Dark Matter Ascension

He put the tip of his blade against the center of the tarp and waited. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He steadied his breath and his racing heart. Wait until it’s just on the other side and sniff. Then…stab.

Fighting while he could not move in this cramped space was a death sentence. But, if he did some damage and the predator recoiled backward, he could get out and regain his maneuverability. The snuffling noise came closer, and he could see the tarp begin to bulge inward.

A screen popped up in the corner of his vision.

<<<<<>>>>>

[Quest: Slay 10 Vyrknadine.]

[Time Limit: N/A.]

[Reward: Legendary (Skill Evolution) Boon.]

[Sender: Dark Between Stars.]

<<<<<>>>>>

He smirked, Xera watching out for me. All right. One out of ten, coming up. He sat with bated, held breath as the tarp slowly pushed in more.

Then, the tarp shifted and began to fall.

Now! He jabbed the blade forward and felt it sink into the creature. There was a loud yelp followed by a sharp whine, and then he felt his sword yanked forward. Holding firm on the grip, he pulled it back and saw a small amount of green blood spurt against the tarp. Jace ripped it away and emerged from the burrow as he brought the shield to bear in front of him.

The apex predator snarled as the large hole in the center of its snout slowly sealed, and it paced around the edge of the dell. Dark Matter Shield (Rank 2), Jace thought. The invisible-to-the-creature barrier grew to the tower shield height, and he imposed it between him and the creature.

It snarled and lunged forward. Jace braced himself as the animal slammed into the barricade. He was pushed back several feet, and his feet slid through the dirt. One of the braces around the prosthetic foot snapped. Damnit! He went to one knee as the creature tried to claw at him, trying to rip him apart but only meeting the invisible barrier.

Ollie appeared with a pop and looked at the situation unfolding, "Wow. That is inconvenient."

"No shit!" Jace shouted back. He stabbed around the edge of the shield, and the blade sank deep into the eyes on the left side of the creature. It began to back away, and Jace dismissed the shield as he pointed his right palm and fingered the grapnel trigger.

The anchor projectile launched out like a gunshot and implanted into the creature’s skull, just to the right of its jaws. It let out a roar of pain as it recoiled from the injury. Jace tapped the button to retract the cord, and he jumped - letting it pull him towards the creature. Instinctively, driven on by the Swordmage Stance Skill, he was sure, he angled the blade for a thrust.

The predator whipped sideways and Jace was flung into an arc around the monster, swinging around it as his full weight pulled against the still-tethered hook. The flesh healed around the cable, and he was tied to the creature as the magitech inside the prosthetic tried desperately to recall the grapnel.

Fine then. Let’s see if you like this! Jace sheathed the blade and reached into his pocket, pulling out the flechette pistol and gripping the handhold in his teeth. He dug around in the next pocket, pulled one of the ammunition cartridges, dumped it into the receptacle on top, and then cranked the charge handle.

The creature stopped its spin and Jace tumbled to the ground before the cord retracted and pulled him toward the creature. It snarled and began to open its mouth to bite down on him. He brought the pistol to his hand, pointed it down the open maw, and pulled the trigger. Bang! The tiny, fin-stabilized projectiles launched out and down the maw, ripping through flesh and sinew.

The creature roared and backed away. In a flash, Jace pocketed the pistol, drew his sword, and stabbed it right between the eyes as the cord finished retracting. His palm rested on the right side of the creature’s skull, and he could feel tension inside the arm as it tried to pull the cord back.

His blade was planted firmly into the center of the creature’s skull, and it collapsed to the ground. He thumbed the release, and the grapnel withdrew its hooks before returning to the socket. The green blood sloughed off as it met some magical barrier to prevent foreign substances from entering the grapnel-hole.

"Good job," Ollie said as he floated over.

Jace nodded and sat down, pulled off his boot, and re-attached the foot prosthetic. "I really need something grafted like my arm," he muttered.

"Do you want this thing as Stardust?" Ollie asked.

"What else could we use it for?" Jace asked as he pulled on his boot.

"Well, you can harvest it. That will take time and be some messy work, but in raw materials it could be worth more Stardust if you found a merchant who wanted to buy it. But there is a lot of material here, and you do not have a means to transport it."

"Fair point," Jace replied as he looked over the carcass of the animal. It was easily twelve feet long from snout to tail, and three feet wide at its widest point. "Dust it."

Ollie flew over it and tapped the hide. The animal turned into liquid starlight before Ollie sucked it up.

<<<<<>>>>>

[Stardust Acquired: 500.]

<<<<<>>>>>

"That’s enough for another level, right?"

"Yup. 500 Stardust for 1 level, in the 1 - 25 range. After that it goes up to 1,000 per level from 26 - 50. I can show you the chart if you want."

"Maybe later." Jace nodded, "Let’s use it then. I want that Dark Matter Shield next Rank."

Ollie flew over Jace and sprinkled the Stardust on his head. He felt a rush of warmth in his torso again and felt very relaxed.

