- Liqu -

It took rather long to dig these stupid stones out.

But finally, it seems we are nearly done.

They're already at it to pack them up.

And this time I have a real opportunity to show my good side by helping them.

This will surely increase my reputation.

"Liqu! Here are our provisions! We have to stuff them in your bag!" (Chris)

I'm going to give him a hand since my Shari wants us to get along.

While I would rather dissolve him for his impudence this instant, my Shari wishes so and in the end, doing this doesn't hurt.

At least I thought so until this human throws a full barrage of these cursed stones at me.

The force isn't nearly enough to reach my core, but the moment they are embedded inside me the draining starts.

In a blink, my body starts to become unresponsive and I fail to keep my stature.

I can't even dissolve them as they drain the necessary energy and I fail to concentrate it on so many.

I can just manage to expel the stones before my legs crumble.

"What the hell are you doing there?" (Shari)

My Shari comes to me.

"Something I should have done much earlier!" (Chris)

I hate him! I want him dead, disintegrated! Vanished! Whatever will happen he will die! But how make this happen?

"Are you crazy? You cannot just attack us! Liqu will..." (Shari)

"Liqu won't do anything! Do you think I haven't noticed how much these stones drain on you monsters? This amount should have heavily depleted her energy." (Chris)

What can I do?

My body is completely unresponsive.

"I... I d-d-don't... Ssshhhhaaariii-glrshb." (Liqu)

Everything is so slow. I need energy! The corpses!

If I can get there, there will be enough to become operational again.

"Chris you... This is wrong!" (Myra)

Even Myra is speaking up for me.

How novel.

I'm so full of hate but at the same time this kind of affection.

It's too much at once. Overstrained!

"What is wrong with this? I'm eradicating a pest like it is our profession!" (Chris)

He has to die! Rahhh!

"But-but you would never betray someone like this. I barely recognize you!" (Myra)

"They aren't "someone"! They are monsters! Shall I wait until they finally decide to eat us? Or worse?" (Chris)

"Chris, they already apologized and at no point there was any indication for them to turn against us." (Jacob)

"Don't you dare to talk to me! You've already lost all your credit for conspiring with those abominations! This thing is a killer and I will end it for good!" (Chris)

Myra tries to hold him, but the muscular close combat fighter throws her back down with ease. And this quite forceful.

"Sorry Myra, but this I have to do. Jacob, should you intervene I will take you down!" (Chris)

I-I need to act! Somehow! He will end me for sure! I don't want to end! I don't want to cease to exist! I don't want my time with Shari to end! But I can't act! This, this is so dire, so terrible! I have no options! No hope! Why?!!

"I can't let you do this!" (Shari)

.

.

.

What? My, my Shari came to help me!?

"Listen little girl. Maybe you really got dragged into this. So if you vanish now and never be seen again I might find it in me not to hunt you down." (Chris)

She could escape!

Without me, she would surely still have a chance.

She is capable and knows so much more than me about living under humans.

I just dragged her into this and it would be understandable if she wants to leave me.

It would be justified.

"Liqu accompanied me... While everything is hard to bear I am not in for betrayal.

My word is important to me, so abandoning someone I said I would take with me doesn't feel right. So sorry, but I won't allow you to kill her." (Shari)

She protects me? This is... I don't know! Elating? I feel joy! Pure happiness!

"Tsk, solidarity between monsters! What a joke!" (Chris)

"See; If you stop now I can look over it. Even if you are a professional fighter I only need to fend you off until Liqu is ready! You wouldn't win!" (Shari)

I can do this!

Only some moments and I can solve this!

"Then it is good that I have help. You seriously should look who you are keeping with you!" (Chris)

This moment this girl shows up in front of me.

Having a wide smile on her lips.

"Elin!?" (Shari)

I should have dissolved her when I could!

"I am terribly sorry, but he made such nice promises. And this is the perfect opportunity to act, isn't it?" (Elin)

The way she blocks me off I am completely lost.

"You don't have to do this! I was seriously going to pay you! I can even increase the payment!" (Shari)

Have I still enough in me to kill her?

I don't know but I see no other way!

"Huh? I don't want this fickle sum. You know, when your companion pinned me down I really was terrified. Only to think about what she could have done to me at this moment is giving me the creeps! It was pure horror!" (Elin)

See? You can't overcome hate just like this!

"Could you please cut the blathering and take this monster down!" (Chris)

"And because of this, I think I won't do it!" (Elin)

"Huh!?" (everyone)

What the heck?

"What are you saying there? Kill this thing!!!" (Chris)

"This is, as long Liqu would do exactly that what she is best in. Causing a long and painful death! This isn't too much, right?" (Elin)

Oh, I can certainly do that for you! Pure agony and veeery slow.

Encompass her completely but forcing air inside her lungs.

Taking her skin, but covering every wound to prevent leaking.

Slowly taking more, making sure she is aware.

So long until just the most important organs remain and then let go.

If you want this I can do so.

"You are talking about Cid! You want us to assassinate him!" (Shari)

Oh, this would be fine too.

Honestly, I don't like this evil little imp.

"More precisely I want Liqu to do it. You are working a little bit too clean for my taste. But he deserves a mess! And when I get your word this is enough for me. You are honest." (Elin)

Dissolving this unpleasant person?

I don't see any problems with that, if not for the fact that being forced to do so isn't sitting well with me.

And more important my Shari.

"You can't be serious!" (Chris)

"Deal!" (Shari)

Yet the point with blackmail is you rarely have a choice.

But that my Shari goes that far just for me.

Like this, the girl lets me through.

Now I have to make as fast as possible.

This boy is threatening my Shari!

"Raaahhhh! I will get rid of every last one of you!" (Chris)

He wants to attack her!

