Krox Rises Read online

  Krox Rises

  Magitech Chronicles Book 5

  Chris Fox

  Chris Fox Writes LLC

  Copyright © 2018 Chris Fox

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-7916-0098-3

  Contents

  Cast of Characters

  Previously On

  Prologue

  1. Suprise, Bitches

  2. Gravity

  3. Run

  4. Hope

  5. Torpor

  6. Damage Control

  7. Why?

  8. Unexpected Guests

  9. Godspeed

  10. Offer You Can't Refuse

  11. Yanthara

  12. The Temple of Shi

  13. The Redemption

  14. The Mirror of Shaya

  15. Bullshit Side Quest

  16. Ghost Leopard

  17. Prayer

  18. The Vagrant Fleet

  19. Symbolic Representation

  20. Memory Loop

  21. Conduit

  22. Neeko-Kan

  23. One More Job

  24. Inevitable

  25. Make a Scene

  26. A New Body

  27. Con Job

  28. The Skull of Xal

  29. So Much For Diplomacy

  30. Dark Bargain

  31. Bootes Void

  32. Husk of Xal

  33. Void Mages

  34. My People Will Live

  35. Safety of a Cell

  36. Muh Man

  37. Reunion

  38. Prisoner Transfer

  39. Unlikely Allies

  40. Inescapable

  41. The End

  42. The Beginning

  43. This Will Never Work

  44. Krox Rises

  45. Into the Fray

  46. Unintended Consequences

  47. Innerspace

  48. Rest in Pieces

  49. Wake Up

  50. The Spellship's True Purpose

  51. Atma

  52. Hound of Xal

  53. Aftermath

  54. Spark of Life

  55. Bromance

  Epilogue

  Note to the Reader

  For you, the reader. Thanks for sticking with me.

  Cast of Characters

  The Magitech Chronicles are vast, and we now have a dizzying array of gods, demigods, drifters, Shayans, planets, and other stuff. Below you’ll find a mostly complete list to remind you who’s what.

  If you find anything missing, please shoot me an email at [email protected] and I’ll get it added!

  Gods, Wyrms, & Demigods

  Arkelion- Son of Drakkon. Currently works for the Krox and was recently involved in the assault on New Texas.

  Drakkon- The Guardian of Marid. Dwells on the world of the same name.

  The Earthmother- A Wyrm of tremendous power. Sibling to Virkonna and Inura. Killed by Krox during the godswar. Her body is now used to lure primal drakes, which Krox has been enslaving for millennia.

  Inura- The undisputed master of air in the sector. Inura was the chief architect of the Spellship. Sibling to Virkonna and the Earthmother.

  Krox- One of the most ancient gods in the sector. Krox was dismembered during the last godswar, but his children have been conspiring to raise him. Nebiat finally succeeded in doing so, and is in control of Krox.

  Marid- Marid is an elder god slain by Shivan in the early days of the godswar. Her body lies on the world of the same name, and is protected by her Guardian and son, Drakkon.

  Nefarius- Nefarius is a Void Wyrm of immense power who ascended to godhood in the earliest days of the godswar. She is sometimes referred to as a he, though the reason for the change in gender is unclear. Nefarius was slain at the end of the last godswar, but her Guardian, Talifax, is conspiring to bring her back.

  Neith- The first arachnidrake, and the eldest of the draconic siblings. Sister to Virkonna, Inura, and the Earthmother, but much, much older.

  Shaya- A mortal raised to godhood by Inura in order to defend her people. Died, doing exactly that. Now entombed under the great tree on the planet Shaya.

  Talifax- Guardian of Nefarius. Talifax’s age and race are unknown, but he is rumored to be nearly as old as Xal.

  Virkonna- The Wyrm of air, sister of Inura, Neith, and the Earthmother. Virkonna is known as the mother of the last dragonflight, and slumbers in torpor on the planet Virkonna, watched over by her children. Virkonna helped Inura build the first Spellship.

  Xal- One of the eldest gods in the sector, and also one of the largest repositories of void magic. Xal allowed himself to be killed by a pantheon including most of the other gods on the list, because he knew eventually that would allow for his return. Best known now as the Skull of Xal.

  Inurans

  Jolene- A powerful Inuran matriarch. Mother to Kazon and Voria.

  Kazon- Brother to Voria, son of Jolene. Kazon was mindwiped alongside Aran, but has since returned to take his place in the Inuran hierarchy. Kazon owns a huge chunk of Consortium stock, but has turned over his voting rights to his mother.

  Skare- A powerful Inuran patriarch. Skare is a rarity among Inurans. He’s ugly. Skare is also corrupted by Nefarius, and is working with Talifax to raise their dark goddess.

  The Krox

  Frit- Frit is an escaped Shayan slave, one of the Ifrit, who were molded by Shayan slavers into beautiful women made completely of flame.

  Kahotep- Son of Nebiat, grandson of Teodros. Kahotep, or Kaho for short, is Nebiat’s last surviving son. He is a powerful true mage and master scholar.

