The Crucible of Immortality: Book One: Synthesis

by Leto Blackman

  "Thank you." I say to the young man. I offer him the Core but he just taps his forehead and then runs off.

  "That was a little strange." Kala says.

  "Yeah, I don't quite understand the ways of these people." I shrug and enter the store.

  "Ah, it is our mysterious savior." A burly man in his sixties says from behind a counter. He looks to be around six feet tall and built like a well-fed bear. He has short salt and pepper hair with bushy white eyebrows. He comes around and runs his fingers down a blue tattoo on his arm and then taps his forehead. He offers me a large smile. "I am Caius. How may I be of service?" His head turns as Kala walks in. I didn't think his smile could get any larger, but it does when he sees Kala. "Oh my." He says under his breath. He walks around me and slaps his arms in quick succession.

  "I do not believe we have met. I am Caius, the proprietor of this fine establishment." He says smiling at Kala.

  "Uh... Hello. I am Kala." She says confused.

  "Kala? I heard you were some kind of Wisp creature? You do not look like a Wisp. If I may say, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. I do not understand how anyone could confuse you with those mischievous creatures." He says with a boisterous laugh.

  Kala looks to me for help, "I am Jax, my good sir. I was wondering if you had some equipment that I can purchase?" I say behind him. He turns around and raises a bushy eyebrow at me.

  "That is music to my ears. What may I help you find?" He says laughing again. He has an infectious way about him and I laugh too.

  "Well, first do you have some shoes we can buy for my friend Kala here?"

  He looks down at Kala's feet and shakes his head. "No, no, no. That will not do at all. We can't have such lovely feet exposed to the cruel elements." He drops to a knee and pulls out a tape measure and holds it to her feet. Kala looks at me and smirks. "Please, have a seat, Sunshine. And Jax, my dear friend, please browse my shelves for anything you my need." Caius says with a smile.

  "Thank you, Caius. You are too kind." I take a risk and tap my forehead at him. He gives me a curious look and then issues his deafening laugh. He turns away and walks through a curtain into a back room, the items on the shelves rattling with each step he takes.

  "I'm going to look around the store, are you okay here, Sunshine?" I say with a grin and then I jump out of the way as Kala laughs and tries to hit me.

  There are various general household items, like ceramic bowls and cooking utensils. I pick out a few cooking items to keep at my house. I don't see any prices on stuff, so I hope that I have enough. A glint catches my eyes and I see a weapon's shelf across the way. There is a rope blocking the way and a sign that says to ask for assistance. Most of the stuff looks like junk. There is a short sword up on a high shelf that catches my eye. It seems to have engraving on it and I can almost see a faint glow around it. I make a mental note to ask Caius about it. I also see a strange bow next to the short sword. It reminds me of my staff, I wonder if it is made out of Midnight Wood?

  Caius walks out of the back room carrying a few different pairs of shoes. I follow him over to where Kala is sitting. "Here we go my dear. I have brought a number of different shoes for you to try. Only the best for you." He grins at her as she examines them. He turns to me, "Jax, I saw you eying the weapons, is there something I can show you?" He asks me.

  "Yes, but I have a question and request first. I noticed a number of items say that you crafted them?" I ask him.

  "Yes my dear friend, I am an Adept Level forty-two in Crafting." He says proudly. I pull him off to the side and whisper to him and hand him some items from my bag. His eyes bulge at what I gave him. Then he laughs loudly and slaps me on the back almost knocking me down. He tells me to come back tomorrow.

  "Now, you wanted to see some weapons?" He asks me.

  "Yes actually, there were a few on the top shelf that looked nice." I say.

  He issues a tremendous laugh, "The TOP shelf you say? My, my. No one has asked to see my top shelf weapons in years." He grabs a step stool and brings it with him over to the weapons. "Which ones did you want to see?" He asks.

  "That short sword with the writing on it, and the bow next to it." I say. He turns and gives me a stern look.

  "Those are two of my most rarest items. You have a very good eye Jax. Do you have the Analyze skill?" He asks me setting the sword and bow on the counter.

