- Shari -

Now it's time to close the shop for today and get started with my other part-time job.

Something about kicking asses with royal permit.

While we're walking to the respective building, I go in my mind over the things I know.

Apparently, Baron Moreau is already for quite some time rather infamous.

Since his mine stopped being productive, he should've lost his source of income.

At least, officially that is.

Apparently, he has a number of side businesses.

The less-dubious ones being stuff like renting out a number of buildings in the slums, for horrendous prices that is.

However, it should be obvious this isn't all there is to it.

The mere fact that he has held his position for so long in the central district, despite having neither obvious wealth nor another specialty, means that he not only has opened up ways of a decent income, but also means he's backed by influential people.

So exactly the kind of person with the information we are looking for regarding our original assignment.

In this sense, it’s helpful that we're rather free in how we'll approach this infiltration.

The fact that Gareth will hold the guard back for the night means we neither need to worry about being approached during the curfew nor will have to worry about being seen in the preparation stage.

Unfortunately, Gareth only knew that Moreau has a vault, but not its exact location, which is probably going to make things difficult.

After a while, the houses change into their fancier variants.

Moreau doesn't live exactly at the center, but a bit detached to the east.

There the buildings aren't quite as cramped anymore, which allows for larger homes that stand with some space around them.

So Baron Moreau's mansion stands tall with an adjacent garden next to the other houses.

Yet also, the many guards waiting in front of it are a giveaway.

Now for my plan.

"Liqu, you got how we're doing this, right?" (Shari)

"Yes, yes. I'm all ready! It just is a little inconvenient." (Liqu)

"Still, I want to do it like this. We can mitigate the death toll this way." (Shari)

"Yes, yes. As you want it." (Liqu)

It might be a little risky to trust that Liqu is able to hold back, but it should be the best option.

After I checked that everything is prepared, the equipment we need is ready, and that we are properly cloaked, naturally in normal clothing and not with the royal emblem plastered on our chests, we can get started.

The first thing we need to do is observe the building for a good entry point.

Well, in our case, this isn't just limited to the places that come to mind, like windows, doors, or any other kinds of shafts and side entrances, but in fact any part of the building that isn't in clear view and allows us to dissolve our way inside.

Which isn't limited in the slightest.

While we need to be careful not to alert any patrolling estate guards, the night keeps us hidden, and it isn’t long before I manage to spot a suitable point from a distance.

An alley that links to a reinforced stone wall.

Nothing anyone would think of guarding, as it would require heavy equipment and the corresponding noise to force one's way inside.

That is, as long as you aren't a slime.

If you are, you can simply crawl to the upper floor and dissolve a hole through the whole thing.

A hole that should lead us straight to where I presume Baron Moreau to be.

The reason for this approach is the issue I already mentioned.

I have no idea where the documents are supposed to be.

Even that they're still in the vault is only guesswork.

So why not ask the one who's supposed to know?

Naturally, there's more to how I planned the execution, but it should work quite well.

"Zsch"

Working in tandem, it doesn't take long till we have created our way in.

By keeping track of the vibrations within the building, I realize there's some kind of commotion in the entrance hall.

Also, the number of people in there is ridiculous.

With so many, there's no way we can do this cleanly, which is what I want to try this once.

Because my curiosity prompts me to, I dissolve the tiniest hole in what I identify to be an adjacent corner.

There's an elder man, shielded by apparently well-trained fighters in a dark grey uniform, currently talking to the baron.

"...lacking, dear Baron. Do I need to remind you of the importance of these deliveries? We expect improvements or your status among us will have to be reconsidered." (?)

"Yes, of course, Sir. I'll personally see to it that those lazy hoodlums will drastically increase their efforts." (Moreau)

Okay, seeing him so deprived of any pride gives him a completely new feeling.

"This is in your best interest, my friend. I hope you understood well enough what I was trying to convey. I wouldn't wish to have to pay you another visit. Not like your hospitality wouldn't be well-received, but the amenities are certainly just as lacking as your service. If this repeats, I'll have to make sure I won't have to come again. Ever." (?).

Wow, this threat wasn't even concealed.

After this, the man departs.

While still somewhat shaken, the Baron apparently decides not to dwell on what happened.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Right now we should stay in position till things have calmed down.

So we wait until I can be sure that no houseguards will patrol the spot I'm going to appear at before we continue on.

It's actually a bit difficult to squeeze through the hole while taking our clothes and equipment with us, but if it's big enough for my core that also means I can pull that small stuff and some fabric behind me.

Although, it ends up being quite slimed, yet this won't be a concern for today.

At least not as much as I feel about squeezing myself through a small hole in the first place.

Gratefully, no guard seems prompted to investigate.

Not that we made much noise, but especially at night people tend to be overly paranoid about the quietest scratching sound in their vicinity.

If we could just get this over with without anyone becoming aware of our presence I would very much prefer this instead of having to rely on our fallback plan.

Because any noise would be bad, I'm not even wearing my boots.

To move as silently as possible, I’m even forced to forgo walking, instead sliding to the upper reaches and leaving a liquid trail behind.

Some moments later, my all-around vision due to my dropped hood tells me Liqu made it in as well.

Reaching the first row of doors, I become aware of a fault in my plan.

While I can tell by the vibrations that someone is in a room that doesn't tell me who it is.

However, I can go by the scent trails.

Those are a good enough indicator, even if I need to say that it's not as exact inside a place where the target I'm looking for regularly dwells.

