The Crucible of Immortality: Book One: Synthesis

by Leto Blackman

  Kala laughs, "I know, right? Are baths not the best! I had my first one ever this morning." Jill laughs, and then realizes that Kala is serious.

  Kala notices Jill's confusion. "I was born just this morning. Before, I was a floating ball of energy." Kala tells her.

  "Um, well alright. You look pretty hot for a day old baby." Jill says, looking Jill up and down. Kala blushes and looks at the floor.

  "Anyway, Doc will you help me lug in some fresh water for the bath?" I ask. It takes a few trips from the water pump outside the house and then I use some mental energy to activate the warming element of the bathtub. I lounge in the tub until my skin is wrinkly. When I get out it's mid-afternoon and we all sit in the living room while Aurelia takes a bath. We can hear her giggling and splashing Thunder.

  We spend the next few hours exchanging stories. "So Jax, you are the Progenitor that I was supposed to find?" Jill asks me.

  "Your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea what is going on. I'm supposed to awaken you and you gain immortality? I have no idea how to do that." I tell her.

  "Jill, can you tell me about The Caste again? You said that you analyzed one? Did he have a synthesis percentage?" Doc asks.

  "I don't remember, I think so. Why?" Jill asks.

  "This is bad, very bad. The Caste were a race of beings that the Progenitors enslaved, but only because they had no choice. Any life form that comes to this planet forms a symbiotic relationship with the Xoria and gains a synthesis percentage. The Caste had an unfavorable reaction to the Xoria, they became violent and obsessed with power. There was a great war which lasted for many years. The Progenitors, in an act of desperation, created a virus that infected The Caste that made the Xoria dormant. After that The Caste became docile, The Progenitors could not forgive the egregious acts The Caste committed. Many research labs were found with dead Progenitor women in various states of experimentation. It was never learned how The Caste managed to kill the immortal Progenitor women, it seems that they were trying to find the secrets to immortality."

  We all stare at Doc in shocked silence. "Doc, why didn't you tell us all of this before?" I ask him.

  "The Caste never came up in conversation and we had no contact with them. Do you volunteer irrelevant data for no reason?" Doc says to me.

  "I guess you have a point." I stand up and stretch.

  "Doc, do you know why they hate humans so much?" Jill asks him.

  "No, I'm sorry, Jill, I do not. Humans did not exist on this planet in my time. Plus I was only active for a small amount of testing before I was placed in holding."

  The conversation stalls for a moment as we are all lost in our own thoughts. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot, Jill inspect Kala's boots." I tell my sister.

  "What the hell? Isn't that the song mom used to sing to us?" She says looking a little pale.

  "Yeah, I don't understand either. There are so many things that make no sense."

  "JAX!" Doc yells and is moving in my direction before he freezes in mid stride. I stand up confused and scared.

  "Calm yourself brother." A voice says. I turn around the air shimmers and then a person is standing in front of me in a black cloak, their face hidden. I raise my hand ready to attack, I see Kala and Jill do the same. "I mean you no harm, in fact I'm here to warn you and to provide some answers. I am The Watcher."

  We don't relax and are all tensed for combat. "Please, you only have a week to prepare yourselves." The Watcher tells us.

  "Why did you call me your brother?" I ask him.

  "I didn't. I was speaking to the one you call "Doc"." He tells me. "Lower your weapons and let us sit and talk." He turns his head and looks at Doc. "I will release you brother, I am a friend, I will make no attempt to harm anyone." He waves his hand and Doc falls to the floor, his body ripples and he is standing again.

  We all exchange looks and then I sit down, everyone follows suit. "Can you remove your hood so we can see your face? It's creepy to not see it." Jill asks The Watcher.

  He doesn't move for a moment and then he slides the hood off. He looks somewhat human, but his skin has a bluish tint and he is hairless. It almost looks like his skin is made of metal, his hazel eyes have a soft glow to them, like there is a light in his skull. "This is what the original Progenitors looked like." He says.

  "You... are like me?" Doc asks him.

  "Yes brother, I am Unit Beta X01. I am so very happy you have been freed. I gave that Gibling the key for Jax to find. I believe I have finally succeeded where my creators failed. This iteration will be different." The Watcher says.

  "None of this is making any sense!" Kala yells. "I'm just more confused. Can you please just tell us what is going on?" I look at Kala impressed, man I love my little firecracker. Wait, I love her?

