Brian felt like things were going his way for once.

His first foreign encounter was a success, got an incredible nights sleep, and best of all: everybody loves him!

The only downside is that he's a woman.

A fucking slug woman.

Which basically downsizes all of the pros; his apparently overly attractive body being the reason for the mass infatuation received from the village's denizens. Clearly this doesn't happen often, considering his centipede friend's choice of words ("Huh. Usually the more 'savage' ones would wanna eat the organs of outsiders like you."), so should he consider himself lucky?

But seriously, how the fuck is he classified as attractive to these creatures? Sure, he may have used Ellen's body as a base for design of the torso and everything above it, but that get's entirely ruined by the FUCKING SLUG BODY SLIVERING BEHIND HIM!

Not to mention feeling 50% of your body shlick across the ground just feels plain unnerving.

'Rememberthegoalrememberthegoalrememberthegoalfindmanfindequipmentgetmushroomsfindmanfi-'

"Elizabeth!"

A hand waves across his face.

"H-huh?" The slug looks towards the owner of the arm, finding it to be his succubus 'friend' Whitney, her sky blue eyes voicing worry, "Ah sorry; was lost in thought dear."

"Hmm... well, if you're done," She returned the walking down the dirt path, the disguised Lord in tow, "Lets continue the tour!"

Ah yes, his (unwanted) escort for the day.

After waking up ('Already wanna go back... so comfyyyy...') and eating the wonderfully prepared breakfast by the innkeep, the frilly little succubus stayed true to her word and showed him around town.

Her insectoid friend was no where near unfortunately; she would have been much more tolerable than the extrovert. When he brought it up, Whitney said she had work, which involved 'hunting down heroes for food'.

Whilst incredibly disgusting (food food would've been fine, but he knows what this world of nymphomaniacs is like), it's nice to know there's some sort of economy in place for the working class.

At least goes to show there's some semblance of normal society here.

Back to the tour, the first place Brian was dragged to was a clothing store that went by the name of 'Sadeth's Boutique', which was run by - who would've guessed? - a spider girl named Sadeth.

As far as her appearance went... well, Brian's now grateful he ate a Slug woman.

however, her dress was by far the fanciest he'd seen compared to the other bystanders he'd witnessed, practically a wedding dress minus the veil, with a lot more jewellery.

The worst part of this entire venture was definitely going through thousands of dresses a minute to see which one best suited his slug body.

After half a FUCKING hour, he managed to convince the gem hoarder that something simple would suit him just fine; no need to stand out any more than he already does.

Even then it looked god-awfully amazing, fully red with yellow trimmings, the pattern appearing flesh-like to his request (must adhere to the gore theme!). It fell elegantly to the ground.

The only consolation was the large protrusion at the ass to cover the slug tail.

After both succubus and spider gushed over how gorgeous 'she' looked (Brian needs his dick back), Whitney payed for the dress as a gift to Brian, then they both left to continue looking around town.

Nothing else worthy of note to Brian; sure, there was this one café that apparently served a delectable strawberry shortcake, so he absolutely had to try that later.

He'll put that down as objective three.

The rest was unremarkable, simply being random bars, other kinds of stores that sold needless crap, and housing for the citizens.

He'd yet to see an alchemist, so perhaps he should direct the inquiry towards Whitney. He'd much prefer to leave as soon as possible.

"Excuse me, Whitney?" Liz asked in a polite tone.

"Hmm?" She looks towards the slug, attention drawn.

"I hate to be... overbearing, since you've already done so much for me-"

"Oh, you're not at all! Don't be silly!" the succubus instantly denies, "I take pleasure in helping new monsters settle in; something I wish was my job..."

Oh? Aren't succubi supposed to be the perfect 'man-catcher'?

"I would've thought someone of your species and particular nature would make seduction easy."

Whitney giggles nervously in reply, "Wellllll you see... most guys don't take me very seriously, so it's harder to get them fall my Succubus Charm. Plus..." She stops herself, almost afraid of being judged if her shifting her gaze from Liz to the ground is any indication.

"...Plus?"

"N-nevermindit'snotimportant!" Desperate to change the subject it seems, the pink haired girl asks, "A-anyway, what where you gonna ask?"

'Hmm. Suspicious...', "Right. I was wondering if there would be an alchemist here that could help me; it's my main reason for visiting, actually."

She seemed curious about this, "Oh. Erm, what for?"

