell. Young adult? Eh, just don't baby him, alright?"
"I won't," Mairead promised.
A cry of alarm cut through the gentle sound of a breeze through grass.
"Monster!"
