“I didn't think you'd log on today. But it's great to see you!”

Elizabeth hugged the masked woman back who greeted her with a smile. The woman was dressed differently compared to the last time she saw her. She wore a fire dress and a matching coat, with her sword tucked safely in her hilt.

Her mask was the exact same however and still looked awesome. The woman had been cooking a roast that tickled the teenager's nose with its delectable scent. A honey glaze sat on the top along with diced veggies.

Yuki gestured for her to sit down after their quick hug, her energy vibrant.

“While you were gone we all went on a small trip back to the square. New players have come and started up their guild so we got competition. They all have their style and their power levels are insane. Things will be really exciting if we ever come to blows with them.” The older woman carved a piece of the bird off onto a plate for her and handed it over.

It was mouthwatering and Elizabeth wanted to dive right into it but she had to ask about these new guilds. The teenager had been logged off and missed a lot. “Why are there so many new people popping up?”

Yuki sat down with a plate of delicious roast slices and hummed as moved her fork around as she talked.

The masked woman droned on and on about so much that it made the teenager’s head spin. “There's a huge slime event going on and people want to kill as many slimes as they can to level up. I didn't know if you'd wanna be involved due to Pudding and Sprinkles.”

“Hunting slimes wouldn't upset me as long as I'm just on the sideline,” Elizabeth knew that she could protest against the murder of slimes as it was an in-game mechanic for a reason. She'd just not participate. “Besides. I got a message from Catherine a few days ago asking me to come help her.”

What happened next made Elizabeth nearly jump out of her seat. A horrid noise came from Yuki's mouth as the masked woman choked. The teenager was just about to run to her when the woman managed to swallow.

She grabbed a glass she had nearby and poured the cider in it down her sore throat. The shaking brunette watched anxiously as she tried to figure out what had happened.

Yuki looked fine as she finished her glass, beating a fist against her chest as she regained her focus. Once she wasn't coughing with a pale complexion anymore she immediately turned her attention to her.

Yuki's voice was a whisper as she leaned forward, her face puzzled as questioned her. “Catherine asked you?” A hesitant nod from Elizabeth made her eyes narrow and she asked further. “To go with her? Alone?”

Elizabeth felt sweaty as she answered. “Yeah, she did.” She suspected there was a lot more going on in the background that she knew nothing about.

“I'm really surprised. She likes to keep to herself. Honestly, I've felt that she doesn't really care for any of us besides Selene. But being in a guild is what Selene wants so she keeps her head down and stays quiet.” The woman was as stumped as Elizabeth had been and scratched her head with a frown.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“She does keep to herself but I think she's just shy.” The teenager frowned and prodded further. “Has she said anything to show she wants to leave?”

Yuki cut her slice of carrot that was covered in the honey sauce as she spoke. Her voice was thick with emotion as she recounted more of what Elizabeth had missed. “Well, she always keeps to Selene and acts annoyed when any of us try to speak to her. She ignored me all yesterday.”

“I don't want to push her but if we're going to work as a team we have to communicate. Just letting her talk to Selene and stomp any mobs we can't handle ourselves just feels wrong. It's like we're using her.” Yuki's words rang true to the teenager who sat back in her seat with a glum expression.

Catherine was someone who loved the game. She wouldn't be leveling up so fast and running a game-only social media account if she didn't. But it was obvious she didn't have any intention to talk to the others.

It made the brunette feel awkward and she was unsure if helping her would be for the best. The elf could just want to use her for her slime knowledge and would ignore her like usual. Elizabeth wasn't interested in being a glorified encyclopedia in the place she came to have fun in and explore new worlds.

As if her feelings were being projected into the atmosphere, the teenager heard the familiar sound of slime crawling over. Both women looked over their shoulders to see Sprinkles sitting atop Pudding across the room.

“Hey guys!” Yuki called out and to Elizabeth's surprise, both of the slime balls bounced with happy little chirps leaving their mouths.

Elizabeth smiled and felt relief that the two creatures appeared to be getting along. She got up from her seat and they instantly began to move her way. They had cute noises coming out of their mouths, their eyes watering as they saw their mother.

The teenager felt herself begin to tear up too. She'd missed them a lot and had to use all her willpower not to log in to see them. Elizabeth flung herself down, her knees slamming on the ground as they ran into her open arms. They cooed and began to rub themselves on her body.

She was full of joy knowing she had provided them so much love. The teenager had been anxious that it would be like last time and both slimes would be distraught.

But thankfully, that wasn't the case. This time they were full of life that an orange cat would have. Playfully nipping at her hair and clothes while the liquid within their bodies sloshed about.

“They were like peas in a pod as soon as they met. I was expecting a tantrum but instead, Pudding took on the role of an older sibling. It wouldn't let Jake feed Sprinkles for hours and was constantly licking it.” The masked woman added with a chuckle as the slimes fanned over their owner.

The teenager looked up from the ongoing cuddle pile and cocked her head. “Were you guys able to get them to eat later, at least?” She would be upset if she found out that the slimes had been starved the entire time.

Yuki nodded. “They tired out after rolling around the yard for what had to be half a day and then Jake managed to feed them. Whatever's in that jar made them pass out into a deep sleep. They just plopped down on what would be your bed and wouldn't move. Not even to be fed again yesterday.”

A sigh of relief left the teenager's mouth as she realized that the slime caretaker hadn't sold them a scam. She'd have to go back eventually to purchase some more as the two slimes got older and bigger.

Elizabeth could only hope the woman wasn't as much of an asshole the next time they met. It still bothered her how judgmental and rude the woman had been.

She let the love she had for slime NPCs override her common sense. Plenty of players got slimes and didn't know how to take care of them because the game was blowing up.

All types of people were picking up a copy, slapping on a pair of goggles, and diving into Frozen Hearts completely blind. You'd have to be stupid to not realize that the ignorance wasn't done maliciously.

That the people were just clueless new players trying to do everything the game promised that they could do. She hated when people ruined the fun of others because they wanted to be a stick in the mud about everything.

“Hey,” Elizabeth startled out of her thoughts to see Yuki staring down at her with a worried expression. “What's up? Did something happen? Is it your mother again?”

“No…but my mom did say I need to see a therapist if u continue to play as much as I do. I agreed though I don't really want to see one. It feels weird to talk to someone about my problems.” The brunette admitted with a sigh.

“There's nothing wrong with therapy. You should take up your mother's offer and talk to someone. I used to do play therapy as a toddler when my parents divorced and it helped me a lot. Don't knock it till you try it.” Her masked friend was as wise as ever and Elizabeth sat on what she said.

The teenager didn't want to back out but she just wasn't comfortable. There was a thick shame covering her subconscious and it left her nauseous. “I'll have to think about it. I don't want to go back on my word again.”

“Your mom sounds understanding so you should talk to her about it.” A gloved hand touched her shoulder and the brunette was given a touching squeeze. “Push all of that out of your mind. We have a mission to start.”