Chapters 149+150

Author's note: By popular vote, you've elected to receive both weekend chapters at once. Enjoy (very long)

Chapter 149: Dungeons and Ceremony (III)

Walker knew that for the day to have a lasting impact on his people, it had to stay a dog and pony show. It had to shock and amaze without interruption. With the mounts and custom-built system for Runner, the Individual awards had been a strong start. The Dungeon system was another good push, something people would tell their children of.  A moment in Symphony’s history that would resound in time.  

He had to keep everything going. 

When they returned, Walker started things off by accidentally pushing a few sections into the wrong location. He hadn’t even noticed until Chipper sent him a message of correction, the Alpha Guardian wording it in the friendliest way possible. Instead of pointing out the error to the crowd, he decided to go with it as they all settled down.

“As Symphonians, it’s important that we all learn to live with one another. As such, I’ve rearranged your seating to allow for more groups to mingle together. Let’s take a short break, then start with the Territory rewards.”

Chipper: Nice save

Walker gave the Guardian a wave of thanks, then focused on his overlay. Looking at his messages, he spent the extra time he had messaging several figures peppered into the crowd or back on Sonata. 

A note of receipt from Karen on her rewards…

A confirmation from Neus that he was ready on his side…

A reminder of the timer for the fourth battle from Virgil…

Everything was as it should be.

He used the remainder of his free time reflecting. At that moment, it was very peaceful to see Symphonians laughing and joking with one another. Bale writing in the air to the Hill Giant, its smile telling them nothing of what it was thinking. Heph still haranguing Bailan about the Hammer in his hands, ignoring his protege as the smith tried to show him the Icon he’d received. Even the odd Consortium members mingled with their fellows nearby despite believing that magic was anathema.

Walker shared a smile with the small Hill Giant before his face shifted back to seriousness. He waited several minutes for everyone to get a chance to relax, then sent warning messages out to the players who would have a part in the next portion of the ceremony, and made his way to the floating platform in the center of the arena.

Clapping oversized hands of darkness, the crowd quieted down as he dramatically roared out, “It’s time for the Territory rewards!”

A few small cheers rang out, before the Independence section took over in volume, Lucy Reed loudest of all. Walker couldn’t help but look in Karen Gold’s direction. The look of contentness on her face was confusing. 

He mentally shrugged it off as he threw his hands out, playing up the show for all it was worth. “With the addition of the Runner system and a Dungeon for every region, Symphony has taken a great leap forward in creating a competitive way of living. While the Runner podiums are static, remaining the same for all time and offering their milestones freely, dungeons cannot follow the same format. 

Each Dungeon comes at a pre-designed difficulty. Should that dungeon not be completed for several years, and the magical environment becomes overwhelming, the Dungeon Master will have no choice other than to upgrade the difficulty, increasing the size of the, uh, pocket world, as well as increasing the tiers of monsters available within. However, before any of you grow worried about entering a max-difficulty dungeon, identifying the arch will always give you the correct results. That’s a promise.”

Walker sent a message to Neus, letting him know it was time, then smiled, “Now, before we begin, a special someone wanted to speak to you all.”

The screen reappeared overhead, a green squirrel giving the crowd a squirrely smile. Immediately, he poked a furry finger against the camera, “Is this thing working?”

Walker’s smile slipped a little, “Neus, it’s working fine.”

His expression shifted to confused, “Oh…OH! Hi, everyone! Hi Thomas!”

Thomas Lord waved from Independence, “Hello, Elder Neus!”

With a look of annoyance, Walker pointedly said, “Neus.”

“Right,” The green squirrel paused, looking unsure of himself. Someone sounding strangely like Walker’s betrothed whispered off-screen. 

“You got this, Neus, it’ll be fine.”

