Synthesis Read online

  Chapter Seven: The Village

  I awake to pitch blackness. Am I in my stasis pod? I was having such strange dreams. People I've never met, places I've never been. I reach out and knock something over.

  "Jax? Are you okay?" A beautiful voice asks me.

  "It's nothing my love, go back to sleep," I say.

  "Umm... what? Did you just say you love me?" She asks.

  I turn to see Kala begin to glow and light up my surroundings. We are in a little clearing of soft grass surrounded by skinny trees that have wicked looking thorns all over them. As I focus, I hear an orchestra of insects. I remember hearing a recording on Earth of an insect called a cicada, and this sound is similar.

  "Sorry, Kala. I forgot where I was. My dreams and reality got confused for a moment." I say as I look up to the sky. Billions of stars look back at me. I know many of the stars I am looking at have long since expired, their light now only reaching my eyes. I suddenly feel so small, a mote of dust in the universe. Do I even want this immortality that has been given to me? Without Jill and my wife, what's the point? Wait. My wife? I don't have a wife. I rub my face and sigh "Ugh, Kala. My thoughts are so jumbled and strange. Talk to me, tell me something, your voice calms me. Have you decided what form you want?" I say to her.

  "What were you dreaming about, Jax? Was it about a woman? Did you have someone on Earth or on the ship that you were with?" She asks me quietly. Floating up to me, her glow dimming.

  "I don't remember the dream I was having. Ever since I have come to this world, my dreams have been so strange." I turn and look at Kala. "And to answer your question. No, I never really found time for serious relationships. Women would come into my life and then fade away when they found me unavailable. I would always neglect them for my work or I would be spending time with my sister. I'm twenty-eight years old and have never been in love." I laugh a humorless laugh. I notice that Kala deflected my question about choosing a form. I won't press her. I know she will tell me when she is ready.

  I lay back down, and I adjust the extra pairs of pants I'm using as a pillow. "Kala, where is X-20?" I whisper to her.

  "He is that large rock to your left. He said he would take watch duty. You passed out after you gorged yourself on that roasted meat you made." She says with a chuckle.

  "Yeah, I don't know what that thing was, but it was delicious. It gave me a buff to strength, and a debuff to alertness." I say with a yawn. "I don't want to do that freaky Morph thing with my eyes to see in this darkness. So, I'm going to try to sleep a bit more. Do you sleep, Kala? Do you dream?" I ask her.

  "Yes, I can sleep, Jax. My dreams are strange as well. I wonder if our dreams are bleeding into each other because of our link?" She has settled onto the ground next to my head. "Sleep well, Jax." She says.

  "You too, Kala," I say.

  "Wake up you lazy bastard!" A voice yells in my ear.

  I bolt up, "What?! I'm up. What's happening?" I turn to see Kala laughing. I pick up some dirt and throw it at Kala. "Not cool Kala. Just you wait, payback is a bitch." I rub the sleep out of my eyes. Bright sunlight shines through the trees. Bird-like creatures chirp and sing. I smile at the beauty of it all. I look over and see X20 standing in its humanoid form. "I'm guessing you don't have any coffee X20?" I ask it, or is it "him"?

  "I am unfamiliar with coffee, do you wish for me to hunt for the coffee beast?" The strange artificial life-form says.

  I laugh, "No, it's okay." I stretch, my sore body protesting. "Alright, let's have a family meeting, everyone gather around," I say.

  "X-20, is there something you wish to be called, besides X-20? And, do you identify as a male or female?" I ask it.

  "I understand it is hard for you to approach me without the familiarity of gender and human names. I have observed how Prototype Unit Resurrection Alpha has taken a female human name and voice pattern. This has allowed you to become closer to her and identify with her. There are many voice patterns in your brain that I scanned, and I can appropriate." Its body ripples briefly "Is this voice pattern acceptable?" It says with my sister's voice.

  "Oh god! No, don't do that." I yell at it.

  "I apologize, Jax. Your heartbeat and vocal tone indicate a negative emotional response. This voice pattern was very strong in your mind. I shall choose one that is faint in your memories." Its body ripples again. "How is this?" It says in a male voice that I do not recognize.

