Welcome to the Game!
Take a look around yourself, and do not be afraid of where you are. Take the time to walk around, get accustomed to your body, and collect any items lying around. Avoid any unknown figures, as they can either be other players or spirits. Either way, encountering either probably will not end in your favour.
By now, you might have noticed that the floor sinks beneath your feet. In case you have not caught on, you are walking maybe millions of feet above the “ground” on clouds. Do not fret, you have just entered the Game. This is merely your first level. There is nothing to worry about, at least not yet.
At one point, you will stumble upon a table with your name engraved on it. On this table, there is a sheet of paper and a knife. Read the paper thoroughly, as it is the Game’s agreement. Once you read it, and if you choose to continue, take the knife and pierce your skin. The blood will shape into your name, and you will be registered. Do not worry about the colour of your blood. This is merely a precaution in case we can not find you or your body. If you choose not to continue, take the knife and stab the paper. You will be sent to wherever you were before, and another will take your place.
Once you sign the paper, a brown satchel will appear at your waist. Take the time to familiarize yourself with its contents. Be sure to take the knife with you before the table disappears, as that will be your first weapon. Each bag is custom-made, designed to fit your own preferences and needs. A small tracker and earpiece will be on the bottom of the bag. Place the tracker on your neck and the earpiece in your ear. Turn on the tracker and you will hear a sequence of numbers, and then a voice. Write down the numbers with the pen and paper provided to you, as that is your player number.
Introduce yourself to the voice, and it should give you its first task. Hopefully, you had walked around the clouds attentively, as now you must go to certain landmarks to complete certain assignments. The tasks get more difficult as you progress, and the number of tasks you complete corresponds with your Game level. Every task you receive will have a time limit, and the limit shortens every level. At any point, ask the voice in your tracker for information, hints, or to check on your status.
Remember how I said there are other players? The Game occurs every millennium, and exactly 1,500,000,000 players are invited to play. In other words, there are 1,499,999,999 players that are out for blood. Some of the tasks you receive will involve the other players, for better or for worse. The Game is in an infinitely open space, but you will encounter all players eventually. Make alliances at your own risk.
There are 258 levels in the Game. As you near levels 150 and over, the tasks will become what you know as crimes. There are scattered items around the Game that you may collect to help you. Please note that the more helpful items are in the vicinity of danger and that your satchel can hold an infinite amount of items. Players are not the only danger you should look out for, as countless terrors await you. The clouds shrink as the Game progresses, forcing you closer to other players.
Look in your bag again, and take out the beeping watch. On the screen, you can see three hearts. Just like any arcade game, you have lives that can be lost by danger and gained by first aid. By failing to complete tasks, you lose all three hearts instantly. If you lose all three hearts, you lose and the tracker on your neck will explode, killing you (presuming another player or entity did not already kill you). I can see you trying to pull the tracker off now, do not bother. Like the contract, the tracker is permanent and will only disappear if you win.
For the sake of the Game, your wings and halo have been replaced with a normal human body. All magic powers and items have been removed, although you may find some across the Game. If you make it to Level 258, the Game will grant you instant immunity until the Game ends. The Game proceeds until there are 100 players left, counting those with immunity. In that case, all 100 players will be allowed a choice; to go back where they started, or to enter the next Game known as “Earth”, where the stakes are lower.
Thank you for taking the time to read this instructional guide. As soon as you hear the bells, the Game has started. Good luck, player.