The slug woman took on a forlorn look, staring into a random direction, "...I have a... well, I don't think I should worry you about it. It's something very serious I need help with."

"..." She seemed conflicted at first, unsure whether to press further or stand down, before soon sighing, "I see... in that case, we'll get you there as fast as possible!"

'If she gets to keep secrets, I should as well,', "Very well. I deeply appreciate everything you have done for me today Whitney," She did a full 90-degree bow in respect, "Thank you."

"A-ah! It's fine, it's fine!" She didn't seem to expect the praise, rubbing her left horn in nervousness, "C'mon, I actually know her; she's more of a doctor than an alchemist though, but does know how to make potions."

Liz chuckled in reply, "It's almost like you're friends with everyone."

"Hehe, well, almost I guess!"

Brian was internally smiling; Salamander and little Granberia appear to not be one-of-a-kind.

Ah well, it can only go down from here.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"She should be ready any minute!"

Liz sighed at Whitney's answer, looking out from the hill they stood upon towards the village below.

The apothecary's home was vastly different in location compared to the rest of the town, as well as disconnected from all the hustle and bustle. Whilst this wouldn't be good for anyone in a hurry for a doctor, Brian could appreciate the scenery; no noise, no people, just relaxing amongst nature.

Clearly this medicine maker had good taste.

The house itself didn't really differ from the rest however, still maintaining the distinctly Victorian aspect, with the only differences being no windows, and a large symbol of a green cross with a black snake surrounding it above the door; odd design, but it got the point across.

'Heal or Die,' It read underneath. Charming.

Whilst she may be a doctor, all Brian need's is a good mortar and pestle for grinding up the mushrooms, and possibly some flasks for easier handling and drinking.

Sure, whilst he mostly gained his energy from mashed-up vicious mushrooms in a powder, distilled in water made it easier on the throat.

Soon enough, a muffled "Come in!" voiced out from the door, eliciting Whitney to open the front door.

To Brian's surprise, it was incredibly clean in here.

many wooden cabinets were strewn along the walls, their glass panels showcasing various different mixtures that were labelled very neatly. Candlesticks lit up the place as a substitute for the lack of sunlight, with a tiny chandelier hanging up in the centre of the room. The front desk held the same contents as the cabinets, but you'd be an idiot to assume so; Brian could instantly take note of the increase in quality compared to the bottles along the walls. Most likely for safer keeping, he supposed. There was also a square-shaped table to the right of the desk, which held equipment such as weights and scales, for accurately measuring ingredients, as well as a mortar and pestle, used in grinding and crushing ingredients into proper mixtures.

Brian smiled; he hoped he could own an establishment such as this one day, helping people whilst enjoying his work. Is that not the dream of everyone?

"Hmph, atleast someone here has fine taste."

Ah yes, how could Brian have not noticed her sooner? Guess he got too enamoured.

Behind the counter was, unexpectedly, a wolf monster, black-furred ears sticking out from behind short tufts of black hair. Glaring red eyes met Whitney's (who was very adamant in looking at anywhere but the woman), and to add even more to her anomalous appearance, she wore no fancy dress. Instead, the wolf wore a black tank top with thick cargo shorts, the swishing of black fur behind her indicating a tail. The arms held even more thick black fur with claws, which begged to question of how she was able to handle equipment properly.

Breaking the disguised Lord out of his thoughts, Whitney replied with a nervous sigh, "Sorryyyyy, the scent of this place is just... eww..."

"I wouldn't expect a ditsy little demon to understand my passion. Anyway," She curiously turned to look at Liz, "Who's your friend?"

Before the succubus could answer, the redhead spoke up first with a gentle smile, "My name is Elizabeth, dear; a High Slug specifica-"

"SLUG?!" the wolf interrupted in anger, as Liz frowned in disappointment.

'Guess there would be racists amongst monsters.'

However, Instead of being immediately forced out of the store, She then resumed a more ferocious glare towards the distressed succubus, "You should have WARNED ME before hand so I could get the water-proof carpet out!"

"I-I-I forgot! Sorry!"

The black haired woman merely 'tsk'd' in response, "Wait here and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING! Fucking moronic retarded cocksu..." She murmured to herself whilst walking beyond the door behind the counter, most likely an area for supplies and living quarters.

'Liz' didn't seem to appreciate the comment, even if Brian found it funny.

