- Shari -

"What do you mean we don't get our room back?!" (Shari)

"You checked out and with this, I am free to distribute it as I want!" (Marsha)

Don't come with logic! I had a hard day!

"Is there really no way? We are paying customers, so this should work out." (Shari)

"Well, last time you caused quite some trouble for me." (Marsha)

"That was obviously not our fault! If anything we showed that stealing in your establishment won't bring any good." (Shari)

"Hmm, alright you get the room. This will be fifty copper then." (Marsha)

"What? This is more than double the price before. Are you kidding me?" (Shari)

"No, surely not! The room was just renovated and is now one of the best I can offer. This does logically influence the price." (Marsha)

Renovated? Wait! Renovated by us!!!

We were the ones who took care of the sickly mold that was for sure harmful for any living being that might enter.

And now this woman does take more money from us for our own work!

This is pure mockery!

"Is not one of the other rooms free? For the old price?" (Shari)

"Hmm, yes there is! But I need to warn you: It is quite moldy in there." (Marsha)

Oh sure, why not!

This is the game she's playing here!

She's basically saying, "If you don't like the dirt in there you can clean it up."

But I really need a room and wouldn't like to look for another inn now.

At least she asks no questions and in general I know what I can expect from this place.

At any other inn they might ask me out or the other residents might be more inquiring about their neighbors.

The criminals I expect to rest here have the tendency to just tend to their own business.

If not for a certain girl who tried to obtain extorting information about the most dangerous residents.

"Fine, we take it! One night for now!" (Shari)

And naturally, she smirks at this.

I give the twenty copper and receive the key. With this, I head to the signed room.

I just paid for one night, as I absolutely don't know how tonight will turn out.

If something goes wrong and we get found out I would feel stupid to have made a long-time investment.

And as expected, the room is a catastrophe.

People might die just from staying too long in here.

"I'll say it now, but different to you I am not immune to poison and this is not the best room she has." (Elin)

"I guess our little incident with those thugs made us a little unwelcome here." (Shari)

"I told you, I should have dissolved them! No one would've known!" (Liqu)

"This would have been bad if anyone would have heard something. Too many hints at us." (Shari)

"Still!" (Liqu)

"I would say it was the right call. To kill them the way you did makes others believe you utilize normal means to defend yourself. They expect now that you will fight them with your blade. On the other hand, if they had just vanished this may have sparked their curiosity." (Elin)

"Good to know. However, because of this we are now stuck with this room." (Shari)

"I don't know what you two have. It's nice! Doesn't this feel like our old home, Shari?" (Liqu)

"This wasn't "our" home! It was the cave you've brought me after I got abducted by you!!!" (Shari)

"But wasn't it comfy?" (Liqu)

I think my core is close to bursting!

"No! No it wasn't! So please would you take care of that?" (Shari)

"Everything you wish for!" (Liqu)

With that, she gets rid of her attire and throws herself against the next wall.

Like last time it barely needs a minute until she is finished to dissolve even the last bit of mold.

"That was impressive! But this smell could be a problem, along with the residue on the walls." (Elin)

Right now I realized that I don't notice this strange artificial smell myself anymore.

Nonetheless, she is right that the slime on the walls is a no-go.

So I go and open the window.

"Might be a little cold, but if we want the slime to vanish it's the only way." (Shari)

"No problem with that. It's not like we would be here tonight." (Elin)

And here we are again at killing people!

"Speaking of which. You said we are together in this, so do you have any plans on the subject? I am sure you gave it much thought." (Shari)

"Oh, it's fairly simple. We go to his headquarter and let Liqu kill him." (Elin)

"I held hope for something more concrete." (Shari)

"Well, his headquarter is located close to his warehouses. While his private rooms are off-limits for his henchmen, there should be some stationed closeby in the building. After all, he has some enemies. Sadly I don't have the exact layout, but it should be possible to find the main door to his apartment. With all I have seen it should be no problem to take out his men and then get him done. You don't even need to worry about the guard as no one would dare to call them in there with all they have going." (Elin)

"This is far too much of a commotion and much too crude of a plan! Every kind of raised alarm is bad news for us!" (Shari)

"Well, I don't see a problem if she vents in as a slime. No one would be able to link a monster to us. This masquerade of yours works very well." (Elin)

