Weiss , Arc 1 Old Habits
Chapter 2 : First Cook
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Clear acid squirt out of her finger tips. She flexed a bit and pungent pathetic white fumes leaked out. Then she struggled, with a little of sweat she clenched her fingers, but nothing came out. Sally and Weiss watched as Eferdora's face turned slightly red, tears and sweat rolled down her cheeks as she demonstrated her spellcasting abilities while on a moving vehicle.
The other magically produced waste splashed onto the road. Leaving a trail of gas and liquid that smell like a mixture of rotten pork, expired almond and bleach, with a tint of spoiled milk. Some of the residue can even be seen foaming and smoking slightly.
Eferdora had change out of her ragged slave poncho into one of the slaver's spare shirt. Sally as well, at the process she discovered that she was able to shift her skin tone into a proper human shade and able turn her hair from silver to blond. At Weiss's advice, she ditched her evening dress to avoid unwanted attention. For Weiss, she was the only one unchanged in appearance as it turns out the slavers don't have a third spare, and her appearance was anything but remarkable.
"Uh Ms Eferdora?
"it's heh R-Remedium, Eferdora Remedium. But just Eferdora can do, Sally-san."
The Elf gave her an flustered smile.
"Also…I am casting a spell, it is just that this time you cannot see my mist, it was meant to be m-my unique Tier 0 spell of mine called [Create Mist]. I can cast multiple variants of same spells like [Acid Arrow], and [Create Mist], including some simple life style spells. A..although I am suffering from a illness that forbids me from casting it…properly."
Her eyes getting wetter and wetter as she explained, although she was still forcing a smile.
"So that's why your parents sold you out?"
"Yea, as a family of proud Druids they cannot stand my existence, I…I perfectly understood why. I can't blame them. After all, we are not really wealthy and I am just an extra mouth to feed, a burden. "
Sally looked down in sadness.
"Don't worry, perhaps life may probably get better soon."
"I...I don't really mind to be really mind to be honest. I know with my departure, the gold are used for my more capable little brother and sister... so I have no reason to feel sad! I have no ... reason at all ."
The Elf forced a smile at the Vampire, who looked down then looked away.
Weiss said nothing, just controlling the reins as her two companion converse, yet Sally sense something odd from her. Weiss's nose was wrinkling and relaxing slightly, sniffing. Yet no tears.
Eferdora, downtrodden, probably expected another comment about her ill-odored spells.
"Oi Sally, hold on these reins, don't whip it just hold on to it."
"What, but Ms Weiss I …"
"Sally, it is very easy to learn, you just have to believe in yourself, it's like riding a bike."
Sally look at Weiss confused.
"Right I should use less of these analogies, just hold this calmly."
And Sally did, the speed of the Wagon remained consistent just as Weiss predicted, the said tallest of the bunch shifted her way next to the Elf.
"Hey hey, do the fume and acid thing again, try the multiple variants you spoke, I want to see."
Eferdora confused that there was no mocking, just genuine curiosity. She obliged to Weiss's request and did so. As every time she cast an [Create Water], [Acid Arrow], [Create Mist], Weiss sniffed her nose and nodded , as if she was getting more and more impressed.
"And are you able to fill a whole barrel, like this big with your acids, mists and stuff?"
Eferdora nodded awkwardly.
Weiss's stoic face split into a big elated smile and gripped the confused Elf by her shoulders.
"Did you know , you just singlehandedly produce some of the most useful chemicals known to man in a matter of seconds out of thin air? You are a infinity supply of pure methylamine , phenylacetic acid and phenylacetone!"
"Is…that uh good thing?"
"You are goddamn right, you are like Oil! Crude Oil!"
"Crude Oil?"
"Right…we are probably still in the middle ages around here, ok stick with me on this, alright?"
Weiss let go of the Elf , who nodded awkwardly.
"When I said Oil I mean mineral oil, the one that looks black and the one you find when digging the ground. In the past no one see those icky liquid as anything precious , either for the Persians to distill it to build roads with tar and other mundane stuff. However a few centuries later, my people found tons of use for it, medicine, electricity, weaponry. It became a multi million dollar commodity, something that runs entire countries… And Countries even invaded and killed for it."
"Does that mean…"
"Yes, I mean it, you are worth millions. Whoever that said you aren't? Fuck them."
The Elf doesn't know how to respond.
