Chrysalis

by Leto Spirit Blackman

  Chrysalis: Book Two of The Crucible of Immortality

  by Leto Spirit Blackman

  Chrysalis

  Book Two of The Crucible of Immortality

  A self published novel by Leto Blackman

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Copyright © 2018

  Table of Contents

  Little Spirit Fox Publishing Presents:

  Prologue: The Caste Base

  Chapter One: Into The Woods We Go

  Chapter Two: Fairies, Wigers, and Metal Men, Oh My

  Chapter Three: The Hidden Village

  Chapter Four: Dungeon Dive

  Chapter Five: Nightmare

  Chapter Six: Best Laid Plans

  Chapter Seven: The Dark

  Chapter Eight: New Beginnings

  Chapter Nine: Aftermath

  Chapter Ten: Chrysalis

  Chapter Eleven: Beast Princess

  Chapter Twelve: Tola'Val

  Chapter Thirteen: Ameliorater

  Chapter Fourteen: The Great Wood Fairies

  Chapter Fifteen: Cult of the Wanderer

  Chapter Sixteen: Sarvina Uils

  Chapter Seventeen: The Red Gate

  Chapter Eighteen: The Long Road of Assholes

  Chapter Nineteen: You Say Hello, I Say Holy Shit is That a Dragon?

  Chapter Twenty: The Wanderer

  Gray Sky: Book One of Civil War Online

  Little Spirit Fox Publishing Presents:

  Chrysalis

  The Crucible of Immortality Book Two

  By

  Leto Spirit Blackman

  ~

  "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

  -Friedrich Nietzsche

  This book is dedicated to my father. He lived his life free, the way that he wanted. He inspired me to follow in his footsteps. He introduced me to fantasy books with the Xanth series, which I would have my face buried in until night. Then we would watch Star Trek: The Next Generation together, igniting my love for science fiction. Thank you dad, I love you.

  Prologue: The Caste Base

  ~

  Kiv walks into the dark room where the council awaits, there are 12 seats filled with scowling old fools. A spotlight is above each council member. Kiv laughs inwardly at the theatrics, is he supposed to be intimidated? Each step he takes echoes in the cavernous space, he stops in the middle of the room. There is a long half-circle table high off the ground where the council sits. They are each hundreds of years-old. They are also the most heavily enhanced with technology out of The Caste society. Each new mod or enhancement is a mark of prestige and honor, with each new mod they regain a small amount of synthesis with the Xoria. Kiv only has 12 enhancements, but he was born with a synthesis level, which is extremely rare. The Progenitors cursed The Caste and took away their connection to the Xoria, the living nanites that are in everything on this planet. Kiv looks at each council member with disdain, his eyes stop on the council leader, Valarous.

  "Kiv." Valarous says. "I hear you had a run-in with a human that killed some of our Mute? Is this true?" He says with contempt.

  Kiv feels sweat drip down his face, "Yes, the human vermin was different. She had a very powerful skill that allowed her to escape. I believe The Watcher has surfaced and is helping the humans.

  The Caste elders mumble and glance at each other. Valarous taps his metal fingers on the table and the room goes quiet instantly. "Show us." Valarous says to Kiv.

  Kiv sighs, he really hates giving a connection to anyone. He has many protections in place, but someone could still access all his memories. Kiv had anticipated the old fools asking to see the recording. Any Caste member who goes out in the field has a built-in recording device in their eyes that activates automatically to any speech or combat. A cord descends from the ceiling. Kiv is supposed to plug it into the base of his skull. The Council has a plug on the back of their chairs to receive the recording, allowing them to see through the eyes of the one who made the recording. Kiv pulls out a small black orb. "I have the whole incident on this memory orb." He says.

  The Council makes angry noises, "You know that is not protocol." Council member Amhu says. Kiv sneers at Amhu, he always hated that old bastard. "I don't care that you are the son of..."

