The pub was more so a restaurant than the bar Elizabeth expected. The fox woman had ridden with her there on a sled. This was because most of the homes and businesses that weren't in the square sat nestled in crevices of the land.
As they slid down on a wooden seat behind bags of food and coins, Elizabeth caught glimpses of homes built directly into the mountain. She wondered if that was possible in real life but didn't dwell on it.
She had probably been logged on for over three hours by now and she had to get up soon. But she was having so much fun right now, under the fake blue sky. The teen held Pudding close and decided to stay logged in for a bit more.
The snow melted off of her clothes and her shoes from the pub's heat. There was a huge fireplace in the middle of the place with a woman feeding wood into it as they walked in. Players were sitting on wooden stools and booth seats, drinking and laughing.
The strong scent of ginger burned the back of the teenager's throat making her eyes water. It was still uncanny how in-game scents and tastes affected her. Elizabeth cleared her throat and followed the fox woman through the cluster of players that stood in their path.
There had to be fifty people in there with them and they all had a different look to them. Everyone had spent a good deal playing with her seeing multiple event-only items decorating their belts and under their seats.
Pudding began to whimper in her arms and Elizabeth couldn't blame the poor blob. They were in a room with hard-core players. Some she even recognized from live streams she watched before she owned a copy of Frozen Hearts.
Across the room, dressed in a red velvet robe, was a popular streamer and speed racer by the name of C. That woman had beaten a ton of virtual reality games while being a stay-at-home mother with two toddlers. Another player she recognized was a bear humanoid sitting at the bar.
You wouldn't know it by his goofy demeanor. But the bear would commonly join shitty games whether they be VR or dating sims to exploit any game-breaking bugs they had. Her eyes were wide as she tried not to fangirl.
Besides that, there were a couple of people who hadn't been playing very long. They were still wearing their gray spawn point outfits and looked like they had been in a brawl with exhaustion in their eyes. She had sympathy for them as she was sure if she had kept her coat on she'd look the same.
Selene noticed she was stumbling behind and turned. A smile that made the teenager's heart skip a beat spread on the fox's face as she offered a hand. The brunette took it and yelped as the woman began to practically drag her through the people.
Her arm strength was that of a wrestler with the teen seeing her muscles bulge. The fox had looked petite at first but now that she was up close she could see her chiseled physique. Her character had been carefully customized and even if you couldn't see it that detail was there.
“These guys over here are my friends,” Selene said and directed the teen's attention to a trio of players that sat in a corner. “Hey guys! I'm right here!”
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Elizabeth watched the trio turn to look at them and was wowed. The first player she saw was a woman who wore a short veil over her face and had a large broadsword on her back. She smiled, her pearly white teeth glistening in the densely brightened room like a beacon.
Next to the elegantly dressed woman was a man who was tall and resembled your traditional RPG player. The man was a giant that sat under chain mail and metal, with his energy being that of a giddy schoolboy role-playing after class.
He looked at the slime in her arms with curiosity instead of scrutiny which she found to be welcoming. Last but not least was an elven woman with luscious white waves of hair that reminded Elizabeth of an anime character. She wore a simple dress that had chains attached and barely acknowledged the teen.
Selene came to a stop and pushed Elizabeth forward, right against the trio's tray of empty beer jugs. “I found someone who wants to join our guild!”
Before the brunette could get a word in, the fox began to introduce her. She pointed at each member of the trio as she spoke, a big smile on her face.
“This is my classmate, Catherine.” The white-haired elf nodded at her. “Next to her is Jake. He's a software developer.” The knight gave her a genuine smile and she smiled back appreciatively.
“Finally, we have Yuki. She's a former beta tester and is pretty fun to hang with.” The veiled woman blushed from the compliment and gave a timid, almost frightened wave.
Elizabeth was excited to meet them but realized she wasn't too sure about telling them her real name. She needed to know if she could trust them with Pudding. So for now, she was going to hide her real self. “Hello! I'm Eliza.”
They welcomed her and the group began to discuss the basic matters of the guild. Elizabeth was pleased to find that the group hadn't registered yet and intended to be more of a guild in name than in actuality. They would hunt some monsters every once in a while but they overall had other plans.
Yuki was the main talker, the veiled woman was incredibly enthusiastic with the entire conversation. She explained that they wanted to explore the world of Frozen Hearts more than conquer it like other players did. Bloodshed and the constant battle weren't interesting to any of them.
They'd already done some scouting events and had met various mobs of sorts of sizes and races. They wanted to keep doing that while having more support and friends on their side. The veiled woman made it clear they would pay her for her company but mainly wanted her to be an open-minded individual.
“We are planning to enter some local competitions and would love to have you join us. Your pet slime would also come in handy for marketing.” Yuki said and moved her hand over to the slime. “Can I pet him?” She asked.
Elizabeth rubbed Pudding to try and calm the baby down. But by the way, it juggled in her arms, it wasn't having any of it. “Sorry,” She gave the group an apologetic frown. “Pudding is still shaken from an encounter we had.”
Yuki gave her a sympathetic hum. “It's alright. I've never met a slime that isn't full of anxiety when there are so many people near it. I'm sure Pudding will get used to us eventually.” There was hope dancing in her sweet voice.
Elizabeth decided to seize that hope and take it. Pudding didn't seem to be too upset by Yuki's presence so she trusted the veiled woman. She held the slime close to her chest and rubbed its body in a rhythmic motion as she listened. The group had started talking again and this time it was important.
“...so we're all gonna leave and go register everyone as a part of the guild. We'll have to go to another part of the mountain but it won't take very long. Are you in?” The knight, Jake, asked her with a meaty fist coming down to shake her dainty hand. His voice and stature were like a giant in comparison.
She sat on it for a bit. The last mob attack she had been in was terrifying. The girl had been lucky to get off with just a damaged coat. The next time she might not come out whole or worse, Pudding might die.
It was an NPC after all and until she worked hard to level it up the blob could die. Being in a guild could provide her friendship and support for future playthroughs. It was in her best interest to go register with them and friend each member.
Elizabeth smiled and took his hand. “Pudding and I are in.” She shook it and felt like her fingers were going to break by how hard his grip was.
Selene noticed her paling complexion and piped up. “Hey, you're gonna break her into two if you hug Eliza like that.” The fox woman had been quietly observing the entire conversation, waiting for her to agree to join.
The elf laughed a melodic tune and Jake blushed. “Sorry, I was just excited to have someone join us.” He let go and patted her throbbing hand nervously. “Nobody else was interested. They wanted a stronger team.”
Selene scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. “They had some nerve. We're one of the strongest rookie teams out there.” She bragged to which the elf and knight looked at her blankly. “What? What's with that face?”
With Pudding crawling up to her neck, Elizabeth watched the friend group erupt into playful banter. The brunette found it amusing and held back a chuckle or two at certain comments the fox made. She patted Pudding as it burbled in her arms and made satisfied noises.
A weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she was relieved that her meeting with the group went well. The teenager just hoped that she had time to register and hang out with them some more before she had to log out. She had school tomorrow.