Catalyze: The Cesmial Accords 3. An Apocalypse LitRPG, page 1
Catalyze
Book Three of
The Cesmial Accords
By
Kevin Sinclair
Copyright © 2023 Kevin Sinclair
All rights reserved
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and situations portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination.
The Author has no medical experience whatsoever and is in no way offering dietary or health advice. Any situation herein, are purely of the authors imagination.
All resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
For more Information email:
kevinsinclairauthor@gmail.com
First edition 2023
Thanks
As always, Special thanks goes out to my wife, Victoria Sinclair and her invaluable help with all the little things that go into publishing.
I also want to thank Alicia Sit, for her marvelous editing skills. A true professional. Elias Dantas brings up the trinity of people I rely on to get these books out, with his exemplary proofreading skills.
Contents
Copyright © 2023 Kevin Sinclair
Thanks
Recapalouge
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37 Lune
The Rise of Oshbob
Recapalouge
When Cesmial sprouted from the Earth I thought it was the end for us all.
When we survived but Nirakaa hordes tore through our lands and cities, killing everyone in our path, I tried to rally.
But when Dillenan seemed to know our every move before we did… that’s when I really lost hope.
But my friends kept me going. Together we rode the wave of catastrophe and fortune alike. And somehow, against all the odds, we slowly gained the upper hand in our battle for Earth.
We fortified two towns with our new abilities, creating almost impenetrable walls, and we pushed our skills with the channeling pearls to increase our powers.
Finally, we began to beat back the Nirakaa.
Then, the watching aliens from above—those torturing our poor planet—changed the rules. The Nirakaa were gone, and I was chosen as the Champion of Earth, forced into a fight against the Hiristou champion in a battle to the death. Not just for me, but for all humanity.
My opponent? A Fane Odium. A near unkillable wrecking machine, born from a race of giants, corrupted and disfigured by contact with Cesmial. I had no chance. Even with a month to train, I was being sent to my death.
In a stroke of rare luck, the Galastarans, as next in line to try for our planet, were equally unhappy with the ruling. Their hopes of claiming the Cesmial for themselves, suddenly dashed. So, in a private message, they sent me on a journey across the continent in search of the Breach. The opening in our planet's crust that had allowed the Cesmial to pour out in the first place.
Around that opening were the now cooled lava flows, otherwise known as Cesmialore to the aliens. That sea of rugged black rock was the only reason they were here.
Once there, I was able to Disperse the power contained within them and supercharge not just my levels but the levels of those around me. My aim: Tier Five and the Cesmial Symbiosis that came with it.
When the day finally came to fight the Hiristou champion, I was so close, but no matter how hard I pushed, I just couldn’t make it to Tier Five before the fight.
The creature was huge. An eighteen feet tall monstrosity. It was vicious, it was skilled and it was relentless.
I spent most of the fight, trying to survive and very little else. Cycling my powers as much as possible while running and hiding around the arena.
Then it happened. Tier Five arrived, and my power levels soared. More than that, it seemed that human physiology was highly suited to Cesmial fusion, and I bonded on a deeper level.
Suddenly I was no longer trying to survive. Now I had the power to take the fight to the enemy placed between me and the future of Earth’s population.
Yet despite all of my new power, defeating the Fane Odium seemed impossible. If not for a moment of inspiration as the last of the bullets from my old, refurbished gun, the Lock 19, ran out. The Cesmialore tipped bullets were the only thing I had that penetrate its skin and flesh beyond. Throughout the fight I had hammered the creature with those, including the last few, that I delivered point blank into its skull. Despite their effectiveness at penetrating, its high healing and durability meant they were completely harmless.
Until they were Invested with surplus Cesmial! The excess energy caused them to explode, deep inside the organs and the brain of the Fane Odium.
For as long as the fight lasted, the final victory came suddenly.
The Universal Egalate sat up in shock. Humanity rejoiced and the First Wave came to an end.
There was little ceremony for such a momentous occasion. A simple warning that we had eighty days to prepare.
The Second Wave was coming.
Chapter 1
8 Quintens (79 Days)
remaining until Second Wave
“You want to bring what’s left of the world’s population here?” Zial asked. “To the middle of a fucking wasteland, to live in a cobbled together compound with a few badly built shacks? And you all think I’m the mad one!”
“Not here,” Malom pointed out calmly. “Don’t forget that we saw a city on the way here, and the hunters have reported cities close enough for us to use. They’re mostly deserted, and badly damaged, certainly. But with Laminate and our other abilities along with the huge amount of materials lying around to build with, I believe we could recreate safe places for people to live.”