  "Quiet." Valarous says. He then presses a button and a pedestal rises from the floor in front of Kiv.

  Kiv smirks at Amhu, and then places the memory orb in the receptacle on the pedestal. Cords move out of the back of the chairs, like snakes and latch onto the heads of the Council members. Their eyes turn white as they view Kiv's fight with the human called Jill. A few minutes later the cords unlatch and Valarous stands up suddenly, knocking over his chair.

  "You idiot. She is a Stone? You let a Stone get away?" Valarous yells at Kiv.

  "I don't understand. A Stone? She was just some human with a fancy trick. I will find her and kill her." Kiv says, trying to sound strong.

  Valarous snarls and waves his hand and Kiv falls to the ground, screaming in pain. Blood is coming out of his eyes, ears and mouth. "P...pp...lease…the...p...pain" Kiv tries to say.

  Valarous looks down at him in disgust, and then waves his hand again. Kiv stops screaming and lays flat on the ground, breathing heavily. "You are new and so utterly... under-enhanced, do you really think we would share such important information with you?"

  Kiv starts to answer, but Valarous waves his hand again and Kiv screams and twists on the floor. "I didn't say you could speak, idiot. I gave you four Mute and a Langhu. Yet, you do not have the child and you let a possible relative of The Progenitor get away. Did you not see the gauntlet she was wearing? That is Progenitor tech, how was she able to use it? Your analysis of her said she was human, so that must mean that was unlocked Progenitor technology. Do you know how rare that is?"

  Valarous looks down at the body on the floor and realizes that Kiv has died. He sighs and then presses a button, a large metal ball rolls into the room. It ripples and forms into a humanoid shape, "Yes, master?" It says in a harsh metallic voice.

  "Revive Kiv, X-15."

  "Yes, master." It says, and then forms multiple needles out of its body, stabbing the lifeless body. Kiv convulses and bolts up into a sitting position, his body racing with adrenaline. He looks around the room confused and yelps when he sees the metal man next to him.

  "Kiv, even with your failures, you are unique within our race. You were born with a synthesis with the Xoria. This is unheard of in The Caste, as you very well know. That is the only reason you are not still dead on the floor." Valarous says with a hint of kindness.

  Kiv stares mutely at Valarous. "You may now speak."

  "Thank you...father." Kiv says quietly.

  Valarous twitches at the use of the word "father". He begins to raise his hand again, then he pauses. "Up to this point you have been a very efficient Purger. I am going to bring you into the fold, Kiv. Do not make regret this decision."

  "Thank you, Master Valarous." Kiv says, trying to keep the hate out of his voice.

  "Almost 1,000 years ago a lone Progenitor returned to this planet. We don't know where he came from. At the same time, humans appeared and the continent of Ala-Vis was unlocked. We do not know what the connection is between the humans and the Progenitors. From the humans we have studied it seems they are evolving quickly. With each new generation their synthesis with the Xoria grows stronger. The human child you were supposed to capture is the first we know of with a 100% synthesis. It seems immortality is still broken, as we have killed this Progenito
r many times over, and he always comes back with no memories. It was not hard to figure out that this Progenitor is Jax Stone. We believe he started out as a human and somehow became a Progenitor. The construct, X-01, or as you may know it, The Watcher, is involved."

  Kiv is quiet as he processes this information. He then looks up at the Council, "What is the Council's command of me?"

  The Council members stare at Kiv not saying a word, the silence so thick it almost hurts his ears. The Council members’ eyes turn white as they mind speak to each other. Half an hour later Kiv is startled as Valarous speaks, "We are going to give you more resources, Kiv. You may take X-15 with you. Also, we have found something that may prove extremely useful. We have set it aside in lab 25, you have been given access. Finally, you may receive four new modifications."

  Kiv's eyes go wide at what they are giving him, mainly the modifications. Those will give him a substantial boost in power and prestige. Kiv pulls out a small dagger and slices his palm, smearing the blood over his hand. Then he places his hand on his face leaving a bloody hand print. "May my blood speak." He says.