<<<<<>>>>>

Name: Jace Seren (Aspirant, Tier 1)

Power [Class Level.]: Dark Matter [Swordmage 3.]

Skills: Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions.]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Dark Matter Blade (Rank 1), Dark Matter Shield (Rank 3), Swordmage Stance (Rank 1)

Stardust: 15

Equipment: Swordmage blade, Swordmage starting gear, flechette pistol, flechette ammunition (x40), Wirecannon Arm, Runner’s Replacement (damaged), messenger bag, sliverscreen, survival knife, survival meals (x48), canteen (x2), medical kit, orange tarp (damaged), flint bar, flashlight

Boons: None

<<<<<>>>>>

"Can I hit things while the Rank 3 Dark Matter Shield is active?"

Ollie nodded and floated in front of Jace. "Yup! It is one of the best defensive Skills out there. No one knows you are protected, and you can attack them back once they get surprised by their blow not hitting."

But it costs me some energy every time I get hit, Jace recalled from the Rank 3 description. "Is there a limit to Skill Ranks?"

"Yes. Some Skills have varying limitations on their Rank. Evolutions let you keep expanding on the single Skill, but those are reliant on Boons from completing Quests." Ollie swam around Jace before going up to the maximum height he could. "Hmm, there is not much movement out here. Even the wind is quieted down."

Jace looked around and took note of what Ollie observed. The grassland was still. Not static, there was movement, but it was calm with no breeze. "Is that cause for alarm?"

"No. Just weird," Ollie muttered. He frowned, then he waved his paws, and a screen appeared in the sky in front of him.

<<<<<>>>>>

[Quest: Slay 10 Vyrknadine.]

[Current Progress: 1/10.]

[Time Limit: NA.]

[Reward: Legendary (Skill Evolution) Boon.]

[Sender: Dark Between Stars.]

<<<<<>>>>>

"Well, look at that," Ollie said as he floated down. "Looks like Xera is keeping an eye on your logs."

"How does my killing these predators…balance this Cosmic System?" Jace looked at Ollie, "It doesn’t make much sense."

"Well, in ecosystems if there are too many predators, then they can hunt the prey to extinction. I am guessing that she has identified that Velenar Prime has an overpopulation problem - at least where we are." He waved his paw, and a map of the world appeared. Spinning it so that their location was centered, he tapped the floating sphere, and a border appeared around their dot. "Looks like she wants us to stay within the defined region for the Quest."

Jace nodded, "You said they’re nighttime predators?"

"Yup!"

"Then we should wait until early morning and see if we can track them back to a den. You said they’re lone wolves when it comes to hunting. But, if they’re like the wolves I read about, they can have packs."

Ollie went back up and looked around, "I am not seeing anything in the grasslands surrounding us."

Jace went around the dell and examined the ground. He found tracks that the soil held firmly. "How long will tracks last in this dirt?"

"Until it rains," Ollie replied as he flew down. "Why not track them down now?"

"I want to fight them when they’re tired," Jace replied. "And when I’m fully rested up." He turned back to the small combat area and kicked dirt over the bloody areas before retreating into the den and putting up the tarp again. "Can you be like an alarm clock?"

"Sadly, no. I can only manifest while you’re conscious."

Jace nodded and moved the tarp slightly so that his eyes would be in the path of incoming light. He set his head on the dirt and shut his eyes.

Quinn smiled as a customer entered her shop. It was a small shop just off the Cosmic Corridor - prime real estate. She shared the space with three other merchant-style Class Aspirants, and Mizarion who was the only Ascendant but was intimidating enough muscle that no one tried anything foolish.

"Welcome to The Star Market. What are you looking for?" Quinn asked as she leaned on the counter.

"Information," the calm, stern, feminine voice replied.

Quinn could not tell what she looked like as she was covered from head to foot in armor. She recognized the exact model, in fact. General Logistics Mk. 5. She must be a heavy hitter for them if she has that type of experimental tech, Quinn thought. The woman’s left hand had a glowing symbol marking their Cosmic Power - Nebula. She exuded a presence that screamed ’don’t screw with me,’ and Quinn felt fear tingling down her spine.

"What type of information? People, places, or things?" Quinn asked as she kept her customer service smile put on.

"I’m looking for someone. An Aspirant. From Earth."

"I need a bit more than that to go off of," Quinn replied as she glanced at Mizarion who was sitting in the corner chewing on a mango. Better be ready if this person tries something funny, Quinn thought. "Description, name, or something else to go off of, please."

The Nebula-power woman nodded and produced a small monitor. She slid it over to Quinn, and Quinn recoiled slightly at the image. "A courier named Jace Seren."

He must have been transporting something important, Quinn thought, recalling the man she talked with in that giant conference room briefly. "Well, it may take a few days to find his location."

"That’s fine." The woman pulled out several bars of gold and platinum. Mizarion came over and picked one of the platinum bars up, inspecting it before looking at Quinn and nodding.

