Dark Matter Ascension

Jace followed the commands that Quinn fed to his HUD. Each time he clicked a key, there was a harmonic sound that played throughout the vessel, and as he continued to enter in the prompts, he could make out a melody. It tickled the back of his mind, but he could not quite place where he had heard something like it before.

Ollie explained in his thoughts, All species who developed after The Architects crafted The Cosmic System have something called the "song of creation" buried deep, deep in the depths of the subconscious. That is why the melody is familiar.

Interesting, Jace thought back. He had not often had exposure to music except for the advertisements that the megacorps played back on Earth. The few times he and Shhiv had gone to a club like atmosphere – particularly during their honeymoon – was some of the most experience he had with it. Despite not having a musical bone in his body, he was tapping along the rhythm with his foot as he finished keying in the commands.

"And just like that, it's done," Quinn stated. "Get out of there. It's set to blow." She did not sound concerned.

But Jace immediately got up and began sprinting, "Wish I had known that before!"

"Self-destruct was a bit obvious, wasn't it?" Quinn asked with some slight amusement behind her tone.

"I didn't know it would be an explosion!" Jace shouted back as he relied on his Soul Tether grapple to continually pull himself along the ship, weaving in uses of his Dark Energy Mine to increase his speed by removing gravity's pull.

"It won't be a huge explosion," Quinn replied. "Just get out of the immediate vicinity. Oh, I'd also ditch that ship you stole from that Vanguard Empire. They can track it."

Jace wanted to ask how she knew that, but he figured that him interacting with the ship gave her enough access through her Celestial Observer that she was able to run a diagnostic on the vessel. At least, that's what made sense to him. Getting to the exit, he pulled himself out of the triangular hole he had cut, and began sprinting east.

Not a minute later the ground shook, and looking back he saw an enormous pillar of bright purple flame erupt skyward. It was a gorgeous sight as the raw devastation burst into the skies above, turning a deep green as it ascended into the infinite blackness. A pulse of heat emanated out, followed by a terrific shockwave that almost blew him off his feet.

-----

[Mission Success: Investigate the downed Architect vessel.]

[Reward: Uncommon (Gear) Infusion.]

-----

"See? Not too bad," Quinn stated.

Void Stalker (Rank 1), Jace thought as he re-activated the Skill and kept running – knowing that the pillar was a huge beacon.

Keep heading east, Ollie said. Eventually, we'll find this entrance to the next layer down.

Roxcla looked up as she heard the tremendous crack that echoed across the wastes. Some new species testing a super weapon? She thought as her gaze was drawn the direction of the noise, and she spied a pillar of purple and green flame that ascended into the skies. She could tell by looking that it was not Psykinetic powered. No, not a weapon I would need to worry about, she thought as she returned to her task. Enormous explosions were infrequent but not rare, as various civilizations entering the Astral Verge used all manner of super weapons in their attempts to vanquish her kind.

But all of that was fruitless. For only Psykinetics could permanently put them down. And, as far as she knew, there were few high Potency Dreamers on this layer. The very nature of the Astral Verge drew and called upon those with higher Potency to descend to the next layer. She, at Potency 3, felt the lure of the next layer; calling her to join the ranks of more powerful kin. To suck on the Soul streams that flowed through the layers on their way to the Nethershift.

But killing was so much fun. And thus, she remained, despite the call to descend.

The brood pits were ready, and she was busy orchestrating the flow of emotion. All of the emotions of those universes above; every feeling, every instinctual urge, sank down into the Astral Verge. Normally, they would take hundreds of years to form into a singular consciousness that was a new Astral Demon. But, thanks to the brood pits, the emotions could be funneled into the flesh abominations that once were species, which accelerated the process by an extreme degree. Thousands of Astral Demons in hours. Millions in days. It just took biomass of sentient species to funnel those emotions.

In this case, she had three brood pits operational and remaking her army. One from a prior Vanguard Empire troop she had slain with her now-deceased mate and commander, and two formed from the screaming, writhing masses of the insectoid Gyanv species from the Outpost she had just conquered.

Only a few hours, she thought as she saw another Astral Demon birthed from the horrific abomination that was a facsimile of a pod that spewed out the new, demonic forms. They would need to feed on Souls, she knew, to eventually rise to the ranks of having full Potency. As it was, they were cannon fodder that could be reconstituted unless slain by Psykinetics.

She thought back on the conversation with Riscarn, who she viewed as a father but only because he was responsible for pulling her consciousness forth from the mix of emotions that led to her creation in a brood pit just like those before her. He will find someone, she thought, strong enough to fight against this Dreamer who threatens entire armies with their Potency.