  The Watcher interrupts my thoughts, "Of course, my apologies." He says and then looks at me, "The first human came to Crucible nine-hundred and sixty-three years ago. Whenever a new race comes to Crucible the Administrator resets all other races to level one. He then unlocked this continent, which had been sitting under an impenetrable force field for millions of years, and created the human natives. Needless to say, the whole planet was upset with the new human race. Would you not be upset if you went from level fifteen-hundred to level one? Humans became the hunted, everyone wanting revenge. Jax, you are that first human. You are over nine-hundred years old."

  I look at The Watcher like he is crazy, and then I laugh, and then laugh more, until tears are streaming down my face. After a few minutes I wipe my face and slap my knee "Oh man, you almost had me, that was a good one." I say, stifling a giggle.

  "I remember when Jax arrived on this planet, I was with him, and that was only a few weeks ago." Kala says.

  The Watcher turns and looks at Kala, "You are also over nine-hundred years old Kala. You are an experimental Progenitor construct, they created you in their search to fix immortality." The Watcher tells her.

  Kala looks at me, "Man, I really was on the mark when I called you old man." She laughs.

  "Look who is talking! You were created millions of years ago, grandma." We both start laughing. "You and Doc should start a stand-up comedy show called The Metal Men. This is ridiculous, you honestly expect me to believe that I am almost a thousand years old? What game are you playing? So, am I supposed to be this Wanderer that the humans worship?"

  "I am glad you are able to still find humor in your situation, Jax. There is still much you do not know. You are all in great danger and everyone in this village is now in danger." The Watcher pauses and looks at all of us for effect. "Yes, you are the Wanderer. You have helped many people and been on grand quests. I believe the highest level you reached in one lifetime is three-hundred. But, The Caste always finds you, and Kala. I do not control where you are reborn, sometimes you and Kala would be reborn together, other times you would find each other. It always amazed me how your love drove you both to find each other over such great distances and tribulations. Kala and I look at each other. We lock eyes and I feel my stomach do flips and I can feel hundreds of lifetimes of love trying to break free.

  "Your story makes no sense Mr. Watcher dude. How is Jax a progenitor? If he is nine-hundred years old, how am I here? Why doesn't he remember?" Jill asks.

  "I brought you here Jill, when Jax first came, but you have remained in stasis until recently. Humans are one of many races that the Progenitors created, Earth was an experiment. I sent the signal that brought you here, none of the other child races have ever returned home. I had to see what you humans had become. When you came here Jax, I was amazed to see that you had one-hundred percent synthesis with the Xoria. I used my one and only blessing to fully awaken the Xoria in you and make you a Progenitor." He tells us.

  "You still haven't told me why I don't remember anything. Why doesn't Kala remember either?" I ask him, feeling frustrated.

  "Immortality is broken, Jax. In their search to live forever The Progenitors signed their own deaths. Every time one of them died their m
emories would reset, yet they would retain small fragments. After a few thousand years the whole race of Progenitors started to lose their minds. Past and present memories would become jumbled, forming new memories. I'm sure you have experienced some of these false memories. Past memories would often be expressed in dreams and then influence their waking life. It seems your mind is much more resistant, Jax, you have lived and died many times over, as you have too Kala. I changed things this time, I led you to Doc and the quest to find Facility Zero. I released your sister from stasis and provided her with gear and a quest. You must all work together to reach the Facility, I believe I have finally found a way to fix immortality."

  Just then Aurelia comes out of the bedroom, where she had been napping. She sees The Watcher and looks scared, she runs to Jill and hides behind her. "Ah, yes. I'm so happy you were to save the child, Jill. She is quite marvelous, never have I seen a natural Crucible human have a one-hundred percent synthesis. She is extremely important." I use this moment to Analyze The Watcher.

  Name: X-01

  Title: The Watcher

  Level: 1,233

  Synthesis: 82%

  Health: 14,500

  Mental: 13,000

  Stamina: 13,700

  Focus: Inventor

  Race: Progenitor Construct

  Disposition: Curiosity

  Skills: Hidden

  Loot: Mythic

  "Holy shit!" I blurt out.

  "I was wondering how long it would take to do that Jax. I unlocked most of my info for you to see." Everyone else gasps as they in turn Analyze him.

