Dark Matter Ascension

The hours passed comfortably. Oliver provided schematics and was able to slowly pick them apart, visually separating out the various layers of the designs. Jace was able to intuit how the device would be put together by having Oliver re-layer the different components over each other. It was work-focused, but the two were driving towards a singular goal. Neither was cracking jokes or trying to get to know the other. There was a desired result, and they both wanted to achieve it.

As Jace took a meal break Oliver kept looking over the design. "I wonder…can it be integrated into the arm? We have not mounted it yet."

Jace swallowed down the delicious goop and took a sip of water that had begun to grow stale from sitting out in the various containers. "I don’t want it attached to my arm. Just holding it will be fine."

Oliver huffed but nodded, "Fine. Your arm, your choice." He sounded slightly irritated that his idea was shot down.

"It’s not a bad idea. Just that I don’t want to commit a single limb to it." Jace tossed his belt knife back and forth, twirling it in each hand. "Ambidexterity." The artificial limb, despite being brand-new, felt natural. As if Jace had been born with it. It just felt…right. He assumed it was because it was magitech.

Oliver’s tone became brighter, "Ah, well. That makes sense."

Jace returned to his work and within a few hours of more concentration he had a functional - if crappy looking - flechette pistol. He had to rig up small boxes of ammunition that he would dump into the top; so, he could only fire one cluster at a time before a reload. A scatter-shot of five rounds in one burst. There was a small crank on the side that would have to be wound up in between shots to power the device.

He made sure the magazine was empty, pointed the pistol with the extremely steady prosthetic arm, and pulled the trigger. He took an empty cartridge, pantomimed reloading, cranked the charge handle, and pulled the trigger again. Six seconds. Too long for mid-combat up close. And this thing will have crappy accuracy over distance. The best use for it would be to use it to stall if something closed with him quickly.

Oliver nodded with satisfaction, "Looks good. And we are just about done with the Aspirant Trial."

Jace stood up and stretched, "Alright. What do I need to do?"

"Just wait a few more minutes. Maybe get to a place to sit or lay down. It is going to be disorienting."

Jace laid down on the bed and Oliver floated next to him, "What’s it going to feel like?"

"I only have what the System gives me. This is my first time going through this, also." The otter was swirling in place in excitement. "I can’t wait to see what happens!"

The familiar voice of Shhiv-zal came to him as a message played across his vision.

<<<<<>>>>>

[Congratulations! Damn, did you get more buff? Hot. That new arm is very, very interesting. Anyways. Okay. Work. You made it past the Aspirant Trial! Major congratulations.]

<<<<<>>>>>

"Thanks," Jace replied, pushing aside the fact that this woman was enthralled by his looks. Flattered, but he was focused on his goal. "What’s next?"

<<<<<>>>>>

[I am going to put you into that liminal Starlit Sea. Your Wayfinder will be with you. Just answer the questions honestly. Oh, I also saw a flag from X on your profile. Is everything okay?".]

<<<<<>>>>>

"Just fine," Oliver said as he swam through the air over Jace’s head.

<<<<<>>>>>

[Okay then. I will be keeping an eye on you. I expect a visit when you get to The Eternal City. I will forward my contact information to Oliver.]

<<<<<>>>>>

Jace felt his vision go black and he was surrounded by warmth. Every direction showed the liquid starlight from when he met Oliver.

The otter swam through the seas next to him, "Well, this is familiar."

Jace nodded and looked around, waiting.

He was not waiting long, as a grid appeared before him. A series of symbols with corresponding names.

<<<<<>>>>>

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[Star.]

[Nebula.]

[Pulsar.]

[Black Hole.]

[Planet.]

[Dark Matter.]

<<<<<>>>>>

"Before you make your choice-"

Both Oliver and Jace looked to the right where the voice came from. There was a square aperture - a screen - and a gorgeous, black-skinned woman with deep, purple eyes and long, silver hair. She also had two pairs of arms; both were crossed in front of her ample bosom. The eyes had six irises, and no whites - just purple and the black orbs within.

"Hi X," Oliver said as he waved.

She looked at Jace, "Flicker. What’s your real name? If you’re going to be my Signer, I want the real thing. Oliver has been keeping it hidden. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it hidden, too."

