The black screen smoothly transitioned into the loading screen. Once I saw the spinning icon, I leaned back in my chair. I realized I was breathing heavily. My hands were shaking slightly. The combat was stimulating and, more importantly, fun. The last time I remember having this kind of rush was when I rode a roller coaster for the first time.
As the loading icon was still spinning, I decided to get a beverage. I removed my earbuds and got up from my chair. I grabbed my nerdy physics mug on my way out of the room. It had a cartoonish drawing of a Newton's cradle with the words "Keep up the momentum!" I placed the mug on the coffee table in the common room and went to fill up the electric kettle. The closest facet was in the communal bathroom on our floor.
With a full kettle, I set it back on its electric base and sat back onto the sofa to wait for the water to boil. I had a good view of the dormitory courtyard. Students were passing through, either returning from classes or on their way out to parties. A few were lounging on the grass. The sun had disappeared but the sky was still painted in a fiery orange.
My sky-gazing was interrupted by a petite girl with raven black hair tied back in a ponytail and a pair of blue-frame glasses. She entered the room with a stuffed backpack and four thick textbooks in her arms. I was thoroughly astounded by how someone with such a slender frame could carry so much. How did she even open the doors?
"Evening, Miyu," I greeted cheerfully. "Decided to spend the night in your own bed tonight?"
"Haha," Miyu laughed at my joke. No one was more familiar with her habits than herself. "Good evening to you too, Talya. And yes, I am. Sometimes, one needs the comfort of their own bed. Additionally, I already paid the boarding costs. I should not let it all go to waste." Her voice was soft and accented by her Japanese dialect.
"That's true." I gestured towards the kettle. "I'm boiling water for tea. Do you want me to make a cup for you?"
"Thank you, but you can just leave the boiling water," said Miyu. "I'll steep the tea myself."
I nodded. She ended the conversation with a smile. As Miyu entered her room, the kettle started to scream. With a click, it automatically turned off. I got up with my cup and placed a tea bag in my mug before pouring in the steaming water.
Retreating back into my room, I placed the hot mug on my desk before seating myself before my laptop again. The black screen was patiently waiting for me with the prompt, "Press any key to continue."
After tapping the space bar, the screen quickly transitioned to a blurry white screen. There was also a dull buzz in my ears. Slowly, the screen came into focus. My character was lying on a cot in some sort of medical ward. The buzz crystalized into a symphony of string and brass instruments. Looking around, I saw Locke sitting in a chair reading.
She noticed my movement and turned to me with a smile. "My my. You sleep for six hundred years and after being awake for less than an hour, you go right back to sleep for another three days. Even my men aren't that lazy."
Then Locke's face turned serious. The graphics were detailed enough for me to detect a hint of respect in her eyes. "Joking aside, thank you. We wouldn't have made it out of there in one piece without your support. The others aren't free right now, but we all owe you. Especially McNally."
She put away her book and stood. "The doc said you'll be fine. Now that you've woken, they'll give you a final lookover and discharge you. Can't have you taking up a bed when you don't need it. The equipment you picked up at the cryo facility is yours. The hospital staff has it stored away. I've added a bit extra to it too. I have to go now but come find me at the barracks when you get discharged. I'm sure you have questions and we'll answer as many as we can."
Locke patted my shoulder before leaving.
******
A loading screen later, I was at the entrance of the hospital with all my previous equipment back in my inventory. When I opened the inventory screen, a popup informed me that I received a reward of 10,000 credits from Locke. It then highlighted a golden "C" icon at the bottom left with the amount I currently had.
"Credits are the in-game currency of Terracotta Contingency," explained the game. "Earn more credits by completing requests and other side activities. It can be spent to buy weapons, items, consumables, and much much more." I quickly closed the menu and headed out.
As I opened the hospital door by pressing F, an electronic, female voice said, "Thank you. Please be more careful next time." Then, I was given my first view of the world of Terracotta Contingency. The hospital behind me was a legitimate hospital. The area it was located in seemed like your standard suburban neighborhood. However, everything had a run-downed aesthetic to it. While it in better condition than the cryo-facility from the tutorial, the roads were full of crevices and holes. Buildings were damaged and then partially repaired using different materials. It resulted in a patchwork pattern of wood, concrete, and steel.
The most noticeable detail in the sky. The midday sun painted a pristine field of azure. Scattered white clouds dotted the skyscape. Beyond all of that was a massive cylindrical object. It was nearly transparent against the blue sky, indicating it was outside Earth's atmosphere. However, I could still make out large missing chunks along its body. It seemed to be surrounded by its own cloud of debris.
My eyes tracked the object from the eastern horizon to the western horizon. From my pitiful field of view on Earth, I couldn't see the beginning nor the end. My mouth was open in awe. What was that thing just outside of the Earth's atmosphere?
My reverence of this extraterrestrial object was interrupted by the notification icon. I opened the Squad Menu to find a squad invitation from someone called Lord Explosion_Murder 72. Wait. I glance down at the post-it note where I'd written Teddy's game name.
"Huh," I said to myself. "It's him."
I sipped my tea before accepting the invitation. I heard his voice immediately. "Hey Talya-, wait. I mean, hey DivineDewpoint! Finally done with the tutorial, huh?"
"How did you know it was me?" I demanded. However, he didn't reply. "Umm... hello? Heeelloo? Are you deaf?" Still no response.
After a few seconds, Teddy said, "I assume you are there and trying to talk. The default voice chat setting is push-to-talk. You have to hold the tilde key while you speak."
I held down the "~" key and asked, "Can you hear me now?"
"There we go. I hear you loud and clear."
"Then how did you know it was me?" I repeated my question.
"Please," Teddy replied with both a hint of mockery and arrogance. "We were both in Ms. Casanova's English class for our senior year in high school. I'm pretty sure the only reason you know the meaning of your name is from her icebreaker exercise during the first class."
He put on a falsetto and continued, "The name Talya is originates from Hebrew, meaning 'Dew from heaven.' Fletcher is an English surname, derived from the occupation of the same name. A fletcher is someone who makes arrows."
"Honestly," he commented, switching back to his own voice, "while I admire how you came up with your IGN, it sounds pretty dumb regardless. You can't expect the average gamer to understand that sort of nuance to appreciate it."
"I don't want to hear criticism regarding my alias from someone who called himself Lord Explosion_Murder 72." I shot back defensively. I thought my naming convention was quite clever and good.
"Alright, alright," Teddy yielded. "Anyways, now that you're finally in the game, let's go on a quest!"
"What?" I exclaimed. "No. I have to go find Locke. She told me to talk to her when I got out of the hospital."
"The tutorial lieutenant?" he asked. "All meeting with her does is give you more tutorials and world exposition. You don't need that now."
"Uh, I sort of do. I am completely new not only to this game but video games in general," I countered.
"Yeah, but that's why I'm here," Teddy rebutted. "Seriously, Dewpoint. You spent the last three weeks doing the tutorial. Aren't you tired of it?"
"You're exaggerating. It was like an hour and a half. And the tutorial was very informative and engaging. I know the basic controls because of it."
"Uh huh. Spoken like a true video game n00b, calling tutorials fun. Yeah, no. The best way to learn is by doing. In addition, the tutorials hardly go over all the mechanics involved in this game. Let's go. I'll actually teach you how to play TerraCon."