- Shari –

 

I wake up with a start.
Something isn't right!
An undeniable feeling of wrongness that puts me on high alert.
Naturally, I immediately shape my body while gliding out of the tub.

 

"Liqu!" (Shari)

 

Rule number one, when you're alarmed call the unstoppable calamity.
I need to assess the situation before I can make any further decisions.

 

"Shari!" (Liqu)

 

With surprising speed she squeezes through the tiny hole, pushing the chest to the side.

 

"Okay, calm down! Is it just me or did something happen?" (Shari)

"I feel more vibrations than usual." (Liqu)

"Fine. We need to..." (Shari)

"Help!" (?)

 

I move quickly to the door, searching for the origin of this voice.
It's one of the soldiers.
He's heading down the stairway to our cellar, panicked, obviously in a bad condition.
Only moments behind me Liqu follows.
First I have to talk to him.

 

"What is going on?! What happens up there?" (Shari)

"Attack! Cough! The lord sends me. Cough! We are under attack." (soldier)

 

Shit!
Why did this have to happen now?

Well, I guess the time is not the issue as we were already at war.

 

"Who is attacking us?! I need more details!" (Shari)

"No time! Cough! They're here! We need to reach the headquarter! Cough, cough!" (soldier)

 

Something's not quite right with him.
His complexion worsens.

 

"He went down there! Chase him!"

 

Considering his words like "help" and "we are under attack" I get it that the people up there are not kind helpers, coming to his aid.

There's no time at all.
As fast as I can I pull him into my room.
I hear the steps advancing and know that I'm running out of time.

 

The voices come slowly closer.

 

"Do you think their treasury might be down here?"

"No idea. But that heavy door we passed looked promising. We should keep watching out."

 

I hide him in the corner behind the wall and signal Liqu to guard this side.
She does so by crawling up to the ceiling.
Then I hurriedly grab the cloak that came with our uniform and all of my weapons and press myself further than it would be possible with a sturdy body against the wall.

 

"There, the door! I bet he went in there!"

 

The first thing I see is the tip of a small crossbow.
The second is a glint in Liqu's eyes, before rushing down and over them.
Naturally, none of them can even aim at her core.
She doesn't directly start dissolving her newest victims.
Instead, I can take a small look at them while they try to catch some air.
Dark clothes, a face mask made of black fabric, small one-hand crossbows, as well as daggers, and other small blades.
Classic assassins.

It was very thoughtful of Liqu not to kill these people, which could as well have been the count's men.
Unlikely, but too much of a risk.
But if I interpret this situation right we have no leeway to take them into custody.
I'm sad about this, but my mind is disturbingly calm while making the decision.

 

"Enemies. We need to get rid of them." (Shari)

 

A face forms on the surface of the huge green blob.

 

"Sure thing!" (Liqu)

 

And then I get a sight I would rather have spared myself.
Maybe I should have questioned one of them.
On the other side, an all-out attack on our base isn't really leaving many questions open.
Also, the gained energy might help us to deal with this situation.
Our current objectives are to gather information, find our superiors, and receive orders.

I remember that we should evacuate to the big building of the officers in this kind of situation.
Yet it might be better to make sure that the other staff can escape there.

I want to ask the soldier what he knows, but then notice that he passed out.
Then I notice the bolt wound on his side.
Quickly I plug it up with slime but have no time to do any more than this.
Like this, there's no other choice but to look up there myself.

I walk up the stairs out of our cellar.
The first thing I notice is a strange kind of vibration around me.
Looking at Liqu, I see that her condition is worrisome, to say the least.
Something is troubling her a great deal.
I don't have much time to contemplate this.
The closer I come to the exit the more disturbing becomes the noise I perceive.
Taking the last steps up the stairs, I reach the door to the main hall and see...

Fire!

It burns and the damage is already considerable.
The next I perceive are the sounds of fighting and screams.
The flames aren't too intense yet but it's only a question of time until they will encompass the whole building.

For a moment I grow worried about all the smoke and what I'll do if the fire spreads to my position, but then I realize that I don't need to breathe and my liquid body is basically flame resistant.
Well, I might still dry out in the long run, but that's no immediate concern.
It seems like a slime does not have to worry about getting caught up in a fire.

 

"NO!!!" (Liqu)

 

What!?

 

"No, no, no, no, no! That can't be! No fire! Please no fire!" (Liqu)

 

What is wrong with this slime?
This is really not the right time for her antics.