Jace looked over to Oliver, "Thank you," he said softly. The otter nodded, and Jace turned back to the woman. "Mine for yours. X is a code name. What is it really?"

The woman smirked and leaned back in her chair, "Xera’tal Pen’arkon. An Architect."

"I’m Jace Seren. Do you go by X to everyone?"

"Yes, X is what I am referred to by every Wayfinder and component of The Cosmic System. Only my Signers can call me by my shorthand name, Xera. Speaking of Signers; did you make up your mind?"

He took a deep breath in before letting it out slowly. This is it. A defining choice. Time to get on the good side of possibly the most influential being in the whole System. "I’m in. I’ll be your Signer."

She grinned and leaned forward, "Excellent. Now, turn back to the choice panel. Be ready, you’re about to hold the power of the cosmos in the palm of your hand."

Jace followed her instructions. I want the secret, hidden power that it sounds like no one else has. He tapped Dark Matter.

Everything went black. "Why can’t I see?!" he shouted out as he turned in panic, reaching for something - anything.

"Just wait a moment," Xera said.

Jace felt a soft, fuzzy paw on his shoulder. "It’s okay," Oliver said. "I am here. You are fine."

"I thought you were ethereal?" Jace asked as the sudden contact brought him out of his panic at sudden blindness.

"In the real world? Yes. But we are inside The Cosmic System right now. I am as real here as you are. Not just a projection."

Jace saw dim, purple dots across his vision. Blinking his eyes rapidly, the purple dots expanded until he could see the ocean of stars once more. But it was not the same color. Everything was washed a slight purple hue. "What happened?"

"You can see in the dark, now. A benefit of choosing a Cosmic Power. It’s not a true Skill, but rather an aspect of your Cosmic Power being accessible. Your hair has some purple highlights. Your eye color shifted as well." Xera smirked, "Other Cosmic Power sources have a similar effect. Dark vision is standard for all of them. The color they see is different. Same with hair highlights and eyes."

"Doesn’t that mark me as one of yours? The hair and eyes? Makes infiltrating difficult."

"Look at your hand," She replied.

Oliver grabbed his good hand and lifted it up. On the back, Jace saw a symbol. A square with pointed edges, and a swirling series of deep purple, light purple, and neon purple shapes that constantly shifted and danced around each other. "This marks your Cosmic Power. Same with the eye color and hair highlights," Oliver stated.

He tapped the center of Jace’s palm, "The symbol is visible even when covered, but only to other Aspirants, Wayfinders, or Ascendants." He grabbed Jace’s fingertip, and that’s when Jace saw the dark, purple nails that shifted between shades of the same color. "And the nails mark your faction affiliation. Species without fingernails instead have the tips of their fingers – or equivalent – colored."

Xera nodded, "Correct. Glad that the recognition program update rolled out successfully. Just checking that off my list…"

Jace looked around, "Will it ever all look…normal? Or do I have constant purple vision?"

"Just when you are in the dark or in The Cosmic System," Oliver replied.

"How rare exactly is Dark Matter?" Jace asked. He held up his hand towards Xera, "When people see this, will they flag me?"

She shook her head, "The Aspirants won’t know what it means. An Ascendant who has been around for a while, is well-connected, or well-informed might know. Wayfinders will if they query the System, but that would take upwards of five minutes to get through my obfuscation. Thirty have encountered it before and would know it on sight. And even then, they would need to tell their Aspirant. That’s hard to do when being struck."

Oliver nodded, "My job when you are facing an Aspirant in combat is to keep their Wayfinder busy so they cannot access The Cosmic System and dig up data on you. We do not suffer permanent injury, but have you tried getting into a computer when someone is punching you? It is tricky."

Xera chuckled, "Continuing…the faction affiliation can be covered up by wearing gloves or gauntlets. The shifting fingernail color doesn’t go through all coverings, unlike the Cosmic Power symbol. Don’t worry about the eye and hair color - those only manifest when you use a Class Skill."

Oliver crossed his arms and grinned, "If others don’t know Dark Matter’s symbol, then they’d have to look it up…and they won’t when I sock them!" Oliver took a few practice punches in the air. "Otter punch!"

