Slime Girl

 

 - Shari -

 

Okay, now it's Nia who needs help.
I should've known that once I settled one front, another would break right over me.
So down to the cellar it is.
I almost feel bad that I couldn't look after her during business hours.
Suddenly, I feel like the absolute worst when I see the state she's in.

 

"Nia!" (Okin)

 

Slime is streaming down from her eyes, violet bile covers the front of her shirt, and she limply hangs from her bindings.
The first I do is ask the guy who was supposed to examine her for further information.

 

"What happened?!" (Shari)

"I'm not exactly sure what is going on. I only stimulated some energy production facilities in her body, but suddenly she started cramping and complained about severe pain." (Bokkan)

 

I shove Bokkan to the side and approach the girl.
That might be rude, but he's apparently not someone who would be able to help here.

 

"Nia, how are you?" (Shari)

"It hurts! My stomach hurts really, really badly! Please, make it stop!" (Nia)

 

She has barely any strength left.
Nonetheless, the pain makes her desperate enough to voice her complaints rather loudly.

 

"Oh, I remember that part!" (Liqu)

 

Right.
I remember the agonizing stomach cramps as well.

 

"She's getting her core!" (Liqu)

"A core? That's what this pain is about?" (Bokkan)

"Yes. Most of the energetic slime concentrates in the stomach after ingestion, and so this is where it shapes. Doing something with the energy there might've activated it." (Liqu)

"This doesn't help! Ahh!" (Nia)

"Please! You need to help her!" (Okin)

"Liqu!" (Shari)

"This is still your thing. You can do this." (Liqu)

"Okay! But what am I supposed to do?!" (Shari)

"Simple. You need to give her more slime. This will accelerate the process and hopefully drive her over the edge. She won't be able to feel pain if she's shut off." (Liqu)

"Wh-what?!" (Okin)

"We don't have a choice, Okin. Nia, prepare yourself. This won't be nice." (Shari)

"I don’t care! Just do whatever! Just make it stop! Agh!" (Nia)

 

There's no way around this.
As much as I hate doing this, it was clear from the start that this moment was coming.

 

"Uh, but Shari, if you establish contact with the core, make sure not to connect to it. That could be bad for her." (Liqu)

 

Don't you love it if someone comes up with vital instructions at the last second?

 

"Why?" (Shari)

"At the moment, it's an empty hull with only the most basic commands to do what it does. However, any kind of influence could alter the process. This wouldn't be good, as we want the core to only fill with what it's currently linked with. Which is the girl." (Liqu)

 

Okay, don't irreversibly change Nia's very sense of being.
Noted.

 

I free my hand and guide it towards Nia's mouth.
The poor girl doesn't even have the strength to resist at this point.
Just a bit of pressure and the entrance widens as much as I require it.

I slowly guide the slime down her throat, carefully paying attention not to cut off her air supply.
She's rather small, so it doesn't even have to travel very far before I reach the cavity inside.
I start to pump it in and only a moment later the awareness I have through the matter points me at a tiny object.
A round hard object attached to the stomach walls.
I can even vaguely make out an outline of it with this weird slime sense.
It feels warm, active, but also... hollow.
As if something is begging me for a purpose.
An engine without function.
Something that lacks the fundamentals.

Once I become aware of the implications I pull away and ignore it as much as I can.
No instructions for you, little core.
You are not to be your own thing, but your purpose will be to contain something else.
A soul.

 

Because I replenished my mass for the alchemy work, I have enough energetic slime to spend.
However, I realize that Liqu just said I need to fill in a big amount of slime, but not how much.

 

"Liqu? How much more do I need to make her drink?" (Shari)

"More!" (Liqu)

 

Not exactly the answer I hoped for, but Liqu certainly knows more about the process.
So I continue my assault.
Nia starts feebly fighting back in visible discomfort, to put it mildly.
Probably not only because the whole thing is so disgusting, but also because the pressure inside her body keeps building up.
Yet I can't stop here.
It would mean half-assing the whole thing we do to save her.
As much as I start to question myself about this.

 

"Stop! She doesn't want this!" (Okin)

 

I feel the boy hit and push against my side, but that barely bothers me.
Even so, Liqu quickly subdues him by lifting him away with her slime appendages.

 

"No, no. She still needs more!" (Liqu)

 

I'm sure Nia would object if she could.
I feel terrible for doing this to her.
Nobody deserves this!

Nia looks more and more miserable.
Her struggling intensifies, only to die out again when it doesn't bring release.
The last strokes against the arm I'm using to fill her up I interpret as her final desperate pleas at me to stop.
I can't continue this any longer!

 

"Liqu!" (Shari)

"More!" (Liqu)

 

Shit!
I really don't want to do this.
But what other choice is there?
She'll certainly die rather quickly if I'd just end everything here.
I can't let everything she went through have been in vain.
I can't do this to her.

