Screen flicker. A title-card pulses to life in crisp, glitchy letters, half-corrupted by unknown variables, but still legible.

  [System: Royal Road Interlude initializing..]

  Between Two Bosses

  Featuring: Bob and a special guest!

  Sponsored by the Development Fund?. All donations are final.. But do keep ‘em coming. 'Nom, Nom.. '

  The feed cuts to a dimly lit studio. Two velvet armchairs squat in the center. A potted, oversized fern flanks each side of the furniture-setup. One of the chairs looks half-swallowed up by the weight of a dismembered man, missing his left arm and right leg, eyes somehow still alive and fired. Something tells you this guy just flashed-through multiple apocalyptic scenarios and still hasn't had his morning coffee: To those who know great LitRPG, he goes by the name Bob.

  He shifts, trying to sit up straighter, failing heroically. The camera zooms in, lunging at the sign of momentary weakness.

  [System: Interview started..]

  Off-screen voice: “So, Bob. Three bosses done, four to go. And you’re down 33% of total body-mass. What's the game plan from here?”

  Bob stares blankly into the camera for a long beat. A single eyebrow lifts like it’s considering its own resignation from his face, then and there.

  “Gameplan? Buddy, I started this run sporting naught but polka-dotted boxers and a full head of hair. At this point, I’m improvising so hard that even the RNG-backend is taking notes.”

  He shifts awkwardly, grimacing slightly. “Losing limbs was.. not ideal. But I’ve already got a good haul of other stuff to work with: a slime that.. chats, a crowbar disrespecting traditional weapon design, and a cloak turning me invisible if I stand still and contemplate existence long enough. So yeah. We’ be thriving out there”

  The camera cuts to a close-up of a fern. Unmoving. Judging even?

  Off-screen voice: “Hmm. Let’s talk about this ‘you’-character. It was there in the prologue. Mysterious, haunting. Then.. nothing. Did team BossDoor forget? Or is this another slow-burn reveal that’ll never pay off for either you or the readers?”

  Bob snorts. “Oh, you noticed that, huh? Yeah.. Real subtle, right? Dramatic pauses, existential vibes. I thought those fragments was metaphors at first. Turns out it’s worse.. It's a plot thing.”

  He leans forward, gesturing vaguely with his one remaining hand. “One moment I’m knee-deep in fighting towers of bone and financial demons, next thing over I’m being dragged into a glitchy horror-fest of a.. ”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Pause.

  “Hah! You almost got me there. Let’s keep this spoiler-free right? Don’t want my contract null’ed before finishing book one.” Bob looks as if pondering his next words with care: “Do I know what’s up with ‘you’? Who’s to say. But I can let you in on this: if the final boss turns out to be my browser history, we’re all screwed.”

  A wet ‘plorp’ echoes off-screen and Bob winces. “Don’t you dare.. !”

  Then, a tiny blue slime launches into the empty chair beside him with a squelch. It jiggles about before settling and throwing a textbox up on your screen.

  [Echuu] Sup nerds! Interview’s that bad? Me-make-u-not-sad-chuu.

  The slime waves its one choppy tendril towards Bob, and a new textbox replaces the first.

  [Echuu] Bob, sit back and let me carry this segment. I got a wobble-load of charisma for these babes to gawk at!

  Bob sighs, adjusting his pose. “Dude, we talked about this. I AM THE LEAD HERE. My name is in the freakin’ title!”

  [Echuu] Language Bob, keep posts PG for the diverse forum-dweller-crowd.

  Bob rubs his temples. "This was supposed to be a breather chapter. Let people laugh, get them to know me. Bond and sh.. uhm. stuff. What’s really up with this high-jack bro, somethings wrong?”

  [Echuu] Nothing man, I’m just jelly! Get it? Now back to the audience questions! This one’s from user XxSirSoulgrindAlotxX. It reads: 'You’re like my spirit animal dude! If you could redo one boss fight, which would it be?'

  Bob considers. “Probably the first time in the grave pit.. That loss set me on the hardcore-mode trajectory.

  Off-screen: "If I may ask. Isn’t that curse the glue of this whole story?"

  Bob eyes the camera, one brow rising, followed by a long pause and no answer, just the faint rustle of the ferns suffering from psychic damage caused by tension flooding the room.

  Off-screen: “Hhrmpf. Moving on. Where does BossBattleBob go from here?”

  Our protagonist leans back, slipping slightly due to limb-loss-imposed balance debuffs. A pause, then quiet laughter. Not bitter or grim in tone. Just someone finally allowing himself to be tired out, while amused by all the weirdness going on around him.

  “Same place I always go. Through the next door. Doesn’t matter how busted I am, right? Doesn’t matter what lies waiting. Just me and my crowbar, strategically plowing ahead of the curve, you know.”

  [Echuu] But.. but.. Also, look forward to heeps of phater loot, more trauma-inducing bob-arcs, and a side-story that may or may-not involve tender holding of hands. And, best of all, more ECHUUUUUUUU!

  Bob shoots the slime a stare and groans at the camera. “We’re done here.”

  [System]

  End of Interlude.

  Proceed to next chapter?

  [Yes] / [Hell Yes]

  .. Bob’s voice cuts in again, tone unlike any heard before, all upbeat and overly enthusiastic: “Will it! Click it! And don’t forget to like and subscribe!”

  [System Hint: Interludes may or may not be canon. Do not question fern]