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."
Sonia adjusted her white gloves and mentally prepared. Talis popped up in a screen, "Well, your choice is loud and clear. Mr. Khom isn't too happy."
"What's up, Talis? I figured I wouldn't be seeing you again," Sonia hid her relief.
"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. Millions 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, "You have a handful of gems. Remember not to use one unless you're in the lead."
"We can do it the old-fashion way," Sonia declined. "Gamer's better than we initially thought. If he hits me while I'm using one, it's gone. If he cheats while I'm recovering, it'll make things harder. Besides, once I hit max speeds, my motorcycle is just as fast as the gems. We should save them for an emergency and the final push."
The audience shifted in energy from hype to curious. A few more ticket holders joined to watch the event live, however, they appeared in a VIP balcony at the very top of the stands. Properly separated from the normal rabble, and symbolically above everyone, three figures pixelated into their privileged seats. They wore futuristic business suits, and radiated executive energy. The one who pixelated in the center nearly lagged the game from the crowd's and internet's collective gasps. His aura thickened the tension on the raceway. His cold eyes pierced his son's avatar.
"Who's that?" Minnie asked, confused.
Asterion answered, since everybody fell silent or into murmurs, "The Board Game Mogul and the 67th member of the Intercontinental Gaming Council, Chad Mortimer. Gamer's father."
Gamer stared forward, unwilling to give his parent any attention. Instead, he automatically stuck a hand out the window with the middle finger saluting the councilman.
"Paying for a front row seat to see his son's demise |ᵕ•_•| damn..." Talis got chills. Sonia kept switching her glances from the two Mortimers, and recalled what Asterion said about Gamer's sister. The animosity was palpable.
Nathaniel's voice boomed across the raceway and audience, "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Sunshine 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 land. 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 beside 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 bare feet 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.
The lackatoes fluttered near the starting line and all along the raceway. The potentas moved around in the stands, and offered snacks and bobbles. The audience was filled in and filled up.
"Next our contestants will enter their antes!" Nathaniel brought up a display for the point pool. Each player, except Gamer, received a notification to bet their points.
"Why not?" Asterion bet 77 points.
"Why are you throwing me a bone?" Gamer was confused.
"I don't mind the sacrifice," Asterion shrugged.
"Maybe he'll steal the win and take all the points for himself," Minnie joked and laughed.
It dawned on Gamer; Asterion could win without killing him. He'd earn a ton of points to attract his son. The miniature bull man wore a sly smile. Gamer grumbled, "Buddy, don't you think about..."
"Thinkin' about it," Asterion cut in. Gamer made pterodactyl noises.
Each of the players anteed up similar bets, around ten thousand each. They had no incentive to risk more than necessary, what with Gamer's entire score on the line. Once locked in, their portraits faded to greyscale. The only one left to bet was the blue blur.
Then the point pool jumped to two and a half million.
Sonia's portrait faded to grey, and all heads turned to the last contestant. Gamer even leaned out, flabbergasted. Sonia stared ahead with intense focus.
"Scary..." Vulcan stated. His nerves were shook, as were everyone else's.
"Are you crazy?" Gamer asked.
"She is..." Asterion quickly whispered. He rubbed his groin, and recalled the late night loss he took.
"One does not play russian roulette with a water gun," Sonia quoted.
Gamer grinned, "Oh, I like you..."
"Splendid! With all that out of the way, it's finally time!" Nathaniel belted. The crowd popped off and danced about like a bunch of maniacs. The final bets and gambles online closed. All screens were tuned in to see the race. The three powerful councilors remained stoic. To them, the mice were ready to play.
"When will he arrive? None of this is necessary," the councilman to Chad's right asked.
"He's spawned in. It will happen when it happens," Chad leaned back and favored a cigar. "Have some patience. We are in the long game now."
Nathaniel started, "Ready.."
The racers gave their vehicles juice, and in the case of mounts, they received scritches and head pats.
Vulcan posed one last time as a lackatoe flew by. Chaffe adjusted his limbs uncomfortably. The Vtubers were enjoying their individual chat interactions.
"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!"