The Gamer's Gambit Pt. 08

READY... SET...

Date: March 25th, 21XX

Location: Supper Shellie Resort

High Score: 942,240

Top High Score: 3,333,360

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The wake of the waves created the perfect white noise to awaken to. Boobies chilled out near the forestline. The sun, ever imposing, casted its light across the sky box and ushered in the morning.

Sonia stepped out of her hut in blue yoga pants and a tight-fitting sports top. Her pants had that snug fit that would make a truck driver crash. She stretched her arms like wet spaghetti noodles. She limbered up for her morning workout.

"Hooo, bózhé moy, it's been a while since I slept in the virtual world. It never ceases to amaze me how real they nailed all this down," Sonia stuck one arm across her body and pulled on it with the other. As she approached the shoreline, a foreign object lied on the sand. Baring her breasts and turtle cooch for all to see was Minnie. Sonia walked over, "Why are you naked?"

Minnie popped an eye open, "Ah, good morning! I'm getting my sunbathing in before our big race. I need to be charged and healthy to help Gamer."

"Look good, feel good, I guess," Sonia crossed her arms. "Where's Gamer now?"

Minnie stood up. Her supple breasts wobbled in her movement, and her cute bottom stole Sonia's attention. Minnie said, "Practicing his orgasm noises."

The out-of-left-field response bugged Sonia's eyes, and grossed her out, "I regret asking."

Minnie went on, "Yeah, after he splooged inside a bunch of moles the other day, he wasn't happy with the sounds he made."

"Yamete, kudasai."

"I mean I don't mind how his eyes cross and the whimpering, but I suppose he does."

"I want seppuku..."

"If you listen closely, you might hear him practicing," Minnie cupped a hand around her ear. Sonia immediately ragdolled herself into the beach water.

On cue, Gamer kicked open the hut door. He wore a white tank top and dark cargo shorts. He was in the middle of putting on a dark brown leather jacket with a green stripe on one sleeve.

"Good morning!" Minnie waved, her boobs doing the same. Sonia dragged herself from the sea.

Gamer joined Minnie's side and greeted Sonia, "Whaddup, Speedoru? Getting a morning swim in?"

Sonia used her clean up tool to dry off, "You have some really weird friends."

"Speak for yourself. Your twin needs to stop being such a creepy weirdo," Gamer disliked thinking about the guy.

"Shade? What do you mean?"

"The dude barged in on us last night."

Sonia huffed, "Nantekotta, please tell me you didn't do anything to that baka..."

Gamer nervously glanced away, and then back at Sonia, "... my gun did."

A weight of disappointment landed on Sonia and she stomped away. She mumbled something in russian. Gamer shrugged and turned to Minnie, "Shall we head to the kart building and find Asterion? I'd like to meet this friend of his."

"Sure!" Minnie put on her top first. She bent over to grab her pants, and Gamer took a thousand mental snapshots of her booty as she did.

"Ah, Minnie, would you mind not putting your pants on? And walking in front of me? So I can admire your cuteness?" Gamer practically pleaded. His bulge could easily be seen.

Minnie blushed, "Y-yeah, sure thing. Gamer. I could always use some more sun."

The shellie tucked her pants under an arm and led the way to the kart building. Gamer shadowed her and watched her cheeks jiggle and sway with each step. Her tail wagged side-to-side. He praised, "I'm so happy you're an exhibitionist."

Down the beach, Sonia sent a message to Talis pertaining to Shade. Her navigator wasn't on yet. This only worsened her anxiety -- so she did what any normal player would do and went live. The livestream started slow, but people poured in once the prestigious Marathon mascot used social media to promote it.

"Goooood morning, everybody! Who is ready? Who is set? Today we are..." Sonia started her usual sign-in, but the chat surged with Shade's name. They asked if she knew what happened, how Shade screwed up, and other ominous references. Sonia furrowed her brow, "Ah, it seems everybody already knows Shade went after Gamer again. Da, I have an idea what happened -- since Gamer's still here."

The chat darkened with more cryptic messages about how she didn't know what happened, how things are going to get worse, and how she should leave. Talis logged in, and his avatar appeared on Sonia's screen. His fox form seemed completely dejected.

"Dobroye utro, Talis. Hit me with the sitch, since everybody else is too busy being extra," Sonia cocked a hip and waited for the bad news about Shade.

"Shade killed the president of Marathon, Sonia," Talis informed. The news knocked Sonia out of her laidback posturing. Her navigator went on, "The association is panicking. They want you to step out of the game."

Near the center of the resort, Minnie strutted along the walkways. All the race contestants were out and about, but stopped what they were doing when Minnie passed by. Their ogling got to her, and she became bashful, "... they're staring at me..."

"To tease is to have power. Let's kick it up a notch," Gamer reached out to Minnie's tank top straps. He pulled them aside and down her arms, and her tank top lowered enough for her boobs to pop out. She let out a cute gasp, and quickly glanced about. All the present players went slack-jawed. Her nipples became erect, and the tank top tucked under the chesticles.

"Yes!" Vulcan hit them with a dynamic thumbs up.

"To let them breathe..." Chaffe tugged on his power armor's pauldrons.

Minnie continued to flaunt her goods. The degenerate behavior excited her, and Gamer ate her up with his eyes.

When they made it to the kart building, it was dwarfed by the raceway entrance. The track spanned a few lanes, and curved into the forested area. The second entrance, which led into the actual building, is where Gamer and Minnie entered.

The inside was massive. Wide floor space gave room for multiple karts, and other vehicles, to be stored on one side, and for maintenance or change outs to be done on the other. Offices and storage lined the right side of the building. Ceiling lamps showered sections of the building with low-hew light, but the spacious floor plan left some corners and sections in dim light. The offices provided the most amount of light.

"Why are there hovercrafts and planes in here?" Gamer closed in on the vehicle bay. The non-kart vehicles were in good condition, and appeared to be made in the same style as the karts.

"Gamer..." Minnie uttered. She remained near the door, but one of her hands worked between her legs. She pulled her fingers out and a string of juiciness connected them with her pussy, "I'm feeling hot..."

"Again? You're really giving the mollies a run for their money," Gamer chuckled.

"It's right here," Minnie pointed into her cleavage. At her heart, "Recently, when we wake up together, I get the same feeling when I see you sleeping next to me. With everything you and your sister are dealing with, and the dangers we face, it makes me happy knowing you can find peace by my side."

Gamer realized how serious Minnie was being. However, before he could respond, Samira's text box appeared, "I toldja things would get sussy! You're about to be boo'd up!"

Gamer nearly jumped out of his skin, but he was used to her popups by now, "Good morning to you, too. What are you talking about?"

"Minnie's code is changing ( ˶°ㅁ°)!! The way you're affecting the NPCs of the game is giving them sentience. No cap, you're like a goddamn virus, bro!" Samira was so excited.

"So she's developing emotions and self-awareness?" Gamer asked. Minnie was borderline about to say the four letter L-word.

"Bet! It's big lit! I wonder if you can do the same IRL, just with computer stuff ᕙ( •̀ ᗜ •́ )ᕗ We gotta try at some point!"

Gamer refocused on Minnie. The shellie corrected her clothes and nudity. She wasn't just a computer program anymore. The light in her eyes was the spark of life. Of love.

"We have a busy day ahead of us. I want to make sure you know I have your back!" Minnie jumped a little.

"Thanks, Minnie," Gamer genuinely smiled, and then received (,,>ヮ<,,)!

The entrance door opened, and the lumbering figure of Asterion entered. He was a little surprised to see his companions, "Why, hello there."

"Asterion!" Minnie hugged the guy, and he reciprocated.

"Perfect timing, Asterion. We just got here. Is your mechanic friend coming?" Gamer asked.

"He's right here," Asterion pushed into the building and made way for the character behind him. A slightly overweight man with nothing but burnt overalls and no shirt stepped in. He packed that fat muscle with dommy daddy aura. He wore a sinister clown mask with a perpetual smile, and flames ignited his scalp. The eyes behind the mask were wide and wild -- and a sizzling red. Asterion held a hand out to introduce, "This is Sweet Heart."

"Aw hell naw!! ໒(˵ •̀ □ •́ ˵)" Samira encapsulated Gamer's thoughts perfectly.

"Sweet Heart?" Gamer gawked. The clown mechanic had a tattoo on his left pectoral. It showed an anatomically correct heart being bitten into by cartoonish teeth. Gamer was disheartened, "He's a killer clown?"

Sweet Heart walked up to Gamer, face-to-face. Gamer leaned back, but the clown pressed in. He spoke with a muffled, psychotic growl, "Honk honk."