Xera added. "I wouldn’t worry too much about people flagging you as a part of the Dark Between Stars."

Another screen popped up in front of Jace. The mechanical voice accompanied it.

<<<<<>>>>>

[Use the space below to describe what you desire to do with your Cosmic Power.]

[The Cosmic System will then determine a selection of Classes based upon your description.]

<<<<<>>>>>

Jace ran a hand through his hair. "Well…alright." As he spoke, the words lit up on the screen. "Crap, delete that." The words vanished.

Oliver floated next to him, "Just describe what it is you want to do."

Well, I’ve been thinking about it for days now. "I want to be able to fight things up close with what I’m comfortable with - so, knives, mostly. But I also want to be able to use Dark Matter…at will? I guess that’s the best way to put it. Summon it around me to turn invisible, throw it around to make gravity wells? It can do that, right?"

The screen filled up as he spoke, and after he finished speaking it flickered before being replaced with a series of boxes with names of Classes inside.

<<<<<>>>>>

[The Classes that best match your description are as follows.]

[Swordmage.]

[Swordmage.]

[Swordmage.]

[Swordmage.]

<<<<<>>>>>

"What’s the deal?" Jace asked, feeling frustrated as he looked over to Xera. She had a bemused expression. "I thought I was going to be given a choice?"

She giggled, "I could enable the other Class choices…but trust me. I designed the Class to work with the Cosmic Power you chose. Dark Matter goes with Swordmage like bread with butter. You have that on Earth, right?"

I’ve heard of it, Jace thought as he turned back to the screen. Haven’t tasted it, though. Butter is for rich people. He looked at Oliver, "I…" He let out a sigh. "I trust you…is what Xera saying correct?"

He shrugged, "Implicitly. If she says it is the best, it is. She has been around for…well, since it all started. She knows Classes better than anyone." He lowered his voice to a whisper and flew right up to Jace’s ear, "Plus, she has an interest in keeping you alive. She needs you. You can trust her."

Jace nodded, "Good enough for me." He tapped the top-most Swordmage option.

He was surrounded by a dim, golden glow. A few seconds passed, and he could feel a tingling sensation along his skin. The glow faded, and he was wearing quite different clothing. Grey pants with plenty of room to move around. A light, breathable shirt. Boots that snugly fit onto his makeshift prosthetic feet that were quite supple. A pair of gloves fashioned from a type of dark leather went up to the forearm. Lastly, a cloak that wrapped around his torso and midsection before trailing behind. A belt kept everything in place and tidy.

He felt a weight on his hip, and attached to the belt was the black hilt of a weapon with a cross guard. "Where’s my knife?" he asked.

Xera replied, "When you choose a Class, you get Class specific gear. For you, it’s armored clothing - there are little scales sandwiched in between the material - a cloak that will keep you warm or cool in any weather if the hood is pulled up and it’s cinched tight. And of course, the signature Swordmage blade. Go ahead, pull it out."

Jace followed the instructions and drew the blade. It was pure black, seemingly absorbing all light. It felt…natural in his grip. He took a few practice swings with it, and with each swing of the one-handed blade, he felt supremely confident. Did…proficiency come along with the Class selection?

A screen appeared in front of him once more. A status display. Like the one Oliver had shown him before.

<<<<<>>>>>

Name: Jace Seren (Aspirant, Tier 1)

Power [Class Level.]: Dark Matter [Swordmage 1.]

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

Stardust: 515

Equipment: Swordmage blade, Swordmage starting gear, flechette pistol, flechette ammunition (x45), Wirecannon Arm, Runner’s Replacement (damaged), messenger bag, sliverscreen, survival knife, survival meals (x50), canteen (x2), medical kit, orange tarp, flint bar, flashlight

Boons: None

<<<<<>>>>>

"Are all of the Skills named like that?" Jace asked. "Would someone else get a Shield ability, but have it named something else?"

"Correct," Xera replied. "They are either a static name – such as Cosmic Infusion – or are altered by the chosen Cosmic Power." The world began to simmer and shift around Jace. "Time’s up," Xera said rapidly. "I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Stay as long as you can on Velenar Prime; it’s a high threat for a Tier 1 world, meaning you can level up quickly. I’ll send you some Quests, also. Stay safe!"