However, my Shari manages to scare him off a moment with her weapon, granting us a bit of the so desperately needed time.

"Time to end this!" (Chris)

But it couldn't work forever.

Angry, he wants to strike her, but she can dodge.

I am almost relieved that he goes for me and not for Shari, but she is turning back at him in an instant.

Just why has this dissolving take so long?

I know why.

Simply because my energy I would need for it is so low.

I want to help her.

Shari manages to disarm Chris, but then he jumps at her.

"This isn't it. I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!!!" (Chris)

He aims for her core!!! I need to save my Shari! My everything! LET ME HELP! I'M READY! NOW!

"Zssscchhh"

Dissolving.

Nothing but this creates that sound.

But only when used to its fullest you can hear it like this.

And it wasn't me.

The only other...

Shari!

She did dissolve him.

This wasn't a conscious decision, but a pure emergency reaction of her body.

And she won't know how to deal with this.

She isn't that cunning and this killing will hurt her.

She is sad!

And this only because she did protect me.

She is sad because of me. This is so terrible.

And these two who didn't even help look at her like that!?

No wonder she wants away.

But I need to act.

I need to help her.

So I follow behind.

"Sh-Shari..." (Liqu)

"Listen! I don't want to hear it! I don't want you to tell me that this was the right choice! The best way to deal with this situation! That I was right! Or even am developing like a slime should! I don't want to hear it!!!" (Shari)

As if I could do that to my precious one.

Even I know that you feel bad.

"You aren't." (Liqu)

You did save me! You are so much more!

"A slime would never decide based on others. A slime would have just abandoned me without regret. Hick! A slime wouldn't care for me! Hick, hick!" (Liqu)

This is the first time ever someone cared for me.

There is nothing comparable in my whole existence.

Nothing close like her.

"You did save me! I... I don't know!!! Sob! You are miserable because of something you did for me! I don't want you to be miserable! I want you happy! But why do I feel so joyous? I don't understand! I don't understand! I don't understand! Why is this so confusing?" (Liqu)

All that matters is my Shari, her happiness, but also me being with her.

Just what can I do? I must make her happy! Must end her sadness!

And this strange confusing state of mine.

There is only one explanation.

"I... I think I love you!" (Liqu)

This is all I know!

My knowledge might be limited but I am sure.

Nothing else can be this overwhelming.

"W-well, I know you are kinda obsessed because I'm like you." (Shari)

"No! No! Not because you're like me! Because you're you! Because... because just being with you makes me glad. My... my life belongs to you! I have nothing else I can give, but please take it. Please! And never leave me!" (Liqu)

Never let go! Never vanish! Never let this end! I cannot exist without this! Without you! I NEED YOU!!!

"Didn't I say already that I would take you? It's not like I'm going to break my word." (Shari)

Truly! She will stay with me!

But being with me made her so sad.

What can I do?

I don't want her to be sad.

I want to end her sadness.

Make it disappear!

Drown it!

I WILL!!!

I approach her.

She isn't even fending me off, what is enough of consent for me.

And so I link with her, to treat her.

Maybe messing with my Shari's emotions is wrong, but it won't be a general change and this is important.

I will only make her forget her sadness for now.

And all that remains instead are my own feels.

I love you!

Those will drown every little bit else.

She won't realize her own sadness like this.

Everything else shall vanish in this flood!

You don't need it!

Because all that matters is...

I love you! "Not to describe" (Shari)

Her confusion is just natural.

Linking is pretty intense.

"God! This is linking, right?" (Shari) (She is aware, but I must keep my aim secret.) Sure! "You're in my head!" (Shari) Core! "Don't come with specifics! How do I get out of here! I'm barely able to notice anything at all!" (Shari) I'm feeling you and you me! What else should be important? (After all, I will end your sadness) "Maybe what happens around us while we're here?" (Shari) It's nothing bad!

I can even now maintain a shallow amount of awareness.

"How would you know? We have no input!" (Shari) Time's running slow. Barely at all! An eternity just for us!

After all, our combined minds reach right now new spheres together.

"Liqu! Let me out here this instant, before I lose me!" (Shari) Oh no! She shall not be angry! I need to ease her! React! Have to stop now, no matter how nice this is. I have to stop now or my most precious one will be angry! This cannot happen! "Absolutely strange!" (Shari)

But at least she shall know...

I love you!

After I separate again I become aware of a strange sensation.

Some crude question I had until now suddenly become clear.

Thoughts I never had come up.

And there are pictures, memories which aren't mine for sure.

I never had a loving family.

Could it be...

"Did you just... imprint on me?" (Shari)

This is it! That really something like this could happen.

"Maybe. And you on me." (Liqu)

"You! You cannot just do this! Even if you're completely through and... Is this the result? Am I getting understanding?" (Shari)

"Don't know. Never had this." (Liqu)

I really had no idea.

I never was this open before, never let this much of me flow out.

But if it leads to a better understanding between us...

What a wonderful blessing!

"Sure, you never had the chance to do this with one who is like you and... How do I know this? Liqu!!!" (Shari)

"I guess the linking? It might give us each other a better idea of the other, adapt the motives and make us see their perspective." (Liqu)

I realize like this that too much happiness of mine in this situation would put her off, but right now I barely can hold back.

I'm so happy! We became closer! How wonderful!

"Do-do you have my memories as well?" (Shari)

It wouldn't be possible to hide this in the long run.

"Just some. Your parents seem nice. I think I understand now." (Liqu)

They do.

I never had this, but just the corresponding feels to the pictures make me feel warm and fuzzy.

That something this terrible can develop to something this great.

This might be the most wonderful moment in my existence.

I am glad! Thank you, Chris!