Silence. A silence stretching out, as two monsters looked in slightly different directions, one gloomy, one smiling.

Tilda resolved, quietly, that if she ever met a giant slime again, she would cut it down so it was only just big enough to surround its core. But, beyond that, Tilda wasn't sure about what words to say next. She tilted her head, and...

...Felt her hat lifted, and a hand gently stroking her cloth hair.

"Tilda did well to get here. She doesn't have anything to be ashamed of."

No, Tilda thought, she really does. She has several things to feel ashamed of.

But she enjoys the feeling of her head being stroked, so she straightens a little, and leans into Zildra's chest.

The silence stretched on, but more comfortably.

----------------------------------------

"Well... Let's get ready to leave. Tilda, you should store the shelves as well as the books if you can." Zildra's mouth tilts, looking up, and then she asks "How much... Can you store?"

It was a very uncertain question, and Tilda's reply was equally uncertain. "Tilda doesn't know, but she can feel like it's... A lot?" Looking around, she nods, and her usual, matter of fact tone returns. "Tilda can definitely carry all the books and shelves, and everything the adventurers have." Looking down, she pauses for a moment, and continues "Ah! Tilda just remembered she should look to see if the adventurers have anything useful!"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Zildra nods. "The knives, definitely. You never know when your knife is going to get broken, so more is a good idea." Tilda nods, and, with a glance, the knives vanish. And then her staring begins, with Zildra quietly carrying her from body to body.

But the results are, if anything, disappointing. Neither of them can wear, or care to wear, the armour. Apart from the knives, none of the weapons are in great condition. None of their pouches have storage (Zildra takes one, in any case, and wraps it around her waist with one hand and the tip of her tail.) And, well, the warrior had a lot of money, but... What good is money to a monster? They both understand the concept, but neither of them attach any importance to something they will never use, and which, to them, is just small lumps of metal. Not even very useful metals.

"Tilda thought this would be more helpful." Tilda is annoyed. The things that could have killed her when she was smaller and made of porcelain were... Not really as good as she'd feared. Up until now, they were symbols of impending death, but now... Claws. Glorified claws, for the most part.

"Even the warrior. He turned to stone slower than the others, and all the time, he was yelling about being a B rank. Maybe they weren't a strong one?"

Tilda nods "One of the ones I saw soon after I was born had a sword with a core in it. Tilda couldn't be sure, but she thinks it might have been more powerful. It was definitely sharper and cleaner. Much sharper." She blinked at the memory. Even though she hadn't been attacked, Tilda thought that this was the first time in her life that she'd been close to death. The fish was the second time. Distracted, she stores the shelves, books, scrolls, and all.

Zildra lets out a short gasp of realisation, and speaks rapidly. "Ah! Tilda, do you know what the books are? I think we'll want the maps the adventurers make. That way... Hrm? What's that doing here?"

Tilda followed Zildra's gaze, and saw a chest that had been hidden behind the bookshelves. A chest that felt like food. "A monster that was hidden. Tilda should- Voices! Zildra, to the corner over there, Tilda can hide us!"

Zildra nodded, moving to the corner on the opposite wall of the chest. She gasped a little as the shelves appeared in front of her, blocking her way, but Tilda put a hand on her lips before she could say anything, and shook her head.

Zildra... Waited, as she began to hear voices too.

Adventurers.