Chapter 126: Other, Other Sapients
🕑 Added 2024-11-24 22:42:09 +0000 UTCAuthors note: Already pre-writing the next chapter, with another one quickly after. Ez 3 chapters there. Battle #3 by Friday hopefully.
“Chipper.”
“Yes, Walker.”
“Are you good to go?
“Am I good to-” The newly minted Zenith stopped writing for a moment as he gave Walker a skeptical look. Shaking his head, he quickly began to write again, “Walker. I just took on the role of Zenith for the Unending Summit, the largest and, as I can tell, only religion on Symphony. You also gave me a magical city filled with talking weapons designed for massive growth without any foreknowledge of how things work. And you planted this seemingly important location just outside of a Mana Tree I protected for fifty years that has a new Guardian who does not know what he’s doing.” The writing paused, and then the white squirrel gave him a smile, “But sure, I’m good to go.”
“Alright. Cool, cool, cool,” Walker said with a smile in return, “Remember, it’s all a learning curve. You don’t have to rush into anything. As long as I don’t screw up in the upcoming battles, we’ve got plenty of time to get things figured out. Enjoy the Eternal Base. You’ll find your room at the top of that building over there,” He pointed at a large round structure, multiple panes of one-way glass reflecting the outside world.
“Yes, as much as I’ll get to spend in them,” Chipper wrote with a shake of the head, “May your Tree grow and shed leaves.” He wrote quickly, then walked over to a confused group of humans looking back and forth between the statue and himself.
Walker watched as the Alpha Guardian spoke to the humans, the group quickly adjusting to reading rather than listening.
“What tree?”
Shrugging, he prepared to dive back into Sonata. Without his reflections, he’d have been trapped at the Eternal Base for days answering questions. But, after putting more than a small amount of his now bursting Temporal resources into the Davids around the area, they’d last for at least a month. Just enough time to get Chipper started on how everything worked. He felt no small amount of guilt at leaving his friend in this situation, but this was Chipper’s story, and Walker needed to continue pushing forward now that he was working in real-time.
Of course, the city had been Neus’s idea. A special territory designed for the first true library on Symphony, created through a bursting Foundation stone with city plans already hidden within. A magical city with enough portals to interconnect all across the world, becoming Walker’s first attempt at creating a central axis on which society would turn.
The statue naturally came from Rimi. A perhaps vain gift to someone whom they would have failed without. Walker had agreed because Chipper was his friend and deserved the recognition. Neus had agreed because he liked to give territories unique characteristics that set them apart. A fault he’d seemed to hold since first being thrown out of the back of Virgil’s throat.
All in all, Walker felt like the Eternal Base would be a city that lasted for as long as Symphony did. Something his people could always run to for help and guidance. It was another new beginning. A new chapter for Chipper, with a home for the Unending Summit, located at the Eternal Base.
He did like to play with words.
Clicking into his overlay, Walker created a temporary portal back to his office on Sonata. As his vision faded and then gently returned, he found two people waiting for him.
“You should have just created an Avatar, Walker,” Virgil said dourly from his oversized chair.
“But then I couldn’t make reflections,” Walker replied, dusting a tiny spec of dust off his robe. He took his seat in front of his advisors, a monitor in front of both showing the location he’d just departed from. “Besides, I’m feeling better every minute since we got back from the Grand Auction.”
“That matters not, Walker. We still do not know how the Godeater system works or why your hair is suddenly returning to its original color. There are too many unknowns to allow you off planet at this time.”
“Virgil,” Athena said from the other chair, a small figure compared to the gargantuan size of the Supreme Assistant, “We spoke about this. If he was safe in the reaches of space, let alone a different universe, then he’s safe here. You need to let him run with it. Time is running out on the third battle.”
“Yes, it is,” Walker replied as he pulled up the timer.
Time remaining until the next battle: 33.1 hours.
Walker sighed as he scratched the back of his head, “Do we know if the giant conclave has finished yet? We really need to know who is going to potentially represent us in the third battle.”
“The conclave should be complete soon. But Walker, you do not yet know what kind of battle it will be. It could be squad-based, as you are thinking, or it could be something entirely new that we cannot prepare for.” Virgil lifted a single brow, “It could even be planetary warfare.”
“Wait, wait,” Walker replied, holding up both hands, “You said that was only in the final battle.”
“That is correct,” Virgil said. “But so far, the Council has not exactly followed the rules regarding the battles. Or need I remind you of your last one?” He paused to let that sink in before continuing, “The fifth battle has traditionally always been planetary warfare, but if they are really changing things-”
“Then they might just do anything.” Walker finished for him. He folded his fingers together in front of him, “What are my options?”
“Squad preparation seems like the wise move,” Athena said with a wink, “But you may also want to prepare a single participant, as well as a duo.”
“Indeed,” Virgil replied, rolling into the next idea, “You will likely need to consider numerous citizens joining at once. Obviously, this is just a guess on my part, but it would be wise of you to consider the Founders of the first few cohorts. Those with the most experience in battles and working together toward a common goal.”
Walker looked at Athena, “I don’t suppose your father would be interested in helping out?”.
“I don’t think so, no,” She replied with a shake of the head, “You have to bear in mind that I do not believe the Evolver’s Reincarnation system would work on us. The Awakened-”
“Primordials.” Walker gently corrected with a smile to take any sting out.
Athena returned the smile in kind, “Yes, thank you. For Primordials, our souls are too intertwined with our physical bodies. As we die, our soul does not separate as it does with those unawakened.” Walker let that go, “Instead, we dissipate into energy, absorbed by something none of us quite understand. But I believe it will be impossible for the Evolvers to restore us to health, making a true rebirth not even a talking point.” Her eyes took on a haunted look, “Should my father die in battle, that would be the end of him.”
“I see,” Walker said with a short nod before leaning back in his chair. So the Primigenials were out. It did make him wistfully wonder how they were doing. Putting action to thought, Walker pulled up several monitors at once, focusing them on different angles of the same location.
When the Primigenials had touched down on Symphony, they’d done so on a landmass specifically designed for them. A gift from Walker and crew for all the help they’d provided to the Founders. Due to their lack of Kernels, they didn’t have a Territory, but neither did anyone back on Earth and they got along fine.
…Well, they did.
Shaking the thought away before it dragged him into a spiral, he looked at one of the screens. Against a backdrop of clouds, the twins Apollo and Athena sat on identical thrones, the golden god of the sun laughing at something his sister had said. On another screen, Walker spied a fully grown Cupid, wandering around a different cloudy area. As their powers had returned near the eighth month of displacement, Cupid had quickly changed back into his adult form. The Founders sure seemed to appreciate him more.
Looking away from the city of New Olympus, the corner of his eye caught a majestic Soaring Dragon flying through the area.
Walker looked at Athena, “How are the Dragons adjusting to their new environment.”
“As you know, Hermes took on their care when we seeded them. They’re mostly just babies, but after a few dozen years, they’ll be smart enough and big enough to be on their own.”
“So it’s just a wait-and-see game.”
“Yes,” Virgil said, uncharacteristically rubbing his eyes, “And before you ask, over forty percent of the overburdened mercantile Territories took the deal. We are now low on Foundation stones for the time being.”
Walker clapped his hands, “Excellent. Alright, I’ve got a few things I need to handle here. Virgil,” The Supreme Assistant stopped rubbing at his eyes and sat up even straighter than usual. “Work with the Managing Assistants to get the Mount system figured out. I’d still like to use Soul Constructs at this time, but I’m always open to other options.”
“Understood, Walker.”
“Athena, these Icons are burning a hole in my inventory. The sooner we begin to distribute them, the better off Symphony will be. Pick out a few Founders with advanced skills and see if they deserve the upgrade. Remember it can’t be the three Founders who already passed their trials.”
“I know, Walker.” Athena said with a shake of her head, “But it’s not as easy at it seems. Icons can only attach to those who share the bloodline of the Awa–Primordial who birthed it. It is not so simple to find a compatible match.”
Walker stood up, his advisors matching him, “Be that as it may, the sooner they adjust to the Icon, the stronger they’ll be. If you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a different kind of dragon.”
Tapping into his overlay, Walker created a temporary portal to the holding area they’d setup for all of the creatures they’d rescued from the Grand Auction. He stepped through, but not before he heard his advisors mutter.
