Chapter 125: Unending, the Summit
🕑 Added 2024-11-17 23:16:52 +0000 UTCAuthor's note:
Sadly, no text of the interview. It was audio only, through and through. It's about 47 minutes long, and I feel like I did a good job with it, but who knows. Interviews are tricky things.
Across the breadth of Symphony, an announcement came forth. Only, it was for a very particular set of people. Not everyone received it, but the word spread for those who did, and tongues wagged across every corner of the still-rising planet.
Notice: To all members of the Unending Summit
A meeting will soon be called by the creator of your religion: Dante
Please be prepared to travel to the location at the appointed time.
Time remaining: 1 Hour
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Chipper glared at the golden manticore. He’d renamed it in his mind because there was nothing mini about it anymore. For several days, he’d run across the breadth of Symphony, seeking traces of the creature. At first, he’d found only rumors, young humans speaking of a group of their people who had been killed in a far-off place. Then, he’d begun to see the wreckage of what the creature left behind in its killings. Bodies filled with poison, their faces a rictus of pain and horror. Their deaths indiscriminate and randomly chosen, following the path of a creature who had only one goal in mind.
To kill.
It wasn’t until today, just after receiving a system message, that he had come upon the monster who had made the Collective’s life a living hell for several years.
Chipper used Identify.
(Identify)
Name: Metra
The Wind of Calamity
Tier: Five
Species: Mini-Manticore
Age: 50 Years
Description: A female manticore with a history of elusive violence
The strange writing below the creature's name was something new. A few of the humans he’d spoken to recently had shown something similar, although theirs were less…violent.
Chipper looked the golden creature in the eyes. Pushing magic from the center of his chest, he felt its warmth spread through his extremities, starting with his arms until they felt like bursting. As he pushed it toward his feet, prepared for the final fight to decide who controlled this part of Symphony, he felt the air around him stop moving.
“Yeah, I can’t let this happen.” A voice said from nearby.
Unable to turn his head, Chipper watched from the extreme corner of his eyes as his world's Creator took measured steps toward him and his nemesis.
“You…Metra, have been quite the problem for Symphony. According to my Head of Entities, you’ve killed a dozen creatures in only the last few hours. Let me see here.”
He entered Chipper's vision, his fingers tapping on the air as he looked at the golden monster in front of him.
“It says here you achieved sapience only a few hours ago, but rather than slow down the killing, you stepped it up, becoming more efficient as time moved forward.” He looked back at Chipper for a moment, “pun intended.”
He tapped a few more times, a large screen appearing in front of him for both Walker and the Golden manticore to see, “Your records also show that across your lifetime, thousands have fallen to you. And more than that, your children are known to be the most vicious of any others within your entire genus. That’s quite the achievement.” He tapped his chin as the screen scrolled down, “Under normal circumstances, I would celebrate your skills. To a large degree, you’re following the exact route I had hoped the Citizens of Symphony would find. Self-empowerment. Achievement through your own actions. Growth of self, even. But,” He glanced back at Chipper quickly before turning back to the creature, “You’re about to get into a fight with my friend here. And while I’d like to believe he would come out on top and that my interruption here isn’t warranted, I’m afraid I do not have a lot of time as he and I have an appointment. So-” Chipper felt a breeze blow through, removing whatever restriction was holding him in place as he began to charge his magic once again, “Here’s my offer, and I do hope you’re listening.”
“What!” The creature hissed out, her head free to move while her body was obviously still held in whatever lock Walker was using.
“Feisty,” Chipper heard, moving around just enough to see the grin splashed on Walker’s face, “I let you go, and you gather up all of your progeny and move off to an area I’ll build just for you. It’ll be safe, there’ll be plenty of things to hunt and kill, and you’ll get to live out your life without having people like my friend here hunting you. No, you won’t be able to go around killing humans anymore, as you’ll be in an enclosed area. But you also won’t be hunted to extinction. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?”
