- Shari -

Being able to see everything around can be very convenient.

It might be a little bit of a mental overload to handle this much information at once, but this apparently doesn't apply to creatures whose minds are located in a fast-processing crystal inside their semi-liquid bodies.

So it is very helpful in a tense situation to be always able to assess all the threats which surround me.

However, what this trait that came with my new existence can't handle would be people hidden behind obstacles.

Do you remember me saying that there's a row of doors on the inner side of the corridor?

I was absolutely sure those were just storage rooms.

And even now I have seriously no idea where this evaluation of mine went wrong.

I mean, this place is a storage hall!

Still, right now a man opened the door directly to my left.

This takes me quite by surprise as I was rather occupied with stopping unknown numbers of criminals from climbing the stairs, with bullets that have quite a high energy cost, and this while I had to make sure that I am not seen while shooting.

Well, it seems I can forget about the not-being-seen part now since, as I said, this man is standing directly to my left.

Furthermore, he's rather huge and has something about him that tells me that his hobbies might have something to do with smashing heads.

"Waaaaahhhh!" (big thug)

Despite his apparent fear, this man falls into the "attack when threatened" category.

While his terror at my looks is absolutely understandable, his attempts to batter me, a slime, to death with his club makes logically seen not too much sense.

But panic simply doesn't follow common sense.

For me, this situation may pose no greater threat to my life, yet I surely can't stay still if I don't want him to hit my core by accident.

I can only manage to get my dagger out from within my body and under his continuous barrage of strikes am able to slice at him.

This causes him to retreat and thus grants me a minimum of space in this narrow area.

Fighting him now, while he is more cautious may become very tedious but my choices on that matter are rather limited.

So I prepare myself for a fierce fight.

"Wusshhh"

Or maybe not.

In a blink, Liqu rushed over him and encompassed his whole body before he could even scream.

Well, more than he already did.

"Zsch"

And just like this, he disappears from this world.

* Slime bullet

"Sstk"

I can't afford to get caught up in this sight and have to make sure that no one down there decides to come up after hearing this commotion.

Yet those shots start to take their toll on me.

However, I have still sufficient energy to move well enough.

I hope the extinguishing voices up here will work as a deterrent for those down there, not to do anything reckless.

Also, they have still to deal with Greg who supposedly thinks the others are going to eat his face.

Until now at least no one who is still alive should have got a sufficient look at us to give an in any way usable testimony.

And the residue from those small shots should vanish before a closer inspection can occur.

Even if I doubt that a bit of slime would tell them much.

This is the only good part until now.

If I can drag this out just a little longer until Liqu is back ready from completely dissolving this other person we can make it.

Just some more seconds until we are away here.

It can happen!

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It can work out!

We just...

"Waaah-aah-aaaahhhh!" (?)

If I could afford it in this situation, I would slap myself so hard that my head might splatter.

I never learn, huh?

Inside the room where this last thug came from is someone.

Peering inside I can see the person.

A child!

In the farthest corner of the room sits a small, ill-treated, and definitely traumatized boy.

The clothing, while ragged, is clearly identifiable as some high-class attire.

I just stumbled into a case of abduction!

Liqu noticed him as well.

Wait!

What's the meaning of this look?

She turns in this boy's direction and...

Stop!!!

I can just in time manage to dash in front of her.

She is almost finished with the last person she took in and if I'm right she wants to erase the last witness.

I told her to do so!

Without thinking too much about all the dread I feel about doing this, I plunge my hand into her.

* "Don't kill him!" (Shari)

* "But he saw us. Isn't this bad?" (Liqu)

I feel utterly grossed out at doing this linking, but I have to make this clear.

And nothing is clearer than direct input.

* "We don't kill children! Never!!!" (Shari)

* "What else can we do?" (Liqu)

She is right about the point that this boy saw us far too clearly.

At least his trembling tells me that he can all too well describe what he has seen and probably won't forget it for the rest of his life.

