- Shari -

By now it is afternoon, so I should decide what takes priority before the shops start to close.

Those kinds of family businesses tend to close in the evening to have a little rest period and if I don’t hurry my money will become useless for that period.

I need to set my priorities now.

I want to wash the clothes, but since we can do this on our own it is not bound to the time and it might be even better if not too many people are out anymore.

So what do I need?

I want the information on valuable objects you can gather around the town.

Also, there are some commodities I would like to acquire.

For example, working gloves for Liqu since I’m sure this Cid will ask himself today why there is a residue on his sleeve.

I doubt he can figure it out alone with this, as the simple idea of two slimes in human shape, accompanied by known adventurers, to sell parts of monsters and in need to make money is so outrageous that you would likely get judged as mentally ill with such an assumption.

But to improve our cover I should buy those gloves.

Another thing I want is a dagger.

I know I have my trusty knife with me, but this one is simply no weapon.

Its original purpose was to cut plants, skin small animals, and cooking.

I had much luck with the bandit to get such a good hit, but truly this is no weapon.

The blade is too short, the serrated edges make it harder to stab someone, and it is rather old and a little rusty.

While I am not the most violent person, in a situation like we were recently I would have preferred to have a way to defend myself without blowing my cover.

Or at least to have something so I can believably threaten them.

And the last thing I need is food.

I noticed that Liqu was displeased when we gave the flesh away.

So I should ensure that we have a food supply.

The one thing that is worse than a crazy, unstable, violent slime; is a hungry, crazy, unstable, violent slime!

So I need to buy flesh today.

Like this, we are reaching the commercial district of the town, close to Tamarah's shop.

I dismiss the thought to go right now back to sell her the herbs, as I would need to fetch them from our room and also because it would be embarrassing to come back so shortly after leaving.

And maybe because this woman gives me the creeps.

So today we're just going to buy stuff.

While we're traversing this district I need to double my efforts to keep Liqu in check who is distracted by nearly every little thing she encounters.

Because of this, I keep her close since everything else would be irresponsible.

Conveniently it is not difficult to keep her next to me.

Who would have thought?

The first thing I buy is a new bag from a tailor.

I realized that I have too many problems related to my limited carrying capacity so I need to find a way to overcome my condition and carry heavier stuff.

Nonetheless, I don’t take the biggest I find, but one I think I will be able to use.

I also ask for some modifications to spread the weight around the body when I wear it.

And I let them add a net and hooks on the outside, which will be for transporting wet objects which I don't want to sully the inside.

Foremost I have flesh in mind to feed my companion slime.

As it is rather high-quality, it costs me one silver together with the modifications.

In addition, I buy a high-quality cloak for eighty copper as well as a spare for Liqu for fifty copper and a cheap pair of gloves for twenty, spending two silver coins and taking the change.

This transaction was quite bothersome, as I was totally tense not to slip in front of the clerks, and the whole time I was waiting I had to keep an eye on Liqu.

And the worst was not being able to try them on.

I must have looked like a weirdo, buying cloaks of this price without testing them.

Totally embarrassing!

Next on the list is my dagger.

Since I have my standards when it comes to my self-defense I buy one for two silver.

You could also call it a shortsword with its twenty-five cm length.

The main function is intimidation, so bigger was better here.

It should have like this just the length I can store in my forearm to have it available.

It’s a very slim one which one would use for stabbing.

Like this, it smoothly fits in my arm.

At this point, I should mention that this weapon comes with really a high price.

On this market, one would get a loaf of bread for two copper.

And while our room was in a worrisome condition, the price was fair in that inn.

I mean ten copper per person is a nice deal.

So my spending for this piece of metal, or whatever material they used as they told me they use monster parts and exotic ores for such weapons, thus exceeds the price for a meal by a hundred times.

Did they scam me?

Now I should admit that I never had a big amount of money or ever went to such a big market or have any other experience with handling your finances.

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone here that I am bad with money.

However, I made it through this and all there is left on my list would be a trip to the butcher.

I note the scent of blood long before we reach the establishment.

Well, it is not smelling, but my senses are instantly jumping at this sensation.

Is this again this weird predatory instinct?

No, I don’t want an answer!

But I get it either way with the other slime next to me becoming excessively restless.

So I enter the shop after I told Liqu that she cannot touch anything in there.

Would be bad if she devours all the flesh she finds.

And she gets a bit twitchy when we enter.

She must experience the same I do but is more close to the urge to give in to her nature.

Things being like this I really shouldn’t let her stay too long in here.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to find the butcher.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" (butcher)

He is a big man, both in height and width.

You can see that he weighs a lot, but besides a generous amount of fat, I can be sure that for a good part muscles contribute to his figure.

"I would like to buy a large piece of meat. The frame should be like this." (Shari)

I describe a size with my hands, which I believe should be enough to make me and Liqu nearly full again.