Chipper had an idea of what he was doing, but he also had an idea of just how much malice was built into the “golden wind”. The creature enjoyed killing just for the act of it, with many Guardian’s stories flowing through his memory of heavily poisoned creatures left to rot and die slowly. This was a fool’s errand.
The bane of his people's existence hissed, her eyes directly on Chipper’s own, “I’ll not stop until these…monsters are all filled with the touch of my people. They’ve hunted us no matter where we go! They do not deserve the freedoms they hold!”
“So you won’t stop? No matter what I offer you?” Walker asked, his voice showing none of the inflection Chipper was used to hearing.
“Never!”
“Okay,” Walker made an odd gesture with one hand, and Chipper felt Symphony react. One moment, a low breeze moved through the area, fluffing the thick white hairs extending across his body. The next, he felt himself forced to sit down heavily, the draw of the planet unerringly pulling him toward its core.
For the golden mini-manticore and the nemesis of his entire species? She exploded, flattened into the ground so hard that a great hole was all that remained of her. A golden glow emitted from within, something he hadn't seen before.
The pressure let up immediately, Walker speaking out loud as he walked toward the hole in the ground “Sorry you got a piece of that, Chipper. I really wanted her to live with some kind of happiness now that she’d reached sapience. But sadly, that wasn’t meant to be. Maybe we just need to start over with the mini-manticores, I don’t know.” He jumped in, the glow disappearing, before jumping out again as something disappeared from his hand.
Chipper did his best to catch his breath quickly, standing upright and writing in the air.
“Hello, Walker.”
“Aloha, Chipper.”
“I have to admit, I am not best pleased with you.”
“Oh?” Walker tilted his head, “Did I do something to upset you?”
“Yes,” Chipper replied, writing the word in an extra large font, “I’ve hunted her for several days, with my success at the tips of my fingers. However, you came in, trapped us both, and killed her as if it were nothing to you.” Chipper took a long breath before writing, “And thus, I am not best pleased with you.”
“Yeah, uh,” Walker scratched the back of his head, “Sorry, man. That trapping thing is something new to me, a gift from the Omniverse for one of my discoveries. Essence of Stillness, or whatever. It’s pretty handy.” He snapped his fingers, “I bet you're wondering why I’m here.”
Chipper couldn’t help but roll his eyes, something he’d seen one of the new sapients doing when he spoke with them, “I thought it was to rescue me?”
“Yes, yes,” Walker said, waving one hand, “But that’s only a happy coincidence.” Standing tall, which next to Chippers five-foot height was tall indeed, he put his hands on his hips, “I am here to ask you if you’d like to lead the Unending Summit. To be…The Zenith!”
Chipper gave him an expression he normally saved for Raganoth when the Poison Wyvern was being his most ridiculous. Writing in the air, he stood back, waiting for an explanation.
“The what?”
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Across Symphony, the appointed time quickly approached.
As the seconds counted down, a message appeared for each member of the Unending Summit.
Notice: To all members of the Unending Summit
The meeting of the Unending Summit approaches. You will now have the option of attending or not.
The location of the meeting is a secret, and the Creator of your religion, Dante, cannot guarantee your safety.
However, rewards will be granted to all who attend, with explanations for the future of the Unending Summit provided at no burden fo the follower.
You have a choice.
Will you attend the meeting, or will you not?
Time remaining: 1 Minute
As each member wrestled with the idea of attending what could be a monumental grouping of all of Dante’s followers, danger or not, an option appeared. A flashing yes stood out beside a flashing no.
Each made their choice.
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“Are you sure about this?” Walker asked Chipper again, “This isn’t something I can really take back. Once it’s setup, that’s kind of the way things are now.”
Chipper nodded, writing in the air, “I’m sure. If you want me as your Zenith, this is my cost.”
Walker shrugged, “Alright, although I think Raganoth may be a bad influence on you.” He turned, his eyes tracking left and right across the expanse. “Times almost up. You ready to meet your flock?”