So I have to find a solution to deal with this.

However, nothing comes up.

The only thing that I can think of is buying us time to make a decision.

* "We take him with us! We have to leave now!" (Shari)

I hope this doesn't count as kidnapping.

I mean he was already abducted.

That action shouldn't be too despicable.

On the other side, what Liqu does now might be.

"Waaaa-aahhhhglrr..." (boy)

She rushes to the boy and forces him inside.

While she is doing this, I feel, aside from deep distress at the sight, a surge of energy.

Liqu pumped me full, while we were connected!

Okay, she could feel that those bullets strained me a bit.

Nonetheless, this is invasive!

Complaining in my mind about this kind of behavior, I rush to the window and open it.

Liqu is directly next to me.

She is close to her normal shape, yet a little bloated.

The poor boy is completely submerged inside her body and ceased all movement.

She wouldn't...

At this moment she brushes my bare body, establishing a shallow link.

* "Don't worry! I'm pumping air inside. But had to restrict his movements!" (Liqu)

With this, she ends the connection.

If this boy wasn't scarred for life before, now he is.

Without hesitating even a moment, Liqu jumps out of the window.

Wait, we are on the second floor!

What is with the boy?

"Splash"

It seems like I worried about nothing.

While Liqu splatters on the ground but the boy is perfectly cushioned in her slime and she can pull herself quickly back together.

Naturally, before this poor child has even the chance to do something.

She is in a blink back in her old form as if nothing happened at all.

Fine, now I have to follow up.

I was never extremely afraid of heights and even climbed some trees but this was before my body was like this.

At this height, jumping means that one is risking hurting oneself.

This is something you learn from climbing trees.

Okay, this just applies to human bodies.

I have just seen that Liqu is fine, but jumping, knowing that I will splash on the ground...

That has something very disturbing!

But I need to do it!

Even more as these thugs down there might come any moment and I'm really running out of time.

Holding on to my dear core I jump.

"Splash"

This! Was! Terrible!

In a moment I felt how I completely splattered everywhere.

This is no experience I would ever wish for anyone.

Especially if one still utilizes the common sense of a human.

And for this one, I had the image of a very, very gruesome death.

However, I am not.

So being as I am, I start to gather myself and can manage to get the biggest chunks of mine, which flew around back inside.

Also, it seems as if I don't have to hunt down Elin since my clothes are still here.

As fast as I can I put them back on.

Liqu is too bloated to do the same right now.

In fact, she's a towering figure, with all the mass she gathered.

So all I can do is throw the cloak, to cover her at least a bit, as well as the boots at her.

"Don't leave a trail." (Shari)

Slime footsteps would be the worst thing possible right now, enabling those thugs to follow us.

Meanwhile, Elin, alerted by our splashing, comes running.

"Wha... Who is this?" (Elin)

I can understand the reaction caused by the little passenger inside Liqu.

"No time to explain! We need to get away! Liqu! Give me his head for a moment!" (Shari)

Please don't understand this wrong!

Luckily she doesn't and just lets his head slip out of her.

The poor boy is already in a state of complete paralysis.

Yet due to the situation, I don't have much time for courtesy.

I need to hurry!

Just the most necessary!

I grab his head with both of my hands, look him directly in the eyes, and begin:

"If you can now for the closest time stay completely still, I can assure you that you will make it out here alive! So by all means, don't do anything stupid!" (Shari)

Tears stream down this child’s face.

I am totally a villain!

Liqu takes the end of that talk as permission to suck him back in.

Aside from a panicked expression, there isn't much else coming from that boy.

Not that he could do much more.

Especially eerie it gets when Liqu puts the cloak back on and the kid vanishes beneath it.

He must be now completely submerged in darkness.

It seems Elin is as creeped out as I am.

"Now everyone! Get going! Elin, you carry the clothes!" (Shari)

Someone has to.

And I am bad at running by default.