I wake easily to my C-units familiar pattern of tones. The implant in my brain starts a countdown with neon green letters, even with my eyes closed, the numbers flash, like a cursor waiting for words to be typed.
Eighteen years. I have been on this planet for eighteen years now. Happy birthday.
I may have made the wrong choices. It sucks here.
My childhood has been physically and mentally tortuous, and I have spent most of it thinking I was insane. As I learned the language growing up, I would remember another language that I understood better. I still think in English, and my new native language has never felt right.
Memories of my life on earth came in bits and pieces all throughout my childhood and while the memories have made things far more difficult for me, they also saved me. Both a “blessing and a curse indeed.”
The orphanage I grew up in was boot camp, creating loyal, obedient servants. The teachers were brainwashed zealots brainwashing the children. My new people, the Vangians, are a highly militarized, radical people. It’s been… unpleasant to say the least.
We were taught vehemently that we are the strongest, greatest, and are on a path to divinity. Might makes us right. Our enemies are the enemies not only of us, but of progress. It is our duty to Subjugate lesser races, and use them to raise ourselves ever higher. Like the beasts we hunt and slaughter for cores, everyone and everything else is a tool to use. This is a holy war and will eventually make us into gods. we will ascend to godhood once we have conquered every dungeon in existence. Vangians are deadly, powerful fools.
Even as a child it was chilling to hear the teachers speak. They were true zealots creating another generation of zealots. I still don’t know how normal children are raised here, but the orphans of this world like me are forged into obedient weapons. If even half of the propaganda we are fed is to be believed, we are effective.
My knowledge of a previous life full of experiences made me difficult to deal with at first, but Vangians know how to create obedient servants.
I am an obedient servant, but I am not loyal.
The numbers flash, counting down. Must get ready for another day. At least this one should get exciting. Choosing day.
The day starts off like every other day since I chose to become a harvester and was shipped to one of the four “father” dungeons on this continent.
In a large unadorned, cold room. Me and eleven other young adults wake to an alarm, and are given twenty mins to get ready for the day. I shower, and clean my teeth with the rest of my unit. I put on the same black and silver uniform as everyone else. We do not speak to each other. We are silent. We are efficient. Water is not wasted, and neither is time. We are all ready with minutes to spare. The time tics down in my vision, and when it hits zero I join my fellow orphans forming an orderly single file line heading to breakfast.
Another countdown begins.
The first meal of the day is preceded, as always, by the first mantra of servitude. We recite in unison beginning when the countdown reaches zero again.
“We are thankful for the life we have been given. We are thankful for the food we are about to consume. We are thankful for the opportunity to better ourselves, and in return we are thankful to serve. We will listen and obey. We are the chosen servants of the chosen people. We receive only so that we can give. We give our all.” We speak loudly, and the contrast from our silence since waking up is always uncomfortable.
I am always uncomfortable though, except when I am in my mind. When I am able to be there fully.
The food is good, and the portions are generous. We eat in silence. We eat everything we are given. We do not waste what we receive. That is the way of the servant.
When we are finished we clean our plates and utensils swiftly and efficiently with practiced ease. We stack the plates and utensils for the next group and file out neatly, following the commands fed directly to our C-Units in complete silence save for the clattering of dishes, and shoes on polished stone floors.
A countdown begins again.
The room we enter next holds one large desk lined with shimmering beast cores. A green dot is on the ground labeled “stand” and I make my way to it and prepare for another daily mantra. We stand at attention until the teacher enters the room. He does so exactly on time, as always.
The countdown reaches zero.
“We are ready to serve, Kyrios, and we thank you for your service.” We all speak in unison as he stops and stands by the desk, each individual voice soft, but strong together.
“Everything you have been fighting for begins today. The real battles, and pain unlike anything you have experienced, start now.” His voice booms, his words an avalanche of boulders.
“We are ready to serve!” We shout in near perfect unison.
The massive teacher has a name, I’m sure of it, just like we all do.
We can only call him by the honorific - Kyrios. As a Servant, even a Harvester class servant, we will be using that title for our superiors often. Nearly everyone will be a superior.
“On this table I have 3 core options for each of you. You may choose one of the three options, and where to absorb the core, within reason. We will not waste a Geo core on a Nous absorption.”
