Walker looked at the timer again, just to make sure his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Time remaining until the next battle: 50 hours.
“Fifty hours?” Walker said as he looked over at Virgil, receiving a slow nod in return, “Why? A hundred hours was barely enough time to get things done; now they’ve halved it.”
“You will not like my response,” Virgil said evenly, looking at the mural on the ceiling in a manner odd enough for Walker to notice.
“That’s never stopped you before,” He replied with a suspicious look.
“Alright,” He waited for a moment as Cagna left the room, “This rendition already has a starting point for the next series, that being not only your magical creation system-”
“The Item system.”
“Yes. So not only is the Item system now pre-built for their needs, but they now have batteries designed as Mana Trees and the Territory system, a system created as a lesser form of the Alpha Protocol. Put them all together, and as I have said in the past, the Council now has enough to begin the Fifth Rendition. Because of that, I believe they have greatly reduced the time between battles in order to accelerate to the next series of Creators and the next system set to test. Do not be surprised if it is shortened again between the fourth and fifth battles, assuming we succeed.” He looked away from the mural and at Walker directly, “As I consider that, they will more than likely expand the population of Creators while they are at it.”
A daunting silence filled the room, quickly broken by Walker’s strained voice as he asked, “Why?”
Virgil shrugged, “It is cheaper with the new additions. There were a little over a million Creators in Rendition 4AA. With the reduction of required resources, why would the Council not double it? Triple it? More? Resources were always why they were held back in the past. With your creations and the recent discovery of strands, they may decide to start multiple renditions at once with different strands granted to each. A universe with a focus on the Causality strand, for instance, or even Dimensionality. After all, it is a revolutionary way of viewing the Multiverse. Then, as the new Renditions come online, each set of Creators will further expand their data by considering strands and their uses. If one Rendition should end, that is a price worth the cost.”
“You mean one universe.”
Virgil nodded, “Indeed.”
Walker blew air out of his mouth. Millions more people plucked from their lives, voluntary or not, and thrown into these impossible situations. If a Rendition fails, would the Evolvers even be fast enough to get them out in time?
Would they even try?
Walker knew he wasn’t powerless, as recent events had surely shown. But he believed that the ability to affect change on a Multiversal level might just be beyond him. If he ever was given the chance to stop the Evolvers, to end the Renditions, and stop all of this from continuing, he knew he would take it. The heat in his chest agreed with him.
Thinking of stopping the Renditions led him to think about Kwaya and the Tree of the Gods. Looking back and forth between Virgil and Athena, he clapped his hands together, “There’s not much we can do about that right now. Let’s go meet our new Primigenials and bitch-slap a Cerulean Lord.”
“He is not a Cerulean Lord anymore, Walker.” Virgil said with a laugh.
“What?”
But the large black squirrel waved him on. Walker shrugged, and they headed down the tower to meet everybody. Passing by several rooms full of Assistants always required Walker to stop, wave, and continue forward. He knew if he didn’t at least acknowledge the work of his Assistants, he’d begin to receive grumpy messages by the dozen within a few hours. It wasn’t a heavy responsibility, as they should be recognized for their efforts to keep Symphony in some kind of harmony, but it was time-consuming and repetitive. The one day he’d skipped the action, multiple Managing Assistants had dropped by his office to speak with him.
It was easier to be kind than it was to be crude.
Just outside the tower was a currently screaming and rosy-colored former Creator..
“Come out here, you son of a bitch!” Mirail yelled as he threw another item at the tower followed by the sound of clinking and a distinct thud. Looking at what he threw, Walker found several crystals shaped like a hand.
“Are you ripping off your arms and throwing them at the tower?” Walker asked in a disbelieving voice.
“Fuck you!” Mirail yelled, raising a quickly regenerating arm in what Walker assumed was some Multiversal middle finger.
“No sir, fuck you!” Walker automatically replied, having a sudden flashback to a similar situation not long ago. Remembering how that had gone down, he took a deep mental breath. He wasn’t the same person now that he’d been then. Too many things had happened, too many events had unfolded. Rather than getting angry and crushing the former Creator as he wanted to, Walker looked at him and spoke with an even tone.
“What exactly is your problem? You lost the bet with the system, of all things, watching. I didn’t cheat.”
“You cheated!” He immediately yelled out, “There’s no possible way that you could beat me-”
Instead of stepping down the Tower’s steps, Walker walked on hardened forms of space. A susseration moved through the Egyptian Primigenials, but only a part of him noticed the group standing nearby as this was not as easy a maneuver as it seemed. When he reached just over the former Creator, he covered himself in the darkness of his soul before dropping straight to the ground.
Smiling at Mirail, he said, “Believe it or not, there are elements of the Multiverse you do not know. I didn’t cheat; I simply used all of my abilities.”
Mirail’s rosy coloring dulled to a light blue, “What are you?”
