Chapter Text
You had no idea what time it was when you peeled your eyes open, or how long you'd slept. It didn't feel like long enough. You did a small test stretch across your bed, wincing as you felt your ribs and tailbone protest. They felt as tender as you'd expected they would, and you patted yourself on the back that you finally got some decent sprinklers installed a few days ago. At least if you were gonna be out of commission for a bit you wouldn't lose your precious crops, although you would still need to tend to your new adorable pair of hens, who you named Milly and Tilly.
But before that, you desperately needed to wash up and assess your injuries, and then have a hefty breakfast. You felt more haggard than you ever remembered feeling, and you were pretty tired even though this had been your first time sleeping in since moving to Pelican Town at the beginning of Spring. You were plagued by some wild dreams, hazy snippets revisiting you as you gingerly removed your bra and underwear. You blushed as you remembered part of a dream you were having right before you woke up. Flashes of pale skin flush against your own, sharp teeth dragging along the base of your neck. A slender-fingered hand kneading your chest, and another snarling your hair tighter and tighter with every whimper. Dark hair tickling your nose as you felt around under the front of a black sweater, your fingers inching lower to the waistband of his–
Whoa, you need to relax. What the hell. You physically shook your head. It had been years since you had a steamy dream about anyone, much less the guy you really only spent any time with just last night. Attractive or not, you barely knew Sebastian, and you were a hundred percent sure after the state you were in that any chance of him seeing you as anything other than a hot mess had slipped away on your crippled journey back home, practically cradled in his arms like a helpless idiot. Stupid, you were so stupid for letting yourself get so messed up. Grandpa would be so disappointed in you. No more mines, missy, until you get some better gear and maybe a few more brain cells. You were grounding yourself.
Sebastian had been so worried he didn't even want to leave you by yourself, and you felt horrible for putting that on his conscience. You could tell he was an anxious person. You recognized a lot of the same tells in him that you had yourself. It probably took a lot out of him to fret over you, then supervise you getting home and then leaving you to your own devices. It was a lot to ask of an almost-stranger. You would have to make sure to thank him somehow.
You suddenly remembered the slip of paper in your filthy pants and carefully leaned over the side of your bed to swipe them up. They smelled terrible and were unfortunately beyond saving. The places where slime had touched you were simply melted away, and they were covered with cave grime. You fished the paper out of the pocket and tossed them into the corner, another piece of clothing lost to your wayward ambitions. Sebastian's handwriting was slanted and sloppy, but you smiled fondly at it. He was so nice to leave it for you in case you needed anything, honestly. You should text him once your phone was charged to let him know you were still alive.
You flipped your blanket over the loafed body of Biscuit, who didn't bother moving as you got out of bed with a series of groans. Your everything hurt with renewed vigor, each movement reminding you how you got your ass handed to you by some sentient boogers. You sighed deeply and dug your phone out of your dirty backpack. After plugging it in and powering it on, you shuffled over to your mirror to finally survey the extent of your injuries.
It was immediately obvious to you why Sebastian seemed so concerned; even without him seeing your fully nude body (an idea that made your skin tingle), you were very clearly banged up. Your right leg had a gnarly acidic burn from your knee to the middle of your shin, the affected skin turned a brilliant puffy red. Scrapes and bruises of varying size littered your body, some spots already turning a dull purple. Worst of all, and the thing you were most nervous about, was the lovely little gifts that glittering slime had left behind. The spots it had connected with you looked a bit like the typical slime burn, but instead of bright red, they were…iridescent?
It didn't seem possible, but a portion of the back of your forearm and an even larger swath than you expected spanned from the top of your belly button all the way across your ribs, they were shining. But not in a shiny burn way, more like a… shimmer. Similar to the body of the slime itself. Changing colors in the light right before your eyes, glinting like a gemstone with every little movement you made. It felt the same as the spot on your leg, but it hurt worse, like a lot worse, to the touch. sh*t.
