The Gamblers were dismissed from the auditorium. Parker tried to hold back from rushing to the front. The desire to get out before there was any congestion was strong. However, holding back served them well. Everyone had the same urge. A massive cluster of Gamblers formed at the exit from the auditorium, and Parker would have been trapped in the throng of bodies. Instead, they were able to hang back and not feel trapped, but it still took nearly an hour to make it out of the auditorium.

  While they waited near the back of the group, they thought about the steps that brought them here. It had taken nearly a year of careful planning and subtle preparation. Parker had to skirt through family meetings without drawing too much attention. Then when the day finally came, it had all happened so fast. It was a plane to Amsterdam to pick up their gear and a fake ID, an uncomfortable trip in the bottom of a freighter to get closer to the archipelago, and then the final ride on the rocky fishing boat... but now Parker was here. It seemed surreal, they had expected each step to fail.

  Even if their family was constantly disappointed in them, Parker knew that they would not have been able to come here if someone had picked up on the intention. Even after they left the family grounds, Parker expected some strange power to pull them back. That was how ingrained the Apis family's reach was. After all, the Apis family helped build the modern world. Elemental Arts, or EA as it was more often called, was one of the largest companies in the magically-charged new world. After the Calamity, they had grown from a simple conglomerate to a global syndicate of businesses. EA was famous for buying up smaller, successful endeavors, and distilling the products down to nothing but the base profit that could be pulled. There were a lot of moving parts to EA, but there were only a few main pillars that kept it running. One of those main pillars that helped EA grow, from research projects to testing magical products, to lobbying for weaker laws regarding magic, and even to logistical oversight, was the Apis family... Parker's family.

  Eventually, the throng of bodies at the exit to the auditorium shrank enough that Parker and the other holdouts did not feel overwhelmed. Parker joined the group that made up the last of the exodus and waited patiently in what was barely more than a slow march.

  Parker only understood why it took so long to leave once they were out of the auditorium. At the exit, each Gambler was being carefully sorted out. Three lines had formed just outside. When Parker took a step through the door, they were shuffled into the middle line by a seemingly unseen force. There was an EA attendant in a brightly colored smock that appeared for only a second to show them where to wait before moving on to the next Gambler.

  At the front of each line, another attendant stood handing something to each Gambler before shuffling them along. Finally, Parker made it to the front of the line. The attendant looked more annoyed than disgruntled, and their posture made it clear that Parker shouldn't ask any questions. Instead, Parker just did what the last few Gamblers had done and accepted what was given to them before moving on.

  As Parker made their way away from the auditorium, walking down a dull gray hallway with no real destination in mind, they inspected what they'd been handed. At first, they thought it was some kind of folder of necessary information. Instead, it was a cheap silver tablet. It was more of an e-reader from the early 21st century than a portable supercomputer… but for EA's purposes, it was enough.

  Before even turning it on, Parker looked the tablet over. It was simple in design. A small home button was set into the bottom of the front, on the edge below the button was a small port that Parker figured was for charging, and that was it. The only other distinctive marks were on the back, a printed label that identified it as their tablet with the code: PA427B2.

  It took turning on the tablet to figure out what the rest of the code meant. The tablet powered on with a dull hum and revealed an extremely minimal interface. There were no applications, just a few saved files. One of which was named: welcome.

  When Parker opened the welcome file, they were greeted by a honeyed version of the President's speech. Perhaps this was what the script had been, and the President had just improvised the grave markers in that auditorium. Either way, the welcome file explained what Parker's code meant.

  PA was for Parker Apis, their initials that they tried to hide when coming here. The 427 referred to the room that they would be staying in for the duration of the evaluations. Finally, B2 was a reference to Parker's group and position. The only other files on the tablet outlined the basic use of the EA facilities as well as where to report for evaluations. Group B, Parker's group, was sent to the North Evaluation room and Parker's position meant that they were needed now.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  With no time to unpack or prepare, Parker hurried to the evaluation spot. Even if they were in second position, they might be able to catch a glimpse of the first evaluation. That would at least set Parker's nerves at ease. Unfortunately, the evaluations were private, and the lobby of the room felt so clinical that it made Parker gag. It reminded them of Doctor's offices best left behind or forgotten. To make it worse, they had to check in similarly.

