Walker stretched his soul again, aiming for his hips, but his soul snapped back and it hurt far more than when he'd aimed for the collarbones. Echidna said this was because he hadn't stretched it in that direction before, and his soul was still hardening and a good clip. The yellow eyed woman asked that he really take a break from his work with Symphony, and start focusing on gaining ground in the physical stage before he found himself unable to.
So Walker settled into a routine.
He'd stretch his soul for a time, recover from the pain by voyeuristically watching monsters on Symphony, work with Cagna a bit, then back to his painful soul-time. The pink squirrel did add a special limited series that made him laugh hard enough that he had her add it to the milestones, with a new tier and set of pages in the system.
Petting Series: Special, Limited, Complete Basic milestone- Smart: You've pet a squirrel on Symphony, smart! 1 point. Apprentice milestone- Furry: Pet over a hundred creatures. 5 points. Skilled milestone- That's a Lot of Petting: Pet over one thousand creatures. 10 points. Advanced milestone- Petting Dangerously: Pet five different living monsters who are all at different tiers. 20 points. Epic milestone- Not Smart: Pet a Guardian. 50 points.
Godly milestone- Symphonic Petting: Pet the Creator of Symphony. 100 points.
Reward: Obtain eighty or more points and receive the option to speak with the Creator directly. Once. For no more than ten minutes.
Walker thought Cagna had forgotten his comments earlier, but apparently not. He had her create the final milestone just because it would be a quick and easy way to show favor to those he drops in on with the Avatar ability. See someone do something amazing and give them a way to contact him in the future. Sure, the petting was pretty weird, but Cagna said she wanted to make milestones fun, and he liked to humor his assistants when he could. Plus, he felt like she was finally starting to really warm up to him.
Cagna walked off, saying she had other ideas but needed to work on them by herself for a time, so Walker went back to trying to cover his hips with his soul. Facing the rebound and the inherent pain of it, he started his normal rotation of looking at Symphony. This time he zoomed over to look at Chipper, and found words burned into the grass below his tree.
We need to talk friend Walker
"Finally." Walker said with a sigh, and held the monitor to that spot as he clicked on the Avatar ability, sending himself down.
Walker felt his body fade into Symphony, and looked around, not spotting the Alpha Guardian. After a heartbeat, he heard a rustle above, and watched as Chipper jumped down from a branch. He landed lightly and with barely any sound, then spread his magic out, the white coloring washing against the burned words Walker had seen from Sonata. The grass slowly healed itself before him as he watched.
"Neat trick." Walker said approvingly.
Chipper wrote back, "Yes, I discovered it when repairing the damage that Raganoth causes to Symphony."
"Oh?" Walker replied, "Is there a problem?"
"No, not as such, friend Walker. It is inherent to the Poison Wyvern. He cannot help it, and the damage is not so difficult to repair."
Walker nodded with a smile, "Good stuff. So, what did you want to talk about?"
Chipper fiddled with his fingers for a moment, before writing, "We have had a meeting."
Walker's face scrunched up, "I'm confused, who had a meeting? You and Raganoth?"
Chipper shook his head, "No, Walker. Myself and the other Guardians. We call ourselves the Guardian Collective. From time to time, we meet up and discuss the events occuring on Symphony."
Walker snapped his fingers, "Hey! That's pretty great! You guys went and formed your own organization. Good work Chipper."
Chipper smiled, "Thank you. As I was saying, we had a meeting, and the subject of the meeting was in fact my conversation with you not long ago."
"Oh?"
Without any true fanfare, and unexpectedly, Chipper took a knee in front of him, "I choose to become your follower."
Walker's overlay updated and thrust itself into his vision. A lot happened at once.
Religion task Complete: Find one follower for the Dante religion: Part 1
One follower gained: 1/1
Reward for completion: The Follower system
.....Scanning.....
...
.....Error.....
...
Scripture found and completed.
.....Scanning.....
Extraneous reward found.
...
Civilization task given: Build a basic civilization: Series 1
The alpha protocol focuses not only on creating unique worlds, but unique societies as well. Provide your entities with the intelligence and tools to start their own civilization in its basic form.
Basic Civilization requirements:
Settlement founded: No
Social structures or government established: No
Continuous needs met: 0/7 Days
Reward for completion: The Disciple system
.....Scanning.....
...
Disciple subsystem absorbed into the Follower system
New Civilization reward found.
New reward re-assigned to task.
.....Scanning.....
Optional task updated.
Scripture already within system.
Reward pre-emptively assigned.
Optional task updated.
...
Religion task Complete: Write a scripture for the Dante religion: Part 2
Scripture Written: 10/10 Volumes
Reward for completion: Follower system upgrade
...
New Religion task: Select an Insignia and a name for the Dante religion: Part 3
Images and words matter Dante. Using the follower system, create an insignia that will represent your religion to the rest of your world, and find the name that best represents beliefs. Choose wisely, Creator.
Insignia selected: 0/1
Name selected: 0/1
Reward for completion: Follower system upgrade
- - -
Civilization task given: Build a basic civilization: Series 1
The alpha protocol focuses not only on creating unique worlds, but unique societies as well. Provide your entities with the intelligence and tools to start their own civilization in its basic form.
Basic Civilization requirements:
Settlement founded: No
Social structures or government established: No
Continuous needs met: 0/7 Days
Reward for completion: The Trophy system
- - -
Reward for completing the first religion task:
Congratulations Dante! You've unlocked the Follower system!
The Follower system is unique within the collected systems of the alpha protocol. Created by an entity in the first rendition, rather than a Creator, it cannot be modified or copied from its original state. This system is only unlocked by Creators who have touched upon the powers of the soul, and is only available due to an agreement with the system's creator and the alpha protocol council.
Limit: Cannot be changed or modified from its original state.
Upgradeable.
Reward for completing the second religion task:
Congratulations Dante! You've upgraded the Follower system!
No information was provided.
Upgradeable
Chipper looked confused while Walker went through the notifications that seemed to have sprung a leak.
"Who is Dante?" he wrote out, waiting for Walker to look up.
As he wrote that question, a book popped out of thin air and landed in the grass in front of him. He looked it over for a moment before picking it up. Walker looked away from his overlay, and to his non-surprise, found the giant Albino squirrel holding a copy of his holy scripture. It was the exact same version as his original journal, with the camo front and creased spine.
"Zummm." Walker said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Dante, technically. The alpha protocol needed me to pick a name, and I picked one from the history of my world. He was a man who had to survive many trials while continuing in his search for greater meaning in life. That's why I picked it. I didn't really know what I was doing here or how things would proceed, so I picked a name that reflected a fellow explorer of the dark."
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
"That is quite interesting Walker." Chipper wrote in the air. "I like the name. Dante."
"Thank you." Walker said with a smile. His eyes caught on the journal again and he looked back at Chipper's face, "Yeahhh, so. I have to ask. What made you agree to be my follower?"
Chipper canted his head to the side, then wrote in the air with a shakier hand than his normal dexterity provided, "I am the sacrifice."
"I'm sorry?" Walker asked him, not quite believing what he said.
"It was decided in our meeting, that one of us needed to see if you are evil, or good. I volunteered to become your follower so we could ascertain which of those two ideas you might be."
Walker shook his head in disbelief, automatically saying what he'd always told his students, "There is no good or evil, the world is a field of Grey."
Chipper shook his head in response, mimicking him, "I disagree. I've lived here for over fifty years, and the manticores are surely evil. They care only to kill, and often not even for food. They are a blight on this world."
Walker could only shrug at that, "You may be right. But at least they're manageable."
Chipper didn't say anything in return, just continued to look at him as he returned the same. They stared at each other for over a minute before Walker said, "I'm not evil."
"I didn't think you were." Chipper wrote back immediately.
"Look....you can read right?" Walker couldn't help but ask.
The albino squirrel looked at the words slowly fading in the air, before glancing at him again with a disapproving look on his face, "Righttt...of course you can. Sorry, my old world still influences my thoughts sometimes, and experience has shown me that not everyone is a good reader. Or, can read in general." Walker pointed at the journal in the Guardian's hand. "Read the book. The beginning is pretty stupid, but the rest of it isn't. Spend a bit of time reading it, then I'll hop back here and we'll talk again."
Chipper nodded, "That is acceptable. I will see you in not too long Creator." After saying so, he hopped up onto a high branch and began the process of reading Walker's terrible writing. Walker thought to ask the Guardian to pet him....but that seemed a little strange now. The Creator sighed and clicked the Avatar ability, sending himself back to Sonata. When he got back, the primigenials looked over at him, noticing something was different. But, he waved them off saying "Not now!". Zeus nodded and kept them back, keeping his word from earlier about better managing them.
Walker took a beat on Sonata, then clicked on the Follower system in his overlay.
Hello Walker, and welcome to the follower system.
Oh shit, it knew his real name. That was disconcerting.
This is not a system that allows the head of the religion to abuse or enslave their followers, so if that is what you were looking for, you're out of luck. My name is unimportant, but just know that this message is for any Awakened who have found their Alma. The true reason I created this system was to connect elevated beings with their followers, and allow them to connect with purpose. The following is a list of some of the things you will be able to do as you progress your religion:
Create a Scripture (Complete)
Create a leader for your religion (upgrade needed)
Create a hierarchy of members (upgrade needed)
Assign tasks to your followers (upgrade needed)
Assign rewards for your followers (upgrade needed)
Create separate religious branches (upgrade needed)
Allow your followers to communicate with each other from long distances (upgrade needed)
Create holy sites that interact with their surroundings (upgrade needed)
Update your scripture at need (upgrade needed)
Ability to declare a holy war (upgraded needed)
More...