  "May my blood speak." The Council says as one. "We have received word that Jax Stone has been seen at a village. The map marker has been loaded into X-15. I want you to take 50 Mute, and one Blind. You are to capture the Progenitor, do not kill him. The child is also top priority, if you must you may kill her, but we would prefer her alive." Valarous says.

  Kiv coughs and chokes at the mention of the Blind. Kiv does not scare easily, but the Blind horrify him. They only answer to the council, and even they are hard pressed to control them. "A... Blind? I...Master, is that necessary?"

  "Are you questioning us?" Amhu asks with a deadly calmness.

  Yes, you antiquated piece of excrement, is what Kiv wants to say. "No, Master Amhu. The Council's wish will be done."

  "Do not fail us. You may go." Valarous says.

  Kiv makes eye contact with each council member and then turns and walks out, X-15 follows him. He walks down the long hallway, wiping the blood from his face. His body shakes with anger. He turns a corner of the underground labyrinth that is the secret Caste base in the human lands. He stops abruptly as he almost runs into a human slave. He is on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor, there is a metal neck band on him. It will kill him instantly if he were to try and escape.

  Kiv snarls at him, "You filthy vermin! I could have tripped over you."

  The man looks up at him with terrified eyes, "I...I...I'm sorry master." He says.

  Kiv gasps, "How dare you speak to me."

  Kiv looks at his dirty sack that covers him, it is ripped and stained. He kicks him in the ribs, over and over until Kiv is panting from exhaustion. He is not sure if the human is still alive, and he doesn't care. Other Caste members walk by, paying the scene no more attention than a cursory glance.

  Feeling better he walks over to lab 25, the door scans him and then beeps and opens. Inside there is a lab tech standing in front of a pod. "Ah, yes. Kiv is it? I have a new toy for you." The tech says.

  "What is this thing?" Kiv asks looking over the pod, there is a small window near the top, but he can't see in.

  The tech chuckles, "This is human technology. It predates the humans living on this planet by hundreds of years."

  Kiv can't believe what he is hearing, "Humans built this? How is that possible? They have almost no technology."

  "It seems there are humans on other planets, they have become space travelers. You do not have the clearance to know all the details. All you need to know is that there is a human inside this stasis pod, he has been in this pod for a thousand years. We were able to gleam some surface memories from him, and the name Stone came up. I will collar and mod him so he will be completely under your control." The tech says, looking excited.

  Kiv gets a grin on his face, "Well, what are you waiting for? Open it up."

  Chapter One: Into The Woods We Go

  ~

  Kala is sitting on the warm ground, in the back of the house. It has been only 12 hours since the Watcher visited. She is finding that she needs more time alone, now that she has this human body. Kala can get overwhelmed easily, but she doesn’t want Jax to know. He would make a big deal out of it and then walk on eggshells around her. She just wants him to be normal around her.

  Jill, Jax, Aurelia and Doc are inside. Jill woke up a few hours after Jax Awakened her into a Progenitor. It took some coaxing, but Jill convinced Aurelia to let her awaken her into a Progenitor. They all felt a little better after it was done, knowing that she could never really die.

  So much has happened since Kala’s consciousness was basically turned on. She has been with Jax since the beginning. Kala has joked, laughed and supported him. But, she never let him know how hard this has all been. Every tiny thing is new to her, breathing for example. Kala started as a ball of energy that required nothing to survive and she had limited feelings or emotions. Now, each breath brings new smells, every moment a new experience.

  Her mind is packed with information about Earth and humans. But, she has never lived as one, or maybe she has. The Watcher said Kala is almost a thousand years old and she has lived as a human many times over. Yet, she remembers none of it. Kala catches glimpses of those previous lives in dreams, but they always fade away.