“Bah!” Zial said, throwing his hands up. “There’s no such thing as a safe place. We should be training ourselves, not running around like headless chickens. We don’t even know how many people survived! There could be billions of people, and they could be anywhere. And if that’s not enough, what the hell makes you think they’re gonna risk leaving the homes that have kept them safe this far to travel all the way here, huh? Raelis is probably the safest place in the world! I can just see the bloody conversation now. Heya Adnan, fancy trekking halfway across the world to an unprotected shithole. It’s bullshit, Malom. Utter, bullshit.”
“Why don’t you tell us what you really think, Zial,” Eaen said, leaning against one of those makeshift huts in our admittedly shitty compound.
Zial offered a two fingered salute, while Malom slowly shook his head.
“There’s not billions, Zial. Are you mad? There was barely a billion people on the continent before the Cesmial Cloud hit. Then if you look at the survival rate of Ferson, Slaine, and Raelis, almost half the people died there from mere exposure to Cesmial. Let alone the numbers that died from the Nirakaa. You say you don’t want to help anyone, but you need to realize, it would surprise me if humanity still numbered in the millions. If we don’t try to unify, and save what remains…” Malom trailed off, leaving the heavy statement hanging.
Before Zial could reply, Genive jumped in. “As for why they will come, don’t forget Lyewax’s fight with the Fane Odium. It was broadcast to the entire world. They saw him beat an invincible alien. They saw him… evolve?” she said, looking at me for confirmation.
“Seems as good a word as any,” I agreed. “And with the Symbiosis, I suspect that we all will. I have no idea what any of it means. Only that the Adjudicators were visibly taken aback by it. They had said that only four of the elder races bonded in this way.”
“Which way?” Zial snapped.
“They wouldn’t tell me. But of the races I’ve seen, I can guess that the Galastarans have and the Yuadrir, judging by their hair and eyes. The Phelosans and the Hiristou, definitely not. But those are the only ones I’ve seen.”
“So all we have to go on is how you feel and that they were surprised,” Malom said. “So, I would ask. What do you think it means?”
They all laser-focused on me at the question, and while I’d thought a lot about it, I had no Plazi-crete answers for him. “I’m not sure what normal Symbiosis should have felt like. So I don’t know what to say or how to compare the two. I do feel different. More powerful and so much closer with the Cesmial now. I’m a
I meant it as a joke. A terrible joke, but a joke, nonetheless. They all looked at me seriously, nodding knowingly.
“We’ll do it,” Malom promised, and by expression alone, I knew the others agreed.
“So you really think we’re all gonna look like you?” Zial asked. “Not sure I want to look like I’ve been eating bloody light bulbs.”
I smiled at the angry man, but moved on without responding. “The basic facts are simple: When the Galastarans come, they’re going to be a lot more powerful than us. We don’t know if they’ll come themselves or if they’ll send soldiers from another planet, like the Hiristou sent the Nirakaa. But pulling everyone here? Goddamn it, logistically, that’s going to be damn near impossible.”
Zial grunted his agreement and laid back, crossing his arms over his chest in satisfaction.
“However,” I continued, smiling at the angry ex-copper. “We’ve got to try. If we can use the cache to get pearls to everyone and make sure they’re all processing Cesmial and Tiering up, then even if they don’t come close, that’s a hell of a start.”
“The whole continent with one cache?” Eaen asked, the doubt written clearly on his face.
“We can go out and collect others,” Lune said.
She hadn’t spoken yet, preferring to lounge in the warm sunlight, taking it all in. But now she sat up, ready to get involved. I wasn’t sure what sparked her, but I always valued her council, and by how everyone else listened, I wasn’t alone.
“If you’re looking for a new herd to hunt, not everyone travels in the same direction, or they will all see the same things. We should send out balanced groups to push in all directions from this spot. Look out for cities, look out for caches. If you don’t find a cache, they can get a pearl here.”
Zial took a deep breath about to interrupt.
Lune’s bright blue-gray eyes landed on him with a warning. “It’s a big world. We’re not going to get everyone. But we can reach a lot of people that way. We can travel fast and far on shields and with Kinetic powers. A lot of us have worked hard here while Lyewax trained to fight the Hiristou champion. Which means there are a lot of you who can reach Tier Five before the Galastarans arrive. Great for fighting, sure, but who knows what powers we’ll receive once we get there. What will Cesmial Anchor and Light Step look like at that stage?”