"Biscuit, what the hell?" You just needed to freak out a little, and your roommate poked his head out from under the blanket, chirping at the sound of your panicked voice. "What the f*ck is this? This is crazy, right? What do I even do?"
True to his species, Biscuit let you know exactly what you could do by daintily jumping to the floor and heading for the door, eager to go outside to begin his morning rounds. Wholly unhelpful. You sighed and opened the door for him and considered your next move.
Okay, so you decidedly felt like sh*t, definitely too sore and tired to get any work done. You couldn't go to the clinic like this or you would never hear the end of it, and you strongly even doubted Dr. Harvey would know what to do with you, as good a doctor as he was. And even if he could treat whatever you’ve got going on, you weren't sure you could afford it. That left few options. There was the Adventurer’s Guild, and there was. . . Huh .
You thought back to last night, when Sebastian offhandedly threw the suggestion out there. He might have been partially kidding about talking to the Wizard, but it actually wasn't all that bad an idea. He had no way of knowing, but you had already met him once before, and as gruff and weird as he was, he knew his sh*t about things you didn’t really understand. He had taught you about the forest spirits called Junimos, and through a strange ritual he performed where he made you drink some dubious potion that made you hallucinate trees, you’d come to understand and even befriend the little guys. At this point there was no denying Stardew was home to things that sounded absolutely bonkers to the average person. Things that came right from the stories your grandpa had told you growing up, things he fully believed in. There was no doubt in your mind the Wizard would believe you, maybe he would know all about exactly what you’d encountered in the mines.
So then, it was settled; you were gonna wash up, feed the chickens and Biscuit, check on your crops, inhale a sizable breakfast, call in another favor with a guy you’d just had a tawdry dream about, and then see a Wizard about a slime. No rest for the wicked.
-
As Sebastian had expected, Sam was understanding about their plans being canceled the night before. And also as he had expected, Sam was not chill about the reason why. He spent the better part of the morning explaining the entire event in truncated detail, answering the barrage of questions Sam was messaging him about “his little hero moment” with the new girl. He made sure to leave out the details that would get him roasted to oblivion, like how he nearly combusted when she thanked him, how she still smelled kind of good even while she was filthy, how she felt soft under his grip while he was supporting her, how he laid wide awake after he got home poring over every single thing she had said to him, with particular emphasis on the way her lips curved around every word, like she was gifting him the secrets to the universe. Yeah, he left those parts out.
Dealing with Sam’s interrogation was actually the perfect distraction, since she never reached out to him overnight and selfish disappointment aside, he was really hoping she was doing okay. She was probably still asleep, but he kept wondering if leaving her alone was the right call. It was getting late in the day. What if that slime that got her was poisonous? What if she was more injured than she thought, what if she was concussed? What if she died in her sleep and it was all his fault for not forcing her to go to the clinic right then? His anxiety threatened to fully envelop him if he let it, so he instead threw his attention into checking work emails and messaging Sam about his crazy night. He couldn’t handle his spiraling thoughts but at least he could handle his friend’s ribbing about when the second date would be, for the moment.
As if on cue, his phone buzzed on his desk, and he stared at it for just a moment before diving for it. There were only a few people that ever texted him, and one was currently spamming his computer and another was likely still passed out as his friend Abby had been pulling all-nighters all week to catch up on neglected schoolwork. It was a number he didn't recognize and his heart thumped emphatically.
This just in, local slime magnet awakens from mini-coma and absolutely destroys plate of pancakes in record time, residents stunned!
He grinned like it was the funniest thing he'd ever read. Relief washed over him and he leaned back in his chair, his morning looking much better already. He quickly saved her number into his contacts and typed out a reply.
Haha well good morning to you too. Glad to hear you made it, I was close to calling in a welfare check. How are you feeling?
He hoped that sounded casual enough. Sam pinged him again, and he ignored it in favor of staring at the small typing bubble at the bottom of the conversation.
Like sh*t! Thank you for asking! Actually I was hoping it wouldn't be too weird of me to ask another favor. And you can definitely totally say no and it's okay, you've already helped me out so much even tho we're practically strangers.
Sebastian inhaled sharply. No way was she asking him for help again. He was never so lucky. His nerves about her being okay were now replaced by just plain old nerves.
I think it's fair to say we've done a bit of introductory trauma bonding and have now reached "favor asking" territory, so shoot.
He sat back and waited. Sam pinged him again, and he quickly replied that he would hit him up later. What could she possibly need from him? At this point she could ask him for literally anything and he would likely kill himself trying to make it happen. If he had a shot at getting to know her better, maybe getting a little closer to her, he was going to do whatever he could before he had the chance to talk himself out of it. Another opportunity like this would likely never happen again and he would be an even bigger idiot than usual to pass it up.
How do you feel about foreboding towers in the woods?
He stared at her message. Uh, what? He didn't know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that.
Because I was thinking about what you said last night and I think asking the wizard about my little booboos actually might be the best idea, and I was wondering if you wanna come with me cuz it's a bit of a hike and I feel like ass.
His stomach flipped, something he guessed he was going to have to get used to. She actually thought about what he'd said to her, and she thought it was a good idea. And she wanted him to come with her. He hadn't been to that part of Cindersap Forest in years, but it was never particularly dangerous, and the tower peeked out over the trees no matter where you stood. It was a bit of a hike. Of course he didn't want her going out there by herself, and he guessed she was probably feeling especially rough if she was asking him to come with her. He hadn't planned on going outdoors today but he was just going to have to deal with this shift in his routine. His work and his games could wait. Plus, he was certainly curious about the f*cking actual magic man that lived in a literal tower.
I can be over in like an hour.
She immediately responded back, and he felt his face get warm.
You're the best Sebastian omg thank you!
He threw his phone down and tore upstairs to shower with more enthusiasm than he'd mustered in forever.
-
“Long time no see! I’m glad you weren’t busy today. Ready for more of the great outdoors ?”
In spite of the spicy dream you’d had mere hours before, you were feeling pretty pleased at how normal things felt when Sebastian arrived at your house. He was dressed virtually identically to the night before, except he had swapped his sneakers out for worn black boots, and his hoodie sleeves were pushed up, the only sign the heat affected him at all. Admittedly you weren’t exactly in the most sensible hiking attire, but it was Summer and you also figured the Wizard would need to properly see the scope of your strange wounds. Maybe a tiny part of you wanted to look a touch cuter than you had last night, so you settled on a pair of denim cutoffs and a cropped old tee shirt, paired with your trusty crusty adventure boots. You could be imagining it but you swore Sebastian gave your body a sweeping appraisal before looking away, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked in the direction of the tower. Though you’d secretly wish otherwise he was likely scoping out your bangs and bruises. It was purely out of worry, you were sure. Yeah.
“I guess so. I haven’t been over that way in a long time, but I think I remember a few paths we can take. Are you ready, though? Are you sure you feel up for this?”
You gently brushed across the stinging patch on your stomach, finally acknowledging the concern you’d spent all morning trying to avoid. “Honestly, I’d love to just deal and pretend I never let myself get hurt, but these wounds are just. . . super weird, and painful, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to ignore it.”
You held out your arm to give him a better look at the burn that snaked across your skin, and it glinted rather prettily in the sunlight. His dark eyes went wide as stared at it, mirroring how you felt.
“Whoa, what the f*ck, it’s like, sparkling. That’s so weird.”
“Exactly my point,” you retracted your arm and held it out of sight, suddenly feeling self conscious. “So, yeah, hopefully he can help, ‘cause I’m worried I’m gonna develop some freaky powers or something.”
Sebastian gave you a little grin and held his hand out for you to help you off your porch. “Well, we better get a move on, then. We’re off to see a wizard.”
As you carefully limped your way down the few steps, you felt a deep twinge in your abdomen, almost like a cramp. It had happened a couple times since last night, but you were certain it was either from falling, or perhaps the slime. You pushed it to the back of your mind and focused on the teeny bubble of excitement that was growing at spending the afternoon with Sebastian instead.
-
Cindersap Forest was peaceful and overgrown. When you were a kid you had spent hours climbing trees and sticking your feet in the lake, completely engulfed in the whimsical aura the dense woods seemed to give off. You spent a lot of time alone making up fantastical stories about what lived out there, playing pretend that you were a fairy gathering twigs and pine cones for your woodland house, or sometimes you were a lost princess searching for a long-forgotten sword buried in some innocuous stump. You couldn’t remember if you dreamt it but you could swear you’d once met a talking mouse in a shoddy old house that offered to sell you hats. The journey felt familiar and intimate to you, albeit slightly less fanciful. But this time you had pleasant company to mitigate the wistful nostalgia washing over you while slowly but surely weaving through the dense pine woods.
Neither of you had spoken for awhile, and you wondered if Sebastian had any such love for these woods as you did. He kept pace with you, making sure to help you through the brush. There was no worn path to follow, so you kept the tower in front of you and forged on. When you paused to take a breather, he spoke up.
“Man, I haven’t been out here in a couple years, at least. Me and Sam used to sneak out here to smoke at night. I almost forgot how lost you can get here. It’s a wonder we ever found our way back after getting stoned off our asses.”
You chuckled, imagining a younger Sebastian with his blonde buddy stumbling around bushes and pine trees trying to make it back to town, high as kites. So much for childlike whimsy.
“I always felt comfortable playing around out here,” You mused distantly, massaging your aching arm. “When I was a kid I spent entire afternoons just wandering around and climbing trees. It’s weird, I remember one day noticing the tower, and it was like it popped up out of nowhere overnight, but it was also like it had always been there. But who knows, kid me was a little ditz, so I could be remembering wrong.”
Sebastian looked surprised. “Wait, you spent time here as a kid? I thought you looked familiar. . . I remember seeing you a few times. You were always by yourself, right?”
For some reason, that made you blush, and you felt exposed. The fact that he recognized you at all made your stomach flutter, which you purposefully ignored. “Yeah, my mom sent me to visit my grandpa for a few Summers when I was a kid. I only really left the farm to play in the woods, mostly. I was a pretty shy kid.”
Sebastian looked thoughtful. “I get that. I was a shy kid too. Sam basically forced me to be friends with him. Just waltzed up to me one day and made me play Army with him. Still though, I bet we could’ve been friends.”
A sweet sentiment that made you feel like blushing might be your new norm while around him. Absolutely silly . You turned away from him and hauled yourself over a pile of branches ahead, humming appreciatively.
After a time of companionable silence only broken by comments about the serene beauty of the dense woods and the quiet lake you traversed around, you both finally arrived at the imposing tower. Flanked by some deep inlaid stairs, perched on a small hill and looking worse for the wear, it was every bit as whimsical up close as you remembered it being the last time you visited. It felt almost as though it was a part of another world, fully removed from the normality of the town that lay not too far to the East. Vines sporting pretty purple flowers ate away at the ancient-looking brick, snaking all the way up past small windows, making their way to the pointed greying roof. Mysterious trinkets hung from the rafters, and jutting out from the topmost window towards the blazing Summer sky you could make out some sort of telescope. The view from up there, looming over the crystalline lake, must have been breathtaking.
Sebastian offered you a hand up the stairs, an offer you were happy to take as you were feeling more sore than when you first started this little journey. You were starting to feel nervous as you approached the simple wooden door.
“Alright, lemme take the reins here. Rasmodius can be a little. . . eccentric.” You smiled sheepishly at Sebastian’s mild surprise.
“Wait, you’ve already met this guy before? You’re on a first-name basis with him?”
“Yeah, I met him once. It’s kind of a long story, I’ll tell you about it later.” Without waiting for his reply, you knocked on the thick wood, and waited.
