ExpertBunny was beyond excited to see her Yak friend. He had been spending almost all his time in his Forest Sanctuary lately, which she understood, but she’d missed him terribly.

  With a joyful squeak, she jumped into his side with a heavy thud, getting a face-full of his earthy, clover scented fur. She scrambled to his front, rubbed noses with him, and gave his massive face an awkward, sprawling hug.

  Noobkitty stepped out of the shop, laughing softly at the display while balancing a warm pie in her hands.

  "???????" GYOAT said happily, his eyes crinkling. Then, he spotted the pastry. "??????"

  In one fluid motion, the Yak flipped ExpertBunny onto his back and rushed Noobkitty, nudging her gently to the ground. She fell with a "whoop," the pie sliding safely to the side. After a quick, appreciative lick of Noobkitty’s furry cheek, GYOAT stepped over and bit into the warm, heavy crust.

  ExpertBunny sat up on the Yak’s back, giggling as she hugged him from behind. Noobkitty stood up, dusted off her apron, and smiled. "Happy to see you too, GYOAT."

  The two finally took notice of their other guests: a fuming demoness and a Neko who looked remarkably familiar. Noobkitty sighed. "How many of my clone sisters did you invite again?"

  "I think nearly twenty have travel visa access, but only eight confirmed. Two of them are CheshyBot and GobMouse, I can’t wait to meet them!" EB jumped down and grinned at the newcomer. "I recognize that face! You’re one of Kitty’s sisters." She ran forward and pulled the Neko into a hug.

  Captain Püf stepped out from the shop, spotting the newcomer. "KitE!" she shouted cheerfully. "I haven't seen you since that picnic Poffin held last year!"

  "Yeah! Did you bring your ship?" KitE asked.

  "He's in storage, but yeah. What captain would be without her ship?" Püf joked, slapping the musician on the back.

  The Succubus, utterly unaccustomed to being ignored, let out a sharp, frustrated cough. "Which one of you is the Admin?"

  ExpertBunny, leaning against GYOAT, waved her hand. "That’s me! How may I help you?"

  "I am the General of the Demon Army. My name is Veloura," the succubus said, floating up to look the Bunny eye-to-eye.

  ExpertBunny’s eyes widened. "Oh wow. I hadn't expected you for another month."

  "Players kept touching the quest item," Veloura said flatly. "The problem is that the last player to touch it was in a non-combat zone."

  ExpertBunny blinked. Her expression shifted from surprise to a suppressed, trembling laugh.

  "It’s not funny! My soldiers are just wandering around the trees, refusing to destroy anything!" Veloura yelled, her skin turning a deeper shade of red.

  "Well, it’s kind of funny," ExpertBunny said, stifling a giggle. "We had that whole thing planned. Starter Town was supposed to be razed to the ground as a server-wide event."

  "Um, sweetheart? What are you saying?" Noobkitty asked, her ears twitching.

  "It’s an event! It definitely would have brought more players in," ExpertBunny said casually. "But yeah... I guess if the portal opened in a sanctuary, that’s a problem. Who wants to sit in on a Devs' Meeting?"

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  "Me, obviously," Veloura snapped.

  "I’d like to know what you and Coro?en are up to," Noobkitty added.

  "Gasp! A player wants secret administrative information? I should probably leave you out," ExpertBunny teased.

  "If you leave me out, I'll invent a new treat while you’re gone, and you’ll be the fifth person to taste it. Maybe I’ll let the customers have it first."

  ExpertBunny gasped, clutching her heart. "You wouldn't."

  "You know, crystallized dandelions sound like a fun experiment," Noobkitty mused.

  "You monster! Fine, you can come. But I require exclusive taste-testing privileges afterward."

  "The Admin has spoken," Noobkitty smiled.

  Veloura tapped her foot mid-air. "What kind of world is this?"

  "A growing one. Welcome! We have cookies," Noobkitty said, pulling a fresh snack from her inventory. The demon took it skeptically, then took it and bit it angrily.