The master of Territology visibly changed on screen. He stood straighter, looking down at everyone with a canted ear, “The Territorial Ascension Event saw every Territory across all of Symphony participate except for a minuscule percentage. Creator Walker has already spoken of what the Custodians have brought to you, so instead, this is a message to speak about what is coming. With each new set of Primigenials, something new has come with them. With the Egyptian Primigenials, the new faces you can see in the Primigenial section below, we gained access to new types of buildings and monuments.” A hundred thousand sets of eyes found the stoic group sitting straight, bearing the brunt of their collective inspection. 

“Under Creator Walker’s direction, we have studied each new structure, and while perfect replication isn’t considered possible, we do believe we can add something similar, if lesser, to the Territory system overall. That is why Creator Walker has added the Trophy system to every Territory that reaches the fifth Tier. Creator Walker, if you will?”

“Absolutely, and thank you, Neus. The Trophy system was something I received from the Alpha Protocol some time ago. As Elder Neus and I consider the fifth Tier in Territories as meaning they have reached an advanced stage, that was chosen as the best time to add something new and more complicated. Once it is unlocked, Custodians will find that they have new tasks they can set for their citizens that align with larger goals. For instance,” He waved a hand, and a second massive screen popped up next to the one holding Neus, “This is an example of a  greater task, something I’ve decided to call quests.”

>Territorial Quest<

Reclaim the Territory

 Total tasks required for completion: 4

Tasks complete: 0/4

Reduce the monster population in the area to a manageable size: 0/1

Rebuild territorial staples: Library 0/1, Housing 0/2, Workshop 0/1

Replace or Revive the Mana Tree 0/1

Have ten potential citizens in the territory

Walker waited a moment before speaking, “Obviously, this quest is for someone to rebuild a broken Territory, something we hope never occurs but naturally will as time moves forward.” He paused as a shudder ran through many Custodians in the crowd, “Reclaiming the Territory is a greater task that will appear should a Territory fall, but many more are built into the Trophy system. Special tasks with special rewards. Obviously, the reward for completing this quest would be gaining access to the Territory and rebuilding it from the beginning, but here are a few other quests and subsequent rewards within the Trophy system.”

The screen changed at his words, giving a brief highlight of each. 

Exquisite Crafting

Total tasks required for completion: 0/5

Reward: New unique resource within your Territory

Faction Building

Total tasks required for completion: 0/9

Reward: Faction Card

Mounted Patrol

Total tasks required for completion: 0/6

Reward: Nine Standard mounts for the Territorial Guard system

“There will also be Regional quests, World quests, and Individual quests for those lucky few who have passed level two hundred.”

“Two hundred? Pschh. I'll hit that in a week.” Runner said loudly, good-natured jeers instantly following her words.

Walker gave her a grin, “We'll see about that Runner Grove. How goes the Monster system?”

The highest-level Symponian in the world glared at him as he chuckled. The Creator looked at Neus in the sky, “Time to get to the rewards. You can continue.”

The green squirrel rubbed his furry hands together, “Excellent! If I call out a Territories name, would the Custodian please approach Creator Walker to receive your reward? Like the Individual rewards, each Territory from the 20th to the 9th will still gain something as recognition for your attempt.”

Walker stepped down from the platform, a series of Expansion Stones in his hands. Each of the higher Territory Stewards who didn’t make it to the top stepped up one by one. Twenty through eleven received a single expansion stone, allowing their Territory to gain several miles of new space. Numbers ten and nine received two for their efforts, even if they came short. Neus visibly grew more excited on the screen when it came time for number eight. 

“We are now in the special part of the ceremony. Some time ago, you were told the top eight territories would receive monumental rewards, and that wasn't a lie. Each reward is picked to help their territory further expand their specialties.” He paused, staring at the screen, his eyes pointing toward the Primigenial section. Everyone’s attention followed the same direction as one of the newest inhabitants of Symphony stood up. He had a grim cast to his face, a mantle made of crocodile skin resting on his shoulders. There was a weathered cast to his face as if he’d braved winds that would scrap the skin off the bone, and he walked with a jaunty movement, graceful in an odd way.  

Stepping over to Walker, he rotated his body until they stood right next to each other, neither looking at the other. Neus brightened up perceptively, “Number eight, the top Maritime Territory of the event. Waterwheel!”

The Territory’s section exploded in loud applause as their Custodian, a big-boned woman named Leane, stepped forward. Fillion the Kind Pirate gave her a playful smack on the ass as she passed, receiving a fast punch in the face in return, though he didn’t seem to mind it as the section only cheered louder. The two had been inseparable during the second Cohorts run of the conservatory, but they always denied any rumors linking them together in a romantic fashion. 

As she stepped up, Walker held out two expansion stones, “These are to help you further expand the reach of Waterwheel.” Leane took the stones with a serious nod, but her eyes were on the Primigenial standing next to the Creator. Walker didn’t mind as he reached into his inventory again and removed something else, handing them to the woman, “These are two Mana Tree seeds, designed differently than those we’ve planted in the past. The roots will not dive so deep as the originals, and they’ll grow slower. However, they’re both attuned to pure Water magic, making it easier for your citizens to collect it within themselves.”

A whispered hush came out at that. All Mana Trees the Symphionians had ever seen came with two things. Pure magic, and a Guardian. Now, Walker told them something they’d always known had changed. 

Leane nodded, cradling the seeds gently, as the Primigenial beside Walker took something from the Creator. He looked around the crowd once, then focused on the woman before him, “My name is Sobek, and I am the Primigenial of Water and Destruction. Take this, the Floodbringer Chalice, and know what it is to control the power of water.” He handed off a blue and gray metal cup, a broad and open brim near the top. While Leane looked inside, Walker handed him another item, the Primigenial taking it with a small bow before turning back to the Territory leader, “And this, the Ark of Sobek.” He handed a tiny model of a boat to the woman, a crocodile figurine prominently shown with teeth open near the front. 

While she looked confused, Walker leaned over to whisper quietly in her ear, “It’s wrapped in something special called Continuum. The Ark is fairly large and will be the biggest ship on Symphony. When you place it in water, the Continuum will fade, and its size will come to fruition. I suggest you do not do so in a small space. An ocean, perhaps?”

Walker gave her a smile when she nodded her head, looking at the tiny ship in her hands much more carefully. While she walked back to the cheers of the crowd, he gave Neus the signal to continue. 

“In Seventh place, The Consortium!”

Walker and the Primigenials continued to hand off the gifts of the Primigenials to the Territories of Symphony. The Consortium gained nothing but unique resources being added to their Territory, something they’d expressly stated to Walker in messages when the event began. They’d even handed the Primigenial gifts to Karen Gold under the watchful eye of Hathor, the Primigenial of Trade. 

The Territory leader of Prosperity City looked more than pleased about it. 

Sixth was Echo Crossing, receiving the gifts of Horus, the Primigenial of Nobility and Protection, while fifth and the gifts of Geb, the Primigenial of Fertility and Growth, went to a smaller Territory from the third cohort that had mainly focused on crops. 

Fourth was an odd one. Like the Consortium, they’d also declined anything special, instead making a single request when it had appeared they’d end up as one of the top Territories. Instead of any special rewards, the Territory, going by the conjoint name Arcana, asked for four Mana Trees positioned across the region at different points. Walker had promised them three, with the fourth contingent on them getting into the top two spots. As they didn’t reach the requirement he’d set, he had Virgil plant three, informing the crowd of their decision and confirming it once it was done. 

In third place was Bailan and Steelspire. Accepting the gifts of Ra and the fact that the Primigenial couldn’t be there, Walker explained to everyone how the items would work and that it would be the most potent combination of Primigenial gifts out of all the sets. Ra’s gifts focused not only on the power of the sun, but on harnessing it to increase the durability of all items produced. Promising the smith that the remainder of the items would come with time, he stepped down, and the last two winning Territories were all that remained. 

In second place and shocking many was a man who hadn’t stood out in the Conservatory; or in any other way, really. He went by a single name, Wallow, and had been placed in a desert territory as one of those last to have a choice due to their placement. It had taken more time than expected to figure out how he did so well until, just before the ceremony, Rimi had pulled Walker aside.

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Rimi came upon Walker as he reviewed his notes for the Ceremony for a third time. Perfect memory that he had; it was still an old habit he hadn’t gotten rid of. 

“Do you remember Phil, the scorpion?”

“The horny one from the second battle?”

“Yep,” the large black squirrel said with a nod, “I think he’s obtained full sapience and has been working with Wallow all this time. I found him on the monitor, corralling monsters in the Territory’s area. The way he’s moving makes me think he’s already reached Incipience as well.”

“No shit?”

Rimi had shook his head, “No shit.”

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So, as Wallow received the gifts of Set, the Primigenial of Monsters and the Desert, Walker quietly spoke to him, “Do you know what you’re in for with Phil?”

The man stumbled back, two special seeds in the palm of his hand, “You know?”

“We know. I also know that Phil is completely unaware of the following: He and Chipper are the reason why Symphony continues to exist. He’s a hero, kind of. It’s complicated.” Walker handed the first item to Set, the Primigenial giving him a sharp glare for violating the ceremony. “Please let Phil know if he ever needs a favor from me; I’m happy to help.”

“Uh,” The man replied stupidly, his hands holding an incredibly powerful Reliquary that helped the holder control sand. Walker gave him an innocent smile.   

Finally, they were on the last of the rewards. He knew this because Neus started screaming through the screen. 

“Number one in Symphony, and my dearest friend. THOMAS LORD!”

“And Lucy Reed,” Walker said quietly, barely loud enough to be heard over the cheers. 

“Y-yes, and Lucy Reed! The Custodians of Independence! The Independence Territory!”

A blushing Thomas and grinning Lucy left their section, complete pandemonium behind them as they veritably skipped over to Walker. They stopped a few feet early, looking back and forth between the Creator standing before them and the Primigenial section. 

Walker smiled and shook his head slowly, “This isn’t a Primigenial gift, but rather one from myself. For coming in first place, you will receive an additional Mana Tree, three expansion stones, access to a custom blueprint from Elder Hephaestus, and something very special.” 

Walker pointed at the screen above, Neus’s excited face disappearing as a pre-recorded video played instead. In it, a large black arch appeared on Sonata as the camera slowly rotated around it. The screen changed to show the inside of the dungeon, where several desks waited, a comfortable lounge area nearby, and six arches with different words above them.

The first said Trivial 

The second, Easy 

Moderate

Demanding

Tough

The last said Challenging, with a grinning golden skull above the door. 

The screen flicked back to the smiling face of Neus, giving a thumbs up to the two winners.

Walker spoke softly, “Each is a dungeon within a dungeon. We call it The Chomper, after an old friend. It’s a training dungeon.”

“A training…dungeon?” Lucy asked. 

Walker nodded, “That’s correct. You can only move on to the next, higher level of difficulty after completing the previous challenge. Each Dungeon holds its own Dungeon Master, its own Mana Tree, and its own set of tiered Monsters. Those arches are all identifiable, which is important for what I say next.”

Lucy and Thomas leaned in, holding their breath as they waited. Walker stalled for a long second, an internal grin resting inside. 

“If you wait, if you don’t complete the Challenging form of the dungeon, it’ll upgrade itself to Daunting. However, it will also cause a cascading increase of magical density in the other five dungeons. Meaning, Trivial will upgrade to Easy, Easy to Moderate, and so on.”

Thomas crossed his arms, “That sounds like a bad thing?”

Walker shrugged, “That’s a matter of perspective. I estimate it’ll take- oh, hold on, I’m getting a priority message,” Walker stared straight forward for a long moment before rolling his eyes, “Elder Virgil says it’ll be twenty years before the Challenging section upgrades and causes the others to do the same.” He playfully shook a fist at the sky, “I was getting to that! It wasn’t a priority!”

