Chapter 131: Kingdom Building
🕑 Added 2024-12-02 01:04:47 +0000 UTCContrary to the start of the first round, the second round began with utter silence. Taking it to mean his words were starting to have an effect, Walker pulled up his overlay to get an idea of what he was in for this time.
The second round focuses on a Creator’s ability to build Kingdoms.
Each Creator will select a base society model to start with. As their society naturally evolves, the Creator will be forced to make decisions at the moment that are best for its people.
Points will be accrued for each achievement gained during the round, with each Creator being granted one hour to work on their kingdom.
The following are a few examples of how points will be gained:
Selection of a Science-based society will award points for achieving scientific breakthroughs.
Selection of a Martial-based society will award points for conquering parts of the planet.
There are many types of society within the projection, with even more paths toward gaining achievements.
The winner of the round is decided when the timer runs down, and the points are totaled for each Creator.
Should a certain point cap be reached for the round, the winning Creator will receive a gift from the Lamda Council.
All Creators will be gifted one hundred temporary Temporal resources.
Should the totality not be used, they will be remanded back unto the Alpha Protocol Council.
“You will not defeat me, Dante.” A now cooled-off Mirail said from across the way, “I will admit you bested me in the previous round, but this one is designed for people like me. Those who were raised properly, with a mindset for how to bring forth best the potential of their subjects. “ The hollow sound drifted over, “This is where you lose.”
“See, I don’t think so.” Walker said as he scrolled through dozens of options, “The problem you run into is you think of people as subjects, instead of just…people.” He turned away from any that followed a strict path, believing that in isolating his society, he was also restricting its potential. “They aren’t things to be played with, or toys to store for a rainy day. They have their own aspirations, their own wishes. Like us, they have good days and bad days, with even worse days besides. Thinking of them as tools and toys makes you forget the potential they hold within.”
“Don’t bother philosophizing, fool. You’ve never controlled multiple planets and the greater web of connections between them.”
Kind of wrong there, Walker thought to himself.
“You’re naive to the multiversal politics every referendum, every decision, and every interaction has upon the subjects beneath you. I do not mistreat my tools, I remove the excess when they’re no longer necessary. Just as any other artisan would do. Thinking of them as people will only slow down the growth of what matters most: power.” The cheap seats didn’t seem to enjoy hearing that, as some few yelled out their denial of his point of view.
But Walker was already zoning in on the task before him, ear bent to his opponent as a crick began to form in his neck, “So you kill the people who fail you?”
“I remove the problem.” Mirail clarified in a self-righteous tone as the murmuring from the crowd grew louder, “Just as you would if you ever had the chance to manage an overburdened and entitled population. They believe their problems hold greater value than is right. The ruling factions do not see it as such.” He laughed, “You will not need to worry about any of this once you become my servant. I will make sure of that.”
“Then I guess I can’t let that happen,” Walker replied with a little heat to his voice as he felt the Arena stomp in time with the crowd above. It quickly became such a distraction that the announcer had to step in.
“Please calm yourselves!”
But the crowd yelled back, “Fuck you, Mirail!”
“Our problems do matter!”
“Think of the children!”
When they didn’t stop, Walker still going through his options, the announcer made a decision.
“Due to the-uh, loud cheering of the crowd, I’m afraid we will have to create a sealed protection over the competitors. Please stand by!”
Within a heartbeat, two half-domes of transparent glass began to rise from each side of the arena, covering Mirail and Walker while simultaneously blocking out all sound. That also had the effect of blocking all sound within the arena as well, something Walker wasn’t too happy with. But he’d solve that soon enough. For now, he needed to focus.
After scrolling through what must’ve been a hundred options, he moved the screen back to the only one he’d seen that best fit what he wanted to do.
Model:
The Commonwealth Society-All Inclusive
Positives:
With a core philosophy that all members hold value within the Commonwealth, this society has a powerful need for growth, exploration, and innovation.
Negatives:
The Commonwealth is weak to martial aggression at the start of the round.
Points and Achievements:
Due to the nature of the Commonwealth not having a specific focus, all achievements become available, but at only twenty-five percent their total value in points.
