Head start (I): The rapture

(Nothing biblical, just thought the name fit)

It's been six days since we started playing. During those six days, a few administrators messaged us but didn't stick around for long. The administrators gave us a task and left after we finished it. [QuietMoonbeam] said it was because we weren't "compatible", whatever that means. We ended up completing everything the game had to offer, and [BubblySunbeam] got in trouble because she kept trying to give me tasks after I maxed everything out.

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Saturday, February 9th, 2030

10 am

[BubblySunbeam]: Are you a monster or something?

Me: Why?

[QuietMoonbeam]: It usually takes a new player at least two weeks to complete the game.

Me: And?

[BubblySunbeam]: You finished in 6 days.

Me: Well, usual people don't have two admins helping them.

[BubblySunbeam]: That's true; honestly, I can't believe that handsome old fart went after my beneficiary.

Me: Handsome old fart?

[QuietMoonbeam]: It was a little strange; he's never acted towards the players and has always been indifferent, I wonder...

Me: Who are we talking about?

[QuietMoonbeam]: [Grandpa'sClockStoped]

Me: Oh, he gave me two tasks.

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The admin named [Grandpa'sClockStoped] gave me two tasks; both were questions about time. "Have you ever felt the weight of time pressing down on you, or have you felt time slip away too quickly?" and "What moments in your life do you cherish the most?" I can honestly see why [BubblySunbeam] called him an old fart. I answered the questions honestly; I told him I constantly procrastinate, so I'm always against time, and I told him my best memories are with the people I love and the ones that are no longer with me. He seemed to like my honesty because I got two legendary items: [Recall Chocolates] and [Unfading Tart]. I was too excited and forgot to read the description before feeding it.

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[QuietMoonbeam]: Oh, so that's what happened.

Me: yeah.

[BubblySunbeam]: I won't be outdone by someone's hot grandpa. Moon, let's give her the good stuff.

[QuietMoonbeam]: Are you sure? We only have one, and it's meant for that person.

[BubblySunbeam]: I don't care, and I wasn't planning on getting one anyway. And isn't it better for both of us to nurture one person instead of having one each?

[QuietMoonbeam]: True. If we share one, then we won't have to worry about anything happening to them. Okay, I'm in.

Me: I'm very confused.

[BubblySunbeam]: In a second you'll get a prompt asking if you wish to accept us as two of your benefactors. Say yes.

Me: Okay, but servers will shut down tonight at 12.

[BubblySunbeam]: Just say yes; it'll help you.

Me: With what?

[BubblySunbeam]: Can't tell you due to contract, sorry.

Me: Does it have something to do with the "head start" thing?

[BubblySunbeam]: You can say that.

[QuietMoonbeam]: When you say yes, you'll get two items. No use in trying to read the info because it won't show you. You won't even get to see the name. But they're mythical items; use them immediately.

Me: Okay.

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I got the prompt, agreed to it, and immediately used the items it gave me without hesitation. There was, surprisingly, nothing wrong with the contract; the terms were that I talk to them and help them every once in a while, and they'll pay me for my time and effort.

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Me: That contract was weirdly simple.

[BubblySunbeam]: That's because it was a benefactor contract; the other one is stupidly complex with a lot of holes.

[QuietMoonbeam]: You know you're not allowed to say that, right? But it's true. That contract benefits the administrators more than the players. Rika, dear, if you can, try to stop people from accepting an envoy contract. There's another name for it, but you'll learn that later.

[BubblySunbeam]: I get you're trying to warn her, but can we rest now? That contract took a lot out of me.

[QuietMoonbeam]: Of course, let's take a break and recharge. Just remember to always read the fine print before signing anything in this game.

Me: Okay, I'll make sure to keep that in mind.

{[QuietMoonbeam] is now offline.}

[BubblySunbeam]: Oh, she's already gone. Anyway, we'll message you again later, after the "head start" activates. I'm going to try and get some from Moonbeam.

Me: Okay, and I don't think that's a good idea.

[BubblySunbeam]: What would you know?

Me: You said it yourself; she's very similar to me.

Me: Hello?

Me: [BubblySunbeam]?

Me: Are you there?

Me: I pray for your success. Godspeed, Spider-Man.

Me: Wait, doesn't the head start begin after the server shuts down?!

Me: Answer me!

Me: I hope you fail.