  "Uh, yeah that's fine I guess," I say.

  "The human male that belonged to this voice pattern was named Doctor Milard. Shall I adopt this name?" It asks me.

  "Oh man, Doctor Milard. Now I remember. He was my doctor when I was a kid. But no, that might be strange to call you that. So, do you wish to be identified as a male? I mean if you wish to remain as X20 without the labels of gender I'm fine with that as well. You are free to make your own choices." I say.

  "How about you call me Doc?" He says.

  I chuckle, "Well, alright. Nice to meet you Doc." I hold my hand out to him. He puts his hand out and takes mine and lets me shake. "That was much better Doc. You learn quickly," I say.

  "Thank you, Jax. My new neural pathways have increased by 437% since my waking." He says.

  I whistle, "Wow. That is amazing. The governments of Earth were always too scared to allow A.I. to become self-aware. They assumed that if allowed to become fully aware that the A.I. would rise against humanity." I say.

  "Ugh, you do know that is the plot of The Terminator, right?" Kala says.

  "I still don't understand how you know all this stuff about Earth Kala," I say.

  "I was uploaded with the histories of your planet when I merged with your A.I. program. But, I don't like to talk about that. It makes me feel like a freak, like a machine. And you know what the kicker is? I was given all this useless info about Earth, but next to nothing about who or what I am and what my purpose is. Besides, having it ingrained that I must be with you always. There must be more to my existence beside... well, besides you, Jax. No offense." She says glowing a blue color.

  "I'm sorry, Kala. I didn't mean to make you feel sad. You are not a freak. I confess I do not understand what exactly you are. But, I do know you are one of the most beautiful beings I have ever seen, and you are my friend."

  Ignoring my statement Kala says "Hey Doc, why do you call me Prototype Unit Resurrection Alpha? What do you know about me?" She floats in front of Doc.

  "There is only a notation in my database that identifies you. Your project is marked as classified, and I do not have any files on you. There may be more information at Facility Zero. I'm sorry, Kala, I do not have any answers for you." He says.

  "No problem, Doc. It would have been too easy if you had all the answers. Do you have any info on our friend Jax here? Why do you call him a Progenitor?" She asks him.

  "I do not understand the question. Jax is a Progenitor. It is what he is. Your ancestors created me, Kala, as well. Do you not know what you are, Jax?" Doc asks me.

  "Uh... what? I'm human Doc. I came from Earth. I've never even heard of Progenitors before I came to this planet." I say confused.

  "Maybe you have forgotten, Jax? My readings of you indicated that you are a Progenitor. I have no information regarding humans or Earth. However, I have been inactive for three million years. There is a lot I do not know." He says.

  "Huh, well Doc, do you know how to get to Facility Zero?" I ask.

  "Yes, Jax, my map indicates we are two-thousand and ninety-three miles southeast of the facility." He says.

  "Damn, Doc! You have a map?" Kala yells.

  "Yes, Kala, although I must say it is severely outdated," Doc says.

  "Man, that is far. Hey, you don't know if there are any fairy villages around here do you Doc?" I say as I share the quest with him.

  "I'm sorry, Jax, that species is unfamiliar to me."

  "Oh well. Let's just start in the direction of the facility" I say.

  "If I may suggest, Jax, there is a substation twelve miles from here
that may prove useful to visit," Doc says.

  "Sure, why not. Lead the way." I say. I pick up my staff and bag and walk behind Doc.

  We travel for a few hours. We are all quiet, lost in our thoughts. Oddly enough we are not attacked by anything. It feels nice to just be in this world without having to fight every moment. We are about to crest a hill when Doc indicates that we should get down. I crawl up to the top and gasp. There is a considerable creature lumbering in the grass near the edge of a forest. It's probably about one-hundred feet tall. It is covered in thick shaggy brown fur. It has ten-foot high bone ridges across its back. It's using an enormous tongue to strip the vegetation off the trees and eat it. I use Analyze on it.

  Woolly Urrglash

  Level: 106

  Synthesis: 33%

  Health: ????

  Stamina: ????

  Mental: ????

  Race: Beast

  Disposition: Unknown

  Abilities: ????, ????, ????

  Loot: ????