  An attendant in an orange smock stood behind a desk near a door at the far side from where Parker entered. While moving to check in, Parker tried to distract themselves from the memories by looking over the other Gamblers. There were three in the lobby already: two were huddled in a far corner and Parker's eyes had to fight to not linger on the third. Sitting confidently next to the door was a knight outfitted from a fairy tale.

  As Parker checked in and received a digital form to fill out on their tablet, their eyes kept going back to the knight. Clad in heavy metal armor, complete with sword and shield, Parker wondered how long the knight had been waiting for the evaluations to start. Parker knew that the knight had not been on their boat, the last one to arrive, but had they been on the one before that? Had they been waiting for weeks in that heavy set of armor?

  While Parker was tapping at their tablet to enter basic information like name, address, and health status, the fairytale knight was polishing their shield. Unlike the gear Parker had stowed away in their pack, the knight's gear was well used and built for function, not presentation.

  As Parker checked boxes for family relations, medical history, and mental illnesses, the knight tucked away their shield. Parker listened in as the knight said a quick prayer just before the evaluation door opened. A second attendant in a bright orange smock appeared in the open door.

  The attendant leaned slightly out of the doorway, just enough to grab everyone's attention. Then the attendant gestured silently for the knight to follow. The pair disappeared through the door and everyone in the lobby seemed to hold their breath for the next forty-five minutes. That was when the door opened again. The attendant in the orange smock appeared again. There was no sign of the fairy tale knight that had gone first.

  Instead, the attendant made eye contact with Parker as they barely leaned out of the doorway. Then, in almost a robotic mirror of what had happened before, the attendant gestured for Parker to follow. With a tablet in one hand and their pack held like a duffel in the other, Parker followed the attendant through the door while their nerves soared.

  The wondering of what happened to the knight only lasted for so long. On the other side of the door, Parker was led down a narrow hall with too many doors on both sides until the attendant shuffled them into the third door on the left. The room was just as narrow as the hallway but just deep enough for a table and two chairs. Sitting opposite the door, staring at Parker, was an evaluator that Parker could only describe as antiseptic.

  In contrast to the finely dressed president or the brightly colored attendant, the evaluator before Parker was colored like medical-grade titanium. There was a pristine shine to his otherwise bland smock. His hair was a powdery gray and his eyes were faded too much to notice the blue they had once been. No name tag, no paperwork, and the evaluator was just sitting and waiting for Parker.

  The attendant stepped passed Parker and stood in the far corner behind the evaluator. Only then did the evaluator rise from his seat. He was too tall. His frame towered over the table as he gestured for Parker to sit down. He spoke in a voice just as disinfected as his appearance.

  "Have a seat, Mr. Apis. My name is Benson, and I will be evaluating your readiness to proceed for the duration of your time inside these facilities. Now, may I see your tablet?"

  Parker handed their tablet over and set their pack down on the ground before sitting down across from Benson. The evaluator had already tapped through several screens on Parker's tablet and was humming like a depressed generator. Besides the hum, the room was so silent Parker could hear the attendant's shoe squeak softly as weight shifted from one foot to the other. Benson must have heard it as well because he dismissed the attendant with a hand wave.

  The attendant faltered for a second. "Are you sure?"

  Benson nodded, "Yes, this one will take some time."

  With that, the attendant left Parker alone with Benson. As soon as it was just the two of them, Benson set Parker's tablet down on the table and rubbed at the temple on the left side of his head. He let out the deepest sigh Parker had heard in a long time.

  Parker could not help but ask. "Is everything alright, sir?"

  Benson shook his head and found a resolve that returned his face to an emotionless mask. Then he said, "There are several things that don't add up with you. Under normal circumstances, I would fail your evaluation outright. Instead, I would like to hear from you before failing you. Just know that even if you pass this general evaluation, your admittance to the archipelago will rely on the physical, mental, and material evaluations that the President implemented. Do you understand?"

  Parker nodded slowly. They had not even started yet but there was something or some things that could keep them from going on. All they could do was explain themselves to the best of their ability. After a moment of silence and a deep breath, Parker said, "I understand."

  Benson returned Parker's tablet. Showing on the screen was Parker's original application to EA. The name on the applicant line read: Parker Collins.

  "Why did you apply using a false identity?"