  Royal Short Sword of the House of Ala-Vis

  Rarity: Epic

  Quality: Masterwork

  Durability: 433/500

  Race Restriction: Progenitor

  Melee Damage: 13-17 (45-55)

  Effect 1: Strength increased by 10

  Effect 2: A temporal field that surrounds the user increasing their movement speed by 300%. The user may activate this ability with a cost of 125 Mental Energy. The temporal field will last for 10 seconds, with a cool-down of 60 minutes.

  My eyes bulge at the stats of the short sword. "Where did you get this sword?" I ask Caius.

  "This sword has been in my family for generations. My great, great, great-grandfather found this sword in some ruins way to the south. No one has ever been able to get it to work. I carried it on adventures in my youth, it's a very sharp sword. But the effects never worked and the damage was never what it should be. I don't ever understand what some of the words mean, what's a temporal field?" He says touching the sword lightly.

  "May I hold it?" I ask.

  His smile returns to his face, "Of course friend, Jax!" He picks it up and hands it to me. As soon as I hold the sword in my hand the writing on the sword glows brightly and I feel my strength increase. Caius makes a startled noise and back away into the shelf behind him, knocking down a number of items. "By the Gods!" He says quietly. He makes a series of taps and gestures on the tattoos on his arms. "How is this possible? What..... what are you?" He asks.

  He looks down at the marks on my hands, "So the stories I have heard from the Rangers are true? I thought maybe they were being dramatic. The Wanderer stands before me...." He looks at me wide-eyed.

  "Caius, please... I am just a regular human. I don't know why everything on this planet thinks I'm not." I say to him.

  "Jax? What did you do now?" Kala asks as she walks up to me.

  "I didn't do anything. I just picked up this sword." I point to the short sword on the counter.

  Her eyes stare at the sword for a moment, I can tell she is analyzing it. "Wow. That is a fucking amazing sword. If I could use it, I would insist you buy it for me." She smirks at me. "Go on, pick it up, Jax. Let me see." She says in an accusatory tone. I roll my eyes and then pick it up.

  The sword glows brightly again. Kala laughs, "Would you look at that!" I look at her as she gazes at the sword. Dammit, why is she so beautiful? She turns and catches me staring at her. She laughs "Um yeah, so obviously we have to buy this sword. How much do you want, Mr. Furry Bear?" She asks Caius.

  He looks confused and a bit uncomfortable "Well.... I... I never thought anyone would buy it.... what is a bear?" He stutters.

  Kala leans to my ear and whispers. My stomach flutters with her closeness. She pulls back and looks at me. I pull out a Radiant Core and place it on the counter. It sits there glowing brightly, like a small sun. Caius looks stricken. "That is too much. I could never take that." He says.

  Kala plops her right foot onto the counter. She has on a pair of dark leather boots. Dammit again, those look sexy on her. "What if we add in these boots and this bow?" She asks with a big smile.

  Caius seems to have been knocked off his usual boisterous confident self. After a moment of looking at Kala's smiling face he seems to melt a bit. He laughs loudly and slaps his arms. "I think we have a deal. I won't ask how you even got that Core, they are quite rare around here." Kala pulls her foot down and does a little happy dance. Caius and I both stare at her and then laugh together. "If I may say, Kala, those boots fit you very well. I crafted them myself. Have you checked the stats?" He says to her.

&
nbsp; "Yes, they are quite nice, and very soft." She says smiling at her new boots. I Analyze them.

  These Boots are Made for Walkin' (Crafted by Caius Dar-ha)

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Quality: Fine

  Durability: 200/200

  Effect 1: Agility and Dexterity are increased by 5

  -These boots are named after a song The Wanderer would sing.

  "What the hell?" I say, my chest feeling tight and I my world spins for a moment.

  "Jax? Are you okay? You look pale. Do you need to sit down?" Kala asks me holding my arm.

  I shake my head, "My mom used to sing that song to me before bed." I say. I can remember the song, but I can't picture her face.

  "Jax, my friend. That is an ancient song, I can't tell you how many hundreds of years it has been around. Many humans know that song. Is it so strange your mother sung it to you?" Caius says to me.

