CHAPTER 1

*Embo – Activated*

“Ohhh, HURRRY the heeellll UHP!!!”

The deafening tap of the shift key rung steadily through the room, into his mic, and dizzily around his brain.

“After this BUTTNOZZLE… I’ll have just ONE-… more…”

The weary, over-worked, late-20’s, college-grad StreamTV “STAR” (If having 550k subscribers equaled stardom than by all means,) gritted through a strained jaw, and clenched teeth.

The previously disoriented mob had begun to congeal and converge upon him, way quicker than previously anticipated.

*Embo – Charged*

“!!YEASS!!! EH! Whoa whoa WHOA!”

Shift+Alt clicking frantically, as spastic as it sounded, allowed him to successfully push the remaining mobs aside. Over the horizon the skies incessant twinkling had began subtly intensifying, along with the music steadily beginning to pick up pace.

Not only was he on track to make it to the final target in time, and perhaps finish the game…

…He had found himself in a MORE than optimal position to take a long needed, though short lived, break.

He couldn’t allow himself to even slightly lose focus.

Pointing his heavy potato-shaped body into the correct direction, ready to ricochet to the final destination, he quickly slapped on the last propulsion enhancer; before quickly pausing the FINAL level of the godforsaken game that had been CURSING his desktop screen, along with the ongoing camera feed.

For a moment in the foamed sound-proof office, where he drowned himself in the inane and absurd…

“ARRRGGHHH PLEEASEEE!!!!!!!”

All was silent.

“GOD-TWAT-fucking-GRAVY!”

He roared wrapping his swollen fingers around the cool water-bottle nearby, as he did the engorged digits instantly began to relax.

A heavyhearted sigh escaped his tired, weary, chest.

This was the closest he had made it, since one time earlier that morning, and once more slightly before noon…

When he had nearly won.

That was fine.

Now?

He knew the process by heart…

He KNEW what to do.

At the moment, all that meant was to focus…

…and do something about the damn hand cramp he couldn’t be sure was even present, or simply conjured up by his own rest/normal-human-activity deprived brain; to subvert any attempt at progress he might actually make in the game…

Or, quite possibly, in his own life.

‘Oooh yes god-‘

The coolness of the drink was sanctuary for any place on the stream star’s screeching body that had managed to receive such refreshing relief.

Before having that necessary drink, his eyes scanned the nearby vicinity carefully; stopping briefly at the semi-still LCD monitor.

His paused, noticeably active feed, staring directly back at him.

‘DON’T fuck us.’

His narrowed eyes met themselves bleakly, his voice barely an audible growl.

‘This WILL be the LAST. ONE.’

He wasn’t sure if he was talking about… or TO the game….

…the devs…

…the people at home…

Maybe himself.

Certainly directed to at least a single entity of the bunch…

…or perhaps to each and every last one.

He quickly lifted his seemingly non-stop, quietly buzzing phone, flickering through his inbox for any relevant messages.

Comments, DA HATAS, a question from Stan…

‘Nothing from her..’

He placed the phone back on it’s charger, as his eyes continued to scour the room, searching for a certain object, a hint of respite, that lie just out of sight…

“Ah.. yess..”

..Before finally landing on the item of interest.

The container lie hidden meticulously out frame from the future audiences at home. Drifting his chair sideways an inch or so, nearly knocking over a miniature tabletop oddity (SHE had made for him,) he reached for and quickly snatched a small pill bottle from the counter-top beside his desk. The high-strung, suddenly anxious gamer glanced around the empty room reflexively as he screwed off the lid and popped a tiny purple pill from his stiff, equally purple hand into his aching mouth, before finally taking a crisp swig of the ice-chilled beverage beside him…

…and shclumping his leaden head into his interwoven, somehow-even-tighter fingers.

‘It BETTER be the last goddamn one, or I swear to fucking christ-‘

In between (AND during) the SLIGHTLY more sane audible narration of his damn-near fervent gameplay, it was as though his mind was both racing and speaking in CAPS all at once. The synapses of his mind seemed to sizzle and pop, while the cheery little tune ringing in his ears through his ELITE PRO (more like ELITE PRICE TAG) headphones assisted loyally as ever, in setting him aflame.