"She's rather rude; you say she's your friend?"

Whitney brushed it off however, not seeming the least bit distraught, "Oh, that's just how she is with everyone. You get used to it..."

Liz hummed in acknowledgement, "She also seems quite the 'clean freak'."

"O-oh, yeah she deffo is. Try to bear with it, please? She just likes things to be in order!"

Liz giggled, "Oh there's nothing to worry about, dear; I respect such care of one's workplace."

She seemed to quietly sigh in relief, "That's good to hear, most people I bring judge her too quickl-"

*BOOM*

"Eep!" the succubi jumped slightly at the deafening bang of the backdoor being thrown open.

And out of the door, came the Wolf woman carrying a large rolled-up tile shaped carpet in one arm, with a mop and bucket in the other. No visible strain on her arms either; strong.

Ignoring the two visitors presence, she left the cleaning appliances in a corner of the room for later use, then let the carpet roll-out in front of the desk, before taking her position behind it like you would expect of a store clerk.

"Aight, now slither forward Miss."

And so Liz did, the distinct smooth feeling of the carpet on his soles inciting a sudden shiver. Whitney was about to follow when-

"Don't you have your next shift soon?" the wolf reminded, "It's best you get lunch now beforehand."

"Ah! you're right..." she turned towards the slug with an apologetic look, "You know where to go now, right? Don't need my help?"

'SHUTTHEFUCKUPIMPERFECTLYCAPABLE', "O-oh yes, I'll be just fine. Thanks for your assistance again, dear," he bowed.

The pinkette giggled nervously, "Enough of the bowing! seeya guys!"

Then she ran out of the store - nearly slipping over due to the slug mucus - with a half-hearted wave from the wolf and a "Bye!" from Liz.

Now that the distraction is gone, Brian can finally get what he came here for; his basic alchemy starter kit.

But first, basic pleasantries.

"I don't think I got your na-"

"Samantha. Sam, for short," the black haired woman squinted her eyes at her customer, "And I must say, I find you quite peculiar Elizabeth."

"You know about me already?"

"Word gets around fast, despite how isolated I may appear; a lone, beautiful High Slug, naked and unknown appearing out of nowhere. That's what a customer of mine told me," She leaned over the desk, towering over Liz by at least a foot, "And I don't know if the others have been able to tell, but from the way you carry yourself - tense, preparing for any sudden hostile movement, darting your eyes around any hiding spots that an enemy could be - it suggests experience and power."

Shit, she was able to gather all that from an encounter that's lasted less than a minute?! Brian knew, she was clearly not any ordinary doctor.

As if to add to that thought, Sam's eyes glowed a dangerous amount, making them seem more ruby-like, "So tell me, why have you come here? For free men? To satisfy a your bloodlust? Or perhaps... you're genuinely lost. Either way, your answer will decide whether I serve you or not."

Sure, it may have sounded like a simple 'denial-of-service', but Brian knew that he needed to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to start a slaughter if he could help it; he made a promise after all.

'Ok ok, this'll be easy. Just gotta give something with a sprinkle of truths mixed in.'

Liz chuckled without emotion, looking to the floor, "I guess you found me out, yes? Well, if you can already tell I'm not just some simple traveller, there's no point in hiding it."

he then looked up to directly look the wolf in the eyes with a small frown - need to look convincing.

"My mother, like any monster, used a man for all he was worth and gave birth to me. She was a powerful High Slug, and hoped I could reach the same level of strength as her," he noticed that Sam began to look sympathetic, as though she could relate to his 'situation'.

Liz continued, "She taught me all she knew - hand-to-hand, swords, glaives, bows, you name it, I know how to use it. She respected my tenacity to learn, but I could tell she never truly loved me. It was more for continuing her own lineage than raising a child," he clenched a fist on the desk, "And then... it happened."

"It?" the wolf asked.

"Yes... it was discovered that I was born with a 'birth defect' as she put it, a rare illness that requires a regular intake of a hard to find mushroom," Sam seemed to finally get where this was going, judging by the the lowering of her gaze, "without this medicine, I begin to... 'rot' I guess you could say. Brain activity lowers, motor functions become incredibly strenuous, and my body itself..." Liz stopped there, and judging from the lack of response, was all that was needed.

After a while, the black haired woman spoke up, "Lemme guess; you were thrown out, called 'worthless' and told to make it on your own," She then looked up at Liz, a serious expression on her face, "And now you come to me, seeking medicine."

