After an hour of peace amongst the players, Vtron diffused into the five separate Vtubers. The other players occupied themselves at the resort. Vulcan took time to dig out his racer, which was relatively undamaged from Asterion's attack. Chaffe summoned a small, blue holographic woman to speak to. More than likely his navigator. They discussed ordering a vehicle.
They all agreed that the race would begin tomorrow morning, to give each time to prepare. It turned into an event, and its announcement gained traction online.
Lord Shellie's forces were long gone after the bedlam. Some of the potentas remained, since this was technically their home. They acted like proper NPCs and remained in their stations, destroyed or not. They provided players information, access to services and activities, and anything else needed. Their disregard for the resort's destruction was nothing short of eerily funny.
Gamer used the character customization options to reequip his t-shirt and jean combo. It dried him off, too, after the dunk into the ocean. He examined the bruises and scratches sustained during the raid. That's when Minnie approached.
"I found a place I can sit on you," she offered.
"A bed?" Gamer raised an eyebrow. He recalled the magical power of such items.
"Yeah! They have vacation huts here, so we should grab one," Minnie took Gamer by the hand. They walked over to where the beachside huts were located, just past the sports area. Nestled into the tree line were multiple, small thatch huts. They sat on an extension of the resort's boardwalk, elevated to avoid high tide flooding. Due to their distance from the resort's epicenter, they didn't sustain any damage from the bobs and billies.
When they walked by the first hut, Gamer spotted Sonia moving inside. Her blue hair tips tipped him off. She organized a bunch of carnival toys and prizes to spruce up the drab interior.
Gamer paused in front of the hut and raised a hand, "Yo, speedoru! Where'd you get all the knick knacks?"
Sonia came up to the open bamboo door holding a large gold coin pillow. She'd zipped her suit down to her navel. All she had on underneath the race suit was a blue sports bra. She said, "Speedoru, really? These are prizes from around the resort. I beat all the games they had."
"In less than an hour?!" Minnie gasped.
"I'm a speedrunner," Sonia flipped the coin pillow in her hands.
"I hear you're one of the best. Why don't you go back to the real world and get some sleep? Night's almost upon us," Gamer peered over at the sun. It teetered on the horizon.
"Nah, I'm a streamer. I'll be livestreaming for another four hours. Gotta feed that hype train, trade strats for tomorrow, talk to chat, so on and so on. I'll probably hit up some smaller games to entertain my fans," Sonia tossed the pillow back onto the bed.
"I like the dedication. No doubt that work ethic helped your career," Gamer admired.
"All gas, no brakes," Sonia appreciated. "Speaking of fans, you have some new followers. You've already caught the eye of thousands with your stunts."
"You don't say? How big is your platform?"
"I have twenty thousand followers. Marathon's presence is niche, but captures a lot of attention for all the records we set," Sonia checked her nails. She feigned being humble, "What you did to Shade hurt, but as long as I claim the prize, our association will boom."
"Shade's this guy?" Gamer took out the Desert Eagle he stole.
"Da..."
"Well, I guess I can add your gems to my collection when I'm done with you," Gamer grinned and continued on his walk. Minnie didn't catch the snarkiness and happily waved goodbye to the blue lady.
"Aho..." Sonia muttered, but smirked.
Gamer and Minnie waltzed on to find an unoccupied hut. They skipped one more hut, especially when Gamer heard, "Goddammit, Kris, where the hell are we?!"
Gamer and Minnie ignored the shrewd hut and entered the unoccupied next one. There was little to no space in the hut, and the only furniture pieces were a wooden queen-sized bed, dresser, pineapple lamp, and a bench by the window next to the door. Gamer closed the door, and saw a lever that could be lifted to lock the hut. He did so, just in case a greedy player would try and steal his high score and life. Honestly, though, the dinky wood latch wouldn't keep any of the remaining players out.
