The obliteration barrier for the match dissipated. The yosauri tried to lick the particles, but they couldn't interact with them. Persica drew her skirt aside and stood up. She handed her tea to her people and made her way to the center of the grand hall. Gamer and Lil Min checked one another's wounds, while Asterion stayed defeated on the ground. The princess approached the minotaur, a little worried, "Is he dead?"
"I wish I were...but it doesn't work like that in fighting games," Asterion answered. The minotaur worked his way from the floor to his feet, but with extra precaution to his damaged goods. He sighed, "I hate to admit it, especially after all of your shenanigans, but...you won."
"It wasn't easy. You're a tough sonovabitch," Gamer gave kudos.
"Teamwork makes the dream work!" Minnie reversed her tank top and pocketed the boxing shells.
Asterion couldn't be mad at that face, "You saved his bacon, that's for sure. I'm not as youthful anymore. I got overconfident."
"You battle phenomenally. Kill your shame and set your sights on the horizon," Persica encouraged the bull.
"We can always have a rematch, too!" Minnie tag teamed with the princess.
Asterion saw the value in ally support and stared over at Gamer. The man himself was checking a nipple. It took a glancing blow during the fight. He assured his milk dud was in good shape. Asterion stepped over and caught his attention.
"So what's it gonna be? Per the Gamer's Gambit rules, I didn't wager anything. You have free roam to claim whatever you wish," Asterion wore his honor, however pained, through expression.
Gamer shrugged, uncaring, "I don't know; I didn't give any thought to it. Say, Persica, do you have any more of that mushroom wine?"
"I do. Shall I send for a bottle?" Persica snapped her fingers. Doc shrooman, and two additional colleagues, shot to attention next to their princess.
"Yeah, and I'd like to talk to Asterion in private."
Persica and Minnie respected Gamer's wishes and left the grand hall. Asterion raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Gamer had up his sleeve. Gamer kicked some lone chairs at one of the off-kilter tables. He plopped in one and Asterion claimed the other. Shroomans brought the wine and golden goblets. They dinked goblets and sinked their drinks. Bitter, but mellow.
"Your evasiveness worries me. Where is this kindness headed?" Asterion asked.
Gamer snickered, "I'm a dead man. Not many things I need right now. Let's just enjoy some drinks and talk. I think it's only fair that you hear my side of the story. What you do with the information afterwards is up to you."
Asterion chuckled, "What a bother. Fine, I'll let my guard down."
The minotaur loosened up and sucked down an entire goblet of wine. He went in for more; he probably needed something to numb the pain down under. They nursed the alcohol and simply breathed for a moment. The adrenaline died down, and lethargy and aches set in.
"Man, I tell ya, this synaptic feedback will be the death of me. You'd think I'd be used to it by now," Asterion tapped his head. Gamer knew what he meant; the headset that comatose the mind and dropped you into a virtual world needed access to all of your brain. That includes pain receptors.
"Weirdly enough, it's all real to me. Shit hurts..." Gamer rubbed his side where he received the bull's horn.
"Escapism my ass," Asterion commented. The two laughed and found equilibrium. Gamer felt this before, after their initial chase and after reuniting with Samira.
"Your bounty is a special one," Asterion said.
"How's that?"
"Welp, there's never been a person sentenced to eternal gamenation and not turned into an NPC. That's big news, but it isn't public knowledge yet. The bounty is invitation only. I only received it because of my legacy in the fighting game community. That and one of the developers, Nathaniel, is an old friend of mine," Asterion explained.
"Does that mean a bunch of players won't flood the game to kill me?"
"Depends on who gets the invite and how long your situation doesn't leak. People may wait and see how the stew is stirred. For some, three thousand is a nice pick-me-up, too."
Gamer felt guilt, "Yeah, sorry to say, but you'll need to find money for your son's birthday somewhere else."
"Tch, he hates me anyway. It's okay."
"Say what?"
Asterion laid his cup down and explained, "Family bonds are a cornerstone of most fighting games. Generational struggles and love are deep rooted matters. Art reflects life...or, perhaps it's the other way around.
