Creation: Book 3: Strandbinder Complete!

The first thing Walker did was ignore his overlay and all of the updates flashing for his attention. He moved away from the others so that only Symphony was in his view, and just looked at the planet, making sure it was as he remembered it. Off to the side, just far enough away to not affect his planet, was a collection of green and yellow pieces of land floating in space. Walker pulled up his monitor ability and shifted it over, taking a look.

It seemed that Warclaws enjoyed either the forest or the desert, as that was all he saw. Yellow sand and dunes stretched across most of what was left, but they weren't in the shape of a world, just hodgepodge pieces of land with no foundational bottom to be seen. A grand series of flat lands floating in the cosmos.

After having looked at what he'd gained from Crratch, and confirming there were no changes he could see on Symphony, he moved his monitor over and looked in on Chipper.

And there he was. An albino squirrel sitting in a large magical tree, looking out over a vista he felt dutybound to protect. Walker zoomed in on his face, and noticed how at peace he seemed in that moment. The Creator smiled at his friend. There'd be time to talk to him soon, but first, he had larger requirements of him. He also checked in on the golden Battlefrog, dooting as he rolled in his flowers like Rimi had said, and Phil, currently attacking defenseless bugs and hissing as they died. Everything was as it should be.

"I need to make more prey for the desert, there's not enough for the Scorpions." Walker said quietly to himself, but his assistant still heard him.

"I can take care of that. Please go through your rewards and familiarize yourself with all that we have gained. In a relatively short time period, it is quite a lot to take in."

Walker nodded and glanced through his overlay, Virgil was right.

Congratulations Dante!

The following is a list of rewards you recently earned in the second battle of the 4AA Creator Wars.

Systems unlocked through rewards:

The Auxiliary Landmass Subsystem is Unlocked- Planning

Advanced Assistant (Virgil) receives limited access to the Landmass Subsystem

The Gambling System is Unlocked- Battles Only

The Auction System is unlocked.

The Cosmic Genesis System is unlocked.

- - -

Entity, Genetic, and Genus rewards:

The Warclaw genetic blueprint is obtained- This genus is locked from Creator Dante: Only general seeding allowed

Raganoth the Bleeder is obtained--Error

.....Scanning.....

Alpha Protocol Council changes found

Raganoth the Bleeder will retain all abilities and memories from before and during the second battle

The Wyvern genus is obtained in its entirety

Miscellaneous rewards:

+50 Temporal resources

Armor given to two entities- Armor removed upon death and resurrection

An abundance of landmass creation instrument materials

An abundance of entity creation instrument materials

All of the defeated Creator's landmasses: Eight found

+70 Temporal resources

The Broadcast ability

+225 Temporal resources

.....Scanning.....

Optional tasks updated!

All Gambling System tasks are hidden by the Alpha Protocol until the third battle.

Auction task: Enter the Auction: Part 1

The Alpha Protocol is not the only protocol within the multiverse. Enter the Auction, and prepare yourself for wonders your eyes will never see anywhere else in creation.

Entrance requirements:

Creator has selected the Auction system within their overlay: No

Reward for completion: 20 Temporal Resources.

Cosmic Genesis task complete: Build your first cosmic entity: Series 1

The Cosmic Genesis system is rare within the Alpha Protocol. To build a cosmic entity is an undertaking only the greatest of each rendition's Creators have accomplished over time, connecting different worlds within their own Cosmere. Build, create, destroy. It is all the same in the protocol's eyes.

System requirements:

Cosmic entity is active and non-volatile: No

Cosmic entity does not impinge on other Creator's worlds: No

Reward for completion: Cosmic Genesis system costs reduced.

- - -

Congratulations Dante on completing the second battle!

Please keep an eye on the timer for the forthcoming third battle.

Walker looked at the ever-present timer in the corner of his overlay.

Time remaining until the next battle: 120 hours.

They had only added twenty hours to the last battle's timer, which seemed odd. The first battle gave only twenty-four hours, the second gave 100. He asked Virgil about the strange time choices, who was currently using two of the evolution chambers.

