Chương 20: The Crossroads

And just like that everything was resolved yay:)"Yep, nothing like abusing the malleable nature of digital media to prevent suffering any consequences for my actions," I (the protagonist) nod assuredly. The wind blowing gently through my long, beautiful locks.

"Plus you've made the story just a little bit worse for everyone who didn't read it before now and who have missed the joke," Ilia nodded reassuringly, her locks not flowing because she enjoyed a lesser grade of wind than I did.

"I'd call that a win-win," I nod reassuringlyer.

"It's not good enough for me to be strong. Any good protagonist knows it's about making other people look weak and stupid. You can't look good without making other people look bad that's just common sense."

"Yeah…"

"Yeah…" A moment passed as I stared out over the ocean. Like all bodies of water, the ocean was beneath my notice. I could, and have, drunk the entire thing over the course of a short 3. 17403e+21 years. The ocean was so scared of me it ignored the moon and only waned when I approached. The ocean may "wave" to everyone else, but it "groveled" to me. It was honestly a pretty unhealthy dynamic for a member of my harem and we spent many years in counseling over it.

"So what now?" Ilia asked.

"Are you going to continue your adventure? I'd join you, except I don't want to nor do I like you."

"I've been giving that some thought," I nod reassuringlyist, sea air filling my lungs. The same sea air that was blowing through my locks. That is to say I snorted about a cubic meter of hair which was now directly in my lungs. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"... and?"

"And I realized that thinking is for losers and nerds. It's so much easier to let other people think for you."

"Heh. You know something, protagonist? You're just full of surprises and your own hair."

"Right you are, unnamed companion. So now I'm here waiting to see which way the winds blow." I gesture dramatically to the left (that's the top option in the poll k?)"... either I continue my story of tomfoolery and nonsense, continuing to build on whatever loose definition of 'lore' this story has to try and catapult myself to further levels of satirical madness that can be conjured by the dancing monkey who's responsible for this whole mess."

I stop gesturing dramatically to the left and instead gesture dramatically to the right (that's the other option on the poll I never learned what the opposite of top was as I understand it could mean butt).

"... or I let this story end not exactly gracefully but at least with something resembling dignity and let our dancing monkey write a comedy-focused spin-off or something that's more targeted and designed specifically for long-term storytelling."

"With swear words?" Ilia asked hopefully.

"Yes. With swear words," I laugh condescendingly.

"Maybe even graphic depictions and adult situations. Real PG-13 stuff."

"Wow. I hope one day I'm old enough to read it."

"Me too, Ilia. Me too." The protagonist and Ilia settled their eyes on the horizon as the wind started to slowly pick up behind them. The sound of gulls and lapping waves (which was slowly becoming accustomed to feeling safe in the presence of The Protagonist) lulled them outside the present moment into a dreamy world of what could be.

They were certain their journey wasn't over — the horizon was ever-present, and as long as the earth had a bend, they would be at its edge, charting a course to new lands, greater dangers, and an infinitely growing harem. It was not, nor would it ever be, a question of if their journey would be over. It was a question of what their new beginning would look like.