Elizabeth opened her eyes to see that she was in her bed at the guild house. On top of her chest sat a weepy Sprinkles, the slime let out a worried whine at the sight of her weakened state.

Pudding was by her side and had her now ruined coat wrapped around its body in a pitiful attempt at comfort. All of this made the teenager feel worse than she already did.

She started to tear up and raised one of her arms. She weakly rubbed at her pet slime that sat with her which was harder than she thought.

Her body was shaking from over-exerting herself and she was sure that she'd pass out. So, she let her arm fall to the utter dismay of Sprinkles who began to whine louder.

Seeing this, Pudding cooed and laid its head closer to her shoulder. The teenager was grateful for her slimes but it was obvious she needed to log out. The game had sent her back to her save spot to heal for the time being.

Elizabeth knew however that she couldn't just lay in bed in-game for the time needed to fully heal. She could rest for a little while comforting her emotional slimes but after that she had to take a break.

Her body in real life while not harmed would be exhausted from everything she'd done. It was scary to remember that she'd almost drowned in-game. The graphics and sensations that Frozen Hearts had caused it all to feel so real.

The teenager didn't know what to think. She hoped that Catherine was alright. Everything after she had escaped the trap was a blur. But she did remember the bright light that flooded the forest once the Elf attacked.

The explosion had been like a bomb going off with trees being uprooted and the ground beneath them snapping. Having that amount of power in-game was insane and she was incredibly grateful for Catherine using it.

The brunette figured the reason why she hadn't used it when she was trapped was due to that. Something that powerful would have injured her too. The flytrap had been a thick sludge when everything was finished and she'd been worse off.

Her body flinched as she recalled the feeling of being thrust in the air movements before the explosion. Elizabeth felt a wave of exhilaration that had been trampled over by the dread of certain death.

Her chest tightened as she tried not to overwhelm herself with anxiety. She was sure that after a day of rest and recuperation she'd be fine to go back into combat again. But God, the developers had done a great job with the realism of nearly being suffocated to death.

The flytrap’s liquid would have burned her alive with its acid that slowly rose up and snuffed out any oxygen she took in. The only reason it hasn't happened was because she was in a video game. Despite the real fear she and Catherine no doubt had felt those minutes.

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“God, Catherine.” The brunette was shocked by how weak and small she came off. She could barely hear the words she spoke as her pitch shifted. This left her to lay in bed, croaking and ending her sentence with a whine.

Elizabeth trembled as she pushed herself into a semi sitting position. Sprinkles laid in her lap as she looked at it and Pudding with exhaustion. “Did Catherine come back to see me yet?”

The slimes looked at her absent-mindedly and she swallowed thickly. She really hoped that she hadn't ruined the mission for the elf. The teenager was struggling not to beat herself up over getting injured. She knew that it was a random occurrence.

As Catherine had also gotten close to the lily pads and she hadn't been attacked. But the guilt just kept coming and she felt really nauseous thinking everything over. The girl was thankful that her slimes were there with her as they provided her silent support.

Pudding had laid its head against her side, its tongue poking out and licking her skin. Elizabeth chuckled at the tickles she got from her little goo ball's behavior. Her smile and giggles excited the slime who cooed loudly before continuing on.

Sprinkles curled its little body into a ball under her chin, warming her body. Elizabeth felt so much love from the small action the little baby did to try and lift her mood.

The colorful slime wasn't very verbal but made its love clear towards her and Pudding. She could see that the pair had developed a rich bond with one another in her absence.

Pudding was treating Sprinkles like a hyperactive baby sibling and Sprinkles was eager for attention. She saw the way the slimes communicated in their subtle touches and gurgles.

The teenager would have to do more research in deciphering these noises as they were incredibly random. For now, they just whined here and there followed by purring that reminded her for the fiftieth time of a kitten.

With a soft glimmer in her eyes, the8 brunette croaked out some more words. “I wish I could spend all my days with you two.” She confessed quietly.

Sprinkles squealed and kissed her neck hearing her words. The teen blushed and rubbed the slimes back as it excitedly bounced. “You're so adorable.”

She tried to hug Sprinkles closer to her but winced. Her body was hurting so much she wondered if in the real world she'd gotten injured. Her smile momentarily broke as she once again thought about having to log out.

It was more clear than everything that she needed to go back home. The way her avatar looked was dreadful. The game's system essentially teleported her into bed with the creature's blood still clinging to her skin.

The coat that Pudding was clinging to was destroyed with holes littering its dirty fabric. Seeing this brought tears to the teenager's eyes and she had to take in a deep breath before she broke down.

Even though everything around her was fake the effects it had on her emotional state was as real as her mind.

Failing the mission had left her a wreck. Sure, the guilt would dissipate with time but she could still see the blast in her eyes.

It pumped her full of adrenaline and she found her arm had started to shake without her noticing. This adrenaline ended up being slammed by so many questions. Elizabeth wanted to talk to Catherine as soon as possible.

The elf was someone who'd been playing for months so she'd have to have experienced this before. The teenager swung her legs over the bed much to Pudding's dismay. This took a while and she was sweating bullets when she managed to stand up.

The slimes noticed their mother figures struggling and immediately acted. In a blink of an eye, she was being knocked over onto Pudding's body. The snow slime let out a victorious cry as it caught Elizabeth and Sprinkles.

Elizabeth wiped some sweat off of her forehead and laid there in shock. “Wow,” Her little buddies could be quick thinkers. “Thank you both.”

Still the guilt remained. “So much for going on a mission.” The girl muttered and Pudding gave her a look of pity. “I'll be alright. Don't worry.”

Elizabeth wasn't sure what she'd do while the others were gone. It was still hard to move around even with Pudding helping her. She swallowed thickly and looked over her room. It was messy but she noticed her slime textbook from earlier placed on a nearby desk.

The teenager figured that she could at least do some reading on the slimes Catherine would have showed her. She found the idea of Gummy Slimes exciting and was bummed she couldn't see them as intended.

Sprinkles cooed happily as she patted its back deep in thought. She mulled over the idea of staying in-game a bit longer to read and take notes.

Her body still hurt but she knew her slimes had missed her. The pair were clinging to her desperately and it pulled at her heartstrings. She looked down at Pudding and saw how much it wanted to be with her.

This told the teenager all she needed to know. Her voice was weak but determined as she asked. “Do you think you can take me over to that desk?”