"...Basically, yes."

...

...

...

"...Your eyes show no lies. Very well, you truly need help don't you?"

Liz sighed in relief, "Yes, thank you. Although, it does boggle my mind..."

Sam gave a half-smile in return, "Seeing a wolf, something normally considered to be a brutal, savage beast, working at an apothecary?"

The slug returned a warm chuckle in kind, "Indeed; it must be hard working about with bottles and the like with claws."

"Hmph. Well, you told your story, it's only fair I tell you mine," She began searching through draws behind the desk whilst continuing, "It's not too dissimilar from yours actually; my mother wanted me to get stronger to follow in the pack's footsteps, However, I wanted to heal people rather than kill."

"Ah. I assume she and... the rest of your family didn't appreciate that?"

She gave out a cold snort over the light shuffling from the drawers, "Not in the slightest. Eventually, they got fed up of my constant stubbornness to refuse to join any hunts, so they kicked me to the curb and left me to fend for myself," a tiny smirk drew forth, "Good thing I still remembered my training, you wouldn't believe the amount of times I nearly got eaten by a roper or dragged deep under by a worm. And eventually," She threw an empty arm outwards, gesturing to her shop, "Managed to get to Lady's Village, secure myself some land and now? Living the dream."

Brian internally was on a high; someone he could relate to in this fucking place.

"I'm proud of you."

Sam looked up in confusion, "Hmm?"

Liz merely smiled, "You've done well for yourself despite your poor past; I respect that kind of determination, it's quite inspirational."

The wolf blushed slightly at the unexpected praise, nervously looking back into her drawers, "Th-thanks, I guess... anyway," She stopped her search as she began to put on some special looking grey gloves, clearly designed to compensate for lack of proper grip in her claws, with smooth rubber finger tips and strong elastic straps that wrapped around her wrists, keeping them from falling off.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, pretty neat huh?" she showed them off with pride, "Specially made by Enrika; their specially forged mythril coating on the inside of the fingers prevents my claws from piercing through, incredibly helpful."

"Enrika? Who are they?" Whilst there were much higher quality metals that existed, Sam clearly held this 'Enrika' up to a high standard, so maybe it would be worth it to know about them.

"Ah, that's right, you wouldn't know. They're a very hidden monster village deep in the forests of the Ilias continent. Honestly surprised they haven't been all killed yet..."

Ah yes, the part of the world where most of these 'Ilias worshippers' are concentrated. Best not to go there, not as a slug at least.

He should be thankful he's not encountered this Goddess yet. She's bound to notice his presence sooner or later, and then he will fucking die.

Fuck, rapist monsters and a psycho Goddess who wants to destroy them all and all humans who consort with them - according to Salamander at least. Maybe she's not so bad? Can only hope.

"So, what were those mushrooms you wanted?" Sam interrupted his thoughts, gesturing towards the vast array of bottles lining the walls, "If it exists, I will most likely have it."

Brian doubted it, but that's not why he came here anyway.

"Oh it's fine, all I really need is a mortar, pestle and... about 20 flasks. I'm able to make it myself."

The wolf seemed to raise a brow at this, "You doubt my skill?"

"No it's nothing like that, I just... well, I know you won't have them."

Judging from her look of concentration, Sam did not seem deterred, "Describe them to me."

"Well, they have sort of a greyish-blue stalk - always look like they're about to topple over - with a crimson-red cap sporting spots the same colour as the stalk."

After Liz gave his answer, the wolf monster seemed to be in deep thought for a few seconds, before looking back to the slug, "Huh, guess you're right."

Didn't even need to check through her stock to see. Clearly dedicated to the job.

"Well fine, if you know where these things grow, take these here," She gestured to the table at her side, a mortar and pestle lying idle on it, "I'll go get some spare flasks."

"How much?"

"Hmph, normally it'd be 41 gold in total, but since you've been so nice compared to my usual 'patronage'... I'll make it free. Just this once." She smiled before entering the back room to retrieve Liz's requested bottles.

'Lovely woman,' Brian thinks internally. After getting past her suspicions, they had such a pleasant conversation!

Ellen's lessons on 'proper etiquette' are really paying off. Without her, he'd have probably just destroyed the entire village trying to find this sailor and alchemist equipment.

He fucking owes her for everything.

For showing him the beauty of nature.

For showing him how to make friends.

