26 - Never abandon your allies

He could still remember it vividly.

“Hey, Alan, do you need a hand?!”

While the now ex-Shooting Stars laughed, mocked, and killed him repeatedly, there was a person who stood out from the rest.

Walking among the crowd with light feet, observing the scene from a distance while chuckling. Getting distracted like a child by the lion’s monument that functioned as a checkpoint. She could suddenly be seen in the farthest corner of the hall, contemplating an ever-vigilant silhouette engulfed in shadows.

She moved like she was there, and not at the same time. When I noticed no one addressed her or glanced at her, I thought I was really dying. Maybe she was just the incarnation of the Angel of Death coming to reclaim my soul, here, far away from Earth.

“Come on Amelia, why don’t you try it?”

I could barely hear their voices while I did my best to monitor that girl. I was going to tell her that if she was there to collect my soul, she’d have to come later, because I had a mission bigger than myself to fulfill, dammit!

“Is it a good way to relieve stress?”

And not even these assholes would stop me!

When she finally looked in Alan’s direction, he froze. Literally. I could feel time flowing slower. Staring deep into her eyes made the rest of the world lose momentum.

“Th--e--b--est--w--ay--in--de--ed!”

She crouched in front of him, smirking. “What a pathetic, sad little thing you are,” she said warmly, but her voice was undeniably condescending. “It seems I came for nothing. I’ll report that there is nothing to report. And you…” She poked the tip of Alan’s nose. “You’re disgustingly weak.”

The teen-looking stranger with straight black hair then turned around, sneering. “This new world is for the strong, silly. If after 22 months you did nothing to improve yourself and sat on your ass all day long, you deserve to be punished by these kids...”

 

* * *

 

The scent of Amelia’s perfume brought Alan back to the present. He looked down, having an eagle view of green fields and mountains. Her winged tiger flew smoothly with no turbulence, contrasting her sister’s chaotic piloting.

“Another thing I love about The Novus is that once I attained Vitality Bronze A, I could wear high heels all day long without getting tired or feeling pain. Like, that's neat!” Amelia said joyfully through Party Chat. “Aw, man, I don't know what I'll do once we return to the real world. Trust me, if I could change my ankles and leg tendons, cyborg-style, so I can wear permanent high heels, I’d do it in a heartbeat!"

From cold and ruthless, to full-on chatty…

“It's also neat that pooping here isn't that messy," he commented, making her groan.

"Oh, shut up! By the way, I suppose you’re already familiar with how the Novus l ‘improves’ our physical appearance, right? Well, let me clarify something before you get the wrong idea. I’ve barely changed my avatar. 90 percent of what you see here is the real deal. The real ME! Keep that in mind from now on, okay? Which part is the other 10 percent is a secret though." She giggled.

I bet it’s the boobs… Alan thought immediately. They’re slightly bigger than Astrid’s.

Oh, crap… He shut his eyes just as Astrid’s face flashed in his head. How would she react if she saw me holding this other gal’s waist?

He glanced back, in the direction he thought the east and Londorus were as if he could feel piercing blue eyes from miles away.

"Oh! Since you just logged in, let me show you something that’ll blow your mind!" Amelia said cheerfully, manipulating her User Interface.

Seconds later, Alan got a notification, stating that she was streaming audio through the Party Chat. He tapped the Sound icon, and a song started playing inside his head.

 

‘Can’t you see that I’m behind you?

I never left your side...

Waiting, longing, counting the hours…

For you to return!

Feeling this burning desire…

Wanting to tell you how I've been.

While you roam the stars, I’m here, bound to paradise!

But it’s not the same without you!

My he-aa-art goes boom-boom when you’re arooound!

So don’t leave!

My he-aa-art goes room-room, ‘cause you’re not arooound!”

 

"I know this song…"

"No surprise there. Miss Cosmica is super popular. Isn't it amazing that we can have actual music inside the Novus?! Unlike that crap that the developers curated, yuck!"

