Chapter 132: Conduction
🕑 Added 2024-12-07 21:40:38 +0000 UTCAs Walker expected, he found himself floating within a blank expanse of darkness with nothing to see around him far into the distance. The Alpha Protocol, as they’d done with the icy meteor at the beginning of his time here and again at the end of the second battle, enjoyed their drama and wow factor. Taking their Creators and throwing them into an unknown environment was par for the course with them. He fully expected a grand display to show itself within moments before they got to the business of his rewards. But Walker’s mind was on something else at the moment.
I hope those people are okay.
When the third battle had opened up, revealing the arena and the segregated crowds within it, he’d barely had to think about what he should do. His thought processes, his actions, felt natural.
He could have let it go and allowed the populace to continue with their blinders, unaware that for generations, their environment had conditioned them to think; this is who you are; this is who you will always be. But something within him hadn’t allowed that to occur.
Was it dangerous, inciting a revolution? Yes. But he hadn’t held a gun to their heads. All he’d done was present them with the possibility of who and what they could be if they were willing to take the risk. Choices held consequences, and if they’d decided to not take the leap, that was up to them.
Walker took a breath, unsurprised to find the atmosphere breathable even with the Council once again messing with his battles. That was when he received a notification.
Hello, Creator Dante, and congratulations on your success in the Third Battle.
Please stand by as we wait for Rendition 4AA’s final results.
Thank you.
How polite.
Knowing it could be some time, Walker busied himself by making plans. Virgil should have the Mount system up and running soon. It would heavily involve his help, pulling him away from other activities as they planned on using Walker’s ability to create soul constructs. But he didn’t mind. A quick jump over to the Ulysses universe and he’d have all the time in the world.
Creating another Temporal displacement around Symphony was out of the question, especially if all of Mirail’s worlds joined his growing solar system. He’d have to speak to the Consciousness about it, which was another issue.
After Walker had unlocked the Omniversal Strand Transmuter, his first use of it had been to create several thousand Spirit strands since he’d traded so many away to the Universal Personality. Thinking of Ulysses as a model of what would happen when they joined with another being, he’d been greatly surprised to find out his thinking was wrong.
Following receiving Walker’s brand, the AIs cannibalized one another, taking on each other’s duties and turning the previously separate AI parts into a greater whole. Everything had shut down for three days in displacement time, and when it was over, a singular AI emerged. Calling itself Consciousness, it began managing all of the tasks each AI had previously done, only so very much faster.
Walker had, unintentionally, at least, created his supreme AI.
And it was a little terrifying.
Shaking his head at the thought, he moved back to his ideas for the future. Assuming the Alpha Protocol gave him another hundred hours before the fourth battle, there was still much to do. Virgil said the Egyptian Primigenials would soon be released, meaning Sonata would grow again. They’d have to repair damage to their structures, and Walker would have to learn about the new requirements their tasks would bring.
The Greeks brought bloodlines, the Nords brought Trials…, but what the hell would the Egyptians bring? And who comes after?
Laughing in the darkness, Walker let the worry slide off his shoulders. Things were always pretty weird in this place; adapting was a requirement.
Walker would need to get the Eyptians settled and knock out as many of their tasks as possible om a relatively short timeframe. An issue further compounded by his need to deal with the new, massively egotistical Creator servant he’d just been rewarded.
Come to think of it…where was he right now?
Walker looked around right as his body began to glow in gold. Massive text appeared in the sky, close enough to him that he got a small sense of vertigo. Before he could try to make out what it said, it sped away and up to a reasonable distance.
“Fucking Evolvers,” Walker said with a shake of his head.
…Calculating…
…
…
…
Congratulations Dante!
After calculating the speed at which you won the first round, you’ve been awarded:
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120 points!
Congratulations Dante!
The point total for the second round is carried over in its totality:
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505 points!
Early victory points granted for saving Alpha Protocol resources:
...
300 points!
Total points for Rendition 4AA’s Third Battle:
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925 points!
…Calculating total standing compared to other winners of the Third battle…
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Congratulations Dante! Due to your total point count of 925, you’ve placed fourth overall in Rendition 4AA’s Third Battle!
Due to your placement within the top ten of all Creators in your rendition, you will receive a special reward!
…
Reviewing Creator Dante’s profile and Alpha Protocol experience…
Current systems: 20+
Current assistants: 50+
Current entities: 200k+
Current landmasses: 130+
Current abilities: Error
…Error…
Unable to view Creator Dante’s abilities
…adjusting reward based upon missing information…
…
Reward found
…
Congratulations Dante!
Due to your proliferation of Unique Systems and Empowered Assistants, we believe you will be best served by enhancing your requested Supreme System.