  Kala knows that she loves Jax, and she knows he loves her. She also knows he wants to be with her. She can feel her body react when he touches her, and it is all just too much right now. She just hopes he will be wait for her.

  Then there is the issue with her synthesis, well it's not really an issue. It has been slowly rising since she became human, it is already at 83%. When Kala closes her eyes and Meditates she can feel the Xoria all around her, she sometimes tries to reach out and touch them. But, she gets overwhelmed and feels like an ocean would crash down upon her. Jax is a Progenitor with 100% synthesis, how has he not felt the overwhelming power of the Xoria around them? Jax can be very dense sometimes. He is always thinking about everything so much that he doesn’t stop and experience the world around him.

  A thunder clap startles Kala, she looks up and watches the aptly named, thunder clouds, pop in the sky. They shimmer with purple colors, and she can always tell when one is about to burst because it begins to emit a light.

  She stands up and stretches, I need to take a walk, clear my head, she thinks. She just wants to be in nature, alone for a while. Life has been a whirlwind since Kala became human a few days ago, she hasn't had a chance to just walk by myself. She pulls up her User Sheet, she leveled up three times from the fight with the Langhu. Kala looks at the blinking icon that says she has 30 attribute points to spend. She knows that Jax wants her to take the archer path, he thinks it'll be safer if she keeps her distance in combat.

  Kala stops at the edge for the woods, she feels indecisive. What does she want to be? Her epic bow is pretty amazing, but it’s mental energy based as it shoots energy arrows. Kala would need to dump a lot of points into intelligence so that her mental energy pool is large. But she would also need to raise her wisdom for her mental energy to regenerate faster.

  "Screw it." She says to the trees standing before her. She assigns her points and then looks over her sheet again.

  Name: Kala

  Age: 25

  Gender: Female

  Level: 4

  Experience: 27%

  Synthesis: 83%

  Race: Human

  Focus: Undermined

  Fame: 50

  Health: 120 (145)

  Mind Energy: 180

  Stamina: 70 (120)

  Health Regen/sec: .2

  Mind Regen/sec: .31 (.36)

  Stamina Regen/sec: .2 (.5)

  Strength: 7

  Constitution: 12

  Endurance: 7 (12)

  Dexterity: 11 (16)

  Agility: 13 (18)

  Intelligence: 18

  Wisdom: 15

  Luck: 15

  Base Melee Damage: 5-8

&nbs
p; Base Ranged Damage: 0

  Weapon Damage: Variable

  Base Mind Power: 18

  Base Armor: 2 (22)

  Afflictions Resist Chance: Physical (5%) Mental (10%)

  Critical Hit Chance: 18.25%

  Critical Hit Damage: 150%

  Traits:

  Rebirth: If death occurs you will be reborn in your unbonded form, all levels and memories gone.

  Xoria Quickening: You have a deeper connection with the Xoria than most living beings.

  Effect 1: Synthesis level will increase at an exponential rate.

  Effect 2: Xoria Communion

  Skills:

  Heal: Level 2

  Flare: Level 1

  Analyze: Level 1

  Meditation: Level 3

  Unarmed Combat: Level 1

  Swords: Level 1

  Bows: Level 3

  Medium Armor: Level 2

  Stealth: Level 1

  Sneak Attack: Level 1

  Perception: Level 1

  Xoria Communion: Level 1

  What the hell is Xoria Communion? She thinks. Kala tries to click on the skill, but all she gets is question marks. She exhales in frustration. She needs to grind out some levels, and she is way behind everyone else. Kala thinks that Jax is close to level ten and Jill is overpowered as fuck. She wants to be able to contribute, she doesn’t need Jax protecting. She hasn’t experienced the inequity human women had to face on Earth, but she knows the history. She doesn’t want to fall into the role of the helpless woman, looking for a man to save her.

  Kala’s thoughts turn to Sallinda. The first natural-born human they met on Crucible. She is exactly what Kala does not want to be, acting helpless and flaunting her tits about.