"The first allotment of time was based on pressuring the creators of the Alpha Protocol to get to work. The lazy, the stupid, and the conscientious objectors get knocked out early. It takes a specific kind of person to not only become a Creator, but succeed as well."

"There are people dumber than Crratch?" Walker asked, remembering the Warclaw and his lack of an advanced assistant.

"Very much so. I know of one randomly chosen Creator, much like yourself, who was essentially a puddle of mud. If you do not complete the first tasks within the timeframe you are given, then removal is a foregone conclusion."

"So, what is the purpose of the timers on these battles?"

"It is an oddly large amount of time if you can believe it." Virgil said, making some final changes to a chamber before moving to the next one. "These will come out just fine." He said, patting them. Walker looked inside and found a large fox in one and an oversized prairie dog in the other. "In some of the previous renditions I have information on, the creators were given half as much time in between battles are you are now receiving. I believe this rendition is getting special treatment."

Walker tried not to think about how much the Alpha Protocol's Council had spoken to him or the way they had pushed him in the last battle, "That reminds me, you said earlier, during one of the later rounds, that you thought they were trying to speed it up. Did you see that we only came in second?"

"Indeed. It is likely that the Creator who came in first is unbelievably smart. To defeat a Council Sentinel and live to tell the tale? They must have some very powerful entities. Chipper is already among one of the most powerful early entities I've seen at this stage of the alpha protocol." Virgil tsk'd at something he saw in his screen before continuing. "Every time I try to look at who the winning Creator is, I come back with nothing. It is quite confusing, and, if I'm being honest, worrying."

"Yeah, but if they don't want you to see it, there isn't much you can do. I'm still just ignoring the chatrooms. I don't think I want to go back in there after the Slicer tore through Joliva's planet. I glanced for just a moment before the battle, and that was enough to see how the other creators feel about me."

"Yes. They are not speaking kindly of you, but I still have no update on what your original entity is doing."

"Okay, thanks for the information."

"My pleasure. Do you know what you will do now?"

Walker scratched his chin, "I was thinking of messing around with my new systems."

Virgil nodded as he said, "Yes. I was surprised that you picked the Cosmic Genesis system over the others. The Dragon bloodline alone would be a massive gain for us."

Walker turned away with a wave of his hand, "I have my own solution for that, but we'll see if it works out. Please get the prey out to the desert. I'm sure Phil will appreciate it."

"Will do, Creator." Virgil said with a smile as he turned back to the evolution chambers.

Walker saw Echidna wave him over, but he put up a hand in a stalling gesture. He knew what he was doing next and it was an important step. The Cosmic Genesis system's reason for being was in the name. Cosmic means the stars, galaxies, planets, and other things found within the greater scope of the universe. Genesis translates to the beginning or origin of something. Put them together, and you have a planet-building system, or more importantly, a star-building one.

Walker still had a lot of limitations before he could start plopping sapients into his world. He knew, without being told, that the protocol was still compensating for his lack of light. But, he felt there was a limit to what this unnamed ability could do, so the true first step to creating a civilization was to build a star. That was the plan, and the Cosmic Genesis system was how he got there. He came up with a mental list of what he would need to do to get his civilization started before the third battle.

1. Build a star with the Cosmic Genesis system.

2. Find a caretaker to watch over them, and he knew just the albino squirrel to do it.

3. Build the milestone system so the class and monster systems would fit within his overarching plan

4. Get the class system up and running, and maybe change the name to better fit his future sapient creatures and the roads they would walk upon

5. Modify his sapients before placing them, and for that, he would likely need the fertility modification. Humans are naturally flawed creatures. Maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to make his people a little better than those in the world he left behind

The sun was first, and that was what he was doing now.

He clicked the Cosmic Genisis System button, and the tiny world he was first translocated to faded away around him. Walker finally got his god-like feeling as he stood looking down on the tiny form of Symphony with his even smaller world beside it. From his size, it appeared as if both were no more than small and oddly-colored marbles. A massive screen rose and expanded, lighting up in front of him with text.