The referenced upgrades will come with time and experience as your religion grows. Your first task is already set. Please....
As Walker watched, the Follower system seemed to bug out for a moment, with his screens fast forwarding through a text he never really got a chance to read. Finally it settled again.
Hello again, Walker.
Congratulations on writing your scripture. One moment please.
.....Scanning Scripture.....
.....
Scan Complete!
Theological Consistency: B+
Fervor Rating: C
Moral and Ethical Guidance: A
Overall grade: B
Walker snorted. He hadn't received a B for his writing in over a decade. He did nod his head at the Fervor rating. Inspiring his followers to allow for total dependency on The Unending Summit was never in the plans. The guidance grade made him smile though. At least he got that right according to a random system created by a random person in the first rendition. With recommendations like that, he couldn't lose!
This is quite the interesting scripture Walker. It falls in-line with my own thoughts on how to form an excellent cadre of followers without greatly demanding from them. My world disallowed the idea of progressing in strength for individuals. The rulers decided that wherever a person was upon birth, be it geography or class, was where they stayed. It was only through hard work and the death of many that we forced a change here. I sincerely hope you do not have to go through a similar circumstance.
Walker nodded his head, seeing how that could happen. He reflected on what the system was saying to him. This was the most unusual set of system messages he had received since first unlocking the protocol. It was almost like it was alive. Curiously, he said out loud "Can you hear me?".
Walker waited for a few minutes, but received no response or change in the systems routine as the writing kept flashing into his overlay.
I believe you may be a great candidate for a set of items within the Follower system that are unique. Keep on the lookout for extra unlocked abilities as time goes forward. Good luck with your religion, Creator.
Please select a name and create an image to represent your religion.
Walker watched as the follower system faded in the background, and two squares appeared on his screen. As he looked at the two squares, he had a thought.
Echidna had set him up for this from the start. The Holy Scripture had been absorbed by his task, allowing him to skip a step that would've taken a very long period of time. He could have been stuck on that task for weeks, instead of being ready right away. He had no clue that was going to happen, but she did. Walker looked over at her, and noticed her smiling back. He gave a thumbs up, which felt far too small of a gesture, and went back to the Follower system. It's not that he didn't appreciate her, but he wanted to complete this task with gusto so he could continue moving through them at a blistering pace. There was always more work to be done.
Walker clicked on the name box and wrote The Unending Summit. He finalized his choice, and the box faded away as he did so.
The next part asked him for an emblem. So, he spent quite a bit of time drawing and etching. Once he was sure he had a solid outline of what he wanted, the screen changed to a thousand different colors, allowing him to fill it in. When he was done, a dark brown mountain on a forest green hexagon showed up in the image creator. It just....felt right. The top of the mountain couldn't be seen, and the way up seemed treacherous, with a thin path that had broken stepping. It was a good representation of who they were as a group of people. They were a way of living, not one of prayer or belief. He clicked accept and his overlay updated yet again.
Religion task complete: Select an Insignia and a name for the Dante religion: Part 3
Insignia selected: 1/1
Name chosen: 1/1
Reward for completion: Follower system upgrade
...
New Religion task: Choose the title of the person who will lead your religion: Part 4
Dante, a leader is required for every major religion. While councils are useful for other matters, having a singular leader of an organization allows for clear decision-making and improved efficiency. Create a title that the leader of your religion will hold, and others will whisper of in the quiet moments of the dark.
Title Created: 0/1
Reward for completion: Follower system upgrade
- - -
Reward for completing the third religion task:
Congratulations Dante! You've upgraded the Follower system!
No information was provided.
Upgradeable
Echidna's help was still paying off dividends here. Walker was notoriously bad with names, but as he'd written his scripture, she would pull him aside every so often and talk to him about his goals, his life, what he planned on doing with Symphony. It had helped to solidify his agenda and help him come up with a system that would work for a long period of time. Walker typed in the title he'd already come up with some time ago. Zenith.
Religion Task complete: Choose the title of the person who will lead your religion: Part 4
Title Created: 1/1
Reward for completion: Follower system upgrade
...
New Religion task: Create the first ranks and roles for your religion: Part 5
Ranks and advancement. While advancement is a pinnacle focus in the alpha protocol, ranks are a way to recognize entities who have moved to a higher threshold. Create a system of ranks and the roles they will fulfill, allowing your followers to always have a next step to take.