Lucy chuckled while Thomas only gave a weak grin. 

On the other hand, Walker sighed, “As I was saying, it’s a Training dungeon, which is a good thing because, as I understand it, you were interested in starting a guild company, right Lucy?”

“Yes!” The woman yelled, “I want to train a whole group of heroes who can go out and help people.”

“And you can’t do this within the Unending Summit?” Walker asked curiously, “What I mean to say is, couldn’t you build out your guild group there instead of starting from scratch?”

Lucy gave him a confused look, “But then it wouldn’t be mine?”

Walker blinked twice, as he had to take a beat at that. Wasn’t this precisely what he had been aiming for? For the people of Symphony to take a grip on life, to lead their own ways forward? In a review of his question, he found a bit of rudeness in the way he’d framed it. Mentally admonishing himself, he smiled, “Of course. This will be the final prize since that is what you want to do.” Reaching into his inventory, he removed a Faction card. Walker held it up for all to see. 

“This is a Faction card, only the third presented in Symphony’s history. I know you all saw the Milestone when Chipper and Adele established the first two, but you probably don’t understand what they are. A Faction is independent of a Territory, and it’s something required to control not only one, but two Territories at once. They’re nation builders, and have their own system built into them. As you have come first in the Ascension event, I want Independence to gain the world’s third Faction leader. Congratulations!”

Walker gave Lucy the Faction Card and then slowly began to clap. As the crowd mimicked him, he picked up speed, clapping as fast as he could so the members of the arena would clap at a similar speed with him. Runner whooped as the speed continued, thousands of hands coming together to celebrate the Independence territory’s achievement. 

After he explained to Lucy how to activate it, Walker was asked another question from Thomas, “Walker, I understand that having different difficulty dungeons will be useful for Independence, but why do you call it a training dungeon?”

“Oh, because skills level up faster in there.” Walker said out of hand as he spied Echidna urgently waving to him from the Primigenial section. 

Lucy looked away from her overlay, “What do you mean skills level up faster?”

“Yeah, it was something I came up with a long time ago. Oh, hold on aga-...It’s not a priority!” Walker yelled at the sky. He looked down at Lucy and Thomas again, “Elder Virgil says they’ll increase at twice the normal speed you will find on Symphony proper.” A pause, and then he glared at the sky, “I can use contractions if I want to!”

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The event ended there, though the mingling and conversations continued long after. Walker told the crowd that anytime they wanted to go back to where they’d initially been transported from, they just had to say it out loud, and a portal would appear.

Before he could leave, Walker was pulled aside by Echidna, a quick hug being her standard greeting when they hadn’t seen each other in some time. 

As she pulled back, the green-eyed woman said, “Hello Walker, how are you?”

“I’m doing much better, thank you for asking,” Walker replied. He looked at the woman for a moment, “You’re not just here to talk about my status, are you?”

Echidna gave a brief smile, “No. I’m here to call in my favor.”

“Oh? And what favor would that be?”

She planted her hands on her hips, “The favor owed after awakening your soul and teaching hundreds of newborns how to survive.”

Walker tapped his chin, acting as if he was trying to remember, “That did seem to happen. Alright, what’s the favor?”

“I want you to give me a Faction card, then portal me to Wallow’s territory.”

“Really?” Walker replied, considering the ask, “You’re going to give a Faction to Phil?”

“Yes. I believe it is only fair that of the first four Factions, two represent humans, and two represent monsters.”

Walker gave her a serious look, sent a message to Rimi as a friendly heads up, then pulled out a Faction card, “Fair enough.”

Just then, a notification hit his screen, informing him that a new Faction had stood up on Symphony. He was curious about what Lucy would call it. 

Symphony message:

Congratulations to Lucy Reed! Lucy Reed has created the first guild Faction in Symphony’s history!