"So don't let other assholes to tell you how much you are worth. Sometimes you have to take initiative yourself and show them whose boss. Never let undeserving assholes put you have to motivate and believe in yourself to see your worth."
The more Weiss praised the Elf, the her frown slowly curled into a smile, new tears leaked, but it was of joy.
"Also your ma and pa, the part where they sold you for money because family finances were bad, I wager that was their idea?"
"Y…Yes, but those money will be used to provide for the bigger family, my little brothers and sist…"
"Bullshit! Don't let them bullshit you, they only did it for them. What kind of failures sell their kids out of shame instead of providing for them? Instead of providing for the family? No parents, no parents at all. They are below you."
Eferdora was startled by this, she just looked down with a frown on the face, but no strong emotions were present. She just looked like an abandoned puppy.
"Also Imagine how much I can cook with thi… never mind. Maybe something else, I … retired already." Weiss murmured this part quietly.
"Uh Ms Weiss? I think we are here." Sally called out from the front.
Weiss shuffled herself back to the driver seat, she was greeted by a bewildering sight.
Giant yet Antique stones walls stood tall, the intimidating gates obstruct the trio's access to civilization. Guarding the gate was two gorilla faced guards. The caravan trot slowed downed to a halt before them. Weiss gave them a smile, in return the Guards leaned forward and glared at her, without saying a word.
"Hi…"
The Guards stared back menacingly.
…
…
…
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, THEY STOLE MORE THAN A HALF OF WHAT WE HAVE! THIS IS EXTORTION! THIS IS AGAINST OUR RIGHTS!"
"I…I don't think that's too unreasonable, two silver pieces of each of us." Eferdora timidly squeaked.
"That makes six!" Weiss hissed.
To avoid trouble, Weiss just forced a smile, paid her toll and drove by. Saving all the pent up rage for her to unleash now, in the middle of a noisy market place. Sally slouched slightly and remain quiet at the taller lady's outburst. She pawned her purple evening dress for three gold pieces, which should able keep the party for a while and cover for the original "half" that got Weiss so worked up on.
The three had gotten new outfits from that same tailor shop to blend in better. Weiss kept to her colours and simply brought a green shirt and beige coat to be more setting fitting. She still retained an appearance of a educator with her spectacles, but for the poor. Sally chose a cheap gray tunic , black florist hat and a scarf to hide a fangs. Eferdora wore a white hood to hide her long ears and wears conservative white blouse, something that she felt comfortable with.
"Well, we are running still short on money, those slavers probably wasted all their pennies on gods knows what. So we need an income, a legitimate income. Anyone got any suggestions?"
"I am nothing of substance to say." Sally said.
"Adventuring?"
"Adventure what?"
"Uh, we register to the adventurer's guild and accept quests, like killing Goblins, trolls or bandits. Then we get paid."
Eferdora answered.
"Like PMCs? Mercenaries?"
"What no, I think Mercenaries are usually illegal and aren't protected by the Adventurer's guild."
"Ok, Corporate legal Mercenaries?"
"T-That… is one way to put it. For now I…I think it is the safest way to earn coins."
"Yeah, then we can swing with that."
The Caravan skidded to a halt , Sally gripped the reins tightly as all three passengers peeked out.
"I don't think we are at the Adventurer's guild." Weiss said.
"No, we aren't Weiss-san."
Blocking them was a thing, a thing that was once a human. It was still alive without a doubt, however it looked as if it was a walking skeleton wearing only a thin layer of human skin. Its sunken eye lost all soul, staring at the caravan that was about to run over it with a daze of confusion and lameness. It was holding a bottle of water weakly with one hand.
It looked at the trio drooling, before opening a vial of black powder , mixing it with the water and took a swig from the mixture. It then heading on its directionless way.
Weiss needn't Eferdora to tell her what that was, she seen more than enough of them in her line of work and back in her time in America.
A junkie.
"Poor man, another victim of Black dust."
"Black dust? What is it like some kind of drugs?"
Efedora nodded, "Yes Weiss-san, word has it that one taste and you can't never live without it. However, it will turn your brain into a size of a pea and destroy your body. It was illegal even, or supposed to be, I heard the Kingdom's City Guards have a tendency to miss it in the public."
Sally looked at the Junkie with sympathy as he shambled away, sat at the middle, she then turn to her companions. Turning to her right she saw a sadden Eferdora, on her left however was a bewildered Weiss whose blue eyes tracked the Junkie as he disappeared into the crowd of people, like beast studying its prey, at the same time a inside those eyes were an intense air of nostalgia. Weiss snapped herself out of the daze.
