Chrysalis Read online

  Creation Date: 1,101,230 BX

  Seeded: Planet Terra 1

  Population: 0 (evolution still in progress)

  Evolutionary Potential: Class 1

  Xoria Synthesis Potential: 100% Max

  Current Status: Active

  *WARNING! This database has not been updated in 3.1841 million years.

  "Wait. What? Why does is say population of zero?" Kala asks after I share the pop-up window with her.

  "I think they seed a planet with the building blocks for the species they want and then let them evolve naturally...I wonder why they do it that way? There are so many variables that would alter how a species would evolve. Especially on a planetary scale, I don't know how you would be able to direct evolution to the desired end-product." I say.

  "End-product? It's humanity, not a fast food chain." Kala says.

  "You know what I mean." I playfully bump Kala's shoulder with mine. "I guess when you are immortal running an experiment over millions of years is no big deal."

  We spend the next half an hour looking at the creatures in the tanks. But, we learn nothing else useful or find any more loot. I approach the door to the next room, the red light flashes.

 

 

  "It says we need Core protection. What does that even mean?" I ask.

  After a bit of preparation, we step forward and open the door. A sharp arid smell assaults us. The room is already illuminated and I see something dash behind a holding tank. Then a head peeks around the corner and looks at us.

  "Damn, it can see us. We really need to level up our Stealth." I say quietly.

  The creature slowly comes out in the open. It looks like a human, but all of its features are elongated. It is hunched over on the ground, and its movements are sharp and jerky. It kind of reminds me of someone doing animation dance style. It makes a chattering noise at us, but it never opens its mouth.

  "What should we do? Doc, do you know what this thing is?" Kala asks.

  "No, I do not know." Doc says.

  The thing scurries forward a few feet, startling us.

  "Wait." Then I point to the left.

  A man walks out from behind a tank. The creature chatters at him and then its body hunches down lower, like a cat ready to pounce. The man steps to the right of the creature and looks down at it. The creature turns it body, tracking the man. Then it leaps into the air, its mouth open with hundreds of tiny sharp teeth. The creature passes right through the man and crashes into a tank, causing a hairline crack to form.

  "Guess we now know its hostile." I wave my hand and the man disappears. "Shoot it Kala."

  Kala had her bow pulled back for the last minute, building energy. She fires the glowing arrow and it races across the room, slamming into the creature as it’s trying to get up. Her arrow hits it in the shoulder with 100 points of energy damage, tearing its arm off. Its health bar above its head shows that it is at 79%.

  The monster thrashes on the floor chattering loudly as we approach to end its life. It turns toward us and raises its only remaining arm. I feel a terrible pain inside me, a pain I cannot identify. I double over in pain and watch as the monster regrows its arm. The pain stops when the arm is fully formed and I am down to 18% health. Then I notice that my mental, stamina and experience pools have been drained as well.

  Doc rushes forward with incredible speed and slashes at the vampire. But, it moves faster and leaps out of the way. It then raises its hand at Doc, and nothing happens. It cocks its head in confusion. I take this opportunity to smash one of the Hybrid Orbs in my hand. I hope it works how I think it does. My body surges with health, stamina, and mental energy.

  The vampire and Doc are in a dance of evasion, neither able to strike the other. Then the monster jumps onto a tank and shimmers and disappears.

  "Watch out, Jax! It's behind you." Kala yells at me, her eyes are silver and shine like tiny lakes of metal. She must be in Xoria Communion.

  I leap to the side, but not fast enough. I feel it strike my ribs with a crunch. "Enough of this." I say under my breath. I activate the temporal field of my sword and everything around me freezes in place. They are not actually frozen, I am just moving so fast that they appear that way.

  I raise my hand and let loose my Laser Beam skill. It is a continuous beam of energy that hits the vampire in the chest. Its chest smokes and a hole forms where the beam is hitting it. After a few seconds the beam exits through the back of the creature. Time resumes and it slumps to the floor, its health at 3%.

