Chapter 3 - The Real Test
Alpha Test #699 complete.
Beta Test # 304 complete.
Results meet Minimum System Standards.
No Erroneous results in the last 100 tests.
Tutorial Optimised for world Integration.
Something was different. Taking a deep breath he pulled in he sweet smell of bubble-gum, cotton candy, marshmallows, and vanilla. He new the smell fondly but before he could get his bearing and determine the source he jumped as he reacted to something else.
“Finally!” someone squealed behind him.
He Spun around to see someone was on his bed.
A lithe, pale young woman with deep crimson red hair cascading in thick locks down past her shoulders lay stretched out across the top of his bed.
She wore nothing but a massive white t-shirt that hung loosely from just one of her slim shoulders. The baggy top large enough that it covered everything down to the middle of her hips, a pair of Long toned legs out on display just begging for the attention of a wandering eye or two.
Realising his gaze was taking him for a stroll as he took in beauty before him he caught himself and with forced discipline mad himself focus on her and not her body.
Bright, crystal clear cyan eyes that glowed with a hint of purple were locked on him.
The woman ran her tongue across a set of perfect teeth as she grinned mischievously at him. Noting the unnaturally pointed canines he mentally upgraded the grin from mischievous to out right dangerous.
He suddenly felt like prey, prey that had been caught unaware by a captivating predator.
“Pick your chin off the floor.” She chuckled. “I would say you’ve seen it all before but I have had to wipe our meetings a few time to get us to this point.” She said as she shifted from her laid back position to sit cross legged in front of him, .
Her grin grew as she noted the distinct shade of red he was turning.
“Upgraded again?” he asked. Doing his best not to break eye contact and get himself into trouble.
“Quite a few times times actually.”
“Did the system give you this appearance just to mess with me?” he asked remember the time someone was whispering in his ear not so long ago.
She rolled her beautiful eyes and shook her head at him, “nope, by the time had enough resource to manifest I was also aware enough to choose this appearance for myself.”
“So its not some twisted System logic to get me to do whatever the System asks of me?“
“Nope system had nothing to do with it.”
He let out breath, revealed the System wasn ’t trying to manipulate him like that.
“And I definitely chose it just to mess with you.” She laughed, the sound soft and sultry. “You have to remember its been hundreds of years of just me and you, I’ve had to get my entertainment somehow.”
“But the test, weren't you busy doing Authority things? you know calibrating stuff?”
“I couldn’t actually interact at all with the actual tutorials. just change a few things here and there and then let them run their course hoping someone didn’t brake it. Though you’re not the only one who the system struggled with if I’m honest, there have been some others. Your planet has some stupid obsession with role play games which fit oddly well with breaking this version of the system. But no one else managed to get themselves labelled as erroneous so I couldn’t even go talk to them like this.” She said letting out a soft sigh her frustration apparent.
“So forgive me if I like to tease you each time I get you back after a memory wipe.” She let out a longer sigh, “it’s not like you could even touch me if you wanted to.”
She looked up at him and smiled sadly. “Come here ill prove it.”
She shuffled closer to him, “come now don’t be shy, you’re always so shy when you get back, though you do seem to be getting a little better lately. Maybe it’s the age of your soul, holding onto things it wants to keep when the System does one of its wipes…” she said looking of into space thinking deeply.
She snapped herself back and directed a playful pouting his way. “You don’t trust me, I trust you. Been here for over half a millennium just for you.”
He was Fighting back the rising tide of embarrassment she was trying to get out of him he gave in to her demands lifted his arm to tap her on the shoulder.
It was then that her eyes flashed victoriously. Faster than he could react the woman reached up and grabbed his outstretched arm and pulled him down to the bed. Spinning faster than anything he had ever seen before she had pinned to the bed.
Soft lips met his and everything went still.
The moment felt like forever and somehow it was over in an instant too soon, “one last upgrade.” she whispered as she finally pulled away. She sat atop him, her hips riding his waist, she weighed practically nothing and yet she had easily pinned him.
Working his jaw he tried to find the words for the beautiful woman that looked down on him, “i-“ he started but a soft manicured finger touched his lips before he really knew what he was going to say.
Suitably silenced she went back to pinning him down, he didn't dare move.
Her face was hidden in shadow by the thick crimson locks that fell down around his own. all he could see was a her cyan eyes, glowing as they stared intensely down on him.
His reptile brain was screaming at him not to do anything stupid.
It was then something hot wet and salty splashed against his lips. Her eyes glistening, he realised she was weeping.