So I channel more slime inside.
And finally Nia faints and stops struggling entirely.

 

"Okay... You can stop now. This should be fine." (Liqu)

 

This was many things, but it absolutely was not fine!
Also, could you please place Okin back on the ground?

 

"Can I really stop this now?" (Shari)

"Yes, I think so. But when you cut the connection to the slime inside, do so close below the airway. I'm not sure, but I think she needs to breathe for a while longer." (Liqu)

 

Below the airway?
That means she basically wants me to leave her filled to the absolute brim.
Like some kind of human water skin.
Or rather slime skin in this case.
She even looks now rather bloated.
But even more concerning I find the utter lack of reaction.
She must be completely out of it.
Okin can only helplessly stare from above at the mess we made out of his sister.

 

"Can you please let him down, Liqu?" (Shari)

"Yes, yes!" (Liqu)

 

As soon as his feet touch the ground he runs to his sister.

 

"Nia! Nia, wake up!" (Okin)

 

Only to get grabbed by Liqu again.

 

"No shaking!" (Liqu)

 

She said this quite sternly.
But it makes sense.
Moving her now would probably be very bad.

 

"You, you monsters! What did you do to her?!" (Okin)

"Listen here! From the start we made it clear that this wouldn't be pretty. Your sister agreed to this. You can't blame me for anything here, or do you want her to die?" (Shari)

"No! But, but, sniff, she's..." (Okin)

"No backtalking! We need to end this properly, or she's a goner! There's no room for leniency!" (Shari)

 

After some back and forth we convince Okin to agree not to intervene.

 

"Ahem!" (Bokkan)

 

Also, Bokkan clears his throat now, reminding us of his existence.

 

"I'm mindful enough not to interfere with an ongoing treatment. It seemed, although slightly uncoordinated, that you have an idea of what you're doing between the two of you. But as I took her as a patient I still want to confirm. Is this the state you planned for her to be in?" (Bokkan)

 

As if I have any expertise!

 

"I, I hope so. What do you think, Liqu?" (Shari)

"Yep, this looks good!" (Liqu)

 

We have very different perspectives on that matter, my dear.

 

"You're calling this good?!" (Shari)

"She's in the right condition. Look!" (Liqu)

 

She draws closer to the girl.

 

"Look at me!" (Liqu)

 

Next, Nia opens her eyes and looks with a hollow gaze at Liqu.
What the fuck is going on?!

 

"You know, once the brain is shut off, the core takes over for some simpler commands. As I told you, it's suggestible. It basically does whatever it's told. Yet there’s nothing inside it yet, so she's kinda like a puppet right now." (Liqu)

 

Oh my god!
This sounds wrong in every way!
Absolutely appalling!
If that's true she's completely vulnerable and at our mercy.
The future home of her very soul is merely awaiting a command.
I can't even begin to think about the impli-...

 

"Liqu... When this happened to me, did you use this chance to do something to me?" (Shari)

"Uh, no? I wanted you as you were with nothing changed. Also, I thought you might be angry at me later on if I would." (Liqu)

 

At least she's honest.
One of the positive traits of this slime.

 

"So we just hugged and snuggled a lot!" (Liqu)

 

At once a flying slime fist rams her face.
During the inevitable linking, I send her a very compressed message about why I believe that this wasn't the ideal thing to do to me in my vulnerable state.
This is enough to put her out of commission for a while.

 

"As it seems like that's settled, let me examine her once more. Just to be sure." (Bokkan)

"Fine. But you heard Liqu. You need to hold back on moving her." (Shari)

"Oh, please. I'm not some inexperienced amateur." (Bokkan)

"Then we’ll leave her with you for now." (Shari)

"I'll stay here too!" (Okin)

 

As much as I'd like to grant him such a thing, I can't allow this to happen.

 

"No, you won't. You heard the giant slime. She's completely exposed right now. As much as you love your sister, any influence could be very bad for her." (Shari)

"Hm, according to my examination, she seems bodily fine, for now. Yet this is to be seen very relatively, as it might tip at any moment. Also, I need to admit I find some developments concerning. I hope you don't mind a bit of scrutiny on my side here." (Bokkan)

"Sigh. No, no. If it helps, you can see the end result of all this with me." (Shari)

"As you say. But I still prefer personal judgment. I hope you don't mind." (Bokkan)

"As long as it's unbiased." (Shari)

"Everything's going exactly as planned!" (Liqu)

"I see." (Bokkan)

"But Nia!" (Okin)

 

Sigh!
So I force Okin up the stairs and out of the room.
I'm just glad that we managed to persevere through this.

 

"But don't forget that she'll regularly need more slime." (Liqu)

 

Oh damn.
Seems like I once again was too early with the assessment.