“Come to think of it, I have not gotten your name.”
“Angeloe with an e, but pronounced ung-loup. Silent e and extra p.”
“Interesting name. You must have not been an angel to your parent for your name to be read as ung-loup instead of angelo.”
“Not really, it was derived from french. Ange could mean angel or devil and loe or loup means shewolf. I got my name from my great grandmother. I was born late in the night and there were wolves howling at that hour. Oh and call me Angie.”
“Wolves?”
“She was staying in her retirement home near yellowstone park. The grey wolves did do well there ever since the reintroduction in 1995. According to my parents, we have a bit of the native american blood in us from her branch of the family. She believes in that mystical aspect and so came the naming issue. It was something that goes both ways and after much deliberations my parents and her managed to finalize it to Angeloe.”
“Interesting story for an interesting name. So tell me, why tell me the story? You could just tell me the name everyone calls you by and we could be done with it. We would have saved all that chatter.”
“I am not too sure myself. It was more of a ‘why not’ kind of feeling for me.when you asked me for my name. Now that you know mine, how about you share with me yours?
“Nash. Something about ash tree. That is all i remember about my name. Never really bothered.”
Angie could only pout upon hearing Nash’s reply. Most people she knew would know the history of their name quite well and Nash just brushed it off like it was not a thing that mattered. It was his name. Something personal and yet he does not even bother to find about about it. There was nothing she could do about it. It was not her name to remember.
“So, which model do you think you are getting? I have discounts for all 3 models but the most value for money would be getting the elite model from me. At 22222 adding an addition 2223 would grant you the full package that would usually cost 5000. House security, proximity sensor, bio locks, the list goes on. My package is best for the elite package. You have spent nearly 20000 on a device, adding another 2000 is not really changing the results. You are already breaking the bank to buy the device. It would not hurt to be on the safe side and buy all the accessories to maximise it.”
“While Anna’s package come free with purchase, her package only includes basic security. Proximity sensors seems good but just think about it. Where are you installing the device? In a room in your house right? The proximity sensor is limited to the room itself. Who is going to be walking around in that room after you close the door? I would not deny that the deal is still a good deal since it is free. The rest of the items that i have in my package she has them too but only at 10% discount. People like the words free and discount. Buying from her would have both elements. I only have 1 package for promotion.”
“What makes you think I would even buy the elite model with your package?”
“The look in your eyes. You did not have the same look as the others that I have served after I said the price of the different models. The other people would frown or grimace upon hearing it but you did not even bat an eyelid.”
“Sold. With that good speech, whoever that already has half a mind to buy would buy from you. Of course, if you have better incentives, I would be even happier to buy from you.”
“What incentives are you talking about?”
“Oh you know, that kind.” looks over at Anna.
“Which kind?” Angeloe looks over her shoulders with puzzlement in her eyes. It did not take long before it shifted over to a look of disdain.
“No. That is absolutely not going to happen.”
“Well, it was worth a try asking.”
“And give me back my scan code!”
“Nope. no can do. What is given is a gift and gifts are not meant to be taken back.”
“It is not a gift. You tricked me for it.”
“Think carefully when did I ask for your scan code? I did not even know of its existence until you handed it to me. Check the cameras. I am pretty sure that the camera would have captured everything that has happened so far. I am also pretty sure that I broke no law with what I did.”
The corners of Nash’s lips curled up as he watched the face of Angie changed colors and shades.
“Thats … thats…”
An awkward silence passed.
*Sigh* *facepalm*
“There is nothing…”
*pfft* “hehehe hahaha”
“Ok… *pfft* I will stop fooling around. If you actually *pfft* agreed i would not have *pfft* bought from you.*pfft* give me a moment.”
Taking a couple of deep breath… Nash’s laughing fits finally settled down.
“Ahh… That fixed my bad mood. My apologies for teasing you. I threw the bait and you fell for it hook, line and sinker. The thing is, I just lost my job the first place that I headed to was here. The first person that I talk to here is you. Teasing you is out of the line, I do understand that but just as you have said, I have over 2 hours of time to pass. Some jokes to break the ice is always good.”
Rolling her eyes, “Still, that is not a good way to break ice. I will not forgive you for that.”
“I would not be too worried about that
With the ice being broken, Nash and Angie continued conversing over various topics related to Dagon.
2 hour plus later…
“Nash, just like how you said it, think of it as a super psych evaluation”game against a machine.you can’t beat it but you have to try hard.”
“Yes yes, just an all-encompassing ultimate chess ai, with chessboard being the world and objects of the world as chess pieces.”
With that, he initiated the eye scan and the scan code.
Agent 2187 registered.
User’s retina scan waiting …
Nash stick his head over to register his retina pattern.
User’s retina scan Registered and Confirmed.
*Pishh* the cabin opens
Settling into the seat that was provided, Nash found it comfortable and soothing surprisingly.
A screen in the cabin lowered as the door closed
Welcome to the Initiator Model A221 #00002053
Are you ready for the initiation.
Y/N
“For this test, you just need to relax and think of your answer.”
