(A/N: Hey, folks. So, this is another chapter in which the plot is changed. However, unlike the other times, this one is only going to have changes that affects the circumstances of the plot, not the plot itself. Though, the reason why the plot happened will be changed as well, so there's that. The changes to the episode is as follow:
1.) The concept of the VR game{Keeping the title, somewhat, but also adding a bit. Plus, given the episode title, and how much we've been referencing the Xenaverse, you know what's the context is.}
2.) Removing the corrupt game maker and the bugs within the game, as even though the episode points out that it's dangerous, it never showed the repercussions of the bugs within the game{and at this point, neither do we. And before anyone points out that it did with the fact that Harvey believes that he is the character from the game, or the fact that he, Chloe and Sabrina couldn't escape the game until beating the guy who made the game, that's not the game being buggy, that's how all games work: distracting people to the point that some of them think they are the characters from said game or even wish to be a part of the game, and most bosses have the fact that you have to beat them in order to leave the game. So, that wasn't a repercussion of the game's bugs.}
3.) Removing Harvey from the episode{this is due to him being out of the story until chapter 56, thus changing the episode's plotline}, along with Salem{same reason as Harvey, though a version of him appears in the VR game. This is the only version of him we're keeping in the chapter}
4.) Reason for being in the VR game.
Outside of those changes, the episode is pretty much untouched.
Before we get to the chapter, there is one thing to mention. While this show is pure torture to watch at times, and other times there are rarely good episodes, there's one good thing this episode did. It was thanks to this episode that my co-author and I rekindled our interest in the Xenaverse, as the only thing we had watched at the time was Hercules and Xena The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus when we were young kids. After watching this episode, we decided to rewatch the movie{at the time, renting it from a library}, along with the first seasons of Hercules the Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. So, thanks to this episode, we got to find out what both series brought to the table, and watched most of the two shows{stopping at Season 4 for Xena: Warrior Princess, with plans to watch the last two seasons and almost done with season 5 for Hercules the Legendary Journeys, with plans to watch the last season, along with the pilot movies.} along with the animated movie.
However, I'm at a crossroad when it comes to my opinion regarding this episode, and the show as a whole, and the fact it's the reason my co-author and I watched the Xenaverse. On one hand, there's a part of me that is shocked, but some sense of gratitude that something that I consider torturous for the past 3, almost 4 years, is the reason that the two of us had watched something wonderful. On the other hand, there's another part of me that is a bit disturbed that the very thing I considered torturous is the reason why we watched something good. I'm not sure which one to pick, and I'm not asking anyone to pick for me. All I'm saying is, this is somewhat a back-handed compliment to Sabrina the Animated Series for being the reason why we discovered the Xenaverse and I'm leaving it at that.
Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter. Please vote and comment. Now, let's carry on with the show!)
Sabrina and Chloe's P.O.V-December 17th, 2011-Greendale Arcade-Afternoon
Sabrina and Chloe were playing some of the arcade games. Normally, the two would be walking around, or be at the mall. Due to the cold weather, their daily walks were put on hold. And as for the mall, it was jam-packed with holiday shoppers, so they decided to go to somewhere less crowded, hence the arcade.
Despite the fact that Chloe's injuries from the Harvzilla incident should be hindering her in some ways, not to mention having a hook hand would've caused some problems, Chloe was having a blast with the games, Mainly because she get to do some button mashing, which the hook hand helped out with.
Sabrina, on the other hand, seemed to be disinterested. After all, while she, Chloe, Pi, Aaron and Harvey usually go to the arcades, it was to watch Harvey beat every single game while the other four cheered for him, or, in Pi's case, mention a record for a particular game that Harvey just broke.
That isn't to say Sabrina didn't enjoy playing the arcade games. It's more of the fact that after the first 20 times, the games get repetitive.
Plus, she had a small part of her that thought back to those memories with the others and felt some sadness. Given everything that had happened, she wondered if everything could go back to the way they were.
Back to when Harvey cared about everyone instead of trying to inflate his own ego. Back when things were simple, happy and carefree.
And yet, Sabrina also wonders if maybe, things shouldn't go back to how they were before. After all, things may have been bad right now, but things were also improving in ways. However, there were still the matter of people having to die to get this far: Pi's parents, Slugloafe's sister...Sabrina's mom.
So, to keep her mind off the philosophical stuff before they dragged her mind down back to the darker parts of her thoughts, Sabrina turned her attention back to the game she was playing. However, it was failing to catch her attention, and she knew the reason why.
"You know, these games are fun, the first 20 times. And then, they become boring and repetitive." Sabrina voiced her thoughts out loud, turning her face slightly to face Chloe.
"Yeah, but it's not like we can make our own game. I mean, who would listen to a couple of preteens?" Chloe asked, turning slightly to face Sabrina while keeping her attention on the game.
However, that question sparked an idea in Sabrina. An wonderful idea, given the smile on her face.
"Chloe, you mad genius! That idea is so stupid it might work!" Sabrina exclaimed, ignoring the game she was playing completely at this point. She didn't even noticed that she lost the game.
"What? What did I suggest?" Chloe asked, confused about Sabrina's statement.
"We can just make our own video game. And we can send the game to any video game company, sit back and wait until the game is made." Sabrina said.
"Yeah, like that'll happen. Have you heard of something made by a child that became a hit?" Chloe asked.
"Winnie the Pooh was made by a child," Sabrina stated.
"...Okay, I'm on board now." Chloe said after a moment of processing that information, leaving out the uncomfortable reality that story did to said child..
"Good. Now, let's make a video game that doesn't involve microtransactions!" Sabrina exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Chloe agreed. A few seconds later, she registered what Sabrina said. "Wait, what?" she asked.
"What?" Sabrina repeated.
