Pete pocketed his phone and limped outside, squinting and holding up a hand to block out the sun as he walked out and saw a huge holographic goblin face hovering above the obelisk that had crushed his car. The face must have been three stories wide, with long pointy ears jutting out of the side of its head, bright yellow eyes, and a wide mouth stuck in a perpetual grin, hinting at rows of mismatched teeth.

  

  >> My name is Augustus Greedwell, Principle Profit Pimp and Overseer of the Ultrimax Prime Consortium. I am here on behalf of our esteemed benefactor and Managing Director of the Tongsly Belch Corporation, the honorable and magnanimous High Baron Tongsly Belch, to inform you that this quaint little planet—which I believe you call Erf—has been chosen as the primary location for this season’s Dominion Ultrimax Competition.

  The difference between this figure and the pitiful goblins Pete had encountered earlier was that Augustus Greedwell’s face was adorned with expensive looking earrings and a bejeweled nose ring that dominated his visage. He looked very similar, in fact, to the image of what Pete presumed was Tongsly Belch pictured on a garish broach that sat high on the Overseer’s jacket. Obviously this figure was trying to emulate his master by dressing in a similar fashion to the Baron and adorning himself with finery.

  

  >> Congratulations! Out of more than a thousand potential planets, this peculiar little world has been chosen for the greatest honor a backwater mudball could ever hope to experience. Already, recruitment obelisks have been distributed, and a full complement of players has already been selected for this season.

  Pete continued walking forward, looking up at the vast face while the figure continued. Coop walked beside him, staring up at the goblin face with a puzzled expression.

  

  >> All humans who are not designated as contestants will be restricted to their homes for the duration of the contest. Provisions will be made for food and medical supplies, and you will each have the opportunity to work off your debts to the Tongsly Belch Corporation within the safety and comfort of your own homes.

  Something shifted in the street and a series of force-field-like shapes suddenly appeared in the air, hovering above every house and apartment building in the area. The large blocks were semi-transparent and glowed with faint green light.

  

  >> You have ten seconds to return to your house or a suitable living domicile indicated by the protective barriers hovering overhead. Those that do not reach a suitable location and who are not contestants or companions within the Dominion Ultrimax Contest will be summarily disintegrated.

  Huge figures appeared above the goblin’s head, written in vivid crimson light and signaling a countdown. They weren’t recognizable as human numerals of any kind, but the message was clear enough as the figures began to shift with each passing second.

  Up and down the street Pete heard the sound of people scurrying inside, doors and windows closing. He turned around and looked back at his own apartment, confirming that there was a green force-field structure hovering above that building as well.

  “Nero? I’m a player, right?” He looked over at Coop. “I mean, me and Coop will be safe if we just stay outside, right?”

  [Nero] Correct, Pete. You have both been accepted into the contest and thus do not need to be quarantined with the rest of humanity.

  “Great,” Pete replied, turning back to watch the alien numbers counting down. “Just great.”

  Coop crawled up Pete’s leg and onto his shoulders, her furry body hugging his neck.

  “I don’t like this, Pete,” she whispered, her tone far less confident than he’d ever heard it before. “I don’t like it at all.”

  The countdown finished, and the strange, angular numerals hovering above the Overseer’s head flashed violently and then vanished. A moment later, the semi-transparent green force-fields all slammed into place, locking around the buildings beneath with a heavy thud that shook the ground.

  Pete winced as he was forced onto his injured leg. He caught sight of a figure running down the road up ahead. The man looked like he was running from death itself, bare-chested, arms flailing and a dressing gown fluttering behind him as he ran barefoot down the street shouting at the top of his lungs.

  “End of days! It’s the end of days!”

  Pete wasn’t altogether sure, but it sure looked like the man wasn’t wearing anything beneath that dressing gown, and he wasn’t making any particular effort to close it either.

  “Judgement has fallen, and these green-skinned cretins are the instrument of—”

  The rant was quickly cut short as the running figure was frozen in place, green light illuminating the semi-transparent box that had appeared out of nowhere and completely encompassed him. Frozen in place, the half-naked figure looked like some insane art installation. Even his open robe was frozen in place, caught mid-flutter, trailing behind him.

  “Poor fool,” Coop muttered.

  The green box flared with brilliant emerald light and then vanished. The moment it disappeared, the man’s body disintegrated, drifting into a cloud of dust from the top of his head running down to his feet. Within a second he was gone, the dust that he had been reduced to carried off by the morning breeze.

  “Fuck!” Pete blurted, shaking his head.

  “Well,” Coop said, “if you needed any more proof that this was all real, I guess that’s it.”

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Before Pete could reply, the Overseer continued.

  

  >> Fret not, humans. While your movements will be restricted for the duration of the contest, all of your needs will be met, including food, clothing, medical needs, and entertainment requirements.

  The image of the Overseer vanished, replaced by a machine of some kind, which looked like four computer terminals had been attached to a central column. The screens of each terminal were holographic rather than physical, and it looked like there were coin slots on the side of each section as well as a built-in stool.

  

  >> The Tongsly Belch Corporation has provided sufficient work units for each living quarters so that every human will have access to their own dedicated terminal. The costs incurred for these work units and the various resources allotted to keep the human race alive and happy for the duration of the contest will be paid off by performing data analysis and various other tasks which can be completed right at your terminal. Each of you will be assigned work roles and tasks that align with your given skills and experience. Exceptional work performance will be rewarded with additional rations and entertainment discounts. Those who fail to meet their daily quotas and incur additional debts may be disintegrated if they are unable to meet basic requirements.