"My father, and his father before him, passed along a passion for fighting games. I liked the character designs, whacky stories, and mechanics, but never got into the professional scene. Too toxic for my liking."
"But just toxic enough for your boy's liking," Gamer predicted.
"Sort of. He could pick apart and piece together movesets and mix ups like nobody else. Some called him a savant or prodigy. By the age of thirteen, he was whooping everybody at my arcade left and right. Then, even before he turned twenty-one, he won his first nationals championship," Asterion spoke with glints of pride.
"Twenty-one? How old are you?"
"Sixty-four," Asterion labeled. He played with his grey chin hairs.
"Oh, boy, you really are prehistoric," Gamer quipped.
"Mythologic, some might say," Asterion smirked. It faded quick, though, as they got back to story time, "Being young and exposed to such accolades turned my son egotistical. He shunned the idea of playing games for fun, and instead honed his craft to become one of the greatest fighting game champions in the world. That ego pushed me away. He's not interested in a washed-up casual who can't even hold onto a high score with only four digits."
"What a prick," Gamer insulted.
"He's still my son. That'll never change," Asterion reserved his conviction.
Gamer took another swig, and decided it was his turn, "What if I told you I was here because of my father?"
"Fighting games have taught me that the father is a driving force in a son's personal quandaries," Asterion believed him.
"I'mma shotgun this for ya," Gamer waved his hands out like spreading open rolled up parchment. "My dad's the CEO of the Red Ring Corporation."
Asterion's eyes bulged, "Excuse me? Your father's Chad Mortimer? The Board Game Billionaire?"
Gamer continued, "And he's the one who caught me doing all the illegal shit."
"Okay, the tension is growing..."
"And I'm the one who suggested eternal gamenation."
"Woah...what..."
Gamer simmered down, "So, the International Gaming Council ruled that I was guilty on all charges, without prejudice. Scandalous stuff; the son of a prominent billionaire disgracing the elite. Some encouraged covering it up, my dad wanted me legally disowned, but their reputation stood challenged. So, I deferred to the ultimate punishment. I put forth a Gamer's Gambit; throw me into eternal gamenation, and I'll beat the Total High Score before becoming an NPC. Indulgent morons said yes, which only makes sense. By all accounts, I don't exist anymore. Father curried favor by agreeing, all to maintain his seat on the council. Instead of protecting his son."
"That piece of shit," Asterion practically growled. "They weren't expecting you to maintain consciousness, though. How'd you do that, by the way?"
"I didn't. My sister did," Gamer gave cheers to Samira. She was oddly quiet for the entire exchange, "Samira's one helluva hacker. Being bedridden means you only have so many hobbies to pick from. It took all of her skills, but she was able to save my conscience after my body and mind were destroyed. I'm technically a program, but everything is me, with the only thing missing being my name."
"If you're the son of Mortimer, that means you're Gamer," Asterion verbally tripped. He realized, "Ah, they blacklisted your name."
"Yep, I'll never hear it again."
"Could the Game Masters just Ctrl, Alt, Delete you?"
"What's great about being a program is that there's nothing the Game Masters can do about it," Gamer danced his fingertips together like a maniacal genius.
"How come?"
"People aren't allowed to change, delete, or add to the game's code. That's considered cheating. That law stands true even for the big wigs. Which means..." Gamer led off for Asterion to pick up.
Pick up he did, "The Game Masters can't remove you from the game. They would be breaking the cardinal law of gaming. They would face the same judgment as you, but even worse. It'd be a huge scandal on a global scale."
"The only hope they have of erasing my ass is through the game itself taking me down, or other players. As long as they don't throw a one-winged angel or a blue-eyed skeleton at me, I'll be fine. It'll all fuel my high score."
"Fucking brilliant," Asterion took a moment to analyze the situation. "Yet, fucking risky."
"It's a Gamer's Gambit for a reason. All this just to reach a new Total High Score, and win back my life. My sister and I know what we're doing, and are trying to beat the odds at every step. She's been with me since the beginning. When I got into video gaming, she helped me with my crimes."
"She's an accomplice?"
"Of course. I did them for her."
"Huh?"