  Then I feel the pain of the monster draining me again as its health begins to restore. I scream in frustration. Its health is quickly rising as mine falls. It begins to stand up, I might of imagined it, but I think it smiled at me.

  Then it leaps onto me, and vomits all over me. Or I think it's throw up, but it quickly starts to eat through my armor. Where the hell is Kala and Doc? Just as I think that an arrow slams into its chest. The arrow creates a gash, but with devastation, I watch it quickly heal. I try and activate my Dark Shield, but I don't have the mental energy. My vision is starting to blur as my health is drained.

  The vampire strikes down and creates a hole in my chest armor. Another arrow hits it, but the monster ignores it. It takes both of its hands and places them in the hole in my armor and then rips my chest piece off me. I see Kala in my vision striking it with my sword that I dropped, yelling at it. For every strike that Kala does the vampire sucks life off of me. My body flashes with warm energy, which I assume is Kala healing me. My mind is fading and I know I am going to die. The sudden infusion of energy makes the creature crazy. It latches its hundreds of tiny hooked teeth onto my exposed chest and sucks. My level drops by one, to level seven.

  Doc is suddenly there and a hundred tentacles shoot out of him and impale the vampire. Doc then lifts it into the air with the metal tentacles. The monster is chattering and writhing, all the while still draining my life-force. Doc's tentacles extend, pulling the monster apart until its body is split in two. Blood and gore rain down on me in a torrent.

  Chapter Five: Nightmare

  ~

  My whole body flashes with a bright light as I reach level eight. There are bright flashes around Kala and Doc as well.

  I sprawl out on the floor. "Fuck." Using an extra pair of pants out of my inventory I wipe the blood off of my face. "I really hate that thing. Did anyone Analyze it?"

  "Yes, it was level 13." Doc says.

  "I'm getting really tired of almost dying every time I fight something." I say with a sigh. My armor chest piece is on the floor, ripped in half and corroded from acid. I lost a lot of bonuses and protection. Crouching down, I pick up one of the pieces "Dammit, I only got to wear this for less than a few hours."

  "Do you think we should head back?" Kala asks me.

  "No, we can do this. I just hit level eight, again. Kala you're level six, and Doc you are level nine. I'd like it if we could all hit level ten and choose our focus."

  "I can't believe that thing sucked a level off you." Kala says shaking her head in disbelief.

  "Did I already say I hate that thing?" I look down at my broken armor, feeling sorry for myself.

  Kala starts to laugh, and then her laugh turns to a cackle.

  "Was that really that funny..." I stop when I look at Kala. My face pales. Her eyes are pitch black and she is cackling like a crazy person. She then pulls the string back on her bow and shoots me. She didn't put much energy into the arrow so it only does a small amount of damage. I still flinch and yell out in pain.

  "Kala? What are you doing?" I ask her as I activate my Dark Shield.

  "She is being controlled." Doc says next to me.

  Kala drops her bow and then grabs her head and screams. Blood seeps out of her nose and she takes my sword from the ground at her feet. She holds it to her throat.

  I try to move forward, but Doc holds me
back. "No, the creature must be close. You talk to her, I will try and find it."

  My heart is pounding so hard that I feel like I might pass out. Doc runs out of the room. "Kala! Stop." I yell at her. Her head snaps up at looks at me, she has an unsettling smile on her face.

  "You, you, you...will die...after I kill this one." Kala says in a voice that is not her own.

  Kala's eyes begin to bleed, and then she screams again. Her eyes clear for a moment and she looks up at me. "Jax...help me..." She says with a sob. Then her eyes turn black again.

  I sprint to her and tackle her to the ground. I knock the sword out of her hands and then pin her arms down. She snarls at me and tries to bite me. "Kala, resist it, please."

  She stops struggling and grins at me "You, you, you...a master is near...they will feast on the pain..." Kala's head snaps to the side, like she is looking at something. Then she hisses. Kala's back arches and her eyes go back into her head, then she passes out. Her health is about 30% gone.

  "Kala? Wake up." I shake her. I hear a scream from the next room and I see everyone’s experience bar go up some.

