Chapter 9

I almost miss fighting against the Shihai Clan... They were dastardly, but not this kind of devious.

Shiori: Oh me, oh my... Not even a Hollowcaller can overpower you!

Shiori: You truly are a special man, Hayato. I'll give you that much credit.

Clapping sarcastically, Shiori makes her appearance, triggering me to grunt at her with displeasure.

Shiori: For your interest, Hollowcallers are as dangerous as Bone Strappers. They're as sneaky as they're venomous.

Shiori: That's why you NEVER help anyone when you're on your own in the caves.

Shiori: The people you hear crying aren't even people, to begin with.

Shiori: So it's very likely you're about to serve yourself dinner on a silver plate.

Hayato: If you knew it wasn't a person, why didn't you warn me, huh? It would've saved me an unnecessary fight!

Shiori: I did warn you, but you didn't listen! Also, I'm a bounty hunter, not a babysitter.

Shiori: If you want to play the hero, be my guest. Some guys get a kick out of it for some reason. Beats me! To each their own.

I look daggers at my companion as I get rid of the cobwebs and fluids covering both my armor and weapon, trusting her even less than I did before.

Whenever she claims something, I'll make her elaborate on it. Clearly, she's keeping the important bits to herself.

Shiori: Welp, with the Hollowcaller weeping in its den, we can proceed with our journey!

Shiori: The map is actually pointing in this direction, so we would've had to dispose of it anyway.

Shiori: How did you do it, by the way? I was chilling while you were acting like a knight in shining armor.

Hayato: Do you actually care, or are you simply messing with me?

Shiori: I care, duh! Your magic tricks are baffling.

Shiori: You didn't even break a sweat to destroy that monster! Regular people or magic adepts like myself would've required a whole squad.

In a bad mood, I reattach the laser generator to my weapon, discovering I've completely run out of charge.

There will be no more laser ammunition until I can recharge the generators with sunlight.

Hayato: Not everything is about "magic," Shiori. Half of the battle is fought in your mind.

Hayato: You must study your foe, learn its tricks, and then use them against it.

Hayato: When the spider was the most vulnerable, I employed the generator to cut its thorax.

Shiori: Ge-ne-ra-tor? Uhh... What now?

Hayato: This device. It transforms electrical energy into a consistent laser beam capable of cleanly cutting any surface.

Shiori: Oooh, you refer to the runes of power as a generator! Your slang never ceases to surprise me.

I sigh, once again not knowing what to make of that statement.

I have much yet to learn regarding Hikarigane...

Shiori: Mind you, runes of power are exceptionally rare. You certainly are from the Twilight Frontier elite!

Shiori: My friends won't believe it when I tell them about you.

Shiori: Or, well, they wouldn't if I had any.

Hayato: You don't have any friends. That's hard to believe, Shiori.

Shiori: Bounty hunter isn't the best job to meet people you can get along with!

Shiori: More often than usual, I send those people to jail.

Shiori: Not to mention I keep traveling from one city to another.

Shiori: I don't have a place to stay longer than a week.

Shiori: It kind of sucks, but when I check out the hefty paycheck, I become happy again and bear with it.

Hayato: Money shouldn't decide your career. There's more to it than that.

Shiori: Maybe, but it totally biased me to make my choice!

Giggling at her unhealthy love for riches, Shiori and I head down one of the many dark tunnels of this cave guided by her magic map, slowly drawing closer to the exit.

As we trudge across the cavern, I lay my eyes on skeletons of past adventurers who met their end here.

Perhaps they attempted to run away from the Hollowcaller, a terrible idea since that creature is in its element.

Something more sinister could've happened, however. There's a possibility that another creature knocked them down.

If that's the case, we're up for another scuffle.

Anticipating what could be coming at us, I unclip my rifle, setting it to fire conventional bullets.

Here's hoping our next foe will be vulnerable to them.

Shiori: Yeah... I don't like it either, Hayato.

Shiori: These poor chumps are a bad omen. Skeletons don't spawn for the sake of it.

Shiori: Something gobbled them up and left the bones to decorate the caves.

Shiori: Keep your eyes peeled. We're not alone.

Picking up on my alertness, we walk into an unremarkable room, the remains of unsuccessful adventures scattered across the ground, rusting away due to the passage of time.

Shiori: Oh damn... There are so many! Who could've done something like this?

Hayato: You tell me. You're the expert on the topic.

Shiori: Definitely not a Hollowcaller nor a Bone Strapper. They would've left nothing behind.

Shiori: Considering that, our only suspect is...

Hayato: Shiori, watch out!

Shiori: !!!