 

"Fire, fire, fire, fire, fire!" (Liqu)

 

Nonstop she's repeating this word.
Okay, it seems Liqu completely lost it.
Holding her head, she squeezes it together to a pulp, over and over pulling new mass from inside her body to her arms to apply more pressure on the unformed mash on her shoulders.
This cannot continue like this.

 

"Slap"

 

My hand splashes against the sorry rest of Liqu's head.
Without any effect that is.

 

Shit!
Slapping doesn't work on slimes.
Then this!

 

I pull my hand out of the glove and plunge it inside her body to link with her.

 

• "FIRE!" (Liqu)
   
• "DRAGON!!!" (Liqu)
   
• "No! No! No! No!" (Liqu)
   
• "No dragon!!" (Liqu)
   
• "Leave me alone! Leave me alone! GO AWAY!!" (Liqu)
   
• "WAAAAAHHHHHH!!" (Liqu)
   
• "Heck, what is this!?" (Shari)

 

My mind gets flooded with pictures and sensations.
A feeling of overwhelming heat.
Everywhere around me is a storm of scorching air.
Instead of receiving burns, I feel how my liquid body evaporates with terrifying speed.
I want to escape this situation but there's no safe spot and my senses are totally occupied with all the chaos around me.

Panic seizes me.
I feel how the storm comes from one direction and try moving to the other.
However, more and more of my mass collapses and renders me immobile before I can even really begin to move.
All the while, this onslaught continues to burn me away.
All I can do is watch how my body ceases to be.

I sever the connection, getting the slime version of a panic attack.
If I had a heart it would jump out of my chest.
It quickly subsides after I disconnected while I realize that these were not my own emotions, but Liqu's.
I am hesitant but I need Liqu right now and it feels wrong to leave her in this state.
I know now what I have to expect and that I will have to actively fight it.
My only hope is that I can, by calming my mind as much as possible, also quell Liqu's fit.
Maybe if we then meet in the middle of our emotions this will leave us halfway operational.

Trying to disconnect my mind as much as possible from any sensations, so I can stay rational, I once again put my hand into the slime which intensely vibrates from freaking out.

 

• "Fire!" (Liqu)
   
• "Okay, this time I can cope." (Shari)
   
• "No, no. Stop it!" (Liqu)
   
• "Liqu! Calm down!" (Shari)
   
• "Wh-what?" (Liqu)
   
• "This isn't the same! Yes sure, it's fire. But not half as hot as what you experienced there and it's not going after us!" (Shari)
   
• "I-it's not?" (Liqu)
   
• "No! Whatever that was, this situation can't even compare! You're losing it for no reason! It's fine!" (Shari)
   
• "It's fine..." (Liqu)

 

I notice how the flames I experience while linking become less intense.
Slowly, but steadily they're reflecting our real surroundings.
I wait a small moment, dragging her some steps back down the cellar, till I believe that Liqu won't directly get a relapse.
Just then I disconnect.

 

"Better?" (Shari)

 

Liqu looks at me, with a mix of surprise, relief, embarrassment, and gratitude.

 

"Y-yes." (Liqu)

"Listen, I have no time to ask you what that was about. Just tell me, can you act?" (Shari)

"I think so." (Liqu)

"Good. Because we need to be fast. The enemy might any moment attack us. You're going to the girl. Get her out of here! I will look for the lord. We'll meet at the officer's building." (Shari)

"But that's dangerous! You can't do something so risky! What if they find you? You won't be safe without me! And the fire!" (Liqu)

"Listen! You have to trust me here! I am not going to intentionally risk my life, and you neither. We're doing this fast and safely! After you're at the headquarter you won't leave that girl's side! In the worst case, I can still escape through one of your tunnels." (Shari)

"But I cannot fight well here! The flames... They're bad for us. Evaporating our slime faster than usual." (Liqu)

 

I guess it's mostly this past trauma I just experienced.
I had the idea that we could simply let her swipe all the floors, but not if she's in such a state.
Even if she can stay operational, too much time here should truly dry us out, no matter how many people Liqu kills.

 

"Fine. Then we'll just do it quickly. I've got no idea how long those people fighting there can hold off the enemy. We'll just rush to our respective destinations. If you kill all the enemies on your way, then my escape route should be free. So I'm safe to go that way. After we're done, we meet at the officer's building. Liqu, you cannot let this girl die, understood?" (Shari)

"Y-yes." (Liqu)

"Good, then it's time to make a mess!" (Shari)