Welcome to the Cosmic Genesis System Dante.

Use of this system has a cost: Temporal resources and landmass creation instrument materials.

What would you like to create?

"How does this even work?" Walker asked. Previously he had always had a system that worked through his overlays, but this one was completely different.

I am an automated system. I am designed to help in a similar manner to a standard assistant. This is the same type of assistant that most creators receive upon first translocating to the alpha protocol.

"So, what? You don't have a personality?"

I am not a person, and thus have no need for a personality.

"Okay then." Walker said, scratching the back of his head. "So you're saying that, unlike my assistants, you won't suddenly have a sense of humor or start being snotty with me."

That is correct. How may I help you today Dante?

"What do I currently have that I can work with?"

You currently have one planet, one moonlet, and a group of unsorted landmasses:

Symphony

Unnamed moonlet

The defeated creator's landmasses: six desert landmasses and two forests

"What can I do with Crratch's world, and how do I name my moonlet?"

Options for the unsorted landmasses:

1. Turn the collected landmasses into free resources

2. Place the unsorted landmasses within Symphony's collection

3. Repurpose the collected landmasses to build another world

4. Expand your moonlet into a standard moon

Option for naming the moonlet:

Option for naming the moonlet available at any time: Please make the request

"Easy enough, first things first. I would like to name my moonlet."

Request to name moonlet recognized...

What would you like to name the moonlet?

Walker scratched his chin with a thumb while he thought. He wanted to stay within the theme of Symphony. Strings wouldn’t work. Neither would first, second, or third movement. There was only one word that would properly fit this one.

"Sonata"

Sonata recognized. Moonlet will now be named Sonata.

"Okay, great. Now, how do I create a star?"

Star tutorial request recognized. Would you like to start the tutorial now?

Walker looked over what the system had originally said when he entered. “Would it cost me anything?”

Negative. A tutorial's resource cost is provided at no charge by the Alpha Protocol.

With a shrug, he said, “Sure, why not.” As he finished speaking, Symphony and Sonata faded away, and Walker found himself at the center of a spiraling ring of cosmic dust clouds. All around him was utter darkness except one bright light centered on his own body. With a shake, Walker realized he wasn’t at the the center of a growing star, but he was the star’s center himself.

Initial star phase recognized: Nebulous Formation

Beginning second phase

An implosion happened right near his chest, and all of the dust clouds were sucked in. Like a plug pulled out of the bottom of a bathtub, the cloud particles were swirling in a cone shape and entering his chest.

Second star phase recognized: Gravitational Collapse

Beginning third phase

One area right toward his sternum grew bright and hot simultaneously, Walker receiving a hazy feeling of numbed heat from its location. A large amount of the unabsorbed dust began to circle this hot location, and Walker found himself moved outside of the Stars formation so he could better watch the results.

Third star phase recognized: Protostar Formation

Beginning fourth phase

The dust and smaller fragments which had coalesced together while the protostar was formed, began to shoot towards it in mass. Each strike and general absorption increased the size and heat of the burgeoning star, until it was ten, fifty, a hundred times its original size. Walker couldn’t imagine how large the celestial body

would be in comparison to his relatively minuscule body.

Fourth star phase recognized: Accretion Process

Beginning final ignition phase

A few more pieces of collected debris and particles shot into the center of the star, its size increasing again, before a critical event unfolded before him. A massive amount of heat exploded from the star in a wave, and the burgeoning sun's light became Walker’s new day. It was an unbelievable event to watch unfold before his eyes, and he knew that he was likely the first, and was one of the few, to ever watch this occur in the past, present, and future of humanity's collective history. The yellow star, and it was in fact a yellow star and not a red or blue dwarf, burned merrily as it sat alone in the middle of the universe’s dark sky.

Walker, whose memory had greatly improved after first awakening his soul, remembered his 8th-grade science teacher explaining how a sun worked. They lasted for billions of years, producing and burning helium by fusing hydrogen atoms within their cores.