The two looked at each other silently for a few moments before deciding to leave the arcade and tell Aaron their idea. After finding him, of course. And along the way, they can send their game idea to a big game company via texting.
1 hour later-Greendale Chocklit Shoppe
"So, let me get this straight: you want to make a game to avoid microtransactions?" Aaron asked with a raised eyebrow, taking a sip of his milkshake. Sabrina and Chloe had already explained to Aaron their idea.
"Yes!" Sabrina said, only to remember that Chloe was next to her. "I mean, no," Sabrina tried to change her answer, but it was too late.
"I knew it!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Chloe, you hate microtransactions too. In fact, everyone does." Aaron pointed out.
"Oh Lord, you're right." Chloe said with realization.
"Well, at least promise me you didn't went to Nintendo with your idea," Aaron said.
"No. But why not?" Sabrina asked once seeing Aaron let out a sigh of relief at her answer.
"Because Nintendo have a tight leash on any new ideas for an IP. And if your game has that potential, then you can say goodbye to any rights you would've had with it, along with any credit." Aaron said.
"Aaron, just because they usually put a cease and desist on Pokemon fan games doesn't mean that they have a tight leash on every new ideas." Sabrina said.
Aaron gave Sabrina a look of confusion. "Wait, they do what?" he asked.
"Sabrina, he didn't know about that." Chloe whispered to Sabrina, whose eyes widen upon realizing what she just told Aaron.
"Anyways, as I was saying-" Sabrina began.
"Are we not going to talk about what you mentioned?" Aaron asked.
"-Chloe and I sent our game idea to Ubisoft." Sabrina continued, not wanting to continue on with the discussion about Nintendo's attitude towards any fan games based off their IPs.
"We would've gone with EA, but then we remembered that they are the ones who make the microtransactions problem worse than it was before. Plus, their track record isn't good," Chloe said.
Right at that moment, though, Sabrina's iPod started vibrating. Sabrina pulled it out and checked the notification on it.
"Well, scratch that. Our game was sent to SEGA instead." Sabrina said, putting the iPod away.
"Well, better than Square Enix." Aaron said.
"I thought you liked some of their games." Chloe said.
"Yeah, when I'm not paying attention to the story. But when I do, then the games start to get confusing due to their plots that used to be simple but then becomes confusing with each new game." Aaron stated.
Sabrina had an idea of which game Aaron was talking about. "Aaron, just because Kingdom Hearts is confusing to you and new players doesn't mean it's confusing to the fans who played it from the start." Sabrina said.
"Sabrina, the fans are the ones who points out the fact that the series is confusing, even after playing every game that has been released." Aaron pointed out.
"...Wait, really?" Sabrina asked, surprised by that fact.
"Yes," Aaron said, taking another sip of his milkshake.
"Well, at least SEGA will have another game that isn't Sonic the Hedgehog." Chloe said.
"Chloe, that's the only game they make." Sabrina said.
"Sabrina, had you not seen their list of games? Because if Sonic the Hedgehog was the only game they made, then everyone would be bored by the games by now." Chloe said.
"Well, either way, you two got my interest piqued. So, let me know when the game is in a beta version, and I'll try it out with you two." Aaron said, standing up.
"Okay. I'll text you the date so you can come over," Sabrina said, as she and Chloe also stood up.
The three friend soon left the chocklit store and went on their own separate ways. None of them aware that the beta version of the game would be arriving sooner than any video game beta ever had before.
The Next Day-Basement, Spellmans' Residence
"Wow, that was quick." Chloe said, looking at the machine containing the beta version of her and Sabrina's game.
Sabrina, Chloe and Aaron was standing in the dimly lit basement, looking at the machine. While Chloe and Sabrina had a look of awe and surprise on their faces, Aaron was one of uncertainty.
"Sabreeny, when you told me about your game, you never mentioned it was a VR game." Aaron said, glancing at Sabrina with an raised eyebrow.
"Okay, so I conveniently forgot to mention that it was a VR game." Sabrina said with a false sheepish smile.
"Conveniently my foot. You know that I enjoy VR games as much as I do watching paint dry. At least I get more enjoyment from stealing my dad's hair curlers." Aaron said.
"Wait, what?" Sabrina asked.
"Sabrina, the hair curlers aren't the important factor in this conversation." Aaron stated.
"Oh, yes it is! Your dad wear hair curlers to bed? Since when?!" Sabrina asked.
"Like I said, it's not the important factor. What is the important thing is why the game is a VR game?" Aaron asked, getting things back on track.
"Because of the Virtual Boy." Sabrina said.
"...You're trusting that thing?" Aaron asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes. I mean, it's not the worst thing to happen. Just ask Chloe." Sabrina said.
"Sabrina, that thing was the reason I didn't went to school for a week last year!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Oh yeah." Sabrina said, remembering. "I was wondering why you weren't there."
"Great, Sabreeny. You gave Chloe headaches caused by red lights and got her out of school for a week back then. What's next, giving her a one-way ticket to the E.R.?" Aaron deadpanned.
"What? No!" Sabrina exclaimed. After regaining her composure, Sabrina then state, "Mark my words, Aaron. VR will be the new style of gaming!"
"Well, anyways, you got my interest with this talk," Aaron said.
"Really?" Sabrina asked.
"No. But we both know you won't stop pestering me until I try out this VR game with you and Chloe, not to mention that I won't be able to leave until I do, will I?" Aaron said.
"Nope." Sabrina said with a smile, handing Aaron and Chloe a VR headset. Grabbing one for herself, she put it on her head. "Ready?" she asked.
"Help me." Aaron whispered to Chloe.
"Sorry, I can't. Plus, I want to see how Sabrina and my game turned out." Chloe said, putting on the VR headset.
Giving Chloe a WTF expression, Aaron put on the headset. Internally, he was raging like a volcano.
