The mischievous gamer God

Bobby and Natalia came to a bridge that stood just before the looming silhouette of the radio tower. Unfortunately, the bridge was too destroyed to cross—chunks of concrete hung jagged in the air, and rusted support beams twisted downward into a foggy ravine below. Bobby might've been able to jump it, but Natalia definitely wouldn't have made it.

Bobby muttered, "Damn. I guess we'll have to find another way around." He squinted to his left, scanning the terrain like a hunter before spotting a rusted metal gate, partially obscured by overgrown brush, leading into the dense forest.

Then he said, "Let's go this way, Natalia."

He checked the gate, but as expected, it was locked and immovable.

Then Natalia said, "It's okay. I can fit through here," she said, pointing toward a narrow gap in a crumbled section of the wall, half-hidden behind ivy.

Bobby glanced at it, then at her. "Okay, but be careful."

She nodded and crouched down, crawling through the hole with practiced ease. Once she was through, Bobby ruffled her hair with a rough but affectionate pat.

"Good job, partner."

Natalia beamed with pride, standing straighter from the praise, and the two of them pressed onward into the forest path beyond.

They came upon a pile of massive, rotting logs, moss-covered and slick with morning dew. Just as they stepped near it, Bobby suddenly froze. A faint, wet shuffling sound echoed through the trees. He motioned sharply for Natalia to hang back. She obeyed instantly, crouching behind the logs as Bobby crept forward.

He stayed low, moving silently around the pile and peered around the corner. There, standing grotesquely still in the clearing, was a gray-skinned monstrosity—its twisted body covered in tumor-like growths, limbs bent at impossible angles, and a jagged blade fused where its hand should be. A low gurgle hissed from its throat as it swayed, feeding on something unseen.

Bobby leaned back against the log pile, his jaw tight. He checked that his gun was ready to fire, took a breath, and then sprang out with weapon raised—only to find the thing gone.

"Shit. That's not good," he growled under his breath. "Natalia, stay close. Don't leave my side for an instant."

Natalia stepped closer, her eyes alert. "Okay."

Bobby moved forward, Natalia following closely behind him. They walked slowly and cautiously, boots crunching faintly on the gravel path. They entered a building near where the creature had been. Inside, it smelled of blood and mildew. Bobby's eyes scanned the shadows.

"You see anything?" he asked, voice low and steady.

Natalia shook her head, eyes scanning in tandem with his. He took that as a good sign.

They made their way through the building and reached a pair of heavy double doors. Bobby tried to open them, but something solid was blocking them from the other side. He shoved harder, grunting with effort.

Natalia suddenly tugged on his shirt and pointed upward. "What's that?"

Bobby looked up and saw a weakened patch in the ceiling, thick blood dripping through the cracks and pooling on the floor. He immediately raised his gun and trained it on the spot. Right then, the creature from earlier burst through with a deafening crash, landing hard in front of them.

Bobby opened fire, his shots echoing like thunder—but the bullets barely phased the beast.

Then Natalia called out, "Bobby! Its left leg—it's glowing!"

He didn't fully understand what she meant, but trusted her instincts. He adjusted his aim and fired at its leg. The flesh tore away violently, revealing a massive red blister underneath. Bobby kept firing, eyes narrowed, focusing everything on that weak point. After several precise shots, the blister exploded in a gory burst, and the creature collapsed, twitching.

Bobby checked his magazine, grunted, and reloaded his Beretta.

"That was one of the weirder monsters I've encountered in my life," he muttered. "But we managed."

He slammed all his weight into the door, forcing it open with a sharp crack. Then the two of them advanced into a sprawling forest beyond.

The forest was dark, thick with towering pine trees and blanketed in mist. Shafts of pale sunlight broke through the canopy, casting eerie shadows across the path. Mold crept along the bark, and the air was filled with the distant chirr of insects and the occasional rustle of something unseen.

Natalia whispered, "There's more of those things… lurking."

Bobby narrowed his eyes. "Then we don't waste ammo."

He led her through the underbrush, staying low and moving quietly. They ducked under fallen trees, slipped between rocks slick with moss, and skirted past clusters of twitching shapes just beyond their line of sight. Finally, they reached a clearing at the forest's far edge.

They stepped through a broken gate and emerged onto a path leading to a rundown wooden building. At the bottom of the hill, Bobby saw a derelict lumber yard—rusting equipment, broken fencing, and piles of splintered logs scattered like bones.