The Faction, The Adventurers, is here!

250 Milestone points!   

Walker smiled with a shake of his head as he finished reading. Giving a goodbye hug to Echidna, a portal opened behind her, and Walker’s eyes strayed to the timer in his vision. Only five hours remained until the next battle, and he was certain it would be something the Multiverse would never expect. 

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Chapter 150: Attackers and Defenders

Before the third battle, Walker had made the mistake of relaxing in bed. He hadn’t known the system would send him back to the same spot, only inches to the left and directly over his beloved. The man couldn’t help but think that something was going on with the Protocol Council to make such a small and simple error.

To be safe this time around, as the clock wound down to the last few minutes, Walker was seated in a lotus position on the floor, performing his breathing exercises to clear his mind. Virgil, however, had other plans. 

“Walker, I have told you before, but it bears repeating. This is the winnowing. Historically, the protocol has always ended with only a few hundred Creators after the final battle- A little over a thousand at most. My last estimate puts the current Creator’s numbers at nearly two hundred thousand. You need to be prepared for anything they may throw at you.”

“I know, Virgil, I know,” Walker said, still trying to find his inner zen. 

But the Supreme Assistant wouldn’t let it go. “Remember, if you lose, you lose everything. Everything you have built. Everyone you have prepared for the future, because your world will not have one anymore. The plans you have painstakingly created will end, and for your own…well, you do not know what shape the Earth is in should you return, and I no longer believe it is held in the standard form of stasis. Certainly not after it has already begun the first stage of the Omega protocol.”

Walker opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, “I know! Okay, I know!” He shot the large squirrel a fast glare, then sent a few messages to his army’s chatrooms. 

Athena stood leaning against a wall nearby, a book in her hand, though she wasn’t reading at that moment, “Virgil, he’s acutely aware of what is about to happen. Please leave him be.”

The large black squirrel nodded, listening to her more than he did his own Creator, “Very well.”

Finally, with a moment of agreed-upon peace, Walker exited his overlay and closed his eyes, doubling down on his internal world. Finding the candle in the darkness took a few minutes, the flickering flame in the back 0of his consciousness not wanting to appear. The moment it did, he fed the flame all of his thoughts, emotions, and everything he was, clearing all the junk out of his mind as much as possible. The only thing that mattered was his breathing: In…and out. 

Even-keeled emotional choices would be extremely important in the next few minutes. He couldn’t allow unrealized feelings to worm their way into his subconscious. He had to be focus incarnate. 

The timer started to hit the final moments, and as he opened his eyes, he received a wink from the woman leaning against the wall and an encouraging nod from Virgil; then, everything around him froze. 

Congratulations Dante! You've made it to the fourth battle!

Translocation in

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Walker’s world faded out, and an odd one faded in as the translocation released its hold on him, his feet quickly touching the ground. Looking around, Walker got a weird feeling in the bottom of his stomach.

The room was warmer than he would have liked, with a high vaulted ceiling holding an artistic depiction of ten shadowy figures seated at a round table. Behind each seated shadow stood an assortment of different and oddly shaped figures, one by each shoulder. Before him, a massive chair in the shape of a throne sat, a much smaller and less comfortable chair resting beside it. Next to the throne was a small round table, hot food and drinks ladled generously across it. Walker didn’t know what to make of it but received an odd message when he tried to sit on the more comfortable and larger of the two. 

Warning: This is not your seat. 

Please move to the seat beside you, or you will be moved against your will…

“What the fuck?” Walker said in surprise, quickly standing up as he didn’t want to get somehow shotgunned out of the area. Just then, the wall facing the chairs disappeared, and a large screen appeared in their place with writing across it.

Battle!

Dante vs. Kandoon vs. Flordion vs. Blitzburg#22 vs…

- - -

Rules:

Stage: Territorial.

Entities allowed: Ten.

Rounds: Until completion.

Battle Type: Attack and Defense.