  "I wasn't born on this planet!" I yell at him.

  "Jax! Don't yell. Just calm down. Why are you so upset?" Kala asks me.

  "I just don't understand. They say that The Wanderer has been here for almost a thousand years? That song was not even written, it's only around three-hundred and fifty years old. It took my ship two-hundred and fifteen years to get here. None of this makes sense. I just don't understand how humans are here or that song." For some reason I'm crying.

  Kala says something to Caius, then gathers up our new stuff. "Come on, Jax. Let's go lay down for a bit."

  She takes my hand and pulls me out of the store. I walk in a daze down the streets, Kala glancing back at me once in a while. Before I know it I am laying in my bed. Kala has her head laying on my chest. "I'm sorry, Kala." I say softly.

  "You don't need to be sorry. Do you want to talk about it?" She reaches down and holds my hand.

  "I'm not sure why I had that reaction. We have just been going nonstop since I arrived here, I haven't really had a chance to process. I know all of this is new to you as well, Kala. I am so grateful you have been there with me through all of this." Kala turns her head and looks into my eyes.

  "I am grateful too, Jax. Things were much easier for me when I was in my unbonded form. But it was still a learning experience. Now.... there are so many new feelings. Even my memories are different now, they feel... more real." She says.

  I can't take it anymore, I put my hand in her hair and I draw her up to my face and kiss her. I hear her moan and her hand touches my face. I explore her body and she kisses me harder. I put my hand under her shirt and grab her breast. She comes up for air "Jax... I'm not ready... I'm sorry...." She says sounding sad. Her face is flush and she is breathing heavy. I take my hand off her breast and pull her into a hug.

  "Kala, it's okay. Really. There is no rush. I shouldn't have kissed you again. I know you are having a lot of new and overwhelming feelings." I say as I stroke her hair.

  "Thank you." Kala says quietly. We lay there not talking for a while, just holding each other. I feel like I'm falling for Kala, which is crazy, because we have only known each other for less than a week.

  "Doesn't it blow your mind we have only known each other for such a short amount of time?" Kala asks me.

  I laugh, "I was just thinking the same thing!" I exclaim. "But, yeah, I know what you mean. I feel like I've known you for years." I say.

  "Hey!" I say making her jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." I laugh and she pinches me. "Ouch. But, what I was going to ask is can I Analyze you?" I ask her.

  She giggles "Oooh Jax, I love it when you talk dirty to me." She whispers in my ear.

  I feel my blood rushing to my pants. I push her off of me, "Not cool." I say. She fake pouts and then sits up. "Go ahead, have your way with me." She grins at me.

  Name: Kala

  Title: Sunshine

  Level: 1

  Synthesis: 71%

  Health: 80

  Mental: 100

  Stamina: 70

  Focus: Undetermined

  Race: Human

  Disposition: ????

  Skill 1: Heal

  Skill 2: Flare

  Loot: ????

  "Sunshine?" I ask her.

  "Yeah, I guess some titles are easy to come by." She laughs.

  "Why does your disposition have question marks?" I ask.

  "Well, I can't have you know how I feel about you at all times. There needs to be some mystery." She bites her lip and looks at me.

  "Wait. You can choose to hide what is listed on your analysis screen?" I inquire.

  "Ugh, Jax. What am I going to do with you?" She shakes her head in mock disappointment.

  "You can do anything you want to me." I say with a wicked grin.

  She kicks me, "You have a one track mind. Anyways, yes, you can choose to hide just about everything displayed when someone uses Analyze on you. I'm not quite sure, but I think that depending on the skill level of the person analyzing you they may be able to see the stuff you have hidden. You should spend more time examining your menus."

  My eyes look over her health, "Kala, we need to power level you, and see about finding you some armor. I don't know what I would do if you got hurt. You can't float out of harms way now." I say.

  "Aww, that's sweet, Jax. But, I can take care of myself. I bet I could take you down if we were to have a sparing session. I don't need you worrying about me like I'm a defenseless kitten. How many times have you almost died?" She says sounding a little heated. Damn, I don't want to piss her off.