However, it's good enough to pinpoint the location.

As I approach the door I feel to be the most likely choice, I discover another issue.

I'm not sure if the Baron is currently awake.

What I'm about to do requires a degree of surprise assault and therefore affords that I know the condition of my target.

However, I already have the solution for this kind of problem.

I let my, as mentioned before, bootless feet lose shape and slide with them below the doorstep.

This way the slime sweeps into the room beyond and allows me to take a quick survey.

Yep, there he is.

Up and about.

So how to go about this?

The thing is, I don't want him to see us in slime form.

This man is almost definitely confirmed as a member of the rebel faction, or “The Pact”, as I’ve heard that term quite often recently so it will do as a name.

However, I don't really plan on killing him.

If he is a member, then killing him, a noble, might be enough of a justification for The Pact to start their little civil war.

At this point, this is much too early.

Especially, as I don't want to be the one to have provided them with arguments.

However, if these documents can truly discredit him, this would undermine the Baron's position.

Without his power and wealth he'd only be a worthless fat man without any noteworthy skills.

So yes, the question is how to overwhelm him without risking a deadly confrontation or leaving him with information on us.

Suddenly, I experience a certain familiar but just as unsettling sensation.

* "Why are you waiting there, Shari?" (Liqu)

* "Linking. Of course you would." (Shari)

* "Sorry. I didn't think you wanted me to speak out loud." (Liqu)

* "No, no. I understand. Sigh. Our target is in there. We need to overwhelm him without making noise or exposing us." (Shari)

I don't really know how to approach him so we can put him into a situation where he'll certainly do as we say.

I suppose if I could hold him at knife point, then I doubt that this kind of man would risk anything by calling for help.

* That's easy! I can do this!" (Liqu)

* "You can?" (Shari)

* "Yes, yes! Totally!" (Liqu)

I'm not sure if it's smart to leave things like this to Liqu, but she wouldn't lie.

So I'll believe her.

* Fine, then do it!" (Shari)

* Yes, yes!" (Liqu)

Without further ado, she separates and moves to the door.

"Splock, splock"

And knocks!?!

Naturally, the baron moves to us, and I have certainly no idea how to prevent the inevitable.

While things may not be completely lost yet, the whole mission threatens to become awfully messy if it proceeds in this way.

So the baron opens the door and faster than I can look surprised Liqu dashes inside, right into the man.

As neither of us are wearing anything solid, the impact shouldn't have been all that hard, but the two skid across the whole room till they bounce against the other wall.

Because I instinctively went into high-speed processing, I manage in time to gain enough thought to move in as well and close the door behind me.

There I find the baron and Liqu sprawled on the ground, the latter using her arm to gag the former.

I walk up to them till I loom above our victim in a way that I can be sure I have his attention.

Then I pull out a dagger and hold it right above him.

With an altered voice of a, in my imagination, somewhat gruff guy, I start speaking.

"I don't want this to get dirty. We can both survive this encounter. However, if you raise your voice too high, I fear you won't leave me much of a choice but to end the problem." (Shari)

This simple measure will most likely ensure that my shop won't be targeted after this.

Baron Moreau knows my usual voice, so they'll be looking for someone else.

With this in mind, I decide to proceed to the next step.

I drip a certain liquid over the blade, making him flinch.

"Do you know what this is? Of course, you don't, but please, let me enlighten you. This is a mending potion. It's quite a fascinating thought, isn't it? I could cut straight through your flesh and the potion on the blade would heal any injury directly before any blood can flow. Okay, it might scar, but it would still be as if there wouldn't have been a cut at all. Can you imagine that? I could stab and slice you as much as I want and you wouldn't receive a single dangerous injury. Well, actually I'm not so sure about this. Do you think there could be a dangerous enough stab to your organs that would still kill you?" (Shari)

To prove to him, I draw a shallow line over his exposed skin that immediately closes in a small reddish line again.

This almost puts him over the edge, with only Liqu's hold preventing him from screaming.

I hope he's panicking enough not to notice the slime taste of her arm.

Yet now he should be sufficiently intimidated that I can start the next phase.

"Just saying, we can hold this door long enough to repeatedly stab you before anyone will be even close to saving you. Not that there'll be much to save at this point. But for this instant, I also have another blade right here. So I suggest you answer me truthfully so we can be on our way. Where is your vault with the documents?" (Shari)

Then I turn to Liqu.

"Let him speak, please." (Shari)

So Liqu frees his mouth but still restrains him by adjusting her hold.

"You, you won't get away with this! (Moreau)

"Let this be our concern. Please, answer the question. Where is the vault? As long as you don't want me to stab you that is." (Shari)

"Tsk, it's in the cellar. Do you really think you can fight your way through all my guards?" (Moreau)

"I said already, that is our concern. Next question. Are your documents in there? Especially the ones about particularly questionable content. You wouldn't like me if we would go all the way down there and it turns out to be a ruse." (Shari)

"D-documents?" (Moreau)

"No, no, no! We won't even get started with this. I know they exist. So speak up or die a gruesome death." (Shari)

"...They're there." (Moreau)

"Wonderful. You just bought your life." (Shari)

Now I need to figure out how to proceed from here on out.

"Sir, are you okay? There's, uhm, some kind of trail leading here!" (guard)

Sigh.

That was to be expected.

However, not today, world.

Not today.

Because this time, I have a backup plan!