Chapter 2: Glitch in the System

Opening their eyes, the light filtering through the leaves of the trees flickered on the happy, hoppy Slime’s was a nice sight to wake up to. It felt calming to be here in the peaceful forest, a small haven for Slime’s with little to no worries while the little Slime’s bounced around happily enjoying the day’s beautiful blazing blinding light.

Can’t someone turn the sun off?

They were fine as long as the little Slime’s were happy and stayed far away from them.

Very, very far.

Off in the distance they heard cracking noises that started to crackle louder followed by thuds, narrowing their eyes in the dense forest trying to see what was making the ruckus. The little Slime’s were startled at the loud noises and started to bounce towards them in a panic. Surprised but not minding, they looked past them as the colourful orbs ran past them and stayed behind them. Some of the bigger ones were also huddled behind them and behind trees that would help conceal them from a potential enemy.

The Slime’s condensed themselves into smaller Slime’s and quivered behind them terrified of the monsters that were now walking away without so much as a glance in their direction. The shadows of the trees hid the monster well for a moment before a dense shadow appeared as it slid by through the trees and bushes.

They thought it was strange that the Slime’s would run and hide behind them for protection but it wasn’t unwanted. Although they can’t do much attack wise or defence wise, let alone move from the spot. If anything these Slime’s would protect them instead of them protecting the Slime’s.

“Are they gone,” one of them spoke with a high pitched rough small voice, they were a squishy Blue Slime, “Mister Untameable?”

“Seems like they were only passing by,” they answered and the relieved sighs that came was almost laughable. They quickly ran from behind them and started their playing again.

“Mister Untameable?” a little Purple Slime squeaked. The little girl had walked up to them and gently tugged at their jacket, shaking themselves for a moment and to hopefully get rid of the sharp pin point pain, they looked at the small Slime beside them. “Do you think they’ll come back?”

“Not sure little one,” they said hoping that it was believable to some extent.

“Will you protect us if they do?” the hopeful tone in their little voice was heart melting. Now if only they had a heart to melt.

“I can’t to much either...” seeing the hope in their little expression in the eyes faded away as they started to look down, “I can try my best though.”

“Yay~” the Purple Slime rose its voice for the first time since they started talking, “Thank you, Mister Untameable!”

The young Slime bounced away happily to the other younger Slime’s, it was odd that they all decided to run to them away from danger. “We ran to you because you seem Brave,” they heard a Slime speak they sounded older. “Not many Slime’s here are as Brave as you. You do not run from trouble, you are not even worried when trouble comes near.”

“Its too much work to run,” they said and watched the playing Slime’s for a few moments.

“We will trust you, please continue to watch over us.” They snuggled up to the tree and closed their eyes. ‘Protect them, huh? Can’t do much and my Skills are useless against monsters, I think my only hope is for it to remain peaceful. Clouds.’

Screaming.

So much screaming!

Make it stop!

STOP SCREAMING!

Crackling?

Crash!

There’s only screaming now.

Nothing but SCREAMING!

Make it stop.

Stop...

Snapping their eyes open, breathing heavily as they looked around for any sort of distress. They shook as their breath was ragged, the heat. The heat was unbearable!

“What is it, Mr. Untameable?” a medium sized Purple Slime squished up to them concerned in their soft spoken voice. They breathed out slowly to try and even themselves out to answer rationally.

“Nothing,” their voice cracked into a rumble. They exhaled sharply as the Purple Slime bumped into them.

“Thank you for checking up on us,” it was like she never heard his answer in the first place, “we’re doing fine. Some of us know how to fight now. So, please rest Mr. Untameable.”

“Hmm, aren’t you that little Purple Slime that made a puddle of themselves-”

“Stop! That was when I was younger! It’s been months since then, Mr. Untameable!”

“Months?” the shock crept up on them as they realized they have been asleep for far too long to be normal.

“Don’t worry, we know you protect us when we sleep.” The Purple Slime smiled and turned to see some of the younger Slime’s playing. “It’s the reason why you sleep all day, isn’t it?”

“...Yes,” they lied, they couldn’t tell her the real reason and the look on her face when looking at the younger Slime’s was the same heartwarming look they had when they were smaller. They turned to them and smiled and started towards the group, while another Slime made their way to them.

