Natalie's question barely finished leaving her mouth before the slime-filled barrel reacted. The liquid inside shuddered and began to flow upward, spilling over the lip to geal in a pool on the floor. She retreated several steps, hefting her hammer up in a bat ready position. A part of her wondered whether she should take advantage of the monster's formation time. The green goo was clearly gathering into a humanoid shape as it spilled out.

  She didn't lunge in for two reasons: first, out of curiosity, which wasn't a great excuse, but sed and more importantly, attag a mohat might allow them to pass by via other means would result in one hell of a fight—possibly one more dangerous than she and Vaa could deal with. And then, if it won, the monster would be able to do whatever it pleased with them. Seeing how Vaa stood to her side, daggers in hand but holding off on dashing forward as well, she had made the same appraisal and decision.

  So, with fasation, she watched the monster solidify. In no time at all, the barrel had beeied of green goo, and a humanoid creature had taken form. The final details sharpened into focus, a statue appearing from gooey marble, and Natalie felt heat rising on her cheeks as she drank the image in.

  Because wow. The woman made from slime had the sort of curvaceous figure that could only be found in art. Monsters ade for fug, she supposed, would have impressive bodies.

  It could've also been the y of beihrough and jiggly that had her heart rag, too. It was definitely an ... iing monster she'd run into. Whatever the case, there was little doubt whether this would be a regur enter. There would be 'alternative paths' ressing.

  "Jeez," the goo-girl pined, raising both arms above her head and stretg wide. She made a lewd sound that could ceivably be mistaken fur pleasure, but which she definitely pyed up for effect. "It's been days sineone's bumped into me. You know how unfair that is? Maki in a barrel and wait for prey to e along for that long?" One arm dropping to rest on her waist, and the other to point a fi Natalie, she said, "I know it's not your fault, but I'm gonna take it out on you. I'm expeg a great make-up session."

  The monster's voice was eid teasing throughout her intro, but it trailed off he end, iing upward in a silent question. Natalie didn't know why. The two of them stared at each other, the slime-girl's head cog slightly and her brow furrowing.

  "Hm. You're different from the others," the slimegirl said. "You're Hers, aren't you? I see Her tou you."

  Ah. This again. Hadn't Malice said something simir when Natalie had met her? Sapient lewd monsters could apparently reize the divine influenshroudi a gnce.

  The slimegirl scrutinized Natalie for a few seds longer with narrowed eyes, then her gaze flicked to her hammer, which she still held in a raised position.

  "Hey," she said, seeming offended. "Put that thing down. That's not the hammer of yours I want smming into me. Much too brutish, don't you think?" The slimegirl's lips curled up in a grin. "Not that a brute's not fun here and there. But pulverize my insides in a way that won't leave me smeared across the wall, please."

  "Uh," Natalie replied, a bit on the back foot from the whole 'you're one of Hers' ent.

  "Then again, that might be fun too," the slimegirl mused, tapping her lips with a pointer finger. "Nothing wrong with a normal fight, and if I win, you two get to be my spoils of war. Mine, until I've had my fill." She sighed. "But I doubt Her champion would turn down the more fun way to challenge me. So really, put that down. You're being rude."

  "Champion?" Vaa asked. "Who's champion? What are you two talking about?"

  Natalie winced. Catg up on the reality of having another breathing, talking dungeon monster whnized her and her css, she had half fotten Vaa was there. She couldn't speak freely with this slimegirl about those topics. Or, at least, she had to be aware that Vaa would hear everything if she did.

  The slimegirl's gaze shifted to the rogue. Her gaze went up and down her body with such btant admiration that the irl took a step bad covered her chest—which was already well cealed by her armor, but that was how thhly the slimegirl eye-fucked her.

  "One of your squeezes?" she asked Natalie. "Sorry, I mean 'teammates'? I approve."

  "Excuse me?" Vaa asked. She was at a loss for words briefly. "I'm not anyone's squeeze. What sort of monster uses sng, anyway?"

  The slimegirl ignored Vaa, still fag Natalie. "And she's still a virgin?" She gave her a disappointed look. "I expected more from one of Her champions. I smell it from here, that girl's basically i. Why haven't you put a baby in her already?"

  Vaa sputtered loudly. "How—how you even tell? What, you have a skill for it?"

  "No, cutie, it's just obvious," the slimegirl said, smirking at her. "We could fix that issue of yours, though, if you waher of us. Or both." She cupped between her legs. "This body's easy to add or remove parts."

  Vaa floundered more, but rallied after a sed. She waggled a dagger at the slimegirl. "You're avoiding the question. What were you two talking about?" Her gaze flicked to Natalie too, but ended on the slimegirl.

  "The Lady Lust, and her influen your stud here, obviously." She paused, then gave a cheeky look to Natalie. "Was that supposed to be a secret? Oops. If you're mad, I guess you'll have to punish me."

  Natalie sighed.

  It wasn't like Vaa didn't already know—or deeply suspect—the circumstances of her css. And she trusted her not to go telling anyone about it. So it wasn't a disaster that the slimegirl liked running her mouth.

  Maybe it was smarter to be more suspicious of the girl she'd only known for a week, but Natalie wasn't that type of person. She'd rather trust too easily and face the sequehan refuse to rely on people who seemed good. Doing otherwise would be an exhausting way to live.

  Ign the dire the versation had taken, she asked the slimegirl a question of her own.

  "Do you know Malice?"

  That produced more of a rea than she'd expected. The slimegirl's teasing act dropped in an instant, expression flig to pure surprise as her gaze jerked to Natalie. Her mouth opened and closed several times as she failed to find an immediate response, which, while she hadn't known this slimegirl long, seemed to be out of character of her.

  "Also, what's your name?" Natalie said. "I'm Nat." She thumbed toward her panion. "That's Vaa. It's o meet you."