"Now that we all are wearing the headsets, time to start our adventure!" Sabrina said, turning on the VR machine. Soon, everything around them faded into blackness as their environment were changing.
Ancient Greece, VR Game Simulation
The environment changed from a dimly lit, modern day basement to the civilization of Ancient Greece. In the background were tons of trees and stone buildings.
That's not the only changes to happen, however. As the three preteens looked around their surroundings, they noticed that there were two things different about themselves: that their visors weren't on their heads, and their appearances were changed to fit their environment.
Sabrina was wearing a brown leather breastplate with a pink and black leather skirt and sandals. On her arms, near her shoulders, were silver pauldrons while on her wrists were brown leather vambraces, one of which was covered by a black shield with some silver on it. Resting on her head was a black hairband.
Chloe, on the other hand, was wearing a black breastplate with a blue and black skirt, and black sandals. She had silver wrist bands, and her hair had a silver hair tie keeping it in a ponytail. Her physical appearance had been changed as well, as she looked exactly as she had before the Harvzilla incident.
As for Aaron, he was wearing a purple sleeveless vest, a pair of blue pants with a belt, and a pair of brown boots. On his wrists were brown vambraces. Aaron's hat was gone, along with the mostly healed and faded burn scar on his face.
"What kind of retro look is this?" Chloe asked, holding up her skirt.
"You're lucky." Sabrina said, causing Chloe to drop her skirt.
"Huh?" said Chloe.
"This little ensemble is all leather." Sabrina said, checking out her outfit.
"Lords and ladies, why is everything so bright? Better yet, how is the sunlight even getting in my face?" Aaron asked, blocking the light with his hands, not noticing the lack of a hat.
"Huh, guess they didn't have the right kinds of hat back then," Sabrina commented.
"What are you talking ab-?" Aaron began to say before patting his head and noticed the missing object. "Ah! My hat! My head is naked now!" he exclaimed.
"More like it feels like it's naked. Your hat is still on." Chloe said.
"What? But I can feel that it's not on there." Aaron said like it was an obvious fact.
"Power of virtual reality. It kinda mess with the perception of reality. Like how you and Chloe look fine here, but we all know that you two still have...scars and missing limbs." Sabrina said, trying to find a way to put it gently.
"Huh, so that's why I don't feel like a pirate." Chloe said, looking at her arms and legs. "And just when I wanted to be a Greek pirate too," she added.
"So, my hat still on?" Aaron asked.
"Yes. I don't get why you feel the need to wear one most of the time, though." Sabrina said.
"It's just the way I am. Plus, it just feels weird without it on. Same thing with fingerless gloves." Aaron said, before noticing that his hands were bare as well. "...Drats," he muttered.
"Well, at least you're wearing your family colors." Chloe said.
"...Touche." Aaron conceded, a smile on his face.
Suddenly, a voice said, "Greetings, players. And welcome to Xena Warrior Princess: Monsters, Myths and Mayhem."
Surprised by the presence of the voice, as there was no one around for miles, the three preteens turned around to see Zelda in a white Greek dress, with a golden armor over the dress and a golden helmet on her head. In her hands was a spear and a shield.
"All characters names and incidents are contained here and are copyrighted by Universal and SEGA." Zelda said as she leapt off a piece of broken pillar she was standing on.
"...You didn't tell me you were making on a game based off Xena Warrior Princess." Aaron said, surprised by what was said.
"Heh heh, surprise." Sabrina said with a sheepish smile.
"It was something we were waiting until the first boss to tell you." Chloe added.
"Anyways, how did you get in here, Aunt Zelda?" Sabrina asked, directing the question to Zelda.
"Oh, I'm not Zelda, though I may appear to be. Thanks to an exclusive, patented feature, most of the characters in this game will look like people you know. Bosses are excluded." 'Zelda' said.
"So, in a nutshell, they only look like people we know, but they're not actually them?" Aaron asked, the logic of VR games sounding like confusing techo-jumbo to him. Then again, most technological stuff seems complex to him.
"In a nutshell, yes." 'Zelda' confirmed with a nod.
"I am Athena, goddess of wisdom," 'Zelda', or rather, Athena said as she hovered in the air, gold light shining behind her. "Your guide to this game," she added.
"Okay, Athena. And just who are we supposed to be in these games?" Sabrina asked.
"Wait, you made the game, and you don't know which characters we are?" Aaron asked.
"No, not really. It was supposed to be more of creating a character, but the beta version don't have that option yet." Sabrina said.
"...You made a game based off Xena Warrior Princess and you added customizable characters?" Aaron asked with a flat expression.
"Well, the game is a loose adaptation of the franchise. And we figured it's best for everyone if they felt like they were part of the action." Chloe said.
"That is the most brilliant idea ever." Aaron said with a grin.
Chloe and Sabrina blinked for a few moments before glancing at each other. "Well, that went better than we expected." Sabrina said, beaming with joy.
"Understatement of the year." Chloe deadpanned, though she had a smile on her face.
"Do you still require an answer to your question?" Athena asked the three preteens.
"Oh, um, sure." Sabrina said, forgetting about her question.
Athena nodded before pointing at Sabrina. "You are Xabrina, Warrior Princess!" Pointing a finger at Chloe, Athena continued with, "And you are her trusty sidekick, Gabriella."
"Hey!" Chloe exclaimed in protest over being called a sidekick.
However, Athena soon pointed at Aaron. "And you are Iolaus, the sidekick who helps out, but gets ignored by everyone as they praised the true hero."
Sabrina and Chloe both looked at Aaron, waiting to see his reaction. While they know that he has changed since that trip to New York, heck, Sabrina literally saw him die, they both worried that Aaron would be offended to being told that his efforts would be ignored for someone else's heroics. So, the two was somewhat surprised that Aaron had a small smile on his face.
