- Shari -

 

During the second half of the trip suddenly something comes up.
The sun already started to rise a bit and gives some light in which one clearly can see that there is a gathering of individuals in front of us on the road.

 

"What is this?" (Lidan)

"Don't know. I count at least ten and it's strange that a group waits in the middle of a country road." (Shari)

"Are those bandits again?" (Liqu)

"Not quite. Bandits would ambush from the forest and they don't look shabby enough." (Elin)

"Does this mean we are safe?" (Lidan)

"Wouldn't count on it." (Shari)

"My guess is they belong to Cid's organization." (Elin)

"But Cid is dead." (Shari)

"Well, the one who commands them is apparently up and running! The first thing I would do when I hear that my hostage is gone would be to make sure he won't get home. Hence they block the only way back there." (Elin)

 

Lidan pales visibly.

 

"Okay, no taking chances! Let's get off the road and into the forest before they notice us!" (Shari)

"Might be too late for that, I think they caught sight of us!" (Elin)

"We're still running in there! A large group won't be able to follow this easily!" (Shari)

 

So we jump into the undergrowth.
Our assumptions are kind of answered by the fact that they follow us.
At least the rustling behind us indicates so.

 

"Are you sure they are those we're looking for?"

"I am sure there was a child! This is too much of a coincidence!"

 

Well, and this!
This is quite a good indicator!

 

"Can I dissolve them!" (Liqu)

 

Honestly, I am against killing people.
But aside from a very unsettling adaption to more and more frequently occurring situations of that kind, I have no issue with resorting to self-defense.
Or more precisely, as they very likely planned to get rid of us while re-abducting Lidan, in my opinion, they agreed that the same could happen to them.
At the very least, I am rather sure these people weren't going to ask us friendly if we would surrender the boy to them.
Which leads to this order!

 

"They're too many for now! We head deeper inside. Elin! You are responsible for Lidan! If we lose each other we'll meet at the crossroads to the count's estate! Liqu! As soon as they split up you take them out one after the other! No clothes necessary, but don't leave them completely behind." (Shari)

 

Here it would be even better if they just believe in a random monster attack!

 

"If possible no witnesses. I will take position in-between and stop whoever gets through." (Shari)

 

That's the best plan I can come up with by straining my core with fast processing.
Like this, it's fairly elaborate in my opinion.
We run a bit further and abruptly Liqu jumps without clothes into a tree and astonishingly fast vanishes behind the leaves.
The poor person who will pass below there.
In accordance, I run a bit further, before I let the other two leave me behind.

In the first place, I wouldn't have been able to escape our pursuers since I am slow.
Until now I've gotten used to the limits of my body and can maintain a good pace, but this has its limits.
I would still risk collapsing my legs if I push them too hard and this will happen if I try to move any faster.
Like this, it was clear that they eventually would have gotten us.
And for this reason, Liqu and I cannot be part of the escaping group.

 

"Aaaaahhhhhh!!!"

 

Seems like Liqu got the first one.
I wait patiently, trotting slowly in the direction where Elin went, the last time I saw her.
It would be great if no one would make it this far and I stay left alone.

Yet the world hates me, that I am sure about, taking account of everything that happened to me until now.
Like this, I am not very surprised that two of our pursuers are catching up with me eventually.
I let my gloves slip down.
What I learned from my recent fights is that with enough traction of sufficiently dense mass I can hold stuff quite well.
The main purpose they have now is just to prevent sight at my hands.
Or rather slime balls, as fingers won't suffice to get enough grip.

 

"Got you!" (thug)

 

I see a man and a woman.
Both wear leather armor of quite high quality.
Not quite the highly customized level of what I have seen on professional adventurers, but more like a uniform.
The guy has a hatchet and the woman a shortsword.
I guess that they are something like a more professional task force to whoever has the authority in this organization.
That makes my next action rather pointless, if not to soothe my conscience.

 

"I would want to ask if we can just part ways here. I don't have anything against you in particular and would like to cancel any violent actions." (Shari)

"Is this a joke? You've angered the wrong people. Nothing can save you anymore!" (female thug)

 

Seriously?

 

"That doesn't mean you have to be the ones to enforce this. Didn't you hear this scream? That should be reason enough to run away as fast as possible. Just tell whoever you work for that you lost us. This would make everything for all of us easier!" (Shari)

 

The man actually appears to consider my offer.
If it were me in his place I’d want to leave fast before Liqu returns.

 

"What are you waiting for as if you're rooted to the ground? Get this done!" (female thug)

"At least, if I defend myself now and kill you, you won't hold that against me, right?" (Shari)

"Get rid of that wench! She annoys me!" (female thug)

"Then you can do it!" (thug)

"Just to say it, I can fight! This is your last chance. You should let this be!" (Shari)

 

With this, I pull my old trusty dagger out to emphasize my point.
As long they don't know about my core, they won't be a threat to me.
The guy, who's apparently used to violence, doesn't want to listen anymore and advances.
I raise my arm with the dagger to keep him at bay, which doesn't work too well.
Maybe situations like this are part of his morning routine.

He rushes forward and slashes with the hatchet for my dagger and I have no choice, but to avoid this strike, lacking the strength to deflect it.
But now he can effectively occupy my arm with his attacks.
Promptly he pulls out a knife from behind.
He thrusts fast forward and stabs my neck, directly below the mask.
Maybe under different circumstances, I would be more fazed, but there wasn't even the slightest hint of danger.
He has now quite a triumphant smirk on his face.
Hate to break it for him.
Or maybe not.