Sally was confused by this, and focused on the path. She not sure who to follow in this.
"We are here."
Eferdora pointed at the massive building before them. It resembled some sort of giant Saloon. Entering through the swinging doors, Weiss looked around in awe. It was as if she went into some sort of weird Larping convention. There were men dressed as stereotypical knights and TV barbarians from the 80s, some woman were dressed in those Japanese Cartoon Characters (As Weiss knew them as from her students, InuFasha and Nashruto something), Witches and pseudo-christian bishop priestess.
Due to how everyone was dressed here, Weiss and her crew having the most normal looking get up made them standout.
The trio awkwardly got reached to the receptionist counter, which was manned by a woman with a headscarf and a reddish dress.
"Greetings, you are here to send in a quest request?"
"Request? No …uh we are here to sign up as uhh Adventurers?" Weiss asked as she looked at Eferdora who nodded. Sally studied the two closely.
A confused Receptionist studied all three of them.
"Ok…so what can I refer you three as?"
"Karen, I am … Karen Lambert, yea." Weiss said, currently known as "Karen Lambert".
"Wait I thought you are…oh ok then…" Elf gave the taller human a weirded out look.
"Sally, just Sally here, and her name is Eferdora Remedium."
The Vampire in disguise pointed at herself and her Elven Companion.
"Ok, Sally…what?"
"She got amnesia so it's only Sally for now, Receptionist-san."
"Suuuure, Karen Lambert , Eferdora Remedium, and … just Sally . What is your job class?"
"Job Class?"
"Like Wizard, Fighter, Knights… shouldn't this be one of the first things you learnt as a child?" The Receptionist elaborated, addressing Weiss, her professional politeness slowly wearing off.
"I forgot." Sally answered plainly with full honesty, raising a hand.
"Of course…" The Receptionist mutter through gritted teeth.
"D…Druid?" The Elf Said Shyly.
"Chemist".
"Alchemist?" The Receptionist repiled.
"NO, it's Chem-mist."
"Pretty sure you mean Al-Chem-ist"
"Fine , Alchemist whatever."
The Receptionist frowned and squinted her eyes at the one known as "Karen Lambert".
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"Wait a minute, Rain, come over here."
A young lady with round framed glasses, a pointy hat and a wooden staff hurried to the scene.
"Yes Katheryn-San , what do you need?"
"Do your thing and gauge these three's ability mana and abilities?"
"No problemo."
The little Sage eyes lit up and turn into that of a rainbow hue as she scanned the trio. Weiss stepped back cautiously. Rain the Sage squinted her eyes for a while, before widening. And stepped back slightly, a sweat rolled down her cheeks. Causing Katheryn to raise her guard as well.
"Impossible…"
"What is it rain?"
"There is no even a speck of mana reserve in her, she don't even have a class nor any detectable ability. This is the first time I see anything like this." Rain pointed at Weiss.
"And the elf? Even she have mana , but it is the smallest I ever seen, not counting that lady over there with absolutely no mana at all, also it reeks of a smell of… rotten eggs and almonds?"
Eferdora sulked slightly and looked down.
"This one's mana felt slightly off but overall still close to normal and above average, meaning she is the only one out of them three that have sufficient mana and strength be an adventurer."
Rain pointed at Sally, who raised both arms and exclaimed "Yay!", Weiss slowly turned to her shorter companion with a look of despair and thinly veiled frustration on her face.
"Rain, thank you for your time."
"Anytime."
The Sage left whistling.
"Listen, Karen, Sally and Eferdora, as a staff of the Adventurer's guild I have the responsibility to tell you three that there are risks as an Adventurer and I can't have helpless civilians killed. I don't see someone with no martial skills, subpar magical talent and a Alchemist can flare in this trade."
Those words led Eferdora to lower her head and started to cry, Sally immediately went to pat her shoulders and try to comfort her. Weiss on the other hand, her face hardened , lips tightened.
"Firstly, it's Chem-mist, very different from Alchemist, whatever sorcery that is."
Karen Lambert Weiss said with a lower tone, but still restraining from raising her voice. Thinly veil politeness was kept from both sides of the receptionist counter.
"Secondly our safety is really not your concern, what you should do, is to respect our god-given rights, do your job and sign us up. After all there is no restrictions for anyone to join, isn't it right Eferdora?"
