Dark Matter Ascension

She pulled away and held his face for a moment before leaning in and giving him a deep kiss. "You left all of a sudden."

"And you left Earth." Greg smirked and swept his girlfriend off her feet, walking over to the bed and gently laying her down before getting alongside her. Neither said any words as they just lay there, enjoying the presence of each other.

"Sorry to interrupt," a masculine voice stated. A spectral, starry spider floated off to the side in the corner of the room. "Mind introducing me?"

Missy sat up, "What’s that?" she asked.

Greg chuckled, "Missy, this is Darrin. Darrin, Missy. Girlfriend, meet Wayfinder. Civilians normally can’t see Wayfinders, but since you’re my partner…well, we get a little bit of a workaround."

Darrin floated forward, "Aren’t females normally afraid of spiders in your world?"

Missy shook her head and held out her hand, "I actually like them a lot. I had an extensive collection back on Earth." She looked over at Greg as Darrin settled on her palm, "What’s a Wayfinder?"

"Think of him like my helper," Greg said as he leaned into the cushions. "I chose Aspirant. That’s why I’ve been AWOL for a while." He held up his left hand and looked at the symbol on the back of it. A deep brown and green sphere. Planet Protector , he thought. Nice ring to the combo. He willed his status screen to open as he had been doing every thirty minutes, still floored that he had Cosmic Power at his disposal.

<<<<<>>>>>

Name: Greg Bhastal (Aspirant, Tier 1)

Power [Class Level.]: Planet [Protector 1.]

Skills: Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions.]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Protector’s Vow (Rank 1), Planetary Defenses (Rank 1), Planetary Retribution (Rank 1)

Stardust: 315

Equipment: Protector’s starting gear, Pheracorp deflection matrix, Stunstick

Boons: None

<<<<<>>>>>

Protector’s Vow (Rank 1): Designate a target or object. That item has all damage redirected to the user, after going against the target’s defenses.

Planetary Defenses (Rank 1): The user hardens their body with earth and rock, increasing their resilience at the cost of speed and nimbleness.

Planetary Retribution (Rank 1): The user duplicates damage back to those who inflict it upon them at half efficacy.

<<<<<>>>>>

He had chosen a Class that let him protect people or cargo. In effect, making him more effective at his chosen profession. The Aspirant Trial had only ended a few days ago, but he had already made it back to Earth and - for now - remained a free agent among the various factions. His Skills would enable him to take damage for a person or other target, give himself a barrier of rock and stone that would increase his durability, and even deal damage to those who harmed him.

The perfect bodyguard or cargo escort. What he had done for most of his life back on Earth. With the opening of The Cosmic Corridor on Earth, he knew that his talents would be invaluable for off-world trading and transit.

She slapped him, "Why would you do that?! The voice thing said it was dangerous!"

Greg rubbed his jaw as the screen vanished. The blow did not hurt, but he wanted to act like it did. "I deserve that." He sat up and looked into her eyes as Darrin floated off her hand and went to the ceiling. "I…I just wanted a better life for us. You got here and are already set up in this nice apartment…but I don’t want us to be just working grunts." He grabbed her hands and sandwiched them between his large, calloused palms. "I love you, baby. I just want to give you the best life. What better way than becoming an Ascendant?"

She had teared up slightly and nodded, "I…thank you…I love you, too."

The two lay together, just present in each other’s presence. Content to live and be alive.

"Hate to interrupt," Darrin stated as he floated down from above, his skittering legs walking on invisible webbing that appeared underneath him when he moved. "But you’ve got a message."

"From whom?" Greg asked.

"That Aspirant you met. Quinn. She is curious if you are interested in working with her faction. She is a Star Council Signer."

Greg crossed his arms, "I don’t want to be a Signer-"

"You don’t have to be," Darrin replied. "She wants to pay you for a gig."

Greg grinned and looked at Missy, "See? Already got clients lining up for a bit of Giant Greg’s Guard service."

Missy giggled a little at the alliteration, "You always had a way with words."

"Hey, I’m going to copyright that name. You watch, it’ll be my new business." He gave Missy a kiss and looked back to Darrin. "Tell her I’ll meet her tomorrow. And do you mind leaving us alone for a bit? I…would like some time with my lady love here."

"Say no more," Darrin replied as he vanished with a pop.

Jace finished taking his temporarily attached Runner’s Replacement off. Damn, lost a boot when the three-headed thing got my other foot. Jace shook his head and sighed. "Alright. Let’s do this." He set the still-intact boot to the side and looked at his two stumps just below his shins. "You said that we can get legs, not just feet?"