Quinn returned the woman’s gaze. Or, what she imagined was their silent gaze, as she could not tell any facial expression - let alone where the armored figure was looking. "This will do." Broker’s Contract.

She willed the Skill to activate, and a floating, gold panel appeared in between the two Aspirants. Quinn filled in some information before gesturing for the contract to flip around for the woman to read. "Standard contract. You give us half the payment up front, give us three days, and if we cannot produce your information then we return the payment."

The woman nodded and waved her hand across the screen, signing it. "I’ll be back," she stated as she picked up the gold bar and walked out.

Broker’s Fee, Quinn thought as her Wayfinder Valerie flitted down from the ceiling. A small amount of Stardust spontaneously generated in front of Quinn and flew up into her companion. Quinn felt her legs shake slightly, but she gripped the countertop to stay standing. Let’s see how much I have.

<<<<<>>>>>

Name: Quinn Cipher (Aspirant, Tier 1)

Power [Class Level.]: Star [Broker 1.]

Skills: Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions.]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Broker’s Instinct (Rank 1), Broker’s Contract (Rank 1), Broker’s Fee (Rank 1)

Stardust: 450

Equipment: Broker’s interface, Broker’s starting gear, Webwalker Implants, Cybereyes Mk. 3, Cybermind Mk. 4

Boons: Common (Secret Cache)

<<<<<>>>>>

Mizarion leaned on the counter, "You have a look on your face. What’s up?"

"I met this Jace guy." Quinn tapped the countertop with her fingers, drumming them along in a consistent rhythm that reminded her of the consistent thump of the machinery near where she used to sleep. "He seemed like a good guy. Courier. Another street kid. I wonder…what was he carrying?"

Mizarion shrugged, "Well, you better get to investigating."

"Right." Quinn looked up at Valerie, "Come on, let’s do this."

The Wayfinder fluttered down and landed on her shoulder. "Hold on!" the bird chirped.

Quinn took a deep breath and slumped back into the chair behind the counter. Her mind left her body and traveled into The Cosmic System through Valerie. She traveled through the Starlit Sea where she chose her Cosmic Power and Class and passed through that. Into the levels of The Cosmic System that most Aspirants and Ascendants could not access.

She found herself standing in a large corridor. The information hub, she thought. Only merchant-styled or information-oriented Classes could access the System like this, doing it themselves through their Wayfinder, rather than the companion doing the work themself. Valerie lifted off her shoulder and sped off to search through various data logs.

Quinn raised her hands, and several screens appeared in the space that, to her senses, was a plain, grey office building. She tapped through several screens trying to find any information on Jace she could.

She found nothing on Jace Seren. Even if he died, there should be a record of him. She began cross-referencing Aspirants from Earth along with his physical description. Using that, she found an Aspirant named Flicker. A pseudonym? Interesting. Well, assuming this is Jace, he’s alive…so he passed the Aspirant Trial. She dug deeper into Flicker’s file and came across a large letter X in black across everything. All information was blocked except a single video. What the hell?

Valerie flitted over and landed on her shoulder. "Oh, wow. X is blocking access. This Flicker guy must be something else. Here, let me." The bird raised her wing, and the video played. It was heavily edited - blurring the face until it was so pixelated it could never be unscrambled. But Quinn saw the metal feet and knew it was Jace - the model matched up with what he had shown her.

The two watched as he fought against a monstrous creature. Quinn winced at the sound of his arm bitten off and the accompanying screams of pain. The creature he was facing died and the video cut to black.

"Lots of questions," Quinn muttered. "Why can’t we learn his Cosmic Power or Tier? I thought that was information any Wayfinder could learn?"

"X is blocking access."

"Who is X?"

"An admin. Tech support. Archmage. Magitech engineer. I do not know what she really is. She is above Wayfinders with clearance in The Cosmic System." The bird looked up at Quinn and cocked its head sideways, "I’ve never met her myself."

Quinn replayed the video and slowed it down as Jace lifted the bag and shoved it into the creature’s mouth. She saw the sloshing goop and saw how it blew back on him. Oh. That’s what he was carrying. Also explains why General Logistics wants it. Shit.

She was bound by contract to share this information with her client. "Flicker is Jace. Can we warn him? Tell him that someone is hunting him for what he was transporting?"

"Nothing in the contract says we can’t."

Quinn nodded, "Do that, please."

"Just have to hope that your sleep schedule matches up to his…wherever he is. Or, that his Wayfinder is in The System proper when I am. Oliver, I think, is his name. I have met him twice before. Both times were…interesting. He is a bit rough around the edges, but a decent enough guy, I think."

I’ll set my brainware to half-circadian cycling. It would dull her brainpower by approximately 50%, but effectively put her into a constant state of half-sleep. She could do simple tasks around The Star Market, and Valerie could stay in the Starlit Sea to try and talk to Jace’s Wayfinder.

We need to warn him that some big muscle is coming his way. But another thought went through her head. One that made her very, very afraid. There’s someone or something behind the scenes that has way more control than any Ascendant could.

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