Focusing on her explanation, she doesn't spot the huge mass that begins to plummet from the ceiling, forcing me to push her against the wall to escape its stealthy attack.

I escape it by an inch, discovering to my amazement that our enemy is a giant lump of goo.

Hayato: What the... Is this what happens when jelly goes bad, SARA?

SARA: Negative, this creature holds no resemblance to the gelatinous dessert.

SARA: Although it appears to be very similar to jellyfish. Avoid contact as it could be noxious.

Shiori: It's noxious, alright! It'll dissolve your skin like a lump of sugar in a boiling pot of water.

Having missed its strike, the slime produces tentacles from its shapeless body, flailing it at us, aiming to turn us into a fleshy puddle.

Shiori withdraws as the monster is targeting me.

Hayato: I'm not sure if you can feel pain, but I'm about to find out!

Fending off its improvised limbs, I take a few steps back, pulling the trigger to open fire.

The bullets that impact its gelatinous body don't pierce it, rebounding in every direction instead.

SARA: The slime presents non-Newtonian fluid characteristics. It displays a variable viscosity dependent on stress.

SARA: Their slime hardens upon receiving an impact.

Hayato: How am I supposed to damage it, then?

Shiori: You can't! Not with regular weapons, at least.

Shiori: Your safest bet is running away and hoping it won't manage to catch up!

Hayato: I can't retreat! Not if the way out is on your side of the room.

Shiori: Hmm, well... I wish you luck then because Ironhide Slimes are nasty bastards!

Shiori shrugs as my struggle continues, the slime generating even more tentacles to grip my body and liquify it.

Hayato: This thing can't be invulnerable! Nothing ever is. It must have a weak point.

Hayato: Start looking for it, SARA! I can't shake off the slime forever.

SARA: Acknowledged. Running tactical scan...

Looking forward to buying my AI companion some time, even if it's only a few measly seconds, I bolt toward the corpses, tossing their useless pieces of equipment at the beast to annoy it.

It grows angrier, but at least I'm forcing it to deflect the junk I'm throwing at it.

SARA: Vulnerability detected.

SARA: There's a large concentration of formic acid in its molecular structure.

SARA: It is a highly flammable liquid, responsible for its acidity.

Hayato: So the slime will burn down to a crisp, huh? Got it!

Since detaching the generator would take too long, and given its extremely low battery, I don't think it'd even turn on. Hence, I opt to take a different approach.

With a backward somersault, I pull out the lifeline kit from my armor. Then, still doing my best to not be touched by the beast's relentless strikes, I produce the flint and steel from the pack.

Hayato: You can sense this, can't you?

I brush the steel bar against the flint, sending a spray of sparks toward the creature.

It freezes to the spot for a second, afraid to be in the presence of its nemesis.

Understanding that if it doesn't swallow me, it'll be its undoing, the Ironhide Slime redoubles its efforts, splattering its acidic goo everywhere.

The sparks won't be enough... I need a flame!

Not counting on Shiori to use her powers to cast it, I retrieve an extinguished torch from the bony hands of an adventurer, lighting it up with the flint.

As soon as the old fabric catches fire, the slime hesitates to prolong the battle, sliding backward to not be within my reach.

Hayato: Begone, fiend! Your messy days are over.

Leaping at the frightened beast, I deliver a precise blow to its amorphous body, igniting it instantly.

Engulfed by intense flames, the monster attempts to escape by flowing into a tiny opening, leaving lumps of burning goo behind.

The way is clear, the air reeking of chemical fire.

Shiori: Shit... Who would've known Ironhide Slimes burn so easily, huh? That's wonderful to know! I'm not going to lie.

Shiori: And I guess I must thank you for saving my skin, Hayato. Literally speaking, too!

Shiori: If it weren't for you, I'd be a gross pile of bones.

Hayato: Don't mention it. Though on second thought, I shouldn’t have done a thing.

Hayato: What advice did you share with me earlier? Oh yes, it was not to help anyone while you're underground.

Shiori: I-I'm the exception that confirms the rule, dude!

Shiori: You must always watch my back. The rest can, and will, look after themselves.

Hayato: Hmm, isn't that convenient?

Shiori: It is what it is! I don't make the rules.

Hayato: You do, that's why they're so one-sided.

Shiori: Ugh, whatever! I'm not going to receive a lecture after having nearly been eaten by some drippy slime.

Disliking the way I'm twisting her words to goad her, Shiori carries on, puffing her cheeks since she can't hurl back.

I walk behind her, placing my invaluable lifeline kit back where it belongs.

In the wilderness, you never know what could end up saving your life.