“Angie? Ah I forgot. She said earlier that the scan code would change the voice in the machine to her voice.”
Settling his mind, Nash began the test.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Y.
Tingling sensation covered Nash with the start of the test.
It was an uncomfortable situation but it could not be helped. It was a necessary step to get the physical test going. Each prick is a test… Just that millions of pricks at the same time becomes a little uncomfortable.
Physical testing complete.
Percentile rank - 77%
Pain tolerance rank - 68%
Current overall rank - 73%
How is imitation like a plateau?
He remember this from somewhere he read before… think it was : They are the highest form of flattery
What do you call a cheap circumcision?
A rip off.
Which side of the zebra has the most stripes?
The outside
What is it called when batman skips out on church?
He remembered this one as well. Christian Bale
What's the best thing about living in Switzerland?
Pass. pretty sure that there is a lame joke in it some where too.
Seriously? Why jokes and lame jokes at that? What happened to the chess that Angie mentioned?
At first it was nothing then a timer appeared at the side. After answering 1 question another would appear and the timer grew shorter and shorter. Next H know, the questions were just flashing before me and all the time i had was to give an impression of it in my head before i was think about the next one.
After answering that many lame jokes at a go …
What do you think of the name Angeloe?
Pretty, cute, interesting name, wolf, angel...
Ah wait what was he thinking… but what and why would her name come up. It must have been the card.
After that question, the questions stopped. However, images appeared.
The color red.
The color blue.
The color green.
The color yellow.
An image of a bird.
An image of an apple.
Image of meat. Ah wait that is beef i think.
After i thought of an answer a new one would appear. As he answered, it got faster and faster.
After a while everything became a blur. It was like watching a 60fps scene squeezed into a 24fps limit. A show of 2 or more frames stacking together in the same moment .
If memory served him right, it was what would be called subconscious processing.
And so, he let the thoughts flowed on.
Images flashed by with time, occasionally he would see things like chess and pieces of jigsaw flash by where he may or may not pay more attention to.
With each passing moment he could feel his head getting heavier and heavier. The sensory load was getting to him.
Just as his mind was about to cloud over, a beep sounded to say that that was the end of the test.
Mental stress tolerance rank - 82%
Mental function capacity - 80%
Overall mental ability rank - 84%
Final Overall rank - 85%
User’s physical and mental condition - Near peak perfect.
Game character class recommended - Dual class and above
Stats bonus in - Int, Wis, Str, End
Advanced starting races unlocked
Advanced starting classes unlocked
Advance starting jobs unlocked.
Overall rank bonus- Other classes jobs unlocked.
Advance modules unlocked.
User assist is now optional from the start.
85% of the game material’s information have been release to you from the start.
Generating Grade A ID now. Please collect it from the slot outside of this device.
*pishhhh* the cabin opened up and a cool breeze washed in.
Fresh air?
Maybe. As Nash stepped out of the cabin, he felt that something was different. The world felt different. Maybe it was just too colorful because he just got out of a dark cabin but he was not sure.
Around him was more of those cabins. All closed with blinking lights all over the place just like the one he was in moments ago.
Then something felt odd to him, where is everyone?
“Angie?”
“Hellooo?”
“Anyone around?
It felt creepy. Other than the whirling fans and the electronics buzzing in the background, there was no other noise.
Not knowing what else to do, he began exploring the room. As he did, he counted the number of cabins that were around. 42. If there were that many here, someone must have placed them here.
As he moved around the room, he noticed many things out of place
Wait a minute. Nash began wondering. Was he still in a simulation? When in a conversation with angie, they talked about the world being chess piece… could this be a locked room test?
Since there was no one around, there was no way anyone could confirm or deny his thinking.
Little did he know he was right. The only issue was that this test was set as a group test. However, with a high score that he has, there was no one else with score close enough as his to pair with him for the test. That made him have to handle this test on his own.
Nash assumed he was right and began taking note of things.
Paper, pen, trinkets. Anything that was movable he took them down. What better way to solve a puzzle then to take all the puzzle pieces together and solve them.
Slowly but steadily the mystery behind the room was uncovered. He realized how painful the answer was. A painfully stupid answer. Yes he solved the riddle. But he also really did not need to solve the riddle. This test was idiot proof. For the smart people it is a riddle. For the lucky ones it becomes a test of luck. For luck is also an ability.
As he looked through the pile of items that he collected, he found what he wanted. The Grade A ID. He walks back to the device that he ‘spawned’ from and inserted the ID into the slot labeled ID and stepped back into the cabin to be seated down.
The screen lowers itself once again.
Number of participants - 1/5
Number of participants that gave up - 0
Average percentile rank - 85%
Items collected - 43/43
Time taken - 02:05:23:84
Total manhours - 02:05:23:84
Luck factor - Highly Unlikely
Judgement - Elite
Initiating next test
...
…
...
With a flash of light the world changed.
Before him was a tabletop type of game setup similar to dungeons and dragons.
An translucent screen floats before him explaining to him how to play the game. After a minute or 2 he understood the game and began building up the board.