Starting values for the Commonwealth:
(In order of strength)
Diplomacy: 4
Economy: 3
Culture: 2
Science: 2
Martial: 1
Starting population: 100
Walker read it all over, nodding his head slightly. He’d played similar video games back on his homeworld, though nowhere near this intense or with stakes like this. Based on Mirail’s personality type, he somewhat expected him to go Martial. But with all of his talk about intelligence and peasantry, science wasn’t out of the question either.
Clicking into the system, Walker accepted the prompt near the bottom, receiving a notification immediately after.
Congratulations on your selection of the Commonwealth Society, Creator Dante.
Due to the nature of the second round, your society will be placed two regions away from your opponents.
You will now have one hour to accrue as many achievements as possible.
That seems reasona-
Warning: Alpha Protocol Changes occurring…
All science-based achievements will receive a multiplier in points.
“Hah!” Walker heard from the near distance. Looking over, he spotted Mirail rubbing his blue hands together as he stared at his screen. Walker sighed and mentally moved on, knowing there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
Before he began working on his society, he gathered a small amount of Kinetic resources in his hand. Compressing it as much as he could while hiding the action from the screens was easier said than done. With a turned body and hiding his right hand from the screen, Walker pretended to sneeze, leaning back on his middle school days to hide his true goal as he surreptitiously flicked the strand at the edge of the glass dome.
“What was that?” Mirail asked as a small hole opened up in the dome.
Walker chose not to answer. He’d already lost a minute performing the action, but knew it would pay off in the end. Mentally focusing on the hologram, a small village appeared underneath him. It reminded him of all the real-time strategy games he’d played in the past as a new screen made its way to his eyes.
The Jelly Commonwealth:
Population: 100
Unique entities: 0
Diplomatic Achievements: 0
Economic Achievements: 0
Cultural Achievements: 0
Scientific Achievements: 0
Martial Achievements: 0
The Jelly people are common entities across the first rendition. Considered a mistake by their Creator, who abandoned them quickly to a lonesome planet on the edge of their territory, these hardy creatures developed a society that allowed them to grow at an accelerated rate.
And just how fast do you grow?
As an experiment, Walker targeted their simple village of sticks and mud, advancing it by a single year. It blurred for a moment before settling down, his screen updating accordingly.
The Jelly Commonwealth:
Population: 124
Unique entities: 0
Diplomatic Achievements: 0
Economic Achievements: 0
Cultural Achievements: 0
Scientific Achievements: 0
Martial Achievements: 0
Looking closer, he studied the creatures. None of their colors were the same, alternating between neon greens and mud browns. They were oddly shaped too, with three legs and two arms, almost seeming like a tripedal starfish. Advancing time by a single day gave a better idea of how they lived. The creatures seemed to enjoy working together, going about their day at different jobs and often stopping to communicate with each other. Some worked on their homes and the homes of their neighbours, while others left on small trips beyond the village, exploring their surroundings.
Shifting the map around, Walker found another village a good distance away. This one was filled with what his homeworld would call reptilians, and unlike his Jelly society, were already crafting spears and armor. The area directly around their society seemed to function in a Darwinian fashion, with multiple creatures killing the smaller beings around themselves before they were killed as well.
Going back to his village, Walker had to think hard about what to do here. The Jelly people were not combat-oriented, but their neighbors surely were. What they lost in strength, they more than made up for in numbers. Just as he was thinking hard about the situation, a new notification came in.
Creator Mirail has gained a Scientific Achievement!
“Hah!” The ice man said across the distance, “What have you done so far, peasant? Stared at your society? Planned? Mine is already progressing!”
Giving him a hefty glare, Walker shifted back to the map, moving it in the direction he felt Mirail’s was likely to be. It took him a moment, but he found a group of mole-like people, a large telescope-like structure already sticking out of the ground. The lens they were using looked oddly familiar.
“How in the fuck did you do that already?” He asked as he moved away from his screen.
“What are you doing? Stay back!” Mirail yelled out as he watched Walker come closer.
He found his answer when he got there. Mirail’s right arm was stabbed into the projection, the Creator breaking it off as Walker approached. Before his eyes, Mirail’s arm slowly began to grow back, but not before he scratched some writing upon the crystal.
“We’re allowed to use our abilities, fool! What, were you just going to hope your society succeeded on its own? Pfah!” He waved Walker away, looking directly back at his screen as the crystal slowly fell in.
