Chapter Text
Who knew that flying to a planet full of gooey creatures, a slimy sea, and an isolated rancher would be so nerve-wracking?
George pressed his lips together nervously as he felt the starship he was aboard come to a halt. The metal of the floor was tough against the bottom of his black wingtip boots, the heels about an inch and a half high. His jeans were a dark but vibrant navy blue, standing out against his black and white bomber jacket. His hair was a ruffled mess, but neat at the same time- it looked natural, but not too much like a bird’s nest.
“Thank you,” he murmured kindly to the driver, receiving a nod in response as he paid the ticket.
He took a step outdoors, and found himself standing on a wooden dock. He was surprised at how… outdated it seemed, for such a known location. He looked down between the cracks, and saw a slimy ocean beneath him. If he looked close enough, he swore he could see tiny blobs moving through the depths.
It cracked beneath George, making him jump back a bit. This was not a good reaction, because the dock ended just behind him. He found himself even more on the edge of the pier, and forced himself to look up.
Just walk. To the end.
George pressed forward, and saw the ending of the dock. It led to a dusty, yellow (orange in reality) ground. Rocky cliffs surrounded him, and he looked around in awe of the beauty. For something that should seem so lifeless and old, the yellow rock and the blue sky contrasted in a beautiful way that one could only describe as ethereal.
Once on the actual ground, George bent down and moved a pale hand through the dirt.
“Wow…” he whispered.
Dirt shouldn’t have amazed him. But the softness of it was so different to what the first impression was- from lifeless and barren, to bright and lively. Even in the middle of nowhere, there was still some form of life. Some form of existence.
He stood up and brushed off his black shirt. George didn’t have time to stand around and admire the way the trees blew, he had a job to do.
There was a slime rancher, who was famous for posting online, who went by the name of Dream. No one knew his real name, or his face- he was always seen with a white smiley face mask tied around his head. At some angles in photos, a smile could be seen, but not too clearly.
Despite only being in the field for about two years, he was known for his expertise in the field of slime ranching. He always cared for his slimes with high, new technology, and always delivered items for trades on time. It was a supposed honor, to be able to trade with Dream. You’d get high quality products and well cared for slime in return for a reasonable price. But he only selected trustworthy people- quite different from some other rangers, who took deals left and right without thinking.
George, though, he was no trader. Not a slime rancher, at that. Instead, he was a reporter in the same system that Dream resided in, the Solymus Star System. Once his company had managed to score an interview with the one and only, they’d immediately sent their closest employee out to the Far, Far Range. He supposed it was better than nothing, but the fact that he could screw this up at any given moment was terrifying.
(A recorder sat in his pocket- legal permission was needed, of course, and had been granted. It was much simpler than walking around, carrying a tablet.)
He was shaken out of his thoughts. Before George knew it, he’d come across a landmark. It was a small, yellow, glowing holographic D that floated above the ground. He pressed a button on the hologram’s display, and a message popped up.
If you’re reading this, then you’re probably the reporter sent to the Far, Far Range. Just walk on up ahead past the carrots and Pink Slime, and you’ll come across an open area with four weird posts and eventually a gate- keep walking and you’ll be at the farm. :3
-Dream
George bit his lip anxiously. He had to come across Slime? Sure, he’d seen some before, but never in the wild. He knew they were small and harmless, but the thought of a tiny, slimy creature jumping around him wasn’t really appealing. No matter how cute Dream made them look online.
He shook off the thoughts and moved forward, climbing up a small hill before coming across a clearing. Wild carrot patches lined the sides, green leaves sticking out of the ground at awkward angles. Just when George thought that he could keep moving, he heard a pop noise right next to him.
George nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that a fucking Pink (light blue to him) Slime had decided to make its presence known, looking up at him cutely. Oh god, not just one, but three. Four. Five. No.
He walked faster past the creatures, ignoring the gooey noises of slime hoping behind him. The small cute noises did a bit to distract him, but the last thing he wanted right then was to come across a Tarr.
Opening, opening, weird posts, opening…
George finally stumbled into an area, and saw four odd posts, two on each side.
Finally.
A bit ahead was a blue and white gate, a definite disparity between the landscape and the man made object. As he stepped inside the gate, he felt the ground beneath him shift from a soft sand-like dirty texture, to a rocky pathway. And with that, he looked around.