ILIAS PAYNE
---
“There are only three things you need to know to be successful in the State Jynxist Exam,” Ivan announced. “One. As long as you haven’t been disqualified, you are not allowed to have contact with the outside world. In between phases you will be staying inside a building that’ll be referred to as Base Zero—all your needs will be provided for. During this time, the only people you are allowed to interact with are the proctors, your fellow participants, and the staff. Two. Death is an inevitable part of the exam and no one will be held responsible. Three. You must follow all instructions given by the proctors. The failure to follow the rules stated will result in immediate disqualification.”
Even though most of the participants were returning from previously failed exams, the entire hall was silent as if this was the first time they were given these instructions.
The number on the badge we were wearing must’ve corresponded to the number of participants. The last to get a badge was the jester who made a comment about me. His was 610.
There are six hundred and ten of us and only a handful will pass.
“When you entered, each of you was given a badge with a number on it. Do not lose this badge because this is your identification. The first phase requires all participants to be in parties of four and all of you have been assigned randomly. The badge you’re wearing has a charm that’ll heat up your body when you move closer to a party member and cool it down when you move further away. Once you make contact with a party member, the badge will reset to room temperature. This will repeat until you have formed your party. After that, please await further instructions.”
Ivan disappeared through a portal that opened behind him. It was a black void and you couldn’t see where it led without jumping through.
Chaos ensued the moment the portal disappeared. Everyone began scrambling to find their parties. It was hectic at first but as time went on and people found their teams, the marble hall became more civilized.
I walked in the direction that made me feel hotter.
“Hey!” A teenage elf whose badge number read 99 approached me. “I think we’re party members.”
The moment we made contact, my body temperature returned to normal. “I think so too. What’s your name?”
“I don’t want to introduce myself three times,” said the elf. “Let’s call each other by our badge numbers for now and do introductions after we find the other two.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
99 was a teenage elf, which would mean he was well into his one hundreds. He had spiky black hair, large pants, and a black and purple vest that made his muscles stand out.
99 and I followed the direction that made our bodies hotter and found a terran boy and girl around my age in the middle of an argument.
Please don’t tell me these two are our teammates.
The moment we talked to them, our bodies returned to their normal temperature.
The girl’s number was 67. She was about half a foot shorter than me and had long black hair with bangs. She wore oversized robes that covered her entire body so there was no way of knowing what her shape was. But one thing that stood out was her puffy cheeks.
The boy’s number was 456. He was about my height and wore simple brown shorts and a leather jerkin vest over his white collared shirt. Around his neck was a blank necklace that held only a ring. Surprisingly, his messy dark brown hair fit him. Especially with the circular glasses that tied his entire look together.
456 looks vaguely familiar. Who is he?
“Y-you pervert!” 67 cried. “I don’t want to be teammates with you!”
99 and I butted in between them.
“What the hell did you do to her?” I questioned the boy.
“Nothing,” 456 argued. “I just tapped her on the shoulder because I figured out we were teammates. She’s acting as if I assaulted her.”
I turned to 67. “Was tapping you on the shoulder all he did?”
The girl nodded.
We haven’t even told our names to each other yet, how is there already this much tension?
I sighed. “Just because he touched you doesn’t mean he’s a pervert.”
“H-he is! His eyes were staring at me creepily!”
“I was just studying my teammate,” 456 spat. “Besides, you’re too cute. I’m into sexy mature women.”
“You two stop!” I yelled. “67, him touching you doesn’t mean he’s a pervert. 456, keep your mouth shut. You’re making it worse. Everyone is gone and you two are still bickering like a married couple.”
The elf spun his head as if searching for something within the giant open room. “You’re right. Where did everyone go to?”
The hall that had once housed over six hundred people was almost empty. There were only about four dozen or so people left in the hall.
A portal spawned underneath our feet, dumping us into a featureless room hidden below. The arguing duo landed on their feet while 99 and I hovered ourselves to the ground.
The entire room was made of white brick with four lumarine stones on each side of the wall acting as light sources. On a pedestal in the middle of the room was a piece of paper.
One of you is an impostor.
Your party advances if the majority votes out the impostor or if you get them to admit the truth.