Sweet Heart shoulder checked Gamer and started to inspect the kart bay. Gamer turned to Asterion and Minnie with beads of sweat on his forehead. He whispered harshly, due to fear, "I get clowns and cars honk, and that's funny and all, but did anybody else PISS themselves?"

Asterion chuckled, "He's rough around the edges, but give him a chance. I met him in a fighting game once. We hit it off pretty well after he ran me over with his ice cream truck."

"My fear: intensified. My butthole: clenched!" Gamer hissed. "You're all about honor and stuff. Why the hell is somebody like that a friend of yours?"

"He's a rehabilitated mass murderer. He works as a vehicle technician for those in the racing genre. Especially when it comes to weapon's free races. He means well. Second chances are honorable, Gamer. You and I wouldn't be standing together if I didn't believe that."

"Touché, Asterion, touché!" Gamer relinquished his concerns. The trio glanced over to Sweet Heart. The mechanic examined and disassembled one of the karts. Without permission, he just took what he wanted.

Gamer walked over to Sweet Heart as he used an electric drill to unscrew a panel on one of the karts. It was time to break the ice, "So you like to work on cars, huh? That's cool, that's cool. Just so you know, most people who join my crew end up in bed with me. So... get that giggle ready."

Sweet Heart slowly turned his hellish eyes to Gamer. He spoke none and he moved none as the glare drilled harder than the tool in his hand.

"Or not... or not," Gamer retracted the initiation offer. "I can always make an exception."

Sweet Heart stood up and imposed over Gamer. His psychotic growl flared, "I like what I've seen so far with you, Gamer. You make the council writhe, and the masses run wild. Don't disappoint me in this upcoming race. Or I'll have your dental insurance really, really hate me."

Sweet Heart ran the hand drill for a second to emphasize his threat. Gamer intentionally misconstrued his words, "So you want oral? Is that how I get cumfetti?"

Asterion and Minnie awaited the murderous beatdown to come. However, Sweet Heart buckled in laughter, and went back to his dismantling. Gamer turned to Asterion, and sighed, "Okay, ice broken. Humor always works."

"Honestly, I figured you two would get along," Asterion flexed his foresight.

"What kind of weapons and defenses are we going to have on our kart?" Minnie asked, using her own foresight.

"It depends on the chassis and engine," Sweet Heart said while working. "I can grab us special parts for the design, but the more firepower you want, the slower you'll be."

"Speed or weight. If only we could utilize both, we'd be one hell of a fighter," Asterion crossed his arms and thought.

"Sonia is fast as fuck, boi. She's the blueprint of Marathon. We have a need (⌐■_■) for speed," Samira suggested.

"If we're going to survive Vulcan and Chaffe, we need defense," Minnie made a point.

"I'd prefer a balanced vehicle," Gamer said. He started to walk through the bay and see what they could play with. The rest of the crew followed to do the same, "It doesn't matter if you can bat a homerun if it means you can't hit the ball or read the pitcher."

The offerings of the kart building were varied. Plenty of different models, both for road, water, and air, but the group needed a dependable kart. There were some abstract ones, like a chariot, a pirate ship on wheels, and a real-life sports car more than likely added to the game as a sponsorship.

"I'm not sure we could find what you're looking for, Gamer. We may have to put all of our eggs into one basket," Asterion said.

The crew rounded the end of the bay and saw another section behind the offices. Gamer's eyes, and everybody's expressions, lit up at a specific find. The perfect vehicle with all that they needed to claim first place.

"It's beautiful..." Minnie sparkled.

"Classic," Asterion admired.

"Not my cup of whiskey, but I can definitely customize the shit out of it," Sweet Heart confirmed.

"Chill, I think we're going to win..." Samira could envision it now.

"Groovy," Gamer felt an immediate connection. "Now we just need ourselves some workshop montage music. Samira, let's rock it!"

And thus the crew rocked out to the 8-bit remix of Party Rock Anthem. The copyright strikes shuffled on in, and censored the montage. You can bet your bottom dollar though that the group had a good time and shaked that for all of Chanterelle.

Out by the beach, Sonia stood with her annoyance and impatience displayed. On her player screen, two webcam videos opened. They showed the portraits of two individuals in fancy, hexagonal-patterned business suits. Both probably used an entire can of hairspray to slick their hair back, but one had a receding hairline while the other wore glasses. Sonia knew the one with the receding hairline; the vice president of Marathon, Mr. Segan. The other was an unfamiliar face.

"Good day, Natsuki. Thank you for taking this conference call," Mr. Segan bowed out of courtesy.

"Nice to meet the number one player of Marathon. We've enjoyed watching your success throughout your career. I am Nathaniel, one of the Game Masters of Chanterelle," the one with glasses only nodded their head. Their glasses were the holo-styled ones; very futuristic.

"Make it quick. I have a race to prepare for," Sonia said, aloof.

"I'm sure you've heard by now, but we can't have you take that risk," Segan appeared worried. It made sense; he must be working hand-in-hand with PR. Segan spoke with a managerial tone, "We are doing this for your safety. You have a high score that shouldn't be stolen away by a serial cheater. Please, log out and delete the invite code."

Sonia's nerve was twanged by his phrasing, "You don't think I can beat him?"

Nathaniel interjected, "Gamer has surprised all of us, Sonia. We thought his two point five million high score before his eternal gamenation was fluffed by his cheating, but it appears his skills matched his rank. He is a danger to all players."

Sonia's heart skipped a beat, "Did you say... two point five?"

Segan went next, "Allow me to make ourselves clear; do not engage with Gamer. If you proceed, you will no longer be with the Marathon association. Your ad revenue, your views, your followers, and everything Marathon provides for you, will be forfeit. We hope to see you here at the headquarters soon. Stay safe, Natsuki."

Without another word, and without another option for Sonia, Game Master Nathaniel and Vice President Segan logged out.

***

The time of the race was upon the Supper Shellie Resort. The Vtubers signed in one after another and took charge in opening the racetrack. Shivervale and IronRat took to the entrance. They used VHolo resources and set up a stream link to the audience stands around the track. Tickets were sold, money was made, and anticipation filled the seats. Dedicated fans from VHolo were displayed on little screens upon the heads of low-polygon avatars. They could cheer and wave about, but could not leave their seats. Any remaining seats were then sold off to the broader video game community. The race, and Gamer's rise or fall, was turned into a global spectacle.

Aprilcock, ProjectMelonie, and Zenplaya worked together to check in the racers. They each changed their looks to have cute and sexy racetrack apparel. They lined the racers up on the track, first come-first serve rules.

The first to arrive was Captain Vulcan. He pulled in with his austentatious hovercraft. It functioned fine after the attack from Asterion the previous day. Captain Vulcan took the first spot, popped the cockpit hatch open, and then posed before the crowd. They showered him with cheers and admiration.

"Hello, and welcome," Melonie greeted the captain while holding a clipboard. As she wrote on the clipboard, video billboards along the track displayed Vulcan's placement and name. A third empty space next to these awaited entry. Melonie asked, "May I have the name of your car... jet... thingie, please? And thank you."

"The Red Roman!" Vulcan held a fist forward, his passion manifesting flames around it. It bedazzled the Vtubers and crowd, and the vehicle's name filled in the blank space.

The next to arrive were the nameless fodder from the previous day. They were sticking to their guns in hopes of being the dark horses of the race. One drove up with a purple hoverbike. The thrusters were near the front, which looked like it could ram a hole through a building. The other brought a giant bird. It was saddled, with yellow feathers and strong legs, and seemed well-behaved. The Vtubers gushed over it.

After them entered Master Chaffe with a military, all-terrain SUV. The vehicle could seat four, but Chaffe was a lone shark.

"May I have the name of your vehicle?" Melonie asked.

"Warthog," Chaffe kept it simple.

"Warthog? Like the mythical creature?"

Aprilcock nodded, "I've heard legends of such beasts..."

"No, it's a real creature," Chaffe argued.

"Nooo, I don't think so. Totally fake," Melonie reinforced.

Zenplaya nodded, "It looks more like a Chupathingie."

"Chupathingie?" Melonie asked.

"Chupathingie!" Aprilcock and Zenplaya unified. The name became official on the video boards. Chaffe sighed and grumbled his way to the starting point.

The garage door of the vehicle bay slowly opened. It surprised the Vtubers, as they did not know somebody was inside the kart building. As the door raised, the beams of a vehicle shined out. Anticipation built as all eyes were on the new arrival.

Minnie stepped out and used her boxing shells like guiding wands. The vehicle pulled out, and for the first time in a long time, saw the light of day. It was a rainbow-colored beetle, with a grey alien head decal on the sides. It drove up into the lineup. Gamer took the driver's seat. Asterion and Sweet Heart closed the garage door, and they joined Minnie on the passenger side of the adventurous racecar to greet the Vtubers.

