Liquidation: From Big Boss to Bloody Demon Sauce Chapter 17: Chapter 17: What’s So Funny About My Rage?

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"If we are going to do this, then at least take me somewhere comfortable!" Grimora scowled, crossing her arms. The slightest hint of a purple blush touched her cheeks. During the fight, I had absorbed enough ambient energy to double my size, and now I would be lucky to fit inside a large soda bottle. On top of the mass, I felt like I could stretch and shape my body with much more precision. But it was my senses that had undergone the biggest upgrade, and I noticed something right away that completely soured my mood. Luriel was hiding about forty feet from my position, her presence a heavy, oppressive weight in the air. It was painfully clear that she was trying to eavesdrop. Why she was doing this instead of marching over here to yell at me or kill me had me curious. Considering Grimora's absolute shock at realizing I had turned the beast into a Thrull, I assumed Luriel would have shown a similar level of aggressive interest. I didn't even know if she had watched me fight. Regardless, if she wasn't attacking, I must have at least piqued her curiosity. In the corporate world, if a hostile competitor is watching you but not actively trying to sink your stock, it means they are gathering data. They don't know your angle yet. I didn't really care, as long as she kept her distance. On the other hand, this pact Grimora and I were about to forge was going to require a level of absolute privacy I wasn't sure we could attain with Luriel lurking in the bushes. We needed a place that would guard us from her intrusion. As much as I was eager to secure this contract and bind Grimora to my side, I had seen more than enough of Luriel for one lifetime. "Follow me," I said, a plan forming in my mind as I turned to the beast beside me. The hound's sleek, red-and-white body tightened, its dual sets of obsidian eyes gleaming with anticipation. My reliable, loyal asset—the one who had borne my initial, clumsy attempts at control and successfully fought off Grimora's minions—nuzzled its heavy snouts against my gelatinous form. Wordlessly, it seemed to convey a simple truth: we were in this together. The thought brought a strange wave of warmth. It was heartening to have a silent ally in this inexplicable chaos. If a deal went south, I knew it would fight alongside me until the bitter end. Looking at its jagged, terrifying maws, a fitting moniker finally clicked into place. Grimjaw . I hovered up and settled onto Grimjaw’s broad back. Grimora floated after me, letting out a highly exaggerated, impatient sigh. “Where exactly are we heading?” "No idea,” I answered honestly. Grimora stopped dead in the air to glare down at me. "What? I was hoping that you were going to take the lead at some point! As far as I can see, there is nothing immediately dangerous in this area, but it is hardly what you would call a private venue. The only secure place I know is Luriel's castle, and I highly doubt that is a great place to form a pact with one of the charges she is supposed to be managing!" Her blush deepened when confronted with the logistics of what we were about to do, her annoyance evident. "And just where do you suggest we go, Visthal? A luxury tavern, perhaps?" she snapped back. A brief, nostalgic pang for the comfort of the human world—for penthouse suites and high-end boardrooms—reverberated through me. I chuckled, the sound vibrating through my slime. "If only, Grimora." With a grimace, she sighed, running a hand through her wild red hair. "We'll have to make do with what we have. I may be a succubus, but no royal bed chamber is required to forge a pact. That being said, you are absolutely not defiling me in the middle of an open forest!" "Then do you know a cave, or somewhere secluded? You have spent a lot of time in these glades, so you must know your way around the local real estate," I asked. Grimora rolled her eyes dramatically. "The caves in the Dark Glade are all filled with hoarding monsters. Creatures that can't be easily killed, but that the