The Guardian and soon-to-be Zenith nodded again, “Yes. Yes, I am.”
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The Unending Summit was, in the eyes of anyone with common sense, an incredibly young religion. Its tenets boiled down to three things.
Tenet 1: Teach a man to fish, rather than giving him one.
Tenet 2: Be respectful until such a time as respect is no longer appetizing.
Tenet 3: Keeping and spreading knowledge is a worthwhile endeavor.
Whether these Tenets will be followed is truthfully unknown. What is known is that studying of The Unending Summit’s Holy Scripture has become a requirement of every Territory since the Grand Seeding. Swearing to the religion of Dante wasn’t required, but without the knowledge of the Scripture, more humans would have died than either Virgil or Walker would have ever expected. Because of such, Walker and Chipper should have picked a far better location for the meeting.
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Walker was attempting to teach Chipper how to whistle when the first portal appeared. Ulysses had already complained about being forced to be a caddy service for the time being, but neither of them had expected how many would sign up to attend.
Chipper looked at the Creator as he spoke to the air, “What do you mean over a hundred thousand people clicked yes? Didn’t they see the warning?”
Chipper wrote in the air, “Walker?”
“Look, I already gave you a ton of strands just for this event. Asking for more isn’t going to do anything but make me mad at you. You’ve gotta learn to work within your means.”
Chipper looked at the crowd, then back at Walker, whose eyes were closed as he rubbed his forehead. Rather than write again for someone who wouldn’t see it, he stepped over and tapped on Walker’s shoulder.
“Huh? What’s up, Chipper?”
Walker looked out on over one hundred thousand silent souls staring at him—silent except for a sprinting Runner who was saying hello to all of her friends.
“Oh.” He cleared his throat, “Welcome, Horizon-Chasers!”
Acting as if they hadn’t all been staring at him, Walker began to step forward. Each step landed on air that hardened just below his feet, a wavy look showing it was anything but normal. “I bet you’re all wondering what we’re doing here? That’s an excellent question. Firstly, this is going to be the home of the Unending Summit. The base of all our operations.” He spread his arms out wide, indicating the whole area.
As the massive group of people looked around at the empty expanse of grass, excepting one large Mana Tree with a single Guardian on it, they began to whisper to each other.
“There’s nothing here…”
“Is Walker alright?”
“Hey Lucy, did his hair change colors?”
“Maybe he’s dyeng it?”
Walker cleared his throat again, “Sorry, we-uh, should have set this up better before you arrived. Hold on a second.” He hopped down, landing beside Chipper.
“Last time to back out.”
Chipper wrote in the air, “I choose to be the Zenith.”
Walker gave him a glorious smile before handing him something. It looked like a large glowing pebble, but as the Alpha Guardian held it, his body yearned for him to absorb as much of the magic as he could. It was an odd feeling he didn’t know how to express. Like discovering he was hungry when he’d never before eaten. Walker folded his hands over the stone before speaking.
“That’s a special Foundation Stone. When you plant it in the ground, a few things are going to happen. I think you should probably do it in a spot where no one else is standing, or it could be pretty messy.”
Nodding, Chipper quickly stepped away as Walker spoke to the crowd.
“In a few seconds, a momentous occasion will occur. Before that, I wanted to explain a few things. For those of you established as Territory Holders, today, you will receive a special voucher within the Territory system. It will allow you to construct a library free of charge; the cost will be passed on to myself as an apology for not having it ready sooner. Each will be a bastion for followers of the Unending Summit, or just those who are interested in learning more about Symphony. More about that in a moment.”
Walker paused as the Guardian reached a peaceful area without anyone nearby, “Secondly, our Zenith has been found. Chipper, standing way over there, will be the leader of the Unending Summit from now until he no longer wishes to be. All orders given by Chipper will be as if they were given by myself. I suggest you heed his wisdom, as unlike many people I have met, Chipper never lies.”
