Gamer hoofed it up and around the castle stone path. He put his legacy t-shirt and jeans on mid-run. Once he drew away from the lake, he barked a laugh, "That worked like a charm. I didn't have fun with Sam, but at least the big guy distracted the mollies. The less of my children I see, the happier I'll...dammit, I'm turning into my father."
Gamer dashed into the village, purposely ignored each grating greeting, and made it to the fountain in the castle's courtyard. Here, with her tanned and supple body exposed, was Minnie.
"Lookin' good, Minnie," Gamer greeted.
Minnie's excitement awakened, "Oh, hi, Gamer! Fancy meeting you here, haha! What are you up to?"
"Fooling around with hotties. You know, the usual. I can tell I'm ready to leave. I'm all antsy," Gamer stared towards the skies.
"I know what you mean. It's been a peaceful couple of days," Minnie enjoyed the change of pace.
"Any sign of Asterion or Sonia?"
"Not yet, but it can be difficult when your eyes are closed," Minnie sat on the edge of the fountain and kicked her feet.
"Aside from a hole in her ship, Sam's ready to take us into space. A galactic adventure awaits!" Gamer declared.
However, Minnie didn't match his energy. Instead, she seemed lost in thought. Gamer tilted his head at her, and it prompted her to speak, "Sorry, I've been wondering about something."
"What's up?"
"After you make your wish, will we ever see you again? I...understand what you're trying to do for your sister, but a part of me doesn't like the idea of you being gone," anxiety lined Minnie's words.
It was a heartfelt question, and Gamer ensured, "Trust me, after the wish is made, you'll definitely see me again. That's a promise!"
"Really?!" his assurance helped. "That's good. Based on what you've told me about the outside world, I suspect I can't actually come with you."
"Pssh, maybe," Gamer teased. It surprised Minnie, and he saw her turtle tail wag. He explained, "With some recent developments, my sister and I may have found a way to get a computer program to live and interact in the real world. The legalities might be iffy, but I bet we could iron out the details. Samira's one of the best."
"You mean I can join you on adventures in the real world?!"
"Eeeh, adventures in the real world aren't as wild as fantasy ones. But, there's plenty to see and do."
"That means plenty of time with each other," Minnie blushed.
"Plenty of dates," Gamer promised.
Minnie jumped for joy and hugged Gamer. Tears of happiness formed in her eyes, and Gamer felt the sentimentality rearing its head.
A text box popped up in front of them, "٩(^ᗜ^ )و Honestly, the law is the only hurdle we have at this point. But we're no strangers to upending authority."
Minnie looked at the text box, "What is that?"
Gamer nearly bugged out, "Woah! You can see Samira's texts?"
"Hello, Minnie! It's finally nice to make your acquaintance! I'm Gamer's big sister; the brains of the operation, cuz," Samira addressed Minnie.
"Oh! Hello!" indeed Minnie could see and read the text.
"How did you pull this off?" Gamer had to know.
"( ๑‾̀◡‾́) I used a writer's bestie; copy and paste. I took the code corruption you and Shade generated, gave it a lil glow-up, integrated it into my programs, and BAM! i am robot <|°w°|> now anybody whom I deem worthy can see my texts, and I remain hidden," Samira explained.
"That's awesome!" Gamer was proud of his sister.
"I don't get it, but it's nice to put a box to the name. Nice to meet you, Samira!" Minnie was, just like for Gamer, the first NPC to greet her.
"(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) thank you!!" Samira felt real. Her text box turned specifically towards Gamer, "She'll make a great sister-in-law!"
"Shut it!" Gamer shoved the text box away. Minnie didn't seem to understand the term. Samira's text box tilted side-to-side with ( ⸝⸝'꒳'⸝⸝).
"If we could go to the real world, what'll happen to Chanterelle?" Minnie asked.
Gamer explained, "It'll still be here. It's an online open-server game. Which means it's interconnected with the developer's other games. Like Highrule, or wherever Sam is from. They still exist, even if nobody is there."
Samira joined in, "I doubt the Game Masters will finna trash everything once all is said and done. That'd be some wildin' skissues if they did. We gucci."
"You talk funny," Minnie became lost in the text.
"It helps keep spies outta my DMs if I act like a teenager from the 2000s. (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵) Incognito, babeh!"
Gamer asked, "Say, Samira, do you know if Asterion and Sonia are here yet? The point-stealing ho wanted a break before we launched, but I still need to talk to the big guy about his son."
"I see they logged in ten minutes ago," Samira checked.
"Where the hell are they, then?"
"Quest selected. Quest marker activated," Samira said with her British accent.
Above Gamer's head appeared a 3D arrow that directed him in a direction. Gamer shrugged at the easy mode and followed its point. Minnie tossed her clothes and shell on and tailed after him. The quest marker didn't take them far; into the castle, through the foyer, to the grand hall doors.
Gamer grunted, "Are they seriously chowing down the moment they log in? They better have a good reason..."
Gamer opened one of the large doors. A naked Asian kneeled next to a table, with a nude minotaur looming over her. His hellacious cock bloated her mouth and throat. On top of that, one of her hands fisted his exit hole, wrist deep. Asterion and Sonia made roaring grunts that would make the deepest pits of Hell shudder. Gamer quickly closed the door. It was a brief glimpse, but so much had been seen.
"Were they..." Gamer glanced at Minnie for confirmation.