“The developers did not curate it, blame the Vice-Captain.”

“How do you know that?”

“And aren't these lyrics too melancholic for the upbeat sound?"

"Oh, my god, you noticed! Most people don't listen closely to what she really says, you know. We might really get along after all! Just abstain from toilet humor and we're good."

“My he-aa-art goes room-room, ‘cause you’re not arooound!”

And, inevitably, or obviously, whatever… this song reminds me of her…

By forming fists, he mustered all of his strength to get rid of the aching feeling inside his chest. But I think it’ll persist until all of this ends…

Amelia looked down and noticed what his hands were doing. She exhaled and paused the music.  "We're almost there. Are you sure your friend is still waiting for you in the Renovatio Caves? Have you checked what your Friend List says?"

"...Um, neither of us knew how to send a friend request, so…"

"What do you mean? Was this person outside too? Doing whatever you’re doing outside the Novus?"

Oh, crap… I didn’t consider the many questions this woman would have. Since she already knows too much, I think it’ll be for the best to play along.

"That’s correct! We were just minding our own business until your dear lord separated us two days ago…"

"Don’t say it as if I was the one that gave that order!" she cried and ordered her winged lion to nose dive.

Alan quickly tightened her arms around her waist.

Is this a Laflamme tradition?!

Unlike the time he was riding alongside Marissa, Alan forced himself to open his eyes and experience unadultered vertigo.

My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest, but…! 

His lips formed a wide smile. “You know what, Amelia? I think this is fun! Wait, it is! Ha-ha-haaa!”

“See? Stop being gloomy all the time! This is supposed to be a fresh star!”

A fresh start?

Those words echoed inside Alan’s head even after they safely landed and the winged beast disappeared in a spectacle of glimmering pixels. 

"We’ve arrived, Ghost, the Renovatio Caves as promised,” Amelia said, after changing her clothes for jeans, boots, and a black jacket. “I haven't come here since the very start, so you lead the way, okay?”

Alan glanced at the dark entrance leading underground, as if the mountain was opening its maws around them.

Why does it feel as if I haven’t been here in a long, long time?

Without saying a word, he walked forward, clenching his teeth.

These two days have been long and stressfully eventful. Many things have happened since then, that I don’t know where to start once I have to report back to Isabella II.

As they walked through the first of many narrow passages, the fear of not finding her there overwhelmed him.

What if she thought I escaped and left in search of someone more capable? Someone that is not a weakling, and has all the resources to deal with this menace?

A sweet fragrance calmed his anxiety. It’s hers, he thought, getting very self-conscious of her presence. Her quiet breathing, the loud echo of her steady steps against the rocky ground…

Wait, no. Is it me who smells like her? He raised his arms and sniffed his sleeves.

“What are you doing?”

“N-Nothing!”

“Hey, there’s something I wanted to ask. Did you add Marissa to your friend list?”

“I did. Why?”

“Don’t try anything with her. Got it?”

“Where did that come from?!”

“I’m just protecting my sweet, innocent little sister, okay? From helpless, thirsty virgins as yourself.”

“W-What are you talking about?! What did I do for you to have such a weird image of me?”

“Oh, boy! Where do I start?” She snickered loudly. Although the cave was dark and he could not see her expression, he pictured her holding her chin with a malicious grin on her face. “You may think that you’re being discreet, but I’ve caught you peeping at my cleavage so many times that is almost comical. Even while we were running from that shadow monster, you found the opportunity to take a peek.”

“I--Ah--Emm…! True.”

“And remember when I locked you in that restroom yesterday? Well, I noticed you were starting to get a boner!” Her unapologetic laughter echoed through the cave. “Seriously! What did you think it’d happen?!”

“F-Fine, I get it! But step on my shoes for a moment, okay?! You’d also feel aroused by literally anything after spending close to a hundred days with no human contac--!”

Oh, crap…

“No human contact? What do you mean by that?”