  The goblin’s face appeared once again, smiling as before, light glinting from his bejeweled nose ring.

  

  >> Thank you for your attention, humans, and good luck. All additional instructions will be provided by your work units. All hail the Managing Director; may his capacious net worth continue to grow exponentially. All hail the High Baron Tongsly Belch!

  The face vanished, leaving Pete standing in the middle of the street surrounded by an eerie silence. Coop tensed around his neck, whispering into his ear.

  “Just as well you fiddled with that obelisk,” the ferret said.

  He nodded. “Just as well you butted in and touched that ball thing when this all started.”

  “True.”

  Pete picked up his phone and checked whether he was able to call his mother. Not only could he not dial her number, all of the apps on the phone had been locked with a cartoonish picture of a smiling goblin and a closed padlock now sitting on the top of each icon. When he thumbed one of the icons a message appeared on his HUD.

  

  >> Access to legacy human technology has been restricted. You will need to purchase a Legacy Unlock augment in order to access this device.

  >> NOTE: Unlocking this device will provide access to individual applications, however, each application unlock will require a separate fee. An unlocked communications device will only function if the device it is connected with is also unlocked. In addition, you must unlock all applications in order to use any single application or to communicate with another communications unit.

  >> Would you like an estimate of what it would cost to unlock this device in total? Yes/No

  Pete thumbed the yes button.

  

  >> Total estimate to unlock this device and all inbuilt applications is 1500 Belch Bucks.

  “Shit! That’s ridiculous!”

  “Seems like they don’t want you using your phone,” Coop offered.

  He slipped the phone back into his pocket, shaking his head. “Great, so it’s basically useless now. I can’t call mom. Can’t call Ollie either.”

  “Ollie?” the ferret asked. “That the scrawny boy with all the tattoos?”

  “Yeah. We’ve been friends since grade school.”

  “Good for you both, now how about we get that leg of yours healed up before you bleed out. If you die, I die too, remember?”

  Pete nodded, limping up to the obelisk, which stood like an ancient sentinel from the ruined memory of his car. He felt a little stab of sorrow as he saw the twisted metal, his boots crunching on broken glass that had come from his windscreen or one of the side windows most likely. He’d been through a lot with that little Mitsubishi Mirage. It was his first car and, by the way things were going, it was probably going to be his last.

  The metal pillar opened as Pete drew near. A small compartment opened up from its lower half and revealed a small golden orb that looked similar to the one he had tried to grab when the game first started.

  This time, though, a description of the item hovered above the orb, written in shimmering golden light.

  

  >> Quest Reward: Soul Ledger Token

  Pete reached for the object, pausing before he made contact.

  “Nero? Is this thing gonna cost me any money?”

  [Nero] Not initially, but once you activate the token, you will need to purchase a class.

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course I will. And let me guess, classes cost at least 500 Belch Bucks?”

  [Nero] Only if they are heavily discounted, and that rarely occurs so early in a contest. No, most classes start at 5000 Belch Bucks.

  “The fuck they do?! That’s crazy!”

  [Nero] Considering the inherent abilities and bonuses that come with a class 5000 Belch Bucks is quite a reasonable sum. Each class includes three new abilities, one relating to offence, one to defense, and a third which provides utility of some sort. A class is also required before you are able to select your soulbound weapon.

  Pete mentally clicked on the wallet icon hovering above his right hand, and the invisible gauntlet displayed the available funds. It showed a grand total of fifty-one Belch Bucks.

  “Even if I can trade in the Bailout Ticket, by the time I grab a medkit or two, buy all five core attributes, and a Loot Lure, I’ll be lucky if there’s anything left. It’ll take me a week to get 5000 Belch Bucks, and that’s if I’m just killing goblins non-stop!”

  [Nero] You forget, Pete, that there are other ways to amass wealth. By successfully completing quests, exchanging other items at a trade kiosk, and killing random enemies that might come your way, such as that pack of Hobgoblins currently approaching from the south.

  “This is bullshit,” Pete complained. “A contest based on money where everything costs…. Wait, what did you just say?”

  [Nero] I merely pointed out that there are various other ways to amass wealth.

  “Not that you boob!” Coop snapped. “The Hobgoblins! He was talking about the Hobgoblins!”

  [Nero] Oh, yes of course. They are approaching from the south and should reach this location in the next sixty seconds.

  “Shit!” Pete barked. “Are they part of some quest?”

  [Nero] No, they are simply marauding creatures that roam the novice game area looking for contestants to kill and loot.

  “But where the hell did they come from?”

  [Nero] When a world is chosen to host a game, various enemies and trials are translocated onto the host world in order to keep the viewing interesting and ensure that contestants are continually encouraged to stay on the move. These various creatures, such as these Hobgoblins, are able to keep whatever they loot, so there is great incentive for them to be particularly aggressive towards contestants.

  “Great!” Pete hissed. “So, I need to keep on the move, and my leg is screwed.” He turned towards the ruined car. “And my wheels are destroyed.”

  “And you won’t be able to borrow a neighbor’s car,” Coop pointed out, “because they’re all locked safely away in their houses.”

  The sound of roaring engines suddenly filled the air, a throaty growl that made Pete think of motorbikes with muffler problems. He turned to look down at the end of the street, where a plume of smoke was rising.

  It was only then that he realized that he’d put down the iron skillet at some point and now stood weaponless, wounded, and with no idea what was roaring towards him from the distance.

  “Shit,” he blurted, reaching out and grabbing the golden orb inside the obelisk compartment. “This day just keeps getting worse.”