Gamer finished another goblet, "My sister is terminally ill. Her muscles are all borked thanks to a disease with no cure. The medication to help her ease the suffering is expensive as shit."
Asterion started seeing the picture, "You've got to be kidding me. All your cheating and criminal activity was to help your sister?"
"That's what family's for..." Gamer indirectly glared at his father. He poured himself more wine, and was sad to find the bottle only filled half the goblet.
"What about your father? He's rich enough to afford anything," something didn't sit right for Asterion.
"Pfft, he kicked my mom and sister to the curb a long time ago," Gamer rolled his eyes. "Dad wanted to put Samira up for adoption after learning of her condition. Mom refused, and so he booted them out the door."
"I hate him," Asterion decided.
"Amen, brother," Gamer tinked their goblets together.
Asterion lapped his lips with a long tongue. He checked the bottom of his goblet and found it empty. A conclusion arrived at the same time, "You're a cheater, one of the lowest types of scumbags. Yet, I can't help but appreciate your goal. One doesn't rectify the other, but I don't dislike you anymore."
"As long as I can make my sister's life better, I don't care how much mine falls into ruin," Gamer solidified his determination. Samira popped up with ╥﹏╥ The sentimentality made Gamer crack a smile, and he quickly diverted, "Now that you know my side of the story, whatcha think?"
Asterion brewed on the information. He searched Gamer's face, which the wine slightly contorted. He ended up saying, "Mino Martial Vow #1: Don't be afraid to listen to your own heart. From what you've told me, I don't think I'm going to renew the request."
"Cheers!" Gamer laughed. "How about you join us in taking down Lord Shellie?"
"That's the guy Princess Persica wants handled, right?"
"Yeah! I started with zilch after being digitized, and look where my high score is after a few days of meddling in this kingdom. It's going to be a journey, full of opportunity and chances. If you join in, I bet you could build up your own high score alongside me. Who knows, maybe you can catch your son's attention," Gamer enticed.
"Is that your claim for our Gambit? I was already planning on helping the princess. It'd be redundant to ask me along."
"I believe in the slut creed: if it ain't broke, keep doing it," Gamer said.
Asterion checked himself in the reflection of the golden goblet. The laughter of his baby boy lingered on his mind. The repulsion to hearing a billionaire mishandling his family increased the bull's blood pressure. He cracked a smile and surrendered, "Count me in. I'll admit, I want to see where this tale leads. If I'm bound by a Gambit, then the corpos can't exactly blame me for helping you."
"Hell yes! Lord Shellie's done for now!"
Asterion playfully groaned, "I'm not sure what I just got myself wrapped up in, but if you do to Lord Shellie what you did to me, he'll never bother the princess again."
Gamer saw Asterion caressing his groin in agony, "Yeah, sorry. You're a big guy, so I figured I had a big target."
"You weren't wrong..."
"So as a minotaur, is that part of you more man, or more bull?"
"Why do you ask?" Asterion watched for anything suspicious.
"I've always wondered if people who use avatars like that go all the way, or something else. Just a drunk question from one drunk to another," Gamer shrugged.
"Eh, a little of column A, a little of column B. It's considered a monster cock."
"People are really into those?"
"It's a small, special niche, but a coveted one," Asterion approached it analytically. "If I ever dabble in adult interactions, I have to stick with other large player avatars or creatures. Though normal sized people love to try and tackle it, it's really not the same."
It dawned on Gamer, "Woah, hold up...you NEED to stick with larger players? Is it really that big?"
"Fifteen inches."
(o/////o " ) Popped up on Gamer's screen, and for a moment he thought it was a mirror. Asterion burst out laughing, but Gamer showed his doubt, "Okay, nice try, but that's a bunch of bull. There's not even a bulge in your pants!"
"Most penises retract. Besides, I'm not about flaunting things. I don't want to be a distraction every time I hop in a lobby to find a fight," Asterion spoke as if he was discussing laundry hanging techniques.
"I still don't believe you!" Gamer challenged.
Outside the grand hall doors, two shroomans stood guard upon yosauri. Minnie post-battle stretched nearby. A heavy thud from within the grand hall moved them. They then heard Gamer's astonishment, "Holy shit!"