World Keeper

Chapter 1091: From The Top Down

When Dana’s Reset Protocol was released to law enforcement, there were mixed responses. Despite this technology coming directly from Olympus, there were quite a few people that were against its use. These people, typically those with considerably high levels themselves, claimed that it was unjust to remove someone’s entire life of work, or that the technology could be turned against those whose crimes did not warrant such punishments.

To this, Dana released a simple statement. If a powerful criminal refuses to allow themselves to be taken in to atone for their crimes, and uses their power to harm others in the process, then they are utterly undeserving of the power granted to them by the world’s system. In her words, the power granted by the world is essentially the power granted by the Keeper himself, and it should not be used to harm those under the Keeper’s rule.

She wasn’t entirely wrong with how she worded things, but I would have probably chosen to do so differently. Regardless, most of the people objecting to this technology fell silent when she released her statement, apart from some of the more active individuals. Thankfully, Dana did not plan to release any additional statements, and the police were free to order the Reset Protocol as needed from Olympus.

As for me, I decided to check in with Ashley’s newest project, the inclusion of NPCs within the various existing games.

Galahan grimaced as he looked at the request that appeared on his computer screen. “You want what?” He asked, a digital image of the World Spirit, Mary appearing on the screen.

“My apologies for the disturbance, sir Galahan. Is there a problem with the previous request?” She asked in a polite tone, to which Galahan gave a firm nod.

“Damn right there is! They’re asking for a contradiction! Here, look at this.” He pointed to the message that had come in from the Greater Pantheon. “In World Seed, they want to create an alien race that covers six different systems. According to the backstory that they sent me, this should be a peaceful race with a small standing army, having known only a few wars in its history.”

“Now, this latest request is asking for a special NPC character to be included in this kingdom. This NPC should be an expert and veteran of war, having fought numerous battles in his career to earn the title of Bloody Iron General. This is a clear contradiction to the nature and history of the empire that they asked for!”

Mary paused, looking over the request. “I see… I believe that they are just trying to include an NPC to the world’s setting that they feel will drive the plot and player interaction. Is it entirely impossible to have such a character?”

“The idea of the character from the start is a contradiction!” Galahan exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. There were few things that irked him in the world as much as a contradiction in a story. “If you want to have a battle maniac, fine! But don’t go and give him a history that goes against the overall lore of the world he is born into.”

Mary gave a small nod of agreement. “How would you handle something like this, then?” She asked, curiously. “While trying to fulfill the wishes of the client as much as possible.”

Galahan groaned, before stroking his chin. “First, let’s do the empire. You always want to work from the top down. As long as you do so, you will have the theme of your world history, and can fit characters into it accordingly.”

As he said that, the scenery around them changed, his office vanishing to become a series of six stars. “This empire, Noblon, has had a peaceful progression to the stellar age. This means that there are no neighboring races that would cause conflict with them.”

“The main ruler of this empire is the Emperor, Shallist Noblon, but the true power behind the throne is his daughter. Born with an incredibly keen political mind, she advised her father from a young age, leading to the settlement of many colonies and overall improvement in the standard of living for the empire.” As he spoke, lines began to connect the six shining stars, before zooming in on the brightest, showing a continent, then further to show a palace wrapped around a mighty tree, and finally a beautiful young girl with long, black hair.

Mary gave another nod. “Are you going to say that she is secretly a cruel princess, and hired a bloodthirsty man to cause strife in the kingdom to solidify her rule?”

“What? No! That cliche is so overused. She is a genuinely kind soul, one who cares for the people in her empire. However… It is her intellect that led her to realize that her empire’s army would stand no chance against a true invading force.” When Galahan said this, a troubled look appeared on the girl’s expression, and she rose to her feet, calling out to one of her servants.

“She knew what the army needed, a true warrior. One who held both strength and honor, and was unafraid of war. What would such an individual look like in this empire?”

Mary watched, blinking curiously as the scene changed. The princess was walking through a dark, stone hallway lit with only a few torches. From within her dress, she produced an iron key, unlocking a large door. Beyond the door was a tangle of roots, wrapping around and digging into the flesh of a man with dark red hair and bright, blue eyes.

“You are Grendel Salust, correct?” The princess spoke, mirroring the words that Galahan mouthed.

“The princess, huh?” The inmate chuckled. “To what do I owe this pleasure? I would bow, but… that’s not really an option.”

“That is perfectly alright.” The princess shook her head. The scene appeared to have come alive, even without Galahan saying anything. “I am here to speak with you. According to my sources, your crime is beating to death three lesser nobles of the empire, one of whom was your lord.”

“That’s right.” Grendel grunted, nodding his head. At least he was able to move that much with the roots binding him. “Are you here to give me a heavier sentence?”

