Slime Girl

- Shari -

I really need to focus on reining in my emotions and sorting my mind.

Sometimes Liqu says such ridiculously agitating things.

If I were to throw a tantrum now, I would mess up Liqu's form.

I even fear that if my influence reaches any further, I may dissolve a hole right through that body in my anger.

Therefore, I have to limit myself.

Which is a really hard thing to do.

The biggest factor to this is clearly that I am completely dependent on Liqu.

Submerged inside her body.

To be honest, this kind of being carried inside her was a horror scenario to me not too long ago, and it definitely isn't great now.

I can barely endure the mental image of being a floating stone inside a stomach filled with slime.

A point to this is that slimes don't sleep, which means we spend all night together like this, till the next day dawns.

Okay, it might be oddly relieving to just float along, but at the same time being suspended like this is not all that great.

At least, I feel pretty out of control.

And this is only aggravated by the fact that my fate lies in the hands of Liqu.

"Mhmhmhm!" (Liqu)

• "Liqu, I can tell you're smiling! Stop it!" (Shari)
• "Awh, but I'm just so happy! I feel trusted and relied on." (Liqu)
• "Urgh, I hate not even knowing what is going on." (Shari)
• "Then why don't you change that?" (Liqu)
• "Excuse me?" (Shari)
• "Well, you know that you can establish a connection to my eyes, right? We even did this before." (Liqu)

Right... I do remember.

When she was so weakened back then, I allowed her to.

Damn, why did that slip my mind?

Trying to forget those moments only comes back to haunt you, Shari.

• "Alright, then let's do this." (Shari)
• "Okay." (Liqu)

I recall how it was back then, when our roles were reversed.

How it felt to allow Liqu to establish slim slime strands from her core to my eyes.

Now I just need to approach this from the other side.

I already know how to establish my vision along my slime.

So now I just need to create a connection to the point of input.

Unfortunately, I only have small amounts of slime to do anything at all.

This means I have to take what I need from Liqu.

• "Oh, I see! Sure, just use me as you please!" (Liqu)
• "Urgh. Wording, Liqu." (Shari)
• "But my words were correct!" (Liqu)

Sigh!

I'd very much like more distance from her.

Just let's focus now on the task at hand.

Damn, wriggling my way through her is a bit more difficult than I thought.

Yet eventually I manage to find the eyes.

Now the big concern is to establish the link without damaging anything.

It would be quite the problem if I were to plop one.

Yet... I don't.

It works, and I can see through Liqu's eyes again.

She directly moves in front of a mirror to wave back at herself, and me.

Urgh.

• "Liqu, put something on." (Shari)

Oh my, those are two traumas at once.

One being suddenly inhabiting the body of a male, the other seeing how I'm only a passenger within said body, which my obsessed partner puppeteers.

• "I'm not that bad." (Liqu)
• "You are that bad! All your actions towards me can be summed up as the ones of a dangerous lover." (Shari)
• "Awh, you said 'love'!" (Liqu)
• "Context, Liqu! Context!" (Shari)

Because this talk turns rather unproductive, I stop it there.

As things stand, I'll need another plan going forward.

After last night, I can be sure that the security around the Marquis is going to be raised to its absolute limits.

Also, probably even more slime-proof than it already was.

I wouldn't be surprised if by now every single guard in this city got a voidstone weapon, even though that stuff is hella expensive to get and process.

However, they obviously couldn't catch me, so they will expect another attack.

They'll also very likely scour the palace grounds, and probably the whole city.

This makes, ironically enough, my current location inside one of the Marquis' guests the safest place possible for me.

I might be capable of taking down a guard and restoring my depleted mass, but acting out now could backfire badly.

For now, I suppose we should try to maintain our position and wait for an opening.

Eventually, there'll be a gap I can take advantage of.

I continue musing about my current problems, trying to identify possible ways to act or holes in the security that I remember from last night, when at one point there's a knock at our door.

Liqu moves our body to the door and opens it up.

"The Marquis invites you to dine with him." (attendant)

"Oh. I'm not sure. It was pretty wild last night, and-" (Liqu)

• "Liqu, if someone like a Marquis 'invites' you, this isn't a request." (Shari)
• "What else would it be? It says to be an invitation." (Liqu)
• "It's an order you take or die! We don't want to die! So say you're coming!" (Shari)

"I'll get ready!" (Liqu)

• "Was that good like this?" (Liqu)
• "Yes, but now get to it, please." (Shari)

And so she does.

To be precise, I instruct her to check the body for any stains or traces that may give us away. Slime where it shouldn't be, first signs of decay of the dead body.

We are under a time limit and will have to make use of what we got.

Fortunately, there isn't anything too obvious yet.

The skin might grey a little bit, but as I understand it, the slime it was doused in prevents certain natural decomposing processes.

We dress up for the event, in that guy's armor, and open the door to signify our readiness.

A short bit later, we are led towards a dining hall.

I quickly take note of the increased number of guards around.

Even Liqu seems affected by their voidstone weaponry that is now seriously everywhere.

We are led to the table, on which a rather plentiful meal is placed.

Not quite a celebratory feast, but a varied arrangement of food.

Just sad that I couldn't enjoy it even if I'd be out of Liqu's stomach.

• "Oh, there's meat!" (Liqu)

Promptly, she stuffs some into her mouth, where it drops down a widened gullet, right to the stomach, where I am.

Which means it's on me to dissolve it.

Of course, Liqu is still supposed to be in charge, so any slime I generate gets straight relinquished to her.

...

Wait a moment!

Did she just feed me like some kind of stomach pet?!

No, focus.

There are more important matters to mind.