G-type star’s formation complete.

Star tutorial complete.

That confused Walker, so he asked, “What tutorial? You just made a star in front of me, there wasn’t any tutorial.”

Dante, the Alpha Protocol dictated that each creator with the Cosmic Genesis system watch the five phases of a star's birth. Did you watch it occur?

"Yes?"

Then that is the tutorial provided by the Alpha Protocol.

"So I don't get to make stars and planets and black holes?"

The Creator is unable to form these cosmic bodies themselves physically, magically, or otherwise. They are, however, able to provide direction for what they would like to occur.

The tutorial is a means to show how many steps the system has to take to build what you are looking for. The Cosmic Genesis system and its assistant will then take your requests, and after being supplied with the correct amount of resources, produce the required results.

Walker considered what he'd just learned, and what he'd experienced since arriving here. He knew that the requirements would be heavy, but he'd picked this system for a good reason and he couldn't walk away until he got what he was after. "What would it cost to create a g-type or yellow star at a habitable and orbital distance from Symphony?"

Would you like the star to be at a similar distance to your former world?

Walker nodded, then thought maybe they couldn't see him so he responded orally, "Yes."

.....Calculating.....

Distance found.

The approximate distance is between 91 to 95 million miles elliptically by the American standardized measurement system of Creator Dante.

Distance approved as all Creators within the immediate vicinity of Creator Dante have already exited the Alpha Protocol.

No extra resources required for movement of Symphony or potential bystanders.

"Shit, I would've had to pay for moving another Creator's world? How much would that have cost?"

Likely cost, based upon the size of current Creators in the third arc of the alpha protocol is within two-hundred temporal resources.

"And what would the cost be for a star similar to the one from my homeworld? As in, how much would it cost to place a G-type star already in the fifth phase directly within Symphony's habitable range?"

.....Calculating....

.....

To accommodate for accelerated placement, and unlike forming a rudimentary exoplanet, the star must be imported from a rendition that has recently birthed its own g-type main-sequence star. The cost has increased.

.....

Cost found.

A large amount of landmass resources is required to create a new nebulous formation in its former location, and allow for a replacement g-type star to form over time.

50 Temporal resources at cost for movement from one rendition to another.

50 temporal resources at cost for placement within an exacting location:

Location found: Habitable zone relative to Symphony and Sonata.

"So a huge amount of landmass resources and 100 temporal resources. Okay. Can I just give you Crratch's old landmasses that are floating out by Symphony?"

Request being processed...

......

Yes.

You will also have two remaining landmasses that can be repurposed at will.

Walker nodded, thinking quickly. He wanted...no, needed to get his civilizations started. This was the first step and, to his terrestrial mindset, the most important one. But he had bigger plans for this system than just creating a single star.

"How can I repurpose the two remaining landmasses?"

Requested options have already been provided. Providing options again for limited intelligence Creator

"Hey!"

Options for the unsorted landmasses:

1. Turn the collected landmasses into free resources

2. Place the unsorted landmasses within Symphony's collection

3. Repurpose the collected landmasses to build another world

4. Expand your moonlet into a standard moon

Walker thought over what he planned to do, especially considering future task updates and what they would bring.

"How would I repurpose the two remaining landmasses into their own planets?"

Options for building planets from already seeded landmasses:

1. Mesh both into a conglomeration of biomes, allowing for a smaller planet to form. Some resources may be lost. Limited resources are required.

2. Break one, or both, landmasses into a protoplanetary disk, allowing for a planet to naturally form over time. Limited resources are required.

"Can I accelerate the second option so they form faster?"

Yes.

"What would the cost be to accelerate both landmasses individually so they both enter the final planetary phase?"

.....Calculating.....

75 Temporal Resources each

"Shit, too expensive for now." Walker looked through his resources and overlay, coming to a decision quickly. "Start the prior instructions. Form a G-type main-sequence star within Symphony and Sonata's habitable zone and allow for elliptical orbit."

Request understood.

Proceeding.