"Y-Yea, *sniff* We-I mean Lambert-San".
Weiss, sunken eyes still training on Katheryn, craning her neck closer to the receptionist.
"Say that again, louder."
"There is… no restrictions to join the Adventurer's guild?"
"Again, one more time."
Katheryn's face stare into the eyes of Weiss, her face had became that of a scowl, slight annoyance had became full of irritation.
"There is no restrictions to join the Adventurer's guild!"
"Yea, what she said."
Katheryn darkly stared at "Karen Lambert" , then struggled to keep a professional smile. She slowly slide one hand down the counter, pulling up three forms at a snail's pace. Then slam them down right in front of them, followed by a thump of a bottle ink and quill.
"Pay your entry fees and sign up then."
Weiss glared at her once, begrudgingly put some silver coins and signed her registration forms quickly. The other two followed suit. Katheryn snatched the forms, gave them three copper badges and a quest note.
"Finding five mandrakes for Marquis Callop's greenhouse…Lambert-san this is great, mandrakes are non-hostile small plant-hybrid magic beasts that are easy to catch. I have prior experience with this Lambert-san!"
Weiss took the quest from a excited Eferdora.
"Four copper pieces!? This is not enough."
"It is a Copper plate quest suited for adventurers of your level. Or else you lot can pick this one, take this and you will all die."
Katheryn said in a deadpan voice as she hand the trio with another quest note.
"A Man-eater Toad has been sighted at Northern Farmlands. Uh L…Lambert-san, I think Katheryn-san here is right. Man-eater Toads are no joke, they have thick skin , a long tongue that can snatch humans and elves in a blink of an eye. Also they are really really big."
"One gold piece, that is like how much silver? A hundred… Yea we are doing this one."
Katheryn raised a eyebrow, Eferdora immediately tuck Weiss's coat.
"Please W-Lambert-san , we don't have the skills nor equipment for these task. This is fool's errand, and four copper pieces it might not be much but it is something! Please Sally , say something to convince her please."
The Vampire only looked left and right awkwardly.
"Hey you two gather here for a while."
Weiss hugged the two and drag them to away from a earshot.
"Listen here, I have a plan, and we need the god damn money. I just need a little faith from you both. Now Eferdora, Sally tell me want you two want?"
"I uh… Weiss-san, "
"Come on , anything will do."
"I…I just want a free and peaceful life anywhere, happily owning a small cottage and not starving .. to be honest I am not very sure myself? I don't really have that much in mind."
"Good, definitely could be better. Now Sally, what do you want?"
"I…Ms Weiss , I am not really too sure myself, I just want to live a simple life as well and remember who I was? For some reason, I felt like I did something horrible in the past that I want to fix."
"Good, now hear my proposal. Eferdora, In my plan, I am going to maximize your potential and allow you to earn stacks from your skills, yes the same skills that Bitch Receptionist and her Witch nerd said smelled of Rotten Eggs. The time for people to looked down on us must come to a close. Once we succeed we not only proved em wrong, we not only get like two hundred and six times our award. You will live a life not only free from fear, but also with an financial freedom."
"I…I don't know Weiss-san."
Weiss turn to Sally with a ever widening grin on her face.
"I know you want to live your life and remember your past right? But without money , you ain't going anywhere in your quest. Furthermore Sally, you are privileged."
"P….privileged?"
"Yes you are, not only meaning the magic juju and …vampire(whispered) super strength bullshit. You have no burdens of the past, you are building a new life, free to plan it in whatever way you can."
"I don't get where this is going Ms Weiss?"
Weiss sandwiched Sally by her cheeks with her palms.
"This is the first day of the rest of your life, a new life! What is it going to be huh?"
Sally whose cheeks was squished by Weiss , mouth morphed into that of an "O", stared at her in confusion.
"Are you going to let "Superior Assholes" to step on your nuts and talk down to you? No, you are going to show them whose boss and doubt their words! That is your first wrong to right! Even if you remember who you are, this will become a part of your new life that you will be proud of. Instead of being someone's second and chair! For that's not a life worth living for! Got that?"
Sally nodded while her face still slightly squished. Weiss let go of Sally's cheeks, then turned back to Eferdora.
"Weiss -san, I am still unsure about this, I… will just leave the choice to Sally, I am not good at decision making."
"Me?"
"Yes make a wise one then Sally. Come on you can do it!"