  Nebiat- Daughter of Teodros, granddaughter of Krox, mother of Kahotep. Nebiat is a centuries old Wyrm, and one of the most powerful true mages in the sector. Her hatred of Voria borders on irrational.

  Teodros- Son of Krox, father of Nebiat. Teodros was a hatchling during the last godswar, and played no notable role. However, he’s spent the intervening millennia gathering strength, and building his people into a military powerhouse. Teodros orchestrated the rise of Krox, but did not live to see his work completed.

  Shayans & Drifters

  Bord- Bord is a lower-class Shayan born in the dims at the feet of the great tree. He was conscripted into the Confederate Marines just before the Battle of Starn, and has been cracking bad jokes ever since. Kezia’s boyfriend.

  Ducius- Thalas’s father. Ducius has been a Caretaker of Shaya for many years, one of the most powerful political positions, second only to the Tender. After Eros’s death, Ducius took up the role of Tender, and is currently the leader of the Shayan people. Ducius hates Voria. Kind of a lot.

  Eros- Eros was the head of the Temple of Enlightenment on Shaya, and Voria’s original master. Eros became Tender of Shaya when Aurelia died. Eros died shortly thereafter fighting Teodros in the Chamber of the First.

  Kezia- Kezia is a blonde, curly-haired tech mage drifter born in the dims, not far from where Bord was raised. She was conscripted in the same wave, and went through basic training beside him. Bord’s girlfriend.

  Thalas- Son of Ducius. Thalas was Voria’s second in command for several years. He was executed by Voria for insubordination during the Battle of Marid.

  Voria- Daughter of Jolene and Dirk. Sister of Kazon. Voria served as a major in the confederate military, and commanded the Wyrm Hunter until she acquired the mythical Spellship. She now commands the Shayan defense against Krox’s inevitable invasion.

  Ternus

  Governor Austin- Austin is a young, ambitious politician in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is woefully unprepared to lead his people during a time of war, and is desperate for allies that can help his people survive. Seriously distrusts magic.

  Fleet Admiral Kerr- Commander of the Ternus fleet during the Battle for Marid, and su
bsequently promoted to Fleet Admiral and placed in charge of all Ternus fleets.

  Nara- Former space pirate, now powerful true mage. Nara was mindwiped by Voria, and conscripted into the Confederate Marines. She’s fought alongside Aran, Crewes, Bord, Kez, and Voria ever since.

  Pickus- Pickus is a freckle-faced grease monkey turned tech mage who has somehow found himself as Voria’s right-hand man.

  Virkonans

  Aran- Born on Virkon. Manipulated by Neith into being mindwiped in preparation to forge him into a tool to kill Krox and Nefarius. Aran is currently the Captain of Aran’s Outriders, a mercenary unit based out of the Talon.

  Kheross- Father of Rhea. An ancient Wyrm from an alternate timeline where Virkonna was overcome by a sea of blood. Kheross was corrupted by Nefarius, and despite being cleansed on Shaya, still bears the mark. He’s currently allied with Aran’s Outriders, but Aran doesn’t trust him, and Kheross knows it.

  Rhea- Daughter of Kheross. Rhea is an unknown quantity. She believes herself to be a human Outrider, but is in fact a void Wyrm. She is a powerful war mage, with limited true magic. She is currently being held on Yanthara, in the custody of the Temple of Shi.

  Yantharans

  Marcelus Crewes- Brother of Sergeant Crewes. Marcelus is a prosecutor living on Shaya. He prosecuted Voria during her trial.

  Sergeant Crewes- Brother of Marcelus Crewes. Sergeant Crewes was born on Yanthara. He voluntarily joined the Confederate Marines, and was quickly assigned to the Wyrm Hunter. He is one of the strongest tech mages in the sector, and his mastery of fire is unrivaled.

  Sarala- Priestess of Shi, and former girlfriend of Sergeant Crewes. Sarala is the head of the Temple of Shi, and is responsible for guiding new members to the Catalyst. She dated Crewes briefly in secondary school, but that ended when Crewes enlisted in the Confederate Marines.

  Previously On

  You guys all know the drill by now. The previously on is where I get to snarkily relate the previous book, and is always my favorite part to write. That said, having recaps for every book is getting longer and longer, and we’re reaching a point where it is no longer feasible.

  You can check out all the recaps at magitechchronicles.com/previously-on, but from here on out I’m only putting the most recent one in each book. And there will be at least several more. The godswar has really started to heat up, and I cannot wait to show you guys where it goes.

  One last thing before I let you get to the recap. We’ve begun play testing the Magitech Chronicles pen and paper RPG, so if that’s something you’re interested in, sign up to the mailing list at magitechchronicles.com and I’ll get you some details.

  The first ever game was run at the 20BooksTo50k convention. I played with five science fiction authors, several of whom I’m betting you’d recognize. By this spring I’m hoping you’ll be playing too.

  Okay, enough about me. Let’s get to the recap.

  Last time, on The Magitech Chronicles…

  War Mage kicked off with Voria bringing the Spellship back to Shaya, to have the gunk cleaned off the walls. Said gunk is the Blood of Nefarius, which corrupts any living thing it touches. This began as a minor subplot in book three, back when we thought the Krox were the only thing to fear.