"And what if she doesn't get away? No! I want a plan where we can get this done without leaving too many traces leading back at us." (Shari)

"But she is right in one point! I don't need to wear clothes to do it." (Liqu)

"Fine. I'll give you that, but we will go to the place in them." (Shari)

"For the rest, at least I know his room is not on the first floor. The building is two stories high, so maybe start at the second? Can you climb?" (Elin)

"No problem! Without the clothes I can stick to the surface and just float up." (Liqu)

"Still, it will become difficult. It won't be a small building, right? How will we find him? He might escape if things get messy." (Shari)

"No worry, I can find him." (Liqu)

"Why are you so sure about this?" (Shari)

"I've touched him! I know his composition! This is something I can follow in the air at a certain distance." (Liqu)

Now this slime is also a bloodhound!

Elin is basically beaming at this.

"Okay, but it is still a bit risky. Liqu! I don't want you to kill people, but we absolutely cannot afford to have witnesses. So if you are in danger to get found out... do what you have to do." (Shari)

"Why are you this lenient on his thugs?" (Elin)

"Because I don't know them?! I mean I have not even a criminal record on Cid, despite your words that he lets people get killed. And this part about the bounty isn't sure either. So sorry, but I don't want to massacre people without knowing if they've deserved it. And even if this is the case, I'm no official who should decide this." (Shari)

"Oh, the bounty exists. And for his men, he usually recruits them out of criminals, so he can be sure they won't hesitate to do dirty work. And there are many in this town, believe me. So killing is fine." (Elin)

"But you have no idea what they have done! Not every criminal is directly a murderer who deserves death!" (Shari)

"Do you think he would let men guard his place he can't be sure they would get the job done? Those guys there are all cutthroats!" (Elin)

That's honestly an argument!

"Still, we can't have too many corpses there! And having slime piling up would be bad as well. In the best case we find Cid, Liqu dissolves him and burns herself through a small hole out of the building! No body, no residue, and no idea what actually happened. As long the residue vanishes fast enough that is." (Shari)

"Can't she at least take her time to torture him a little?" (Elin)

"Fast! Quiet! Stealthy!" (Shari)

"If you really want that no word spreads, you should make sure no one escapes and spreads it." (Elin)

"Sure! And because of that you will guard the exit." (Shari)

"Wait! What will you do then? Watching everything from far away?" (Elin)

"Sigh. I will accompany Liqu." (Shari)

"You're coming... with me?" (Liqu)

"I said we both are in this." (Shari)

"So this means I have to guard the front completely on my own? There is a limit to me fighting this scum!" (Elin)

"You still have your throwing knives right? I don't want you to fight them directly. It's enough to distract them! And so you will coat your weapons with this!" (Shari)

I present the mushrooms I had stored in my body.

I've got much too used to this but I couldn't risk having them in the open.

"The mushrooms you've bought earlier?" (Elin)

"Yes. If they get just a little bit in their blood it will have a very peculiar effect." (Shari)

"Considering your "no killing speech" from before it is not just simple poison." (Elin)

"As if! To make it short: Heavy hallucinations! Even if someone would escape after having seen us, if you just scrape them with this they will be too out of it to even be able to alarm someone." (Shari)

"Why hallucinations and not just knocking them out?" (Liqu)

"Because, if people start to ramble about fairies on the roofs, dead men walking, and conspiracies of creatures tunneling the town, while scratching themselves because of the critters beneath their skin, I don't think we need to worry too much about testimonies considering humanoid slimes." (Shari)

"This plan could actually work." (Elin)

"It will if you can do your part!" (Shari)

"I am confident in my skills!" (Elin)

"Great then!" (Shari)

"Ummh, but if you come with me, why telling me all the things I need to pay attention to if you are there?" (Liqu)

"I've just told you that we play by those rules since I cannot afford to make noise once we are there." (Shari)

"We could link to exchange information." (Liqu)

"NO! Even if I wouldn't despise it so much, the disconnect from the world is too peculiar." (Shari)

"Linking?" (Elin)

"My Shari and I can directly share our minds." (Liqu)

"Can not will!" (Shari)

"Awh! (Liqu)

"Ahaha! It's great to have met you two!" (Elin)

.. great... sure!