- Shari -

Now here we are.

Two slimes, the giant corpse of one of the world’s most fearsome creatures in front of us, and somewhere behind us is a group of adventurers we are escorting to a town that is known to be dangerously poorly administered.

I managed to regain my composure and am able to think straight again.

First, I need to prevent something before it is too late.

"Liqu, you are forbidden to devour that corpse for now." (Shari)

"Why? That's unfair! I participated too! Taking all for yourself is selfish!" (Liqu)

Eventually, she will eventually drive me crazy.

"I said not now. First I need to prepare something." (Shari)

While I can be sure that Liqu doesn’t know, doesn’t care, and never really bothered to think about it; I am well aware.

This thing is a treasure!

We have here the nearly unscathed body of a very special monster.

I don’t know too much about disassembling, but I am sure that some parts should have quite the value.

Like this, I could make quite a profit by selling them.

The only problem is, that I, as I just said, don’t know too much about disassembling.

And even if I would, with this body of mine I simply cannot do it right.

My hands lack the stability required to use the tools steady enough to cut the parts in the right way.

But fortunately, as I mentioned before, somewhere behind us is a group of adventurers.

And in the hope that they are still there, it shouldn’t be expected too much if I ask them to lend me a hand.

Or two.

The two human hands I lack.

By making use of this wealth here, I could maybe negotiate some terms to get the help I need to get into the town.

And there is an even bigger reason why it's advantageous to ask them.

Because it is specifically advantageous for them, which makes an agreement more likely.

As I said, ragers are fearsome creatures.

And such dangerous entities are ought to be eliminated on behalf of the country.

Like this, I can be sure that there should be a reward from the guild if someone can subjugate such a beast which was less than a day away from Ekoras.

And considering the kind of casualties those things are liable to cause, it should be a generous one.

So if I would be so nice to let Jacob’s group claim the victory, I could ask for an equal exchange.

However, this is just possible if a certain slime isn’t devouring it before anything can be procured from it.

I don’t care about the meat, but the rest should be appraised by Jacob, who surely knows how to disassemble it.

I am not too confident in Myra’s abilities and doubt that a proper business negotiation is possible with her, for all my sympathy for that small squirrel girl.

Chris isn’t even able to work and I would like to avoid him by all means.

So I grab my attire, dress up again, and say to Liqu:

"First we will look for the others and then we come back here." (Shari)

Liqu, still a bit sullen because she can’t eat her prey, is quietly following behind me but I have to remind her to put her clothes back on.

She does so and like this, we head back to the place where we left the others.

Yet, if not for the abandoned stretcher and Chris' bloody clothes on the ground, I wouldn’t know if we are at the right place.

Did they abandon us?

That could be.

I mean that thing was frightening and I believe that Jacob could identify what it was by its roar.

Nonetheless, I would feel a little annoyed by this.

Either they didn’t think we would make it and just went running or they wanted to scam us.

Both don’t make them look good.

Yet, for the sake of my faith in people, I will go with the running-out-of-fear option.

But before that, I should give them a chance.

So I shout.

"Hello! We are back! Everything was taken care of! If you hear us you can come out!" (Shari)

And then I wait.

I had not much hope, so I grow quite quickly agitated.

However, contradictory to my expectations there is movement on the side.

And there they are.

But now a question comes up.

"Why are you lot covered in mud? Especially the half-naked boy? It’s not really one of my kinks." (Shari)

"Is it gone?" (Jacob)

"As I said! But it would be more appropriate to say that we got rid of it, and with that I mean it's dead!" (Shari)

"Was it what I thought it was?" (Jacob)

"If we talk about an oversized bear with sleep-preventing spine-spikes, severe anger issues, and a desperate need for a manicure, you are right!" (Shari)

"A rager…" (Jacob)

"Now back to my question regarding why you are covered in dirt." (Shari)

"Ragers use their sense of smell and hearing to track down their victims. We considered running, but we wouldn’t have come far and the noise would have given away our position. So we used the time to mask our scent and lay low, in the hope, it would just notice the bloody clothes and then head in another direction." (Jacob)

That makes sense.

For all I know, ragers react to the smell of blood.

Like this, they should have good noses.

And so they should be able to make them out even on long distances.

Especially with Chris, they had barely a chance to escape.

Yet I hope the mud is not bad for Chris' wound.

I may not like him and vice versa, nonetheless it would be annoying when he would die after all the effort I put into keeping him alive.

But I think Liqu did a good job with her coverage.

Something he probably really loathes.

And the clearsprout should until now really have accelerated the healing.

"Well, then thank you for sharing your knowledge." (Shari)

"And you really killed it?" (Jacob)

I start to grin.

"About that; I have a proposal! I would like to sweeten our deal." (Shari)

We make our way back to the corpse.

And the expressions are quite interesting.

From Jacob, I get some kind of awe while facing that creature.