In comparison to the wolves I’ve seen her devour the last time, it should be a third of their size.

This is still quite much if you apply common sense and in regards to my own experience with dissolving flesh it should work out, even though Liqu takes larger amounts in general.

But I’m very sure she is overeating.

Also, I have the hunch that at full capacity the decrease is faster, or at least you are unconsciously more wasteful.

So the amount I want to purchase is more than enough and will most likely be a test of the sturdiness of my new bag.

"Could you be more concrete? What kind of meat and which slice?" (butcher)

"The animal is not important to me. If possible I would like the cheapest and in accordance also the least expensive piece. It can be chewy and full of bones if that is somehow dropping the price." (Shari)

"Do you want to bait a monster, or what?" (butcher)

Just why did it have to be this assumption?

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"Why you ask? Is this important?" (Shari)

"Maybe a little. It would explain why you want a piece that those things can’t swallow this fast. I mean most beasts are quite drawn to flesh and you wouldn’t be the first adventurer to buy your bait here." (butcher)

That would explain his composed demeanor at our appearance.

We look very odd as we are, but when he has often to do with adventurers, there should have been some oddballs apart from us.

"The most important is the ratio of quantity and price." (Shari)

It pains me to admit this, but fancy food would be wasted on me, as my body is now.

So to wish for a normal piece for a meal would just mean throwing my money away.

"I understand. But it shouldn’t change that much in price, as the size you want already makes a good part of the whole thing. But if you want a part that wasn't disemboweled by me yet and has still its entrails, you can have such one. That would be more along with your request regarding the price. " (butcher)

Uh, eating organs.

That's not to my liking.

But it would be the wiser choice.

"Good, then I would like to take you up on this offer." (Shari)

"But I need to warn you, they start rather fast to smell like this. Yet this is what you want, right?" (butcher)

"Yes. Yes sure." (Shari)

He nods and walks through a door behind him.

After a short time, he comes out again, with the leg of some animal.

It could be a cow. Somehow mankind made it to bring some through when this whole mess with the monsters started.

Like I said before, I was never too interested in these ancient stories and we had no church where they would pray about such creational stories.

For sure it's something like: "This god brought magic and with it came the monsters!"

Action and effect.

Quite simple.

But now back to the flesh.

Since it’s unprocessed it still drips a bit and a bind around the whole thing keeps it from losing any contents.

This might be a bit hard to carry properly.

Suddenly another issue comes to my mind.

"Ehm, could you cut it a little in the middle, so that it is possible to separate it if we need to?" (Shari)

"Mhm, yes should be possible. But you two look quite small. Do girls like you really want to go and hunt monsters? Without a vanguard that is just foolish, even if you both are mages or something like this." (butcher)

Isn’t he a little bold to press like this on his customers?

But I have heavily implied I would use it for a monster with my request.

And in a strange way, it's indeed for a monster.

So I should answer him.

"We aren’t alone. We are good acquaintances of Jacob and his group." (Shari)

"Ah, Jacob. Poor guy after that what happened to him. I hope he can recover." (butcher)

Huh? What was this about Jacob?

I should inquire about this!

"Oh, was there something? He didn’t tell me." (Shari)

"No sorry, I shouldn’t gossip about my customers like this." (butcher)

Aren’t you doing that the whole time?!

And it seems like this is common knowledge.

If I think about this carefully, the most likely idea might be something regarding his old team.

It was a bit strange that a seasoned adventurer like him would form a team with two newbies.

There are three possible answers to that question.

The first possibility is that he left for some reason, but then he wouldn’t be the "poor one" in this story.

The other option is that he was kicked out, but he seems very professional to me, so it’s unlikely that he would give anyone a reason to do such a thing.

And finally, the most common explanation:

They are dead, eaten by whatever.

But it's not benefitting my agenda to figure this out.

I'm just prying into his privacy, which can be to my disadvantage.

He would surely dislike my inquiring about his sore spots.

Also, I’m too much of a target myself, with my situation.

"But tell this guy that it's not okay to use girls to fetch such a heavy item." (butcher)

While we were talking he made the requested cuts.

Regarding the reason, I may have a new dagger, but this is not made to cut something in half.

More for stabbing and slicing weak spots, not cooking.

And if I won’t do one thing then dissolve the same piece together with Liqu.

I cannot imagine any way to handle this.

It would be too weird.

After he's done with the meat I pay.

The whole thing comes down to fifty copper, which I pay with the change I’ve got at the tailor.

I attach the meat on a hook to my bag, heave it, and try my best to retain my shape.

The pressure on my legs is bordering my current limits.

In the end, I manage to leave the place without greater problems.

Yet suddenly outside Liqu speaks up.