.....

Resources removed from Creator Dante.

Resources allocated.......

......

......

G-type main-sequence star found.

.....

.....

Star successfully translocated to fourth rendition.

.....

Resources removed from Creator Dante.

Resources allocated.......

.....

.....

G-type main-sequence star successfully translocated to habitable zone for Creator Dante's world, Symphony, and moonlet, Sonata

Congratulations Dante, you have your own G-type main sequence star.

Please....

But Walker had already clicked out of the Cosmic Genesis system and into a new day. The darkness of the system faded as a bright yellow light shined its radiance upon him. A new sun sat happily above him, burning gas and providing its splendor for all of Walker's future creations. He smiled to feel the heat of the sun for the first time in a long time, and realized he had missed the feeling completely. The protocol protected him from hazardous temperatures, but the glowing heat currently hitting his skin was a nice reminder of home.

Virgil worked with his screens, a look of strain on his face as his rapid eye movement showed how much he was doing at once. Rimi was jumping up and down, hooting with a fisted hand raised in the air, while the three primigenials whom Walker had ignored earlier were each staring at the star in the formerly dark sky.

"So, what do you think?" Walker asked as everyone but Virgil jumped, finally noticing him standing there.

"Where did you go?" Zeus thundered at him.

"To steal that." He said, pointing toward the recently translocated sun.

"You...stole a star?" Minos said in his quiet voice.

"Yep! Why build your own when you can just steal one!"

"Walker!" Virgil yelled at him. "Symphony and....Sonata? Symphony and Sonata are already being dragged into the star's gravitational field! We'll be destroyed!"

"No, we won't" Walker said with a smile, finally getting one up on his too-smart assistant. "You didn't check the habitable range of our new g-type main sequence star."

"The what....what?" Zeus asked in confusion.

Walker waited as Virgil looked at his screens for a few moments more, then the large squirrel sighed, "You're right. You thought this through quite well."

"Yep! Now...wait for it."

"For what?" Rimi asked, but of course, he couldn't see Walker's overlay light up.

.....Scanning.....

...

.....Error.....

Task completed through alternative means.

.....Scanning.....

Cosmic Genesis task complete: Build your first cosmic entity: Series 1

System requirements:

Cosmic Entity is active and non-volatile: Yes

Cosmic Entity does not impinge on other Creator's worlds: Yes

Reward for completion: Cosmic Genesis system costs reduced.

Cosmic Genesis task: Build your first star: Series 2

Creating a star is a foundation for every universe, and borders on the powers of the Alpha Protocol itself. Build a star, and see the dawn of a new day.

System requirements:

The star will not destroy cosmic entities around it: yes

The star allows for elliptical rotations of surrounding cosmic entities: yes

The star does not impinge on other Creator's worlds: Yes

Reward for completion: Cosmic Genesis system costs are further reduced.

.....Scanning.....

...

.....Error.....

Task completed through alternative means.

Cosmic Genesis task complete: Build your first star: Series 2

System requirements:

The star will not destroy cosmic entities around it: yes

The star allows for elliptical rotations of surrounding cosmic entities: yes

The star does not impinge on other Creator's worlds: Yes

Reward for completion: Cosmic Genesis system costs are further reduced.

...

Cosmic Genesis task: Build a solar system: Series 3

You have built a star and created your own elliptical system for your cosmic entities. Now, build an entire solar system.

System requirements:

The solar system will not destroy cosmic entities around it: Yes

The solar system will not destabilize or destroy each cosmic entity within it: Yes

Planets and/or stars found within the solar system: 3/10

Reward for completion: Cosmic Genesis system upgrade.

Walker ignored Virgil's spluttering as a smile broke out on his face. He had guessed that the second task would be to create a star, so why not just do it first? He clicked on the Cosmic Genesis System button again and disappeared, leaving all of the confusion behind him.