Ignoring him, the princess continued. “The reason for your outburst was because you discovered that the nobles were abducting young men and women from their territories, stealing them from their families, and visiting various atrocities upon them.”

Grendel’s body stiffened when he heard that, some of the wounds where roots were stabbed into him torn open and bleeding. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I acted out of my own will.”

The princess merely smiled. “Sir Grendel Solust. The crime for a knight who betrayed his lord is to be fed to the Imperial Tree for three years, at which point the criminal will have long expired. You have been here for six weeks so far. I come to you with an offer.”

When Grendel looked up at the princess, she continued. “The empire is in dire need of you. You, who will act against injustice, even if it means violating your oath. You, who are unafraid to sully your hands in the blood of others. With the empire’s recent expansion, we need one of your qualities. In time, we are likely to face a cruel enemy, one who does not share our peaceful beliefs.”

“If that time comes, we will not need a peaceful soul to lead us. Instead, we will need a warrior, one who understands the harshness of the world, and can fight against those who would do us harm.”

“I have the power to withdraw your sentence. In return, I ask that you become my knight. Train my men to become proper soldiers, able to fight more than merely the roaming monsters of our lands. Furthermore, as my knight, you will have the authority to root out the hidden evil that rests within our lands, and ensure that no more families suffer due to the greed of those in power.”

Grendel gave a dull chuckle when he heard that. “Careful, princess. You’re unleashing a rabid dog, you know? If you’re not careful, I might turn against you.”

The princess’s smile grew wide, and she bent down to remove a dagger strapped to her ankle. This dagger bore a circular pommel, engraved with the image of a great tree. Once the dagger was in hand, the roots quietly removed themselves from Grendel’s body, surprising him. Meanwhile, the princess calmly walked over, placing the dagger in his hand and bringing it to her throat.

“By the name of Olivia Noblon, if one day you find my conduct to be unbecoming of my station, it is my sincere hope that you see that I am punished.” She said with that same, gentle smile.

Mary let out a soft gasp as the scene changed again. This time, Grendel could be seen adorned in silver armor, green branch-like patterns engraved into it. “By order of Her Royal Highness, I am here to exact justice upon those who prey upon the weak.” He called out, facing a great mansion.

Behind Grendel stood fifty soldiers, all of whom had solemn expressions on their faces. However, there was no answer from within the mansion. Thus, Grendel drew his sword, a familiar, circular pommel attached to it. “Your crimes are as follows. Six counts of murder. Three confirmed counts of ordering an assassination. Eighteen confirmed counts of kidnapping. To answer for these crimes, you will be sentenced to the Imperial Tree.”

The pommel of his sword began to glow, and the mansion shook as giant roots pierced up and through the entire building. One root pierced through the shoulder of a screaming man, clutching at his shoulder as he was suspended in the air. “You can’t do this! Don’t you know who I am!? You’re just the princess’s bloodhound!”

“That’s exactly right.” Grendel agreed without any complaints. “I came here following the scent of blood, and I am to enact the judgment of the palace upon this place.” As he said that, the roots withdrew, dragging the screaming noble beneath the surface.

The scene shifted once again, Grendel walking into a large office and falling to one knee. “My Lady, your knight has returned.”

The princess sat at her desk, smiling. “I am glad to see that you are well, Sir Solust. With this, the last of the corrupted nobles should be dealt with. I would like you to start focusing more on training the troops from now on, if you think that you are capable.”

“As you wish.” Grendel nodded his head, eyes lowered.

The scene pulled back, showing the palace, the continent, the planet, and then the six stars once again. “And like that, you have a true warrior knight within an empire known for its peaceful history.”

Mary nodded her head, looking impressed. “Why not submit this scene to the design team? Surely they would be able to appreciate it, even if it did not meet their exact standards.”

Galahan huffed when Mary asked that. “Perhaps. I’ll need to redesign a few characters, but it won’t contradict the overall flow of the story.”

Mary smiled politely at that, before voicing a question. “Pardon me, but it seemed there as if you stopped narrating for a while. I must admit that I’m not familiar with your process, so I was just curious what happened.”

Galahan blinked, before shrugging his shoulders. “I’ve said before. When you get the overall scene established, the characters can write themselves. There are actors in every script that are never seen, yet their existence is always implied. The architects that make the buildings, the farmers that grow the wheat to make the bread the heroes eat. Even if a character is never shown, their existence can be inferred due to the traces that they left behind.”

“When you start from the top, you can create these characters on a large scale. And once enough information is provided, the world takes on its own life. I have two main jobs when creating any story. The first is to be the one to set the story in place, determining the key facts that will shape this story and give it such life. The second is to find scenes from different times and places within this new world to show to the audience.”

“I could show you a scene of the princess bathing, and many people might enjoy it. But, would it serve to push the plot forward as much as the scene where the princess realized the importance of a true warrior in her empire’s army?”