- Shari -

Being able to see everything around can be very convenient.

It might be a little bit of 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 of my new existence can't handle would be people hiding behind things.

You remember me saying there are doors on the inner side of the floor?

I was absolutely sure those were storages.

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

I mean, it's 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 are very expensive in energy in their creation.

And this while I had to make sure that I am not seen while shooting.

This is now no more the case, as like I said this man is directly to my left.

Furthermore, he is on the huge side and has something at him that tells me his hobbies contain something like smashing heads.

"Waaaaahhhh!" (big thug)

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

His panic at my looks is absolutely understandable.

On the other side, his attempt to batter me, a slime, dead with his club makes under logical aspects not very much sense.

But panic isn't following 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 chance.

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 like this grants me a minimum of space in this narrow area.

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

So I prepare myself for a fight.

"Wusshhh"

Or 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 had 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 enough to move well.

I hope the extinguishing voices up here will be deterring enough.

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 on us to give a usable testimony.

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

Even if I doubt 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! It can work out! It 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 to identify as a high-class attire.

I just stumbled into a case of abduction!

Liqu noticed him as well.

Wait! What's 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 has seen! Isn't this bad?" (Liqu)

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

And nothing is clearer than direct input.

"We don't kill children! Never!!!" (Shari) "What then?" (Liqu)

She is right about the point that this boy had a too clear view at us.

At least his trembling tells me that he can all too well describe what he has seen.

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

But nothing comes up.

All that I can manage is buying us time to make a decision.

"We take him with us! We have to leave!" (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 I rush to the window and open it.

Liqu is at the same time past 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 past me.

"No worry! Am 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 I worried over nothing.

While Liqu splatters on the ground but the boy is perfectly cushioned in her slime and she can pull herself fast 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 to hurt 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 to 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 towering with all the mass she gathered, so all I can do is throwing the cloak, to cover her at least a bit, and 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 have not much time for courtesy.

I need to make fast! 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 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 my finishing of that talk as the permission to suck him back in.

Apart from a shrieked expression, there is not 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!" (Shari)

"Elin! You carry the clothes!" (Shari)

Someone has to.

And I am bad at running by default.