"Eh, it doesn't matter if no one notices. What counts is that it's done, right?" he asked.
"You had spoken wisely." Athena praised.
"Not wise, just common sense." Aaron said.
"So, how do we play the game?" Chloe asked, deciding to stop a philosophical battle before it even begun.
"The goal of the game's beta version is to reach the Black Citadel and capture the treasure within: the Magical Golden McGuffin. The citadel lies at the end of this path." Athena explained, gesturing to a pathway behind her.
"Along the way, you'll encounter challenges," Athena continue, conjuring up flames. Within the flames were silhouettes of said challenges: a minotaur roaring, a giant spider laughing while spinning around, and a giant cat-like entity. Athena swept the flames away, changing it into magic within her hands.
"But fear not, for you will be armed." Athena said, using her magic to armed the three players.
From Athena's magic came a few weapons: a staff, a chakram and 2 golden swords. The staff went to Chloe while the swords went to Aaron and Sabrina. In addition to the sword she just recieved, Sabrina also got the chakram, which attached itself to her belt.
"What is this, a round killing thingy?" Sabrina asked, looking at it.
"No, I think it's a shamrock." Chloe said.
"Which one do you think it is, Aaron?" Sabrina asked.
"...Yes." Aaron said, trying not to laugh, and failing.
Before the two could figure out why Aaron was laughing, Athena came over to them, holding out a huge red book. "You'll also need this. It's all the game's rules and regulations. Refer to it if you're ever in trouble" Athena said, giving the book to Sabrina, who fell down due to the book's weight.
"It's so heavy," Sabrina complained, struggling to get the book, and herself, back up. "Stupid CrossFit training, they don't have a course for this kind of thing," she added under her breath.
"Here, use this." Athena said, using her magic to conjure up a bottomless bag. "It's a magical mini pack. It'll hold objects much larger, and heavier, than its size and weight. And it'll feel as if you're carrying a feather." Athena explained.
Sabrina, deciding to test it out, managed to get enough strength to carry the book and heaved it into the bag. After accepting the bag from Athena, Sabrina noticed that despite the book being in said bag, the bag still felt light.
"There, packed and ready to go." Athena said, as she started to hover away. "Good luck, and thanks for playing Xena Warrior Princess: Monsters, Myths and Mayhem." Athena said as the three young players/warriors nodded and started making their way down the pathway.
"Remember, if you get in trouble, use the book," Athena advised them, waving them off before vanishing.
1 Hour Later
"I wonder what Zelda, I mean, Athena meant by challenges?" Chloe said, as she, Sabrina and Aaron were walking down the beaten path in between two rocky hills.
"I'm not sure. But there's nothing that our magic can't handle." Sabrina said.
"One, you do know that magic and science don't mix well, so we shouldn't be using magic inside the game. Two, we don't know if we can use magic or not while playing the game. And three, doesn't using magic to beat a game seem like cheating?" Aaron said, listing off three things on his fingers.
"Well, no, I don't know if we can't use magic here. But even if we can, why are you against using magic to help beat the game?" Sabrina asked.
"Yeah. Isn't using magic in real reality already cheating? What harm can using it in a game do?" Chloe added.
Aaron turned his face towards the side for a moment before facing forward again. "There's plenty of way to cause harm with magic. But using it in a game, it doesn't give off the same satisfaction as I would have than if I beat the game normally and earning the rewards normally, now would it?" Aaron asked, walking a bit faster.
"Is it me, or does Aaron seems to have a dislike for magic ever since you know what?" Chloe asked, lowering her voice so that only Sabrina can hear the question.
"Nah, I think it's just his logic on games. As for the life comment, I'm sure it's just stress brought on from the paparazzis and news reporters. I'm sure once they're gone and this whole incident blows over, Aaron would be back to his usual self and be more open with using magic, as usual." Sabrina said.
"Hmm, I hope you're right." Chloe said.
"Why's that?" Sabrina asked.
"Being the center of attention changes people in many ways. And once they're changed, there's no going back. But let's hope Aaron make history again by being the one to be unaffected by fame." Chloe said.
"Of course he won't be affected. That's like saying that..." Sabrina began to say before stopping herself midtrack. What can she finish that sentence with? 'That Harvey wouldn't be a massive jerk? That Gem would be nice and rich at the same time? That Salem would become a better person?'
Sure, Sabrina had been holding hope for the latter two options, especially since she knows that there are traces of Nice Gem and Good Salem within the two people. But when it comes to Harvey, that was a can of worms Sabrina is still avoiding with a 20 foot pole.
Before she could find anything to finish her sentence, though, she, Chloe and Aaron, who they caught up with, were all blocked by a toll booth.
"What's with the roadblock?" Chloe asked.
"And why does it look like something from Candy Land?" Aaron added with an raised eyebrow.
Suddenly, the three preteens heard a growling sound coming from behind the toll booth. Turning in that direction, they saw a shadow of what seemed to be a giant fearsome beast coming towards them, growling as it did so.
However, the growling was cut off by coughing. What caught their attention, though, is that the coughing had a familiar sound to it. Looking up, they saw a sphinx that was wearing a blue hat. However, said sphinx had the appearance of a familiar warlock-turned-cat who is currently in the NetherWorld Prison, awaiting his sentence for his crimes.
"Nothing's worse than a hairball mixed with pinned feathers." 'Salem' said, before letting out a hack. Then, he flew down towards the toll booth.
Aaron had a blank expression on his face for a moment, before turning around and taking one step. Before he can walk away from 'Salem', Sabrina grabbed the back of his vest and pulled him back towards her and Chloe. "Come on, Aaron," Sabrina said.
"But it's Salem and he's evil and I don't wanna!" Aaron complained as he was dragged back to the toll booth.