His mind, the music, and the constant lack of resolution really seemed to grate just enough after the 9th hour to leave him taking his SECOND dose of “Tanfenyl” that day.

The first dose seeming to have already worn off, after only the third hour.

‘ONE…

MORE.’

He lifted his heavy head and retrieved both headset and one final stabilizing breath, before firmly gripping the mouse. However he found himself pausing, his finger hovering just above the record button, his gaze settled on the glinting, ever waiting eye of his pristine camera.

It made the standard, silent, mockery.

“..or I’m done.”

*Click*

“Bet on it.”

CHAPTER 2

“One more.”

He muttered his “reassuring” mantra repeatedly, beneath tepidly-bated breath, as he flexed and stretched the steadily loosening mouse hand, as it lie hovering above the minimized game. Taking a deep breath he finally enlarged and resumed, the semi-self inflicted, nightmare.

The jumpy music began exactly where he had mind-numbingly, painstakingly, memorized it being left; along with the previously frozen mobs, quickly swarming wildly to life around him.

Instinctually, he laser focused his attention to the increasingly shifting slider; hoping to catch it in the precious, horrendously redacted, eye-blurringly alternating, emerald goal.

As he waited for the release to settle in the correct position, the timer on the previously popped enhancement had begun to wane.

“ONE MORE PLEASE.”

“3..” The buff began to fade in and out, rapidly.

“Please?”

“2..”

“FUCKING PLEASE?!”

As SOON as the notch landed in the vicinity of the minuscule, hill-green promised land, his thumb SLAMMED the space bar, and ungodly far off he propelled, just as the buff extended by 5 seconds.

“WHHHEEEEWWWW!!! YES! YES!!!”

He’d land squarely at the foot of the surprisingly intimidating, hovering, statuesque being.

“Perfect! PERFECT!”

He quickly shifted gears and began the final fill, chucking rune after rune into the hovering, rapidly randomized gullet…

“Now, eat up you rocky..-bal-boulder looking… BITCH!!”

The now quite sizable, rock-like pucks, drew closer; already satisfied with the systematically placed “remnants” he left as far behind on the way to his last target as possible.

They were firmly on the pursuit for their final meal.

Him.

He only had enough “Remnant” left to feed and keep the smallest one left busy, and to activate and feed the illuminating, levitating, formless mould, the one that had been carefully guided into a, purposefully chosen, nearby corner.

He’d strategically gathered them this run-through; even though doing so had forced them, as well as himself into an efficient, but frustrating, (slightly unpredictable,) path. After a week, dozens of attempts, 2 broken mice, and a nearly busted g-horse camera, this method in particular seemed to be the only realistic way of achieving triumph..

..Once and for all.

‘..Well until the newer, even more confusing sequel’s released, and I’m FORCED into this HELL AGAIN!!!’

The thought threw the aim, carefully guiding “remnant” into the nearly full, uncovered stone-face’s slender maw, off.

Only slightly…

…but enough to miss a few, irretrievable, mid-shots.

‘FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-‘

“Open.”

Remnant LOW

“OPEN. OPEN YOU FUC- !!!!!”

*Endi – Activated*

“YES! YES! OKOKok-”

The commentary in this video was ultimate garbage, but he REALLY couldn’t afford to care at this point, and honestly?

Neither would anyone else.

Maybe after he finally finished he’d record a dub for the final upload or something, but there was to much at stake at the moment.

ALL that mattered now, was overpowering this last obstacle, and moving on…

To the final stage…

“Alright, now we just swoopie daWOOPIE up-… from behind and-”

Something was wrong.

“??wha-!?” The screen started to, almost imperceptibly, flicker.

“Don’t-.. you fucking-” a small, nearly hidden face, appeared on the side of the screen, and smiled.

“No.” Acid stung the backs of his eyes, as well as the violent bursting nearly ready to rip apart his chest, threatening to violently unleash itself in front of the not-so-lonely void, that sat silently mocking him, patiently awaiting who ever made the next move.

“NonoONO NOO!!