The starry sea faded and Jace found himself in the bed once more. The whole room was a slightly purple hue. Must be the dark vision at work, he thought as he sat up. Glancing down, he saw the new clothing still on his body, and there was a slight clinking at his waist. Looking over, he saw just the hilt and cross guard of the sword - but not the blade. It had transported from his hand in the Starlit Sea back to his hip. Does it retract or something? He stood up and drew it from the slot on his belt.

The blade expanded as he drew it until it was the full length of around two feet. There was a pop as Oliver manifested in front of him, and his purple sight faded as the otter illuminated the area. Jace swung the blade a few times, "How come this feels so natural?"

"Let’s pull up the Skill descriptions."

<<<<<>>>>>

Dark Matter Blade (Rank 1) - The blade is rendered invisible, with only the hilt being observable.

Dark Matter Shield (Rank 1) - Creates a barrier of invisible matter that acts as a shield. Attached to the forearm of the non-dominant hand. Ambidextrous note: you may swap arms at will.

Swordmage Stance (Rank 1) - The user becomes proficient with all bladed weapons.

<<<<<>>>>>

"And in addition to that, you have Universal Translation and Environmental Adaptation," Oliver added as the screen vanished.

"How do I use those Skills?"

"Some are always on - like Swordmage Stance. The other ones you can think the Skill name, shout it, or just…do it." He shrugged, "None of my Aspirants have made it this far, so I do not know what ’do it’ entails."

Jace closed his eyes and practiced his breathing technique, holding the sword out to his side. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He focused on nothing but breathing until he felt completely calm, and all extraneous thoughts were pushed aside. I don’t want to think about using it. I just want to use it. Invisible weapon. Come on.

Behind his closed eyelids, a diagram appeared. A pattern. He followed it with his eyes, tracing the pattern along the back of his eyelids and instinctively tracing it with his fingertip. Oliver gasped, and as Jace opened his eyes, he saw a deep, purple hue covering the blade.

"That’s invisible!" Oliver shouted in ecstatic joy. "To everyone but us two, that is."

Jace thought of turning it off, and the coating vanished. Now to see the different ways to activate it. He first closed his eyes and re-traced the pattern with his sight alone, tracing the pattern along the inside of his eyelids. Opening them, he saw nothing different. All right, finger gestures it is. He subtly performed the small series of movements, and the blade glowed with energy once more. "It’s like entering a code on a keypad," he stated aloud.

Oliver nodded, "Makes sense that the System would alter it in a way that made it familiar to you."

Jace closed his eyes and repeated the process, envisioning instead a shield on his prosthetic arm - which would enable him to still use the grapple line. He saw the pattern appear once more - slightly different than the one for the Dark Matter Blade, and he traced it in the air with his fingertip. He saw a shimmering, purple shield appear on his prosthetic arm, facing the outside. "That’s good," he muttered. It was transparent, so he could see through it, and knew exactly where it would cover.

Oliver nodded, "I will say. And it is invisible to anyone else!"

"Last thing," Jace said as he dismissed the effect. "I’m going to see if both can be activated with a single motion." He closed his eyes once more. All right. I want both Dark Matter Blade and Dark Matter Shield. An intricate, complex combination of the two gestures appeared. He replicated what he just saw.

The blade was enveloped with purple light, and the shield appeared on his arm. He felt a slight fatigue set in. "Let me guess," he muttered as he glanced at Oliver. "Using these Skills costs me some energy. If I overuse them, I’ll pass out."

"Yup."

Jace nodded. So, I cannot keep activating them and deactivating them over and over. Understood. Time to practice. "Keep a timer in between attempts. I’m going to try and perfect my speed in activating these Skills."

Oliver gave a little thumb-up, and Jace spent the next several hours repeating the pattern with his finger until he had memorized both and had reduced the activation time down to under two seconds. He felt tired but was quite happy with the rapid progress.

"Now," he stated as he dismissed both effects and sheathed the blade - all but the hilt vanishing as he put it on his hip. "I want to use that Stardust to level up."