Evolution possible: Yes.

Weapons allowed: Yes.

Extenuating Circumstance: Due to the overabundance of Creators remaining within the Alpha Protocol, this battle will be decided as a winner-take-all scenario. Twenty-five Creators will start from similar points, but only one will walk away for the final battle of Rendition 4AA.

Each Creator will have twenty minutes to select ten entities for this battle. Each Creator may use two abilities on each entity. 

- - -

Reward for the winner: All resources held by every Creator. A copy of the losing creators chosen entities. One ability by choice from each.

Reward for the loser: Survival and placement back into their universe at the time of their removal.

- - -

Battle begins in twenty minutes.

As chaotic as the battle to come would be, what happened next was even worse. 

System notice for all participants: 

Creator Dante has access to the Betting system!

Creator Zain Field has access to the Betting system!

Activating the Betting system now…

…

Welcome Creator Dante!

The Betting system is unique in that it can only activate at the beginning of a battle. 

While you have unlocked the system, your opponents will have access to it as well. 

Please bear in mind that all bets, when finalized, cannot be revoked. 

The following are your options. 

• Bet everything, including your-

The screen cut off before readjusting. 

System notice:    

Creator Hotsauce has bet the following: 

Everything in its entirety, no exceptions allowed

- - -

Special circumstance: Due to the number of Creators with access to the betting system, a majority choice will be required. 

Blitzburg#22 declines

Dante approves

Klintin approves

Leor’e approves

Bueller/Bueller approves

Zane Field declines

…

A majority has been met. 

The winner of the Fourth Battle of Rendition 4AA will remand all losing Creator’s abilities, resources, titles, and independence to the winning Creator. 

Nineteen minutes remain

“Whaaatt, the fuck,” Walker repeated. He’d still not fully adjusted to everything he’d gained from Mirail. Now, there was the potential that he would gain the same amount, only twenty-three times more. What would happen when he kept absorbing titles? What would happen when he gained twenty-three versions of Identify?

Plus, how insane was this? The Betting system, something he’d been rewarded from the second battle long ago, was setting up twenty-three people for a devastating loss. Not only that, but two of them had access to the thing, meaning something similar was likely occurring across the entire rendition. 

The majority, MAJORITY, of Creators had voted for it. Meaning fifty percent or more of the Creators in this battle believed they would either win or commit themselves to slavery instead. 

Was this just something normal across the Evolververse? To dive headlong into a fight, believing there was no chance you would lose? Or was it something else? Like the chance at forced indentured servitude to someone you didn’t know was better than what they had back on their home planet?  

Well, I did vote for it, Walker thought with a certain amount of chagrin. But with whatever the fuck happened to Earth, I don’t see much of a choice. He also couldn’t allow the insidious feeling of potentially losing into his mind. That was not the right mindset going into this. No, if they were going to go all in, he had to as well.    

Not wanting to think about it anymore, he breathed slowly, taking a moment for himself, then focused on the screen. 

The screen was split in half, the left holding the word Attackers, while the right Defenders. Each had five open spots, with a few notes written near the top. 

• All Territories will be magically enhanced.

• All entities will be randomly placed.

• Defeat of a defender will see the attacking victor placed in a new location.

• Defeat of an attacker will see the defending victor gain a new challenger. 

• No Creator’s entities may fight one another.

• All rules are subject to change after only five Creators remain. 

Walker read the rules once and then again. Virgil’s wise words from the beginning of the protocol eeked back into his mind. They’d been speaking of the Territory system and why the idea of permanent magical conjurations was so important.

"But...why?" Walker asked in confusion, deflating the large squirrel. He knew renditions had a beginning and an ending, but nobody had explained why they did.

"Because! Anytime a rendition has a huge breakthrough from one of the Creators, and the current Protocol reaches its natural end, that rendition closes! Then, the Council begins to use the last rendition's new systems and inventions for the start of the next.