  "Sorry, Kala, I didn't mean anything by saying that. I just care about you. How about we just look out for each other?" I say offering her a smile.

  "I will protect you both." A male voice says from the doorway, startling us both.

  "Jesus, Doc don't do that. We need to put a bell around your neck or something." I say looking at the metal man.

  He laughs in a more normal way, "That was a joke, yes?" He asks me.

  "Ah, yeah. I don't actually want to put a bell on you. You are just very quiet, you startled us is all." We stare at each other.

  "Doc, did you need something?" Kala asks him.

  "I noticed that you came in with some new weapons. I wanted to offer you both some training with them. I have novice training in most weapons. We can do some sparing in the backyard first. I scouted the nearby woods and spotted some low level beasts we can practice with after you both feel comfortable." He tells us. I notice there is more inflection and emotion in his voice now, and there is more detail and definition in his face and body. Before, he looked like a metal mannequin, now he seems more human. Interesting.

  New Quest Alert:

  Training with Doc

  Doc has offered to train you and Kala. Successfully train with your new weapons and level up in their use to level 2. Kill 5 random beasts employing your new weapons and techniques.

  Weapon Skill Level: 0/2

  Beasts Slain: 0/5

  Quest Type: Personal

  Difficulty: Variable

  Rewards: 150 experience, new skills, random loot

  Do you accept this quest? Y/N

  What I really want to do is lay back down with Kala. "Oh! That sounds fun." Kala exclaims. I guess laying back down is not happening. "But before we do that, there is something I want to try. FOOD! I have never eaten before." She says with a smile. Kala picks up my arm and lightly bites it making chewing sounds "Nom nom nom, soooo good." She says, mock eating my arm. "Doc, do you want some? I've been feeding Jax nothing but blue fairy meat and he is delicious!" Kala holds my arm out to Doc. He moves with lighting speed and is front of me holding my arm, pulling it to his face.

  Both Kala and I yell "No!" at the same time.

  Doc smiles at Kala, "I believe I have successfully gotten you back for the prank you pulled on me this morning?" Doc says to Kala. She looks at him stricken, and then falls onto the bed laughing.

  "Jax, I apologize if I scared you. I would not actually eat your arm. I prefer leg meat." He says, and then he winks at me.

 
"Oh man, I have two jokers on my hands. I blame you Kala for what our son is growing up to be." I say, she hits me and then says "You are a dork." then she looks somber for a moment. "You okay?" I ask her.

  "Yeah, I don't know why, but I felt sad for a second." She looks up at me, our eyes locking. "Anyway! Let's find some food." She says changing the subject.

  "I anticipated this scenario and collected some food resources while I was scouting, my Cooking skill is level three already. Give me fifteen minutes and I'll have everything ready." Doc smiles at us and then leaves the room.

  Kala looks at me, "It's incredible how quickly he is learning and changing." She says.

  "Yeah, he is pretty amazing." I agree with her. I look at Kala for a moment, thinking about something.

  "What's up, Jax? You look like you want to say something?" She asks me. I slip off my Ring of Minor Health, my Crystal Ring of Raw Energy and my Gibling Bone Necklace. I hand them all over to Kala.

  "Here, I want you to have these. I have so far taken all the loot, it's not fair. I want you to be safe, Kala." I say.

  She looks at the items in her hands, then she leans over and kisses my cheek. She lingers near my face looking into my eyes, "You bet my sweet ass I'll take this stuff." She says in a sultry voice and then winks at me.

  I laugh as she examines the jewelry making "oohs and ahs". She slips the rings on and turns around so I can fasten the necklace. "Yeah, that's the good stuff." I assume she is feeling the health boost of the ring. "Thanks for charging the crystal ring for me." She aims the ring at me and makes a "pew pew" sound.

  I duck my head, "Hey now, careful with that!" She laughs and says

  "Calm it down old man. Geez." Just then we hear Doc call for us, saying the food is ready. Kala leaps out of bed and offers me her hand to help me up, all while doing a little dance and singing, "I'm going to eat some foooood", over and over.

  Chapter Ten: This is Not a Training Drill