Seeing the approaching death Rose closed her eyes and waited. She wasn't afraid of death, kind of a been there done that situation, but the thought that she was once again leaving behind people she cared about depressed her immensely. She was ecstatic when she found Karen for several reasons but the largest was because she knew that as Aaron she had been the bedrock that had kept her grounded after her parents had disowned her. At the time they had even had the gall to ask me to try making her "normal" in their eyes.

Seeing Karen follow her to this new world made her more hopeful that her sister, Mary, had also done so. After what their parents had done to her she had never forgiven them and Rose couldn't bear to think of Mary being stuck in a house with those two. And...

Wait a second? Why am I not dead yet? This can't be that whole "life flashing before my eye's" thing right? And for the past minute or so I had been hearing a snapping noise... Hesitantly opening my eye's I was greeted by snapping jaws directly in front of my face but no indication that those jaws were getting closer. I watched as those jaws slowed down before coming to a stop as the eye's of the hellhound dulled, blood dripping from it's still open jaws.

[H-Huh? I'm alive?] - Rose

[I'd say you are both doing fine, reincarnator's. First time I've seen two in the same place like this though.] - Dapper Looking Old Dude?

I suddenly noticed the presence of an older looking man with his blade shoved into the side of the hellhound. Maybe he had been the one that saved me? 

[Wait! How do you know about that and more importantly is Karen okay?!?] - Rose

[If you mean that barely conscious humanoid slime over there then yes she's fine. Didn't you hear me say that a moment ago? Hasn't your mother every told you to pay attention to the elderly? Never know when they're gonna keel over and die after all! Hahaha!] - Dapper Old Dude

Pulling his blade out of the now dead hellhound he let it fall to the forest floor with barely a glance while laughing. Suddenly getting a serious face he stared directly at my face intently as I squirmed, as much as I could given my condition, in embarrassment at his intense gaze. Seeming to have found what he was looking for in my face he nodded and turned to check on Karen.

[Rose! Are you here?!?! Rose!!!] - Malaise

[Rose! Can you hear us!?!? If you don't answer I'll molest you while you're sleeping!!!] - Veronica

[Wait don't you do that already Ver? I have to fight you off her several times a week...] - Malaise

[That's cause I'm holding myself back if I got really serious I could...] - Veronica

[O-Over here!] - Rose

Hearing my friends loud voices in the distance I felt a threat to my chastity if I didn't answer them quickly.

[....follow.] - Shade

[I heard her!] - Malaise

[Me too! Let's go!] - Veronica

Muttering something about foolish children while shaking his head the Dapper Old Dude pulled out a glass container with a dark blue liquid in it and uncorked it above Karen. Panicking at this unknown man doing something to Karen she attempted to crawl towards them but only succeeded in flopping around weakly as she fell forward. Noticing my concern the man game me a lopsided grin.

[Don't worry little reincarnator, it's just a mana potion. Slime's are basically a mass of mana so this will...] - Dapper Old Dude

[ROSE! I found you!!!] - Veronica

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[I'm so sorry for leaving you behind!] - Malaise

[...relieved.] - Shade

Launching themselves at me Veronica and Malaise both spoke at the same time, tears in their eye's, as they interrupted the old dude. To his credit though he looked only slightly exasperated and turned to continue what he had been doing while watching our reunion with a warm smile.

[Ow! Don't be so rough that stings!] - Rose

[Oh sorry!] - Malaise

[What happened? You look like hell?] - Veronica

[...injured?] - Shade

[Hahahahaha! Ow!] - Rose

Seeing their worried faces as they quickly gave me space I started laughing hysterically, causing more waves of pain to radiate from my reopened burn wounds. That only worried them more as they started freaking out loudly. I noticed a teacher approaching us from behind them out of the crowd that had gathered in the small battlefield. 

[I know you three are worried but give her a little space, looking at her injuries it seems the young lady has been through a rough time.] - Calm Looking Female Teacher

[O-Oh right!] - Malaise

[S-Sorry Rose! Sorry teach!] - Veronica

[...] - Shade

Giving the teacher room to pass as she then examined my wounds. Her poking and prodding making me hiss in pain several times.