Minnie plopped on the bed. Its mattress looked like a stale cracker, and the sheets felt like paper cardboard. Just like an actual resort. Gamer flipped over Minnie and took the inside of the bed. His hopes were answered; all his scuffs healed instantly. He laughed and sprang up into a sitting position, "Yes! So this place has checkpoint rules. Hmm, the bed's a bit heavy, though. I don't think we can pull the same trick as last time..."
"Speaking of bed, I'm going to sleep, bro. Good night!" Samira abruptly sent.
"Hold up, I wanted to ask you something," Gamer said. Samira's status remained logged in. He referred to earlier, "You were pretty bummed when you got back from the doctor's. If something is up with your condition, I'd like to know."
A bunch of ellipses were sent from Samira. After a moment, Samira sent, "Mom and I can't afford any more visits..."
Gamer read the text with a new weight in his gut. Minnie was too busy checking her bruises, and only saw him staring forward. Internally, an uneasy feeling made his arms and legs restless. He asked, "Are there any alternatives? What about the crypto market?"
"We don't have anything. They froze your accounts, and we've burned through what we earned from the rigged competitions."
"Dammit...then it's a good thing all these players showed up. Once I win tomorrow, and then take out Lord Shellie, surely I'll be close enough to beating the Total High Score," Gamer remained optimistic.
"Bet, I know you'll win. Don't worry about me. Focus on the race. I'll be fine with what medicine we have left," Samira tried to play things down. Gamer could see through the optics.
"I love you, sis. Goodnight."
"❤️ (•́ ω •̀๑) Love you, too, bro!" and then she was gone. Again, too abruptly, Gamer thought.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Minnie asked, her little turtle tail wagging in excitement. The juxtaposition between the women in his life nearly gave Gamer whiplash.
"I need to win this race. I've got a huge mountain to climb, no pun intended," Gamer sighed.
"You've got this, Gamer! You've done so much so far," Minnie cheered.
"Yeah? I got Ego killed and Asterion pissed, I lost the princess, and I blew up the peaceful resort. I am in deep shit, Minnie," Gamer's recent decisions helped exclusively in the short run.
"I mean, none of that is your business," Minnie shook Gamer from his drought. "Ego chose his end, Asterion is his own person with his own feelings, and Persica needs to confront Lord Shellie on her own."
"What about the resort?"
"Eh, nobody's perfect – though, technically, Qammy picked a fight. Those corrupted shellie mages are always making things worse," Minnie noted. "You're an outsider, who randomly showed up and started helping us. If anything, Persica, me, and everybody else needs to step up and take care of Chanterelle. No one said it'd be easy. You have your sister and your world to worry about. Don't downplay your kindness."
Gamer leaned back on his arms and let out a cathartic laugh, "Wow, Minnie, you really put it into perspective."
"Persica wants to help Lord Shellie, and I want to help the shellies. Let us worry about how to mend those problems, and along the way, we work as a team. I've seen how you'd die to save me, so don't get caught up on our sacrifice. We're in this together!"
"Okay, I can get behind that," Gamer lightened up. Samira's situation took up space in his mind, but having Minnie there alleviated some of the stress.
"Can I speak my mind?" Minnie leaned closer to Gamer.
"Sure..." Gamer prepared for landing.
"I talked to Persica about this warm feeling you give me. She said she thinks it's love, since that's how she feels about Lord Shellie. So...I think I love you."
"I figured," Gamer felt the touchdown. "I'm...not good with romance. I never really figured it out. Sex is fun, and friendship is great, but heart-to-heart stuff is too messy."
"It sure is weird, but I like the feeling," Minnie wiggled her feet.
"I won't take that from you. In a way, I can say I love you, too. You've helped me so much, and I actually like who you are."
"I'm glad. I like who you are, too," the two shared the moment in silence. Minnie's hand pressed atop Gamer's and built the romantic tension. After enough marinating, Minnie asked, "So, what's the plan to win the race?"