Right.
Running back to his side, Walker got an idea. Finding the largest Jellyman he could, a purple figure standing shoulders above the others, he activated his Alpha ability. The creature didn’t seem to notice, but Walker had a good idea about what to do next. He advanced the village another year and waited for his overlay to update again.
The Jelly Commonwealth:
Population: 161
Unique entities: 1
Diplomatic Achievements: 0
Economic Achievements: 0
Cultural Achievements: 0
Scientific Achievements: 0
Martial Achievements: 0
Walker wasn’t disappointed by the fact that he didn’t get an achievement. This was just the start of his plans. He looked up at the projection of himself, noting its angle. Turning his body a little to hide one of his hands, he confirmed it couldn’t be seen on the screen, then dove back in. But not before he had a little fun.
Going back to Mirail’s society, Walker tapped into Time. Picking an area just inside of the village, he slowed things down, then reached in and sped up a slightly smaller area within it, just enough for a single portal to open up.
“What is that!” He heard across the way as a fierce wind blew through the portal directly at the village.
That should slow him down enough for me to do this.
Shifting back to his village, Walker looked at his Alpha Jelly, identifying one for the first time.
Name: Rickard
Species: Alpha Jelly
Age: 3 years
Description: An alpha variant of the Jelly genus. This specimen, like all of the Jelly genus, is able to take on elemental properties based on choice, proximity, and quantity.
“Hah!” Walker yelled out, forcing Mirail to look over at him, “You have no idea what you’re in for!”
“Save your threats for people you can actually threaten, peasant!”
Walker looked back up at the projection of himself and made sure his hand was hidden, then reached into his resources.
First came life. With a gulp, Walker grabbed ten life resources and, after settling the village in the middle of the screen, reached his hand into the projection. It felt like shoving his hand into thick, chilly water. As he felt the area give, he opened his hand up, allowing the Life strand to drift down before pulling it immediately back out.
Walker watched as the green glow of the Life strand drifted towards the village with a held breath. If this didn’t work, he was pretty fucked. But based on what he read of the Jelly people and his own experiments, he thought this should work.
The strand didn’t float over the village nor seep into the ground as he thought it would have. Instead, oddly enough, the strands grouped into an area and sat still. Long enough for a Jelly woman to walk by and notice it, stopping to look before becoming alarmed and running back to her village.
A series of implosions occurred near the upper edge of the glass-domed arena. Mirail’s long-forgotten bombing ability had been held in stasis for long enough that it immediately set off the moment it was reintroduced to normal time. The crack in the dome had weakened its structural integrity enough that the pressure from the implosions caused it to shatter.
And just like that, Walker had his audience back.
“Booo! Fuck you Mirail!”
“Wish the bombs had taken yah out!”
“Go, Dante!”
Knowing he couldn’t be distracted at this time, Walker looked back just in time to see what the Jelly people had done with the life strand. Just like he’d hoped, the Alpha Jelly had stepped right up to it. Carefully, the creature reached out a single arm and placed it on the strand. Slowly, at first, the green energy of life seeped into the creature. Slow enough that Walker advanced time by an hour, only to watch as the Alpha Jelly turned the same vibrant green as the life strand before stepping back, another stepping up to take its place. A notification rang off in his head.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Cultural Achievement!
Five points gained.
“Minor?” Mirail laughed, “You picked a Cultural society? Honestly, what is wrong with you?”
“Culture is an important part of society, Mirail. It’s the traditions of its people that define how a civilization interacts with one another. Do we support each other? Do we care for our elders? Do we worship powerful beings in the sky? Religion is a part of a society’s culture, you know. Culture is an all-inclusive word for who we are as a society in full. If we treat each other with respect and a helping hand, then we lift up our society together to heights that can’t be achieved alone.”
Walker grabbed the space strand, repeating the process, then advanced his little society another day.
Another group of Jellies attending this one. While the Alpha Jelly watched over them, each reached their hands forth, collecting their tribute from the sky.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Cultural Achievement!
Five points gained.
