Ultima mentally submitted the mission, and waited as the window processed it, calculating the rewards he would be getting. He thought about the instant rank up reward of his relationship with The Ark Organization, and what that meant. He was an enslaved soldier currently, how would he change from that? Not to mention, unlike his direct interactions with Gareth and indirect ones with having Arron watch him, The Ark Organization was a collective faction, and it had not budged from it's 20/100 gauge since he got it.
It just seemed like a big reward, because of how hard it was to raise, but what would raising it do? His mind thought of many things, and didn't stop when the window appeared to show his rewards. He tried to quiet the thoughts before reading.
The Ark Organization: Instantly ranked up, from Enslaved Soldier, to Secret Weapon. Reasons for new relationship is due to your demonstration of a total lack of sympathy even when fighting fellow soldiers. Congrats, you're now considered as an option for culling.
Ultima stared at the reward page for awhile, his finger twitched as he held every muscle in his body to stop himself from yelling. He had to close it so he wasn't seeing it. After a few minutes and taking some deep breathes, he opened it up again and began to examine it again.
Deciding it would be better to tackle and think about the already known reward first, since it answered his questioning before. He was now considered a Secret Weapon, but wasn't before? After thinking for a moment, he thinks he understood, it wasn't just that he was an Enslaved Soldier. He was an Enslaved Soldier that, they realized, could even be used against their own men on a single command. In the eyes of The Ark Organization itself, those who knew of him now considered him to be akin to the secret police in dictatorships. He felt a mixture of pride and annoyance at that, but mostly pride actually.
Then there was the skill he got that actually almost made him break character, this basically made it so Players would flock to him if he wanted! It seems the system was forcing him into the direction of interacting with them. It didn't need to be so pushy about it, he might've done it anyway you know! This also gave him some valuable insight though, he first was now considered a story level character, not that he thinks that mattered much. The better thing to note was that players could scan, like how he could find out highlighted tidbits of information, but they got to have theirs ALWAYS available? No, no, there was no reason to get angry about it, it wasn't worth getting angry about it. So he couldn't scan anyone he wanted, so what? He got by fine without doing it so far, and now not even the players could scan him too, so there!
He let his anger settle to keep it from mixing into his neutral and distant face. He calmed down once he got another notification, and took a deep breath before he opened it.
Mission: It is time, Ultima, what will be your choice? Decide what you will be, this is your genesis, the start of your story. Use the pre-available NPC functions to create a mission, that will be the first mission players get when they come into contact with yourself.
Reward: Level Up, and gain ability to train your class for rewards
Failure: Become a mere hidden background character, one with no quests and no rewards to forgive, you will be forgotten as a mere easter egg or secret boss at best if you choose to be so.
Notes: Ultima Arbitrium.
He read the entire thing before slowly closing it, underneath his quiet face was a sudden influx of emotions. The system seemed to be admitting to it's wants. It was basically saying to him, would he become a hidden character like was asked of him, or would he decide to become a mere background character who either likely would die once his faction was destroyed or he outgrew his usefulness?
He tried not to think about the latter, but the former presented a problem to him. One he needed to face, there was no charisma in this world, he was no leader even before waking up in this world, and he certainly wasn't one now. He didn't want to have underlings, or leeks in the form of players. He wanted companions and the other NPCs were doing fine enough, but to them he may become at best a weird underling himself much like player's would become.
He didn't even know if players revived, if they did, would The Ark Organization bother keeping him? They had to, a game like this that forces you to restart if you die? That sounded stupid, right they would have to revive. How many times? What was the limit? He didn't know, what if there was no limit? Just a penalty that wouldn't stop stupid players from being perfect cannon fodder for big enough rewards?
He opened up the now available functions menu and stared at it's contents, as he stared at it, and thought about what to do. He realized it was even withholding a level up from him, he hadn't once gained EXP like someone would from fighting or training, perhaps players were the only ones who really got to have those great shortcuts. Fake NPC or not, he was still an NPC and not a player. He made his choice, mentally willing the window to expand as he decided on his course of action.
The system wanted him to be a hidden NPC? He would be one, he didn't want an army, he didn't want to be a merchant, he wanted to get companions.
NPC Creation Menu
Missions
Class
Allies
Mission Creation Menu
Requirements for Mission: Interact with Hidden NPC [LOCKED]
Mission Details:
Mission Rewards:
Mission Failure:
Notes:
He couldn't change the requirements in anyway, not able to add in any extra requirements even if he wanted to, but it was already so vague that it was impossible for someone not to get it.
He had to think for awhile still before he filled everything out mentally, a hard task with his constant headache, the fact he was still angry but had also decided on what he wanted to do. By the end of it he closed the finished product and stood up from his desk. He moved to his bed and laid down before dinner even arrived, as his head pounded he closed his eyes.
Mission: For whatever reason, you have come into contact with a dark secret of The Ark Organization. Project Ultima, this strangely silent and powerful NPC is in fact a secret weapon of the organization. Demonstrate to him why you should pique the interest of an empty shell of a man who is broken.
Reward: Gain Ultima's silent and unspoken approval, and access to further missions from him. Additional rewards may be given depending on how you gain his unknowable interest.
Failure: Harming Ultima, leaking his existence, or doing something to earn his quiet disdain.
Notes: A man speaking no words is often observant.
He submitted the mission, but honestly didn't care at the moment, so much mental acrobatics, and masking his mixing and violent emotions caused his head to thud dully.
Subject Ultima was escorted back to his room after a morning training session with 14 other soldiers, one of he which he thoroughly humiliated without even batting an eye as I'm told. After arriving back at his room, doing ten laps, and eating lunch, he sat down at his desk. He engaged in no shadow boxing or working out, and after a period of seven hours of sitting he has finally just, laid down and went to bed. I am hesitant to even send dinner to him. Despite knowing he possesses no emotions, his lack of movement and overall behavior seems to be overly negative. He took many deep breathes while sitting down and was unusually tense despite making no facial expressions.
It is my own conclusion that something more occurred to him, or to him something happened in that training session. But he physically can't show it, and mentally cannot confront it. I will talk to him tomorrow morning to see if I can figure out what that is, I know it may be dangerous to, but in the name of science I will figure out what is going on with him.
It's an early upload, or at least it was at the time of posting this chapter. Going forward players will be introduced, and this is the end of Arc Zero. A prologue of sorts to my story, what are your thoughts so far if you'd like to share? I may post the beginning of the next arc later, if I feel like writing more, but for now, ciao.
i love it
Demonstrate to him why you should *pique* the interest...
Also could you stop using spoiler tags for system messages? Having to open the all up is kinda annoying.
And, make it a little more clear that the notes at the end of the chapters are coming from the doctor? Just adding a line of dashes ---------- or something like {Project Ultima Notes: Dr. So and So Date: XXXXXXXX} before the pov change would help clarify things a lot.
Done