"How are things, Nathaniel?" Asterion nodded to his old friend. I barely recalled him mentioning the guy before.
"Tumultuous," Nathaniel sighed like an overworked developer.
Mr. Khom looked like a pissed off old dog. He even snarled like one, "We were hoping you'd show up soon, Sonia. We would have preferred doing this in person, but your immediate termination is necessary for our public image. Due to your actions from yesterday, you are officially no longer an affiliate of Marathon."
"Yeah, you made that clear yesterday morning," Sonia embraced her fate.
"Welcome to soloing!" Asterion stayed jovial. "Release the balloons!"
Minnie took out one balloon and released it into the air. It floated away with little grandiose. She shrugged, "That's all I earned at the resort."
Sonia appreciated the acceptance. I, on the other hand, found the public display of douchebaggery curious, "Why bother even coming on here, then? You trying to make a show of force?"
"Something of the sort," Nathaniel crossed his hands behind his back.
"More of a verbal reprimanding than anything. Sonia purposely went against the association's wishes. Such insubordination is intolerable in our workplace," Mr. Khom grumbled.
"You're just rubbing salt in the wound. Are you that petty?" Asterion argued.
I agreed. To show my own force, I rapidly zipped my fly up and down. That's when my zipper broke. I cursed under my breath and tried to fiddle it back on.
"I am. We at Marathon have built a successful community over decades of work," Mr. Khom growled. The more he furrowed his brow, the more I saw a bulldog talking, "Shade and Sonia were our lead figures. I won't even get started on how Gamer puts a fat, disgusting stain on gaming with his crimes and attitude, but my employees know to act better. To be better."
"The best; most Marathon followers would say," Sonia smugly said.
Mr. Khom zeroed in his poison, "You are such a disappointment. We had high aspirations for you, and you toss it away?! Stupid, naïve girl!"
Sonia withheld her emotions, but couldn't help sneering at the jerk, "If you can't handle the fast lane, move aside. I don't need to be judged by a poser like you. Kanarazu katsu!"
Mr. Khom barked a laugh, "We made you, Natsuki. Without us, you'd still be pulling in low numbers and ratings. We handed you success!"
His words started to upset Sonia. He must have noticed, because he droned on, "And let me tell you, you'll never be accepted by another association. I can make damn sure of..."
That was enough. I blew Mr. Khom. I forced the guy to perform the Moonlight Serenade. I didn't care how he felt; I wasn't going to let him speak down to people without repercussions!
"Woah, wait..." Lord Shellie and Persica were shocked at the twist. "You gave this guy a blowjob?"
Gamer's brain stuttered, and he realized his mistake. He slapped his forehead, "Oh, geez, no! That's not...I flubbed up. I didn't mean I blew him, I meant to say I blew him away. With this."
Gamer reintroduced to them the firearm. Persica and Lord Shellie were able to understand, "Oooh!"
"Sorry, rewind it back," Gamer swirled his index fingers in a cycle.
"And let me tell you, you'll never be accepted by another association. I can make damn sure of..."
I pulled out the Desert Eagle and put a bullet between the asshole's eyes. His head snapped back before digitizing instantly. I blew him away.
"Gamer!" Sonia gasped. Nathaniel gawked with his mouth and eyes. He put a fist up to his lips to stifle some laughter.
"I was close to doing something myself," Asterion said, apparently at the same level of disgust I was at. Minnie had moved into a fighting stance, ready to rumble.
"I'm sorry, but I can't hear you over the sound of how mad I am right now!" I told everybody. I checked my high score in hopes that the exec carried some heavy bags. Unfortunately, I didn't earn a single point, "Wow, he really was a poser."
I pointed my magnum at Nathaniel. He clamped his mouth shut and held up his hands. I asked, "What are you going to say to piss me off?"
"On the contrary, Gamer, I find this whole situation fascinating! What's happening in this game is the first of its kind. A player living beyond eternal gamenation and using arbitrary code executions with each interaction? It's unprecedented!" Nathaniel said with high enthusiasm.
I lowered my gun, since he reminded me of my sister. Asterion gave me a staying hand, "Hold, Gamer. Nathaniel isn't like that dirtbag. He's cool."
"Thanks, Elroy," Nathaniel relaxed.
I kept my glare strong and smoldering, "Answer our questions, then."
"I'm legally limited on what I can say to a criminal, but ask away."
"Who the hell designs the enemies in Chanterelle? They must have played monster sims for too long and let the intrusive thoughts take control."
Nathaniel flashed a smirk, "Ah, well, that would be Herbert. The council gave us little time for adequate quality checks. Chanterelle is primarily designed for you to suffer in for eternity. So, it's whatever came out of his noggin."
"Herbert..." I knew who my greatest enemy was.
"What about his bounty being cancelled? You or the council's idea?" Asterion wondered.
"The council's. They were adamant on not feeding anymore points to Gamer. You've thrown them for a loop," Nathaniel praised me.
"So what's the plan now?" I asked.
Nathaniel gazed up at Lord Shellie's fortress, "There are plenty more threats far greater than Marco and fodder minions. We await to see how you handle the final boss of the game."
"Smart, but that's still a lot of points," Sonia admitted.
"Honestly, I'm excited," Nathaniel breathed carefully. He fought the vibrations, "Will you be able to pull off another upset? What will the council do with another failure? The world is revolving, and I can't wait to see what happens next."
"Alright, alright, you're starting to be weird. Head out before I do you like I capped Khom guy," I felt no need to be nice to Nathaniel. As a Game Master, he was by all rights an enemy.
Nathaniel nodded, thanked us, and dipped out.