Walker waited a few minutes for the Jellies to get back to their village so he could watch for any changes that might occur. The green Jellies who took the Life strand seemed to be supercharging the nature in the area. Everywhere they passed, the plantlife in the ground flourished. The blue Jellies who took the space strand grew tall, dwarfing the Alpha Jelly as they towered over their fellow villagers. But because of the nature of their society, each group was accepted heartily. The Space Jellies adjusted their work to building new structures while the Life Jellies took on the crop tending. Each worked with what was best for their society.
Walker smiled, then advanced his society by a year. Between the blur of time and what his eyes could catch, he watched as his little Jelly society expanded upward, putting together tall buildings just a little bigger than the Space Jellies, with beautiful gardens tended on their roofs.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Scientific Achievement!
Seven points gained.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Cultural Achievement!
Five points gained.
Creator Dante has gained an Advanced Cultural Achievement!
Ten points gained.
“Wait, what are you doing over there?”
Walker didn’t reply to him directly; after all, he wasn’t his intended audience. But he did speak up.
“In order for Society to function as it should, each person should be doing what’s best not only for themselves but also for the collective whole. A beautifully minded mathematician from my home world said that. It means that you don’t only have to sacrifice for society, but that society should also sacrifice for you.”
“Bullshit.”
“No, it’s true. I’ll be the first to admit that my world had its share of issues, but more often than not, we worked together for the betterment of all. When we found people who were only out for themselves, we called them on it, sometimes violently. What were the words of my homeland? No taxation without representation?”
The crowd above was still silent as Walker continued to speak. He looked at the corner of his vision, finding already that half the allotted time was gone with no new achievements from the Creator across from him. Shifting his perspective to his opponent's society, he found the windy portal he’d made had done a lot more damage than expected. The Telescope was gone, parts of it scattered across the area, as the society was a blur of movement in rebuilding what they had lost. He felt a little bad for them as a people, but certainly not for Mirail.
Shifting back again to his village, Walker pulled out Kinetic energy next, placing it on the outskirts of the village. The Jelly people found it quickly, a spotter on top of the new buildings. The Jellies gathered, the Alpha standing nearby, and as a group collected the amber energy within themselves.
Walker advanced society another day but didn’t gain a new achievement. He reasoned that he must’ve tapped out that specific branch of points already.
Deciding to go for broke, Walker advanced his society by two years.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Cultural Achievement!
Five points gained.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Martial Achievement!
Five points gained.
Looking down at his one-time small village, a semi-sprawling city took him in instead. Rather than a small group of Amber, Green, and Blue Jellies, he found dozens of them. Walker pulled up the updated notifications he’d been ignoring.
The Jelly Commonwealth:
Population: 679
Unique entities: 56
Advanced Achievements: 1
Diplomatic Achievements: 0
Economic Achievements: 0
Cultural Achievements: 4
Scientific Achievements: 1
Martial Achievements: 1
Total points: 42
Just then, Mirail got one of his own.
Creator Mirail has gained a Scientific Achievement!
Quick math told Walker that his opponent was already sitting at fifty-four points, the Council trying yet again to fuck with him. However, he still had a good amount of time left, both in the contest and in his resources.
The Jelly City had branched out, small pods breaking away from the center to start their own little communities. On the city's northern edge, one pod had begun to brush up against the Reptilians. Walker guessed by the Martial Achievement that it didn’t go well for them.
He guessed that the reason the number of unique entities went up so drastically was either that the Jellies were intermixing the unique properties of the strands, passing it on to each other. Or, and much more likely, the strands were passing into their children.
With that theory in mind, he reached into his resources and, double-checking that nobody could see the action, Walker grabbed Potential energy next.
“You know, my people never wanted to rebel. Initially, we were happy to be a part of a larger society. There was a pride inherent to being one with the empire. But the mistreatment we took upon ourselves just to hold that title wasn’t worth it in the end. Many died—many, many, in fact. But we won. We pushed through, and we took our freedom at the end of a knife. Well, a gun, that is.”
Walker advanced society another day. Multi-colored Jellies began to spring up around the area. Advancing society by an hour showed him what was happening next. While the Green Jellies seemed to spread life energy everywhere they went, they couldn’t direct it consciously. It was more of just a part of them. But the multi-colored Jellies were different. Each seemed to pick an element that agreed best with them, taking on the properties of nature, fire, and the earth. One even became a metal jelly, something he wasn’t expecting as there was no metal in the area.