"Yup!" Ollie flew around Jace’s torso and twirled in the air, leaving small, blue streams of liquid starlight behind him. "All the way up to where they would socket into your hips. That should help with fatigue and remove a lot of stress your body would suffer."

"Is there any…risk with that level of prosthetic?"

"Not really," Ollie stated. "I mean, against a Pulsar powered Aspirant or Ascendant? Sure, their magnetism or electricity powers would mess you up. But " he chuckled. "You have Dark Matter as your Cosmic Power. Just by nature of that, you are highly resistant to electricity and magnetism. So…for you? There is no real risk of going heavy into prosthetics - magitech or just tech based. Someone who isn’t you? Yeah, I would not advise this level of change."

Jace took a deep breath and nodded, "This is going to hurt like the arm, isn’t it?"

"Yup!"

"Alright, let me-" Jace reached for the boot and put it in between his teeth, biting down as he laid back. "Doo itth!"

<<<<<>>>>>

[Using Boon: Legendary (Equipment).]

[Manifesting.]

<<<<<>>>>>

Jace felt the searing heat once more. It started in the stumps right below his knees and then raced up his leg and to the thighs. He bit down on the boot, screaming in pain as his vision began to go white. The heat surged up along his hips and he could feel the ungodly pain in his pelvis. Just as he thought he could not stand it any further, the pain stopped and was replaced with a soothing, cool feeling.

"These are called Dragonclaw Devastation Legs."

Jace stood up and - to his surprise - felt the ground under the claws that gripped the floor below. "Crap. How do I-" he tried unflexing his toes, as if he were pulling them back and curling them up from the floor, and the claws receded from their grip. The metal was a deep crimson with the same black geometric lines running along the length as his arm had. "Well, they look cool."

"You will be able to walk on walls and even ceilings by sinking your feet-claws into them. Plus, they are really, really strong! You could jump ten feet vertically." Ollie excitedly said as his tail wagged. "And they give you a once-per-day use of the Starfire Stride Skill."

Jace tested hopping from one foot to the next. He cracked a smile and laughed aloud as he felt mobility unlike any he had ever had before. Experimenting, he took off at a sprint across the room, planted the foot-talons to suddenly stop and pivot, and then ran back the same way from which he had come. It was…almost natural, retracting the claws with each footstep, which gave him even more power to push himself forward. "What’s Starfire Stride do?" he asked as he pivoted once more, intending to continue practicing in this now-safe space.

Ollie flew after him as he continued his wind sprints and sharp turns. "It will leave a trail of fire behind you for ten seconds. The flames will not injure you or any of your gear."

Jace grinned and stopped his sprints, taking in deep breaths. The legs felt like his legs. The ones he was born with. He could feel every sensation of the metal crumpling under the powerful feet-claws. But there was no pain, no muscle fatigue. Just sheer, raw, power. The tactile sensation was intriguing, as he could feel the sharp edges of the crumpled metal, but it did not actually hurt at all. "Looks like I don’t need boots at all," Jace said with a smile as he went to the wall and tested stepping on it with his right leg. He felt the metal of the wall crumple under the foot-claw’s grip, and he tried moving his other leg up.

Only to fall flat on his ass. "Ow!" He shouted out as he bruised his tailbone for the second time since arriving on this world. "What the hell? I thought you said I could walk on walls and ceilings?"

Ollie rolled over in the air, laughing. Jace had not heard that noise before, and despite the deep voice, the laugh was infectious and Jace felt himself chuckling as well as he got up. "It doesn’t stop physics," Ollie replied.

Jace looked up to the ceiling and fired off the grapnel arm, retracting the cord until he was on the ceiling. He swung his legs forward and clamped down with the claws, hanging upside-down as he let go with the grapple hook. "Ok, so physics still apply, despite magitech stuff."

"Yup!"

Jace let go with his feet, flipped around, and fell the thirty feet down before landing in a crouch. He hardly registered any impact. "That’s enough messing around. We have another Boon to use, and a ton of levels we can use, right?"

"Yup! Four levels if you want."

"Right. I want to level up. Are there any more Ranks to my already-existing Skills?"

"Not for Dark Matter Shield - it is maxed out at Rank 3. Dark Matter Blade has two more Ranks available. Here, I will show you."

The screen appeared in the corner of Jace’s vision.

<<<<<>>>>>

Dark Matter Blade (Rank 4) - As Rank 3, increasing the gravitational pull and movement slowing effect.