Our Kyrios is an impressively large, dark skinned man and speaks in a deep, emotionless voice. His uniform wields many Arete stripes. Little strips of colored cloth that tell a story of excellent achievements in the service of our people. Good, loyal and compliant servant. He is an asshole, but an effective Brawler-type synergist.
“Dug, you are first. Which of these cores will you build your synergy off of?”
This was a moment we had all given ample thought to, and we had all been coached that there really wasn’t any bad options. The option we choose now will just dictate what we can synergize with later. 3 choices out of seven was a bit disappointing, but these three options could synergize pretty much any way we wanted. None of us would ever be Pure Lux synergists, but I doubt those even exist anyways. Light isn’t used much by harvesters because it is notoriously difficult to wield, and not very effective in combat.
No one chooses to use all three Angos slots on the same type of core anymore anyways, the benefits of synergies outweighed raw Geia strength virtually every time. At least that’s what we had been taught. I do have my doubts on most of what we have been taught though.
Dug walks forward and chooses Pneuma. He lightly taps the core against his head to signify that he would be absorbing the core into his nouse Angos. It suits the tall, skinny servant. I can see the long-limbed man darting through beasts, wielding air itself. He is already a talented fighter who uses his Long reach to devastating effect.
Kyrios continues calling the class forward one at a time.
Plank chooses a bio core, tapping it against his forehead reverently. He would be applying the core to his Nouse Angos. Plank has never been the best fighter, and knows as well as the rest of us he belongs in a support role. He will do well. Bio synergists can heal others and are always welcome. They can also be deadly even without martial prowess.
Rib chooses Pneuma, tapping his heart. it will be absorbed into his Kardia Angos. Wind Geia will serve the servant well, but in a different way than Dug I guess. He is much smaller than Dug, but Rib is far quicker up close. Dug could run a marathon, and quickly, but within ten feet Rib will win every time.
Kyrios meets my eye. “Quall, step forward and make your choice.”
The word “choice” brings back more memories of that place between places. The voice that was something far greater than just sound.
I already know what I will be. I’ve never been the fastest in our class, but I am definitely one of the strongest. Geo has always been in my top three. I was hoping Thermal would be an option, but Geo would have been my foundation anyways.
I approach the table and I choose to absorb the Geo core into my Bathron Angos, also called the Foundation Angos. This is widely considered the best option for true brawler type harvesters.
Geo Geia is unique in that it comes in a variety of slightly different mediums. In addition the ground, soil, precious gems and metal don’t actually produce any Geia like everything else in this world. Instead, all forms of Geo actively absorb every other type of Geia, except pneuma. Anything absorbed is then changed entirely into Geo Geia over time. Synergizing with a Geo core through my foundation Angos will fundamentally change the Geia that I naturally produce. It will strengthen the entirety of my body. Bones, muscles and even my nervous system will all be much tougher. Even more exciting, I will be able to manipulate all forms of Geo. Geo synergists are the frontline fighters of this world, the “tanks” as they would have been called on earth.
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This excites me. I have seen brawler Kyrios do truly incredible things with Geo, and just pure brute strength. I crave that, as well as the relative freedom and other perks that active harvesters are granted.
I return to my spot and stand at attention, with my hands clasped in front of me while the rest of my class makes their choices. Four of us choose Geo, five went pneuma, and two other people besides plank decided to choose bio.
“You have all made good choices today, and I believe that you will all make fine harvesters, and will serve the people with Arete and earn many stripes.” Kyrios motions proudly to his own decorated uniform as he says this. “Absorbing a core is an arduous process that takes time, discipline, and willpower to achieve. Not everyone has what it takes. You have been training your entire life to be able to do this.” These words have been said many times over the years.
Kyrios takes the extra cores off of the table and stores them in a large steel container he pulls from under the table.
The large man addresses us. “ Each of you find an area away from each other. Get as comfortable as possible and begin immediately.”
We do as our teacher orders, and I manage to snag a corner spot by the table and settle in with my new Geo core. The core itself is mostly obsidian. I wonder what sort of beast this came from.
Looking closely the inky black has impossibly thin tendrils of silver, gold, brown, and even delicate shades of red. The colors move and shift with a circular motion that is mesmerizing, like a spinning galaxy. The swirling draws me in as I look into the living depths. It is truly beautiful. Pure power held within a gem the size of a grapefruit.
Kyrios watches us intently, walking around impossibly quietly. Somehow his shoes don’t make a sound against the marble-like floor. It must be his synergy with Geo that makes it possible.
I place the core against my lowest Angos with both hands, just under my belly button. I rest my elbows on my knees and focus on my foundation angos. The sensation is unlike anything I have ever experienced in either life.
We have practiced cleaning annd condensing our Angos’ many times in the past. Each Angos holds a mass of unsynergized or “soft” inner-Geia. It has become as natural as breathing to keep these stores of mana in constant motion and in a heightened state of production. Geia flows between each Angos in a sprawling network that reaches every part of our body, from fingertips, to toe tips. This has made each Angos considerably larger than when we started, and when they feel “full” we have had to constantly compress the Geia into an even denser form. It has been a constant inner battle for our entire lives. Years and years of this has now led to this moment. The process would be an absolutely massive infusion of foreign Geia that will take at least an hour. My job will be to keep compressing the new Geia into the current stream of Giea swirling within my angos until synergized.
That’s not all. It is imperative that the new Geia not enter the network that infuses the rest of the body until it has synergized completly. If I did that, even a little bit, it could lead to Geia poisoning, which can be deadly.
I work on my breathing, and push my intrusive thoughts away. Making sure I have my foundation angos closed off from the rest of my bodies Geia network, I push the core against myself a little harder, and use my Geia to create a connection between my Angos and the core. I use only a sliver, the thinnest thread of a connection. A drop comes forth. It feels heavy swirling around in there. It’s followed swiftly by another drop, and then a trickle. I widen the connection by a strand, and the trickle becomes a tiny stream. It has a heaviness to it that feels very strange. Like I have a slowly lengthening chain inside me rattling around. It isn’t painful, but it certainly isn’t pleasant either.
Time passes as more and more Geo Geia is absorbed, and finally the heavy strand of foreign Geia settles into the center of my Angos. Because I have my Angos closed off from the rest of my body it builds in pressure quickly.
It is time to compress all of the Geia within for the first time. This is the hard part. My whole body tenses as I force my angos to contract on the swirling mass of mixed geias swirling within. They refuse to condense at first, but I do not relent. I cannot. I push harder, ignoring the wrenching pain. My insides feel like they will rip apart and what is inside will come tearing out of me, flying in every direction.
I do not explode in a shower of gore. The two warring forms of energy meld into one another gradually and begin to condense into a new form of synergized Geia that is wholly mine. The core in my clenched hands is half the size now, and growing steadily smaller as I absorb all it has to offer. I relax my Angos and continue the process.
I am drenched in sweat and my body is already feeling sore from the exertion. I have trained for this and my body can take much more.
I am excited now. This is my first true step to becoming a full synergist and an active member of the harvester core. I will soon see the wonders of a dungeon first hand.
I absorb every drop of Geia from the core, and it shrinks until nothing is left. My Angos is full to bursting again, and again I contract it forcefully condensing the mass of Geia inside. It is easier this time, and I am nearing the final step. I relax my body and Angos again, feeling the weight of my new Geia.
The final step is to introduce this new synergized Geia into the rest of my body. To avoid shocking my body too much this next step will have to be done with care. I open my Angos up again slowly, and much like when I was absorbing the core I only allow a minuscule amount at a time. At the same time I allow my old Geia back in and keep the swirling motion up at all times.
This creates another odd sensation when the two Geias’ meet again. The majority of Geia in my Angos is heavier now, much thicker, and denser. It feels like I am a washing machine with an overloaded, uneven load of laundry.
I force each of my Angos’ to contract over and over again, in time with my heartbeat until the Geias’ become one.
After what feels like days, I am able to relax.
I slowly open my eyes, but dare not make any noises. Looking around the room I see a couple of my classmates are still tensed up, eyes squeezed shut.
I meet the tired eyes of Plank, and Rib, who are also done and we exchange nods of congratulations and small smiles.
We will not make a sound while our comrades are still absorbing their cores. We will not make a sound unless directly asked to. We are good servants.
My own body feels like I had a full body cramp for an hour and has finally released. Little over an hour aCTU ally according to my clock. It was an agonizing amount of time mixed with bits of pleasure. Especially now. I feel amazing.