"I think they..." Minnie's eyes were saucers, and her cheeks cherried.
Gamer reopened the door, to see Asterion and Sonia casually stepping over to them. They were fully dressed, and with no sign of copulation.
"What's up, Gamer?" Sonia tossed up a peace sign. Her outfit today saw her sporting a V-neck blue shirt, long pants tucked into shin-high boots, and a long, stylish white jacket over it all. She accessorized with a leather choker.
"Good morning," Asterion smiled. His outfit was a color alternate of his default outfit from when they first met. Instead of a red sash and scarf, it was patterned after a cow's black and white.
Gamer and Minnie silently agreed to never mention what they saw. Gamer said, "Yo, we've been waiting for you. It's time for a space adventure! FTL drives, zero gravity, and alien hotties!"
"Mmm, alien men..." Sonia started to drool.
"You've been to space?" Minnie asked. Sonia detailed what space operas she speedran. Minnie was captivated and star-struck by the vast amount of stranger things.
Gamer approached Asterion with whisper, "Hey, just wanted to touch base with you. I didn't know if you'd show back up or not."
Asterion crossed his arms and smirked, "Me neither. We've been at it for a few weeks now, so I think I needed some time out of the virtual world. I took a stroll through the nearby park, spoke to some old friends about current events, and...felt human again."
"Minnie told me about your son showing up."
"Yeah, I talked to him outside the game, too. He's as upset with me as the council is with you. He wants me to either betray you and score half your points, or toss the invite code," Asterion's stress levels were far less this time around. Touching grass did him well.
"And you're not doing either, right?" Gamer nervously laughed, but quit and switched to a pleading expression.
"Again, I don't care about the points. My gambit with you is paid, and I have my son's attention again. Now I just have to mend the wounds of the past," Asterion stared out across the land.
"That seems to be a running theme with us," Gamer pointed out.
Asterion chuckled, "Family is complicated, but worth the hassle. Besides, I returned because there's little better than giving the council a big middle finger."
"You're not afraid of legal actions?"
"I acquired the invite legally. Nothing is stopping me from interacting with a NPC in the game," Asterion winked.
"Thanks, man," Gamer and Asterion fist bumped.
"...and all the tentacles just go right in. It was a sticky situation, that's for sure," Sonia finished her story. Minnie blushed at the absurd naughtiness.
"Mmm...tentacles... (⸝⸝๑ ̫ ๑⸝⸝⸝)"
Asterion and Sonia reacted similarly as Minnie at Samira's appearance. The explanation part went quicker, though. Asterion remained gentlemanly, and Sonia played it cool by complimenting her avatar picture.
"Technically, we already met," Samira said to Sonia.
"Oh yeah, but we were enemies at the time. It's no thanks to you that I lost to this jerk," Sonia teased.
"All's fair in love and war," Gamer and Samira ( ╹o╹)ノ＼(‾̀◡‾́ ๑)
"Does this mean you see them as friends now?" Asterion noticed the blue blur's words.
Sonia didn't even seem to notice, and she turned bashful, "...maybe."
"I appreciate any and all help!" Gamer showed his gratitude with a deep bow.
"From the talk I had with Dimitri, the council's grown quiet. Even though you're close to the Total High Score, they haven't made a public statement yet," Asterion said. The news didn't sit right, and Gamer was ready to grumble.
"Their options are limited to what the game holds. They got around things with Shade, but it was probably their only shot at an advantage," Sonia figured.
"They shot, and they missed," Gamer reflected pride. His gambit paid off.
"Will your son come for Gamer?" Minnie asked.
Asterion shook his head, "I doubt it. He's being pigeonholed to focus on Gamer's allies. If I'm around, it'll more than likely be specific to me. Plus, I wouldn't want him to. He only engages in fights, and I'm sure Gamer would work the system to beat him."
"And give him enough points to earn the wish," Samira calculated. "Plus plus, we can beat the respect into him."
Her words visibly made the father uncomfortable. He appeared forlorn, "I personally wouldn't want that."
Gamer sniffed out the problem, "Is there an ulterior motive for that?"
"A father protecting his son from losing his high score."
Samira .·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·. Sonia crossed her arms to signify her disapproval, but sympathized. Gamer nodded, "Alright, then I won't pressure you. I'll respect your choice."
"Thank you," Asterion bowed.
"He's too stubborn to talk things out?" Gamer raised an eyebrow.
"Pretty much. Fueled by hate and pride. I don't know how else to approach him..."
"We trap him with the babas," Gamer suggested.
"We challenge him to a race," Sonia suggested.
"We touch him," Minnie suggested. Gamer and Sonia immediately dropped their solutions for hers. They nodded and pointed with sexual intrigue.
Asterion grimaced, "No, none of that. Just leave him to me if he shows up."
"Fiiine...any issues for you?" Gamer switched to Sonia.
"I'm unaffiliated, babe. I'll continue to leech on for now," Sonia equipped a fat, fucking grin.
"At least she's honest," Minnie laughed.
"Yeah, my favorite thing about her..." Gamer's eye twitched.
"Say, Gamer, did Sam update her ship to be more retro?" Asterion asked, his gaze cast to the skies.
A few clouds lingered during this sunny day. Something beyond them descended ever-so-slightly. It was a spaceship of simple, blocky design and one solid color of green. The blocky shape of the ship made it look like it was a creature: a face with eyes, antennas, and rigid tentacles.