For showing him why kids are the most amazing things to grace the earth we walk on.

For stopping him from becoming a true monster.

Fuck! Stop reminiscing brain, not the fucking fuck fuck time fuck.

Anyway, the wolf's done now judging from the approaching footsteps, get back into the miiiiiind of Elizabeeeeeeeth...

*BOOM*

Out from the door comes Sam, carrying a cloth sack of - judging by the clinking of glass - dozens of flasks, as well as a smaller bag in her other hand.

"Aight, be careful with this; it's fragile!" She teases whilst handing the bag of bottles to Liz, "And the other one contains corks for the bottles, its big enough to fit in your mortar and pestle too if you wanna put 'em in."

Liz was grateful for the free equipment, "Thank you very much, Sam. I am in your debt," He finished with a bow.

"I'll hold you up to that then. Where you gonna go now?" She asked as the slug began putting in the grinding equipment into the cork bag.

"Well, I was thinking of visiting the Manor, it's the last building I've not been to yet. Do you know if this Cassandra accepts visitors?" She smiled, although it didn't seem to warm up the sudden cold tension that developed.

Sam was stiff, her expression unreadable as she remained still for a few seconds before asking, "Tell me, Liz."

"Yes?"

"What do you think of... humans?"

Crap. It feels like he walked into another test, and based on the answer, would either ruin or develop their new friendship.

Brian personally hated them, but knew that not allllllll of the were bad. generally though, the vast majority he deemed unworthy of their lives.

They were cruel.

They were selfish.

They were fucking murderers.

However, what would Elizabeth say?

...What would Ellen say?

"...I know that at times, they can be especially evil, even towards their own kind," He began, "But I am not so presumptuous as to think that all human beings are like that. To me, they are no different from monsters. They can love, as we can. They can mourn, as we can. And they kill, as we do. They hate us because we pose a threat to them on a daily basis, whilst we hate them for killing us in the name of their Goddess. All in all, it is our failure to understand each other that leads to this relationship, so no, I do not hate them, but I pity them, as well as us."

...

...

...

"...Hmhmhmhm..." the wolf finally broke the tense silence with a light chuckle, inciting a sigh from Liz, "You really are one of a kind, aint'cha?"

"Erm... thanks?" Liz was still confused, what brought this up anyway?

"Now, I just wanted to make sure you were... trustworthy. You see..." She leaned towards the slug's head, "...There's sort of a 'civil war' going on at the moment."

"...Eh?" That just made things even more confusing.

Sam seemed to expect this, "Yeah, I know you haven't exactly seen any 'bloodshed' yet, but it's definitely gonna reach that point if nothing is done soon. You've surely noticed the animosity in the air whilst travelling about, right?"

It was true, everything felt heated whilst walking around town with Whitney, and whilst the succubus chose to cheerfully ignore it, it was hard not to notice the glares everyone was shooting at each other every possible millisecond.

Brian was curious, he wanted to hear more about this.

Liz nodded, "Please elaborate."

The wolf nodded back before beginning, "Ok so...

"Firstly, there's the ones like you and me, who'd rather get along with the humans, live peacefully amongst them, etcetera. I mean, it's working in other places like Port Natalia and Yamatai Village, so there's a chance here too. They mostly consist of those like Whitney, who'd rather not kill the men. Whether it be due to respect for humanity or not wanting to 'waste the men' by killing, they want co-existence.

"And then, there's the others, who'd rather see humanity burn and that their only use is as a resource. There's not much else to say about them really, just that they mainly consist of predator-like monsters, such as insectoids, who can barely conceal their bloodlust."

"Hmm..." Seems like a rather shitty situation; wars in general are never good, but civil wars? your own home becomes the war-zone.

"And I assume this Cassandra supports the 'human-eaters'?"

"You guess right," She sighs, "That bitch is the sole reason there hasn't been a revolt yet; she's simply too strong. I've once seen her melt a Minotaur with her own flesh. Not to mention she is the ruler of this accursed place, able to enforce her disgusting policies from the comforts of her own manor. Makes me sick!" the wolf slams a fist onto the table in rage.

'Interesting, feel like she's stealing my style though,', "So there is no way to stop her? It sounds like it will forever remain this way."

"Well... there is one way, but like I said, no one is strong enough to-"

"Tell me."

They stared at each other for a while, before she conceded with a sigh.