  Doc walks back into the room and drops the heads of three Mind Furies. "They were only level five. My mind is safe from their attacks. But, they are still extremely dangerous to you and Kala." He looks down at her. "Her heart rate is indicative of sleep. We should let her rest for a moment. I will keep watch in the next room."

  I pull Kala over to the wall with me and rest her head on my lap stroking her hair. "What is the point of all these skills and powers if I can't protect the ones I love?" I say quietly to the room, leaning my head back with my eyes closed, emotionally drained.

  I wake up to Kala screaming and thrashing. "Kala, it's okay, I'm here." Kala looks up at me and then her body shakes and tears run down her face.

  "Jax...it was so horrible. It was inside me...it touched me... It made me think disgusting things." She then sobs harder and puts her hands to her face.

  "Shhh, it's okay. Doc killed it, and two others." I say.

  "We need to kill the rest of them. We can't let them escape." Kala's voice turns icy and she sits up. "I am going to Meditate. It will clear my mind. I think we should both Meditate, it may help resist their mental attacks." Kala says as she sits crossed legged and closes her eyes. I do the same.

  Doc comes back into the room. "Good, I'm glad you are okay, Kala."

  Kala opens her eyes, they are glowing and silver. "Doc...you are beautiful. Your Core? Where is it?"

  "I have split it into many much smaller ones, that are connected. It gives me protection and more fluidity of form."

  "Wow. Yes, now I see. But how?" Kala looks at him closer.

  Just then I feel something touch my mind. It feels like a wet kitten licking my brain. Kala gasps, "Jax, Meditate, now! I can see something around your head. Doc, we must find the rest and kill them."

  Peace washes over me and the presence in my mind recedes some, but then it pushes harder. I stand up, and stagger to the side, bracing myself against the wall. "Go, I'm right behind you. It's trying to get into my head."

  Kala and Doc slam the door open into the room with all the glass tanks. The headless corpses of three of the Mind Furies are on the ground. Black blood pools around them. Kala puts her arm around me, helping me stay up. An insidious whispering in my mind causes me to stagger, "Hurry...I...don't know...how long I can resist..."

  We go through the door into the starting area with the console. It is empty.

  "Fuck. Where are they." Kala says with frustration.

  "Set me down. I need...to...Meditate again." I am barely able to hold it from taking over my mind. And then blackness floods over me. I am now in a cage in a complete black space with a small window in front of me. Through this window I see the world through my own eyes, it is a strange feeling. Kala is yelling at me and then the door behind her opens and Mind Furies float in. I scream at her to turn around, but she is still focused on me. Through the picture window, that is floating in the pure blackness, I see my arm raise. Energy leaves my hand and slams into Kala's chest.

  I scream and shake my cage. Then a Mind Fury appears in the dark space with me.

  "You, you, you...we have you." It then laughs from its distorted face. In mid-laugh its head leaves its body and I am free from the cage of my own mind.

  I am disoriented for a moment, and then take stock of the situation. Six Mind Furies are in the room with us. Doc is fighting with two and Kala keeps moving strange, running, ducking all over the place.

  I stand up and use my Laser Beam on the closest one, it screams. I feel it trying to get into my mind, I aim my Laser Beam up to its face and hold it there until the creature dies. My mind clears, to my right Kala falls to the ground and grabs her head. My vision turns red and rage fills me. A roar echoes in the room. It takes me a moment to realize it came from me. I slam my armored fists together. All the Mind Furies turn toward me at once, I feel four evil minds slam into me. But I don't care, only Rage fills me. It overwhelms all else in life, I only want the blood of my enemies.

  Equipping the Langhu Rage Club I squeeze the spikes causing my hand to bleed. A notification that Blood Rage has been activated pops up, a red glow surrounds my body. I scream and run into the middle of the Furies. The closest stares at me with hatred in its black eyes, I bash it in the face.

  Something ice cold pierces my side, knocking 18% off my health. Twirling around I find a Mind Fury with its hand inside of me. Before I can move a metal razor wire slices off its arm. Pulling the severed arm out of me causes a scream of pain to leave me, the red glow gets brighter every time I take damage. My melee strikes now do 20% more damage.