  "Goodness. Look at its level, one-hundred and six!" I whisper. I get a notification that my Analyze skill went up a level. That reminds me, I forgot to assign my stat points from leveling up. We watch the beast for about fifteen minutes. It finally walks into the forest and disappears.

  "Did you just say 'goodness'?" Kala asks.

  I laugh, "Yeah, I guess I did."

  "Hey, guys. I need to assign my stat points will you give me a minute please?" I say.

  "Sure thing, Jax. It's not like you could have done that the whole time we were waiting here." Kala says.

  I give her a scowl. It seems like my intelligence/wisdom and luck have been working reasonably well, so I put most of the points in those. I leave two points for constitution, having more health is always a good idea. I pull up my Character Sheet to take a look at my progress.

  Name: Jax Stone

  Age: 28

  Gender: Male

  Level: 4

  Experience: 33%

  Synthesis: 100%

  Race: Progenitor

  Focus: Undermined

  Fame: 300

  Health: 145/130

  Mind Energy: 350/300

  Stamina: 110

  Health Regen/sec: .51%

  Mind Regen/sec: 3.8%

  Stamina Regen/sec: .51%

  Strength: 11

  Constitution: 13

  Endurance: 11

  Dexterity: 11

  Agility: 12

  Intelligence: 30 (35)

  Wisdom: 30 (35)

  Luck: 27

  Base Melee Damage: 6-10 (Unarmed)

  Base Ranged Damage: 0

  Base Mind Power: 30 (35)

  Base Armor: 2 (5.05)

  Afflictions Resist Chance: Physical (5%) Mental (21%)

  Critical Hit Chance: 8.45%

  Critical Hit Damage: 150%

  Evasion Chance: 6%

  Traits:

  Radical Race Bonus (Progenitor): Immortality

  Mark of Synthesis: Once per day you may use Soul Touch to gain an intrinsic understanding of an inanimate object. May allow access to varying rewards. You must be in physical contact with object.

  Mental Cost: 100

  Effects 1: Learning new skills is 25% easier.

  Effects 2: Permanent increase of 10 to Luck Stat.

  Effects 3: Allows user to open Progenitor Lock Boxes.

  Mark of the Watcher: You have been awarded an Unbonded Unique Companion. Mark of the Watcher grants the player a one time use of Petition of the Watcher, the Watcher will hear and grant one request. (Uses 0/1)

  Perks:

  Iron Mind

  Skills:

  Analyze: Level 3

  Unarmed Combat: Level 1

  Stealth: Level 2

  Sneak Attack: Level 1

  Staffs: Level 2

  Meditation: Level 1

  Teleportation: Level 1

  Dark Shield: Level 1

  Perception: Level 2

  Shockwave: Level 1

  Medium Armor: Level 1

  As soon as I assigned my points I got a new notification.

  Congratulations! You have learned the Perk:

  Scholar I

  Yay! You are smart enough to know that 1+1=2. You gained this perk by bringing your intelligence and wisdom both to 30 points. Scholar II will be reached when you bring intelligence and wisdom to 60 each.

  Effects 1: Ability to teach yourself new skills is increased by 5%.

  Effects 2: Memory retention and recall is increased by 5%.

  Effects 3: Mental Energy Regeneration increased by .5%.

  Experience awarded: 30

  Well, that's cool, won't help me in a battle. But it gives me hope there is more to this planet than just killing and leveling up. "Alright guys, I'm done. Let's go." I say. We travel for a while when suddenly Doc is in human form fighting a huge snake, or worm. I'm not sure what it is. But, it must have been hiding in the grass. The monster wraps itself around Doc.

  "I may require some assistance, Jax." He says with a bit of worry in his voice. Does he feel fear?

  "We are on it, Doc, don't worry," I say. I aim my staff at it and fire a dark bolt. The thing makes a wet slurping sound and turns its head towards me. Damn, it is ugly, it's all teeth with large black eyes. There is an electrical buzz sound, and I see sparks jump off Doc. The snake releases him, and he falls to the ground in a lump of metal. "Kala! That thing just shocked Doc. Are you able to heal him?" I yell. I raise my new ring and fire its charge at its face. Pure white energy streams out of my ring and explodes its right eye. It screams and charges me. I activate Shockwave and leap towards it. Faster than I can track, the monster shoots up and catches me in its mouth biting down. I yell out in pain and see that seventy-five percent of my health is gone.