"Remember what Aunt Zelda, I mean, Athena said? They only look like people we know, but they aren't them." Sabrina said as she got Aaron up on his own feet.
While Aaron grumble under his breath, Sabrina turned her attention towards 'Salem'. "So, who are you supposed to be?" she asked.
"Hey, I'm asked the questions around here!" 'Salem' exclaimed, flying off the toll booth and onto a part of the cliffside.
"No matter the realites, we can count on Salem always being a Class-A jerk." Aaron snarked, rolling his eyes. Sabrina and Chloe just shrugged, as 'Salem' proved Aaron's point, so there's no point in saying anything to the contrary.
"I'm the sphinx. I ask riddles, and you have to answer." 'Salem' the sphinx explained, answering Sabrina's question.
While the three preteens glanced at each other, 'Salem' pulled out a piece of papyrus. "So tell me: What animal has four feet in the morning, two at noon and three at night?" 'Salem' asked, reading the riddle written on the papyrus.
While Sabrina tried to think of an answer, and Aaron tried to think of a reply that would let him get away from 'Salem', Chloe already had an answer in mind. "Oh, oh, oh, I know! I read about that! It's man! He crawls on all four as a baby, walks on two legs as an adult, and uses a cane in old age!" Chloe excitedly explained, walking up to 'Salem'.
However, 'Salem' shook his head no. "Wrong-o! It's a nine-legged psycho pompous!" 'Salem' declared, tossing away the papyrus as he pointed behind the three preteens.
As if waiting for the sphinx to say that sentence, an actual nine-legged psycho pompous jumped down from one of the cliffs, snarling. Aaron, Sabrina and Chloe let out yells of terror as the creature turned its attention towards them.
"Stand back! I'll just zap that cootie into an eggplant!" Sabrina exclaimed as she raised her finger, full of magic into the air. However, when she attempted to use magic, it fizzled out into nothing.
"Well, guess that answers that question." Aaron said as Sabrina attempted to use her magic three more times, only to get the same results.
"Huh?" Sabrina asked, dumbfounded by the results.
"Sabrina, make with the magic!" Chloe shouted in fear, glancing back at the nine-legged insect, prepared to attack them at any moment.
"Uh, I can't. My witch magic isn't working here." Sabrina said.
"Which means the same with me," Aaron added.
"Why aren't you freaking out about the lack of magic?!" Chloe almost screamed the question.
"Because I'm more concerned about that thing coming after us." Aaron said calmly at first, before realizing what he said. "...What?!" he asked, turning around.
The creature, bored of its prey just standing there, had finally decided to do something about it. And by 'something', we mean rushing towards the three preteens.
Screaming, the three preteens ran away, creating distance between themselves and the creature.
"Oh, now we can run away from Salem's death traps?!" Aaron said.
"Not the time for this!" Sabrina said.
"Less talking, more running!" Chloe shouted.
The three preteens and the creature ran past a crossroad, where the three preteens split up.
Chloe was hiding behind a tree as the creature walked near. However, said tree was actually a nymph, who turned into human form to scream in horror at the creature. In fact, so did the other tree nymphs and even a bush nymph. Losing her hiding spot, Chloe ran until she got pulled into a bush by Sabrina and Aaron.
The creature, having lost sight of the three preys, sniffed around until finding their scents near a tree. Looking up, it saw the three preteens sitting in a tree, definitely not kissing.
"Good little psycho pompous. Shoo, shoo, go home." Sabrina said.
"Sabrina, that works for dogs, not giant, man-eating bugs." Aaron said.
"So, what would you use then?" Sabrina asked.
"A can of Raid." Aaron said.
"...You do remember what time period this game take place in, right?" Chloe asked with a deadpan expression.
"Well, what other option do you have then, Chloe?" Aaron asked.
"You and Sabrina using magic. That is, if you two can use magic in this game." Chloe said.
"For some reason, my witch power don't work in this world." Sabrina said.
"Again, technology and magic don't work well. Unless we're alchemists, that is. Plus, who's to say that you're not using magic in the real world while it's not working here?" Aaron asked.
"Hmm, that's true." Sabrina said.
"Can we get back to the part in which we're in real trouble!" Chloe said.
"Wait a minute. What did Aunt Zelda, I mean, Athena say?" Sabrina asked.
The three preteens thought about what Athena said when they began their adventure.
"Remember, if you get in trouble, use the book," Memory Athena said before being eaten by the creature. Fortunately, this doesn't kill her since she was just a memory formed by clouds appearing out of nowhere...or the actual Athena who is wherever, no one knows where. So all the creature ate was just clouds.
"Maybe there's a solution in here!" Sabrina said in desperation, pulling out the book from the mini pack.
"Well, look under pest control." Chloe said.
"I got a better idea," Aaron said, grabbing the book. Before Sabrina and Chloe could ask what his idea was, he dropped the book. The book fell onto the creature's head, knocking it out.
"Now that's gotta hurt." Chloe said.
"How did you know that would work?" Sabrina asked.
"I may not play VR games until today, but I know you can interact with the world and make it bow to your whims. Plus, gravity, Sabrina. Gravity makes things hurt worse." Aaron said.
5 Minutes Later
"Well, I hope you girls and boy are happy," 'Salem' said irritability as he raised up the bar portion of the toll booth. "That psycho pompous will be in a foul mood when he wakes up."
"Hey, we beat your monster, and we did it by the book!" Chloe exclaimed, holding up said book.
"Well, aren't you special?" 'Salem' snarked as Chloe put the book back into the mini pack held by Sabrina.
"All right, the rules says that I'm supposed to give you something for winning. Here," 'Salem' said, holding up a shield, "the legendary Singing Shield!"
"Uh, thanks." Sabrina said, accepting the shield. "Why is it called the Singing Shield?" she asked a couple of seconds later after inspecting the shield.