“L-Look! There’s a fork ahead! Which path should we take?”

This girl is such a headache! She has been nosing and forcing herself onto my business, and even has the nerve to call the other dragon lady a sadic? Look yourself into a mirror first!

As he did his best to collect his patience, Amelia sneaked onto him and grabbed his shoulders. “Are you upset, Little Ghost? Does calling you a ‘helpless virgin’ get on your nerves?” she asked softly in his ear.

“I never said I was…” he whispered, feeling that her breath tickled him.

I freaking am…

“Sure, whatever. Luckily, you’re in The Novus again, where even losers like you can get laid. You could always use the services of ‘specialized’ NPCs. if you get what I mean. That’s why I can safely state that 99% of this ship’s population have lost their virginity by now.” She pressed her fingers on his shoulders and leaned her breasts on his back. “Interested? Should I help you find one of those dolls? Releasing stress and tasting adulthood may help you on your mission.”

So you can practically do anything in this simulation, huh? I remember Marissa mentioning something about making out with her boyfriend…

“You know, it’s a good thing that the Developers are treating us like proper adults.” He folded his arms and nodded. “Yes. Good job, guys. Although this is nothing but a playground, we should never forget what mating is if we intend on perpetuating the human race once we log off.”

Amelia stepped back, groaning. “You make something so fun as sex sound super lame and boring.”

Oh, thank god she backed off! I wasn’t lying when I said I literally get aroused by everything!

“This way,” he said, stepping forward and trying to forget the warm feeling Amelia’s body left behind.

“Lead the way, oh, valorous leader.”

As they saw light at the end of the tunnel, he doubled his steps. I hope she’s okay. I hope she’s here. I hope she’s not mad at me for abandoning her--Oh, triple crap!

“What the hell is this?” Amelia could be heard behind him just as he halted.

I forgot that the Slime Village was supposed to be The ‘Secret’ Slime Village!

The first blue and green gelatinous humanoids were staring at them. Although they recognized Alan right away, they turned cautiously at the sight of the redheaded girl stepping forward.

“Call Smudock, quick,” one said to another, who ran to the heart of the village.

Alan fell to his knees and put his forehead against the ground. I’m terrible at this…

“Advanced Slime?” Amelia narrowed her eyes, reading the info the system gave her about the humanoid in front of her. “I’ve never seen such a monster. And why are they acting like regular NPCs?”

“Because they are, and they aren’t…” Alan said in a low voice.

“What are you doing down there?”

“I’m where I belong… In the dirt. You can use me as a carpet if you want. I deserve it.”

“Gross, is this another one of your kinks? On second thought, I accept. It’d help me relieve some stress.”

“I’m not talking about that!” he cried, before noticing Smudock, leader of the Slime clan, approaching. “Let me do the talking for now, okay? Please don’t do any--Hey, Smudock!”

“Alan Warden, you came back. And with another visitor...”

Even though he is not human, he can successfully imitate an annoyed tone of voice...

“Y-yes... But she’s trustworthy. I can vouch for her! She’s Amelia Laflamme. Say hi and be nice to her!” He grinned ear to ear, but the group of humanoids remained silent, while cautiously watching her from a distance.

It's understandable for them to be cautious. No one in this entire village must be able to see her level, which only means danger...

As the silence prolonged, no one noticed the little regular slime making its way toward Amelia’s feet.

“S-Slomiack!” the one that was keeping an eye on it shouted from the crowd, alerting the others. Alan opened his eyes wide at the sight of such a little slime attempting to make an attack.

“N-no, little buddy!” he said with closed teeth, too late to stop it.

The slime tackled Amelia’s right ankle, taking one HP away.

“What was that?” the unaware Amelia asked, looking down. She then casually grabbed the slime while everyone reached out their hand to her. The slime seemed furious, and this time tackled her in the chest. Both the monster and her breasts jiggled with almost the same consistency.

Thanks for the sight, little buddy. At least your death won’t be in vain.

