Walker returned to the meeting room, Factions and Nations very much on his mind. It was the start of something bigger than Territories, a map whose contours were already drawn but still had not yet filled out its bolded names. Glancing around to see everyone hard at work, he noted the room was filled with every trained assistant he had. Those he’d sent to orientation still had a few hours to go, so in the meantime, he stepped over to Virgil to finalize the application papers for the Luck’s Haven residents.
“Where are we at?” He asked as he approached Virgil and Athena, who were seated in a red-stoned booth the Tower had created for them.
“Did things go well with Chipper?” Athena said instead.
“Yep, he’s a good man, though a bit too trusting. And before you ask, The Guardian Collective chose Adele over Rine.”
Athena gave him a smile after a momentary wince he didn’t miss, “I know you were worrying over that.”
Walker held himself back from shrugging, “Yeah, the assistants have quite a few things to say about the darkest Guardian. But it’s fine. They chose Adele in the end; she’ll lead them well.”
“To answer your initial question,” Virgil said with a dry air, “I am still finalizing the psychological aspects you requested to be added to the application, while your betrothed will not stop complaining about the seating.”
“It hurts my ass,” Athena waspishly shot back, “It’s very hard, okay?”
“Hrmph,” Virgil grumped, his eyes roaming around his screens.
“What’s Mirail doing?” Walker asked as he took a seat the Tower extended for him.
“Still adding to our crystal collection. I have not yet created the combination we discussed, but I will get to it. The work has not left my mind.”
Walker internally smiled, knowing Virgil loved his work, “So here’s what we have on the docket right now. Finish the Egyptian Primigenial tasks. Get Heph to somehow make me some more items as rewards-”
“That is not yet done?” Virgil replied in exasperation.
“I’m getting to it, calm down,” Walker said with his hands in the air, “I’m juggling a lot of balls right now. So, tasks, items, get these applications into the hands of the Haven residents so we can try to bring them over after the fourth battle, and monitor the event to make sure it works as we wanted it to. Is that everything?”
“We must begin our work with the Concept and Magic chambers, and you need an assistant for Mac, his intrusiveness is becoming bothersome.” Virgil said, finally looking away from his screens, “You also still need to speak to the Consciousness, and you will likely need even more assistants to help you manage those new systems you put together.”
“Aside from the Dungeons, most of the systems are self-managing for once,” Walker replied, pulling a yellow card out of his pocket, “Ulysses gave me the idea for these when I was in the Time Rings.” He said as he flipped it over, one side showing a saddle and the other showing a muscled horse. “To me, they’re a little better than the crystals we’ve been using. Less information is stored, but they’re certainly more aesthetic. A bit of vanity on my part.” Walker flipped it back and forth. “He said there’s something similar done in another multiverse, magical cards or whatever, but there were big limits on them. That’s why, instead of magic, I came up with how to encode soul constructs into them.”
Looking toward an empty area, Walker threw the card. Instead of traveling in a straight line as physics would have demanded, it seemed to wobble and shift mid-air. When it reached a pre-conceived height, the card stopped all motion, forming straight before bursting in a yellow light. As the glare reduced, an outline of a very muscled but small horse stood there. In the center of its chest, a tiny pearl of green could be seen.
Athena’s mouth dropped open with a gasp, along with many of the assistants who had stopped all work to view the majestic creature. In a small voice, she said, “That’s so beautiful.”
“I agree. If you identify him, it’ll say his name is Valiant. The card is like a carrier for the soul construct; it has to recharge over time; otherwise, it can’t come out. I made different levels of them, too, based on how much of the Enhancement strand I placed into them. Valiant is a high-tier mount. Higher tiers mean they can stay out longer. That fella can run for multiple hours at a time.”
“As I understand it, you have a different strand you could have used,” Virgil said in a questioning tone.
He nodded, “Yeah, the Immortal strand was an option. I made two of those, but I’m worried people will use them to create carnage on a large scale. My tests showed they never really die. That isn’t to say they would do any real damage; that’s not what they’re designed for. But it’s pretty scary to have something that eats damage and constantly self-repairs charging at you for hours at a time.” Walker tapped something in his overlay, and the soul construct collapsed back into a card, one that moved unerringly to Walker’s hand, who quickly placed it back into his inventory. “Pretty nifty, right?”
Virgil sighed, moving back to his screens as Athena asked, “Did you make one for me?”