"Well, since you asked," 'Salem said, as he put ear plugs into his ears. "And a one, and a two, and a uh," he said.
Suddenly, a mouth appeared on the shield.
"I don't like where this is going." Aaron said, just as the shield opened it mouth.
"Some think
"The world is made for fun and frolic
"And so do I
"And so do I
"Some think
"It well to be all melancholic
"To pine inside
To pine inside," sang the shield as Sabrina, Chloe and Aaron had a look of discomfort on their faces.
With a wave from 'Salem', the three preteens and their 'prize' left.
2 Hours Later
The three preteens were atop a set of stone staircase, overlooking a valley of bushes and dirt. However, the three had a look of annoyance on their faces due to the Singing Shield endless singing for the past two hours, not even taking a moment to breathe.
"Finucli, funicular, finucli, funicular!
"Joy is everywhere
"Finucli, funicular!" The Singing Shield sang. However, being annoyed after spending two hours listening to the song, Chloe gagged the shield with her staff.
"Thank you, trusty sidekick." Sabrina said as she held open the mini pack. Chloe lifted the staff and chucked the shield into the pack.
"Oh, thank everything good in this world. That was torture. I wouldn't give that to my worst enemies. ...Nevermind, I would give it to them, along with educational television." Aaron said.
"I thought you deemed educational television a plague upon humanity and thus it needs to die?" Sabrina asked with an raised eyebrow.
"Sabrina, nobody likes a smart aleck." Aaron said.
"But my name isn't Alex," Sabrina snarked with a smile.
"...I hate it when people destroy a joke by poking it apart," Aaron mutters under his breath.
"At least it's better than them explaining the joke," Chloe points out.
"Touche." Aaron conceded.
"Anyway, onwards!" Sabrina said, as the three preteens made their way to what seem to be stairs. However, as they put on foot on it, it turned out to be a steep slope, causing them to slide down while screaming.
Well, Sabrina and Chloe were screaming. Aaron, on the other hand, was letting out a whoop of joy from the 'ride'.
After a short moment, the three landed on the ground. "Ow!" Sabrina exclaimed, landing on her stomach, while Chloe landed on her rear end.
Aaron, on the other hand, landed on his face. Getting up a bit, Aaron spit the sand out of his mouth. "This is not what anyone meant by sandwich," he said as continued spitting the sand out of his mouth. "Ugh, now there's another place Anakin Skywalker can complain about where sand gets into: my mouth," he added.
"Defilers! Desecrators! Teeny boppers!" A familiar female voice shouted, catching the three preteen's attentions. They looked at a giant seashell in a fountain. Said seashell turned around, opening to reveal 'Hilda' in a white toga.
"Hilda!" Sabrina exclaimed.
"Wrong," said 'Hilda', examining a row of purple flowers. Finding one that was suitable, she put it in her hair as she turned her attention at the three preteens, walking towards them.
"I am Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. And you three are trespassing on my sacred temple." Aphrodite said, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at the three children.
"It's not like we had much of a choice." Chloe tried to explained, pointing at the steep slope behind everyone.
"Nevertheless, such sacrilege really ticks me off. You must be punished." Aphrodite said.
"Keep away, or I'll, uh, do whatever you do with this thing." Sabrina warned, pulling out her gold sword and holding it up.
Aaron gave Sabrina a blank expression. "...You stab people with it. How do you not know what a sword does?" Aaron asked flatly.
"I never got weapon training unlike you, alright?!" Sabrina retorted, annoyed with Aaron's question.
"Swords are in most pieces of media. You don't need to train with a weapon to know what a sword can do, Sabreeny." Aaron said, still in a flat tone. His expression was between being flat, and being 'are you kidding me?' at that moment as he stared at Sabrina, still baffled by how she doesn't know what a person with a sword do with said object.
Chloe and Aphrodite watched the moment like a tennis match before Aphrodite let out a snort of disbelief. "Please. Me, fight? I may break a nail." Aphrodite said, using magic to take away the trio's weapons, much to their chargin.
The three kids soon backed up into each other as Aphrodite walked around them, circling them like a predator does with its prey. "Not only are you trespassing, but you're breaking every fashion rule." Aphrodite said with a giggle "Pathetic," she adds, pointing at their clothes, as she pulled out a hand mirror and checked her reflection, fixing her hair as she did so.
"Let's see, you're into leather, so I'll turn you all into...cows!" Aphrodite said, a ball of magic spinning at her fingertips.
The three kids scattered as Aphrodite threw the orb of magic like a baseball, hitting a random bush. Said bush turned into a confused cow, who let out a "Moo".
Aphrodite continued throwing the magic orbs at the three kids, who barely avoided getting hit. In the process, more random objects got turned into cows: an statue of an cupid, the fountain, and the seashell, all of which ran away.
Aphrodite made her way to the three kids. "You think mere cloth can protect you? I'd laugh, but it causes wrinkles." Aphrodite said.
"Chloe, the shield!" Sabrina exclaimed. Chloe nodded as she dug through the mini backpack.
"If there's any ear plugs, grab them as well." Aaron said. Sabrina gave Aaron a blank look. "Oh, that's the straw the breaks the camel's back?" Aaron asked.
Chloe pulled out the singing shield and held it in front of her, Sabrina and Chloe. Rather than turn them into cows, however, Aphrodite gasped as she stared at her reflection. "How lovely I am," she said.
Aaron pointed at Aphrodite while making the crazy gesture, something that wasn't noticed by the goddess due to her reflection taking her full attention. Sabrina chuckled a bit before composing herself.
"I'd figured that the only thing powerful enough to stop her is her own vanity." Sabrina explained, as Aaron and Chloe nodded in agreement.
"Now, circle behind her." Sabrina told Chloe, who did just that.
