I thought that high-level users didn't like slow rides, since they're always riding their flying mounts.

Alan stared at Amelia, who was absently looking at the distance while caressing her new Slime pet. A smile on her relaxed face.

She was not lying when she mentioned that she wanted a vacation.

While Smaio drove the cart to Unus Town, with a vigilant Ashley by his side, in case the Weasenox attacked, Alan revisited what had transpired moments before leaving the Slime Village.

***

"Is that Slime following us?" Alan had said, while Amelia consulted a system notification in her system menu.

"Huh, I didn't notice that I got the Monster Tamer skill while interacting with it," she said before grinning widely and hugging it protectively. "That means I can keep it, right, right?! Is no one against me keeping it?!

Is she asking for permission to kidnap a child!?

"What do you say, chief?" Alan asked Smudock, who maintained a serene posture.

"If the system allowed it, I don't have a reason to object. Take good care of Slomiack, Amelia Laflamme."

"Yay!” She held it aloft. “But that’s a hideous name for such a cute thing. I’ll name you Sloochie from now on! Do you like it?” she asked, and the slime squeaked, seemingly happy.

"Farewell, to one of our finest warriors…" Smudock said before adopting an awkward silence.

“Try not to say inappropriate things while we're still here," Alan whispered to her while glancing at the rest of the villagers, who shared the same grim mood as their chief.

***

“I wonder if you could change your element to fire, hmm?” Amelia was whispering to Sloochie, who squeaked.

She has a really cute side too.

Alan grinned before folding his arms to take a little nap, but an image flashed before his eyes. He put a hand on his forehead and started sweating cold.

Why? Why am I remembering that right now?

His brain stubbornly repeated memories of Amelia kicking him, punching him, decapitating him. All while she maintained a nasty glare in her eyes.

“Dammit…” Alan muttered, shutting his eyes tight, getting Amelia’s attention.

“Is something wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

He looked at her, in his mind a superimposed image of her, ruthlessly attacking him. For Alan, she looked genuinely worried and furious at the same time.

“I was just thinking that I wish I was that Slime to rest on your lap...” He bitterly chuckled, but she maintained a frowning expression.

“I don’t believe you,” she said, leaving Sloochie aside and getting closer to him. Alan could see her amber-colored eyes closer than ever. “We’re partners now, correct? Allies.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, feeling the heat on his cheeks.

“The Weasenox!” Smaio cried, looking at the back of the cart. “It’s coming from behind!”

“Understood,” Ashley said, readying her bow and an arrow, but Amelia was faster.

“Dragonbreath,” she casually cast while reaching out her hand to her right, where the Weasenox was trying to reach the back of the cart. A burst of fire manifested from her palm while she kept her eyes locked on Alan. “If something bad happened to you, you would tell me, right?”

“S-sure,” Alan replied, looking at the charred beast.

“You know, I was thinking about what we would do once we start the guild,” Amelia started saying, sitting by his side. “Right now it’s pretty late, so the Townhall must be closed by now. We’ll get a place to rest, and...” She pursed her lips and gave him an apologetic look.

“What, what is it?”

“I want you to start training right away. Level up as fast as you can.”

“That’s the idea, yes. I’m tired of being this weak.”

“Well, I won’t be able to help you on your first missions,” she said, looking at her nails. “If I remain in an active party with you, your XP may get reduced or stolen by me. So… While you and…” She cleared her throat. “Miss Archer here, go on your first adventures, I will remain in the town, doing… stuff.”

Why is she acting like this?

“Yeah, I get it.”

“But once you get to a decent level, let’s say, 70, I could help you do Raids.” She beamed. “That was my favorite activity as a member of Shooting Stars.”

“That sounds nice. I’ll count on you when I get there.”

“Leave it to me,” she half-smiled before turning silent for a bit. When she finally opened her mouth, Smaio announced they had reached their destination.

“Let’s go,” Alan said, getting down first and offering her a hand.

She accepted and called her Slime to rest on her arms once again.

“That the Goddess Viola blesses you,” Smaio said, resuming his journey.

“Goodbye, Smaio! Let’s meet again!”

“Goddess Viola?” Amelia asked. “Who is that?”

So not everyone knows the names of the administrators. That reminds me of The Dragon’s Belly and the guy that implied that getting in contact with one of them was difficult.

Alan glanced at Ashley, leaving to her the choice of revealing the information.

“It’s the name of the Monster Administrator, Viola Lang,” Ashley said in a business-like tone of voice. “She’s in charge of everything related to the monsters and creatures inhabiting the Novus. Their respawning rate, their habitat, the damage they dealt, to name a few examples.”

“So even the monsters know their creator,” Amelia said, nodding before sneering. “That Viola gal must love herself so much to program all of her creations with that knowledge.”

Well done, Ashley. She won’t ask more questions. Alan smiled at Ashley, who stared blankly at him.

They walked through the main street, reaching Downtown in a couple of minutes. Even though Unus town has gotten bigger, it’s still a pretty small place.