Walker grinned and gave her a card, “These get bound to your Identity, meaning it’s uniquely bound, not something people can just take away from you. I made this one especially for you.”
She flipped the white card over. On one side was a saddle, just like Walker’s, but the other held a large and fearsome owl. She stood up quickly, giving Walker a tight hug, “I love it.”
“And I love you,” He replied softly, “By the way, all of the mounts are pretty dumb.” He said into her hair, “I didn’t want to give any of them consciousness or true life the way Mac is. It wouldn’t be fair to them since they live within the card. Without thoughts of their own, they’re basically blank minds who follow instructions, waiting for their turn to come out but not in any kind of pain.”
She gave him another squeeze before sitting down, “I’ll take a look at it later.”
“Yes, later,” Virgil replied as he looked away from his screens, “I apologize for constantly being the dour one, but based upon how much time is remaining before the fourth battle, I believe you have some work to do.”
Walker looked at his timer.
Time remaining until the next battle: 34+ hours.
He scratched his chin, “Do you think they’ll give us fifty hours again?”
Virgil gave a rare squirrely smile, “In this rendition? Who knows?”
Walker sighed, giving him some side-eye, “Are you going to tell me what you’re doing with that bit of soul in your chest?”
“No, no, I will not,” Virgil replied, going back to his screens and ignoring his Creator.
Walker turned his back to him, not liking the answer. He found a large, angry black squirrel waiting for just that moment, “You realize the event almost entirely ignores Sapient Monsters, right?”
The put-upon Creator did his best to mollify his friend.
Across Symphony…
Every Sapient read the announcement, including many who were not of the human variety.
Before the rules were published, there was a belief that the event would be strictly for the Masters, those who had chosen the life of combat over creation. It was only after they read the point system that they understood it was truly an event for all.
…Rules for the Ascendancy Limited-time Event…
All participants will have twenty-four hours to accrue as many points as possible.
For those focusing on Individual rewards, every Symphonian will now have the option to sign up through the Event option within your overlay.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
For Territories, each Holder and Custodian must choose a category of interest before they can join.
Future events will be longer, with different rewards and options for gaining point totals.
The Leaderboard will be published within one hour of the initial announcement and will automatically update as new point totals update.
We wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.
- - -
-Individual Point Rules-
Donate an Item to the Territory system: points will vary based on quantity and quality. Repeated items of similarity will see diminished returns.
Please check the table at the end to understand how many points an item will likely give.
Acquire new Milestones: points will vary based on difficulty and tier.
Infuse magic into a skill: 150 points, retroactive.
Increase a skill to level 25/50/75/100: 5/25/50/100 points for each, retroactive.
Increase your overall level: One point each, retroactive.
Visit the Eternal Base: 10 points, retroactive.
Visit another Territory: 5 points, retroactive.
Take on a Mentee: 5 points, retroactive.
- - -
-Territory Point Rules-
General points for all categories:
Total Item donations: Vary based on quality and quantity.
Territory levels: 10 points per level, retroactive.
Collective new citizen milestones: 50 points per 500 individual points earned.
Structures: 10 points for each constructed building of Uncommon or above quality.
Road network: 10 points per mile, 200 points for each connected Territory.
Points will be allocated according to each Territory's efforts.
- - -
Agrarian category-specific points:
Produce food: 1 point per 200 pounds of food produced.
Farm expansion: 20 points per cultivated acre, 5 additional points for each new crop type.
Irrigation: 10 points per irrigated acre, retroactive.
Composting: 5 points for the discovery of and use of composting, retroactive.
Exotics: Plant at least one full acre of non-standard crops. This can include the magical variety or those used in the Alchemy system.
…
Communal category-specific points:
Community projects: Create and complete 5/10/15 projects as a community, retroactive.
…
Please continue scrolling to see further category-specific point breakdowns…
…
Within an hour, the Leaderboards were updated, and a certain individual and Territory were spoken of in every chatroom on Symphony.
Ascendancy Event Leaderboard: Individuals
1st: Runner Grove: 687 pts.
2nd: Melias the Wanderer: 480 pts.
3rd: Bailan Smith: 370 pts.
4th: Lucy Reed: 332 pts.
5th: Karen Gold: 230 pts.
…
Ascendancy Event Leaderboard: Territories
1st: Independence: 443 pts.
2nd: Steelspire: 182 pts.
3rd: Echo Crossing: 144 pts.
4th: Prosperity City: 101 pts.