A nice bonus from the fight against the Reptilians.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Martial Achievement!
Five points gained.
“You’re cheating, I know you are!”
Walker laughed as he advanced his society another year. The sprawling city’s pods each expanded accordingly, Jelly society beginning to fill the entirety of the area as they created self-contained food biomes to moderate their growth.
“That’s just what a Lord would say when they’re losing,” Walker said with a snarl, the crowd above stirring. “If I’m not winning, if I’m not the best, if I’m not in control, it must be the other person’s fault.”
Multiple achievements came through as the Jellies negotiated peace with the Reptilians. Walker smiled, then advanced a week, watching multiple Kinetic and Magical Jellies help their new allies fight many of the larger creatures in their territory.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Diplomatic Achievement!
Five points gained.
Creator Dante has gained an Advanced Diplomatic Achievement!
Ten points gained.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Martial Achievement!
Five points gained.
The Jellies were moving fast now. As Walker dropped Consciousness strands into the environment, a new type of Jelly appeared. A singular Jelly entity absorbed every strand he’d placed, the visual effect being its head grew to three times its usual size.
He was curious about what would happen next and moved another year forward.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Economic Achievement!
Five points gained.
Creator Dante has gained an Advanced Economic Achievement!
Ten points gained.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Martial Achievement!
Five points gained.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Scientific Achievement!
Seven points gained.
Creator Dante has gained a minor Diplomatic Achievement!
Five points gained.
Creator Dante has gained an Advanced Martial Achievement!
Ten points gained.
“No!” Mirail yelled in the distance, Walker barely paying attention to him. The Jellies entered a new expansionistic stage as they spread to multiple territories throughout the region. Kinetic Jellies would scout the area before reporting back to Jelly Society. The Brain Jelly, as Walker liked to think of him, gave out orders to the rest, interconnecting with the other territories or, in one case, destroying them.
He didn’t know what that Territory had done to deserve it, but knowing the Jellies, they must have been pretty terrible. They even had Jelly markets now, other Territories traveling to the area to set up their stalls or sell their wares. The Commonwealth had become an economic center within a single year.
Walker pulled up his updated notifications.
The Jelly Commonwealth:
Population: 1,214
Unique entities: 56
Advanced Achievements: 4
Diplomatic Achievements: 2
Economic Achievements: 1
Cultural Achievements: 4
Scientific Achievements: 2
Martial Achievements: 4
Total points: 104
At this point, Walker could sit back and let the Jellies take over everything. But he needed to time it all. With a little over ten minutes remaining in the round, Walker tapped into a system he hadn’t touched in a while.
Welcome to the Portal System.
Master Key Detected.
Walker did a simple switch. All portals in the area outside of the Arena would now be exit only. It wasn’t that big of a deal, as nobody here would notice when people were leaving, but soon enough, their friends on the outside would note that nobody could portal into the area. He re-focused on the Jellies as he reached into his resources yet again.
Pulling out only a single Continuum strand, Walker did his best to place it near the Alpha Jelly as he traveled to one of the exterior villages. One of the elders of the Commonwealth, the Jelly looked at it before calling a Kinetic Jelly over. Walker advanced a day, only to see the Alpha and Brain jelly staring at the strand as if realizing none of them could touch it.
Alright then, Walker thought and moved on, not wanting to waste the last of his time as Mirail received two more achievements.
Knowing time was running out, he advanced all the points of Jelly Society by several years, including the nearby Territories this time. His notifications rang in, Mirail screaming in the distance as he spoke to the crowd again.
“Symphony, my world within the Alpha Protocol, focuses on the power of the one. One person. Not me, certainly,” He said with a laugh, “I’m merely a facilitator—a bridge builder to better things. No, by one person, I mean…anyone. Everyone.” Mirail screamed as Walker gained another dozen achievements after advancing time yet again. Walker laughed again, “He’s having a terrible day.”
A few in the crowd laughed with him this time.
“Symphony is a special place. Exploration is encouraged. Growing your skills is expected, but it's managed to be fair for all. No handouts, no born power. Only…growth of self, of purpose. People do the great things in my world as a part of their everyday lives. The quiet courage of the man with the closed fist, unwilling to be walked over again. The everyday resilience of the proud mother, taking care of her family without thanks. A hidden hero who puts out the fire without recognition. Society shouldn’t be about who holds the most power; that’s extrinsic. Unnecessary. Immaterial. It should be about supporting each and every person equally, where anyone can rise from the potential within. From individual effort.”