Almost instantly, the heavy door swung open, seemingly of its own volition. You shot Sebastian a look and peered inside, noting that no one was there to greet you. How very Wizardly of him. Before you thought better of the situation, you stepped past the threshold, Sebastian cautiously trailing behind you.
-
Sebastian stepped through the doorway in a bit of a daze. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing - it was like he stepped right into a Solarian campaign. The inside of the tower was just so. . . mystical. There was no ceiling in sight, just one large, cavernous room adorned with all manner of magical artifacts and strange flora. A lone staircase spiraled upwards and out of sight, flanked by bookcases crammed full of ancient-looking tomes, a rainbow of weathered spines standing out amongst the drab brick walls. Beyond the stairs he could see an alcove further studded with bookcases. The floor was cluttered with various discarded papers and crates full of oddly shaped decanters, some full of brightly colored liquids he couldn’t imagine the use for. Along the walls sat troughs harboring strange plants; juicy blue fruits he had never seen before, an abundance of herbs, and some predatory looking purple pitchers growing taller than he suspected was natural. Next to a thick wooden table laden with puddles of wax and whimsical instruments was an arcane circle, etched into the ground and lined with red candles, as though it had been there long before the tower itself.
Off center of the room sat an imposing, massive cauldron, bubbling obscenely with a dubious green liquid. Stood before it was the man of the hour, the Wizard himself. Wearing robes that looked ripped right from a fantasy game, trimmed in gold and shades of violet, with vibrant matching untamed hair, he very much looked the part. Sebastian saw her shuffle awkwardly, mirroring his own uncertainty.
“Hello, Rasmodius. I, uh, hope you’ve been well?”
There was a heavy pause as the Wizard silently gazed over the contents of the cauldron, as though he hadn’t heard her speak at all. It all felt very dramatic to Sebastian, who was starting to feel like maybe this wasn’t his best idea after all.
Finally, the silence was broken as the Wizard stepped around the cauldron to face them directly. “I foresaw your coming today, young farmer. What is it you’ve encountered that you should seek my counsel?” Guess he wasn’t one to mince words.
“So, I ran into something. . . weird in the mines last night, a type of slime I’ve never seen, and it got me a few times. I was wondering if you could tell me anything about it, if you’ve ever seen anything like this before?”
Rasmodius looked unimpressed, but nodded his head. “I’m aware of many of the beings and creatures that call the mines their home. Show me.”
More meekly than he had ever seen her, she stepped forward and held out her arm. The motley bruise glimmered entrancingly in the green hue cast by the cauldon. Without much fanfare he took her arm, studying it intensely as he turned it back and forth, mumbling to himself.
“Um, it also got me here, too.” She took back her arm and to Sebastian’s surprise lifted her shirt. A bigger, meaner looking version of the bruise on her arm snaked its way across her stomach and ribs, looking almost like some kind of abstract tattoo. He hadn’t realized it was more than just her arm that was affected. He was half horrified at her injury and the other half of him wanted to turn away at the view of so much of her flushed skin. Now was definitely not the time for him to be admiring such things about her. Don’t be a freak.
With no shame to be seen the Wizard peered uncomfortably closely at her abdomen, turning her whole body this way and that. She looked mortified. “S-so, it was a slime, but. . . like, it was rainbow? It flashed all sorts of colors really fast, and it was pretty intelligent. Also super aggressive.” When the Wizard was done studying her, she quickly pulled down her shirt and cast a nervous glance over at Sebastian. He smiled in a way he hoped was encouraging back at her. So far he had said nothing to contribute but he would like to think he was at least there to morally support her.
The Wizard’s eyes widened a fraction. “Interesting. . . Young lady, you came upon what has been called a Prismatic Slime. Quite fascinating.” He stalked away and towards one of his many bookshelves, poring over the spines until pulling out a particularly shabby volume. Flipping through pages and muttering to himself, he returned to where they were standing, holding the book out for her to see. “There are very few recorded instances of these slimes, and even less information about their habits and biology. It is truly fortuitous that you encountered one.”
