Harbingers of Change

Chapter 5

This wasn’t real. This can’t be real. Buku ran as fast as her gelatinous form let her. The long corridors whizzed by in a blur. Someone was shouting for her to stop. That can’t be her brother. This is some kind of nightmare. She moved as fast as she could.

Somehow, she knew where to run. Her private space was near. A place to hide and think. The avian was still shouting, calling her real name. Was it truly her brother stuck in this nightmare, just like her? It didn’t matter.

Finally, the right door! She quickly opened it and slammed it behind her. Knocks and shouts followed. It sounded like her brother, even with the unfamiliar voice. Maybe it was him shouting at her, still plugged up. What the hell went wrong?

Then the sound stopped. He likely gave up. A moment of peace. Finally.

Buku quickly realized that there is no need to look around. Every part of the guest room was in her vision. How was it possible? She saw everything, every detail, in every possible direction.

‘Ok, a deep breath and I can…’

Even breathing felt weird. Her entire body absorbed air around her.

“Fine… deep breath. DEEP BREATH! Deep breath. I am calm. I am calm.”

Someone was knocking on the door again. This time, it sounded less frantic. Buku ignored it for now.

“I need to figure this out.”

Was this some dive-gear induced coma and she was dreaming? Everything around was so clear and pristine. Another quiet knock.

Everything felt too real to be a VR environment and what little Buku remembered from dreams, they were never so clear. If she had some serious brain damage, she likely couldn’t think so clearly. Or could she?

Akari never was particularly religious. She held a small belief or two from the old Japanese religion Shinto, so maybe her spirit was somewhere else. Perhaps this was an afterlife? But was she such a bad person to be imprisoned in this red blob she used as a game avatar in the past?

Another knock. They were not letting her be.

“WHAT?!”

“Lady Bukubukuchagama, are you alright?” A strong but gentle voice asked through the door another knock.

Buku slid to the door and opened it, seeing an old man in a butler’s outfit and a blonde maid bowing deeply. Her gaze first fell on the butler. The elderly face already had visible wrinkles and his cheeks were slightly hollow, giving him a gentle appearance. His eyes, however, were sharp as a hawk’s, ready to strike in the blink of an eye. His immaculate dark butler’s uniform clearly couldn’t hide how powerfully he was built.

Buku quickly gets her thought process back on track to not be overly distracted in a moment like this and turns her attention to the maid. Her maid outfit is straight out of a porn game. Thigh high plate boots, a very short skirt, and ample cleavage that threatened to spill her impressive breasts out of her outfit because of her bowing position. She went from momentary infatuation to a spike of envy in mere seconds.

“I’m FINE! What do you want?”

“I apologize for my intrusion, Lady Bukubukuchagama, but Lady Albedo sends a maid to be assigned to cater to your needs and be your personal guard within the Great Tomb of Nazarick.” The butler said.

These were the ninth floor’s NPCs. She remembered seeing them on the way to the throne room just as she and her brother logged in. They felt much more real now. Maybe interaction with them would provide more answers about what’s going on?

“Ok,” Buku said and moved away from the door, letting them come in.

The maid assumed a position by the door and the butler spoke again.

“Lady Bukubuku…”

“Just Buku.”

“Lady Buku, Lord Peroroncino wanted to be sure you are alright. Should I inform him?”

Was it really her brother? If it was, he must have been just as confused and probably worried sick about her on top of it. Maybe freaking out was not the best option in the current situation, but if both of them are stuck here… she didn’t want to think about it at the moment but maybe finding out what was going on from people in front of her was a reasonable course of action.

“Yes, you can tell him I’m ok when he asks. Don’t run reporting every tiniest detail to him. Um, what is your name?”

“My name is Sebas Tian, Lady Buku.”

“Sebas, do you know where we are? What is going on?”

“As far as I know, we are still in the Great Tomb of Nazarick. About what is going on, I’m afraid I know very little. Lady Albedo has put Nazarick on the highest security level by the orders of Lord Momonga and we are not permitted to leave our post without direct orders from Supreme Ones.”

Momonga! Right, Suzuki was here too. Buku was getting angry again. If not for him, she would be sleeping in her bed and not stuck who knows where. But was he even at fault? For all she knew, Suzuki just wanted to spend the last day in a game he loved with people he called friends.

“Can you update me when something changes?”

“Of course, I will relay any news I receive.”

“Thank you. I want to be alone for a while, if you don’t mind.”

Sebas bows and walks out of her quarters. The maid remained standing by the door, same as the spider-like creatures on the ceiling. Not wanting to deal with it, she just turned her attention to the mirror nearby.

A bubbling mass of reddish goo. That is what she is now. Reshaping small parts of the body was rather easy, and she could make tentacles to manipulate her surroundings. But attempts to morph even in basic humanoid shape end with a failure. The blonde maid was watching her.

