Dark Matter Ascension-Chapter 69B2 - : Leveling up and tracking down a cult
“Seven levels worth,” Ollie replied as Jace got to the top of the cliff. “We are in uncharted territory; not even Xera knows what these Skills would do with Void, since you are the first to tread these waters.” To emphasize, Ollie made little splashes of watery starlight around Jace’s head.
“Alright. Let’s do all seven. I want to increase Void Shield’s Rank by as much as we can.”
“Trying…well, looks like Rank 6 is the maximum for Void Shield.”
“I could use a detection Skill. Something that’s always on, like what the Black Hole users have.”
“Oh, we should be able to do that!” Ollie nodded, “Yup! Here it comes!”
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Name: Jace Seren (Aspirant, Tier 6)
Power [Class Level]: Dark Matter [Swordmage <Wrathblade> 100] / Void [Edge 12]
Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Swordmage Stance (Rank 3) [Astral Annihilator], Dark Matter Dart (Rank 4) [Exploding], Dark Matter Cloak (Rank 3) [Group], Dark Energy Mine (Rank 3) [Distant], Cosmic Infusion (Rank 10) [Innervating], Dark Matter Mending (Rank 4) [Vampiric], Energy Cost Reduction (Rank 10) [Siphoning], Mage's Mark (Rank 5), Wrath's Embrace (Rank 10) [Focused], Ruination Razor (Rank 3) [Wrecking], Raging Cleave (Rank 10), Aura of Wrath (Rank 11), Void Blade (Rank 5) [Rending], Void Shield (Rank 6) [Reflecting][Wall][Sphere], Void Beam (Rank 1) [Limited Range], Edge's Intuition (Rank 1), Arbiter's Anathema (3/day), Archmage Geomancy (1/day) Archmage Hydromancy (1/day) Archmage Pyromancy (1/day), Shadow Nebula Smokescreen (1/day), Hope's Edge (1/day), Steel Gale Stride (1/day)
Stardust: 1,850
Equipment: (Returning / Adaptable) Nethaldrim, (Medium / Snowguard / Burnguard) Aegisleather, Ghostlight Grapnel Arm, (Thrice Judged) Anathema Arm, (Overclocked / Lightfoot) Steelstalker Sabatons, (Terrifying) All-Seeing Dragon's Eyes, Leviathan's Skin, Adamantine Skeleton, (Reactive) NICIF, Mind's Eye Amulet, (Heavy) Venture Pack, survival meals (x40), enhanced canteen, optimized medical kit, (Restful) Wildercloth tent, Devilsram wool bedroll, Blood-Infused Holy Water (x3)
Boons: Common (Equipment)
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Void Shield (Rank 2) - As any lesser Rank, but the energy consumption is reduced.
Void Shield (Rank 3) - Unlocks the 'Wall' Skill Evolution.
Void Shield (Rank 4) - As any lesser Rank, but the energy consumption is reduced.
Void Shield (Rank 5) - Unlocks the 'Sphere' Skill Evolution
Void Shield (Rank 6) - As any lesser Rank, but the energy consumption is reduced.
Edge’s Intuition (Rank 1) - The user is notified of any presence, or lack thereof, of anything within five feet.
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[Evolution Name: Wall.]
[Effect: The shield also forms a plane of energy in front of the user, increasing in size with energy invested.]
[Evolution Name: Sphere.]
[Effect: The shield also forms a spherical bubble around the user, increase in size with energy invested.]
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Jace felt very aware. Of everything around him. He could sense some type of burrowing insects in the ground, the dust particles on the air swirling around him. The microbes in the breath of passersby. It was almost overwhelming. “Ollie, can you make it so this Edge’s Intuition only alerts me to things out of the ordinary?”
“I can tune it,” Ollie replied. To Jace’s relief, the constant sense of awareness faded, and he was only notified of people entering the radius of five feet around him. “Oh, Xera wanted me to keep you filled in: she is making backup copies of Shhiv, Missy, and Dee’s sister, Ree.”