"Dope! Those are some hot wheels," Melonie wiggled her eyebrows.

"I love the colour! So pretty!" Aprilcock admired.

"Tell us you have a good name for it," Zenplaya looked at Gamer.

"A name? I haven't really thought about that. It can't just be anything; it must carry importance," Gamer tapped a finger against his chin.

"How about Tiptup? That's the name of my cousin, who loves to race," Minnie suggested.

"I say Rhinoceros. A strong beetle to represent a strong car," Asterion went a different route.

"A person's name and something that starts with R..." Gamer finalized his choice. He grinned and declared, "Its name is the Rasputin."

"Ra-Ra-Rasputin!" the Vtubers appreciated the name, as Samira played the jingle. The name was added in, and the group were officially part of the race.

"Nothing is going to stop us with a ride as perfect as this!" Gamer declared.

"Don't underestimate the other contenders," Asterion warned. He glanced at the other racers, but saw no glaring blues, "Where's Sonia?"

"She hasn't arrived yet," Shivervale answered. She and IronRat joined the rest of their associates.

Asterion shrugged and moved over to the passenger side door to open it. He ushered Minnie in, and she took her place by Gamer.

"How are you going to fit, Asterion? You're too biiiiig!" IronRat piped.

"Heh, don't worry about that. I have a skin specifically for these situations," Asterion entered his character screen. Once he made changes to his character, he saved, and instantly turned into a miniature version of himself. His proportions were like that of a plush, and his head was slightly bigger than it should be, but that only made him mire endearing. He had beady eyes and tinier horns. Asterion held his hands up and still had the voice of his taller form, "It is I, Minitaur!"

His chibi form made all the Vtubers squeal. They gathered around him like a toddler who just learned to walk. Mini was accurate; the seven foot behemoth was now a mere two feet tall.

"I retain all my strength and abilities like this. My height is the only size change, too," Asterion winked. It made the Vtubers erupt in laughter.

Minnie buckled up and patted her lap. Asterion finagled his way up and onto her thighs. Gamer asked, "So do we call your Supers something else now? Like Kid's Menu Clothesline?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of Subatomic," Asterion joked. The two shared a chuckle.

The Vtubers stepped over to the remaining open spots on the raceway. They used summoning tools to bring forth their very own vehicles and mounts.

ProjectMelonie straddled a motorcycle coded to her colors and with the VHolo insignia on the side. Shivervale brought forth a huge blue slime with an overly cutesy smile and eyes, and she hopped onto it like a hat. IronRat brought in a sports vehicle with anime decals across its body, such as an anime dude wielding a gun sword on the hood. Aprilcock stepped into a pickup truck with its bed full of peaches -- very sussy, plump peaches. Zenplaya simply transformed her whole body into a speed racer in her image. On top of that, a two-foot gecko monster that looked similar to Zenplaya bobbed about behind the wheel. It wore the smuggest smile, and made eye contact with the Minitaur. They both passed each other the hand gesture of bull horns.

"You ladies are joining the race?" Gamer asked. He looked up at the video board and saw the five new entries pop up.

"Of course! Since taking your life isn't a prerequisite, it can't hurt for us to take that score of yours," Shivervale smiled sweetly. It quickly turned into the yandere expression, "You'll receive no mercy today, Gamer! Hehehe!"

Gamer glanced at the fear bulge in his pants, and reflected, "Something is wrong with me..."

A motorcycle rev caused everybody's head to turn. The final contestant pulled into the raceway; Sonia had arrived. Melonie added her in, and all the entries were locked.

Gamer leaned out his window and eyed Sonia, "Running late? Too many chili dogs for lunch?"

"Just living on the edge of tomorrow," Sonia grinned. She equipped her helmet and the spinning lights on the side started up.

Compared to the modern and futuristic choices, Gamer's beetle appeared outdated and laughably easy to beat. The Rasputin became the apple of everybody's eyes -- be it killing Gamer or simply winning the race.

Sweet Heart walked over to Gamer's window and leaned on the frame, "Remember all the tricks we went over?"

"I do. Thanks again, my one and hopefully only psychotic clown friend," Gamer extended a hand to shake.

Sweet Heart looked at the hand, and instead of reciprocating, he pointed at it and glared, "I'll turn that into a cupholder if you don't win."

Sweet Heart made his way towards the stands and left Gamer in a very uncomfortable position. Asterion barked a laugh, "He likes you."

"That's him liking me?!"

"He didn't punch you in the face," the minitaur said.

Sonia adjusted her white gloves and mentally prepared. Talis popped up in a screen, "Well, your choice is loud and clear. Mr. Segan isn't too happy."

"What's up, Talis? I figured I wouldn't be seeing you again," Sonia hid her shock.

"Since you operate from your home station, it'll take a day or two for them to process your termination. Technically the race hasn't started, so you have a few moments to reconsider..."

"Did they want you to convince me?"

"Yeah... but I'll support you either way. Also, FYI, they aren't going to pull the plug until you die or lose. I suspect they're crossing their fingers hoping you win."

"Typical posers," Sonia cheekily clicked the livestream on. Fans were already flooding the feeds across socials. Thousands were tuned in to watch the race. The blue rings on Sonia's helmet spun faster, "Thanks for coming, Talis. I'm glad you're here."

"Let's defeat Gamer!" Talis cheered. The chat reiterated that, and it put a smile on Sonia's face. Talis made some calculations and asked, "Should we start with a gem burst? That would more than likely guarantee a head start."

"We can do it the old-fashion way," Sonia declined. "If I use a gem and get hit, I'll lose it, the speed, and my balance. Besides, once I hit max speeds, my motorcycle is just as fast as the gems. We should save them for an emergency."

A voice, the same one that introduced the raid event yesterday, boomed across the raceway and audience. Sonia realized that it was Nathaniel, the Game Master, "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Supper Shellie Resort Circuit, sponsored by VHolo and Player Fuel! One race, high stakes, and plenty of caaarnage! Here's the course the racers will be running today!"

The video boards showed a bird's eye view of Lord Shellie's domain. The resort was on the southern side of the volcano. The course winded in a circle around the volcano, dipping in and out of the forest, foothills, and beach. After circling the volcano, the last strip of the course stretched across a long straightaway along the beach and shallow waters. The finish line was near the overnight huts some had slept in the previous night.

"One lap, huh? Gotta make everything count," Gamer checked all the extra doodads Sweet Heart installed.

"Secondly, to help broadcast each twist and turn on the course, we have recruited the help of locals," Nathaniel introduced a new enemy type. They descended from above on small clouds. They were shellies, but they had aviator goggles on and held fishing poles. Video cameras were where the fish hooks were supposed to be.

"Lackatoes," Minnie recognized.

"What's their deal?" Asterion asked.

"They're legless shellies, which is why they need the clouds to move around," Minnie explained. "They are notorious for capturing people's barefeet and then selling the videos and photos for exuberant amounts. It's a jealousy thing."

"Those sick bastards," Gamer grimaced, though Samira logged out for a second to check her bank funds.

"With all that out of the way, it's finally time!" Nathaniel belted. The crowd increased in volume and danced about like a bunch of maniacs. The racers gave their vehicles juice, and in the case of mounts, they received scritches.

"On your mark..."

Vulcan posed one last time as a lackatoe flew by. Chaffe adjusted his limbs uncomfortably. The Vtubers were enjoying their individual chat interactions.

"Get set..."

Sonia licked her lips and lowered her body against her motorcycle. Talis sorted out the best times to turn corners and time brakes. Samira sent ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ) to her brother. Gamer glanced over at Minnie and Asterion, and the trio nodded. The smell of fuel and rubber, as well as the enthusiastic crowd, filled them with determination.

"GO!"

Engines roared as everybody put the peddle to the metal. However, three individuals blasted forward thanks to a speed boost. Accelerating right at GO gave them a bonus for good timing. Gamer and Sonia were two of them, though they had to weave through the racers who didn't time it right. They, along with Vulcan, took the lead immediately.

"Ha! It worked! Sweet Heart was right," Gamer kept his eyes on each of his mirrors. Sonia tailed him, and Vulcan was slightly ahead.

"Should we bust out the weapons?" Asterion asked, tempted to push certain buttons on the dashboard.

"Not yet. We only have a limited amount, and I want to make it count," Gamer held off. He noticed Sonia didn't pass him, and found it odd. Knowing her speed from before, she could easily pull ahead. What was she waiting on?

"Brace for impact!" Minnie chirped.

Vulcan's speeder slammed into the side of the beetle. Gamer maintained control, but the windows on the passenger side shattered. Vulcan's cockpit opened and he glared heroically at the trio. They continued grinding metal while going at high speeds.