After setting up the board, with all the pieces in place, the game began the countdown.
For the first battle, it was a RTS game where he had to manage resources and stay alive for 10 minutes. It was a strategic defence set up where he had to prevent the treasure from being taken. He suffered some losses but manage to survive the 10 minutes.
For the second battle, it was still a RTS game but this time he was the attacking side. Ironically enough, he felt as if he was fighting himself based on the was the AI was defending from his attack. As he felt that way, he made use of his knowledge from prior game to formulate his attack. It surprisingly went well.
Timed assault, FPS, tower defence and many other types came about after.
It took at least another hour before he completed all the games in this test.
Congratulations to completing the games test.
User recommendations : Taskmaster, Tamer(all subclasses), Summoner
Logical classes unlocked
Management classes unlocked
Management jobs unlocked
Management modules unlocked
All test complete. Total elapsed time - 01:42:24:66
Generating Grade A ID now. Please collect it from the slot outside of this device. Do not forget to bring it back with you. If you enter the game without having to insert the card during your first time, you will not be able to have all the stated bonuses.
*pishhhh* the cabin opened up revealing the world to him once again.
Ahh… the stink of the city. So that is what felt different. With the air choked full of pollutants, how could there have been the smell of fresh air like just now.
Stepping out of the cabin, he felt well rested. Must have been the way he was placed in REM sleep.
With nothing else to do but to leave, Nash took his card and looked at it. It was a 3D hologram card of himself. Front and back.
“Holy mother of foils! It me!” he could clearly tell it was him. He felt that if he squinted, he might actually be able to see the individual strands of hair of himself off the hologram.
Just as he was leaving the room, something bugged him. He looked at the time again. It felt as it over three hours have passed in the cabin but apparently, that was not the case, only an hour and 45 minutes or so have passed since he entered the cabin.
That stopped Nash in his tracks. If he was right, the game is running at two times the speed of the normal clock. That might pose some interesting issues but it would be just great if it happens.
*growwl*
But first food. It has been a long day.
Following the signs out, he got back to the main hall. Along the way there were light refreshments left by the side which he readily took to ease that hunger.
After getting back to the main hall, he looked around. Anna still at her corner, pretty sure she is stuck there for more than one reason.
Few other sales assistants standing around engaging the different potential customers. Oddly, Angeloe was nowhere in sight. It was a pity, he would not have minded buying from her.
With nothing else to do, he approached a sales assistant that just freed herself up.
“Hi. can you tell me where is Angeloe? I just got out of the testing and now I am trying to look for here.”
The sales assistant looked back with a puzzled face.
“Angeloe? We do not have anyone named Angeloe working here.”
This got Nash confused. If there was no one working here by the name Angelou, who was it that he talked to earlier?
“What about Angie? She calls herself that.”
“Nope that does not ring a bell.”
“That was really odd. Did I talk to a ghost?”
“Sir, if there is nothing else i would like to attend to others. I am not the information counter. The information counter is down the aisle on the right. Feel free to ask questions not related to the purchase of the devices and the accessories.”
There was nothing much he could do so he headed over to the information counter.
“Hello, this is the information counter. How may i assist you?
“I am looking for this person called Angeloe. I think she is known as Angie around here.”
“One moment let me check our staff list.”
After a short moment…
“I am sorry sir but apparently we do not have anyone working here by that name. However, we do have over 10 people under the name Angie and over 10 people by the name of Angeloe as well within the company. These however is restricted access and so i am unable to release those information to you.”
“How about this?”
Nash hands over the scan code.
The staff behind the counter looks at the card.
“Sir, with this scan code you do not need to meet the person to make a purchase, you can choose to purchase everything that the person has offered as stated on the card through anyone at the sales department. If you want to do it here it is fine too. I passed the exam as well but got stuck to information counter duty. Talk about the luck of draw.”
Nash look at the counter staff, he looked like a normal guy. Just anyone you meet on the street and would forget when you turn around. He could not help but pity him. He was too forgettable.
“Since you are able to do it, help me make the purchase from here. I see no harm in doing so. It would also save me the trouble to find another person to make a purchase.”
“Great! What model are you looking for. We have 3 models available with multiple support packages.”
“I would like to have the 90% model with the package listed in the scan code that has everything covered priced at 2223.”
“Everything covered? I am not sure if we have that but I will check for you.”
After saying so, he looks down back on his screen and begins looking for the one I mentioned.
“Ah yes. i have found it. I am not sure why but that package you mentioned is available on this scan code. I must say, the one whom this card belongs to, must have been someone rather important. I see so many packages not available at this branch and some I have never even heard of before.”
“I see.”
Now this got Nash thinking. Just who could this Angeloe be. Clearly she must be someone important or special to provide such a scan code.
“.....Sir… SIR!”
“Ah yes?”
“If you do not mind, please key in you detail so that we can deliver and install your items.”
A while later…
“Thank you for making a purchase with us. Your items will be delivered at the estimated time of 5pm tomorrow. Please make yourself available at that time and thank you once again.”