Dark Matter Blade (Rank 5) - As Rank 4, and the gravity begins to form micro-singularities that deal constant damage.

<<<<<>>>>>

"What about Swordmage Stance?"

Ollie shook his head, "Nope, that’s maxed out at Rank 3 as well."

Jace nodded. "Well, we should get Dark Matter Blade up to (Rank 5). That takes two of my levels. I know I want a Skill I can use at range. Preferably that can deal with armored enemies." He frowned, "What exactly does the ’mage’ part of Swordmage do for me?"

Ollie waved his paws, and another screen appeared in Jace’s vision - taking up most of it. He saw a person dressed in billowing clothing. They raised their hand, and a ball of flame appeared before shooting out and exploding in a huge area thirty feet away. "The ’mage’ part of Swordmage means you can do stuff like that. But, Dark Matter’s version."

"Which would look like what?"

<<<<<>>>>>

Dark Matter Dart (Rank 1) - The user launches a concentrated dart of Dark Matter that pierces the target.

<<<<<>>>>>

"Okay," Jace muttered. "But it doesn’t explode like the other one I saw."

"That’s where a Skill Evolution would come into play in your Cosmic Power’s case," Ollie explained. "And you have one saved up from a Boon."

"Well…are these Skill Evolutions random or can I choose the effect?"

Ollie frowned and shook his head, "Random. You just choose the Skill it applies to."

I’d rather have it empower the thing I use more often. Plus, I imagine that Dark Matter Dart always costs me energy. "I want the Evolution applied to Dark Matter Blade."

Ollie nodded and waved his little paws in the air.

<<<<<>>>>>

[Using Boon: Legendary (Skill Evolution).]

[Applying to Skill.]

[Skill Name: Dark Matter Blade.]

[Evolution Name: Rending.]

[Effect: The blade causes a bleed that cannot be stopped unless the user wills it.]

<<<<<>>>>>

"That’s nasty," Ollie commented. "But will be brutally effective for hit and run tactics."

Jace drew his sword and closed his eyes. Okay, show me the pattern. Behind his eyelids, he saw the pattern that he traced with his fingertips. After finishing, he held up the blade to inspect it. The whole entire length from hilt to tip was sheathed in the purple glow - invisible to all except him and Ollie - but there was a subtle, deep crimson hidden within the purple. Like a mixer in an alcoholic beverage - he could tell it was there, but it was easy to miss.

"Okay," Jace said as he sheathed the blade and let the Skill fade. "Let’s level up. Dark Matter Blade up to (Rank 5), and Dark Matter Dart up to (Rank 2)."

"Yup! Coming up!" Ollie reached into his little dimensional pocket-pouch, pulled out the stardust, and threw it at Jace’s chest. He felt the warmth settle throughout his body and he felt giddy at the rush of energy that jolted through him a moment later.

Let’s see that status screen. And what Dark Matter Dart at (Rank 2) does.

<<<<<>>>>>

Name: Jace Seren (Aspirant, Tier 1)

Power [Class Level.]: Dark Matter [Swordmage 11.]

Skills: Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions.]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Dark Matter Blade (Rank 5) [Rending], Dark Matter Shield (Rank 3), Swordmage Stance (Rank 3), Dark Matter Dart (Rank 2), Starfire Stride (1/day)

Stardust: 115

Equipment: Swordmage blade, Swordmage starting gear, Wirecannon Arm, Dragonclaw Devastation Legs, Runner’s Replacement (damaged), messenger bag, sliverscreen, survival knife, survival meals (x46), canteen (x2), medical kit, orange tarp (damaged), flint bar, flashlight

Boons: None

<<<<<>>>>>

Dark Matter Dart (Rank 2) - As Rank 1, but launch 3 darts at a single target, or spread across multiple targets.

<<<<<>>>>>

Jace smiled and looked up at Ollie, "Alright. Let’s get out of here. The same way we came in? Or out that way?" Jace pointed to another beat-to-hell door frame on the opposite side of the room where they came in.

"What about the arc reactors downstairs? We were going to see if we could take them apart, right?"

There were a lot of them. It would take me a couple of days to disassemble them and remove the useful components that can generate power. I can’t remake the flechette pistol, but I can sell the valuable components when I get to The Eternal City. "Let’s get my gear first, then we can come back and disassemble them."

Ollie nodded and floated next to Jace as he took off at a fast pace, walking with confidence in his newfound power. But more than that, the feeling of fully functional legs after walking around on makeshift prosthetics and stumps was thrilling.