Walker gestured at his projection as it updated after another five years, the total showing itself on the screen high above.
The Jelly Commonwealth:
Population: 15,894
Unique entities: 427
Advanced Achievements: 15
Diplomatic Achievements: 9
Economic Achievements: 13
Cultural Achievements: 22
Scientific Achievements: 8
Martial Achievements: 10
Total points: 460
“These Jellies are just like you and me. They are a blank slate, waiting for events to happen. Great events. Things that shape you and your children’s lives. With only a small push, they were able to build a great society. The Jellies were able to develop their world according to what was best for them and their civilization as a whole. There were no Lords to command them. They chose this route, while I simply helped facilitate their progress to posterity and societal self-assertion.”
“Dante! Call off your ugly cretins!”
“Can’t do that, Lord Mirail, Scion of the Cerulean Branch. They’re an independent entity.”
“I’ll crush them, Dante! That’s your only warning! I’ll take them down!”
Walker shrugged, “Do as you will.”
The crowd in the stands began to call out.
“No!”
“Let the Jellies live! They’ve done nothing wrong!”
“They’re just trying to do better for themselves!”
The Jelly diplomatic contingent walking toward Mirail’s mole people stopped. The wind continued to blow at high speed to the far left, but the mole society had built their new foundation beside it, using it as a natural gateway to keep others at a distance. But it wasn’t the wind that made the Jellies nervous. Pointing at the sky, they watched as a canister flew through the air just before landing center on the group. When the dust cleared, pieces of jelly floated around the area.
“Yes! I warned you, Dante! I’ll have none of your filthy creatures near my city!”
Walker quickly glanced at the crowd, watching many of their faces. He’d expected to see anger, but instead, found only grim acceptance.
So not yet.
Walker nodded at his opponent in recognition, “Yes, you’ve killed some. But what will you do when the rest come?”
“What do you mean the rest? How many are there?”
Walker grinned as a Kinetic Jelly ran through the area. Quickly spotting the hole in the ground, the Jelly got the gist of what happened and stopped, glaring back at the mole-people’s citadel. Mirail’s society had been busy building a large crystal base. Maybe they hadn’t been the ones to attack the Jellies, or maybe Mirail had simply used the ability through the projection, but they didn’t know that.
The Kinetic zipped away.
Walker advanced time by a week to see what would happen next. A few more achievements popped up, including an Advanced Scientific one, but he didn’t want to look into it. It was more fun to see the action live.
Remembering what Mirail had just asked, Walker replied, “They are legion.”
“Legion?”
Mirail screamed as a Jelly army crossed over the hill. Walker knew that the crowd didn’t get to actively watch what was happening within the projection, so he began to narrate everything as it occurred.
“The Jelly Legion has arrived. They see Mirail’s Mole people, whom they believe to be killers of their diplomatic contigent. The Alpha Jelly steps forth, calling something out, but the Mole people do not respond, locked away in their Crystal Towers. Another bomb drops, killing several Jelly people who were only asking questions.”
“That didn’t happen!” Mirail yelled out, but the crowd was already too into it.
“Why can’t you just talk to them, Mirail!”
“Why is it always fighting and killing with you Nobles!”
“You’re going to get it now! Go Jellies!”
Walker continued, “The Jellies have had enough. They call upon the giant Jellies to bash down the gates. They call upon the fast Jellies to look for traps among the area. They even call upon the magic Jellies to burn away the weapons. Bombs are dropping-”
“No!” Mirail yelled out.
“But the Jellies had a trick up their sleeve. A rare resource they found years ago that they could not touch. A special green jelly has grabbed it upon his hands, his life energy speeding quickly from his body, an Alpha Jelly, a hero, willing to make the sacrifice for the good of his people.”
“Alpha!”
“Alpha!”
“Al-PHA!” The crowd screams.
“He’s huge, far larger than the giant Jellies of his people. He smashes his fist upon the walls. And again.”
“Get them!” The crowd screams in a fervor.
