- Shari -

Coming to my senses, the darkness tells me that not too much time elapsed.

The knowledge that I wetted my bed sends me in a difficult mood, together with the fact that I can feel some kind of strain caused by the loss of mass.

Thus I'm forced to think about ways to replenish myself.

Having not much to do, I decide to take a walk after I tried unsuccessfully to rest again.

That my parents haven’t locked my door is a nice token of their trust.

Not that it would deter me.

I could easily corrode a hole in my size in the wooden frame, based on my tree tests.

But that wouldn’t help my point.

I go in the wild outside of the house, as it might disturb my parents if I would sneak close to them around and I should grant them a little leeway.

The path I take leads me in a wide circle around the house.

It might be a bit careless to accept that I get a little close to the village by doing so, but I am confident that no one would go into the forest at this time of the day.

Strange is that, while I notice the darkness, it is not really bothering me.

Like some kind of night vision or something even more concerning.

During the walk, I am contemplating what I should do from here on.

The truth is, I can’t stay here forever or I will be bound to get found out.

Even if I am careful, sooner or later villagers would notice me.

We have around Sixty people in this village so even if there would be the possibility to talk, the risk that someone does something stupid is too high.

More concerning, is that information could slip out.

While we are pretty remote here, there are occasions when people travel out of this place, for example, to sell a part of the harvest or buy tools.

Moreover, even if this might work, sometimes we have adventurers here.

Those people are professional monster killers and I don’t believe that convincing them that I am a friendly slime is going to pass.

And that every time they come.

Or they could relay it to the headquarters.

There are just too many odds against me.

So staying is no option. But what else?

I don’t intend to live like an animal and hunt everything I get in my…

Well; how do I call what I have?

Whatever.

On the other hand, returning to Liqu?

Oh, why did I even call her by name?

She is a monster, quite obviously, crazy, and tortured me in apparently lasting ways.

Still, she is also just a child; at least that was my last impression of her.

Can I really blame a monster for doing what monsters do?

And in this way, a child that definitely has no idea what normal even means?

That would mean blaming someone insane for having no common sense.

But she did this to me, so being biased is justified I think.

Yet, I am wondering if it is a good idea to leave her unattended.

Venturing through the woods like this I decide that I could make my excursion a bit profitable.

Right now is the time for some herbs and berries I could harvest even here on the outskirts of the forest.

It does not take long till I find the first bush and begin to grab some berries.

My new liquid hands are still able to generate enough pressure to fulfill this task.

To my surprise as long I don’t challenge the stability of my shaped structures they are amazingly strong.

While the thought occurs that I could speed up the process by growing more limbs, I immediately slap myself for that direct attempted attack against my rest-humanity.

Humans have two arms! Not more!

However, directly after that, another problem comes up.

I took no basket with me.

Well, there might be a simple solution, but I am unwilling to pursue it.

I could simply take the berries.

You know how; just put them into this body.

Yet, that is one more step in a direction I don’t want to move.

But it would be helpful.

As long I don’t dissolve them they would be fine.

And after that, they just need to be washed.

Very carefully, as otherwise whoever would eat them would eat…

NO PUKING! You had your lesson! Not again!

Nonetheless, by doing this we would again be at the being inhuman thing.

Humans don’t store items inside their bodies.

But as these berries are edible, what I could try without breaking the difficult code of humanity would be to eat them.

Yes, I know that it is not really eating, and putting them in my mouth is just for appearance's sake.

But even so, I do it like this.

The first berry that dissolves in me has obviously no big impact.

I knew already that slimes can’t really get poisoned so even if the berry wouldn’t be edible it can’t cause a negative reaction, yet I also don’t feel any sustenance or positive feel from it.

So I try a greater amount at once to determine if it gave me any benefit.

My results are not too inspiring.

When I am done the sun did already rise.

Literally plugging the whole bush empty, gave me not even a fourth of what I had in energy and mass when I left that cave.

And I doubt that I was full at that time.

It shouldn’t be surprising considering that slimes generally don’t tend to plants.

Here is the reason: It’s simply not worth it.

I can assume that soil and inedible plants are even less helpful, as the slime as a substance seems to generate best with flesh which gets changed in this process.

I just can’t use full of the converted mass, with the energy I gain at the same time and need to let go of the excess.

Would other food or even things work better?

I start to consider how many bushes I would need to clean from their fruits just to hold me in the ropes and come up with far too many.

Making fast by taking the whole thing in might help, but would leave too much of a lead and I am also unwilling to do what is necessary to make that happen.

While I am trying to find a not barbaric way to make a living, something at the border of my all-around vision moves.

Right then a fireball hits my head and an arrow gets stuck in my chest.

The movement caused me to turn.

Fortunately, enough that I narrowly evaded the arrow that was aimed at my core.

I may not like this thing, but my foolish attempt to throw it away showed me strikingly its importance.

After the fireball at my head my vision got blurred, still, I can still see with that roundabout view of mine, and even better if I concentrate on one direction.

Like this, I see some people.

"You’ve got it?"

"Not sure. The fireball obstructed the vision."

"Maybe, but it was a good way to disable it. I mean this thing is huge."

"There you go to those woodworkers to get information on hunting grounds for this slime subjugation and then you find something as huge as this."

"That must be this new kind we did talk about!"

Adventurers!

They are those I have seen in the tavern the other day.

They will kill me if I stay!