[My name is Joy, I'm a nurse for the academy, are you doing okay?] - Nurse Joy

[My burns don't hurt as much as before, Karen gave me a medicine she made so it's a little better than before.] - Rose

[Is Karen that little humanoid slime over there? She must care for you a great deal to help you like that. It certainly looks like she used a fairly powerful herbal remedy, I'll have to give her my thanks when she's conscious. Now I need to finish the job or it might get infected.] - Nurse Joy

[Okay?] - Rose

[Okay good, now this is going to hurt a lot but I need you to be a strong girl for me okay?] - Nurse Joy

Nodding as I gritted my teeth in preparation for pain I saw Malaise and them squeezing each other's hands as they watched on in concern. Because of that I nearly missed a golden glow emanating from Joy's hands and did miss her chant before it.

I didn't miss the pain that came afterwards however as I felt a scream make it's way up my throat only to get caught when my mouth refused to open. Unlike the pain from when I'd put the herbal paste on this one only intensified rather than fading and through tear-filled eyes I noticed scale's regrowing in the burned patches of my tail and the wounds themselves quickly scabbed over before healing a second later. Then, almost as fast as it started, the pain stopped and I slumped forward, gasping for breath.

[I know that it hurt sweetie, because it had been too long since the injury I couldn't help it but you should be fine now. Just be careful not to stress out your fresh scale's, they'll be sensitive for a couple days at least.] - Nurse Joy

Nodding to my three friends that they could now approach they immediately rushed forward while crying. I hugged them back weakly, still recovering from the intense pain from the last few minutes.

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[Wow so you and this Karen know each other?] - Veronica

[Y-Yeah, we met when... oh right when I was a child! She was only a small slime then! Right Karen?] - Rose

[Y-Yeah I was a baby slime when we met! I was so surprised to see her here!] - Karen

[Hmm... Is that so?] - Malaise

[...] - Shade

I had been occupied for several minutes with comforting the extremely distressed Malaise and Veronica after the Nurse had used healing magic on me. Luckily whatever that Dapper Old Dude had done with Karen had worked and she had woken up before promptly freaking out at all the new people surrounding us, some of which had weapons ready. It had taken several minutes to reassure her that neither of us were in any danger and that these people were here to rescue me.

After calming Karen down I then needed to think of a reason that a random humanoid slime would save me and the only thing I could come up with was that we had met each other before I had entered school. The skeptical looks that Malaise was giving me told me that she didn't buy it for a minute but she didn't call me out on it at least so maybe she was willing to let it slide?

[You'll tell us the real story later right?] - Malaise

Or not. Leaning in to whisper in my ear Malaise destroyed any chance I had at escaping this situation easily. Behind her I saw Veronica with a Cheshire Cat grin on her face and a satisfied look on Shade's face. So even those two had figured it out? Tearing up slightly I nodded and nothing else was said about that topic.

[Well I hate to break up all the nauseating reunion stuff but I'm afraid that there lady is going with me for a little while. Alone.] - Manic Blade

[Huh?] - Everyone

[You see I was called here for a little rat infestation problem but that young ladies situation is too interesting to leave as it is so I decided that she's coming with me.] - Manic Blade

Realizing what he meant Malaise, Veronica and Shade got between the two of us while Karen circled behind the older man who I'd been told was called Manic Blade with a grim look on her face.

[Over our dead bodies!] - Veronica

[I knew you were suspicious the moment I saw you! What are you really after?!?] - Malaise

[...won't take!] - Shade

[Oh I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that I was asking for permission, no no no.] - Manic Blade

Vanishing from out sight before reappearing behind the three of them right next to me, he continued his sentence as if he was having a civil conversation.

[I was informing you.] - Manic Blade

Continuing the momentum from his vanishing act he grabbed ahold of me around my waist and hefted me on his shoulder, my tail trailing behind us as he leapt into the overhanging tree's before pausing still holding onto my body like a bag of rice.

[Oh and let that shapeshifter bitch know that this little one will be participating in the tournament in 5 months.] - Manic Blade

Only now realizing what had happened I attempted to struggle but my arms were held tight against my waist and the most I could do was weakly wiggle my body as we jumped away from the group that attempted to chase us.

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