There was a buzz of excitement around our small group at her words. Even Zial nodded at her appraisal of the situation.
Then he spoiled it by speaking. “Just don’t you all be forgetting that we’re pretty much the strongest people on the planet. Those we’re gonna be looking for are likely fucking useless. Starting from ground zero, if you get my meaning. So, while I don’t want to sound like a dick on this, they’re gonna be dead weight right now, and probably for a good while in the future. Meaning, whatever we decide, it’s our skills that are gonna win us this thing.”
“You mean Lyewax’s?” John said.
None of my inner circle were intimidated by Zial, though outside of that group most were, and rightly so. But John was one of the few among us Zial never prodded or poked too heavily. I didn’t know if something had gone on in the past, but Zial never pushed it with the broad-shouldered, towering ex-butcher. It could also have been because John was always calm and easy going. They had a funny relationship. That much was certain.
Zial now waved him off. “Mr. Fucking Fancy Pants certainly has an edge, I can admit that, but we’re all important here, John. Don’t be selling us short just because he can power level.”
John barked out a laugh. “I getcha, Zial.”
“I do too,” I added. “But that’s not an excuse to leave them like lambs for the slaughter. Not if we don’t have to. Lune’s plan works for me to start with. But we can’t be searching forever. We have eighty days more or less. That’s nearly three months, but we’ve got a load of other things to take care of, especially our own training and powers.”
Malom nodded eagerly. “If we’re being realistic, we need to split the time up. I’d say, search for an absolute maximum of twenty days. Then no matter how far we’ve gone, we turn back. Help those willing to come here to make the journey back and train ourselves. Hopefully, those coming can get to where we need them in another twenty days.”
“That sounds fair, Malom. I’ll head up to Raelis and Slaine immediately and bring them all here. We at least know they’re in fairly advanced stages of Cesmial usage and processing. They’ve already had people out searching the whole of the North West Province, so I’ve got a hope that we can get a lot of people here quickly. From there, I can move east.”
“And north,” Lune added, causing more than a few raised eyebrows.
“Your homelands?” Genive asked. “I thought you promised never to go there again.”
“We’ve a free run, and while I might hate them, they’re about as tough a people as you’re ever likely to come across. And they’re nomadic, which means their survival went either one of two ways: they’ve been massacred, or as I suspect, they were too clever to be hunted down by the Nirakaa. They are not like you… they are not like your average city dweller. I would wager there are a number of tribes still left alive.”
Genive cleared her throat. “I will head to the Kansho Province. The terrain is hot and dry, the people… problematic. But I know the area better than I know the North West from my time serving there. I know there is no one better suited to scouring the land there for survivors.”
The people are problematic statement had me a little worried about how she viewed the people of Kansho, but one thing that couldn’t be denied was that she was tailor made for the task.
“Sure thing, Genive. You head straight there rather than looking for settlements on the way. Leave the rest of the lands to the west to the others. And remember, search out caches. They’re going to be the key.”
“Affirmative,” she said, her eyes taking on a lost look as she considered her task.
“Not to be devil’s advocate here,” Eaen said. “But has anyone actually checked the cache since you kicked the Fane Odium’s arse? I mean they were granted by the Galastarans…”
Lune was up in a heartbeat, Light Stepping to the wonky shed that we kept the cache in. She carried it out still in its blanket, a look of relief on her face. “It’s still here.”
“We won’t be able to check if it still works until we find someone who hasn’t taken a pearl yet.”
“No, but we should be able to contact the Galastarans through it. I’m not supposed to, but it would be good to have clarification on a few things considering how they left us.” I jumped up and headed over to Lune as she whipped the blanket off.
The silver beam of light immersed the crystal-like shape, holding it aloft in the air, as usual when out in the open. Then, to all of our shocked eyes, it shot into the air, disappearing from sight in an instant. The light beam disappeared a moment later.
“So that fucking changes things, right?” Zial said with furrowed brow, still looking into the air where it had disappeared.
“Yes, Zial. That changes everything,” Genive said without emotion.
“We need to work out ways to unlock the Cesmial potential ourselves then,” I said with a depressed sigh. “Another job for Malom while we all search.”
As our resident brainbox puffed up his chest, Zial gave a doubtful shake of his head. “You got twenty days, Malom. Don’t fuck it up.”
“If it’s possible, I will do it,” Malom snapped.
“I know you will,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. I was pretending to be fine. It was tough. Inside, I was reeling from the sudden disappearance of the cache and the deeper questions that sprang to mind that I didn’t dare contemplate. I chose to push on.