  We flash to Aran, who has just parked the Talon inside the Spellship. He’s come to rendezvous with the person Shaya has sent to clean the ship, and it turns out to be Ree. She accuses Nara of being a traitor, and Nara reacts badly because she’s a little preoccupied.

  Their spat is interrupted as Ree and her mages are attacked by Kheross. Wait, who now? There was a throwaway line near the end of book three where Aran teleports onto the Spellship, and meets the Outrider, Rhea. She helps him find the door, and realize his destiny and all that junk.

  While they are talking, they hear a roar in the distance from a large creature, say something the size of, oh, I don’t know, maybe a colossal Wyrm. Rhea mentions that’s Kheross, and that he used to be a friend before he was corrupted by the blood.

  Aran and the company kick Kheross’s draconic ass, but not before he carves up a lot of Ree’s mages. She’s left angry, both at Aran, and at Nara. The latter is mostly because Ree blames herself for Frit’s escape, and thinks that Nara was in on it.

  Nara doesn’t help matters, because at the end of Spellship she woke up to find someone named Talifax sitting in her room. Talifax is the Guardian of Nefarius, and is super mysterious. Nefarius is a rival of Krox’s, who was apparently killed during the godswar. Talifax wants to bring her back so that there will be more books after Krox is killed.

  Anyway, Talifax sent Nara a dream where she killed Voria, and claims that it’s going to come true. Then, he did something impossible. He gave Nara her memories back.

  Those memories are coming back one at a time, and Nara is quite justifiably freaking out. She knows she wasn’t a good person before, and fears going back to her old self.

  Meanwhile, Eros is cracking out with the Mirror of Shaya. He knows something bad is coming for Shaya, but can’t provide any details about what it is, so he sounds like a rambling lunatic. He and Voria do a lot of posturing. Her priorities are getting the Spellship cleaned, and also cleansing Rhea and Kheross, the refugees Aran brought back from the timeline where the Spellship was discovered.

  Eros and his council perform their cleansing ritual, and it works on Rhea. The Outrider is squirreled away by Eros to Yanthara, because he’s preparing the plot for Krox Rises and knows Aran will need to pass by there. Kheross, whose cleansing doesn’t work, is given into Aran’s custody and put in the brig of the Talon, since there is no pound for void-corrupted Wyrms and Aran can’t find him a good home anywhere else.

  Right around the time you were yawning for the first time wondering when the politics would stop, the Krox lay the smack down at New Texas, and I delivered more pew, pew than a church. They kick Ternus’s second largest colony squarely in the nards (those are testicles in case it wasn’t clear) with a large-scale invasion.

  Ternus puts up a bat signal for Voria. This is a dramatic re-enactment:

  Ternus: You signed a treaty, so, like, help us and stuff.

  Eros: No. Suck it.

  Voria: Don’t be a douche, Eros.

  Eros’s douchiness intensifies.

  Ternus: But, we’re like dying and stuff.

  Eros: Nope, not gonna help. I have a vague premonition that something might attack Shaya, so we need literally every ship and every mage to protect our world. Just in case.

  Voria: Just in case you get attacked, you know, like New Texas?

  Eros: Exactly. We need to be able to protect ourselves.

  I should write movie scripts. Anyway, Voria gives Eros the middle finger. She takes the Spellship, and heads for the capitol of Ternus, because she’s also had a vague premonition. She thinks Nebiat is going to attack something else besides New Texas, and worries that if she goes there, she won’t be where she needs to be.

  Early spoilers: this is happening because they’re both being manipulated by Nebiat’s dad, Teodros. He’s been quietly pruning possibilities to show them things he wants them to see, while obscuring things he doesn’t want them to know.

  Flash back to Nara. She experiences a memory from her distant past, before she was enslaved by Yorrak. It turns out she was in the Zephyr program, which was a Ternus experiment to create Tech Mages.

  The Zephyr version of her character is the template for the Spellsniper class in the pen and paper game, which is exactly what it sounds like.

  Anyway, when Nara comes back from this memory she finds that Talifax has been controlling her body. While she was incapacitated he used her body to steal the Talon, and has almost reached Shaya’s umbral shadow. She’s about to turn around when Ree and her spellfighters come after her.

  Nara doesn’t want to risk going back, because if Talifax can control her then maybe he really can make her assassinate Voria. So she bugs out with the Talon, and leaves Shaya, disabling Ree’s fighter as she zoom
s by.

  Aran is more than a little annoyed that his ride has been jacked, and the rest of the company is pretty pissed at Nara too. They have to decide a course forward, and Crewes suggests that Aran resign from the Confederacy and form a mercenary company.

  So he does.

  They use the money from Virkon to buy out their contracts, and to purchase brand new spellarmor from Kazon. If they still had a ship they’d be set. Since they don’t, Aran proposes a plan to the on-world Ternus representative…Admiral Nimitz (one of the guys who prosecuted Voria back in Void Wyrm). Nimitz agrees to look the other way, and Aran and Davidson steal the Wyrm Hunter from the Confederacy.