That brought Jace to a halt, and he moved to the side of the avenue as others passed him. “What? Like…copies?”
“Nope. Just backup bodies. If something happens to any of them, their minds will be instantly transported to the new sleeves: just like what Xera has set up for herself. It is all perfectly safe.”
Jace felt relief that his Shhiv would be the same person, and was thankful for the second layer of protection in addition to the ring he had given her. “Pass along my thanks,” he said as he resumed his journey.
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The dormancy period was coming to an end, and the streets were becoming more populous, when Jace arrived at Pritchard’s house. Or, rather, where he once was. Jace was not greeted by guards, and when he entered, he did not find anyone. It was an empty building inside the carved-out stony cliff. Jace walked to the back and thanks to his new senses was able to pick up on an item that was hidden but just out of line of sight. Hidden behind a small outcropping of rock was a small letter.
Pulling it open, it gave a destination. Must be where they want me to go to meet up. If he’s some type of wanted criminal, then it makes sense that he wants to move a lot. “Ollie, mind mapping out where this is?”
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The Wayfinder did so, and Jace left the building: still Cloaked: and followed the trail through Flaptown’s lower levels. Eventually, after an hour of traveling at a jog, he arrived at a very similar building as the one he had left. This one had the guards standing outside, and Jace dropped the cloak. “I’ve got what he wanted.”
One of the guards dipped inside, and a few moments later returned, nodding and gesturing inside. Jace walked in and found a very similarly carved out space with the partition set up on the far end. Walking over, he saw Pritchard looking over some type of reports on paper. Jace sat down, reached into his Venture Pack, and pulled out the Class Reset Crystal, “Here you go.”
Pritchard put his reports into a folder and closed that, setting it aside, and grabbed the object from Jace’s hands. His eyes lit up with a satisfaction and delight that reminded Jace of how Shhiv looked at him post-amorous repast. This man was enthralled with the crystal he held. “Well, a bargain was struck, and now I must keep up my part. Please have your Wayfinder share his map with me.”
Jace looked over at Ollie and nodded, “Do it.”
Ollie flew out of Jace’s hood and tapped Pritchard’s Cosmic Power symbol. The man began tapping locations on the map of the capital, and even zoomed out to tap some locations across the world on other plateau-cities. “There. Every single location that The Seekers of Truth have ever used or are currently using. They move around after each failed ritual: both to find new cultists and to get more victims. They think that through mass blood sacrifice they can rip open a portal to a new realm of ‘truth’.” Pritchard shook his head, “Idiots. The downside of only having two years of childhood in Khrox and not having standardized education on this home world of theirs.”
“Which one was most recent?”
Pritchard tapped a dot located in The Spirals, up in the middle-class townhouse Veilshard Quarter. “They were last spotted up here. The leader is called Master Vord. They were recruiting, and: this time: blackmailing some of the upper crust to get servants and undesirables from prisons into their clutches.”
Jace stood up and Ollie flew back into his hood, “Before you leave,” Pritchard said, prompting Jace to turn around. “Let me ask you: what has Xera promised you?”
“Nothing,” Jace replied. “I’m working for her because it’s the best way to achieve my goals.”
“Which are?”
Jace shook his head, “Not telling you. You quit on her. I’m not going to quit.”
Pritchard frowned, “That is disappointing. Giving up your entire immortal life to work for her? A waste.” He held the crystal before him and squeezed it between his palms. “My thanks, Flicker. If you want to do business, well, just look for more of these abodes in this section of the city.”
Jace left the building and began climbing up the network to the next level of the plateau: towards the Veilshard District. Time to stop a murderous cult.
Priam woke up and shook his head. Bloopa patted on his skull with her various shapes, and the prods translated to Priam’s mind. Your allies are still looting the place. That deity of doorways has promised safe passage back to The Cosmic Corridor’s portal once they are ready to depart.
“How long was I out?” Priam asked as he stretched whilst on the throne.
Approximately seven hours, Bloopa replied.