Sally's eyes looked at Weiss's hungry ones, those blues burns with bloodthirsty ambitions, then turned to Eferdoras concerned one, white irises begs her red ones reconsider.
"I will go with the frog …then."
"yes…Yes! YES! You will not regret this Jess…" Weiss pursed her lips a bit frowned a bit, before reverting back to a smile. "…Sally, you will not regret this."
"You three done? You are lucky no one is behind the line." Katheryn called out, holding up a wrist watch..
Weiss turned back to the receptionist, and lumbered towards her.
"Yea, just gimme the damn paper."
…
…
…
"Ms Weiss? You really, double triple sure we can pull this off? W-We spend more than half of what we have on all this! I don't think we can even afford a room!"
"It is called investing Sally! And yes for the last fucking time It will work, because I have a god damn plan!"
Weiss hissed as she pushed the Caravan to a open square in the district, the coven was pretty isolated, very few people pasted by besides two young boys playing around, but not one shop nearby and they are surrounded by the backs of buildings. Sally set up the newly purchased Alchemist glassware, some mined rocks and a cauldron onto the wagon bed. Turning it into some sort of mobile lab.
Eferdora used her spells to yield acid and fumes into the beakers and test tubes , while Weiss labeling them with glue and paper.
"...Hydrochloride Acid, Sulfuric Acid…and we are done. Ok now we can start cooking, but first the protective gear."
"Here."
Eferdora presented her partners with three Plague Doctor beaked masks. They are made of cheap white porcelain, inside the beaks were some herbs and some paper talismans with glowing letters etched on them. Weiss, too used to living in 2000s America, looked at the masks with medieval discrimination.
"I know these are effective in stopping the most basic infections of plagues, but what we are making, will create dangerous fumes, the ones and penetrate most basic materials and rot your organs. You sure this will work?"
" Second Tier protection talismans of diseases and poison are etched onto these, we should be fine."
Weiss sighed inspecting the mask she held in her hand, remembering she was in a world with Elves, Vampires, and magical mumbo jumbo. She put on an apron , leather gloves and the mask and turned to her partners in…legal work.
She surveyed the set up one last time before she begun. Weiss lost her breath at this sight. There was a time, not too long ago, she worked in a place similar too this. The glassware , the chemicals and beakers, were all calling for her, and now she was ready once more.
Caressing her hand over the boiling flask, Weiss nodded, before clenching it into a fist.
"Then, let's cook."
Sally searched her pockets for something to start a flame at the Alchemist stove, but she frowned.
"What?" Weiss asked, a tad bit annoyed.
"I think I lost my matches."
With a Sigh, Weiss pull out two flints she brought, and sparked a workable fire.
"Okay, now we can really cook."
Acids and powder were mixed in beakers, as colourful mixtures boiled and bubbled inside beakers. Sally looked in awe behind the goggles of her mask as hypnotic yellow fumes swirls and unravels inside a giant glass flask that has the size of her head. The sight of Yellow changing to Milky white felt therapeutic.
The boys nearby even stopped playing and pointed at the Coven with child like curiosity, while some adults passed by and gave them an impressed look. Although the smell from the wagon is more than enough to drive everyone in seconds, especially for the rich as a noble lady with golden curls wrinkled her nose in disgust and sped away.
Clink, Clink, Clink.
Eferdora crushed the white stones into fine powder with a mortar as told. She then watched Weiss weighting plates after plates with the powders she crushed earlier on a balancing scale. As coloured fumes dance and billows next to the two.
Then, sizzling got a bit too hissy, leading Weiss to snap her body towards Sally's direction and made a frantic dash, and hurried resealed the glass tubing into the flask before more was leaking out and puffed on their faces.
The two made a desperate charge for the water barrel they set up at a distance away from the wagon, took off their masks and splashed its contents their faces hungrily. Eferdora stopped what she was doing and rushed to the two. Leaving the mortar bowl, beakers lying idly on the wagon.
Weiss turned towards her with bloodshot eyes and a runny nose. Sally might be in a better shape , but Vampire tears can't stop running down her eyes, and she was blinking uncontrollably.
"What the hell?! I thought you said these things works!"
"T-They do!" Eferdora also took off her own beak mask and took Weiss's and Sally's, checking inside, the letters of the two respective masks are still glowing. "Their talismans haven't spoiled yet, I…if the mask got hit by a strong spell or poison, the t…talisman should break, the runes shouldn't be glowing but they somehow…didn't."