“I know,” the old Slime said the Light Blue hue to them shown brightly in the green sunlight that streamed through the trees. They noticed a Diamond center to them and they smiled, “I’ve been awake during the night, and I know that you truly sleep through it. Don’t worry, I’ve told them that you were awake watching over us. Wouldn’t want them to know the truth, now would we?”

“I’m sorry,” they said ashamed for what was happening, the Blue Slime only shook themselves saying ‘No’.

“Don’t be, Dear. It was out of your control, you’ve had it rough growing up. I can see it in your eyes and how you carry yourself. It doesn’t help that you are stuck to that one spot until the right time comes,” she sat next to them and settled. “While the rest of us can travel and roam of our own free will, yours was striped away from you. Tell me, are you a good Storyteller?”

“If I really think of it then I guess?”

“Good, tell me. How did we get here? What happened before we got here? Who were our Heroes that only you know of? What was the place like where we used to live?”

“S-slow down... I can’t think of everything that fast.”

“A Dragon you say?”

“Uh? Dragon destroyed our homes, only a few of us got out alive because... uh...”

“Warriors? How wonderful,” they talked for a bit about little details of the made up world they had come from. They thought it was strange that a Slime would be Sentient enough to know that they were only Code. But they didn’t seem to mind, it was like they want to have a world to believe in before they left.

“I didn’t mean to sleep for so long,” they said after it grew silent between them.

“Don’t worry, Dear. We’ll protect you and each other, just rest and gather your energy for a much bigger enemy. We’ll handle things here,” a much bigger enemy? How far into the future was this Slime looking? Clearly they were the Brave ones for thinking so far ahead. ‘Well I’m stuck in this spot so what would happen beyond the trees? What is happening out there now? Would I be able to leave and see for myself?’

“You’re the one that said I was Brave, I believe that word belongs to you.”

“Well, thank you for remember us. It means a lot to know that we are valued by someone like you,” the Blue Slime said. This sparked wonder in them, ‘am I that special to them for them to feel they are enough from me just remembering who they are?’

“Is that true? To be held to such a high regard by someone who sleeps all day and doesn’t have anything special going for them?”

“Our kind are a forgetful bunch but that is soon changing,” she said and smiled at them, “because you are here. You are special because of who you are, of who you believe you are. You’ll do wonders, far greater than any to have lived before. The color tells us what you are, but you tell us who you are, by small actions, by great deeds. We will follow your lead, some of us have already started, you have set the stone in motion and it is up to us to shape that stone with what you have done.”

“But I’ve done nothing...”

“You’ve done more than enough, you have given us a new Hope.”

“Slime Hope,” they muttered nearly laughing, “I’ll put my trust in all of you to keep us safe.”

“Of course,” she nodded and went to catch up to the other Slime’s that were doing a little patrol of the area. They decided to look through the Menu to get it all out of the way, not much was added other than the Login Bonus and such. The Skill Points were being put into... their Stats? Wasn’t it suppose to go to their Skill Tree or something? Or was it because they didn’t properly read where the Points would go...

It seems to be smarter to raise Skill over Stat at the moment.

‘Huh? But...’

‘O-ok, still broken. Dust it all this is confusing the Dust outta me, maybe best not to think about it. If it’s working it... well works? Not worth the headache at least...’

Surprised by the sudden change in windows about the Skill Tree they turned to see the large Orange Slime.

‘Was this broken the whole time or was it because I didn’t read it properly, again?’

It was the same dialogue as before but the new Skill was different from before.

‘Oh wonderful, so I’ve discovered an exploitable Glitch.’ They thought and looked around the now darkening forest. ‘FIX IT!’

‘... Huh?’ The screen had disappeared as soon as it had appeared, it seems that this world had more going on for it than a few broken Codes. Deciding that now wasn’t the time to worry about it, they yawned and closed their eyes to surrender to the soft Darkness that was engulfing them in a warm blanket.

I remember...

It all happened...

... ould of... this... HELP!

Calmness after hearing frantic screaming and panic running. It was nothing but the silence they first heard when they first opened their eyes.

Calm, quiet, comfortable emptiness.