"Look, I can tell you're powerful, but don't go overestimating yourself. She once was able to fight the previous Monster Lord to a near standstill, a feat unmatched by many."

"It is but simple curiosity, dear. Please."

"Hmph. Basically... there's this tradition amongst the monster world - called the Queen's Crowning - where a monster of the same species as the queen is able to challenge them to a fight to the death, and if they win, are able to become queen themselves. Now, since Lady's Village is rather variant in it's monster types, anyone of any species would be able to challenge Cassandra."

Huh. Not too dissimilar from Terraria - the Slimes have the same process.

No one has ever managed to beat Simon, something his friend takes great pride in.

"But won't they just be able to refuse the challenge?"

"Yeah sure I guess, but it'd greatly damage their pride, as well as respect from their followers. Monsters value power above all else, and by not accepting the Queen's Crowning, it's essentially like saying 'I'm too weak compared to this challenger'."

"So, like conceding defeat?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Hmm..." Oh what valuable information! He could simultaneously save this village - putting them in his debt - and obtain the man needed for his mushroom-y reward. Only one slight problem...

'I DON'T WANNA BE A FUCKING RULER!' Not only is he generally incapable of fulfilling the role, but he'd have to remain in this disgusting mucus-excreting slug body for longer than he'd ever want.

Fuck that shit.

Ah well, if the men are the most important resource, then they would most likely be held in the most guarded place - the manor!

He gets this sailor and he gets to visit this hopefully beautiful looking place.

Two Eater-of-Souls in one bullet.

That's the saying, right?

"Well, I thank you for the exposition, Sam. I'll be sure to repay you in full eventually," Liz bowed.

"Hmph, don't fret about it. You'll probs see me again soon anyway, gonna meet Whits for food at a café this afternoon," She waved lazily, "It's called Tulip's if you wanna find us."

"I'll tr-... oh," Once making it past the door frame, he seemed to finally notice what her slug body was doing to the poor floorboards.

Sam noticed this and was already retrieving the mop and bucket from earlier, "Haaaaah, it's fine it's fine..."

Liz chuckled apologetically, "Bye!" Then closed the door, began to trail back towards the town.

Once she was far enough away from the house, the disguised Lord stopped, her eyes suddenly becoming yellow with black slits.

'COME.'

And come something did, in the form of a large red chest, covered in bloody veins and a large blue eyeball above the lock. It bounced over towards the Lord at high speeds from a nearby collection of shrubbery, coming to a stop directly in front of him.

This was the true form of Brian's handbag, a Mimic, which was demonstrated by the large metallic teeth jutting out irregularly between the lid and the base, as it opened up to reveal a long slimy red tongue, dangling it out as if waiting for Brian to deposit something on it.

And that he did, placing the bags containing his purchases on the tongue, before the chest swallowed them whole, making an audible 'gulp'.

'HIDE AND FOLLOW.'

And that it did, not before giving an affectionate lick along his body's face ('gross...') and returned to where it came from.

And with that settled, as well as wiping the slobber off of his face, Brian resumed his trek towards the manor.

The Crimson Lord may not have a plan yet, but he did know one thing.

The queen would be dethroned before he left.

'I'll show her who's the true master of flesh.'

The manor, like Sam's apothecary shop, was isolated from the rest of the village, although this time less with distance more due to a large stone fence filled with hedgerows.

There was an iron bar gate, however it was open as much as possible, so it seems they don't mind visitors.

Brian felt enraptured as he was walking through the front garden: fountains dotted the vast grassy plain in a symmetrical orientation, with hedges shaped like cones, cuboids, some even in stars! It was like a natural art gallery.

And that doesn't even live up to the manor itself - Incredibly fancy, almost looking like a building of religious prayer what with the stained glass depicting various species of monsters, although all of them likened to insectoids. Obvious favouritism much?

Whilst the greatest building in the village may look amazing, It was nothing compared to kingdoms and castles he'd seen in Terraria.

Although, it is a liiiiittle unfair to compare a village to a massive 'fuck-off' fortress.

Who cares. Inhale shit, Cassandra.

Once he finally reached the large wooden double doors at the entrance to the home, a single, long brown-haired woman suddenly exited the building, her appearance suggesting she was a maid.

instead of being startled at his uninvited appearance, the maid appeared overjoyed, tears forming at the brim of her amber eyes.

'What? Were they expecting me?'