“Supreme system?” Walker asked hesitatingly, “What Supreme system?” He quickly searched his memories, but before he could get very far, the text answered for him.
The Conductor system located…
The previously designed Conductor system will be changed after a review of Creator Dante’s preferences regarding systems and assistants.
Previous model: The Conductor system
Preview provided:
A supreme system designed from the preferences of Creator Dante in Rendition 4AA.
Through the combination of multiple systems, the Conductor system will allow the Creator to modify their systems with enhanced ease of use, simplifying all systems into a statistical visual apparatus that can be modified.
Completion time remaining: 68 Hours.
Preview provided:
Enhanced model: A supreme system designed not only from the preferences of Creator Dante, but also enhanced through a detailed review of all actions the Creator has taken during their time as a member of Rendition 4AA’s Alpha Protocol.
The Enhanced Conductor system will allow the Creator to build independent system-based copies of any system they’ve created. Through discerning choices, the Creator will be able to allocate each system to any size constriction they prefer, be it planetary or regional. All changes, additions, and restrictions of systems will now be available through a singular screen for the Creator's convenience.
An A.I. will be provided at no cost to the Creator to assist with management.
Limitation: This system cannot affect another Creator’s systems.
…
…Completion time accelerated…
Enhanced Conductor system complete in…
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Congratulations Dante! You’ve gained access to the Conductor system!
The text began to write in the sky even further, letting him know he’d been granted rare resources like Space and Dimensional strands, before he felt himself getting pulled away. But Walker was barely paying attention as his overlay had a fit.
All of his systems that had previously been a long scrolling screen to the right of his eyes, now bunched up. A new button appeared as the System Designer faded away. Instinctually, Walker renamed the Conductor system button back to systems before diving in.
He should have waited, as while fading back into Sonata, he found himself floating a few feet off of his bed, his bridge-to-be directly below him.
“Ummpf,” Came out of Athena’s mouth as Walker’s 200+ pound frame fell on her.
Walker clicked out of the maze of screens that had appeared, “Sorry, sorry, sorry!” He repeated over and over again as he rolled away from the small goddess of wisdom. He placed his hand on top of her head, unsure of what else to do, “Are you okay?”
“I’m not a dog!” She replied testily, swatting his hand away. She looked around the room squinting her eyes, “So…we’re all still here. I take it you won?”
“Yep!” Walker replied with a big grin, deciding to not tell anyone he may have started a Multiversal rebellion, “It was a cinch.”
“What do you mean you won?” Virgil asked from his chair, standing quickly, “Why was I not taken with you? Or Rimi, for that matter?”
“I don’t know, I was wondering about that too.” Walker looked at Athena, smiling at her as she scooted over so he could sit down, “When I got there I was alone.”
“Fucking Council changes,” Virgil replied hotly, one of the few times Walker had heard him curse.
“Yep. Twice it looked like they were trying to get the other guy a win, but that didn’t work out for them. Speaking of-” Walker looked around, “Have you seen a weird blue ice guy anywhere? One who can rip off parts of himself?”
“You have a Cosmic-” Virgil’s eyes blanked out as the rewards began to hit Walker’s notifications. “What is all this! Planets outside of the 4th Rendition aren’t supposed to be transferable.”
“Remember the Betting system?” Walker said with a grin, “That guy bet everything.” He laughed, a great heaving thing that began at the bottom of his stomach, “He was so sure he’d win!”
“He obviously does not know about how lucky you are,” Virgil replied, back in that dry tone of voice he loved to use.
“Is it luck if he spent a year preparing for this?” Athena replied beside him, an arched eyebrow accompanying her words, “Luck is something other people have to rely on when they’re lazy.”
Walker wrapped an arm around her side, “It’s okay, hun. Virgil’s just mad he didn’t get to see the battle. It was pretty crazy.”
Athena leaned into him, “Tell us about it.”
Before Walker could do just that, a large pink squirrel entered the room, “Are you guys missing some deranged ice creature? There’s one just outside of the tower screaming to be released from his contract.”
Walker slipped out of the bed, his notifications burning, when the ground beneath his feet began to shudder.
“Fuck! I forgot that fast?”
Unknown changes occurring.
The Tree of the Gods is maturing!
...Scanning...
...
The Tree of the Gods has borne fruit.
When things settled down, Walker looked around the room to check for any kind of structural damage. It all looked the same as it ever had.
“Huh, I guess things didn’t go crazy for once?”
The sound of Virgil’s facepalm sounded out across the room just as something began ticking in the corner of Walker's vision.
Time remaining until the next battle: 50 hours.