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9 pm

"Hey Rika, I'm hungry." I turn to look at Frey. She's scrolling on her phone, drooling at cooking videos. I smile. "Frey…" She turns to me, still drooling. "Yes?" "Do you know what fucking time it is?" "9 pm, why?" I sighed. "What do you want to eat?" Frey's eyes light up. "It's National Pizza Day, so pizza and booze." "We're under the drinking age, aren't we?" "Nah, remember, I'm a year older than you. The drinking age is 19, 18 if with a chaperone who's allowed to drink." I knew even if she was a chaperone, it would only be in name. "Okay, are we ordering or going out?" "Out." I sighed heavily. "Okay"

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11:30 pm

I bow toward the pretty waitress. "I'm so sorry for my friend." "It's fine; at least she has someone to take care of her, but please tell her to moderate her drinking in public." "Don't worry, I'm going to give her a good, long talk." I lean Frey on my shoulder and wave to the waitress. Frey had gotten so drunk that we were asked to leave after she started sobbing about her loving me and a few other random gibberish. Her house is a 20–30 minute walk from the gastropub, but with the state Frey is in, it'll take an hour plus. 

I decided to rent a room in a nearby hotel so she could rest for a little bit. I won't lie; I also drank, but not as much as she did, so I'm only a little tipsy. I still have full control over my actions…So how did I end up in this situation? "Rika, why are you spacing out? You need to undress too. It's embarrassing if I'm the only one necked." "Okay." No, not okay! What the hell am I doing? Why won't my body listen to me?! Stop undressing! "Rika, don't stare so much. It's embarrassing." No, why am I staring? Her body is attractive, though. Wait, did I just think that?

"Rika, don't forget to wear that gem thing." Frey pointed at the necklace she got when she started the game. To the peril of my mental fortitude, the gem itself was nestled between her breasts. Those massive mounds of flesh looked extremely soft and chewy, just like she said. Before I knew it, I was completely necked with the brooch tied in my hair. Frey sat on the edge of the bed and patted next to her. 

As soon as I sat down, she pulled me into a kiss. My brain was screaming at me to stop, but my body didn't listen as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer to me.

11:50 pm

As the kiss continued, I began to move one of my hands toward her chest. I placed my hand on her breast, and she squeaked. Just before I could give it a good squeeze, the ground began to shake. I snapped out of my trance, and something told me that we should get out the building. I pull away from Frey. "Frey, we need to get out of the building, now." She silently nodded, and we began redressing. I took the brooch out of my hair and had her clip it to the back of my sports bra. It felt weird having the brooch tied in my hair.

11:55 pm

We had run down the stairs instead of using the elevator; luckily, we were only on the second floor. When we made it outside, we noticed a lot of strange things were happening. There were dozens of lights in the sky; they weren't stars, although the stars did seem a lot brighter. "Frey, we should try to get home as soon as possible." It seemed like she wasn't quite sober yet, but she knew it was best to follow my lead. I grabbed her hand so we wouldn't get separated and began running.

11:58 pm

We turned a 20 minute walk into a 10 minute run. We were getting closer to the house, but we suddenly came to a halt. The lights in the sky, they had eyes now. The eyes began sporadically looking around, trying to find someone. When they found someone, the person got engulfed in a pillar of light, and the eyes continued to look around. Not everyone it saw was engulfed in light, though, like it was looking for specific people. When it engulfed someone who was in a building, the building would either start to crack a little or crumble entirely. When the buildings crumbled, everyone, chosen or not, was forced out of the building. We started running again, but this time we had to maneuver around rubble and fallen street lamps.

11:59 pm

We kept running, but Frey began struggling to keep up with me, so we stopped for a breath. We were almost at the house anyway; what harm could it do? I looked at the house that was only a half-mile away; we could make it with a few minutes of running. Suddenly, we both got a notification from our phones. 

[Game data found, preparing for transportation.]

I look at Frey, and she looks back. Suddenly, we hear a noise above us; one of those eyes is staring directly at us, and Frey grabs my hand for security. She's crying and scared that we're going to die. I stand tall, trying to steady my racing heart. I put on a brave face, trying to seem calm. No matter how brave I try to seem, it's not working. I stand in front of Frey, squeezing her hand and staring at the eye with tears pouring down my face, thinking that I'm probably going to die here, but I continue to stand in front of Frey. Her legs give out, and she falls to her knees. The eye's pupil contracts and a pillar of light engulfs us both.

I turn, look at Frey, and laugh a little. " I guess this is better than anything." I get down on my knees and hug her. "Frey…I think…I love you." We sit there in each other's embrace with our eyes closed, waiting for something to happen, but it never does. We suddenly hear a bunch of chatter around us, and we open our eyes to see a couple hundred people in a large cave full of different colored crystals. We stand up and look around; suddenly, a dull gray holographic panel appears in front of me.

[Basic system downloaded. A personalized upgrade will be downloaded with the completion of "Head Start" and the tutorial.]

"Huh?"

[Welcome to the "Head Start."]