“You can call me Walker. Dante is just a name I used…” He scratched one of his cheeks, “you know, it doesn’t really matter anymore. My name’s Walker Reed.” He reached a hand out. When the pregnant pause never gave birth, he intentionally looked at Mirail’s newly regenerated hand, but still the Ice man didn’t understand as he gave Walker an exasperated look.
Taking a step forward caused Mirail to instinctually take a step back, but Walker had already hardened space behind him with his other hand. With no way to move, Mirail was helpless as Walker reached forward and took his hand in his own, pumping it twice for good measure, “Nice to meet you Mirail, Lord of the Ceruleans.”
The hollow-sound returned, “I’m not their lord anymore, fool.” He said with a grimace as he pulled his hand back. Staring at his appendage for a second, he tore it off and threw it over his shoulder before speaking again, “You are.”
“Uh-”
“Walker, please read your notifications,” Virgil said in the background.
For once, he decided to do what he was told.
“Give me a moment, everybody, sorry. I haven’t looked at my notifications in a long time.”
“What!” Mirail screamed at the latest outrage, but Walker was already going through everything.
Congratulations Dante!
For your benefit, we have condensed all of your previous reward notifications with those recently earned in the third battle of the 4AA Creator Wars.
Systems unlocked:
The Trophy System
The Title System…
…Error…
Title system already in place…
Adjusted to resources
The Herbology System:
…Error…
Unique plant life already detected…
…Upgrading reward…
The Alchemy System
The Faction System:
The Faction System: Minor Upgrade
The Faction System: Minor Upgrade
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The Currency System:
…Error…
Currency system already in place…
Adjusted to resources
Planets gained in order of size:
Dilecticum:
Previous owner: Former Creator Mirail
Size: Small
Unnamed planet:
Previous owner: Former Creator Mirail
Size: Medium
Ore planet number four:
Previous owner: Former Creator Mirail
Size: Medium
Ore planet number three:
Previous Owner: Former Creator Mirail
Walker found multiple ore planets within, with more than a couple having access to things he’d never heard of. One was classified as an ore planet, but when he looked closer, shoving his notifications aside, it looked like it was made of plants. That couldn’t be right.
He scrolled to the last planet on the list.
Luck’s Refuge
Previous owner: Former Creator Mirail
Size: Gargantuan
Gargantuan? Walker thought to himself. He looked deeper in and found a serious problem.
Population: 122,396,433,205…122,396,433, 271…122,396,433,337
They’re having…He did some quick napkin math. Sixty-six babies a second. I don’t want all of those people here!
Deciding to talk to Virgil about it, Walker moved on to the next series of notifications.
Entity, Genetic, and Genus rewards:
Cerulean blueprint is unlocked: Due to the bet made by former Creator Mirail, there are no restrictions.
Scalebound Dragon blueprint is unlocked.
Wildkin blueprint is unlocked.
Additional genura found within the Wildkin blueprint.
Hilding blueprint is unlocked.
…
Walker scrolled again, moving past all of the blueprints donated by the people Rimi had saved from the Grand Auction.
Miscellaneous rewards:
+4,150 Temporal resources:
Totaled from cannibalized system rewards, resources taken from Creator Mirail, and standard system rewards.
+550 Primordial resources:
Totaled from non-standard system rewards granted by the Alpha Protocol Council.
The Altered Creation Instrument ability
…Error…
…Unable to transfer to Creator Dante…
Converted to resources.
The Broadcast ability.
The Copy ability.
…Error…
No Creator may have two of the same ability.
Alpha Protocol Council changes detected…
Copy ability sacrificed to empower the Conductor system.
Please review the Conductor system.
How are they still able to fuck with me? Walker thought to himself as the notifications continued to scroll by.
The Growth ability.
The Identify ability.
…Error…
No Creator may have two of the same ability.
Alpha Protocol Council changes detected…
Identify ability sacrificed to empower the Monitor ability.
Please review the Monitor ability.
Implosion (Modified)
The Monitor ability.
…Error…
No Creator may have two of the same ability.
Alpha Protocol Council changes detected…
Monitor ability sacrificed to empower the Territory system.
Please review the Territory system.
The Resourceful ability.
Standard Assistant (Unnamed)
Titles gained in order of rank:
Lord of the Cerulean Order
Scion of the Cerulean Order
Luckbearer: Holder of Luck’s Haven
“Fuck me,” Walker said after closing his notifications.
“Indeed.”
“Language!”
Walker scrubbed the back of his head before looking over and seeing a robot, wires sticking out as if somebody had taken a baseball bat to its body. Not knowing what to say, he said the fist thing on his mind, “Umm…hello?”
“Hello, Creator Dante. I am your assistant, please present me with any queries you may have about the Alpha Protocol.”
“Huh,” Walker looked over at Virgil who shrugged, then at Mirail who stared at the robot as his body slowly burned red, “Ah, I get it.”
Walker looked back at his new systems and quickly assigned the robot to the Alchemy system. The thing looked up at the sky for a long moment, Walker tapping an impatient foot on the ground, before it looked back at him. Walker got the message he was expecting.
...Scanning...