“Why didn’t he just use the stairs?”
“You know how he is.”
Walker laughed to himself as the slanted rays of a soon-to-fall sun fell upon him. It didn’t take him long to find the Scalebound Dragont they’d rescued, and as luck would have it, he was speaking to the Jaguar-headed Awakened who had been so helpful in organizing the refugees.
Refugees was perhaps not the right word, but it was the best he could come up with for a group of people who had escaped their captors.
They stopped speaking the moment they spotted Walker in the near distance. A quick kinetic leap, and he stood right in front of them.
“Howdy, folks. How are you settling in?”
The dragon looked at the man next to him, an unknowable expression on his face, before turning back to Walker, “The accommodations for one as large as I are…insufficient.”
“Oh?” Walker replied, putting his hands on his hips, “What would be sufficient?”
“A greater sky,” The large creature said with a ruffle of his wings, “While I appreciate your saving us, I find this climate unfitting for my species as a whole. We are a people of ice and wind, where the fires within keep us more than warm, and the air above calls to us. I do not mean to be disagreeable, but after being trapped in confinement for so long, I find my current environment rather cloying.”
“I see.” Walker said with a nod, turning to the Jaguar man, “And how about you? I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name before.”
“Savior,” the man said, a toothy pained expression on his face as he fell to both knees, “one such as I apologizes for not identifying myself. I am Jahandir, a humble man who thanks you for saving him and his family.” He came forward two steps on his knees, taking Walker’s hands in his own, “We could not be happier with the gifts you have presented us. Me and my fellow Wildkin thank you from the depths of our souls. You brought us from bondage and certain death.”
“Whoa!” Walker said loudly, trying to take a step back; Trying and failing, as the beast man’s grip kept him rooted in place as powerfully as anything he’d ever felt.
“Without you, I would no longer taste sweet air, nor smell the wonderful scent of my wife’s hair. You saved us, Lord. You brought us to this-” He looked around, “This paradise. Why would I ever complain?”
Walker didn’t have the heart to tell him that he had merely given them a ride on the portal express. It was Rimi who’d truly saved them. A small part of him wanted to use this moment and solidify his hold on the Wildkin. Having a group of devout followers who would do anything he asked could be extremely useful. But a memory surfaced from the core of his soul.
The look in his eyes after he’d fixed Lucy’s hand.
He’d already chosen never to follow that route again. The heat in his chest agreed with him.
Pulling the man to his feet and ignoring his wide-eyed look, he spoke in a soft voice, “Jahandir, my name is Walker. I didn’t save you; my assistant Rimi did. If I had known exactly how to get to you, I would’ve done so, I promise. But at the time, I was so angry at the Evolvers that I barely thought about who needed saving. I apologize.” He didn’t see the way the Scalebound Dragon was looking at him as he pried his hands out of the man’s grip.
“No! Lord Walker-”
Walker patted him on the shoulder, “Just Walker is fine. Now, your home planet. What was it like?”
“Lor-” He stopped at the look Walker gave him, “I-it was a beautiful place. We lived just on the outskirts of the Origin. Far enough that the war came to us just a few centuries ago. Centuries…what is this word?”
“It’s the translator working, don’t worry about.” Walker replied with a smile, “What was the war like?”
The man shivered, “Horrible. Many died. Members of my family, friends. I was a low-ranking soldier if I am honest with you lor…Walker. We were taken just a month ago amid our evening meal. Horrific creatures came in the night; great cages bore upon their backs. The Evolvers, those bastards!” He yelled out, the whiskers on the sides of his face vibrating, “They took us, and they laughed. They laughed as they slayed those who fought back.”
Though Walker didn’t want the man to go through a hard battle with PTSD, he did need to know something. “Didn’t your fellow Awakened help you?”
“Awakened? The Wildkin?” He seemed genuinely confused. “Walker, we are not Awakened. I have never met anyone with that title, and certainly, none were on my planet. No, Lord, I was brought to my soul when the army conscription team arrived. They placed us in a line and, one by one, catalyzed us, as they called it. There were some losses, but the benefits they spoke of seemed too grand to pass up.”