"And me?" Aaron asked.
"Just watch," Sabrina told him.
"Does this frock make my hips look big? Be brutal." Aphrodite told Aaron and Sabrina, still checking out her reflection.
"Gotcha!" Chloe exclaimed, jumping onto Aphrodite's back and wrapping her arms around the goddess, who started flailing.
"Surrender, or we'll-we'll-we'll shave off most of your hair!" Sabrina threatened.
"And make you wear the worst outfits." Aaron added.
"Ooh...okay, okay. There's no reason to turn ugly here. I give up." Aphrodite said in an annoyed tone, having stop flailing around. Chloe hopped off the goddess' back.
"Well?" Sabrina said, walking up to Aphrodite. "Aren't you supposed to give us a prize or something?"
"It's always about you, isn't it?" Aphrodite complained, using magic to create a makeup case. "Oh, very well. Here, your very own sample case of Goddess Aphrodite's Beauty Aids. There's lip gloss, nail polish, perfume, even some dental floss." Aphrodite explained.
Aaron and Chloe were both tired and fed up with the recent encounter that they began heading down the path. Sabrina held up the mini backpack. "Just put it in the pack," she said to the goddess.
1 Hour Later-Entrance to the Labyrinth
The three preteens were standing next to a huge black sign made out of obsidian. The sign read, 'This way to the Labyrinth' in bright yellow letters. Sabrina read the sign out loud.
"Legends say you can lost in it forever." Chloe explained.
"Chloe, nobody says that in recent times. It was only back in Ancient Greece where they said that." Aaron pointed out.
"Well, we're in a game based off Ancient Greece, so it counts." Chloe said.
"...Drats," Aaron said once remembering that minor detail.
Suddenly, a man pushing the Trojan Horse called out to the three preteens. "Hey, you over there! Do you know the way to Troy?" asked the man.
The three preteens glanced at each other while shrugging. "Uh, go over to the Aegean and turn left?" Chloe offered.
"Huh. Thanks," said the man as he pushed the Trojan Horse in the direction of Troy.
"...We just provided help with a massacre." Aaron said in a flat tone.
"We'll forget about it once we're in the labyrinth." Sabrina said nonchalantly.
"I second that." Chloe agreed.
After a moment, Aaron gave a thumbs up. "Let's get lost in this maze, only to be saved by strings." Aaron said with a grin.
"Yeah, how about we not get lost." Sabrina said,
"I'm more concerned about that sign," Chloe said pointing upwards. Aaron and Sabrina looked up to see the sign.
"Look for crossing minotaurs." Sabrina said, reading the sign.
"Wait, there's more than one?" Aaron asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"That's actually a pretty good question." Sabrina said.
"Well, I don't want to know the answer. What I think we should focus on is how to not get lost in the labyrinth?" Chloe asked.
"Putting our right hand on the wall to keep our sense of direction?" Aaron offered.
"Aaron, you offered a string as a solution earlier, and you want to pick an option that would get us lost even more?" Sabrina said.
"Well, it's not like got any strings on us." Aaron said.
"Maybe we do. Where's that beauty kit? I've got an idea." Sabrina said, opening up the mini backpack to search for the kit Aphrodite gave them earlier.
A Few Minutes Later
After finding some dental floss from the beauty kit that which would served like as replacement string, Sabrina tied one end to the entrance of the labyrinth. Then, she, Aaron and Chloe entered the labyrinth, using the string to find their way whenever they hit a dead end.
While that was happening, the Singing Shield, for whatever reason, was on Sabrina's arm. As its name states, it was singing.
"While strolling through the park one day,
"In the merry, merry month of May,
"I was taken by surprise
"By a pair of roguish eyes
"In the moment, my poor heart was stolen away
"Her smile was all she gave to me"
Chloe, having enough of the singing, whacked the shield with her staff. causing the shield to be dazed. Aaron uncovered his ears.
"Finally, sweet relief." Aaron said.
"I'd rather be eaten by a monster than hear anymore of that." Chloe said.
"I'd rather hear my dad try to sing the national anthem than hear the shield." Aaron added as the three preteens continued through the labyrinth.
"Well, at least we haven't seen any monsters." Sabrina said.
"Sabreeny, why did you have to say that?" Aaron asked.
"What?" Sabrina asked.
"When you say stuff like that, then we're jinxed. So we'll be definitely seeing monsters soon." Aaron said.
"Oh, come on, Aaron. Everyone knows that's not how it works in real life." Chloe said.
"Neither are singing shields that is tone-deaf." Aaron snarked.
"Okay, I'll give you that one." Chloe said.
"But only because we're in a VR game." Sabrina said, only to gasp.
Before Aaron and Chloe could ask what caused it, they also gasped once seeing a minotaur, standing across from them. Said minotaur roared at them, only to put a hand on his chest, as if trying to calm himself.
"You brutes! You just about give me a heart attack," said the minotaur, who looks like Quigley. You know, excluding the bull horns, a nose ring and the fact that while his upper body is that of a person, his lower body is that of a bull, with four legs.
"But aren't you the minotaur?" Chloe asked.
"Weirdest minotaur I've ever seen." Aaron said, an image of an actual minotaur popping into his head. The image in his head and the minotaur he's seeing are vastly different.
"Don't you trap people and eat them?" Chloe continued with her questions, ignoring Aaron.
"Usually. But I've been lost in here for weeks. I'm tired and cranky and I need a fatty snack." The minotaur said, rubbing his jiggly stomach to emphasize his last point.
"But aren't you the one who knows the ins and outs of this place?" Aaron asked.
"No. All I had was my golden key, which usually gets stolen by heroes who has a map of the labyrinth. I-I don't suppose you guys have one?" The minotaur asked the three preteens.