  My mind is racing as to how I can save my life and then Doc is there. He slashes with his sword arm and the monster's head, with me still in its mouth, goes flying to the ground.

  "My apologies Jax, that Scalcul momentarily incapacitated me with its Shock ability. May I help you out of its mouth?" Doc asks me calmly.

  "Yes please," I say through the pain. Kala is there, and casts Heal on me.

  "Are you okay, Jax?" She asks.

  "I'm better now, thank you. You didn't use your Heal on Doc?" I ask her.

  "No, I was going to try, but I got a notification that he was an invalid target. I guess it doesn't work on metal?"

  I sit up "Ugh, I'm so tired of almost dying. I need to get stronger. I can't rely on others to save me all the time. Thank you, Kala. Thank you, Doc." I say.

  "You did well, considering you were against a level eight monster," Doc says.

  "Damn, level eight?" I say as I look down at the worm thing. "I didn't get very much experience from that," I say.

  "I'm sorry, Jax, that is my fault. I had the highest amount of damage and received most of the experience. I should probably join your party, that way all experience will be shared. I did, however, gain a new level as well as leveled up my Morph and Melee Combat Function skills." Doc says.

  "That's great, Doc, I wasn't sure if you could gain levels and experience. Kala can't." I say.

  "Thanks for bringing that up, Jax," Kala says flashing red at me.

  "From her vocal tone and color, it would indicate that this is not a pleasant subject for Kala. Shall we loot the corpse and move on?" Doc says. I notice that Kala added Doc to the party.

  "Sorry, Kala," I say. I loot the Scalcul and find a Common Core and its head. As soon as I pick it up the head, I get a pop-up.

  New Quest Alert:

  Save the Villagers

  You have started the quest Save the Villagers. Scalculs are attacking a village nearby. Kill all the Scalculs. Talk to the village elder after it is safe.

  Quest Type: Normal

  Difficulty: Normal

  Rewards: Variable

  Scalculs Left: 4/10

  Villagers Left: 211/235

  Do you accept this quest? Y/N


  "Oh man. Do I get to meet some real live aliens finally? This is so exciting. I wonder what they look like?" I exclaim as I read the quest. Just then we hear a scream, and we see a form running. They are too far for me to see what they look like. But I do see what is right behind them, a Scalcul.

  "Shit. Come on, guys. We have to help." I start to run after the monster. I slow down as I get closer and I enter Stealth. I notice that Doc enters Stealth as well. We hear a noise up ahead, and I see that the Scalcul is bashing against a small opening in some boulders. The villager must be hiding in there. I move to the left, and I point to Doc and indicate that he should go to the right. I aim my staff and fire, dealing a Sneak attack and shaving off nineteen percent of its health. The monster yells and turns towards me. Before it can move Doc slashes it from behind also dealing a Sneak attack. The Scalcul is now at thirty-five percent health. It whips its tail and knocks Doc to the ground. I activate my Dark Shield and swing my staff, and it lands with a thunk not doing very much damage. I sigh and throw my staff down and Morph both my arms into pointed spears and impale both my arms deep into the creature, ending its life. Scalcul (Lvl 7) has died. You receive 65 experience points.

  "Man, I hate doing that," I say as I Morph my arms back. "Ugh, this is fucking disgusting." I try unsuccessfully to get the blood and goo off of me. I look at Kala and Doc. It could just be my imagination, but it seems like they are trying not to laugh.

  "Hello? Is it safe?" I hear a soft voice say, it has a French-like accent.

  "Yes, we killed the monster. It's okay now. You can come out." I say. A form squeezes out from the rocks. I gasp and back away. "What the hell? I don't understand? Are you a human? How are you here? " I ask in an incredulous tone. Standing before me is a human woman, she looks to be in her early 20's and is an exotic beauty. She has short pixie cut auburn hair, and olive skin. Her eyes have a strange purplish color to them. There are red feather earing's dangling from her ears. She is wearing a simple blue summer dress that shows enough cleavage to be distracting.