  "This is all too much. I still am not sure I believe you." I say pacing the room, running my hand through my hair.

  Doc stands up, "Brother.... may I absorb a part of you?" Doc asks The Watcher.

  "Wait. What?" I ask.

  Doc turns towards me, "I will be able to tell if he is lying if I absorb him." He tells me.

  "If we are sharing truths here, then give him all the truth brother." The Watcher says.

  "What is he talking about Doc?" I ask.

  "I will gain some of his memories and his levels. Also, because of the difference in our levels there is a chance the process will kill me." Doc tells me.

  "No, you can't take the risk, Doc." Kala says, she stands up and holds Doc's arm.

  The Watcher holds out his hand and a tiny ball of metal forms in his palm, it is smaller than a pea. "I have just run fourteen million simulations and have determined that this amount will have a .51 percent chance to cause death. It was a wonderful suggestion brother, I would gladly give you a part of myself." The Watcher says.

  Doc turns to Kala "It is okay, I will be safe." He grips her hand in reassurance. Kala nods to Doc and then back away. Doc walks up and then extends his finger and moves it a few inches from the ball of metal. He looks at The Watcher for a moment and then touches the ball. The tiny ball of metal absorbs into Doc. His whole body ripples violently and he falls to the floor. A loud bass trumpet noise emits from his mouth as his body shakes on the floor. We all cover our ears at the noise and look at Doc with concern. After a few minutes the horrible sound stops and Doc stops rippling.

  He opens his eyes and looks up at us "It was a success. Everything X-01 has told us is true. I have also learned five new skills, gained sixteen levels and my synthesis when up nine percent." He says. "I ... I .... I ....." Doc stutters and then his body spasms.

  "Doc! Are you okay?" Kala is kneeling next to him.

  Doc goes still and then looks at Kala, "Yes, there was a small overload from the new influx of memories and information. I have quarantined the new data, it will be released slowly over time as to not overwhelm me."

  "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I do not have much time. I only have a few minutes left before The Caste can track where I am." The Watcher turns to me, "Jax, you need to Awaken Jill and Aurelia. I need to see that you can do it. They will be safe from death once you do, although they will still lose their memories if they die. If you encounter any other being with one-hundred percent synthesis you can awaken them as well." He tells us, starting to look nervous. What can make someone with his insanely high level nervous?

  "Um, sorry to let you know but my synthesis is only at seventy-two percent. By the way, thank you for the awesome gear." Jill says to The Watcher.

  "I programmed your gauntlet to hide your true synthesis level. It was for your own protection. If The Caste learned your true synthesis you would be dead by now." The Watcher says something in a language that does not translate and then Jill's gauntlet emits a beep.

  "Access granted, user info updated." Alfred says.

  Jill looks over her info, "Huh, well alright. Alfred, you snake, hiding stuff from me?" Jill says.

  "Sorry ma'am, I was unaware that I had been tampered with. Do you wish to enter a Core level access code to prevent further intrusions?"

  "Yes please, Alfred." She says annoyed.

  "It is done ma'am." Alfred says. I watch the interaction between Jill and her gauntlet.

  I clear my throat and everyone looks at me, "I don't know how to Awaken anyone." I say.

  "Quickly, Jax, my time grows short. Place your hand on your sister's head and think Awaken as you channel your mental energy into her." I feel unsure, but The Watcher is starting to look scared. I place my hand on Jill and think Awaken. My whole body feels like it is on fire and I hear Jill scream. I try to pull my hand away but it is locked in place. Jill's eyes roll back in head and her body glows with energy.

  Jill falls to the floor and I feel beyond tired. "It is done." The Watcher drops to a knee, "Long live the Progenitors. I can't stay to see the child awakened. Jill now has the power to Awaken her. I must now go." He stands and turns to leave. He stops and turns his head, "The Caste is coming. I can't protect you. Do not die, make it to Facility Zero. You have one week before they arrive." The air shimmers around The Watcher and then he disappears.

  ~ End of Book One ~

  Thank you for reading my book! I hope you enjoyed the adventure. Please join me in Book Two of The Crucible of Immortality series, to be released in late summer of 2017! If you enjoyed this story please leave me a review, it makes a world of difference.

  Thank you.

  Leto Blackman

  How to contact Leto:

  Email: CrucibleofImmortality@gmail.com

  Check out a great page: www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGGroup/