We Are

As I surveyed the chaos unfolding around us, my attention was drawn to the trembling figure of the priestess beside me. Her eyes darted frantically, searching for an escape amidst the wreckage, her hands shaking with fear. It pained me to see her in such a state, knowing that her presence here was a consequence of my actions.

Despite the urgency of our situation, I couldn't help but notice the raw emotion etched upon her face: the fear, the uncertainty, the overwhelming sense of helplessness. 

I found myself grappling with a sense of frustration and desperation. "Damnit," I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible over the rampant destruction.

 "I swear, this priestess is as blind as they come." 

With what little strength remained from my earlier water-soaked exertions, I reached out to maneuver her into cover. "Get your head back on," I urged, my words laced with urgency. "That thing is going to eat us if you keep zoning out. Did you find me a body?"

She trembled, her response barely a whisper as she stammered, "No, I was...". But before she could finish her sentence, she froze up once more, her eyes wide with fear.

Outside, the beast raged on, its frenzied rampage tearing apart everything in its path. Sensing the gravity of our situation, I reached out with a small tendril and gently bopped her under the chin, my attempt at levity falling flat amidst the chaos. "I'm sorry for the joke I made earlier," I offered, my voice tinged with remorse. "I hope it didn't bother you too much..."

But she cut me off, her words trembling with fear. "Stop it," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the din. "I wasn't ready for this... No... No... No."

As her panicked words echoed in my mind, I couldn't help but curse myself for bringing her along on another quest so soon after our previous ordeal. The emotions swirling around us were palpable, each one a testament to the weight of our shared burden.

But there was no time for self-recrimination or doubt. With each passing moment, the situation grew more dire, the beast outside drawing ever closer. "Damn it," I muttered to myself, the panic rising within me. "I should have left this idiot," I chastised myself, only to quickly dismiss the thought. "No... No... I should have never saved her to begin with then."

She was my responsibility, whether I liked it or not. As I grappled with the unfamiliar surge of protectiveness coursing through me, I couldn't help but wonder: had I felt like this in other existences? Why did this feel so much like they do?

With barely a moment to collect my thoughts, a deafening roar shattered the relative calm of our hiding spot beneath the simple table in the bar area. My heart raced as the monstrous beast loomed overhead, its malevolent gaze fixated upon us with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

"Oh hell no," I muttered under my breath, a surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins as I realized the danger we were in. The beast, driven by primal instincts beyond reason, was intent on finding a mate, and the priestess beside me seemed to be its target.

"Darn it, girl," I exclaimed, my voice tinged with desperation as I lunged forward to intercept the creature. But it paid me no heed, its monstrous form undeterred as it closed in on her with frightening speed.

As the beast closed in on the defenseless priestess, I knew I had to act fast. With a surge of determination, I transformed my liquid body into a viscous slime, enveloping the creature in a suffocating embrace. But my efforts proved futile as the monster thrashed and clawed, its sheer strength overwhelming my attempts to drown it.

"Run, girl, run!" I screamed, my voice echoing with desperation as I urged the priestess to flee. But she seemed lost in a world of her own, her mind consumed by the horrors of her past. It wasn't until I repeated my plea over and over again that she finally snapped out of her trance, her eyes wide with fear as she realized the danger we were in.

With a newfound sense of urgency, Aria sprang into action, her movements swift and decisive as she raced to my aid. But even as she fought to save me, I could feel myself being torn apart by the relentless onslaught of the beast's fury. With each blow, I lost more and more of myself, reduced to little more than a small, trembling mass of slime.

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As Aria watched me being torn apart by the relentless onslaught of the beast, her mind drifted back to her own turbulent past. Memories of her childhood flooded her mind, each one a painful reminder of the hardships she had endured in the slums of her old country. In those dark and desolate streets, the richest house held no solace, no sanctuary from the harsh realities of life.

With trembling hands and a heart heavy with fear, Aria grappled with the terror of failure, the looming threat of her slave contract hanging over her like a shadow. The thought of being forced to return to her former life, to a fate worse than death itself, sent shivers down her spine.

"Why won't this damn slime just realize this?" she wondered, her voice a whisper amidst the chaos. "Why does he keep saving me?" It was a question that plagued her, a puzzle she could not unravel. What kind of monster would willingly sacrifice itself to protect another, even at the cost of its own existence?

But as she watched me being torn apart before her eyes, Aria couldn't help but wonder if there was more to my actions than met the eye. A regular monster would have been reduced to nothing by now, its existence snuffed out in an instant. And yet, here I was, clinging to life in pieces, fighting to survive against impossible odds.

"Is that all existence is?" Aria mused, her thoughts drifting into the depths of her own despair. "Living in pieces, with trauma and pain?" It was a grim realization, a stark reminder of the fragility of life in a world consumed by darkness.

As Aria watched the honorable little slime being torn apart, her heart weighed heavy with a mixture of emotions. Memories of her tumultuous past flooded her mind, each one a painful reminder of the struggles she had faced and the people who had sacrificed so much to protect her.

One memory in particular stood out, etched into her mind with vivid clarity. It was the memory of an old man, a stranger who had come to her rescue when she was just a child. "Run, girl, run," he had urged her, his voice filled with desperation as he faced down a group of thugs intent on doing her harm. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fled, fear gripping her heart at the thought of what might have happened if he hadn't intervened.

In the years that followed, Aria had joined the Priestess Guild, determined to honor the memory of the man who had saved her life. But her efforts were in vain, for she soon learned that the old man had been found murdered, his life taken by the same thugs who had once threatened her.

The memory haunted her, a constant reminder of the dangers that lurked in the shadows, waiting to strike when least expected. And now, as she watched the honorable little slime being torn apart before her eyes, she couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and despair wash over her.

"Run, girl, run," she whispered to herself, the words echoing in her mind like a mantra. It was a plea, a desperate cry for escape from the horrors unfolding before her. And as she snapped back to reality, she realized that she had been lost in her own thoughts, oblivious to the danger that surrounded her.

"Fucking sorry, heal!" Aria exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency as she cast the healing spell on the slime. With a surge of energy, the lifeless pieces of the slime began to stir, slowly recovering and attempting to reattach themselves to the main body like many small slugs writhing on the floor.

But as the beast turned its attention to the priestess, its roar reverberated through the room, sending shockwaves of fear coursing through Aria's trembling form. Her defenses faltered under the onslaught of terror, but she gritted her teeth and continued to cast heal on more pieces of the slime, determined to keep it alive at any cost.

Meanwhile, the slime seized the opportunity to strike, silencing the beast's roar by latching onto its eyes and attempting to consume them. The creature's enraged response was swift and brutal, its fury unleashed upon the defiant slime in a vicious display of power.

Caught between the two monsters, Aria's mind raced with uncertainty. Should she flee and leave them to their own devices, or intervene and risk her own life in the process? It was a dilemma she never imagined she would face, a challenge far beyond the scope of her duties as a priestess.

But then, a flicker of memory stirred within her, a reminder of the events of the previous night: the arousal, the transformation, the undeniable bond that had formed between her and the slime. Despite her doubts and fears, she couldn't deny the truth that lay before her.

"Why has my faith forsaken me?" she wondered, her mind swirling with doubt and confusion. "But this slime thing..."

"Give me your fucking eyes you damn!" The slime screams.

"Oh..."

"Maybe just one eye....Oh shit.." 

The Slime screams in more pain as its clawed away, its heading on the defensive.

"Will you promise you won't completely take over my body?" Aria shouted, her voice tinged with desperation and fear.

"Yes," the slime replied, its voice echoing in her mind with a strange mixture of sincerity and mischief.

"And do you promise this is just to save us and not to make me into some sexual deviant?" Aria asked, her uncertainty palpable.

"Lady, I have been fused with you; you're already a sexual deviant. I know when someone is into butt stuff," the slime quipped, narrowly dodging a blow from the beast. "But I promise I am not trying to hurt you, girl."

Aria bristled at the dismissive tone, her resolve hardening as she ran towards the creature. "This girl has a name, and it's Aria!" she retorted, her voice filled with defiance.

"Well then, Aria, I don't want to die and go through life as a bacteria again, so let's make this easier than last time," the slime shouted, just as the beast crushed it underfoot.

Panic surged through Aria as she watched the scene unfold before her. She frantically searched for a piece of the slime, but they lay scattered around her, lifeless and inert. With a sinking feeling in her heart, she realized that her ether was burned out, her ability to cast heal diminished to nothing more than a few feeble sparks.

Backing away slowly, Aria felt the heat of the flames licking at her skin, the acrid scent of burning oil filling her nostrils. Lanterns overturned in the chaos, casting flickering shadows across the room as the inferno raged around her, consuming everything in its path.

"Damnit, Aria girl, do you trust me?" The voice echoed in Aria's head as she felt a strange sensation on her neck, like a slug attaching itself to her back.

"Yes, I trust you," Aria replied, her voice tinged with urgency. "Damn it, now do it!"

"Then open your mind!" the voice commanded, and Aria felt the slug burrow into her skin, sinking into her pores and releasing some kind of strange liquid. But as she waited for something to happen, there was nothing. "Hello? Hello?" she called out, but there was no response, only the snarls of the beast echoing in her mind.

Desperate to regain control of the situation, Aria tried to calm the enraged Catheo, but he was beyond reason, consumed by the spell of the imp. She glanced towards the open door, where she could see the gnome from earlier trying to call out to her husband. But she knew she couldn't distract him; he was too far gone, lost in a frenzy of rage and confusion.

With a sinking feeling in her heart, Aria realized that she was on her own, facing the beast and its fury with nothing but her wits and her determination to guide her. But even as fear threatened to overwhelm her, she knew that she couldn't give up, not when so much was at stake. And so, with a silent prayer on her lips, she cursed herself for once again trusting someone she figured this thing just needed a heading place, it would reanimate my corpse or something.

Aria felt a strange sensation wash over her, a binding force that held her in place as the monster approached. "Trust me," the voice echoed in her mind, urging her to have faith despite her mounting panic.

But Aria couldn't shake the fear that gripped her heart. "No, this is not how I want to die," she thought, her mind racing with desperation as the beast drew closer. "You will not die in vain," she declared, her voice tinged with defiance even as she braced herself for the inevitable.

"I promise you, girl," the voice reassured her, its words a balm to her battered soul. "You are a part of me now."

Outside, the gnome and several patrons watched in horror as the scene unfolded before them. From the safety of the windows and the street outside, they bore witness to Aria's valiant struggle against the monstrous creature, her priestess robes stained with blood as she fought with every ounce of strength she had left.

But despite her best efforts, Aria could not evade the beast's relentless assault. With a sickening crunch, its claws pierced her flesh, tearing through her skin and bone with ruthless efficiency. And as she felt the warmth of her own blood soaking her clothes, Aria knew that her time had come.

As Aria closed her eyes, bracing for the final blow, the unthinkable happened. The building began to tremble and shake, the ground beneath her feet giving way as the structure collapsed around her. Pillars, seemingly eaten away by some unseen force, crumbled into dust, causing the roof to cave in under the weight of the collapsing walls.

Outside, in the darkness of the night, the onlookers gasped and cried out in amazement as they witnessed the spectacle unfolding before them. The inn, now engulfed in flames, was crumbling to the ground, its once sturdy facade reduced to rubble and ash.

Amidst the chaos, the beast emerged, its fur singed and injured, but still standing. With a loud, beastial roar, it limped out of the wreckage, its eyes blazing with fury as it turned its sights on those outside the inn.