"No, but I've been leaving a trail of this dental floss we got from Aphrodite. All we have to do is follow it back to the entrance. Good thing it was the jumbo roll." Sabrina said, holding up said dental floss.
And so the four made their way to the exit. On the way back, the minotaur and the Singing Shield did a duet.
"For he was a jolly good fellow,
"For he was a jolly good fellow,
"For he's a jolly good fellow,
"Which nobody can deny!"
Aaron, Sabrina and Chloe, covering their ears to save their hearing, and sanity, from the onslaught of the tone-deaf duo, moved to the side of the entrance once the three of them and the minotaur, who was holding the Singing Shield, left the labyrinth. The sign next to them read, 'You must be this tall to enter labyrinth'.
"If we can survive that, we can survive anything." Chloe said.
"Maybe we can, but can our sanity?" Aaron asked.
"Well, you know what they say. 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'." Sabrina said.
"Are we quoting old people or Kelly Clarkson?" Aaron said, as the minotaur handed Chloe the Singing Shield.
Sabrina held open the mini backpack, allowing Chloe to put the shield back into it. The three preteens were hoping that would be the last time they had to hear the 'Ballad of the Singing Shield'.
"And for rescuing me, take this," the minotaur said, taking off one of his horns and handing it to Sabrina. "It's not much, but it's about all I have left." The minotaur said as Sabrina put it in the mini backpack.
"Uh, thanks, I guess." Sabrina said, as she, Chloe and Aaron started walking away from the labyrinth and the minotaur.
"Goodbye. Don't be strangers." The minotaur said, waving off the three preteens.
"Nice girls and boy for warriors." The minotaur mused to himself as he hummed the song he sang earlier. However, the minotaur walked back into the labyrinth, getting lost again.
"Not again. I'm lost! Help! Girls! Boy! Anyone, help!" shouted the minotaur, crying out for help.
2 Hours Later-Black Citadel
"It's the Black Citadel!" Sabrina exclaimed.
"Yeah, and it's barren." Aaron pointed out.
"Now that I think about it, it does look barren. Where's the waves of enemies?" Chloe asked.
"I don't know. Maybe because this is a beta, there's isn't any more enemies we have to fight nor are there any puzzles we need to solve." Sabrina speculated.
Aaron gave a shrug. "Oh well. At least there's nothing stopping us from getting the Golden McGuffin," he said.
With that, the three preteens made their way to the Black Citadel. The door opened for them, as if waiting for their arrival. As soon as they entered the citadel, the door closed behind them.
In front of them was a pyre of flames, which was in the center of the room. Behind the pyre, they can see multiple doors on the ground level and on levels above them.
"Welp, guess there's one last puzzle after all: seeing which room contains the Golden McGuffin." Aaron said.
"Here we go again," Sabrina and Chloe groaned.
The three soon spent hours walking around the citadel, trying to figure out which room contained the Golden McGuffin. After countless rooms and climbing up multiple stairs, the three had only one room left to check.
"This has to be the last room." Chloe said as she, Sabrina and Aaron entered the room. "Nothing in here except for-What is that?" she asked, pointing at something in the room. Sabrina and Aaron turned their attention to the direction of Chloe's thumb and saw what she was pointing at.
In the center of the room was a pedestal. Resting on it was a golden egg.
"That must be the Golden McGuffin! It's the treasure at the end of the game! We won!" Sabrina said in joy.
To prove Sabrina's point, a bunch of confetti rained down on the trio. A sign made out of magic soon burst into the air, saying 'Congratulations on beating the beta! Hope you enjoy and support the full release of the game!'
"We came all this way for an egg mcguffin? I thought it would be something cooler." Chloe said, somewhat disappointed in the mcguffin's appearance.
"Well, this is a beta, Chloe. Things get changed between development, so I'm sure that the mcguffin will be cooler once the final game is out." Sabrina said.
"Let's hope so." Chloe said, as she, Sabrina and Aaron took off the VR headset.
"You know, I may had hated being in a VR game, but I'm glad I hanged out with my best friends: you two." Aaron said, wrapping Sabrina and Chloe in an friendly hug. "Who knows, maybe that's the true mcguffin the whole time," he added.
For a moment, Sabrina and Chloe were silent. They were touched by Aaron's words of friendship, as it was one of the heartwarming things people needed in the time of healing that Greendale was in. However, they soon have mischievous smirks on their faces.
"Gee, Aaron, that's the corniest thing we've ever heard." Chloe snarked.
"Yeah. As you would say, this is real life, not a sitcom where things ends with corny lines." Sabrina added.
Aaron ended the hug at those words. "Well, excuse me for trying to see the bright side of things." Aaron said, trying to not smile. Key word was tried.
"See? You know we're right." Sabrina said as she and Chloe were giggling.
Aaron stood up, still trying to hide his smile at the two's jesting, and said, "If you don't want my 'corniness', then I'll find someone who will."
"No, don't. No one can handle the corn!" Sabrina said, trying to breathe in between laughters.
"Not unless they put a pan on Aaron's head. Then they can handle it." Chloe said, laughing harder than before.
For a few seconds, Aaron was silent, yet shaking. That caused Sabrina and Chloe to think maybe they've overdone it. However, they soon heard Aaron laughing, doubling over as he did so.
"Yeah, because of my explosive charm! That, or my reputation for being a hot-head." Aaron said while laughing.
This caused Sabrina and Chloe to laugh as well. Thus, the basement was filled with laughter of three preteens.
Three preteens who had been through so much pain and tragedy in a short amount of time, and yet still can find some enjoyment in the world, like gaming together or making jokes about corny lines. After all, the road of healing is a long and tedious process, sure, but moments like this are proof that it's worth every mile of the journey. For now, though, these preteens are content with enjoying the moment, and that's the only thing that matters to them for now.