"Well that's not good enough! That means you either are too stupid and got scammed or these magical bullshit is pure shit!"
"I…I" Eferdora began to break down in tears as well, real genuine tears unlike the chemical-induced ones on Weiss and Sally.
"M...Miss Weiss, that is uncalled for! Eferdora tried. We don't even know what we are cooking , how can we even expect this to…"
"And you! I told you to be extremely attentive with the fumes, that is your only job, a very simple job. To make sure the temperature is right and the red line don't hit the goddamn mark on the thermometer but noooooOOOooo because the swirly colours in big fat flask are too gosh darn shiny! Had your brain and eyes rotted with you when you slept in a coffin!? APPLY YOURSELF!"
Sally bit her lips and stood back a little, holding onto Eferdora's hands.
"Next time, we rely more on Science rather than something magical, as magic in this god forsaken place is like trust-fund for frat-house assholes, god damn unreliable and grating!"
Weiss turn his back on the two and walked back to the Caravan, soft sobs of Eferdora. Just in few steps, Weiss sighed and softened her face, and turned back at her partners. Breathing in, she spoke once again, in a softer tone.
"Listen, uhhh. I just want you two to be at the best performance. That…was meant to keep you both at a highest standards because you see, Science is like many things in this world. It is either right or wrong, the wrong temperature or volume could destroy a perfect batch of solution. What I was doing earlier…it's for your own good. Just don't get too emotional about this."
Sally glared at the taller Woman, still hugging onto the sobbing Elf.
Weiss went back to the Slaver Wagon Lab, and rests both hands on the table edge, lowering her head slightly as the yellowness of the main boiling flask reflected upon the Chemist's glasses.
"Come here you two."
"W…what?"
"Come here, please."
Eferdora and Sally cautiously approached Weiss, who turned to them and gave them a warm smile. As she tapped the Flask. Inside was a brilliant clear yellow liquid with deadly golden mist twisting on the surface.
"That is pure Chlorpyrifos ethyl, also known as CPS, one of the most commonly used and destructive pesticide. But this one , I enhanced it with to be extra effective against aquatic species. So think of it as a frog and bug cyanide."
"Is that a good thing or…"
Eferdora get close to the flask, but was stopped by Weiss's arm.
"Be careful with this. This thing has caused the deaths of hundreds of Indians for a decade or so, since 2001, by physical illness or neurotoxicity. Pregnant woman and Children are it's most vulnerable victims, also CPS exposure had Linked to multiple suicides in the Kerala, India. So if you don't feel like killing yourself, approach this with caution."
Both the Elf and Vampire gave the human Chemist a horrified look, despite at these point used to her random incoherent trivia, who was engrossed in her little history lesson.
"Ladies, we just made the world's most environmentally hazardous pesticide known in this world. With this , even if it's some Giant Man-Eater toad, we can kill a hundred of them solely using that flask there, so good job. Under my instructions we three made a miracle and we showed our doubters."
Weiss smiled at Eferdora, despite everything, the former Chemistry teacher's ever encouraging smile warms the young Elf's heart. This is the first time she accomplished a task and got praised for it. Tears turning stray.
"You both did good. Now let's earn us that coin."
Eferdora nodded with much gratefulness.
Sally said nothing, just in awe of Weiss's ability to go from one to a hundred, then back to one in a blink of an eye. The Vampire quietly observed the two without saying a word, she eyed Weiss's followed by Eferdora, then breathed in deeply.
She did the thing that she knows she can only do, she walked back to the Wagon.
…
…
…
-Slimy Sadistic Stupid Smile-
A beautiful blonde noblewoman was taking a stroll down the Capital of the Kingdom. Her yellow silk dress shine in the glorious sun, her perfect curls and doll-like feature made her stood out from all the plebeians of the city. To her, they are nothing but food and toys.
Looking them all with an Cheshire smile that no one seem to notice.
Solution Epsilon kept a plastic face with a fake smile. Although inside it was quite the opposite. The Predator slime has never felt these agitated in her life, every night she went to hunt and absorb a random human to cool her nerves, every morning her insides boiled violently and her smile became more and more uncanny.
Shalltear was still not found despite being vaporized by Lord Ainz and she was still stuck in this failure of a city. While she did share a similar interest with the missing Vampire, her colleague's conditions wasn't her main concern. The Predator Slime being a stone cold creature, was concerned that if Shalltear, a mighty floor guardian like her could face downfall, when will she and her sisters meet theirs?