"Fantastic," Bobby said with a sarcastic drawl. "Still close to me. And Natalia, stay where I can see you. We have no idea how many of those things are probably running around here."

Then Natalia smirked and said, "Don't worry, Bobby. They can't catch me. I'm small and quick."

Bobby chuckled, his voice gruff but amused. "I know you are, kiddo. But I'd still rather you stay close, okay?"

She nodded with a grin, and the two continued forward. They navigated through the lumber yard, weaving around broken planks and rusty saws until they reached another gate—this one tightly chained shut.

Bobby eyed a log pile suspended on a nearby crane and said, "Well… we could be complete psychopaths and try to bash through the gate using that log pile… or we could just do this."

He used the chain links as footholds and started climbing. Once halfway up, he reached down and grabbed Natalia's hand, lifting her up and over. Just as she landed safely on the other side, a loud crash echoed behind them followed by a monstrous roar. Bobby turned to see another one of those things charging toward the gate.

He scrambled the rest of the way over and dropped down just in time for the creature to slam its full weight into the gate, which groaned but held. Bobby raised his gun but hesitated—no sense wasting ammo. He grabbed Natalia's hand, scooped her up protectively, and slid down the hill as fast as he could.

Once they reached the bottom, he exhaled and said, "That was fun, wasn't it?"

Natalia laughed. "Uh huh!"

They entered the radio tower's control room, its electronics flickering dimly in the growing dusk.

Bobby said, "We should rest somewhere. Traveling at night's probably not a great idea."

Like Blake and Weiss earlier, he spotted a sign with a chibi version of Tet on it, pointing left. He and Natalia followed it and soon found the same RV nestled in a patch of overgrown weeds.

"Well, isn't that convenient," he muttered.

Next to the door to the RV was a note telling Bobby what the RV was for. Then Bobby said, "All right then." Once they were inside, Bobby inspected the facilities and then used the terminal.It lit up and displayed:

Achievement Number One: Killed 8 regular enemies — 800 points

Achievement Number Two: Killed 1 elite enemy — 500 points

Achievement Number Three: Multiple creative kills — 200 points

Achievement Number Four: Creatively got around obstacles instead of using the path laid out for you — 500 points

Total Points: 2000

Bobby browsed the points shop. After a few minutes, he bought a high-voltage taser baton that doubled as a flashlight. The description said its charge was endless. It even came with a sheath and belt—perfect for Natalia.

For himself, he got 40 incendiary rounds and two grenades. When he returned to the dining area, he spotted clean clothes laid out for Natalia: a pair of Levi's, a blue t-shirt, a white jacket, and blue-and-white sneakers.Next to them was a little white and blue pepper ball gun and a note that said.

Dear Bobby,

I heard you mention Natalia needing a weapon, and I agree—so I gave you this pepper ball gun. Its rounds are B.O.W. pepper balls. They won't do a thing to people, but they'll be lethal to monsters.

Sincerely, your friendly God of Games,

~Tet

(with a little chibi drawing of Tet smirking in the corner)

Bobby groaned, "Wish I'd seen this before I spent points on a weapon for her. Oh well. Now she's got a ranged weapon too."

He found Natalia rummaging through the kitchen cabinets.

"You go get cleaned up, kiddo. I'll make us something to eat, okay?"

Natalia's eyes lit up. "You mean real food? Not berries or acorns?"

Bobby blinked. "Is that what you've been eating this whole time?"

"Uh huh. Sometimes I was able to catch a rabbit… but the last time was two months ago."

"Okay then. I need to make something good. You go on ahead. It'll be ready before you know it."

After that, Bobby got to work. By the time Natalia came out of the bathroom, she was dressed in her new clothes and looking more like a real kid again. She sat down at the table, and Bobby placed a plate in front of her: a baked potato loaded with butter, cheese, sour cream, and bacon, steamed vegetables, a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak, and two warm biscuits with a small cup of grape jelly. A glass of iced sweet tea completed the meal.

Natalia stared at the plate like it was a dream.

Bobby laughed. "It's gonna get cold. Dig in."

Not needing to be told twice, Natalia tore into the food joyously. As she devoured it, Bobby shook his head and said, "Damn, you were hungry."

After dinner, the two of them laid down in the beds in the back and fell into a well-earned sleep.

The next morning, Bobby climbed out of the RV, blinking the sun out of his eyes and stretching his back.

"Ready, partner?"

Natalia stepped out in her new gear, weapons hanging from her belt, and said with quiet determination, "Yeah. Let's go."