Even with being used to attention, it was tiring and somewhat creepy. Her eyes. There was something wrong with that woman. She was one of Pleiades NPCs, but Buku couldn’t recall her name, only that Herohero was the one who made her.

“You there? What is your name?”

“I’m Solution, Lady Bukubuk…”

“Just Buku, ok!”

“Yes, Lady Buku.”

“You are Herohero’s creation?”

A warm smile appears on Solution’s face as she speaks.

“Yes, Lord Herohero is my creator.”

Herohero liked the slime race, so likely this one was some type of slime too. Buku tried to recall what exactly was Solution. Would it be rude to just ask? Everyone was treating her like some kind of superior. It kinda made sense with her being one of the guild members and not that she was not used to constant attention as a rather popular Hentai game voice actress. She had a rather large following of men that enjoyed the characters she voiced. A bunch of perverts, but not that she was any better.

“Solution, you are a type of slime, right?”

“Yes, my lady, I have the racial levels of a Shoggoth and a predatory slime.”

“How do you keep up your human appearance?”

“It’s a racial ability, I think. I can remember the form my creator gave me and reshape parts of me in forms I can imagine.”

Buku just sighed and turned her attention to the mirror again. Just remember the form. This attempt went no better. She managed to push her form upwards, but it wasn’t  even close to a humanoid looking shape and at the moment she stopped using all her willpower, her form slumped down again.

Buku let out an angry bubble pop and slid away from the mirror.

“Solution, take it away.”

“Lady Bukuma?”

“Take away the damn mirror.”

The maid just looked confused and after a quick inspection of the mirror said,

“I’m sorry, but it is built in. Should I request Lady Albedo to remodel your quarters?”

“Just cover it with something.”

Buku stormed away from her reflection and tried to find a distraction from her current predicament. A bath! There was an enormous bathroom. But it already posed a problem. How does a slime even take a bath? She could breathe through every single part of her body so how would that work when surrounded by water?

Well, it was an interesting prospect to find out. Solution was following her around and insisted on doing everything in her stead, but that too was a minor problem at best. If a maid wanted to pander to her every need and whim, so be it. There was no downside to it.

Once the bath was filled, Buku carefully formed a tentacle and put it in the water. The water was neither cold nor hot, just pleasant. Slowly, she moved part of her inside the bath. Still no drowning sensation or water absorption, a promising development. Finally, she got most of her gelatinous body inside the water, leaving only a small part above.

After a moment of tense observation, she realizes that she completely forgot to breathe.

‘Hmm, I don’t think I even need to breathe.’

She slid completely under the water and floated half sunken in the bath. The size of it was that of a small pool. Finally, no sounds, no vision, nothing. Just floating under the water like a small cloud in the sky. Momentary bliss.

Her mind was blank. She could finally rest. Whether she needed sleep in this new form was not clear, but slowly she phased out so much that it could very well be considered sleep.

‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›

Solution just stood by the bath, watching her mistress slowly drift it of her own volition. Not the most interesting work, but to serve a Supreme Being directly was such an honor that it trumped the boredom.

As time ticked on, Solution couldn’t help but think about the situation. Why was Lady Bukubukuchagama so distressed? Why was she angry at her own reflection? Solution was used to walking around in a human form but she still would find her natural form just as pleasant looking.

The tomb was on high alert, after all, so something definitely happened. She herself felt it. But what changed was unclear. The only hope of getting an answer was a direct explanation from the Supreme Ones. To be in the throne room, kneeling before them, gazing at their magnificent forms. For now, her eldest sister, Yuri Alpha, was the lucky one to serve the supreme overlord himself. Maybe one day she too will get the honor.

Solution snapped out of daydreaming, ashamed that she wasn’t at the top of her duty, but Buku was still slowly drifting around a little under the water. That sure looked relaxing.

Hours pass by with Solution standing beside the bath and waiting for Buku to get out. The water was already getting cold but judging by her own nature, a slime would not particularly care about temperature differences.

Suddenly Buku shoots out of the bath, making Solution jump backward in surprise.

The momentary confusion of why she woke up underwater subsided as she observed her surroundings. Still omnidirectional vision, still in the luxurious room, still a slime. Maybe it was time to get at least some answers. Would the private message function still work? Buku felt it would. In fact, she instinctively knew all her abilities.

It was time to confirm she was not alone in these new circumstances.