Liz wasn't able to get a word out because the maid beat him to it.

"OH THANK THE LORD you came I felt like she was gonna kill me if you didn't turn up youhavenoideahowhappyiampleasepleasecomeinmakeyourselfathome!" The woman linked hands with the slug's and before she knew it, was whisked away into the manor.

She continued yammering on at the speed of light about stuff that was barely intelligible, all the while speed-walking through the elegant white halls of the manor.

'ALRIGHT ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT'

"C-calm down dear!" Liz tugged back to make her stop moving, only succeeding in make the maid fall back onto him. Luckily, the slug caught her in time, "Oh dear, I'm sorry!"

"I-it's fine! Sorry f-for being too forceful... it's just-" She stood back up and faced towards Liz, in an attempt to look intimidating, "-The Mistress was expecting you half an hour ago! If you hadn't turned up, she would've had my head!"

"Really? I don't particularly know what you're talking about..."

Now the maid seemed exasperated. Clearly that was the wrong answer.

"Don't tell me you FORGOT! You definitely signed up for this job given out by the Mistress herself - you should feel lucky!"

"I-I did?"

The maid sighed heatedly, "Yeeeeesss, there was specifically the mark of a High Slug's mucus on the job form, although I don't remember the name on it..." After a pause, she then dumbly asked, "What is your name?"

Internally, Brian was dying inside.

'SHIT OF COURSE THE BITCH I ATE GOT ME INTO THIS FUCK!', he sighed, 'Whateverjustgowithit you're a fucking immortal evil god Brian chill the FUCK OUT and see where it goes.'

"E-Elizabeth," This entire situation was absurd.

Even so, the maid seemed to run out of shits to give, "Arrghh whatever! As long as you're good with children it'll be fine... hopefully."

They then resumed their walk/slither through the mansion, remaining in silence for a minute, before Brian decided to interrogate after the maid had fully calmed down.

"So, I assume that I am to be babysitting?"

She replied kindly, "Of course! The Mistress' daughter, Emily, will be pleased to meet you. Her mother..." She gained a regretful look, "...Doesn't have much time for her at all, so it's either us maids - who are almost always busy - or hiring a babysitter."

"Hmm. How do you know that I am of acceptable service? I'm sure there are much better options out there."

"Well, first of all, you are the only applicant," She replied with a dejected tone, "It's quite hard to find a monster that is good with children AND willing to help the Mistress' daughter, as I'm sure you're aware."

"Yes, the divide between the people I've heard of."

"Mhm," They seemed to be approaching a spruce door, distinctive in appearance by the golden name plate on it that read 'Emily's room! 3' in big black letters.

"Well, worry not dear," Liz incited a curious look from his escort, "I happen to be decently experienced with children enough to know how to treat them; smother your worries," She finished with a bright smile, getting the maid to do one in return.

"Thank you, Miss."

Once they reached the door, the brown haired woman lightly knocked on the door twice on it.

"Emily, your babysitter is here!"

A few seconds of silence, then...

"Come in!"

The maid entered first, clearly to see if everything was decent, before gesturing Liz to enter, whilst standing to the side for space.

As the slug slithered in, an otherworldly amount of stuffed dolls filled her vision, varying in species, size and general style of art. What the fuck.

A small bed with a shiny texture on the blankets was in the corner of the room, being lit up by the large bay window surrounded by the dolls, along with a chandelier safely out of reach for a child.

Speaking of the child, she appeared to be what they called of the 'scylla' genes, her large yellow tentacle hairs waving about as if a mind of their own. Strangely enough, they were tied into pigtails. Instead of legs, she had fleshy little red tentacles supporting her body-weight.

She was dressed how one would expect of a noble; an all baby blue dress that went down to where her knees would be, with white colouring the trims.

Her deep blue eyes stared at her own in apprehension, undoubtedly nervous in front of her guests.

If Brian had to guess, she looks around ten to twelve years old.

Deciding to be the one to hit off their new relationship, Liz took up his most mother-like tone and put on a warm smile whilst kneeling more to the little one's height.

"Hello there Emily, my name's Elizabeth. I'll be your babysitter for today; hope we can have lots of fun together!"

It seemed to work, as the fear washed away from her face, and smiled back in earnest.

"Y-yeah, me too Miss Elizabeth!"

Ah, children.

At least he can enjoy himself a bit before killing her mother.

...That doesn't sound very good out of context.