"I knew you were dastardly, Gamer, but now I see you for the true evil you are!" Vulcan declared.

"What are you talking about?" Gamer was confused by the sudden accusation.

"Carbon emissions are a leading factor in the death of many animals. Important insects die due to old fashioned, fossil fuel cars like this one!" Vulcan voiced his concern. His eco-friendly message baffled the beetle bunch. The captain was a staunch defender, "Think of the ladybugs, Gamer! The ladybugs!"

Vulcan dramatically glanced to the side of the road as they passed by a ladybug on a flower petal. One of the lackatoes did a cinematic zoom in on the ladybug. It laid on its back, with harried breaths, and looked faint. The ladybug said in a strained, tiny voice, "Fuck you, Gamer..."

"Oh, fuck off!" Gamer barked at the video boards and Vulcan. The crowd erupted with boos, and chanted for Vulcan's fists of justice.

Vulcan's cockpit closed shut and he moved away from the Rasputin. His racer began to vibrate, and a bright outline coated it in green.

Asterion gasped, "Gamer, avoid that at all costs! He's about to rip us in two!"

The Red Roman started to spin sideways like a boomerang. It maintained its velocity and swung towards the Rasputin. Gamer slammed on the brakes and narrowly avoided the vehicular slaughter. Then, energy blasts flew by from behind. The scrub player on the purple hoverbike was firing at Sonia and the Rasputin. A couple blasts hit the backside of the beetle, but it held strong. The rest of the racers were coming in hot.

"Watch it!" Asterion yanked on the wheel. It caused the beetle to swerve and kick up onto its passenger side tires, but Vulcan's boomerang technique missed again as he tried spinning into the Rasputin's front side. It barreled by, and headed for the bikers behind them.

"Bombs away!" Samira ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)

Gamer smashed one of the modified buttons on the dashboard. The Rasputin's trunk opened and dropped a couple explosives right onto the track. Once in close proximity to the other racers, it erupted. Road debris and flames covered the raceway, and engulfed Vulcan, Sonia, and the scrub.

"Yeees..." Sweet Heart's orgasmically watched the video boards, which showcased the mayhem.

Sonia revelled in the midst of the mayhem. She maneuvered through the debris, bypassed Vulcan and the hoverbiker, and came out the other side with just a few cursory scorch marks. She barked a laugh and entered second place.

"Damn, she's good," Gamer growled at her in his rearview mirror.

"The best," Asterion reminded.

Samira brought Gamer's attention to his minimap. A bunch of symbols covered the land around the course they drove on. Gamer asked, "What's that all about?"

"A world of opportunity along the raceway, bruv. They are a whole bunch of sidequests, to earn cash, parts, and reputation. Take advantage, and be the most stylish speedster on the course!" Samira sounded like a commercial.

"Hell no!" Gamer declined the obvious distractions. And if you listen closely, the faint screams of every completionist can be heard.

The course veered around the beach and dove into the forest. The foliage overhung the course and draped it in greens. The racers needed to avoid tree branches and coverage. The giant flytraps made a reappearance. They weren't really threats, but agitating obstacles. A few miles into the forest and a huge tree penetrated the entire roadway. The track actually merged with the trunk and curved up into a loop. It continued on past the trunk, but first they needed speed to overcome it.

Gamer hit the ignition for nitrous, installed by the lovely psycho clown. The Rasputin hummed with intensity and rattled at the powerful acceleration. Flames burst out of its exhaust, and the trio inside were pinned to their seats as their speed doubled. The Rasputin crawled up the trunk and over the loop without losing any footing. The trio inside celebrated its feat.

"Amateurs," Sonia rolled her eyes. She drove towards the guardrail of the course that leaned into the loop. She ramped up the loop and angled herself to the other side. Her motorcycle grinded the guardrail, but bounced. Sonia launched through the loop, skipping it entirely. She successfully stole first place.

"That's not fair!" Gamer gawked. They were just coming down the backside of the loop. Sonia was a few hundred meters ahead.

"She's a speedrunner, Gamer. She knows how to cut corners and maneuver hit boxes just as well as you know how to cheat," Asterion gave then both their flowers. "Let's just be happy she doesn't know every corner and door of Chanterelle, or she could pull off some teleportation tricks."

"Legal cheating? Not on my watch!" Gamer smashed another button on the dashboard. The front bumper of the Rasputin raised up, revealing a row of five circular chambers. Inside the chambers were missiles. Two fired out and flew towards Sonia. The blue blur became alert in time to dodge them. The missiles curved away and exploded against trees.

Samira sent, "She's got a skibidi navigator with her. You'll never be able to hit her, just like enemies can't lowkey sneak up on you while I'm here."

"Can you do something about them?"

"On it, fam!"

Sonia darted her eyes to the minimap; they were a third through the course. They currently rounded the north section, which dipped up into the foothills. As Talis worked on setting up markers of hazards and enemies, another text box appeared. Samira ( • ̀ω•́ )✧

"You again?!" Talis gasped.

"Would you kindly leave," Samira popped up a gif of somebody swinging a golf club. She tried to interpose it on Talis, but he moved out of the way. Samira ( ˶°ㅁ°)!!

"Not this time! I'm ready to rumble," Talis flicked his nine tails about.

"Deadas? Well how about some strangely sexual mobile game ads?!" Samira typed away to corrupt his system.

"No problem! I have an ad blocker!" Talis countered. The ads were automatically deleted.

Samira gasped in disgust, "I'm finna crash out! That means you don't support your favorite content creators! You prevent ad revenue!"

"Wrong! I support them on Patreon!"

Samira ???? and her text box exploded. She reappeared in front of Gamer, "Nooo!!. ·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·. he's a standup guy!"

By the time Samira returned, the other racers were catching up to the Rasputin. While Vulcan dealt with the Vtubers, the two scrubs and Chaffe closed in.

The scrub on the giant bird drew up next to the passenger side window. With it smashed open, he aimed an open palm and began to conjure magic. When he fired at Minnie, the shellie put her arm up, "Perfect guard!"

It was too early. but Asterion did it at the right time. It dissipated the magic. Before the scrub could do anything, Gamer aimed his Desert Eagle without looking and shot the bird in the head. It made a dying chicken noise before poofing into a fully cooked roast chicken plate. The scrub, and his new dinner, crashed along the raceway until digitizing to death.

"Brings a damn bird to a race; what was he thinking..." Gamer pitied the fool. That's when gunfire panged his doorframe and windshield. Handgun bullets had barely missed him. He turned to see Master Chaffe pull next to him in Chupathingie. Gamer winced at the handgun being pointed at him, but picked up on something more glaring. Chaffe no longer wore the bottoms to his power suit, including his boots *sniff* (´⧝｀) *sniff* He hung free.

"Where're your pants?!" Gamer asked, dumbfounded. Asterion and Minnie peeked over to see the goods.

"It's more comfortable this way," Chaffe answered shamelessly.

"Nice cock," Asterion complemented.

"Thanks," Chaffe nodded. A bunch of lackatoes swarmed Chupathingie. Chaffe no longer had a clear shot on Gamer. The cameramen fought to lower their cameras into Chupathingie for a clearer shot of Chaffe's bare feet. The scene resembled a bunch of bees loving the ever shit out of a pollinating flower. Chaffe swatted at them, "Ugh, I'm being flooded!"

Energy beams rained against the backside of Chupathingie. It was the scrub on the purple hoverbike again. For whatever reason, the blasts caused the engine of Chupathingie to catch fire. The lackatoes fluttered away in fear. Chaffe had to abandon the vehicle, as it stalled and began falling behind. He stood up, wang-a-flapping, and he leapt over to the hoverbike. He latched onto the side, and stood threateningly over the scrub. However, the scrub gushed.

"Oh my God, Master Chaffe! I'm a big fan! Please, sign my face!" the scrub fanboyed. His zealotry paid off, because Chaffe bequiffed a bootless foot to his head and took the hoverbike for himself. The scrub digitized the moment his skull met the raceway.

The canopy of the forest dispersed as the raceway raised up and out onto a craggy slant. This portion of the track involved uneven ground and rivers of lava. The magma oozed across the raceway and made traversal nearly impossible. The racers would have to utilize mushroom trees along the right, or boost up and over the lava channels. Either would consume time and speed.

"Easy," Sonia accelerated at the magma river. A small lid near the handlebars opened and Sonia dropped a bead into it. This activated her nitrous, and she blasted forward. Her rash action worked up onlookers, but she popped a wheelie on her motorcycle and hopped. It gave her some air, and then she de-summoned the vehicle. She took out a gem and fused it into her hand. The same neon blue glow she had from yesterday enveloped her as she torpedoed into the lava. She wowed the crowd and emerged from the other side. The damage she took forced her out of her neon form. She resummoned her bike, landed, and zoomed forward. The crowd erupted in cheers.