Congratulations Dante! Your standard assistant has upgraded to a full assistant!
“That is a unique experience,” The junk robot said.
“What-what did you say?” Mirail asked, his body turning even brighter red, “Did you just utter a word without-without being asked!”
Walker noticed what was about to happen. He stepped between them and placed an open palm towards him, “Calm down.”
“But-no! This isn’t right!”
“You will not intentionally harm or hurt any of my team members, including Assistants.”
“Fuck you!” Walker hadn’t expected just how unhinged the former Creator had become since losing the third battle. Dodging around him, Mirail threw a quick kick at the robot. Only, as his foot left the ground, his other knee crumpled beneath him.
“Ah!” He yelled out as the clinking thud of his crystal body hit the ground.
Walker looked at him sideways, still surprised that the man had attacked his newest assistant. It had looked like Mirail had been kicked in the back of the leg.
“Huh,” He scratched his head as the man picked himself back up. As soon as he was up, he began to scream again, “Who did that? What was that!”
“Oh my god, shut up already,” Walker replied wearily, already feeling the strain of having to deal with the man while a large group of historical figures stared at them in the distance.
And blessedly, he did.
Mirail stood still, grasping at the sides of his face. He jumped up and down, breaking off small pieces of his face while his eyes turned to panic. As his body shifted from its now customary red to one of purple, he tried to mime something to Walker.
“What?”
Pointing.
“What? What do you want? Just say it already!”
“Ah!” He said, opening his mouth, “Thank you.”
It took him a second, but then Walker recalled what the betting contract had said. A devilish smile painted his face, “From this point forward, you are only allowed to speak when you have something constructive or positive to say.”
Mirail paused for a long moment, looking confused, then gave a glare so strong that Walker’s face should have lit on fire. The former Creator tried pulling on his face again, but it was useless. According to the bet he had made against Walker during the Battle, the contract forced him to comply with any orders Walker gave him.
Going for broke, Walker continued, “You are not to intentionally harm any citizens of Symphony, nor any of the planets that make up the Symphony solar system. Any attempts at subterfuge and sabotage will require you to immediately report yourself to the nearest Supreme Assistant for further punishment.”
Mirail jumped up and down a few times before calming down. Standing up straight, he glared at Walker, then at the rest of the crowd, before stiffly marching away.
Walker yelled at his back, “You are always to be of use unless exhaustion overtakes you. You may ask a Supreme Assistant for breaks, including long ones, but it shouldn’t be too often.”
Walker looked back at Virgil, who gave him a slight nod, “Virgil here, is a Supreme Assistant.”
Mirail’s colored orbs widened, “Supreme! I thought you were joking!”
Walker shook his head, “You may have lost the Identify ability from the Protocol, but the one built into the Communication system will still work. Give it a shot.”
Mirail glared at Virgil before saying, “Wow.”
Walker looked over at the large and intimidating squirrel. “Virgil, please talk to Mirail about what he knows. You—” He quickly glanced at Mirail before moving his eyes back to Virgil. “Have all the same contractual rights as I do concerning our newest guest. His body of knowledge could be helpful to our plans.”
Virgil made a come hither gesture to the Former Creator. Standing up as straight as he could, he walked quickly to the Supreme Assistant before a new order could be given.
Athena moved over to Walker’s side as they left, “Will that work? I mean, will Virgil’s orders work the way yours did?”
“Probably not,” Walker said laughing, “But he doesn’t know that. Anyways,” Walker looked over at the patiently waiting crowd of Egyptian Primigenials. Rather than forcing them to come to him, he legged it over, his bride-to-be by his side.
When he got closer, he was able to get a better picture of who he was working with. Each wore a different-colored robe, seemingly made of fine linen, with a cape clasped over each shoulder. Their capes were held by a jeweled symbol, with the man in the front showing a golden spiked-sun.
Athena whispered in his ear as he grew closer, “That’s Ra, their prime. Don’t call him Amun-Ra; that only makes him mad.”
“Got it, thanks.” Walker slipped her a quick kiss on the cheek, uncomfortably as they walked, then stopped when they were only ten feet apart.
“Welcome to Sonata, Primigenials of the Egyptian Pantheon,” He said grandly. Athena had been working with him on a more formal way of speaking since she’d learned they were the next to be released. “May you find a home in these new worlds for you and your progeny.”
The man in front looked at him so hard it was like he was the only person alive. With a quick motion, he slapped his palms together as if praying, all while speaking in a low tone. Walker got a bad feeling just as his overlay updated.
...Scanning...
Optional Tasks Updated!
- - -
New Primigenial task: Build a grand city:
Create a light in a world of darkness. A bastion in the center of chaos. A grand city that can be claimed by one and none at all.
Grand Cities Created: 0/1
Task giver: Ra, King of the Gods
Reward for completion: The Obelisk of Ra
The Egyptian god of the sun nodded to Walker once, then moved to the side as a dark-haired man stepped forward.
“Alright, well.” Walker scratched the back of his head, “This is certainly easier than it was with the Greeks.”
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