“He’s getting tired, the resource taking the life out of him, but he’s not done yet. A crack! A crack has formed!”
“Stay out!” Mirail yells as bombs drop from the air again.
“The bombs can’t reach the Jellies! The Magic Jellies see them now, exploding them in the air! And the giant, the Alpha, the Hero doesn’t stop. The crack grows larger; the speedy Jellies are in!”
“Noooooo!”
“They’re winning, the Jelly Legion is winning!”
The projection winks out as Walker’s achievements ring through.
Creator Dante has gained an Advanced Martial Achievement!
Ten points gained.
Creator Dante has gained an Advanced Cultural Achievement!
Ten points gained.
Creator Dante has gained a Unique Martial Achievement!
25 points gained.
When the projection winked out, in its place was a small planet the size of a sedan car floating in space. Walker’s achievements updated into his notifications at the same time as it reached the projector high overhead for all to see.
The Jelly Commonwealth:
Population: 15,587
Unique entities: 427
Unique Achievements: 1
Advanced Achievements: 17
Diplomatic Achievements: 9
Economic Achievements: 13
Cultural Achievements: 22
Scientific Achievements: 8
Martial Achievements: 10
Total points: 505
Walker looked over at the other screen to see how his opponent did, ignored until now.
.
The Burrowed Arcanum:
Population: 5
Unique entities: 0
Advanced Achievements: 1
Scientific Achievements: 6
Total Points: 208
“Huh, I guess the Jellies left a couple to repopulate. That’s awfully nice of them.” His overlay updated again.
Round 2 Complete.
Creator Dante has defeated Creator Mirail in the Societal Builder Simulation!
Creator Dante has achieved enough points (505/250) to receive the special Lamda Council Prize!
Creator Dante has won the Third Battle of Rendition 4AA’s Creator Wars!
Congratulations!
Walker smiled as the arena exploded in cheers and screams. He knew he didn’t have long, so ignoring the notifications and rewards and the crying Mirail in the near distance, he spoke to the crowd above. They quieted down when they noticed him speaking, raptly listening to his following words.
“What do you want to be known for? What great thing have you accomplished? Are you happy with life? Is this-” He waved his hand left to right, from the cheap seats to the wealthy section, “what you want from society? Or will you be like the Jellies? Will you realize your potential? That’s the choice that’s left up to you right now. What do you want for your children and their children, and the children that come after them? Is it enough to just live life each day, or will you reach for more in the near distance?” He pointedly turned to the wealthy section, “The very near distance.”
----------------------------------------------------------
As Walker’s voice began to trail and fade away, heading to who knew where, the crowd stayed silent. When both Creators and the small material world between them disappeared, many began to look at one another, questioning if this was a step they wanted to take. Rebellions within the Multiverse weren’t uncommon, but they were bloody and generally ended in only one way.
One of those seated in the wealthy section scoffed loudly, “As if they’d ever raise a hand to a Tertiary member of the Evolver’s Faction. We’d string up their children and laugh while they wailed.” He sniffed, loud enough to be heard across the way, “Peasants.”
That day, a bloody one to be sure, a rebellion began in an arena.
One that shook different planets within the Multiverse, creating a cascading problem tied to economics, resources, and, ultimately, power.
Because, as each citizen returned to the greater Multiverse, no longer following the path of the subjugated, they met like-minded people and told them of the Jellies. Told them of Creator Dante and what was said during the Third Battle of Rendition 4AA’s Creator Wars.
Told them of a world named Symphony, where the power and laudation was held in the One.
In a multiverse of allowed anonymity, a group decided to strike out against those who would claim them.
They called themselves the Liberated Ones, and a new Faction rose in a red dawn.
Comments
Stephan J
Thanks for the chapter! Moar?
Stephan J
I, personally, wouldn't split it. After reading hundreds of stories on RR, the ones I thirst for the most are the long chapters. Then again, admittedly, I am weird. 🤷♂️
Joshua David Mullenary
Do you think I should split it for RR? Feel like it's pretty dang long. Wrote 29 pages today.
Jeremy Young
Very well put together. Thanks for the chapter!
Joshua David Mullenary
Sorry it's late, I've been writing it all day. Jeremy I saw your comments on the poll, I'll try to get to it tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.