 

"And now?" (Shari)

 

Immediately his expression changes, knowing that something can't be right here.
For me, the question was more on the rhetorical side, as I perfectly know how to proceed.
I control the mass where he plunged his weapon in and make it crawl forward around his hand to prevent him from pulling back.
At this point, they've already seen too much and I cannot afford to show any mercy.
The only thing I really hate dislike about this situation would be that I practically grew a new limb from my neck and now have to deal with this weird sensation.

 

"What the... Shit!" (thug)

"W-what are you doing there?! Stop playing around!" (female thug)

 

He panics visibly.
While he keeps the other one with the hatchet in check, I have a new dagger which is just perfect in this situation.
I push the weapon into my other hand and aim for his throat.
Liqu can never know how close I keep this thing with me.
Yet now my opponent sees my strike coming and shifts his arm to intercept the strike.

It's of no use.
It would have worked had I bones and such, yet all I have to do is bend the mass around his arm while making sure to maintain the connection.
Then I can due to my natural flexibility lash out with my arm like with a whip and with an elastic swing reach directly behind his block.
The blade cuts his throat without any effort.
This new weapon is really impressively sharp.
I let my arm form some kind of shield to protect me from a squall of blood that I try to evade.

Damnit!
I've got blood in my system!

Number two now grows visibly frightened.
Though, it's not like I didn't warn them.

I walk slowly towards her.
Maybe if she flees now in this direction she would run directly into Liqu's maw, but this is too risky for my taste.
She might not be able to make sense of what she has seen and most of the time I was hidden behind her now-dead comrade, but she certainly saw enough to spread troubling rumors about me.
So I won't take any chances!

She turns around and starts to run away.
As we all know I won't be able to catch up.
Yet the poor girl is within my range.

I aim with my stabbing dagger at her and extend my arm.
It rushes out as fast as I can manage and pierces her in the leg.
The moment she stumbles and falls I rush forward and end it with a second stab through her neck into the head before any feelings of guilt can catch up with me.

After that, I need some time to recollect myself.
Extending my limbs might have been inhuman, but it wasn't the worst I've been through until now, so I can deal with it.
What I cannot deal with is all the rest.
Killing people is still too big of a thing to simply get used to it.
Yet the action itself was so easy.
I was the whole time in predator mode.
No shaking, no restraint, just doing what I need to.
And this is frightening!
Really frightening!

The possibility of becoming a killing machine isn't something I can simply cope with.
And while the predator mode helps to perform the action itself, the aftermath is something I have to deal with on my own.
Like this, I am now rather through.
I can prevent crying, but this doesn't mean I'm well off.
Killing people is absolutely different from monsters.

However, I have to stay vigilant and as soon I am clear again I have to perform the necessary actions.
And one of these means looting the corpses.
While this might be a moral grey zone of a darker shade, leaving their stuff would just be a waste, as the next finder won't be such an upright citizen as I am.
They are already lucky that I am no cannibal.

So I rummage through their pockets and find three silver and six copper coins.
The small copper makes me especially happy since, if anyone counted, I was down to three coins.
Not that I could manage to shoot many more, but a bit of ammunition always helps.
If I would after this have decided to use the slime bullet again, there would be no other choice than to use silver.
And this kind of ammunition gets a little too pricey for my taste.
And while I'm at it, I can take this shortsword.
It looks nice and I would have something for my belt on the cloak to scare people off.

Since no one else shows up I think things are going well for Liqu.
There were some more screams, but I didn't pay too much attention and had my own problems to deal with.
Eventually, she comes, fortunately with her clothes.

 

"Oh, some got through?" (Liqu)

"It went quite badly here and dare you if you say anything regarding the corpses!" (Shari)

"Why is it bad? You had a good hunt!" (Liqu)

"It was pure self-defense!" (Shari)

"Yes, yes. Can I at least refill you?" (Liqu)

"Do you really believe that I am not aware that you are filled to the brim with... them?!" (Shari)

"Still, you fought and didn't replenish!" (Liqu)

"I am still almost full. Just made some movements! That's not very taxing." (Shari)

"If you say so, but please at least tell me if you feel any kind of strain." (Liqu)

 

If I don't give her anything she might never stop going about this.

 

"Fine! How many did you get?" (Shari)

"Six!" (Liqu)

 

More than the number of screams I heard.

 

"That means at least two escaped. Did they see you?" (Shari)

"Don't think so. At least, I haven't noticed them." (Liqu)

 

This might be true.
When you hear your comrade's death screams, you either rush to help them or you turn the other way and run for your dear life.
At least two opted for the latter.

 

"And? Could you salvage any money from them?" (Shari)

"Uhh..." (Liqu)

 

Sigh!
That was asking too much!

 

"Did you leave any visible traces? Anything that will take longer to disperse?" (Shari)

"No. After an hour it will be as if they never existed." (Liqu)

 

An hour is still quite long, but I guess there won't be any searching parties coming anytime soon.

 

"Do you know where Elin and the boy went?" (Shari)

"Not really. It works with the concentration in the air. Not for long distances and all the blood is distracting" (Liqu)

"Great, so we've lost them. I said we meet up where one way splits up to that lord's estate. Elin has the map, so let us return to the road and follow it." (Shari)

"Yes! Just the two of us! This will be so nice!" (Liqu)

 

Seems like karma is already back at me for those kills, huh?