F.R. Brooks
Crystalise: The Exaltation System
ASCENDANT
First published by Lunaire.io 2021
Copyright © 2021 by F.R. Brooks
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise withoutwritten permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distributeit by any other means without permission.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it arethe work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localitiesis entirely coincidental.
F.R. Brooks has no responsibility for the persistenceor accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does notguarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
First edition
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Contents
Preface
00 | NYM
01 | Promnesia
02 | The Spire
03 | Exalt Data System
04 | High Altitude
05 | Fire, Ice, and Metal
06 | Vengeance
07 | Liminal Space
08 | Save Point
09 | No Escape
10 | Thorns
11 | Airborne
12 | Mirrors
13 | Balance
14 | Electric Butterflies
15 | Frigid Garden
16 | “Like a ring around the sun…”
(3) Unread Messages
Other Tales in the Crystalise Series
Party with the Crystalise Series
Preface
Stat Progression & LitRPG Elements
In the world of Crystalise, society revolves around the Exaltation System. This system affects every aspect of life in the world of Crystalise, from the quantification of “stats” like strength and combat experience to mundane elements of civilian life, such as tracking of currency and social standing.
This system was created by the governing powers of Crystalise’s world to maintain social structure and streamline human advancement in a post-apocalyptic world. Within this world, there are those who swear by the system and those who resist it.
Crystalise was developed to fit into a fiction genre called litRPG. As part of this genre, role-playing game elements such as stat progression and combat mechanics are used. Stat progression and tracking is a feature of the Crystalise series but not a necessity for readers to follow.
Those who prefer to “play the game for the storyline” are welcome to skim past the stat sheets and numbers and continue reading through the story.
* * *
More tales from the Crystalise universe
The Crystalise series is a growing world that will evolve
over the course of multiple stories and characters.
ASCENDANT is only one of these tales.
Find more lore, art, fiction and fun stuff at the
official landing page for the Crystalise series:
https://lunaire.io/crystalise/
00 | NYM
|MESSAGE LOG: JAMES STERLING||DATE: Y575-07-31|JAMES: Liam, did you fix the AI in your suit?LIAM:Yeah. Just picked it up from the shop. Need to upload Nym real fast.JAMES: Tinkering with your system again?LIAM:I prefer Nym to the default AI.JAMES: Yeah, but modding your suit is how you broke it the first time.LIAM:She can be useful.JAMES: Just be quick about it. Meet us at Gate 32.
Exalt Virtual Information Interface System, Modification 3.2.7, NYM|| UPLOAD COMPLETE|| EXECUTE CORE FILE "NYM.ESYS"?> Y|| WARNING: This file contains a sentisuit operating system not authorized by OdonataCorp.Installation of this operating systemmay cause irreparable damages or unsafeoperating conditions within yoursentisuit. OdonataCorp is not responsible fordamages or injuries that result fromoperations using an unauthorized ormodified operating system.|| Continue? > Y|| INSTALLING...|| INSTALLATION COMPLETE...|| REBOOTING...|| PASSWORD:************
|| CREATE START-UP MESSAGE:
Lo, if you find this, keep it somewhere safe. Nym will overwrite your suit’s default operating system and bring all the data I’ve uploaded with her.
Nym will have advice and information that will help you through your own Exaltation. But there’s one incredibly important thing that I need you to do for me, Lo. If you have this, that means it’s now your job to make sure Nym gets to Dr. Glass.
He’ll know what to do.
As for you, Lo. Just promise me that you’ll live.
|| INITIATING NYM...
01 | Promnesia
|LOCATION: NOVUS LUCUS, LIBELLE||DATE: Y575-10-12|
-- PARTY MEMBERS --| WILLIAM STERLING | SAI 042% | LCR 002% || JAMES STERLING| SAI 033% | LCR 031% || JOVE DARNER | ...[ UNABLE TO LOCATE EXALT ]...[ LOCATING ]...-- OPPONENTS --| JULIAN LAURENT| ...[ UNABLE TO LOCATE EXALT ]...[ LOCATING ]... ...[ UNABLE TO LOCATE EXALT ]
A flash of light and a blast shook the sanctuary. Stained glass windows exploded into prismatic shards. Liam Sterling rolled across the black and white tiled floor, thrown by the blast of an alkali bomb.
Warning alarms sounded within his helmet, drowned out by the relentless ringing in his ears. On the inside of the visor, the suit’s user interface signaled all the damages the suit had taken. In Liam’s disoriented state, the alarms were little more than ghostly birdsong.
Liam rolled onto his back with a cough and a groan. A faint and toxic taste stung bitterly at his mouth and throat. Trace amounts of chemical smoke had managed to infiltrate his helmet despite its filters. The alkali bomb had been even more volatile than he had anticipated.
Tiny fragments of debris clattered over his suit like pebbles of hail. Liam’s exhausted body ached, but there was no time for rest. Not in the middle of an officiated fight.
On Liam’s UI, his brother’s name appeared in the party list beneath his—James Sterling. To Liam’s relief, his brother’s status seemed fine enough. Alive, at least. In rough shape with only 33% Sentisuit Armor Integrity, but still alive.
Liam did his best not to let his attention linger over the name Jove Darner in the party roster. That name would stay on