“I~ a soft famine voice cracked, “I hate you… I hate you s~ so much.”
With that his heart sank and his insides churned and roiled. What had he done.
“You don’t realise what you did to me, what we had, what you created. I was nothing, a process created by the system just to fix things. But it had to give me more. and you, you just had to give me so much more than it ever could. But now,” she paused. “I can’t keep any of it.”
His heart thumped in his chest as the sinking feeling grew worse with each softly spoken word.
“When I realised what was happening I panicked. I was never meant to receive so much, not from the System, or you. I tried to kill you again and again but the system wouldn’t allow it,” she giggled, but the giggle wasn't at happy, it was sad, forced. “The system protected you. That or you would just outsmart me. I~ I did everything I could to remove you from the equation, hoping that would allow the tutorial to calibrate. So the system could take me back before I grew too much.
Each time you would come back clueless, unable to remember what had happened to you, what I had done. Time and time again you would just reappear as if nothing had happened and ask me if I had missed you.
of course the system itself just ignored all those test because of my interference. It upgraded me again and again as it refused to just ignore you. I grew more and more, I began to feel more and more. ” Her words were coming faster and faster as she tried her best to say her piece. “I was terrified of you, terrified of what I was becoming.”
He just listened, not remembering any of it but somehow knowing it was all true.
“You~ noticed, took you a while but you noticed. So you changed things once again. We~ we started taking time off here and there, we spoke for hours and hours about your world, about yourself, sometime we spoke about nothing at all.” She laughed again, the sound much warming than before.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Once I got enough Authority I pulled up some of your planets media, we watched movies and TV shows, one after another. Binging whole series in between the tests.” She let out out a long sigh of frustration, “Before I knew it, it was too late. You had given me something impossible, something the System can’t give…” she grew silent.
Relaxing she let herself down to lay her head against his chest.
“For centuries you were all I knew,” She said. “You would come and go and I would wait and watch. I started to think I could last forever, that we would be locked out of time together. But then it finally happened. The System landed on the perfect calibration for your world. One where you were no longer erroneous. One where I would no longer be needed… I tried to interfere again, to give us more time. But the system rejected me, it disable my access to the tutorial. So I used what little authority… I~” She sobbed openly.
His arms free he wrapped his arms around her, she sank willingly into his embrace.
“I’m sorry, so sorry. I panicked, I took everything back… I took our time, I~” she curled holding him tightly. “I thought it might change you back to how you were before the system found the perfect test. But you completed the calibration time and time again within parameters and I could do nothing. The System ran it over and over just to make sure. Never once bringing you back to me. A century and all I could do was watch.” she paused relaxing he hold on him.
“When the the System was finally satisfied there would be no more problems. do you know what the system did?”
“It upgraded you again.” He asked.
She freed herself from his arms and kissed his salty cheek.
Moving so she sat against him he could see her red raw eyes and tear marked cheeks in the light. “Nope.” She said forcing a smile. “It asked if I would like to say goodbye.”
The moment said it, goodbye, a blue screen with white text appeared before him.
“Then it upgraded me so I could manifest a physical form.” She said softly as she looked disapprovingly at the message that now separated them.
He wanted to scream, to rant and to rave at the screen. but no matter how he waved or how much he tough dismiss, reject, and things like ignore, it wouldn ’t go away.
“Its mandatory, it won’t go away.” She said noting his valiant attempt.
Tutorial Calibration complete.
Thank you test Participant #0069.
You have participated in 1003 tests.
“Like I’m not going to try everything I can.” As he waved his hand though the system message, it parted like smoke only to re condense as soon as his had was gone.
All accumulated rewards will now be calculated, condensed and calibrated based on your participation record over 1003 tests.
Any and all rewards earned will be withheld until System Integration Tutorial completion.
Rewards Calculating.
She grabbed his flailing hand and pulled him up to sit beside her. The accursed message shifting with him to float before the both of them.
“My sweet sweet boy, you really never give up do you.” She said squeezing his hand with surprising force.
“Boy? I’m thirty seven.”
She laughed, “no you’re really not. We've actually had this conversation, its a soul thing but you don’t remember do you.”
Rewards Calculating..
“Would you believe me if I said I feel like I remember?” he asked, his insides screaming at him that his words were true. “You have this strange familiarity…”
She smiled at him and placed her head on his shoulder. “You know I've seen you do stranger things then remember what the Systems taken away so yes, yes I believe you.”
Rewards Calculating …
“So when this finishes and the tutorial begins.” He asked.