It should be a mix of knowing the possibilities, respect for the size of that beast and maybe feeling lucky that he had not to deal with it.

From Myra, it’s the same, yet there is a considerably greater amount of fear, as this walking death sentence was after them.

And finally, there's Chris.

What the hell is his problem?

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Instead of recognizing the beast, he is glaring at me.

Did I do something wrong?

I mean, I killed it.

I killed this giant monstrosity that was after him and his friends.

If not for me, all of you would be goners by now.

So why is it a problem that we killed it?

Wait!

That could be it!

It is the fact that we could kill it.

He is not the type to feel directly scared.

Instead, he evaluates threats.

And since he had the whole time a negative attitude towards us, the fact that we killed it and like this proved that we are much stronger is a problem for him.

When he really sees us as monsters he will now believe that we are just worse than the rager.

The greatest threat around here.

And he wouldn’t be wrong.

At least Liqu could put everything in this forest down, that I’m sure of.

And in favor of my sanity, I exclude myself from the monster ranking.

Yet, now I should start the negotiations with Jacob.

"So; what do you think about it?" (Shari)

"What do you mean? I’m glad that you got rid of that thing for us." (Jacob)

"That’s not what I meant. I wanted to ask if that thing is worth anything ." (Shari)

"The corpse? Yes certainly! I mean the claws are insanely though and I’ve heard that the teeth could be used as an alloy for blacksmiths. It is incredible how good the body is still in shape. I can’t see any injuries at all." (Jacob)

"They probably just suffocated it. They have no problem with killing slowly. (Chris)

My rating of Chris and my will to keep him alive, are dropping by the minute.

And especially someone who makes his money with killing should keep his mouth shut!

But back to business.

"And the pelt? I mean there is not one damaged spot on that whole thing." (Shari)

"Sorry to break it to you, but the pelt you can forget." (Jacob)

"What? Why?" (Shari)

"Because of these horned spikes on the back. If anything you could sell the pelt on the limbs separately. But the whole thing has just a big hole in it. Like this, it is deemed worthless. On the other hand, I’ve heard that these spikes have some medical properties. So maybe it's worth a shot." (Jacob)

"Okay, you’re the expert. If something’s tricky to get out you can just ask Liqu to help with the disassembling by dissolving. However, be careful or she eats the whole thing when you don’t look." (Shari)

"Then I'd rather abstain." (Jacob)

"If it is absolutely necessary I could try too. Albeit reluctantly." (Shari)

"Hmh, the horn seems quite solid. Maybe I could take you up on the offer." (Jacob)

Oh great.

A dissolving session!

Just my luck!

"But first I would like to find an agreement on how to divide the shares. I think it would be fair if each of us gets half of it. Ours for taking it down. Yours for disassembling, carrying, and selling it when we arrive at the town." (Shari)

And maybe they can introduce us to the purchaser.

"You really want to share?" (Jacob)

"Nothing against a deal under friendly terms. But isn’t there a reward in it for defeating this thing? Like you show a part of the body?" (Shari)

"Usually it’s the left ear, but I doubt that you two could claim it without issues." (Jacob)

"Didn’t say we do it. You will! And the whole reward will be yours." (Shari)

"I don’t understand. You say you leave us the whole reward for free?" (Jacob)

"When did I say that? In fact, that’s where our deal comes into play. I want us to do it like this: When we arrive at Ekoras, you or anyone else will walk into the city, buy a certain item I will request, and come back out to us, while we keep the proof of the subjugation and the disassembled items with us. After this happened, we'll all together, visibly associated, enter the town. I assume the guards know you, so at least the more inquisitive questions should be dodged this way. After that, we can part ways. And don’t worry; the expenses for the item will be covered by us. Agreeable?" (Shari)

"It doesn’t sound too bad and that you'll leave the reward to us is quite generous. Still, I am not completely sure if I can trust you." (Jacob)

"You don’t need to. But you can trust the fact that we don’t want to be discovered and like this will do our utmost to stay docile. It’s just accompanying us inside and we would all be in this together, so we are bound to keep our respective part." (Shari)

"I can’t decide that by myself. We are a team." (Jacob)

He tends to his group.

"What do you think about this?" (Jacob)

"I am against it!" (Chris)

Oh really? What a revelation Chris!

"We, We really need the money right now and they saved us. So I believe we should trust them!" (Myra)

Thank you squirrel-girl!

"Then it’s on me. Since I have engaged in that trade in the first place, I would like to pursue it further." (Jacob).

"I’m glad that we have a deal!" (Shari)

After this, we start to disassemble the valuable parts of the rager.

Jacob seems to be quite experienced and I help out with the parts that are solidly attached to the corpse by using my dissolving ability.

Although I always dislike doing anything slimelike, he did not want Liqu to help.

So he prefers me over her and that feels good in the way that I think I’m considered a little bit more a human than she is.

Might be unfair to her, but this crisis regarding what species I belong to was quite hard on me.