Welcome back Dante

The assistant said as the screen popped up in the darkness. In the vast reaches minimized in front of him, Walker's new sun sat still, burning in a dark and lonely universe, while Symphony and Sonata sat within a good amount of distance away. Symphony had a green arrow showing its direction around the sun, and Sonata had a paler green arrow showing its elliptical orbit around Walker's original creation.

Sonata's elliptical orbit was unlocked while you were gone. It is stable.

Symphony's elliptical orbit was unlocked while you were gone. It is stable.

"Excellent. I would like to see the options, again, for creating the two final phase exoplanets from Crratch's former landmasses."

Certainly.

Options for building planets from already seeded landmasses:

1. Mesh both into a conglomeration of biomes, allowing for a smaller planet to form. Some resources may be lost.

2. Break one, or both, landmasses into a protoplanetary disk, allowing for a planet to naturally form over time.

"And what is now the cost to force both landmasses into the final stage for creating their own exoplanets, skipping the stages in between and placing them within a habitable range that does not affect the elliptical arcs of my current planet and moonlet."

.....Calculating.....

Acceleration for exoplanets is 40 temporal resources each.

Placement on a non-disruptive elliptical track is 5 temporal resources each.

"Outstanding, please do so." Walker said, then exited the system.

He got out in time to watch as the last two remaining landmasses from his defeated foe disappeared without a sound, and two nebulous dust clouds formed at an almost unbelievable distance away. Time accelerated as Walker watched in real-time, the dust particles clumped together and grew in size. Asteroids flew by and were sucked into the same path of the clumped particles, crashing and melding until, after several minutes of him and everyone else on Symphony watching, two magma-like exoplanets formed themselves from the wreckage.

"What did you do now!" Virgil asked as he watched the two red-hot exoplanets float on the far side of Walker's solar system.

"I lit a candle. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a quick question for Echidna." He said, ignoring his friend for the moment as he continued his work for his future people.

The primigenial woman looked at him, saying "Yes?"

"The fertility modification from your task, will it make it safer for women to have children? Will those children grow stronger and faster?"

"I am not supposed to give any information on the reward until the task is complete." She said, but she glowed yellow for just a moment to Walker's eyes.

He nodded once with a slight smile, then headed over to his old computer desk and sat down in front of his journal. It was time to make some progress in his scripture. He looked at the task he'd seen not too long ago, checking on where he was in his completion rate.

Primigenial task: Write a Holy Scripture:

What do you believe in Walker? Who are you? Build a religion for all.

Volumes Completed: 3/10

Task giver: Echidna, Mother of Monsters

Reward for completion: Fertility Modification

Walker continued to ignore those around him as he sunk into his subconscious and closing his eyes, thinking of what mattered most to his future followers. Virgil stepped in front of Zeus for a moment, blocking his path, and Rimi kept yelling at the sky, but Walker had already gone inside of himself. Unbeknownst to him, his body glowed a slight forest green as he came to a thought and opened his eyes, "Zenith."

He began writing.

Echidna and Minos saw the glow-up and nodded at each other, before sitting down and discussing what the new planets meant for their future and the future of their fellow primigenials.

The Tree of the Gods grew again as nobody watched it, arcing toward Sonata's sky.

"What is he doing now?" Athena asked those trapped like her throughout their specific branch of gods.

"Who knows? Just try to relax girl." Dionysus said back, enjoying the other primigenial's torment at being locked into one place for so long.

"Not all of us are so comfortable with being stuck in one place for so long." Demeter reminded him.

"Who cares farm bitch. I'm just happy nobody is asking me to do anything."

"Have some respect for your betters." The god of the underworld harangued him.

"Or what? You'll hop out of your fruit and stab me with your stupid fucking pitchfork. Relax. We'll get out of here soon enough."

"I can't see anything!" Athena yelled at everyone. Though the other primigenials hated to do it, they also asked her to calm down, as none of them could see either.

"It comes." The three-headed Moirai said, "Fate is approaching quickly. Many will be freed at once. Prepare."

"Ugg." Dionysus said in response. "You said that shit last time and only my dumbass dad and those two minors were released."

"Prepare."

"I need a drink."