Minimum amount of ranks created: 0/3
Roles assigned to ranks: 0/total ranks created
Reward for completion: The Follower system will upgrade twice
- - -
Reward for completing the fourth religion task:
Congratulations Dante! You've upgraded the Follower system!
No information was provided.
Upgradeable
Walker looked at three squares with another set of smaller squares underneath them in his overlay. Walker sat down in his computer chair to consider the names, always the names. He pondered and mentally pontificated. Hemmed and hawwed. Finally, he came up with a good series of names and was ready for the next step. Unknown to him, those three names took him well over an hour to come up with.
He clicked on the left-most square and typed in his answer, then the middle, then the right. For roles, he sorted them based upon what he felt people should focus on the most as they're first learning how to navigate everything. It was important that the focus not only be on the Unending Summit, but Symphony as well. Walker didn't want his didn't want his followers to needlessly die trying to find their own paths forward. Especially not at the very beginning. That isn't to say risk and reward shouldn't go hand and hand, only that it should be tempered with experience and wisdom. With that in mind, Walker wrote out simple descriptions for the three roles, using the potential future follower system upgrades as a basis for how the roles would proceed.
As he clicked accept, the Zenith title appeared in the fourth slot with an empty role box below it. That one was trickier. He spent several minutes figuring out what he wanted them to do, with an obviously large amount of latitude, before writing it in and clicking accept again. A fifth and larger box appeared at the top, with the eight filled out boxes below it. It said with a mild simpleness, "Overall follower moniker.". Walker smiled, thank you again Echidna. Walker clicked accept and a series of notifications appeared.
Religion founded: The Unending Summit
Followers of The Unending Summit will forevermore be called Horizon Chasers
Ranks and roles within The Unending Summit
Pathfinder Explorer Seeker Zenith Pathfinders will read, and understand, the Holy Scripture of The Unending Summit. Promotion test required for the next stage. Explorers will travel across the breadth of Symphony, in search of greater strength. Promotion trial required for the next stage. Seekers will join a library in Symphony, and contribute their own knowledge from their time as an explorer to the greater knowledge of The Unending Summit. Promotion review required for the next stage. The leader of The Unending Summit. The Zenith will ensure the growth of their members, make major decisions regarding the focus of their religion, and remove any corruption found within their ranks. They are empowered by the Creator to take any actions necessary to achieve their goals. This is the final stage.
Walker smiled as he read it. It was only the first three ranks, and he had plans for more ranks to follow, but these would do just fine for getting started. Since every new follower he would receive gained a free version of his Holy Scripture, it was easy to set them up at the start. The Explorers trial didn't have to be combat related, he would have to create multiple options as more of his systems came online. Finally, the Seeker would be required to create their own knowledge, likely in a book format, to advance beyond. This allowed his libraries to not only get fleshed out by his followers, but it would also create an intrinsic need for his followers to protect libraries as their central banks of knowledge.
Walker paused in his thoughts. Hrmm, he may have to create a guardian role for Libraries as well. Something to consider for the future. Maybe he'd call them...no Guardians is taken. They had their own duties. Librarians should focus on maintaining the library and working with the visitors and Horizon Chasers. Ah....Custodians...no. That still didn't sound right. He'd figure it out when he got there.
Walker stretched his back as his overlay updated yet again. Progress was really flying by thanks to his preparation.
Religion task complete: Create the first ranks and roles for your religion: Part 5
Minimum amount of ranks created: 4/3
Roles assigned to ranks: 4/4
Reward for completion: The Follower system will upgrade twice
...
New Religion task: Create the first task and assign it to a follower of your religion: Part 5
Finally, the Creator is able to create their own tasks for their people within the alpha protocol. This is the first task assignment, but do not let it be the last. Entities need to feel like what they do matters, and with religion, even more so.
Task Created: 0/1
Task assigned to a follower of your religion: 0/1
Reward for completion: The Follower system will upgrade, additional reward possible.
- - -
Reward for completing the fifth religion task:
Congratulations Dante! You've upgraded the Follower system twice!
No information was provided.
Upgradeable
Walker grinned at the new update. So, he needed to assign a task? Easy. He clicked on his ranks breakdown in the Follower system and clicked on Pathfinder. There was a blank spot next to the name where a task could be set, as he clicked on it, another blank spot appeared underneath it. Apparently it was fairly simple to make tasks for this, not unlike his future quest system he was planning on creating. He assigned a prescribed task to the role and clicked accept. A notification rang out with more than just the words. Walker clearly heard a bell chime in the back of his mind.
New task created for Explorers of The Unending Summit.
[Read and understand the Holy Scripture. A test will be required for future promotional opportunities]
Walker's overlay updated yet again....this was still going to take some time. He focused up and continued to build his newly founded religion.