I can’t even talk, since my head did just explode, and reshaping it does not help my throat.

Furthermore, I doubt they would listen.

With my mind set on flight, I clumsily try to move away and get a tree between us.

"Shit, that thing is still moving!"

I try to run as fast as possible, but these stupid legs are collapsing under my weight, sending me down.

Still, this doesn’t keep me from moving onward.

Directing all my willpower on rushing away from here, I somehow can move even without using my legs in a kind of floating movement.

It is not extremely fast but maneuvering around the trees and sometimes using my legs in a mix, I can maintain a decent speed.

While the adventurers aren’t catching up, deterred by the trees and undergrowth, they are following at a constant distance.

"Should we really bother following? I doubt that we will get anything worth the trouble."

"That core was bigger than any I have ever seen; that should be quite a rarity."

"Still we have to break it and like this, the worth greatly decreases."

"Nonetheless, we can’t let something like this roam free around."

I need to get away here!

But like this I will not be able to outrun them and adding to my problems, I lose more current than normal by moving like this.

Yet, running for my life does not leave me much of a choice.

So I reach my home, slam the door open, and shut it.

However, before I come far, the door gets crushed and another arrow gets shot at me, missing my core.

I am startled and crawl into a corner holding my arms protective in front of the place my core is, in case another arrow loosens.

I recognize now the four adventurers I saw at the tavern clearly.

The rogue is closest to me, to scout out the room together with the chainmail-swordsman, while the ranger and the mage on the right make the rear.

I hear my parents stumble out of their room, but they seem to be stunned at the prospect of four armed men breaking into our home.

"W-What’s going on here?!" (Jona)

"Don't worry! We will take care of this creature!" (swordsman)

"Kyle, can you shoot it with a save shot? I don’t want to go too close with my shortsword, and Matt’s sword is too good to use on this thing with its acid." (Rogue)

I don’t know what to do!

I can’t fight and these people are set on killing me.

I’m panicking and just quiver in the corner.

With my special view, I can see what happens even without looking directly.

So I find the ranger advancing on me before he suddenly stops.

The reason becomes quickly apparent.

A hand has grabbed his head from behind.

"Zsch"

The hand pushes fast forward and crushes the ranger’s head directly into the floor.

"Wha…" (rogue)

When it retracts, it becomes visible that the whole back of the head is missing.

Looking upwards to see with my eyes I realize: The hand is green and translucent.

Liqu!

Before anyone can gather their thoughts on this development, I see Liqu taking two arrows of the ranger's quiver before turning to the swordsman.

"Kyle!" (swordsman)

Her face, which I just know with that creepy smile of hers or different expressions of confusion, is devoid of any emotion.

Her cold stare sends shivers to my body.

A reaction I have no capacity now to complain about.

"Monster! Come at me!" (swordsman)

The man raises his sword to react for an overhead strike but before Liqu is in his range, she disintegrates into liquid, gushing down and rising like a wave around him.

She forms close to her human shape while holding him in her embrace flowing through every gap she finds.

Then she dissolves him.

She made sure to muffle his screams and the chainmail can’t protect him from what lies beneath it.

It can’t take longer than two seconds before the skin starts to disintegrate, five seconds until the flesh is heavily damaged doubting the chance for survival and after eight seconds max death is sure.

During the process, the mage takes a posture to throw an attack at her.

Liqu answers by raising her hand, shortly followed by two projectiles getting ejected at high speed.

I haven’t seen it clearly, but I believe those were the tips of the arrows she took before.

They hit the waist of the mage sending him crumbling to the ground.

The rogue remains still.

He’s either paralyzed with this development or has simply no way to attack.

After an amount of time that ensures the swordsman is dead, she detaches and walks casually but determined to the mage who kneeling on the ground, holding his stomach.

She lifts her foot and stomps on his neck sending his head to the ground.

"Splosh"

"Zsch"

While the impact shouldn’t be dangerous, considering the foot did burst when it hit, the following dissolving concentrated on his neck surely is.

"Arrghh-grrllb!"

He can’t even scream before his throat is too damaged.

Seeing that he is highly outclassed, the rogue opens a window and jumps out to escape.

At a fast pace, Liqu passes me, on the way to the window.

Again she raises her arm, aims, and shoots another projectile.

"Sstk"

The shot hits his leg.

"Zsch"

It seems that she somehow applied the acid to the shot.

With an injury like this, the rogue can just limp forward.

No match for Liqu, who floats out of the window, reshaping herself the moment she reaches the ground and quickly draws closer to her target.

"Zsch"

He had no chance.

I managed to get back up during the ordeal and can halfway brace myself before she enters the house again.

Inside she turns her sight on my parents.

Before she can do anything to them, I throw myself in between, with my arms outstretched to cover them.

Liqu advances at a steady pace in our direction.

Suddenly she rushes forward and before I know what happened I find myself in a tight embrace of hers.

"Waahhh! I was so worried about you!" (Liqu)

She instantly begins to sob and I don’t know how I shall feel about the fact that her liquid partly flows in me and the other way around.

And yes, the whole "get your life saved by the one who tortured you" thing.

My mind is a bit overstrained now and I don’t know what to do.

My parents who were naturally scared stiff at the whole incident, seem now gradually getting their senses back.

"Wha- What happened and who is this? (Hannah)

"…Sigh! Yes, that’s the slime that turned me into this, say hello to Liqu." (Shari)