Chapter 14: New Species Discovered!

“Good morning Sleepy Head,” looking over to the voice they weren’t as surprised as they should be, they were also not as happy to see him. Food Giver sat beside them under the umbrella and watched the life pass by as if there was nothing wrong. They couldn’t help but feel betrayed, then again maybe they were counting on him too much to keep to his word.

‘Things happen.’

Looking down they saw that food was set in front of them. Taking a cautious nibble they waited, there was no burning but they still didn’t feel the need to eat. Forcing themselves to take bites out of the food, barely tasting any of it as it dissolved in their Core.

“What’s wrong? The food that good you decided to savour it? Haha,” Food Giver smiled as they turned their attention back to the passing Players. They finished the food but left the plate and watched the world before them go by in a blur. If Food Giver was talking they weren’t listening, if Tamer’s were coming by they didn’t pay attention to them as they were being Rejected. It wasn’t until night fell that they noticed Food Giver walking up to them with a plate of food. Trying to gain back their usual behaviour they took the plate of food from them before it was set down. Waiting for a moment before eating they devoured the whole meal, their Core quivering slightly at the memory of the last time they did that and got hurt.

Food Giver laughed and sat down beside them, they yawned and watched as the lights started to flicker on, the breathing of Food Giver was rhythmic and they knew that he Logged out. They couldn’t help but think that this felt familiar, like it happened a long time ago and they just accepted it as is. Shaking off the lingering thought they figured that what happened out there was meant for Food Giver to deal with. All they had to do was wait for them to return even if it took days.

‘Why? Why do I have to wait for him? We’re not that close to be waiting for each other. He was clearly doing this for his Quest and I’m just... here. There’s nothing special about me, and there’s a lot of creatures out there that would demand Quests from the Players. So why me?’

Dinner snuck by somehow and was exiting the town as the sun started to rise, Food Giver had Logged back in and got up from his spot then walked into town. They weren’t really expecting a ‘Good Morning’ but the thought of it not being said was a bit annoying since they said the other ‘Greetings’. Brushing it off they watched as the town started to wake and run with busy Player’s running this way and that towards their Quests.

Some of the Tamer’s that stuck by and watched for a few days was starting to understand that Taming them was next to impossible unless they made a suitable offering. Some came by with snacks for them but they included the Notification of asking to be Tamed. They refused of course and only took food that didn’t have a catch. They ate cautiously at first and the small hint of burning or something else they threw the food away and attacked the Player that gave them the offering.

By the time the Tamer’s all left Food Giver had returned with some food and it was nearing night once more. Well, they kept to their promise of feeding them when they were on. But who knows how long that will last? The Tamers were no different than Food Giver and the one that tried to Force Tame them. But deciding on who to go with was the question. None of them seemed to be patient enough and each time one of them tried they are off and to their knowledge, never to be seen again.

Yawning they ate the food with a bit less caution and ate the rest as quickly as they could before the Forced Tamed, but they did it without feeling. Food Giver laughed and together they sat and watched the world decent into darkness.

Something new happened that night.

Howling was heard and it was close, the Guardsmen retreated to the safety of the walls. Food Giver hasn’t moved from their spot, they figured that he had Logged out. Why did he do that next to them? There was clearly a place for them to do that in town where they will be safe, or was it something else?

“Just because your next to me doesn’t mean a thing,” they said and focused on the forest where the howls had come from. They hoped that the Slime's were ok. If only they could move to help them fend off the monsters that were near by. It was sickening being in one spot keeping the Player’s from attacking the Slime's and not helping them further than that.

The light drizzle of rain hit the concrete sidewalk the gentle sound of it hitting the world and the windshields of parked cars. The building was a red brick block that extended to the back with windows. The warmth of the day was soon melting away with the rain down the drain as a chill started to set in.

It was his day off, his and his date that night.

Working for the same department helped, Royal Knights of Zeonsi. Walking the streets daily they knew every inch and people that walked by on the regular. But today was special.

They held the tickets close and waited for the phone to either ring or die as they checked to see if their date was coming. As the minutes ticked by they wondered if they were having troubles on getting here or if something happened.

After texting they waited for a reply to see if they were alright. The only thing he got back was a ‘Ya’, and they wondered if they read the other messages. Looking to the side the doors were opening, signalling that the restaurant was closing.

Sighing they ran a hand through their smartly combed hair and gave it a ruffle, “Yeah, shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up...”

They stopped questioning why they were having these strange visions of this sad man, it just seemed to them that the System was trying to ruin their good mood for a reason. Sighing they pushed those awful feelings away and wondered instead on what they were going to do about Midnight World

Taking a quick glance around with no sight of Food Giver yet they started searching through their Quest’s to see if anything had changed.

It hasn’t.

Food Giver was just walking out of the gates and towards them. They weren’t exactly in a good mood and the guy didn’t even greet them as usual. Seems like Bad Mood was a catching feeling like a disease. Food Giver walked away and they wondered if they had done something to make them mad, or if it’s something out there that they weren’t aware of.

No.

Why worry about that when Midnight World could end at any time? They have to find a suitable Tamer soon. They don’t want to see this wonderful world die, they don’t want to see the family they had made to stop existing. What is it that they needed to do other than get Tamed? Was there an end goal? Did they have to beat Midnight World in order to save it?

So many questions that still needs to be answered and yet nothing to help them answer it. What could they do next to save the world they now call home...

If only they weren’t stuck.

The terrible need to move from this spot was starting to grow.

What lies beyond the Flower Path?

What is within those walls?

Where does Slime Hope teleport to?

Was it a curse?

They felt the growing anxiety start to gnaw at them wondering what would happen to the world if they remain motion for all of time, not interacting with the Flowers or the Player’s, why were they stuck there? What kind of sick Curse was this?

They had to get out.

Just watching the world go by without them, they’ve had enough!

No moment is stuck in time for anyone other than what they themselves see.

“I want to move...” they tried moving away from the spot before but it was too tiring to continue and even now it was the same as before. They wasted energy for no reason other than to strain themselves out of shape. They continued to try but in small bursts so it doesn’t look like they were trying. They noticed that it didn’t drain as much energy as full force would. In fact it seems that the energy bar was increasing in size.

Tamer’s come and go a few of them were familiar but not from the day before, night rolled around and they were still trying to move. It was time for the Slime's to start spawning as they watched there was no sight of a Green Slime. But they did see a Legendary Slime, they were clear in color other than the black eyes that gave their position away. They were also in the shape of a square, it was odd to see but not impossible it seems. They slowly made their way to them and they sat with them. They stayed by each other for a long while before the Clear Slime spoke.

“It’s been far too long, Slime Warrior,” This sparked familiarity and the need to hug the little oddly shaped Slime.

“Protect?” They breathed as they looked at them.

“You still remember me, I’m glad,” the Clear Slime settled and they shrunk slightly as they looked over the Flower Path. “I’m different now, I feel so much stronger than before. It also seems as if I’m the only one tonight.”

“The Slime Warriors will be coming by soon to take you to Slime Hope. There’s many of them now, all different,” they wanted to continue talking about Slime Hope from what they seen.

“No, I’m staying here.” This was shocking and it seems Protect was the type to be stubborn to her words.

“What?”

“I’m sure things have calmed down now, it’s been long enough that they won’t hurt us anymore.”

“Are you sure about that? They seem to be hurting me a lot.”

“I have a special skill that will stop them from hurting us. Will you trust me?” Looking down to Protect they couldn’t help but trust them. If things go south, they can always attack back and make sure that they know to not mess with his family. “Sleep.”