“Wow, and they are still looting stuff?”
There are many artifacts that Wricen plundered.
“Artifacts? Those belong to the deities-”
They are all from dead deities. They will not be missed. We are going to convert them to Boons once they are all accumulated together.
“Oh…can you do that?”
Artifacts of deities are just like Jace’s sword: they can be re-molded into a Boon with enough resources from the System. Thankfully, Xera has set some of the computing to our ends.
Priam hopped off the throne, “Then I should go help. Which way?”
They have not touched the north wing behind the throne.
Priam went down the dais steps and through the well-concealed passageway. His golden sight was able to provide plenty of vision in the darkness, and as he walked along, he felt more dismay at even more defaced iconography and carvings. Continuing back through the tunnels, he came up what appeared to be bed chambers. They were ornately decorated, with gold and platinum filigree embedded in geometric patterns into the walls, ceiling, and floor. The patterns had no meaning save to the Oslia, whose minds could translate the pattern to a language of sorts. A meaning.
“This is where the king or queen of the gods would sleep,” Priam stated as he looked around the richly appointed suites. “Where they could regain their power at a faster rate.”
There are items of value I will highlight for you. To Priam’s vision, several items were highlighted. Do not bother identifying them: we will be bulk-distilling the items recovered into Boons.
Priam went from object to object, chucking them into his Venture Pack. It was full to the brim, and he made several trips back to the throne room to dump out the contents onto the floor in front of the dais where he saw other items piled up.
On his fifth trip, he spotted Greg coming out of another hallway hauling a massive statue. “Oh, hey Priam! Have a good nap?” he asked.
“Yeah. Just helping with the looting.”
Greg put the statue down and wiped his brow: the helmet that covered his head having been folded back into the armor’s neck. “Well, we are all done in the west wing, now.” He glanced at Priam’s smaller pile, “Dee is behind me with the last bit of the haul. East wing was cleared earlier.”
“There’s more back here,” Priam replied as he led Greg to the tunnel.
A few hours passed and as night fell the trio and the god of doorways were standing before an enormous pile of loot. All three Wayfinders were floating around the objects in an array.
“How does this work?” Dee asked.
Greg’s Wayfinder, Darrin, answered first. “We will make an array of sorts around the objects, and they will be liquidated into Boons. Then, We will merge them until they are a designated rarity.”
Priam looked at his allies, “I think getting Artifact rarity like Jace’s sword would be smart.”
Dee nodded, “Sure. I don’t mind. That’s (Equipment) only, right?”
“Correct,” Darrin replied.
Dee frowned and crossed her arms, “I don’t use (Equipment).”
“What about…bracers that enhance your blasts?” Priam asked.
Dee cocked her head sideways. “Huh…I always thought it had to apply to my goop. Not go on my chitin.”
Her Wayfinder, the meowl Miku, replied. “Y-you c-can d-d-do what P-p-priam s-s-sug-ges-s-ts.”
“Then let’s do it!” Dee replied.
Darrin spun his spindly spider legs and a cascading web of starlight began to cover the objects. Bloopa spun and turned, her various shapes moving in different directions as a net of geometric patterns was laid over the top. Lastly, Miku began flying in circles over the top, and a swirling vortex of stardust blocked all line of sight.
Once the dust had settled, there were eight glowing, vibrant, green orbs. “Eight Artifact (Equipment) Boons!” Darrin shouted.
Greg knelt down and grabbed one, “That’s one for each of us: Quinn and Jace included: and three left over.” He tossed the object back and forth in his hands. “And they’ll be like they were from a magic world, right?”
“Yup!” Darrin replied.
Priam looked between his two allies, “I think that the other three should go to us. Jace already has a lot of Equipment in comparison, and we did the hard work.”
“No complaints here,” Quinn stated.
The other two nodded, and each grabbed two. Bloopa descended on the other two, sending them through The System to the other Aspirants.
The god of doorways smiled, “Well, with that done with: how about we get you back to The Cosmic Corridor and get ready for a party?”