“Are you trying to kill me, little one?” she spoke menacingly, before grinning ear to ear and hugging it. “That’s so cute! I’ve always wanted to do this without getting killed! All of your species looked so soft and squishy, and it was driving me crazy not being able to touch you!”

As the enraged slime tried unsuccessfully to dissolve her skin, everyone around released a sigh of relief.

“Have you come looking for your partner, Alan Warden?”

“Yes! That’s right!” He beamed.

“Come with us. And welcome, Amelia Laflamme.”

As half the town returned to their duties, Amelia grabbed Alan by his shirt. “What’s happening here? Why do these Slimes talk?”

“We’ll talk later about it, okay? I promise.”

“You know, a few months ago, Jason told me the story about how he encountered a group of lizard-folk that were acting out of their regular programming. Maybe what’s happening here has to do something with that too.”

“It could be.”

Is Viola Lang responsible for that, too?

“Alan Warden, this way,” a group of slime-people said in unison after exiting a hut. Their emotionless tone of voice and almost robotic movements made them stand out from the rest of the village.

She’s inside, definitely. Dammit, Ashley, don’t take away the little humanity they have!

From the hut stepped out the petite, brunette girl, showing no surprise on her face, wearing a white shirt and a long red skirt made by the local artisans.  “Alan,” she called softly.

Alan dashed forward, halting inches apart from almost tackling her. Her empty, emotionless eyes were not judging him. There was no anger or resentment on her face.

She waited for me. She really waited.

As she stared at her, flashing scenes from the last two days brimmed his head. Memories from the disgruntled Ex-Shooting Stars torturing him, the failed attempt to convince Marco Souza, Astrid’s speech to his remaining guild members, the two-headed dragon, and the cryptic words from that albino gal.

He fell on his knees in front of her. Exhausted.

“I… I’ve finally come back.”

“Good to see you, Alan,” she said, stretching out a hand to him. “Is it time to continue our--?”

“Alan, a minute please!” Amelia cried, pulling him by the collar of his jacket, as the slime that had started cuddling in her arms fell to the ground. “Who the hell is that?” she whispered in his ear.

“She’s Ashley, the partner I talked to you about.”

“I can see that! But you never mentioned that your partner was a gal…”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“You have to be kidding me,” Amelia said, gritting her teeth and tossing him back to the ground.

“What was that for?!”

Amelia strolled forward, showing confidence in her every step. She tossed her hair back and put a hand on her hip in front of Ashley. “Nice to meet you, I’m Amelia Laflamme. What’s your name?”

“Nice to meet you, Amelia. I’m Ashley.” She made a curtsy. “Are you a member of Shooting Stars?”

Amelia glanced back at Alan, showing a glare.

“Oh, sweetie, Shooting Stars is old news!” Amelia said, smiling. “We’re starting a new guild, right Alan?”

He blinked repeatedly at her. “A… A what now?”

“Should I presume that you’ll be part of it too, Ashley?”

“That is correct,” Ashley replied with a straight face. “I’ll go wherever Alan goes, and I’ll do whatever he needs me to do.”

Amelia turned to him, this time giving him a grin and a wicked gaze. His experience with Astrid told him what it meant. ‘I’ll make you pay for this later’... Yeah, that’s what she’s saying...

“Since both of you are still low-levelers, and are surely broke, I suppose I’ll be the one carrying this guild. So be grateful that I’m even helping you. Welcome to the guild, Ashley.”

Seriously… Did she said g-g-guild?”

Amelia offered Ashley a handshake, who scrutinized it for a couple of seconds before turning to Alan, looking for his approval.

Don’t look at me and make this weirder than it already is! He exhaled and nodded to her.

“Nice to be on board, Amelia,” Ashley said, shaking her hand.

“It’s official then!” Amelia beamed and turned around, pushing Alan in her path. “I’ll punish you later for this, you heard?” she whispered.

Ashley? Is there a way to log this girl out of the Novus for a couple of years, please?