I stop reading for a moment, my mind wandering. I open the book, going to the index. Scanning through the chapters I spot a few that are of interest, so I open "System: How to access" before returning to the letter.
"Of course you're not going to do what we're telling you, that's also a reason you are here. We're willing to make some concessions for you and offer you a deal.
A probabilistic analysis of your flags, which is why I have to do overtime on launch day when we should be celebrating instead of indulging in Azzy's just in case, came to the following result:
You have people you care about and whose wellbeing you would put over petty revenge. We are not holding them hostage, only technically though. They are part of the same game you are, but are not with you in the roots. They are Karl Alset, Eric Alset, Alexandra Edwards, Light Hall and Ethan Alset. There are more, but we limit it to the top 5 results in your mind if it's more. We will guarantee the safety of every of these individuals if they are not considered eligible for the game and will grant them special rights and support beyond the normally cruel game if they are entered. We won't make exemptions for anyone, that would set a bad precedent and I refuse to indulge any further into Azzy's delusions.
Of course you're sceptical about us keeping our end of the bargain. Well, let's just say, that the fact we wanted you dead should speak for the fact that we're not liking you on the other side of a hostile encounter. We'd rather face the complaints about favouritism by the more uptight watchers than take the chance of you coming after us after surviving the roots. It's infinitesimal, but it's not zero.
The armoury here contains a special scroll, which would bind a recording device to you if you use it. It has no decency filter, because that's hard to make if you're not sure what even counts as decent for a species, let alone a culture. You can read up on the manual using your system access. If you use the scroll within 31.45 hours of landing, we'll assume you are willing to agree to the deal.
Good luck, you'll need it."
I turn my attention to the book and read a bit of the chapter. It's quite intuitive, no vocal command, just intent, so I open my system window and check my stats.
Name: Nikopol Alset
Traits: Gamer[Modder|Chaotic] (Major), Coder[Scripting] (Medium), Divergent[Atypical] (Minor)
Attributes: Agility 3, Communication 6, Dexterity 5, Fortitude 5, Intelligence 9, Magic 7, Perception 8, Strength 6
Skills: MetaModder LVL 1 (rare), SystemLink LVL 1 (uncommon), ChaosCharm LVL 1 (uncommon), Coding LVL 1 (common), Cooking LVL 1 (common), Martial arts [Taekwondo] LVL 1 (common)
I'm a bit surprised my perception is that high, everything else is more or less as I would have guessed. No, I am not humble. I am opening the windows of my abilities and are about to start reading when I notice something on the backside of the last page, written in a different font for some reason.
"This is between you and me. I set a special flag that only activates in a real use case instead of a test. Neither Azzy nor Nyala will ever see this, since they can't navigate the codebase for shit. Neither of them will actually uphold their part of the agreement, but you probably suspected that" I did not, I'm way too trusting. "I, on the other hand am very curious about you. You're an anomaly and I want to study you. I'll offer up my part of the deal and tell you about their intentions to dispose of you up front to buildsome trust. In return, I want you to agree to a few research sessions with me once you escape. Nobody but you can read this and it'll fade once you use the scroll. Feel free to raid the armory, the stuff is 90% off for you. But that's where my curtesy ends.
Looking forward to studying you, Hali"
Well, he... she... they? Hali seems like an interesting... entity. Probably has some ulterior motivation, aside from what was written, but it's not like I can do anything else but press forward and I'll take all the help I can get. On that note, I should check if I'm actually alone. The reminder that I'm wanted shifts my focus. Did I mention my ADHD yet? If I did, I was probably distracted by something shiny.
I head to the door and open it. Hallway, two more doors that look like mine, probably for my "teammates" if I didn't end up in the maelstrom. No idea where that word came from, but fitting for the place the undesirables are thrown into, to be swallowed up. I check both doors and they're both locked. I immediately have twenty theories why. Pushing that aside, I head down the hallway and see two doorways, checking them quickly, one seems like a common room with kitchenette and a fridge, the other leads to what looks like a (stereo)typical Walmart including racks of guns and other weapons. Quite large too. I'll have a proper and thorough look through after reading up on my skills, the rules and everything else that I can find. I do spot three scrolls on a table with a sign that reads "Recording device scroll: free". Better take them all if they are free and nobody else comes. There's one last door at the end of the hallway, past the Walmart. Black stone, ominous, engraved with runes. Screams main quest to me. Yeah not opening that until I read up. Heading back with the scrolls under my arm, I check for outlets, not really expecting it. I mean, my world had at least 3 standards for plugs, and that's exclusively civilian ones by our standard. Getting a working socket here would be two jackpots. So I head to my new desk and look closer and also start reading properly.