"That's one gem gone," Talis tallied.

"There's plenty more where that came from," Sonia sang.

"I HAVE to get me one of those!" Gamer's envy melted out of him like lava.

Captain Vulcan and Master Chaffe zipped by the Rasputin. Chaffe sped over to an incline on the mountain and ramped off it. Thanks to the hover mechanism of his stolen vehicle, he glided over the dangers and landed safely. Vulcan, on the other hand, drove right into the lavafalls. His vehicle withstood the intense heat and came out the other side undamaged.

"How did he survive that?!" Gamer didn't see a powerup.

"Burning passion!" Vulcan and Asterion shouted, as if the answer were a catchphrase.

"We're going to need a little something more than passion if we want to find a way past the lava," Gamer examined the environment. Rock formations could be used for ramps, but how well they'd work and what speed they needed to avoid each lava stream wasn't clear. The mushroom trees might work...

"If we drift just right, we can use the momentum to hop the mushroom trees," Asterion directed.

"Drift? I don't know if that would work with so little room," they'd be threading a needle.

"Not if we snake it," the minitaur said confidently.

Gamer floored the gas pedal and headed for a rock formation. It ramped them off the race course and towards some of the mushroom trees. They landed, and Asterion manipulated the handbrake while Gamer focused on cutting the wheel. They tickled the rounded edge of the mushroom tops, before their momentum flung them to the next mushroom. Gamer and Asterion repeated the drift as they fell to each mushroom cap at lower elevations. However, the trio could tell that if they kept falling, they'd end up below the course. They'd careen off course.

"I got this!" Minnie leaned out the window. She fastened one of her boxing shells on and fired it with her Super at one of the next mushroom tree below. It clipped the top and broke the cap, bending it upwards like a ramp.

"Nice thinking!" Gamer called out. When they landed on the bent treetop, he punched the nitrous button and the Rasputin rocketed upwards towards the course. Gamer buttonmashed the nitrous to soar over the final lava stream. If there were a giant soccer ball, they'd surely be able to score a goal with their aerodynamic beetle. Cheers showered the group when the Rasputin landed safely on the other side of the crags.

"Good job, everybody! We'll get S-rank for sure," Gamer metaphorically patted his team on the back. He checked the gauges to see how much nitrous they had left. As feared, they were at zero.

"I hope the ladies find a way past the lava," Asterion glanced over his shoulder. The Vtubers were completely out of sight thanks to the lava flow. He worried for his friends, "We all know the mountains don't give back what they take."

Gamer shrugged, "Ah, it's not that big of a deal. They don't really seem like a threat unless they're in that Vtron form."

Samira ＼(°o°；), "Battleship babe inbound!!"

The gargantuan form of a bodacious beauty eclipsed the angry sun. Her shadow covered the mountainous side of the raceway. Vtron had been fused, and she dove across the entire section of the course. When she landed and rolled, the amount of damage brought on to the foothills and forest were equal to an earthquake's. She rolled sideways past the curve of the course that led into the final stretch. She propped herself into a sprinter's ready position, and glared seductively at the oncoming racers.

"Me and my big motherfuckin' mouth!" Gamer metaphorically kicked himself.

"Sorry, fellas, but I'll be taking home the prize!" Vtron stuck out her tongue. She bounded from her position and caused a tectonic shift beneath the island.

Vulcan, Chaffe, and Gamer rounded the corner and were meters behind Vtron. Her sprint startup was slow due to her size. Ahead of her was Sonia, who had a comfortable lead against everybody. She listened to music in her helmet and nodded her head lackadaisical. She checked her minimap every so often to keep an eye on the competition, but nobody could beat the best speedrunner.

Gamer fired a rocket to the backside of Vtron. It exploded on her behind and caused her to flinch. However, it was nothing but a bee sting.

"Hey! Watch the goods, sugar!" Vtron complained, and at the very least, faltered.

"Babe with the gyat!" Samira sent. Gamer gritted his teeth. Their weapons didn't work, they were out of nitrous, and had no other options.

Captain Vulcan drove up next to Master Chaffe and opened his cockpit, "Chaffe, I need you to rocket jump me!"

"That trick was banned long ago. It could kill you!" Chaffe pointed out.

"If it means avoiding a loss, I will gladly accept death!" Vulcan put a fist to his heart. His fans cried out with tears of pride.

Chaffe cycled through his inventory until he equipped his rocket launcher. He aimed ahead and Vulcan lined up with the shot. When Chaffe fired, Vulcan leapt. He landed right where the rocket met the ground and detonated. Vulcan timed it right and used the concussive force to send him flying towards the back of Vtron's leg.

"Mega Vulcan..." Vulcan cocked his fist back while flying over a hundred miles per hour. Veins of molten power coursed through his arm and body. The intensity ripped his jacket off and exposed his finely toned torso.

"It's his Ultra! It's his Ultra!" Asterion cried out while his minitaur hands patted Gamer's face.

"Would you stop..." Gamer fought the fanboy's hands away. Minnie gawked at Vulcan with stars in her eyes.

"PAWNCH!!" Vulcan threw the seismic punch at the back of Vtron's knee. It connected and exploded with glorious power. Vtron's kneecap imploded into mulch and sent a shockwave up the titty titan's body. She cried out and collapsed to her knees and elbows. The earth shook and the raceway was now framed by the giantess. Her luscious thighs and hanging Garden of Eden arched over the track.

Vulcan backflipped and landed perfectly in the Red Roman. The audience jumped up and down at his triumphant attack. Vulcan, Chaffe, and Gamer zipped under her.

When Vulcan and Chaffe were out from under Vtron, and the Rasputin passed under her breasts, she stammered, "Don't think... we're out of this... yet!"

Vtron focused and activated her magical melons. The gravitational well that was her cleavage began to pull the three vehicles from the track.

"VILE GAMER!!"

A damnable voice roared from the heavens. A bolt of black lightning crashed through Vtron's body and between her cleavage. The bolt solidified like a spike of judgement. Vtron cried out and her gravitational pull stopped. A storm of charred clouds gathered above.

"That voice..." Gamer, as well as everybody else, cast their sights to the skies. A sawblade of dark energy traced the lightning bolt and punctured through Vtron's chest. The sawblade crashed between Vulcan and Chaffe. Erratic lines of darkness branched out in all directions, and impaled the two players. Gamer slammed on the brakes, a hundred meters away. The darkness didn't reach, but was damn close.

"No way!" Talis yelled. Sonia slowed to a stop, lifted her helmet, and gazed back at the haunting arrival of Shade.

"With my dying breath, I just want you to know... you're a cuck, dude," Vtron sputtered up blood. She, as well as Vulcan and Chaffe, were all digitized. The maddening void of Shade's new self maniacally cackled. A malicious aura exuded like tentacles around him, his eyes glowed with red evil, and blood poured from their sockets. An eerie, unrelenting grin dominated his face.

"Shade? How did HE manage to kill Vtron?" Asterion narrowed his eyes. Something was off about Shade.

"At least we have less competition now," Minnie cheerfully ignored the tormented soul before them.

Gamer rolled his eyes, aimed his Desert Eagle outside the window, and took a headshot on Shade. The black tendrils intercepted and blocked the bullet. Shade's glare gleamed after Gamer's failure. Gamer grimaced, "Damn, he's learned his lesson. This won't be as easy as before."

Sonia opened up a messenger to reach Shade, "Shade, what the hell's going on? Aren't you supposed to be in jail?"

Shade didn't respond, but instead continued to spew words at Gamer. Talis drew her attention, "Sonia, something's wrong. Look at your minimap; he's not coming up as a player."

Indeed, the spot Shade took up was a strange void of glitched blackness. It spread, and soon her minimap cut out entirely.

"What the fuck..." Sonia became anxious. That wasn't Shade.

"Go! It might attack us like it did the others. Let it deal with Gamer, and win the one million points high score!" Talis instructed.

Sonia put her helmet back on and refocused. She burst forward towards the finish line, which was still a significant ways out. She sighed, "Don't die to that idiot, Gamer..."

"Gamer! At long last, I have returned from the depths of Hell. I am your despair incarnate; the storm that approaches; your death made true! My flesh and identity be damned! I will forgo all humanity to assure your destruction!!" Shade's voice contorted to sound more demonic.

Gamer, unfamiliar with the language of dumbassery, stepped out of the Rasputin and snorted, "Tch, 'edge'lord is right. This guy loves to verbally masturbate."

"I'd say we should try skipping him, but those eldritch tendrils are new. Plus, he took out one of my favorite gaming icons and all my Vtuber friends. There's no way I'll let that slide," Asterion got serious. He and Minnie joined Gamer's side, "In the end, Marathon is the last obstacle between us and winning."