Having briefly visited the enormous Londorus and admiring Fleurella from the sky gave him a good idea of how vast the Novus was.

“Are we going to stay in an inn?” Alan asked, getting another sneer from Amelia.

“Me, in a stinky inn? No, thank you.”

“I don’t think places stink here unless you program them to,” he muttered, looking at the surrounding buildings before someone bumped into him.

“Sorry,” the guy said without gazing at him nor stopping walking.

“Hold on!” Amelia quickly grabbed the guy by the collar of his jacket, who didn’t manage to sneak away.

“Get off me, miss!”

“Not until you give back what you stole.”

“He what?” Alan cried, checking his pockets.

“I stole nothing, you crazy--” the guy stopped mid-sentence, feeling an abrasive heat in the back of his neck. “Woah, woah! I’m sorry, okay? Here, he’s more empty than me!” He threw Alan’s rusty sword on the ground, who quickly grabbed it.

“Come on, man! This’s the only thing I have!”

“Can you let me go now, miss?!” the thief said, getting a smirk from her.

“Sure.” Amelia incinerated his whole body in an instant and resumed her walk. “Let’s go, guys.”

She can still be pretty terrifying, Alan thought, before another image of her stomping him invaded his mind.

“Are you okay, Alan?” Ashley asked, watching him massage the side of his head.

“I’m fine, I just haven’t slept well since I logged back in.”

Amelia glanced at him for a second before stopping and addressing a passerby. “You, Low Leveler! Do you know if there’s an empty house or building for sale in this bore of a place?”

“Huh?” The man grimaced first after hearing her remarks but quickly formed a grin after staring at her face and figure. “But of course, miss. If you walk through this street for a couple of minutes, you’ll see a white building by your right side. It has remained empty for a while since no one has moved in here in a long time.”

“Thanks for the history lesson,” Amelia said, tossing her hair back. “Come on, guys.”

“Tsk! Not even a golden coin for the info?” The man was muttering at Alan’s back as he walked away.

“Amelia,” Alan called, keeping her pace. “If we’re going to remain here for a while, it might not be the best of ideas to antagonize the locals.

“Alan, sweetheart, they need to know that a Level 100 has just moved in, so they don’t mess with us. Let me help this guild my way.”

“I think Amelia’s experience may be beneficial to us,” Ashley said, nodding slightly. “We should take her lead for the time being.”

Oh, come on, Ashley. Are you changing me for her?

“Listen to your ‘partner’, Alan. And don’t worry, I won’t snatch your position as our leader.” She chuckled. “As a certain someone I know.”

“Very funny…”

They stopped in front of the aforementioned two-story building, empty and with its lights out. A floating System Menu was at the reach of Amelia’s hand.

“Let’s see,” she said, tapping it. Alan could see over her shoulder photos of the interior. “3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, and it can be configured to be a shop. Not bad.”

Alan stepped back after glancing at the asking price and the original owner. Monique Ascencio. 90k gold.

Oh, great, I owe her 10k, and now I’ll have to see her face around here often. She was also the one that told Kathleen Maher about me. That incident must have been one of the key pieces that led Marco to finally betray Shooting Stars.

“All done,” Amelia said after the system window disappeared as she stepped forward.

“What do you mean?” Alan said, frowning, while Amelia opened the door.

“I bought the house, dummy. Would you prefer to sleep in the street?”

“She is reliable,” Ashley said, getting inside.

“Something tells me she will force me to pay her in full later on,” Alan muttered, strolling forward.

Inside, Sloochie was jumping over a couch, and Amelia was already making changes. “I don’t like the dining table there.” She tapped a System Menu attached to a wall, and the furniture blinked and moved automatically. “Ashley, be a nice girl and take care of dinner, okay? The fridge should be full.”

Ashley glanced at Alan, who rushed to say: “I can cook!”

“You?” Amelia squinted. “Do you know how to cook? You were not here when the Cooking Patch was introduced, Alan. She’s level 41, she already knows her way inside the system.”

“41?” Alan asked Ashley, who walked to another room, silently.

“You can explore the house all you want, just a heads up, I’m configuring my room to be 25% bigger than yours. I’m telling you now so I don’t want to hear you crying later, okay?”

“Fine,” he said as he crossed a hallway that led him towards the stairs to the second floor, an empty storage room, and the back of the house. I just got inside and I already need fresh air. He strolled to the last door, twisted the doorknob and realized it was stuck. “Why would a recently bought virtual house have issues?”

“Good night, Alan Warden. Is it a good time to talk?” the voice of a man said at his back.

Alan felt a chilling down his spine. The stranger had not made a sound, and it was impossible that he could get past Amelia’s sharp instincts.

One of two possibilities, the stranger was already waiting inside the house, which is unlikely, or...

Alan slowly turned around, finding a lanky black man sitting at the bottom of the stairs. With tired-looking eyes and curly black hair.

“Who are you?” Alan asked, swallowing.

Although I may already have an idea...

“I’m Ricardo Silva, the Glitch Administrator.”