• "Liqu, don't!" (Shari)
• "What? Why not?" (Liqu)
• "Because it's against the social rules to eat before the host! Who still is the goddamn Marquis!" (Shari)
• "Oh, my, this is complicated." (Liqu)
• "Just try to follow my instructions." (Shari)

I may not know much about etiquette, but I suppose it will suffice if we show basic manners.

A short time later, the man I tried to kill last night appears, looking surprisingly well for someone who should suffer from a lack of sleep from last night.

He sits down, without acknowledging us.

Actually, it feels weird to say us, as to me it's more like I'm looking through a window at what Liqu's doing.

Anyway, the Marquis, shadowed by his guards, grasps for a chalice.

I have to nudge Liqu to look at him, as her wavering interest makes her lose focus, which adds another layer to my feeling of frustration and, well, this uncanny sense of not being a person, but just a passenger.

However, next the Marquis does something impressive.

He waves his hand, and right then water gathers within the vessel.

"As a B-ranked adventurer, you may know that possessing magic is quite a detriment to physical prowess. However, the perks are not to be scoffed at. In this regard, I don't have to worry about poison within my drinks." (Eras)

• "Why is he telling us that?" (Liqu)

• "No idea, but keep on listening. Not paying attention may prove fatal." (Shari)

"You see, I like to be prepared. You may call it an obsession of mine to be prepared for risks and eventualities. Be it a deficit of goods, a national crisis, or an attempt on my life." (Eras)

• "Liqu, don't act, but be cautious. I don't like where he might go with that." (Shari)

It could be that he figured something out about us, or may punish us for failing our mission.

He seems casual, the way he drinks his water, but he might be brooding inside.

"All the more frustrating was it when that slime overcame my castle's defenses so that it even managed to reach my personal bed chamber, and, to make disgrace complete, then even managed to escape. All the careful planning, preparation, investments for naught. Not to speak of how that thing was truly smart, and worse, cunning enough to take hold of my very heir. Can you tell how I might be feeling about this incident?" (Eras)

"Ehm, angry?" (Liqu)

Groan!

I'd chastise Liqu for blurting out the first thing that came to her mind here, but I cannot afford that she loses focus.

"Hmm, no. Not quite, at least. 'Anger' doesn't even come close to describing the variety of emotions I'm feeling about this affront to my person. This insult of the highest class. Yet, being honest, I do feel anger. Anger at my own inadequacy." (Eras)

Just where is he going with this?

And at some random adventurer at this.

"You know, I thought the reports on the abilities of these creatures overstated. Truly, a slime capable of feats like destroying armies. And I suppose they were, to a degree. Given how the one last night fled in a panic instead of obliterating us all. My measures being effective enough to matter in spite of it. Yet this doesn't excuse my very own negligence. Overall, I still underestimated it. You warned me, and I didn't take the threat seriously enough. To think this creature still managed to escape from such a carefully placed trap. Maybe weakened, but still posing a threat." (Eras)

• "Liqu, ask: How can I help you in this regard?" (Shari)
• "Okay." (Liqu)

"Can I help?" (Liqu)

Urgh.

I really hope we won't get attacked because of Liqu's social skills.

"Hmm, I see you're eager. The death of your comrades may have raised quite the sentiment against those creatures in you. Furthermore, specifically the one that killed your intimate partner." (Eras)

When did this become a thing?!

Did they seriously report that my fake identity had this kind of relationship with Liqu's?

Damn, I feel like vomiting, which I can't do here!

Yet, worse, we need to somehow keep up this impression the Marquis got, as it's a pretty good cover.

• "Liqu! You have to seem upset!" (Shari)
• "Upset? About what?" (Liqu)
• "About the fact that I killed your great love!" (Shari)

For real, is this slime catching a thing?

• "Huh? But you didn't do that." (Liqu)

• "But he believes I did! The girl I was posing at!" (Shari)

• "That's complicated. How do I act in a way I don't really mean?" (Liqu)

• "Goddamnit, it's called 'acting' for a reason!" (Shari)

• "That doesn't answer the question." (Liqu)

Okay, Shari.

We need to start a little bit more basic.

• "Okay, Liqu. Just imagine that the girl whose body I dissolved wasn't that one, but me. Right before you could transform me, another slime comes by and dissolves me into nothing. How would you feel?" (Shari)

• "I, I'd be furious. How can this insignificant little nothing without a consciousness dare! Just to feed?! Why did it take that from me! All that happened gone lost!! It took it! It took it!! It took it!!! Raaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" (Liqu)

Okay, maybe that was too effective.

• "Alright, Liqu. We need like five percent of that. I'm still here, I'm still with you. Calm down a little. Not completely. Just hold back a tiny bit. Try to channel it into the act. Squeeze your fist, grind your stolen teeth. Look angry like a human would." (Shari)
• "I, I think I understand." (Liqu)

Promptly, I feel how Liqu lurches up, with me still inside her.

"I'm gonna kill that damn thing!!" (Liqu)

That was maybe still a bit much, but the Marquis doesn't seem to think she overacted.

"I see I was right with my assessment. The point I'm trying to make is, this thing was ordered to go after me. Meanwhile, you are one of those who got the clearest picture of its capabilities. Thus, I'd like to enlist your assistance to aid my safety. In this position, you will be the most likely to enact your revenge." (Eras)

Hah, the irony.

He wants us to guard him because he thinks we hate ourselves.

• "Liqu, say 'yes'. And try to stick to your role." (Shari)

"Yes. I will do whatever it takes." (Liqu)

"Splendid. Then why don't we discuss this arrangement in more detail? I'm sure we'll come to equally satisfying terms. Your insights about this creature should prove very valuable." (Eras)

Hah, to think he got that right insofar as that he's currently speaking to the one great expert on humanoid slimes.

"Sure, I know a lot." (Liqu)

Let's just hope she isn't going to tell him all of that.