  "I’m supposed to be starting an uprising! I don't have time for cookies!"

  Püf waved her hand. "Want us to run the shop while you’re gone?"

  "Yeah, you and the new girl. Oh, and let GYOAT help," ExpertBunny said. "GYOAT, make sure they get along with the other animals."

  GYOAT chuffed, "??."

  "Okay, great. Initiating Devs' Meeting!"

  The White Space

  The world shifted. Noobkitty and Veloura suddenly found themselves in a vast white void with a simple wooden table. Behind it sat a pulsing orb of golden light.

  "Hello, Administrator ExpertBunny," Coro?en’s voice echoed. "Hello, Noobkitty. And hello to our new acquisition, Veloura. How are you faring?"

  "Coro?en, are you having my fiancée hide things from me?" Noobkitty asked.

  "It is unfair for a player to know administration details, so yes. We want the world to be balanced," Coro?en said plainly.

  "I mean, you could make me a moderator or something," Noobkitty offered.

  "That was not your wish," Coro?en reminded her. "But I will still listen to player suggestions."

  "Fine, fine... I just would have preferred to know you planned on destroying our home," Noobkitty sighed, letting the worry go.

  "Speaking of, my portal was placed in a non-combat zone!" Veloura interjected.

  Coro?en’s light bobbed. "Yes, I saw. It’s rather surprising."

  "What do you plan on doing about it?"

  "Plan? I was going to just see what happens," Coro?en stated.

  "You can't! We were meant to be a world-shattering event!" Veloura demanded.

  ExpertBunny stepped forward. "Actually, how did this happen so fast? Why did 666 players touch the amulet already?"

  "Oh, that was interesting," Coro?en replied. "An armadillo picked it up and called it a hat."

  Noobkitty and ExpertBunny froze. "Paulo’s hat?"

  "Yes. The autonomous animals have been an interesting addition," said Coro?en. "Did you know a beehive talks by dancing? I just learned that."

  "So what am I supposed to do?" Veloura was furious. "My troops are useless! They lose the will to fight the second they step through!"

  "Um... you could give them something else to do? Are they good at blacksmithing?" Coro?en asked.

  "You can't be serious!"

  "I am. Get creative. I’m not turning you into eye-candy or putting you in a harem. Players will love to see what you choose to do," Coro?en offered.

  "And what about Morlax? He’s still generating demons for the war," asked the demoness.

  "Oh yes, he should probably be part of this meeting," Coro?en said.

  Suddenly, a fifteen-foot-tall, hairy, hulking demon with massive horns and a flaming crown appeared. He looked startled, holding an exceptionally large mason jar filled with iced mint leaves and a yellowish liquid.

  "Um... what’s happened?" the Demon King asked, looking around. He spotted the succubus. "Oh, hey Veloura. How’s the invasion going?"

  "Bad," Veloura hissed. "And the world refuses to fix it."

  "You’re both creative souls, but maybe my Admin has an idea," Coro?en suggested.

  "Um... I pass the task of creativity to my bride to be," ExpertBunny said, passing the buck.

  Noobkitty laughed. "I have one idea, but you won't like it."

  "There are no bad ideas when brainstorming," said the Demon King Morlax, taking a long sip of his drink through a straw.

  "Let’s have a picnic," Noobkitty suggested.

  The Demon Lord’s eyes widened. "I like this cat. I’ll bring the drinks."

  "Morlax! You are a world destroying demon! You can't have drinks with the players!" Veloura screamed.

  "What other idea do you have?" Morlax asked reasonably.

  "I... I don't have one... the world won't move the portal," she admitted.

  "Then the best idea at the moment is a picnic," said the Demon Lord. "All in favor?" He raised his massive, clawed hand.

  Noobkitty raised her hand, as did ExpertBunny. A small blob of light detached from Coro?en and rose into the air.

  "I hate you all," Veloura mopped.

  "Keep being angry and I’ll make you mocktails," Morlax threatened.

  "You wouldn't dare, fuzzy-butt..."