With a minor effort of will I enter Iroi. Iroi is a state of mind I have long since mastered along with my comrades. The same way I closed off my foundation Angos to absorb the beast core, I now close my Nouse Angos.
The Nouse Angos is within my head, and closing it can have deadly results when done incorrectly because it shuts the brain off from the rest of the body. My body will continue circulating Geia without me telling it to. My eyes will still see, and I will not fall over. I have been trained well, and I have trained my body even better.
My body and mind are separate during these times, when they must be, and I am free to travel my mind. My sanctuary.
Time is perceived differently when in Iroi. The processes of the brain are sped up dramatically. This is my happy place. These are my only happy moments.
Iroi is the largest contributor to the small list of reasons I have not gone insane.
Growing up, As a class we would have to enter this state of mind for hours. The vast majority of The scenarios we were forced to endure were brutal in a way that would fill a small novel trying to explain. Actual torture, imprisonment, and forced heavy labor. Then gradually more throughout the years until we could maintain Iroi for days if needed. Especially while being exposed to massive amounts of pain and or stress.
Cutting off the circulation of Gaia from the Nouse Angos does interesting things to and for the mind. I cannot use my mind to move my body at all. I have a had to train my body to do everything to keep itself alive without actual impulses from the mind, only the memory of impulses. My body is trained to do a variety of integral tasks while in this state, including keeping up Geia flow, blinking, breathing and even keeping the heart beating at a regualr pace.
Iroi allows the nouse angos to increase only its performance dramatically without wasting excess Geia on the rest of the body. Full Iroi is impractical for fighting, but has its uses as a form of meditation.
I enjoy iroi for extended periods of time like this because I can remember large portions of my past life, and can relive them.
Much of my childhood was remembering details of my past life, and that unknowable amount of time that I spent between lives.
In Iroi I can sit on a beach for hours if I want, or watch an old movie. I can read books. I can talk with my parents.
The meditative state doesn’t dilate time a massive amount, usually only seconds. During long stretches that amount increases at an exponential rate.
The rest of the class finishes one at a time, only noticeable by the gradual unclenching of muscles and eyes opening slowly.
I do not move, and will not unless specifically ordered to, or unless someone tries to punch me in the face or something. Wouldn’t be the first time.
Instead I ponder my new power. My new synergized Geia flows powerfully. I will be able to connect with the planet itself now, and command it. I will be able to manipulate rocks, soil, metals and even precious gems I will also be able to borrow the strength of these forms of Geo when close enough.
The majority of synergists, especially harvesters, have a Geo synergized Kardia, or foundation Angos. The natural strength of the Geia itself and the added strength that can be gained from the planet are impossible to match any other way. It also synergizes well with every other Geia type except for pneuma.
Despite the endless amount of training, and how severely I expect we are about to be pushed, I am excited to try it out.
Until now we have only been able to use our natural Geia to create weapons with the hardened gem-like materials raw Geia naturally turns into.
Now, with Geo synergized Geia, I will be recognized as a T1 harvester core soldier. Our class would now have clearance to enter the dungeon this school was built around. 18 years led to this moment. Many more if you count my past life.
It feels right to include my past life. 59 years of experience, and I am still considered a child here. Two more years and I will be a legal adult, and I will get my first true rotation in a legitimate harvester squad.
From my position in the corner of the room, facing the door I can see two more of our Kyrios enter the room and slowly walk around the room as silently as Kyrios Brawler. They study each of us without making a sound and eventually meet in the center of the room. We call them Kyrios-Brawler, Support, and Range, after their respective specialties.
They stand there for a while, watching us. Each of the class sits with their backs against a wall facing the door, and are now watching them. Each of us is currently in Iroi as our training taught us.
The stand off lasts for another minute before Kyrios brawler speaks. “Harvesters assemble in front!” I exit Iroi, and assemble in front of the teachers with the class.
Brawler separates is unto our new, smaller classes with hand gestures and the occasional grunt.
We will be training only with those who chose the same core. Geo with Brawler, of course. Support , and range, would take the students who chose Bio, and Pneuma.
18 years of life, and I’ve had the exact same schedule since I was 10. “Core absorption” has always been the first class, and until today it has all been theory, and meditation. I hope today will continue to be exciting.
I desperately need something.