Along with his aura dampening the colors of the world around them, the clouds above spread like a disease. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed within the darkness. Few, but heavy, droplets began to rain down.

"Prepare for ruin, Gamer! Failure has strengthened my resolve! Death may claim me, but you will never escape my unyielding rage!" Shade bellowed. His egotistical insanity didn't end there. He didn't advance, but remained stationary. To add salt to the wound, the douche continued his nonsensical word salad.

Gamer declared with a pointed finger and dialogue, "I can bring my own dark cloud over you! If you think you can stop me, that's gonna be your final fantasy beneath this awesome star ocean! Mark my words, under the twilight of the spirits!"

"Stop trying to sound cryptic like him," Asterion chastised.

Shade dominated the screens of all the viewers. His standoff with Gamer threw out all expectations. Shade's visage caused the corners of screens to darken and warp.

"Your end -- myself -- is nigh! I will wrought Chanterelle with unfair, publisher-pushed microtransactions!" Shade declared.

"He's truly fallen..." Sonia glared back.

"You will experience endless pain and torment! I will dox your family and friends, SWAT bomb your home, and levy unwarranted, subhuman allegations upon your name!"

"His evil knows no bounds..." Asterion clenched a fist.

"My judgement will reign supreme as the ultimate pro gamer! I am the chosen prophet, who'll abolish you and all your cheating, low-T brethren!"

"You're not edgy..." Gamer came to truly hate Shade. "You're just an asshole!"

"I am free! I am the ultimate weapon! May the Evil Incarnation of Dark Dickness reign eternal!" Shade bellowed with more laughter. The storm above darkened and rumbled.

Minnie shot the remaining rockets at Shade, and his dark swirls protected him. He belted about degeneracy and deviants, and Minnie shrugged, "I tried."

"I mean, what can we do? He's not approaching, and everything we say isn't getting through his mental state," Gamer was stumped, just as Shade yelled about how his broken mind is no longer in control.

"I usually err on the side of compassion, but this guy doesn't deserve it," Asterion reverted to normal size, just as Shade shouted about how his existence is devoid of love.

"Why don't you bump butts with him, Gamer? That helps a lot of people," Minnie suggested.

Gamer and Asterion glanced over at Shade, who taunted, "Come unto me, Gamer!"

Gamer and Asterion shook their heads and scrunched their faces, "Naaah, he wouldn't want that."

"Whateves you do, bro, make it quickaru. Based on Sonia's speed, she'll be claiming that W in a matter of minutesaru!" Samira sent.

Gamer received an epiphany. The words he's heard since he started his digital journey and math formulas floated around in his mind. They crushed together, like candy, and popped out of existence, like candy.

Gamer turned to Asterion, "I might have an idea. Do you have a Super in the chamber?"

Asterion rotated an arm, "Buddy, I haven't used anything since yesterday. I can do you one better..."

Gamer displayed his confidence, "Alright, let's beat Marathon and win this thing! Samira, it's time to boogie down!"

Ahead on the track, emotions rose up in Sonia as she came up to a hill. Shade's appearance and NPC status ate away at her. He'd been punished with eternal gamenation. The president of Marathon was murdered, and her lifelong career was on the line. Her anxiety matched her adrenaline -- and she was about to achieve victory. Pride and joy overcame her anxiety.

"It appears that Sonia is about to win the race," Nathaniel informed the world with his booming voice. "With that, we... what's this now? It appears Gamer and his team have taken to the center of the track. Could it be... Asterion is about to attack Gamer!"

Sonia tuned in to the video boards to witness what was going on behind her. At the same time, a eurobeat remix of Kickstart My Heart sounded throghout the entire event.

Gamer stood in the middle of the track, his back turned to a lamenting Shade, and facing Asterion. Minnie bobbed her head along to the music DJ Samira provided.

Gamer took out the star mint and held it close to his mouth. Sweat dampened his forehead, "Gotta time it just right..."

Asterion lowered his head and body, and his countenance darkened. His muscles defined and tensed, and his skin reddened. The veins of the muscles bulged, and steam soon rolled up as the sweat burned up from the heat buildup. He extended an arm to the side. The energy output from the minotaur made the ground shutter and air vibrate. The people in attendance and around the world popped up from their seats and made some noise.

Gamer gulped down the star mint. Asterion scowled and, with pupil-less eyes and an echoing voice, lunged, "Nuclear Clothesline!"

Asterion dashed with incredible speed and smashed his arm into Gamer's chest. The destructive power could melt skin and tear bones like paper. The impact reshaped the land with a cataclysmic shockwave. However, as that force enacted on Gamer, the star mint kicked in. His skin and eyes flashed through the spectrum of star colors. His body resisted the killing blow, but they timed it just right to conserve the blowback effect. Asterion's Ultra shot the invincible Gamer like a shooting star.

Gamer flipped, flopped, and skidded across the ground with no real control at high speeds. He could control his limbs and twist around, but he headed in one unstoppable direction.

"... for His light is grand and eternal, and all evil fails in the face of it!" Shade finished his rambling. His eyes widened as the starlight cascaded upon him and the image of Gamer approaching at supersonic speeds overwhelmed him. Before the collision, Gamer hit him with the hottest, spinning nae nae in the twenty-second century.

"GAMER!!"

Shade's tendrils tried to catch Gamer, but his speed and invincibility eviscerated them. He plowed through Shade, and the dark entity digitized with a harrowing, glitched roar. Shade's dust scattered in the wind as Gamer's body shot forward.

"Fuck the cuck," Asterion snorted.

Gamer skipped across the course with high velocity. The lackatoes could barely keep up. Any rock or course foundation that jutted up broke upon Gamer bouncing across it. Nathaniel narrated above the overzealous crowd, "Gamer has been sent flying by Asterion, decimated the dark threat, and is barreling towards the blue blur! Nothing seems to stop him; as if his momentum is invincible! He's on a surefire way to first place!"

"Sonia, watch..." but before Talis could even get the words out, Samira returned with a vengeance. She unleashed more distractions on the fox boy. It worked, and their avatars bumped corners as they started typing at one another.

"Here's a link for butthole enlargement pills! Use responsibly!" Samira sent.

"Tempting, but I don't think so!" Talis deleted.

"How about hot single grandmas near you?" Samira introduced a bunch of AI-generated elderly ladies asking for Talis to call.

"Sorry, but I'm married!" Talis was immune.

"Dah, this is so not fire! Why can't I beat you? You're too hard!"

Talis ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) and Samira (≖‿ ≖ )

"Would you two..." Sonia took a moment to close both their windows. That's when Gamer's spinning body appeared in her peripheral. She swerved to avoid his glimmering form.

He gifted her a middle finger and a snarky grin, "I'm not losing!"

Nathaniel shouted like an overenthusiastic soccer mom, "Gamer is tied up with Sonia and shows no sign of slowing down!"

"Go, Gamer, go!" Asterion and Minnie wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders and cheered. Samira ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝, imitating many of those who watched online. Reaction creators, livestreamers, and all who attended were ballistic at the neck-and-neck race. Gamer, through tenacity and insanity, won the public over. He pulled ahead. The motorcycle's speedometer rattled inside the redline, but unlike Gamer, Sonia fought the friction of the road. Gamer moved into first place. His lead increased from a few inches, to a few feet, and then some.

"Cheaters don't win..." Sonia took out one of her gems. Taking one herself wouldn't do anything better; her motorcycle could reach the same speeds, just with less handling. With that in mind, she popped open the nitrous injection lid.

"Woah! Wait, Sonia! You can't put a gem into the motorcycle! We don't know what that will do!" Talis warned.

"Chaos!" Sonia's helmet rings became fully lit up. She jammed the gem in the motorcycle and Talis screamed with terror.

"Hey, that's my line!" Gamer glared over, but gawked. The energy from the gem fed through the motorcycle like a neon light. Its exhaust sputtered out flames that grew bigger with each spit. The whole vehicle rattled and kicked, buckled and struggled. Sonia clung onto the handlebar like she was bullriding.

Then the motorcycle exploded.

Through the smoke and the flames, after the crowd cried out in sorrow, Sonia flew out. She clung onto the handlebar, as it and the front of the motorcycle were all that was left of her machine. The gem completely destroyed the back half, and all that was left was a glowing streak of blue flames. The speed it produced outdid the motorcycle and matched Gamer's. Sonia flapped like a cape, her helmet flung off, and the wind hitting her face pushed her mouth open.

"I can't believe it!" Nathaniel gasped. His energetic cries personified the world's reaction. Sonia drew in closer to Gamer's lead. The lackatoes faltered behind at such speeds, and instead set up ahead of the racers and at the finish line. They switched feeds each time Gamer and Sonia rocketed by. The crowd watched as Gamer bursted out laughing and straightening out headfirst. Sonia locked in and closed her mouth into a wild smile, snickering with crazed determination.

