A Level She Was Never Prepared For

7/10

( Player Pov )

What did he do?! Searing pain was all I could feel, like every nerve was on fire and worst of all I couldn't move to try and relieve it. I could see my health was low, I wasn't going to die but none of my upgrades were bringing it back up like they should. I was so weak, even if I was free I would struggle to stand let alone fight back. "Hush now huntress, it is done. You are free" When did he come closer, when did he put his hands on my face, or take the cover off my mouth? Everything was so muddled with the pain I was struggling to think. Slowly I made sense of the feeling of my hands being free, my glaive must have fell from my hand because I couldn't feel it when I flexed my fingers. Now I knew they would move, I tried moving my hands to open my menu. I needed to get away, and if the lack of glow around us was anything to go by the circle keeping me locked in was gone. It came up, but it was missing so many features. It had my stats and access to my things like gold and what was in my bag, but my entire log in option was missing. 

As I felt myself being moved into the guild masters arms, no he wasn't the guild master... he was a slime, a king slime. I hadn't wanted to believe it, but it explained so much. The mixed features the lack of any kind of introduction and back story, he was a NPC that broke from its allotted place in the game. Broke the code of the game itself somehow, becoming something he shouldn't be. How though, even if I hadn't killed him I gave him meat. It wasn't enchanted, there was nothing that would have freed him or given him any access to leave his coded role. I tried to find something anything on my menu to get me out of game, but nothing was working! Finally I let it close, looking around to try and see where I was. He was walking us through the corridors somewhere deeper into the castle. That wasn't good, this place was built into the mountain itself so who knows how far from the entrance we were now. "Where are you taking me?" The way he looked down at me was so caring, it was unsettling and I didn't know how to handle it right now. "I am taking you to what will be our room when your ready, for now it is yours alone. You need to recover"

My room, ours when I'm ready? Just how long has he been planning this, wait how long ago was I even in that dungeon? I cant pretend I know how time works fully, while I'm playing I can be in here for days if not longer if I get engrossed. But while I'm offline my character sleeps, I though only a night passed but maybe it was more. Maybe that wasn't what happened. Looking around taking the castle in, I couldn't help but wonder if they built it. If they found it that still would have taken time even with races skilled in all trades, which they had clearly taken over to make it like new. With how new everything looked, even the stone walls showed no sign of wear indicating it was newly built now found and renovated. No, that didn't matter right now. There was something far more important I needed answered. "What did you do to me?" He didn't even stop as he opened a set of doors without even moving a finger. Just how strong was he? Looking at him with more of a critical gaze now I could see traits of at least three races, but his skills were more like five at least. 

"I cut the cord tethering you to where you disappeared to, you are now free. Nothing will pull you away from me or our children again" Cutting the cord? Disappearing to where I was tethered to? No... no he couldn't mean. He cut the connection to my plugged in body?! That shouldn't be possible! It explained why the menu was broken, and I had no connection to anything that would let me connect to or log out of game. Still this shouldn't be possible. "Enough for now Huntress, rest and regain your strength. When you wake we will talk more" Wait when did he put me on a bed? "You won't be needing this, I will place it away for safe keeping" When did he take my bag off, or better yet how? His hand waved over my eyes and suddenly I felt tired, like when I sleep for real. "Sleep now" No, no this isn't right. I shouldn't sleep now, but I couldn't fight it.

( King Slime POV )

Looking over at my huntress I felt another pang of worry, it had been a struggle to get her to eat anything in the two days since I had cut her tether to where she once was. On waking she was weak but span a tale of our world being a game, one I was somehow corrupting by breaking invisible chains of control called code. She spoke of how I had not freed her of an invisible bind as I did on myself, but cut her only connection to her real body and world. As much as the tale was a difficult one to understand, I did believe her. Still it did not change my stance on the matter, as now just as I had then I refused to allow her to even attempt to leave. Even now no matter how I looked the cord was gone, even where it had one lay cut and frayed on her neck there was nothing but a small scar. Like a wound that had healed over time in mere hours. She had not taken it well, but in her weak state my huntress had no way to fight me. That aside I had taken her bag and access to any means of weapon, more for her own safety than mine. It was already clear even unarmed she was no match to fight me.

 She was the only one in this world who need never fear me, yet she did not seem to want to accept that fact yet. Other items in her bag wouldn't be an issue, such as travel scrolls which I had ensured were useless inside these walls. The food I ignored, I had seen to it my huntress had far better to eat than rations and odd saved dishes. Yet making her consume them was becoming a struggle. I could force her, the method wouldn't be pleasant for her but if it came to her health I would have little choice. "I'm finished" Looking at her plate I frowned seeing most of the food untouched, moving it around her plate or cutting it did not fool me. With a sigh I shook my head, that was not enough yet again. "You must eat more, you can not continue to neglect your stomach" Her eyes met mine, a spark of rebellion hidden behind the exhaustion where she had not been sleeping well. The first night had been due to tears after our first attempt to speak did not go as she desired, the second I believe was her attempting to find routes of escape. Unsuccessfully even with her valiant attempts.

"If you give me my bag, I have food in there I will eat" Chuckling at her determination I shook my head, taking a drink from the wine on the table. I didn't need to eat or drink as she did, yet I was determined to share meals with my huntress unless I was forced away. "There was a few scraps of food, along with a few combinations that would be a stretch to call a meal when I inspected that bag. Even if I gave it to you it would maybe last you a day if you ate it all" I picked up the sound of her swallowing hard even before I turned back to look at her, a smirk in place. "Nothing else inside would be of use. The weapons are safely stored for if they are ever needed, while those scrolls and enchanted items will not work here" Had I not know her distress was caused due to not being able to leave my side, I might have felt guilt for causing it. Turning away I went back to the table, taking more food for my own plate so I could eat another meal slowly alongside her as she ate.

 "Now please finish your meal, I will remove the seal on the doors once your plate is clean" I didn't want to confine her, it reminded me of my time in the dungeon forever locked in. Yet I knew I had to ensure her heath. I wanted my huntress happy and healthy at my side, and while happy may take time healthy I would ensure. Our children were also growing more concerned with their mother's upset, and it took many hours of conversing to convince them she needed space. They continued to stay close, wanting to be close to her while doing as I instructed them. It was a tense balance but it was only for a short while until she settled into a routine of sorts. Perhaps then being around them would help her feel more comfortable as well, or at least bring her closer to accepting her place was here.