"I will now explain the rules of this test." Mr Byte proclaimed.

"What you see before you is a Toxx, a revolutionary invention specially made for this test facility. Every one will have their own Toxx for this test. Please press the red button on the side of the Toxx and read the instructions displayed before you."

Glows lit up the room as the Toxxs powered up amidst the excited chatter of the schoolchildren, eager to have a new plaything. I turned my attention to the Toxx in front of me. The interface was plain, and a wall of text outlined the instructions for the test. We took some time to peruse the instructions.

I blinked in disbelief as I took in the words. Can this be right? My mind raced as I tried to tap on a useful memory that can help me. Damn it.

The Blob monster crept closer, leaving corrosive red slime in its wake. I knew that if it reached me, I'd face an inevitable death from its digestive acids. I can outrun the slimy blob, but stronger monsters no doubt encroached in the shadows of the hallway. Will I be able to beat them?

I retreated a few steps, temporarily out of reach of the Blob. It bubbled its dissatisfaction and resumed its comedic crawl. As I waited for it to catch up, my mind's eye quickly accessed the memory layout of the test facility. This was the second floor. Should I take my chances with the third floor? Take a stand in the hall? Hide in the backstage? Run down to level 1 and attempt to escape? Cries pierced the air as the other monsters claimed the lives of the innocent schoolchildren. This isn't a test, it's a slaughter. We were shepherded like lambs to the slaughter.

The blob, seeing the futility of its slow crawl, suddenly switched to ranged mode and spat out a high speed gooey projectile. While this took me somewhat by surprise, I evaded it, counterattacking with my own well-aimed fireball three seconds later. Unlike the slime, I did not miss. As the slime melted into a sizzling puddle of goo, I made my way to the stairs.

Let's see what lies on the upper levels of this place.

"Aaand... time's up! How was it, boys and girls?"

A hundred voices rose in protest.

"Now, now. No need to be like that. An unexpected test makes it harder to prepare, and is a better indication of your skills and ability, don't you think?"

"But it's not fair!" One of the children who presumably died early on in the game sulked.

"If all is fair, then we wouldn't need tests, would we?" The examiner retorted, silencing the child.

He has a point. Meritocracy is about fairness, yet it is also arguably unfair to those who lack skill or ability. Survival of the fittest, then. What was the point in this test? It was certainly... Unexpected. A video game simulating monsters attacking the test centre? No one could have prepared for that, especially in this thought to be computer-less world. But what did it mean? The game even went so far as to recreate the map of the test centre, at least based off my memory. It might be a vital clue in the exams. Or it could hold absolutely no significance.

The dark screen of the Toxx winked enigmatically under the light, shrouding the secrets of the school under an impenetrable, unknowable darkness.

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"Alright, let's see your results!" Mr Byte announced, walking past each student's Toxx.

As he passed by, a score chart and performance review appeared on the screen of each student's Toxx. The examiner cast only slight looks at most of the computers, pausing every once in a while in front of a particularly interesting result and making a note. As he approached me, our eyes met again.

Each step he took suddenly awakened a new uncertainty within me. I'd had this feeling before. This was the feeling I got after the first few felonies I committed, small ones that got me into a life of crime. Before I was somebody, I stole paltry sums on the streets. I was never caught, but it never eased the paranoia and unease I felt.

Step.

Before I enrolled for school, I'd planned to achieve merely good grades, but not outstanding grades that would draw too much attention. Whilst it was good to readily access good opportunities, a denizen of the underworld thrives best in the dark bowels of society. It would not be good to draw unnecessary attention to myself.

Step.

But even so... I'd expected something like a written test of knowledge, or a basic magic ability screening test. This test threw me off sync, especially as I couldn't accurately gauge how the other children would perform. Step. In the end, I'd opted for what I thought would be decent but not excellent results, but would it fool the examiner?

Step.

Mr Byte now stood before me, and my Toxx lit up.

I read the results.

<<

Monsters Killed: 15

Status: Alive

Overall ranking: 7/264 7/264??

>>

If that means what I think it does, then I performed too well. I should have compensated more for the lack of gaming practice of these children. But then again, I was never a gamer, so how would I know how well to play?

The Examiner's eyebrow shot up as he read my results, but he made no comment before moving on to the next candidate. My heart thumped as I slumped in my seat.

Oh hell. This may be trouble.

The examiner finished his rounds and took up his original position at the front of the room. Two hundred and sixty four pairs of eyes gazed at him expectantly.

"I'm going to need the following people to see me in the other room as I call your name."

A door opened at his words, revealing a room adjacent to this room.

"Anderssen."

A young, pale skinned boy stood up and followed the instructor into other room. The door shut after them. With the examiner out of earshot, the class began buzzing again, discussing the test excitedly. A few seconds later, Mr Byte returned to the room and called for the next student, who followed him into the room. Again, the door closed after them.

I noticed that Anderssen had not returned. This process repeated a few times, and I realized that it was indeed a pattern. None of the students who had entered the room had come back. I broke out in cold sweat.

Shit. Shit. Shit. This is bad.

I don't know what happened to those kids. With my score, I'm almost certainly bound to be called sooner or later. Do I follow him? Or do I refuse? What would happen if I refused? He'd definitely be suspicious. My only chance is to sneak out of the room and hope he forgets me. Not exactly a solid plan, considering I can't move on to the next test until this was cleared.

Please don't call my name.

Mr Byte returned, alone again.

"Noah."

Shit.