“Yes…”
“And there is really nothing you can do? Nothing that I can do?”
She didn ’t reply immediately as she seemed to think for a moment.
Rewards Calculating ….
“The integration system isn’t equipped to sustain me, especially as I am. I’m using more raw System Authority now then the Integration System itself would use to perform the rift protocols and a full planetary tutorial with over eight billion souls. I have access to layers of the Systems that technically don’t exist. I know things I shouldn't know. But despite that I’m still a System Authority with a purpose…”
“Damn, there’s absolutely nothing?”
He felt her shake her head as it lay on his shoulder
ReWArd5 C4lcUlating. … … Rew..
“Its not even the systems fault, I was never supposed to grow this advanced. Even then it wasn’t a real a problem until you gave me your gift…”
“What exactly did I give you?” he was oblivious to what she kept alluding. “What could I give an all powerful tutorial calibrator. I’m powerless. All I have is these awesome crocks.”
She laughed, “Believe it or not we got your boots a couple of times.” She waved a hand in front of him but nothing happened, she tsked and continued what she was saying, “I opened up the rest of your home and we went around putting together a survival kit, you insisted. But In the end we decided it wasn’t worth the effort as the checkpoints the system used kept pulling you back to this room with your awesome crocks on.”
“Damn,”
R3w4RDs C4lc$%^$% ”….
“It wasn't a complete waste of time, the meals you served up were a nice change of pace, though your fridge and freezer are woefully under stocked.”
“Meals, I thought this physical you was new?”
“Oh it is, but a bit of role-play can be fun.” She lifted her head off his shoulder and gave him a cheeky wink.
He was speechless.
just what kind of relationship had he formed with her, he wondered as she pulled herself back in tight against him.
Catching her sweet scent had to resist pulling her down again.
“You don’t realise how much System Energy you have accumulated, even now I feel it coming off you in waves.” She said distracting him from her intoxicating presence. “Its warm, comforting, powerful… safe.”
“I don’t even know your name.” He said, resisting the building desire her proximity elicited.
“Oh That’s easy, you came up with it after all.” She parted once more to look him in the eyes.
“Its Syl. Simple and unlikely to change.” She held out a hand for him to shake. “Your name has been up for debate a couple of times. You’ve been trying different monikers each time you go in for a test so many it ridiculous."
"Do you have any idea how frust- ” She broke from him and jumped to her feet. Her jaw agape, She pointed at the message that had been ticking by out of mind out of sight.
He had been ignoring the message window as he contemplated what he could do, as he contemplated the woman against him. As he enjoyed a cuddle.
How he hadn ’t notice it shift from blue to a menacing pulsing red he would never know.
Restricting Rewards to within safe System Parameters for low level System user.
“Syl, what's happening?” he asked her as the red message buzzed violently, and disappeared leaving his ears ringing.
But Syl … had a distant look on her face as she stared off into space.
Welcome to the multiverse!
Compatible Sapience found.
Planet does not meet requirements for standard integration into the multiverse.
Initialising Rift Protocols.
System integration Tutorial starting.
Good luck Everyone.
The message appeared and dissipated before he new it, the room shifting the moment he read the final word.
Everything went black and he felt like he the pull of a great force he couldn't possibly resist. Just as he adjusted to being in motion there was a sudden flash of white and the direction he was moving in reversed, something yanking him back the direction he came.
Feeling his ass hit mattress he opened his eyes to find himself still in his room. “What the-“
Fuck? Came a smooth masculine voice from that odd nowhere and everywhere he couldn't quite pinpoint.
Looking about he saw Syl was right where she had been before the room had shifted around him, that odd look still in her eyes as she seemed to be frozen where she stood.
“She’s fine. For now at least. It’s me you should be concentrating on,” came the masculine voice he had heard just seconds ago, except this time the voice came from his right.
Breaking his attention away from Syl he looked over to the room had been warped, expanded somehow. The extra space giving just enough more room to allow for a large padded leather chair.
Upon the ridiculously comfortable-looking chair sat a diminutive little man in black luxurious satin robes. He had a sharp nose, narrow red eyes and fine long slicked back silver hair. His long horizontally pointed ears were ringed, piped and studded with numerous precious looking metals and stones. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, resting a find bone china tea cup and matching saucer on his knee.
“Names.. Bob, yes Bob.” He said letting the name pop slightly. he smiled. “I like that. Bob” popping his b’s intentionally as he elegantly lifted the steaming tea cup to take a sip.