"They're both laughing..." Minnie smiled.

"A couple of crazies..." Asterion laughed.

"Woah!" Gamer let out.

"Yeah!" Sonia joined in.

The lead constantly switched between either one as Sonia's unreliable gem-infused motorcycle ebbed. Their speed ripped up the track behind them and left a streak of destruction. The star mint faded and made Gamer vulnerable again. Sonia's motorcycle failed and broke apart. Each bulleted towards the finish line, and the world froze. They soared through at the same time.

"It's a tie!" Nathaniel's enthralled voice proclaimed.

The deafening sound of celebration rang all across Chanterelle. Every viewer gave a standing or jumping ovation. Confetti fell from the skies, but it came with some confusion. The tie spread across media outlets and had people questioning what happens next. Asterion and Minnie hopped into the Rasputin and started it up.

Past the finish line, Gamer and Sonia found themselves on the beach again. They were near the huts they stayed in the previous night. The sun closed in on the horizon, but the day still had a few hours to it. Sonia sat up and held her head. It thrummed with pain, as she hit the ground hard enough to snap a neck. What helped mediate the impact was Gamer. She recalled him pulling out a broom after crossing the finish line. He sat up and grabbed the aforementioned item, which laid next to him. He slipped the household object into his inventory.

"A tie... damn..." Gamer grumbled.

Sonia checked her character screen to confirm it. Her high score didn't raise or lower. She closed it in frustration, "After all that, and nobody wins."

"You know what that means..." Gamer took to his feet and glared towards the blue blur.

Their kindred spirits fist bumped, and she knew what he meant. She stood, "A tiebreaker."

"All or nothing!" they both said at the same time.

Sonia pulled out the rest of her gems; three in total. She released them and they spun around her in an orbital formation. Gamer knew what the gem entailed and needed his own counter. He pulled out his tanuki tail. When the gems all came together and merged with Sonia, she didn't just glow. Her whole body shined with golden energy. Her spiky hair became golden, her racer suit turned gold, and her skin sparkled as if covered by gold dust. When she moved, the naked eye couldn't keep track of her. She left behind a gold trail of light when she moved. She was three times faster than sound, breaking the sound barrier with each turn she made. She cycled around Gamer.

"I'll give you a chance to forfeit, Gamer. Anybody who can keep up with me earns my respect. I'm practically impossible to touch in this form," Sonia said in surround sound.

"I told you..." Gamer munched down on the tail. His body became wrapped by the raccoon bodysuit, and his artificial balls propped him up off the ground. Tanuki Gamer gestured for the golden blur to come at him, "... I'm not losing."

"Are those his balls?" Sonia raised an eyebrow. Her nerves went on the fritz and her adrenaline peaked. Her vision blurred and heart overclocked. Every inch of her went numb with excitement.

Gamer didn't move, but he stared forward. Anticipating. Centered. If she was going to strike, it had to be now. Sonia darted a couple more times, soundwaves concussing the sand and the huts nearby, and creating gusts of wind. She sped towards Gamer from the side.

"Now!" Samira, who used the Talis battle to read Sonia, called to Gamer.

Gamer turned into a statue just as Sonia slammed into him. The invincibility, just as with Shade, rebuked Sonia and knocked her out of her golden state. Her gems scattered across the beach as she went flying backwards into a hut. However, the force of Sonia's power broke through the invincibility. It shattered the statue form and defeated the tanuki suit. Gamer flew backwards and landed on the shoreline. They equalized each other.

Samira and Talis (・Д・) Gamer laughed out loud as the wake crashed into him, and Sonia busted a gut as her upper body hung out of the broken wall of the hut.

It was another Tie.

***

Nathaniel showed highlights from the race on the video boards. The masses interacted with it, shared their own clips on social media, and reported what happened. The buzz made the Game Master elated at the attention brought to their world. Even if this meant more trouble for them and Gamer, the chaos was infectious.

Asterion and Minnie arrived at the beach. They left the Rasputin next to the finish line and hoofed it over to the huts to find Gamer and Sonia. The parted and kicked up sand indicated where they landed, but neither racer was there.

"Let's split up," Asterion suggested.

"Okay! I'll continue down the beach. Maybe they went back into the resort," Minnie volunteered.

As the shellie peeled off, Asterion eyeballed the huts. He started to check them. Serendipitously, Asterion heard movement from the first hut he approached. He didn't need to walk up to the door, as he was tall enough to peer in through the window. He saw Sonia move into frame, with a hair flip. She faced the bed.

"Deal. Whoever cums first loses," Sonia agreed.

"You wanna speedrun an orgasm, fine by me," Gamer taunted. Asterion backed up with a proud smirk. He walked down the beach to give the two some privacy, and to join Minnie in the 'search'.

Inside the hut, Gamer sat back on the bed, shirtless. He kept his legs apart as an invitation, but Sonia had her own tease. She gradually zipped her racer suit down. Each little bit of skin revealed grabbed his attention. When she zipped it to her crotch, she rolled her shoulders to free them. The track suit fell, and she revealed her petite yet striking feminine form. Underneath was a light blue lingerie set. A partially see-through lace bra, sexy as hell thong, as well as garterbelt and stockings.

"Lingerie? While you race?" Gamer raised an eyebrow.

"No, baka, I switched it out for this. I know what men like," Sonia tilted her hips and held her hands behind her head. It redefined her sexiness.

"You're not wrong," Gamer lusted, his cock flexing in his pants.

Sonia strutted towards Gamer, swaying in all the right ways. Talis and Samira (ᵕ--ᴗ--)

"Banking her career on having sex. Why am I not surprised? She's probably turned on by the thought alone," Talis breathed a laugh.

"I've gathered it's a flex thing. NDEs make people horny," Samira ¯_(ツ)_/¯

"Say, you want to get a private chatroom and nerd out while they're busy? The way you navigate is really interesting."

"Slay! Want to learn how to hack the FBI?"

"Bet!" Talis and Samira left to do their own mingling.

Sonia turned on her heels, and drifted her ass in front of Gamer's face. The thong outlined her cheeks. She shook her behind enticingly. Gamer's boner raged more in his pants, and Sonia targeted it. She brushed her bottom against it. Gamer glided his hands across her hips and rear. They rubbed and brushed into one another. Sonia hydrolic-dropped into his lap and leaned back. Their faces were inches apart, eyes locked, lips narrowly touching. He teased her thighs, she combed the back of his hair. When Gamer moved a hand to her moistened, thong-strapped mound, Sonia giggled and removed herself from his lap.

Sonia continued the striptease. She played with her bra straps, shot alluring gazes over the shoulder, and used her arms and hands to cover her bare breasts. Gamer undid his pants, but kept them on. Sonia lowered her hands, traced her sides, hooked her thong, and pulled down. She bent away from Gamer, and the reveal of her delicious cuisine was ruined when she quickly straightened and pulled her thong up again. Gamer groaned in frustration, and she flashed a sexy smile. Her eyes lingered on his twitching bulge.

Gamer left the bed and sprang behind her. She gasped, but his aggression made her grin. He bent her forward and she braced the wall, her ass stuck out and wiggling. Gamer drew a hand across one cheek, before slapping it. The sting was sharp, and Sonia bit her lip and moaned. Gamer petted the other cheek, and slapped. He stole a breath from her. He switched between massaging and slapping, and both were equally desired. By the time he was done, Sonia's ass cheeks were reddened. Gamer rubbed all over her ass to mix pleasure and pain.

Sonia groped his bulge and rubbed. They worked as a team to throttle his pants, allowing his shift stick to enter D. Sonia breathed out with lust at the sight. She glided a hand along its length, "Mmm, babe, you're so stiff for me."

"All the more to please you with, my dear," Gamer played the big, bad wolf. He took a dominant stance and cupped her face. She lowered to her knees, and let his cock head draw a line up her torso and between her petite breasts. He held her head, and she submitted to his will. Gamer grabbed the base of his cock and flicked his member across her nipples. He poked, prodded, slid, and beat her chest. Her nipples hardened, and Gamer licked his precum across them. He drummed her with hard plops.

"Mmm, so rough. Daisukidesu," Sonia wore a lewd mask. Her panting warmed his lower abs.

"You like that, huh?" Gamer slapped her across the face with his cock. She gawked, but lavished the beating. He smeared the shaft over her cheeks, lips, and nose. His scent stained her nostrils. She stuck out a tongue and graced him. He batted that next. He beat her mouth ajar, gained entry, and parked in her garage.