{ Itsuki, I am awake. Tell me something to prove it is you. }

{ Like what? }

{ I don’t know, just something that would show it is you! }

{ You know that if this wasn’t real, I couldn’t tell you anything that already isn’t in your mind! }

{ For fucks… can you not be like this for five god damn minutes? }

{ Ok, ok, every maid here is solid nine to ten. }

{ It is you, I guess. Do you know what is going on? }

{ Not really. I mean, all the NPCs are alive and we are in some unknown location. That’s about it. I think Momo or that hottie of his, Albedo, is looking into it. }

{ So this is real? Are we now like this? }

{ Who knows? I assume we are. Not that we can do much else at the moment. }

{ Ok, I’ll talk with you later. }

{ Sis are you OK? }

{ No, I’m pretty fucking far from OK! I had to go to work like seven hours after the server shut down. You know that if I don’t show up? It can nosedive my career! }

{ Do you want me to come over? }

{ No, I just want to be alone for a while. Well, at least as much as the constant presence of servants allows it. }

{ Tell me about it. Just hit me up if you need to talk. I will message you if something new comes up. }

Buku couldn’t deny it anymore. Everything felt too real. Her old life may be gone at this point. Isekai was a popular trope in media, but everyone knew it was just that, a trope. However, she was Bukubukuchagama now, not Akari.

Her old life, her career, friends, the guy she was casually seeing. Was it all truly gone? She now was a nigh-indestructible ball of goo. The moment she stopped thinking about her human life and form, it was conformable to just be. There was no tiredness, no discomfort, no negative sensation.

All Buku could do was to settle in for now and get used to her new life with a small hope that she still wakes up at midnight and can get to work in time.

First, a proper inspection of her living space was in order. She had made it herself years ago, but the details had already faded from her memory. The new omnidirectional vision sure came in handy to observe all the tiny details. The manipulation of the body also got easier with each moment to make tentacles and use them as hands.

There were a lot of outfits stashed in various storage spaces, but most were for a human form and useless at this point. But who knows, maybe in the future she can find a way to morph into a human. If Solution as an NPC could do it, there had to be a way for her to learn it as well.

A low vibrating grumble made her stop her observations and realize that she was rather hungry. Buku vaguely remembered that the ninth floor was made like a city with all kinds of services for role-playing purposes. There had to be at least a few restaurants somewhere.

Her senses told her that she had no money in her inventory, but Buku planned to pin the bill on Momonga as he was at least partly at fault for her being in this situation.

‘Why did the UI have to go away? A mini-map would be so useful right now.’

After a moment of pondering, she realized that the floor layout was still in her head. At least she knew the general layout of the ninth floor. And the closest seemed to be a staff canteen. It seemed a perfect place to get a quick snack as the prospect of visiting a high-end place in her current form and making a fool out of herself didn’t sound like an enjoyable experience.

Buku opens the door to leave her quarters and looks around. Of course, Solution was already following her like a lost puppy and the eight-edge assassins formed a perimeter around her on the ceiling.

The wide corridors were filled with patrols and NPCs going about their business. The constant bowing and overly formal greetings got old quickly. She just wanted to eat. Why all this ruckus around her presence? Luckily she reached the canteen before her patience ran out, which was strangely empty.

No point in worrying about it now. This was an all-you-can-eat-style buffet. Buku glanced and looked around for a plate to pick up when Solution spoke.

“Lady Buku, wouldn’t it be better for you to eat at a place of your stature? There is a restaurant fit to serve Supreme Beings nearby.”

“Solution, I just want to eat, ok? Just help me find a plate. This Supreme Being crap is vexing me.”

Solution bowed and said with a voice full of worry,

“I’m deeply sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Before it became another pointless back and forth with apologies and dismissal, Buku motioned for Solution to get her a plate.

Consisting of simple fries, ketchup, and some salad with a soft drink, her meal was finally set and Buku could slither onto the nearest chair and try to consume the food. In theory, it should be as simple as breathing, but somehow the prospect of just sticking part of her body into the plate and absorbing everything felt like an improper manner of eating.

Buku carefully picks up a fork with a tentacle and forms a hole similar to a mouth. The first set of fries proved to be tasteless, but then she tried to taste the next ones and not just consume and they were divine. Compared to the cheap soggy fries she would eat as a celebration with her friends and coworkers, these felt like something out of a high-end establishment meant for rich people.

The salad was just as good and the soft drink didn’t taste like melted sugar with color, but had a pleasant, fruity taste. Turns out the new life wasn’t as bad. With no worry about her figure, she ordered Solution to bring plate after plate of food. By her count, she ate about four days’ worth of meals in one sitting.

Maybe it was her old habit of overeating coming back, but everything was so good and she was a formless blob already that this time could not be fixed with a mere change of habits.

The meal sure did wonders to her mood and she was returning to her quarters swinging happily and actually replying to greetings. With nothing better to do now, it was time to practice the reshaping of her body and, who knows, maybe manage to make at least a humanoid form. 

Edited by Edgy.