There's also another problem, her superior Sebas. Someone she respected, and someone now she harbored suspicion against. At first she thought the human girl he brought to the mansion was food, turns out he want to keep her for something else. Such an inferior creature's existence as anything but food insults her. Most importantly to her, it was a clear betrayal against his greatness, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown.
Now she walks the streets for reconnaissance as ordered by the same said Boss, cursed to be surrounded by foods she can't touch yet. Building up more and more frustration.
Then the slime stopped on her track, she sensed something absolutely abhorrent that it even melted her smile into a frown.
A grotesque smell that was so bad that it could even challenge what the Worst Five members can concoct. A fume that a whiff caused a minor, undetectable explosion within the Acid based creature, something that shook her in the inside deeply.
She slowly turned her head to the source.
Three buffoon humans, a teen wearing hood, a girl with a scarf and hat, a woman who doesn't dress like one, all three wearing a plague doctor's mask, cooking some sort of weird beverage from an convoluted set up of glassware on a wagon. Two of three failures, the woman and the girl somehow managed to mess up a glass tube , and a burst of bad gas blew up on their face. The two then rushed to a nearby barrel then began splashing themselves with water.
"Another reason why this race are only good only for food."
She thought as she moved on her way.
Solution visited a local tailor so she can buy something to look more presentable in more charades against humanity. Or looking for something random to do, anything to put her mind off the stress from the grating performance of the sub-species. Shopping , as humans called it.
"Ah welcome milady, how I can I help you?" The Tailor, a man with a well groomed mustache greeted the supposed noble lady.
He has an average build, meaning he was not skinny hence enough meat to savour.
Solution said nothing, she merely moved closer. Her eyes shifted on her left, and it widened.
Out of all the different dresses and suits, one of them stood out.
A purple evening dress, with a heavy skirt and laces. On a faceless mannequin in mint condition.
She recognize that outfit everywhere, it belonged to that Vampire. Now somehow standing like some sort of mocking trophy in some worthless human's store.
Solution run her hands around the dress, as expected from a self-repairing fabric, not a mark on it. Then something small fell out of the apparel. Frowning , the Slime picked it up. It was a small book no bigger than a coin. On the cover was a print of a balancing scale in front of a yellow background, opening it revealed few matchsticks and a picture of a man in a suit and tie, reminding her of Demiurge's fashion, pointing at her.
This man's smile, gave her own a run for its money in insincerity.
The matchbook was written in an intelligible language. So she used on [Translate] scroll she brought with her and begun reading out the contents to herself.
"In legal trouble?
D.U.I?
Drug dealing?
Parking Tickets?
Slip and Fall?
Bond Fraud?
Traffic Incidents?
Tax Fraud?
Sue em now!
Attorney at Law
Better Call -"
The more Solution read the small book on her hand, the more she felt like her intelligence was lowering.
"What is Shalltear Bloodfallen even up to right now?"
Was all Solution can think, as she imagine the small child-like vampire committing all those crimes that was on this small little book in one single night. Half of it even she herself wasn't too knowledgeable about.
"Uh Miss? You doing fine?" The Tailor asked.
"This dress, where did you get it from?"
"Oh this? Three weird fellow pawned it to me earlier, a mother and two daughters. That's all I can remember, they seemed pretty desperate for coins."
"Is that … all you can offer?"
"I afraid so milady."
"Good~"
Solution turned to the tailor, her smile had already turned to that of a Cheshire smile. She really, really need to relieve some stress she thought. Licking her lips, she approached the innocent man sensually.
"Uh…lady?"
Solution got ever more close to the man, before her lips meeting his. The two got into a tight embrace as the beauty's arms wrap around his back, sliding down.
First the Tailor didn't resist, then his widen his eyes in horror as a burning sensation of pain shear through his lips. A melting sensation that was anything but enjoyable. He tried a futile attempt to break free of the woman's grasp but he was glued to her, literally.
Tragically, had Solution released the poor Tailor from the kiss, he would have pointed out that just right behind them both, he can see the purple dress's original owner with her two companions passing by the shop nonchalantly on their wagon. The short girl with the florist hat and scarf, an hooded Elf, and a grumpy Woman in spectacles.
Sadly his pleas only come out as "Mmph! Mmph!"
Solution's lips was still stuck to the poor soul, forcibly leading them both the backrooms of the Tailor shop, where unspeakable things happen before ending with a audible "Burp".
…
end
….