  The one-armed Fury tries to strike me with its remaining arm, but Doc is there instantly and impales it with a long sword. Two Furies are left, both scream at me, the black veins in their faces pulsing. Then a super bright arrow strikes the one on my right and it explodes, causing me to fly back a few feet and land on my back.

  I activate Shockwave and fly through the air and land next to the last Fury. Only minor damage is inflicted with the impact, but the Fury is now stunned. I smash the club into its head, over and over until nothing remains but a bloody mess. Turning around, I strike the floor with my club and scream, looking for more to kill.

  "Jax! Calm down." I hear a woman’s voice say. I start to move to attack, but metal hands restrain me. Screaming again I try to get away. I try to teleport my whole body, but that just causes me to have a terrible headache. All of the sudden soft lips press against mine. The Rage leaves me, as well as all my stamina. I slump to the ground, but the metal arms are still holding me up.

  "Jax? Are you okay now?" I hear the woman’s voice say, which I now am able to recognize as Kala.

  "Ugggg...sorry...I had no control of myself, did I hurt anyone?" My mouth tastes like dirty pennies and I am beyond tired.

  "We are fine. I take it that was you under the effect of Rage?" Kala asks me.

  I take out my water canteen and rinse my mouth out. "Yeah, it saved me from the mental effects of the Mind Furies." I look at my experience progress. "Damn, those guys really suck. We killed ten of them and no one leveled up?"

  Kala sits down on the floor next, "They are squishy, but unless you have very strong mental defenses they can take you easily." She shudders.

  "Doc, would you mind looting all these monsters? Kala and I need a moment to recharge." I ask the metal man.

  "Of course. But, please keep a watchful eye." He says. I nod to him that I understand, then pull up the status of our current quest.

  Quest Status:

  Investigate the Experimental & Native Research Facility

  You have found a Progenitor Research Facility. Defeat the hostile experimental life-forms in the facility.

  Test Subject 0-5-1-9: Terminated

  Native Species 33M-01: Active

  Mind Furies: 10/10

  Experimental Biological Weapon Q-74: Active

  Quest Type: Secr
et

  Difficulty: Very Hard

  Rewards: ????

  Bonus Quest:

  Learn about each life-form: 1/4

  Rewards: ????

  "I can't believe these things have been right below the town all this time." Kala says as she watches Doc loot the bodies.

  "Yeah, it's pretty frightening." I sigh, "Well, we should probably check out that room that had the vampire in it."

  "Vampire?" Doc asks.

  "Oh, sorry. Vampires were mythological monsters on Earth. They were immortal creatures that sucked the blood of the living. That thing kind of reminded me of one." I tell him.

  "Why didn't they make cute fluffy rabbits or something? Did everything the Progenitors create have to be evil monsters?" Kala asks us.

  "They made you. You don't seem too evil. And they made Doc as well." I tense expecting her to hit me.

  "True. I guess I just don't understand them..." She says.

  "Humanity was also capable of great destruction and evil. But they were capable of kindness, love, and beauty at the same time. Life is rarely black and white." I tell her.

  We share some food and water, feeling better after the buffs they imparted. After 20 minutes or so, we make our way back to the vampire room. There are only two glass tanks in this room, one on each side of the wall. Each one holds a different version of the vampire we killed. In front of us is a round platform with a small console in front of it.

  I walk up to the console and wave my hand over it.

  Test Subject 0-5-1-9

  Creation Date: 1,235,167 BX

  Evolutionary Potential: Unknown

  Xoria Synthesis Potential: 1% Max

  Notes:

  Test subject displays extreme regenerative capabilities. Its body rejects Xoria and can only maintain constant health by draining the Cores of other living beings. The side-effects of this process cause the test subject to grow in strength and levels quickly. Test subject is hostile and cannot be controlled.

  Recommendation:

  Hold in stasis for further study. Possible Progenitor genetic integration or weaponization.