Gamer transfixed his sights on the horizon, seen through the window, "I know they have karts at the end of the resort, but I have no idea if they'll be a match for that Sonia girl. The speed she used today was nuts. If I could just get my hands on that gem..."
"Want me to go beat her up?"
"And get punished by Vtron? No, we have to find another way..."
"Why don't you go use your magic touch on her? That turns everybody on your side."
After the romance scene, Gamer couldn't help but laugh a little, "I don't think I have enough affection points with her yet. Besides, I killed one of her friends. That doesn't make for a viable approach."
"I know a guy. I just have to see if he's available," Asterion said.
"Really? That should be..." Gamer turned to Asterion, who stood at the door. Minnie and him yelped at the minotaur's reappearance. He was uninjured, but that's thanks to his respawn.
"Damn, that blue chick moves way too fast," Asterion rubbed his ribs and neck. The synaptic feedback left some trauma.
Gamer jumped from the bed to his feet, "Dude, you saved my life! If you didn't take that hit, I might be gone right now. If Vtron wasn't there, I might be smoked. I owe you!"
"You do," Asterion stepped up to Gamer. He imposed over the cheater, and caused him to recoil a bit. The minotaur's disposition reminded Gamer of the first time they fought. Asterion clarified, "Now I have an old friend reaching out after hearing about the race."
"You sound...upset," Gamer noticed.
"I'm still upset that you got Ego killed. I understand you and Samira were all you had before you were caught, but in here, you've got nothing but the words and actions that form new bonds."
Asterion started to skirt the line of what Minnie brought up, "In this group, I'm the only one who can die. If Minnie was able, I bet she'd taken the hit for you. Unlike me, she'd be gone forever."
Gamer glanced at Minnie, and she sheepishly nodded. The weight of her love was carried by her actions. Asterion used a finger to poke Gamer, "Your actions have consequences."
The aggression ruffled Gamer's feathers, "Then why don't you leave? Sounds like all you get for helping me is trouble."
"Because you're a good person," Asterion planted his hands on his hips. He replaced the aggravation with honesty. The whiplash continued with the switch, "I'm old. I've been around the block a few times. I'm not so blind to how twenty-somethin' year olds act and think. For all intents and purposes, I'd avoid you in real life. You're brash, arrogant, and a cheater. But your heart's in the right place, and you've no interest in worsening people's lives. Your quote, unquote chaos is always directed at having fun and overcoming challenges. It isn't my cup of tea, but it has its appeal."
"Yeah, sort of a fault of my life choices," Gamer accepted his flaws long ago. His very reason at avoiding romance.
"That's just the thing. You can play around with the AI all you want, but when it comes to me, I expect the same respect that I give you. You let me choose my Gamer's Gambit, and you oppose oppression. I chose to help you because of who you are, not hinder you for what you are," Asterion finished with his hand over his heart.
Gamer whistled, and conceded, "Yeah, you make some good points. I'd be dead with everyone's help. Okay...I mean it when I say, I'm sorry."
"Thank you," and with that, they buried the hatchet.
"Sorry I couldn't protect you, Asterion," Minnie frowned. "Now your high score is lower."
"It's okay, Minnie, I'm not too worried about my high score. The fact we held up well and with only one death is a testament to our strength. Mino Martial Vow #3: Take victory where victory is given. Have pride in the work that brought it," Asterion encouraged. Like the bed on Gamer's wounds, his words lifted Minnie from her sadness.
"So, who's this guy you know?" Gamer wondered.
"It's a long story, and he's a bit twisted, but one helluva mechanic. Let me scope out our options at the kart place and then I'll get back to you on that," Asterion asked for patience as he faced the door.
"Cool, we'll be here for the rest of the night. We have some...recovering to do," Gamer gave Minnie a horny gaze. Her tail wagged excitedly.
In the seconds Asterion took to step out, Gamer and Minnie were already naked, in a doggystyle position, and rocking the bed. Asterion chuckled and closed the door to give his friends some privacy.