So being treated better feels good and she has to kindly grant me that.

If not for Chris, who is for some reason treating me worse.

So we get the job done as quickly as possible and gather to the limits of what their storage can stock.

It's pointless to ask me on that matter.

I can’t even carry those bags without the lashes cutting right through me.

We get done and I also replenished my stocks of supplies with the flesh and yes I did dissolve a bit, while I was at it.

However, now it is necessary to give them a warning.

"I know it’s not the first time you witness this, but as this thing is big, what now happens will be quite visceral. So I'll warn you in advance. Liqu wanted to claim the body for herself and like this will now that we are done dissolve it. To anyone who doesn’t know, it’s not a pleasant sight. So avert your eyes if you have a weak stomach!" (Shari)

Jacob apparently doesn't have a weak stomach and can stand this sight, Myra instantly turns away and increases the distance, and Chris would never lose sight of us in all his paranoid monitoring.

"Yay, mine!" (Liqu)

All that is missing would be a "time to dig in" as excited she throws herself on her food.

And I mean literally!

Leaving her attire behind in one fluid movement, she lifts from the ground, although I haven’t seen her making any jumping movements, and flies at the remains of the corpse.

While we had rather mutilated the body in our pursuit to take a good amount of the valuable parts and the best pieces of the flesh, it was less than a fifth.

And as bad as the remains might have looked like when we were done, it's nothing compared to that what happens now to it.

It's not the first time I’ve seen that.

Still, the visible disintegration of a body is an unnerving sight from the outside.

And to know that I need to do the same is not helping in the slightest.

She isn’t even speeding up.

As Liqu explained, it is possible to release more from that stuff that is doing the dissolving but only at the cost of energy.

Slimes instinctively use the appropriate amount that is needed for the respective task, which after the action dissipates back into normal slime.

Yet, producing it takes energy and it has to be a continuous release.

However, it is possible to use much more than necessary at the cost of the corresponding energy, but for greater effect.

How much more is seemingly a question of training and experience.

Still, in a fight, it could be helpful to have an even more dangerous touch.

But Liqu takes her time and I suspect here that she just enjoys the feeling.

This a disturbing thought, considering it marks the end of a living being.

By the way, she changed her size when she started and lost a bit of her shape, but now that she's done she forms into her human appearance.

"Mmh, that was great! I feel so content." (Liqu)

"Fine. Now that you are done can we get going?" (Shari)

"Sure. And here’s your share." (Liqu)

Before I can even say something she is already at me and has her hands on my neck.

To be precise, she has them in my neck and pumps mass inside.

I am not directly angry that she does it in the first place.

I had enough of those occasions to become accustomed.

What is more annoying, is the fact that she once again slipped through my defense to do it.

And that with announcement!

She is an expert when it comes to sliding into my personal room and the fact I can’t manage to stop her is bothering me at great length.

"Stop now! That is invasive and we agreed that you would ask me first, right? Can’t I trust you?" (Shari)

The last part had some impact.

She’s actually completely panicking.

"Oh. No. I mean… You can! I didn’t want to. I thought we would just… together. Forgive me I did not think straight. It wasn’t intended. I mean… I don’t know… I… Please don’t hate me! Waaah!" (Liqu)

And the wailing slime is back.

Seeing her all flustered is somewhat funny, resembling a small child.

But the crying gets annoying pretty quickly.

"Now get over it! It's fine; just stop this attack on my nerves!" (Shari)

"You, you're forgiving me?" (Liqu)

"I said it's fine! Now stop with the sobbing!" (Shari)

"R-really? Thank you, thank you!" (Liqu)

.

.

.

What have I done?

You know, there are moments when you go with the mood and just say something whose implication does not dawn before you realize what you’ve done.

She asked me if I'd forgive her and I said I’m "fine".

I just had to say this, huh?

Telling someone who destroyed my whole life that it's okay.

I could shrug this up as a slip of tongue related only to the concrete situation that was transpiring right now.

But then I would be lying to myself.

The truth is, for a moment I completely forgot the whole rest, but the statement was a general one.

Damnit, Shari, there is a limit to how forgiving one can be!

The more I was with her, the more accustomed I got to Liqu.

And that left its mark.

Am I really going to forgive her?

I’m not someone who backs away from her word and I have already said that out loud, without any chance to take it back.

Even if she is not really evil, I have every right to hate her.

.

.

.

But I don’t.

She got what she wanted and the idea that she gets rewarded for her deeds makes me angry.

But this is frustration, not hate.

It’s just discontent with the situation in general.

No matter how I look at this, she is closing in on me.

I mean, I fear if this proceeds it isn’t impossible to become friends.

Argh!

Forget it!

Forget it!

Nonetheless, she comes closer to me.

Right now it seems like she wins.

And I don’t even know why I’m making the effort to fight this.

Sigh!

After all, she is an expert when it comes to slipping through my guard.