She squinted at the page in the dim lighting. Sebastian craned his neck to get a look as well. The page was illustrated with what he assumed was the same slime she had seen, and it was exactly how she described, although he imagined in person it was much more impressive. A mishmash of rainbow color.
“Tell me,” Rasmodius was again staring at her arm, mumbling almost to himself rather than to them, “How do these wounds feel? What have you noticed?”
Taking the book from him, she stared down at the image of the slime as she spoke. “Honestly, it just hurts a lot. I haven’t noticed anything in particular, or rather nothing that feels that different from the regular slimes that got me too.” For emphasis she stuck out her leg, puffy and red with welts.
Wordlessly the Wizard turned towards one of the crates containing all those strange liquids, digging around for a moment before pulling out a bright blue bottle. He brandished it towards her gruffly. “Apply this to the affected areas.”
Handing him back the book she took the bottle in exchange, uncorking it and taking a delicate sniff. She scrunched her nose rather cutely. “This smells like sh*t.” The Wizard sighed.
She dumped some into her hand and began rubbing it into all her welts and bruises, saving the worst for last. Almost immediately Sebastian noticed the angry red welts receding, her skin returning to normal on her leg. It really did smell funky, but it seemed to be doing the job. She breathed out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, it seemed to have no effect on the Prismatic marks. The Wizard hummed thoughtfully. “Fascinating. The typical healing potion seems to have no effect. How does it feel?”
She rubbed her arm tenderly. “Well, it hurts a bit less, but otherwise it doesn’t feel any different. Still looks the same, too.”
“In this case, I must request that you keep careful observation on these markings for the time being. I will use your findings to create a salve that will remove the bruising, should they not fade on their own in time, but beyond that this incident is rather remarkable, and would prove invaluable to my research. Long have I attempted to study these elusive creatures, never having encountered one myself.”
Sebastian noticed the slight panic blooming across her face. “So that’s it? I just wait and see what happens? Am I gonna be okay?”
The Wizard grumbled distractedly, already halfway lost in thought. “There may be unforeseen. . . effects that will require further treatment. But we will not know such things until they appear. I request you keep a detailed log of anything you notice is amiss. You may visit me again should the need arise. Now, begone. I have much research to do on this matter. I will contact you by post should I learn anything that might be of use.” Abruptly he turned away and headed back towards the towering bookshelves, still mumbling to himself inaudibly.
With that she stared after him for a moment before turning away and exiting quickly, Sebastian tailing behind her rather stunned. Once they were outside, she let out a loud frustrated huff.
Sebastian held out his hand to help her down the stairs, but she descended on her own, anxiety written across her body language in ways he immediately recognized.
“So did I just become some kind of experiment or what? What the f*ck do I do now? I feel like I don’t know anything more than when we got here!” Her voice was a little unsteady, as though she was holding back tears. Rather bravely, he rested a hand on her shoulder.
“Hey, I’m sure it’s gonna be okay. If he was really worried, I’m sure he wouldn’t have let you leave like that without doing something else. At least he healed up most of your injuries, right?”
She stared into his eyes and he felt hot under his sweater. After a moment she sighed deeply. “Yeah. . .yeah, I guess. Everything doesn’t hurt like it did. I guess we just wait and see what happens now. I’ll have to keep track of anything weird that happens.”
“Who knows, maybe nothing at all will happen. In the meantime, at least they look pretty cool on you.” He eyed her arm appreciatively.
For the first time since arriving at the Tower, she smiled. He could really get used to that. “True, true. Man, I know it’s a little early, but. . . I need a f*cking drink after all that.”
Making their way back the way they came through the brush, at a quicker pace than before, he shrugged casually. He wasn’t ready to go home yet, and could use a little decompressing himself after that intense experience. If he were fully honest, he wasn’t ready to stop being around her, either. “Wanna hit the Saloon?”