Walker pulled out of the memory, looking at the screen again with a sharp glare. He had a good idea of what they were trying to do but no confirmation, only wisps in the wind.

Shaking his head to take some of the anger away with the simple act, he clapped his hands together and refocused. For attackers, he immediately chose Runner Grove and Bale Quick, firmly believing their speed would see them through. He also chose Fillion the Kind Pirate; rumors around Symphony said the man could fight like the devil, and he could certainly use that right now. For the last two spots, he made selections he was sure the other Creators wouldn’t see coming.

On the defensive side, he immediately chose both Chipper the Zenith and Thomas Lord. Chipper was always one of his first choices in these matters, while Thomas was a bit of a wild card. He hoped the man was ready. He also selected Lucy Reed and Speaker Adele, believing both would put up a strong fight at the least. Lastly, Walker considered the final spot. 

Briefly, his eyes moved back and forth between Melias the Wanderer and Hank. While Hank certainly had a lot going for him, particularly with the man’s strategic mind, he couldn’t help but further consider the standout traveling Founder. 

He had to admit it was an eclectic choice, but he couldn’t shrug off the feeling that there was something strange about the man. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. Plus, there were Virgil’s notes from his time in the conservatory. 

Reaching into his memory again, he recalled what the slip of paper said about him. Melias consistently found ways around fights that were too much for him by simply talking to the Monsters, something Walker didn’t understand. From what he’d seen and experienced of the creatures on Fortis and Melody, talking was the last thing they wanted to do. Then again, Melias was the only one to get an invite to the giant’s village…

Looking at the countdown, he found himself running out of time. Knowing he was gambling in more ways than one, he slotted in Melias for the final slot. The board glowed golden before all ten of them gently faded in around him. 

None of them looked surprised to be there, but they did look shocked to see the two Monsters standing in the area. 

“Everyone, this is Phil,” He said, nodding to the large hissing Scorpion standing in the middle of the group, his claws clacking with thunderous retorts, “And this is Gorlak the Consuming, a Hrímþursar who won the right in battle on Fortis. Echidna promised me that Phil wouldn’t attack anyone without being attacked first, and I can personally vouch for the giant.”

No matter that Walker and Echidna spoke up for the two, everyone still moved away from them. The twenty-foot giant, albino white skin showing through the rags of animal pelt he wore for clothing, leaned down close to Walker’s face as the eight Guardians and Founders spoke together. 

In the quietest voice the giant could make, he said, “I did not win the battle, Creator. You did.”

Walker waved it off, “Yeah, but they don’t need to know that, and you came in second. Also, I’m a fan of what you’ve been doing for your village.”

He shrugged, great muscular shoulders moving up and down, “It does none of us any good to always be fighting the Greeks.”

Walker gave him a wink and a gun, “And that’s why you’re here. If…no, when we win, my promise to you will stand.”

The giant lifted a very large hairy unibrow, “You will clear out many of the Nomads?”

“Yep,” Walker confirmed with a nod, “I’ll scale them back far enough that they won’t threaten you for a while. Give your people time to better prepare.”

The giant laughed as he stood, the sound exploding within the room and causing many of the Founders to step back, “That is well!” He slammed two fists into each other, then smiled when he spotted someone in the crowd, “Melias, you bastard, what are you doing here? You’re no fighter!”

Walker smiled as they spoke, the others slowly coming around to working with the giant. He felt a hard tap on his shoulder and turned. A hissing Phil waved at him with one claw. 

“Hey, buddy. You ready to fight?’

Two snapping clacks answered his question, which was good because one by one, they disappeared as they moved to their Territories, both the ones they would attack, and the ones they would need to defend. Phil gave him a light wave before he too winked out. 

Not knowing what to do with himself as the screen split into ten, each showing one of his entities, he sat down in his chair, crossing one leg over the other as he prepared himself to do nothing at all, relying completely on his people. 

That’s when the wall opened up behind him, and someone stepped in.