5th: The Consortium: 89 pts.
…
In the north of the new lands…
Thomas Lord, or number two as he was formerly known, was destined to control one of the most successful Territories in Symphony. He hadn’t done well during the Conservatory, and the martial path distinctly did not fit his character as much as it did the woman he was created beside. Having lost many rewards associated with the Conservatory events, Thomas was desperate, needing to use his wits to come out ahead. With a few promises to Runner Grove and an agreement with Lucy Reed, he gained the ability to select the first location of the grand seeding.
After much internal debate and careful study, he’d chosen a central area in an ideal Landmass, holding a bit of everything Symphony had to offer. Fertile fields, a lovely forest for logging, and mountains with naturally developing ore. It even held a rushing river bursting through the middle from top to bottom.
It was perfect.
You see, Thomas was a student of Territorology. Declared as the only pupil Elder Neus officially recognized, Thomas was expected to create a city the likes of which other Founders could only dream of. He’d learned how to entreat people at the hands of Elder Athena, how to help the sick with Elder Asclepius, and even how to speak with a presence from Elder Apollo, though those conversations often devolved into talking about sex. Still, a lot was riding on the thin man’s shoulders, with high expectations for how he would perform once everything began.
That was why he’d chosen the Self-Sufficient category, naming his city Independence as a warning to others who might be aggressive.
Contrary to the city’s name, it was only on the second day that Lucy and her seedlings appeared. Per their agreement, Lucy handed Thomas her unused Foundation stone. By planting it beside his own, the Territory would not only greatly increase in radius, but also gain a second Mana Tree to start. The only delay had been due to travel time and Lucy being forced to keep an eye on all of her people, their minds still too new to the act of living.
While some Founders did descend to Symphony together, they were only granted a minor upgrade of material for their start. By dropping down independently and meeting up, Thomas and Lucy had found a way to skirt the rules, creating a powerful Territory right from the start.
As they had discussed in Sonata, they helped one another train the newly planted people to eat, drink, and sleep. After a day of letting the seedlings get a handle on speaking and how their bodies worked, they moved on to planting and farming crops, very basic structures, and how to hold and use tools; all the basics to surviving.
On the fourth day since the Grand Seeding, Lucy removed another reward she’d gained from her Conservatory efforts. Pulling multiple chests out of her inventory, those who had decided on the martial path opened them, excited to find Improved weapons and armor within. She taught them how to fight and run when needed, while Thomas taught the others about Professions and how to manage and create items using the Territory system. Eventually, with Thomas managing the Professionals and Lucy managing the Masters, they created an even-keeled society, with no Inicipience-type taking precedence over any other.
With the water only a mile from their starting point and a forest right next to it, Thomas spent the fifth day teaching his up-and-coming Professionals how to build ships, starting with the most basic forms for understanding and a great amount of focus on buoyancy. Meanwhile, Lucy took her people to the forest and around the area, locating and destroying any Monster nests that might appear before they could upgrade in Tiers and cause problems. She also spent time explaining that the monsters would return after a set amount of time but that it was a good thing.
They could always use training.
In the quiet moments between fights, where wounds were bandaged and lessons taught, she would speak about the Holy Scripture and the importance of working together. About a man named Walker and his dream for what their world could be. She also used that time to explain Incipience, giving tips on what skills might be best for their current situation and what she expected to see in the near future.
Thomas, with a clear eye for quick expansion, focused his Professional’s efforts on getting their structures up as soon as possible. The harbor was built faster than even the Maritime Territories could manage, with multiple people choosing their names for the first time and Incipient skills related to building, managing, and creating materials. Dozens went with Professions surrounding water, while others focused on logging and carpentry. Only a few took to the idea of mining, but it was enough to balance the needs of a burgeoning society.
Lucy and Thomas had only returned from their trip to the Eternal Base for a day when the event’s announcement came in. Still needing to relax after the impromptu Founder reunion the trip had granted them, it was with no small amount of shock that they read Walker’s message to the lands of Symphony. They received a second shock when, only minutes later, they found their Territory listed as first among those on Symphony.
With a fire in their bellies, they decided to go for broke, instructing all of the citizens of Independence that they would be taking the event seriously. Roads would need to be built, any structures under uncommon would have to be replaced, and they didn’t have much time to get it all done. Independence needed to be the best; nothing less would be accepted.
Not for the first two humans to ever join Symphony.
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