“Walker,” The Dragon said in a deep voice, “It is fairly common for the Awakened to seed a planet with future soldiers for the war. They wait several hundred years for it to ripen, then grab up as many as they can to place them on the frontline. Jahandir just had the bad luck to be on a planet the frontline shifted to.”
“Have you seen something like this before?” Walker asked the Dragon as the beast-headed man slowly recovered.
“I have. It is common news across the years.”
“And what do you think of the Awakened?”
“That they are just as bad as their adversaries. You are Awakened, are you not?”
“No. No, I’m something else.” Walker sighed as he thought. Putting his hands on his head, he paced back and forth as he considered the new information he’d just received. Both sides seemed terrible. Too self-involved, too willing to use people for their own ends, just as he’d considered only a moment ago. The difference between them is he made the conscious decision to be a better person. To guide his people toward strength, not force it upon them. The dragon spoke up, but he had to repeat it again for Walker to hear it.
“Sorry, what was that?”
“I asked if you had an idea about what you’d like to do with us.”
“Well,” Walker replied, “I know you don’t want to stay here, and to be honest, I don’t really enjoy having non-assistants on Sonata. It has a singular purpose, and feeding and caring for you all ain’t it. You have a few options, but there’s one big one.”
“That planet down there,” The dragon said with a nod toward Symphony.
“Yep, but it’ll come with a cost. I can’t let you go back to the Evolvers and potentially give away what I did at the Grand Auction. That’d be a lot of red ink on my name, enough that they’d probably come after me.”
“So we’re prisoners?” The Dragon said, a small puff of smoke leaking from two nostrils.
“I prefer refugees. They can’t kidnap you again if they can’t find you. Same with the Wildkin. I’m thinking I’ll setup an area for you and them, seperately, to live your lives properly. You’ll get a big sky in an ever-expanding world. How does that sound?”
“What is the cost?”
“A drop of blood from everyone who wants to join Symphony, that planet down there.”
The Dragon closed his eyes and looked for a long time, and Walker patiently waited, his mind already running through what he’d need to do if all the refugees agreed. Even Jahandir paused his internal strife to look at the Scalebound Dragon, waiting for his answer. When it came, the Dragon hopped up, leaning back on two thick legs.
“My name is Frayne Blooded, and as long as it harms none of my kin, I will pay your cost.”
“That’s the thing,” Walker replied, instantly killing the moment in the interest of time, “I’m going to make more of your kin, only modified.”
Sensing his grandiose moment didn’t have the impact he wanted, he dropped back down, “Modifications how?”
“I’m going to give them the same start that all my humans did. They’ll be able to gain magic more easily and have access to many different systems unique to my planets.”
It didn’t take long after that for Frayne and Jahandir to agree to his condition. After all, how much harm could a drop of blood do? With a promise that they’d speak to the others, Walker waved them away and created another temporary portal, only this time, to Fortis.
The Conclave of Giants was still ongoing, he the damned timer in his vision continued to countdown to the next battle.
Time remaining until the next battle: 32.4 hours.
Standing on the icy planet just outside of a massive open-air structure made of stone, Walker reached into his overlay for a particular resource. He’d only done this a few times so far. It hurt each and every time, but was necessary for the rulers of Fortis to listen to him.
Grabbing onto the Continuum strand, Walker covered his body in it, flaring his soul simultaneously. Grabbing onto its edges, he began to pull, stretching the loosely bound resource as he did so.
The more he stretched it, the more effect it had on his body, and the more pain he felt as the Continuum strand expanded his shape to fill the missing area. He didn’t stop until the giant stone structure was only large enough to make him duck his head as he entered.
A sixty-foot Walker Reed stepped into a room filled with giants. Only now, they were much, much shorter than he was. Taking a deep breath, Walker roared out his challenge.
“Who will challenge me for the right to speak at the conclave!”
Many hands, clubs, and weapon-shaped rocks lifted into the air as a hundred voices roared in response. Leaping from their seats, a mob of creatures with multiple appendages, singular eyes, and variations of the two charged toward the Creator of Symphony.
He shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t help it.
Walker grinned.
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Jeremy Young
TFTC