Gamer didn't ease up. Sonia chipmunked his cock as he fed it in and out of her mouth. Sonia exaggerated the slurping noises. She then included enthusiastic gasps and moans. Saliva dripped out from her mouth and off his shaft. The plastered her lips and chin.

"Do you really need to do the porn sounds?" Gamer asked. It was hot, in a raunchy way. Was this a tactic of hers?

Sonia held up a finger for him to pause. After a moment, her hair went from long spikes to twintails. She wiggled her eyebrows, mouth full of cock. Gamer grinned and wrapped his hands around the new steering, "Vroom vroom..."

Gamer facefucked Sonia. She took it like a champ, too, as he reached all the way in. His balls punched her chin, his head punched the back of her throat, and his grunts punched her feels. Her body arched forward, and one of her hands jostled her clit as quickly as he pounded her throat pussy. Her body trembled. He pulled on her hair to bury her nose into his crotch. She gagged and teared up. She clinched his hips and shook her head. Their grunts were guttural. They pulled away from each other with hefty gasps. Precum and saliva mixed in and out of Sonia's mouth and all over Gamer's dick.

"Yebat, eto bylo khorosho..." Sonia rubbed her sore throat.

Gamer's cock throbbed. Its veins pulsed and it looked like candy. She crawled towards him and pushed him onto the bed. She presented her backside to Gamer again, with the same bent over tease. This time, though, she revealed her all-you-can-eat buffet by fully removing her thong. Gamer nudged his cock forward so it could have a little taste. She liked the tickle, and remained bent for him while she started on her stockings.

"Woah, wait," Gamer stopped her. "Don't take the stockings off. I don't need those damned lackatoes flying in here and ruining our fun. I have a history of being blue balled by the NPCs."

"Sure, babe, whatever you want," Sonia giggled.

She climbed on top of Gamer, handled and jerked him a bit, and guided him in. It slid inside with no resistance, and her pussy hugged it tightly. They were lubed up and ready to go. Gamer grinded up, and Sonia leaned back so his cock hit the good spot.

A series of new subscription alerts surprised Sonia. She'd been livestreaming the whole time. She opened her player screen and saw her chat popping off with O-face memes and sexually suggestive emotes. A whole league of interested watchers subscribed upon seeing Sonia. She giggled at the attention.

"Privet! Thanks for the subbies. How is everyone?" Sonia groped a boob. She engaged with the chat openly, and they joked about her new ride, "Eto potryasayushche! He might be a dirtbag cheater, but the guy knows how to fuck."

"Do you have to be talking to them right now?" Gamer asked, disgruntled.

Sonia rubbed her hands along his chest, "Daijōbudayo, babe. They like watching, and it's a turn on for me. You're doing great; ii kanji."

Gamer noticed the shift in tone between addressing the chat and speaking to him. She went from casual to cutesy, and used sweet words to praise. She was playing him; and Gamer wasn't gonna be gamed. He raised his knees, and it shoved Sonia forward. They barechested one another Gamer clamped onto her ass and dribbled it down onto his cock with faster and harder thrusts. She cried out with delight.

"Hayaku shite... hayaku!" Sonia pleaded. Gamer had no clue what she was saying. He just kept thrusting. Sonia appeared to love the faster pace, and even cracked a smile. She laughed a little, "Oooh, yatta... you make my pussy so happy. Your cock feels so nice! I can't cum, though. You'll take my score. Mmm, but you're doing it so forcefully. Yabai..."

"You're a freak," Gamer maintained his rhythm.

"Yamate, Gamer. You can't do this to me... please..." Sonia busted out the innocent expression and pleading voice. She bet her finger and passionately leered. The combo woke something up in Gamer. His cock flared and Sonia felt it twitching. She leaned in and clasped his face, gently whimpering, "Yamate, yamate, yamate..."

"I can't..." Gamer hissed through his teeth. His legs buckled, but he remained vigilant inside her.

"Go ahead. Irete hoshii... cum inside me. Cum for me, Gamer," Sonia's voice sounded hypnotic. Instructional.

"No, I mean I can't cum..." Gamer's strained expression flipped to a cocky grin. Sonia's lewd mask dropped. Gamer said, "I fucked a bunch of moles the other day. My balls are broken, bitch!"

"Nani?!" Sonia gawked.

Gamer's legs didn't buckle because he was losing strength. It's because he was repositioning. He shoved Sonia off him and traded places. He mounted her in a mating press position and commenced the horizontal tango. He crashed his cock into her with no fear of losing.

The turnaround of control changed everything. Sonia started to feel overstimulated. Her gasps became shallow and her face flushed. Her were shocked and called foul. Yet they couldn't do a single thing.

"This isn't fair. If you can't cum, that means you can't lose..." Sonia faintly spoke.

Gamer wrapped both his hands around her neck and roughly choked her. He planted his feet to leverage more of his downwards thrusts. The violent plunges rocked Sonia back and forth. The overstimulation continued. His cockiness was on full display, "You're taking on a cheater, remember? Watashi wa no baka!"

"You... just called yourself... an idiot..." Sonia couldn't believe the irony. Her pussy burned with passion and her body vibrated. She couldn't escape the fucking. He overpowered and outplayed her. She couldn't win. She grunted, "Ya seychas konchu!!"

Sonia came, lathering up Gamer and digging her nails into his shoulders. Gamer churned it in and all around. He angled and changed speeds to massage the inside while she writhed. Her pussy twitched and squeezed him, but nothing came out of his hose.

Sonia lost.

Gamer pulled out to check the glistening coat of victory on his stiffy. It splayed across Sonia's pussy and eclipsed it out of sight. He moved to his knees and put his hands on his hips, "Whew, finally. That was a lot more difficult than it needed to be. I see why you're one of the best in Marathon."

Not anymore, "I can't believe I lost, after everything. I was a third of the way there."

"You were going for a wish, too? What for?"

A small part of Sonia liked how both Asterion and Gamer actually cared about her dream. He defeated her, and earned the right to know. She blushed, "It's a little silly, but I want to close down all the zoos in the world, and free the animals. Not the conservations, but the ones who don't care about the animals or their well-being."

"That's friggin' noble! I hope you get there one day. Sorry for tripping you up on the journey."

Sonia started to notice something human about this cheater, "Live and let live, I always say. I knew the risks when I accepted the Chanterelle invitation. Besides, you're doing all this for your sister, right?"

"How do you know about that?"

"Asterion told me, but he didn't share any details. Said it wasn't his place to say."

"Ah, well, it's a bit of a story. I'll tell you between Part 8 and Part 9."

"Ladno," Sonia shrugged. She eyeballed Gamer's cock. She felt his heartbeat on her wet mound. The warmth inside her echoed like an aching itch. She cracked a smile, "Want to take me around for lap two? It's..."

A heavy rumbling cut Sonia short. Gamer and her sprang to their feet the moment the walls started to crack. They tossed on their clothes and dashed out onto the beach for a better view. The trees and ocean waves quivered. The audience stands were empty at this point, and the video boards were dead. Gamer saw Asterion and Minnie running over to join them. Before words could be exchanged, a loud bang perforated the air. It drew their attention to the volcano top. Smoke swirled up into the darkened clouds summoned by Shade, which now lingered above the volcano. An object spun in circles over Lord Shellie's fortress like a marker. Its shape was a bunch of triangular lights, and had a rainbow iridescence to it.

"What's that?" Sonia raised an eyebrow.

"Ohmygodit'stheIlluminati!" Gamer quickly sputtered.

"Shut up," Asterion grumbled at his friend.

"I know what that is..." Minnie furrowed her brow. "That's the Biforce. It's a powerful item that turns all who are affected by it into bisexuals."

Nothing sounded wrong, but the atmosphere disagreed. Asterion asked, "Why do you sound so ominous?"

"Because whoever controls the Biforce controls the bisexuals. You become a mindless slave!"

"Hot," Sonia dug it.

"But what's concerning is that a specific person holds the power of the Biforce, and he was sealed away years ago in the Kingdom of Highrule!"

"Is it because the people there are always high?" Asterion guessed.

"No, it's because they live on an island far to the north," Minnie corrected. The minotaur threw his hands up in disbelief.

Sonia asked, curious, "Who is this specific person?"

"The one who wields the Biforce is the Degenerate King -- the Evil Incarnation of Dark Dickness -- the Wicked Man of the Deviants..." Minnie listed out all the nicknames this monster had.

Sonia noticed a pattern, "Didn't Shade say some of this stuff..."

Gamer glared up at the Biforce and the evil storm summoned by the deceased cuck. The names and power of this individual intrigued Gamer, but sounded like a huge headache. Persica was at Lord Shellie's fortress, too, and still needed to be helped. Gamer asked, "Who is he?"

Minnie gulped, "Goonindorf."