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“I'd love to join if only I could get out of this slime stampede,” Elizabeth muttered, her eyebrow twitching in one of many displays of her annoyance.
The teenager had been walking for quite a while and had gotten stuck. She'd come across a migration of ICE SLIMES and their snowball-looking babies. They were incredibly cute. They were blobs of thick liquid with dots for their eyes and made tiny gurgles when touched. Elizabeth would normally be overjoyed to be in this situation. But at the moment she was irritated. Her character had been walking without much progress and she groaned.
Looking away from the slimes briefly, she stared out into the crisp blue sky. Clouds moved at a snail's pace and smoke from nearby fireplaces swirled. It was so realistic but at the same time, it was like an old fantasy movie. The term technicolor came to mind as she watched a bird fly by.
She had heard some other players along with NPCs further down the mountain. But it was clear they were embarking on a mission that was deep within the snow-covered walls. Far away from the bumbling teenager.
She couldn't help but be distracted. The environment she was in was so overwhelming at times. The trees swayed with an uneven beat and the wind felt like it was actually in her bedroom.
It had gotten so windy that she had equipped her SNOW LION PELT COAT which hugged her body snuggly. The thick fur warmed her body while giving her a fashionable new look. Its sleeves tickled her arms and the hood shielded her eyes from the bright sun.
Still, she was upset with the slowness of it all.
“I guess I should just eat. My stamina is getting pretty low and there's no telling if I'll encounter another SNOW LION in this weather.” She said while observing the slimes barely move an inch.
From what she knew about slimes in Frozen Hearts, they were like kittens mentally and behavior-wise. All they liked to do was eat, roll around, and be rubbed with a loving hand by their owners. You could raise them and take care of them but most people just killed them.
They gave you a shit ton of points that helped you level up with ease by striking them down with one swipe. Eliza stared at the cute little balls and frowned. She couldn't do that to them. Even if they were standing in her way.
Elizabeth grumbled once more and pulled out her inventory. The teenager had accumulated a lot in her first few hours of playing, getting random fruits that had fallen to add to her collection. But nothing worthwhile that she could use to help strengthen herself combat and stamina-wise.
She selected the option of SNOW LION STEAKS and decided to take one out. Eating had been forgotten in her rush to get to town and her stamina was really low. Stamina in the game didn't kill you if you ran out, it slowed you down.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
At worst, it would paralyze your character for a set time frame which was annoying as hell in battle. The developers of Frozen Hearts said they did this so the game was easier for people who weren't gamers. Death was still a thing but it came from being poisoned or attacked, not starving.
Elizabeth was incredibly grateful for this as she felt the steak materialize in her hand. The meat resembled a lamb chop, just without the thick bone. She closed her inventory as she sniffed the SNOW LION STEAK.
“Goodness.” Her mouth watered as she ripped a piece of the meat off. Like butter, it melted off and revealed raw pink flesh. She pouted and frowned.
Elizabeth had forgotten that it wasn't cooked. The meat was useless unless she found the time to make a fire and find some way to safely cook it. The teenager didn't see any point in doing this now that she had fruit. Plenty of bruised apples, bitter oranges, and mushy peaches to chomp on.
So, with a shrug, she gave the piece to one of the slimes. She remembered reading that the creatures could eat meat even though they preferred vegetables. Elizabeth planted it onto the ground, not wanting to frighten them away.
Like a newborn puppy, one of the slimes closest to the meat chunk turned to face it. With what she could assume was its nose, the cute slime sniffed the chunk. Then it moved its attention to her and let out a chirp. She smiled and it smiled back to her surprise. It wasn't like a human smile as slimes didn't have those facial features but that's what it was.
The meat was sucked into the slime's body slowly and she watched as it dissolved. It reminded her of baking soda with the lumps it formed in the slime’s possible tummy. Once the chunk was gone the slime chirped and moved closer to her.
It rubbed its body against her feet, tickling her. “You're adorable.” The brunette muttered and pulled a piece which she held out. “Here.”
The ICE SLIME was happily rubbing itself against her foot with a cute expression on its face when it took the meat. It sucked it out directly from her fingers and she blushed. The sensation was like playing with putty you would buy as a child with sprinkles and glitter mixed in.
Elizabeth had to figure that the slime was designed to appeal to that fuzzy part of you. The cuteness was just overpowering and she gushed as it bounced happily. Glee was in the ball of chilly pudding’s voice as it glubbed and chirped loudly. With a huge hop, the slime flew right into the teenager's arms with a chirp.
“Oh?” The brunette said as she instinctively held the slime close with one arm. The sentient pudding nuzzled itself against her chest with pure joy.
{CONGRATS 🎊 YOU'VE GAINED A NEW FRIEND!}
[SAY HELLO ~🎶 TO LVL 1 ICE SLIME COMPANION]
An aquamarine pop-up appeared before the teenager right after this notice. Elizabeth was surprised to see it asking her if she wanted to name the slime cutie. The teenager hadn't been looking for a companion but she couldn't give the sweetheart up now. It was already nuzzling her chest and cuddling up to her cozily.
She didn't have it in her to sit the slime down and break its heart. But it was such a low level that she was scared it would die soon after she named it. If she wanted to keep the slime, she'd need to take time later that night to research slime companions and how to properly raise them.
“I'd like to name this ICE SLIME…hmm…” She looked down at the comfy looking pudding ball. “...I'll name the slime Pudding. You look like one.”
{COMPANION REGISTERED}
◇ Type: ICE SLIME ◇
◇ Mob Type: HARMLESS ◇
◇ Status: DOCILE & SLEEPY ◇
As the menu disappeared she found the information incredibly accurate. The newly named ICE SLIME, Pudding, was practically snoring in her arms. It didn't seem to care about its fellow slimes and they were hopping down the mountain without a care in the world. She was thankful for this as she didn't want to spend an hour feeding and taming baby slimes.
Elizabeth was fine with just having Pudding in her arms. She was smitten with it and was reminded of domesticating virtual pets in games as a child. Those pets would be fun and loyal to a fault while pulling at her heartstrings daily.
Elizabeth stood back up and put everything else she had away besides putting. For now she would have to hold the slime in her arms until she bought something to carry it in. The brunette had to wonder if Frozen Hearts had developed the slime version of strollers or baby carriers.
Thinking about it made her chuckle at the image of the slime sloshing around a baby carrier as she climbed down a muddy hull. The teenager hoped that whoever she worked for as a maid let her keep Pudding when busy or at least on estate property until she was done.
Either way, Pudding was going to be with her through thick and thin. No matter what other players or NPCs said. Elizabeth was already eager to live out her in-game fantasies with the ball of slime. Walking around, she made sure to be careful when the ICE SLIME made what she believed to be scared whimpered and slowed down her pace.
Carrying Pudding would make the journey more difficult but she knew it would be worth it. She'd gained a companion and beaten a mob four levels higher than her all before beating the tutorial. That was a win in her book.