"That was all?" (Liqu)

"Look it might not be a wolf, but we haven’t expended that much energy so it should be enough for both of us." (Shari)

"No. I mean we just got it like this? No hunting? No fighting? No setting traps? We just need to give a round piece of metal and we get all we need?" (Liqu)

Even if she said that she heard about money, her actual experience seems to be very underdeveloped.

"Yes, that’s how money works." (Shari)

I move on and hear behind me:

"Just like this." (Liqu)

The last quote she mumbles to herself.

It seems her world got quite shaken by that revelation.

"Okay Liqu, it will soon become dark and I told you that we shouldn’t be out then. But I want us to go and wash our cloaks and clothes at the river before it gets too late, so please let us hurry and after that, we can eat this together." (Shari)

As soon as I say that, she falls out of her daze and stares at me with widened eyes.

Well, they're widening by artificially spreading their borders.

A moment later slime drops flow down from them, while she stays completely still.

"What is it now?" (Shari)

Is she averse to the river or is she sad that she can’t go out at night?

"Eating… together?" (Liqu)

That’s it!?

You can overreact to things like this as well!

Just eating together means this much to you?

I mean it’s not like this makes us actual friends, right?

Right?

Does it?

Maybe I am overthinking things.

I mean there are several other examples regarding why someone would share a meal with others who are not their friends.

For example, while traveling!

But we aren’t on the move at the moment.

And you are also often bonding on those occasions.

But eating with acquaintances!

Yet you wouldn’t go out with people you dislike.

But family dinners!

No, no, no, no!

Bad example!

Bad example!

Did I again fail to prevent her from getting any weird ideas about our relationship?

However, there's no real way around this.

So we'll have this meal in our room later.

Having no other choice I proceed as I’ve planned.

The innkeeper looks fairly inquisitive when we enter with the flesh, but leaves us be.

We take our slimed clothes and wash them at a less visible spot at the river, while I'm paying keen attention that nobody sees what we are washing out there.

Or us while we're doing so since it is not this dark yet and the shirts are only of provisional help.

It is a difficult task with how my hands are, but the water helps quite much.

Liqu said the slime is not soluble, but wetting the clothes helps a great deal to drive it out, so somehow it works.

Maybe because it isn't controlled slime?

I also put my hand one time in, out of curiosity.

It is a strange feeling that tears in all directions, but it is like Liqu said, with willpower I can manage to keep myself together without losing mass.

I take this opportunity to fetch some water, as one never knows when it might come in handy.

The containers were conveniently part of the deal for the bag, yet at this price that’s just fair.

When we are done I use the net to transport the wet clothes without having to put them in the bag.

I knew it would become handy.

Yet naturally, we have to put the cloaks back on again since the new ones are at the inn.

When we are back in our room all that is left is to eat.

I am aware that I need sustenance and have to dissolve this.

And gladly this time there are no judging eyes of humans around, so I have fewer issues.

Not none, but fewer.

The butcher made the cut through the bone.

So I can use my new dagger to finish it.

My inability to exert force is a hindrance, but I manage to slice through the flesh.

Then I store the blade back into my arm.

Stored in my body the blade should keep its condition and get cleaned of the residues from the flesh.

Now I just have to dissolve my share.

In comparison to my last meal, at this size, this is going to become much more difficult.

I really can’t see how it should fit.

I could slowly work on it with my hands, but am unsure if that is the right approach.

Naturally, I’ve locked the door for this and can be without the clothes on as they are a bit restricting and it is straining to constantly press myself to prevent soaking them.

So I just need to take this in.

I could just adjust my shape, but I feel quite bad about doing such things with my body.

Still, I am not able to cut it into small enough pieces.

So just the two possibilities of taking long by using just the hands or making fast.

Damnit! It feels just wrong to contemplate this much about something this mundane.

And I will need to do it more often.

I mean it’s eating.

Maybe Liqu is right and this is a disorder.

It is simply impractical to take this long for something you have to do frequently.

Also, I need to ingest more than I used to if I want to stay operational with this body.

That is simply how things are.

Just do it!

I grab the flesh and press it to my torso.

Like by itself the liquid flows around it and drags the meat in.

It looks just creepy.

I ignore the tears that flow out of my eyes and activate the dissolving.

I feel every moment.

How even the tiniest bit disintegrates.

How it is composed while doing so.

How every part changes.

It feels like an eternity, pressed into a short moment.

Then it is done.

I feel so exhausted.

My mentality is strained and I am sad and embarrassed by what I just did.

Suddenly I hear from the side:

"You did the right thing. It surely was hard on you, but you are so strong. That you could manage to do this just shows what a great person you are, nothing else. There is nothing to feel sorry for." (Liqu)

Not overeager, not joyful, but calm and compassionate she's saying this.

Liqu...

Once again she got me.

Exactly the right words, finding perfectly my soft spots.

When will this stop?

Probably never as she starts to grow on me somehow.