Receiving a definitive nod from the Creator, the large white squirrel bent down and scooped some grass and dirt out of the ground. Placing the large stone underneath it, he patted the area flat before taking two steps back.
“Before the event-”
Walker never got to finish speaking as Chipper’s overlay updated at the same time as the ground erupted beneath him.
Congratulations Chipper!
You have established a Special Territory related to your religion, The Unending Summit.
As the first Sapient monster to create their own Territory, you’ve earned Milestone points.
As the first Sapient monster to create their own Special Territory, you’ve earned Milestone points.
Symphony message:
Congratulations to Chipper! Chipper is the first Sapient monster to establish a Territory in Symphony history! 500 Milestone points!
Symphony message:
Congratulations to Chipper! Chipper is the first Sapient monster to establish a Special Territory in Symphony history! 500 Milestone points!
As the double messages hit him, Chipper felt himself lifted in place as the ground split open around him. As that occurred, his kernel, that place deep within him, felt the moment the magic in the area increased. It wasn’t a doubling or a tripling, but far far more as he continued to move higher in the air.
When the ground beneath him finally settled, Chipper waved away his screens to get a better look around.
“As I said, Chipper will be the first ever Zenith of the Unending Summit. Something which I believe should be celebrated. You may not know this, in fact, I’m sure all of you do not. But long ago, compared with how long Symphony has been around, Chipper defended our world from annihilation. None of us would be here without his help. I promised myself that one day, I would build something that told everyone who saw it how important he is to our history. And by his own hand, you can now see the greatness he contains within.”
Chipper looked down, not understanding what he was standing on. Jumping back, he pushed magic into his feet, pressing it down to slow his descent. As he did so, the magic in the area not only accepted his presence but enhanced it. As much magic as he pushed into the bottom of his feet also soaked back into his kernel from outside his body. Even more so.
As the wonder of unlimited magic pushed into his mind, he finally caught a glimpse of what he’d been standing on.
It was a statue, dozens of times larger than himself. It depicted himself throwing a punch toward what looked like a skeleton in armor. As his punch was connecting, the skeleton’s sword was stabbed through him.
Chipper landed near the feet of the statue, where a large rectangular plaque held writing.
Dedicated to the First Guardian of Symphony, Chipper.
Chipper had no memory of the fight, but he understood what he was seeing. Just as he began to turn around, another notification went out.
Symphony message:
Congratulations to Chipper! Chipper is the first established leader of a religion in Symphony history! 500 Milestone points!
Symphony message:
Congratulations to all members of the Unending Summit! As the first religion to establish a leader, you will all receive points towards the Milestone store. 50 Milestone points for all!
“And just like that, the Eternal Base is raised! Come on in everybody, and let me show you the Great Library. Any book accepted there will duplicate itself to every other library across Symphony. It’s a hell of a thing.”
Walker stepped over to a stunned Chipper, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Let's get going, Zenith.”
Chipper looked up, tears falling down his face.
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As the Horizon Chasers entered the Eternal Base, wavy reflections of their Creator grabbed multiple groups, walking them through the area. The most important location was obviously the Great Library, but other wonders presented themselves.
The growth chamber astounded the more magically inclined members of the crowd. Dozens of tiny, Overwhelming Mana Tree’s sat, cultivating themselves as the reflections explained that they’d never grow beyond a few feet, and that it was a good thing.
The training yard blew away the more martially minded, as living, talking weapons challenged any and all to a fight, promising they’d greatly improve their skills.
But it was the Portal chamber that caught the eye of every Territory Lord. Dozens of portals sat, waiting for use, as the true center of Symphony burned itself into the minds of all who attended.
And at the front entrance to the Eternal Base, a great city the likes of which Symphony had never yet seen, a large statue presented itself for any entering to view.
A statue of a hero, fighting for the betterment of all.
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Jeremy Young
TFTC
