THE MOMENT
"...a single leader with everyone organized in levels under them...," Michael shook his head in amusement. "...I dunno. It sounds like a cult to me." He and his wife, Fiona, found a moment alone in the kitchen together. They refilled drinks for themselves and their guests and now lingered a moment to discuss how they wanted to proceed.
"It sounds like any democracy," Fiona replied. "It's a Homeowner's Association with different wording. And, they haven't even asked us to join yet."
"Nu-uh," Michael said. "Not with those names. Every position is some sort of master. This kind of Master, that kind of Master. I'm telling you; it's a cult." Fiona narrowed her eyes at him; but, she couldn't help but smile.
"You want it to be a cult...," she said. Their wedding was less than a year ago with only about two years of dating before that. They hadn't learned everything about each other yet. But, at that moment, she realized that most couples probably did not discuss cults as much as they did. Up until then she never gave his hobby much of a second thought. His eager nod made it all click for her.
"Can we join?!" he asked. Fiona sighed; she couldn't say no to him.
"Fine," she said. "But, I'm not drinking anything that'll kill me. And I'm watching our finances; you can spend your hobby money but our account is off-limits. Got it?"
"YES!" Michael grabbed the drinks for their guests and sped out of
the kitchen. Fiona giggled to herself and followed him.
"Thank you," Gloryanna, a green-haired woman, accepted her drink. Her giant, red-haired wife Flutter also thanked Michael. Fiona was glad she made the living room a priority. She hoped for a welcome wagon of some sort and organized the furniture to make conversing with guests easier. There was no TV in the living room. Two loveseats sat opposite each other with a dark wood coffee table between them. The gift Gloryanna and Flutter brought sat in the center of the coffee table along with the tray of cookies they also brought. Gloryanna sat alone on one sofa while Flutter stood. The redhead was too large; tall enough that the ceiling fan needed to be turned off. Fiona sat across from Gloryanna and Michael joined her.
"So..," Michael began. "How does one go about joining the Glorious Alternate Neighborhood?" He nudged Fiona with his elbow as he used the obvious cult-sounding name.
"Well," Gloryanna nodded at the white box on the coffee table. It had a red scissor logo on the top of it. "You need to open that,' she said. "There's a node for each of you."
Michael moved as soon as she told him what to do. He had the lid off the box in an instant. He revealed a red velvet interior with two glass cards as soon as she called them nodes. He reached in and lifted a card. The time appeared on the display like a smartphone as soon as he touched it.
"Whooaa cool!" Michael grinned as he handed the box to Fiona. The second his other hand was free he swiped upward on the node. He was greeted with a wall of text.
"Oh, you don't want to agree to the terms," Gloryanna said. "You can still use it; but if you agree then the company gets your soul."
"Oh, thank you," Fiona said. Michael only nodded and tapped [No] when he was prompted.
"Well, the tutorial is going to take you some time...," Gloryanna stood. "We should let you focus on that so you can get your characters made."
"Wait," Michael said. "Is...is that it?" He had been looking forward to joining a cult. But, he didn't feel any different. He wasn't even sure he joined. "When do I get my rank? Isn't there like a ceremony?"
He had to admit. Maybe they weren't the cult he was looking for. They didn't even want his soul. Not that he was willing to hand it over, probably. But, it didn't give him any confidence in their organization.
"Rank?" Gloryanna asked. "You mean like level? Levels haven't mattered in some time. Your character starts at level 1; but, you can boost it to max right away."
"What?" Michael asked. He was interested again. The cult just got more confusing; that was a good sign. "I mean how do I move up? You have a guildmaster, a quartermaster, master smith... I want to be master of something; I have plenty of money."
"Michael...," Fiona was slightly embarrassed that he'd been so direct with his bribe.
"Money doesn't matter," Gloryanna replied. "If you want the position, work your way up to it."
"Work?" Michael asked. "I already have a job; I'm looking for something easy and fun. What kind of cult are you?"
"Cult?" Gloryanna asked. "We're not a cult. I made a guild in the AlterNet for the neighborhood; it's just a homeowner's association with extra fun. We go on raids once a month."
"Raids?" Fiona asked. Gloryanna nodded.
"We travel to alternate Earths and kill monsters; it's good for community bonding."
"Well.. that sounds fun," Fiona nudged Michael.
"Alternate Earths?" he asked. Gloryanna and Flutter both nodded. He looked at the transparent node in his hand. The time seemed to be floating in mid-air between his fingers. They had advanced technology. And, he couldn't ignore the fact that Flutter was over eight feet tall. That wasn't normal. There was a decent chance they were somehow telling the truth. After thinking it over for a moment he nodded at Fiona and smiled.
"Yeah, it does sound fun," he said. "I'm sure at least one of those Earths has a cult I like."