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Still, she kept replaying that sight in her mind. She was sure that something else was at play. The glittering blast of gold Psykinetic power came a split-second after the army was obliterated. A new weapon, she assumed. A species finally found a means to channel Psykinetics into larger artillery-style weaponry.

Not for the first time she cursed the Astral Demon's inability to utilize technology. Some ancient curse, or limitation, of the Astral System from when it was first created. They could not use any advanced technology. And that was of endless irritation to their kind. If only we had the means, she thought as she looked down upon the grotesque sight of more of her kind spawning. We could obliterate all who dare oppose us.

She returned her gaze to the pillar of flame in the distance that was slowly fading to nothingness, a lingering curiosity tugging on the edges of her consciousness. Rumors abounded that the Demon Lords at the lowest layers of the Astral Verge were working on something to surpass this limitation.

But she brushed such rumors aside with a thought. Whispers of madness in the depths of chaos, nothing more.

Jace continued east. Hours passed as he made steady progress, and as he traveled, he saw more starships flying overhead. Not from the Vanguard Empire, but other, unique, individualized designs. Some blipped into existence before immediately vanishing. A few came through rifts that were torn open, only to then be set upon by flying swarms of Astral Demons and either being ripped apart or escaping through another rift.

Each time one of those rifts opened, Astral Demons went through. "What happens," he asked Ollie, "When Astral Demons get into a universe?"

Well, the Wayfinder began, we know that when they arrive in a universe, they are similar to how they appear here. But when they arrive on a world, they take the form of the dominant life form. Or most dangerous one. A type of adaptation Talent that is innate to their Astral System integration – sort of like your Astral Adaptation. Once they enter a universe, they can be destroyed – but that just sends their consciousness back to the Astral Verge.

"Where they reform," Quinn added.

That confused Jace, "Can you read my mind?" he asked, knowing that Ollie was talking in his thoughts to him.

"No," she replied with a slight chuckle. "Ollie's a Wayfinder, so everything he says in your mind is on your logs. He can suppress them if he wants to, but its better keeping me in the loop on everything."

Except for personal stuff, Ollie added. That stuff is between you and me! His voice was filled with pride and a reassurance that filled Jace with a confidence; knowing that his Wayfinder was fully and completely aligned with his interests.

"When they are killed and their consciousness comes back down here, what happens?" he asked wanting to know more about the process behind these hostile entities. To learn everything possible about the foe he was facing.

They reform a body. It takes a long time. If they die to Void or Psykinetics, the consciousness is erased and ceases – permanent death of that Astral Demon.

"And each time you kill them without either of those," Quinn said, "their Potency decreases as they shed Essence as part of their escape mechanism. Sort of like how some species can detach a part of their body to distract a predator while they flee."

"Do I get more Essence since I am permanently ending them?" he asked.

"Yes," Quinn replied. "Since they don't get to shed and flee."

Jace spotted a walled Outpost on the horizon. The same design as the one he had visited already. But this one had no shield surrounding it, and he could hear squelching and shrieking noises. "Speaking of Essence, it sounds like there's something going on over there. How far off am I from my next level?"

You are at eight-hundred Essence out of one-thousand needed.

Jace drew Nethaldrim and activated his usual suite of Skills. The white-grey barrier of Void Shield sparked into existence around him, and his blade dripped with the same color along with the viscous, oozing crimson miasma of [Rending]. His Aura of Wrath with the writhing threads of [Voidflame Vestment] crackled and radiated off of his body, snapping out at the stalks of grass that were instantly vaporized into nothingness.

And, to his slight surprise, his body began to glow with the golden light of his Valiant Emotion Source. Flowing up the blade and igniting it with a blazing hue. Guess whatever I'm doing matches up with my Psykinetics, he thought. Alright, Crusader's Bastion. The shield appeared on his forearm and was lustrous, shimmering like a beacon. I'm not doing anything very heroic, he added.

Ollie replied, Your Class is also at play. [Crusader] is all about fighting Astral Demons. The mere action of going against them is a catalyst for your Psykinetics and Emotion Source to come online. The problem comes from dealing with other Dreamers; unless they are acting quite villainous, then your Emotion Source would activate.

Jace began running towards the Outpost walls; cracked and scorched by some type of flame, hoping that Void Stalker overrode the light of his Psykinetic Talents that would surely illuminate him to any observer. One other, lingering question remained. That Vanguard Empire was trying to do something I'd consider evil; forcing me into their service. How come my Psykinetics didn't activate for that?

They were trying to get your powers to fight Astral Demons.

Fair enough, Jace thought back as he reached the walls. Shooting out his Soul Tether from the Anathema Arm, he pulled himself up to the top and almost vomited at the horrific sight he witnessed. The entire outpost was completely covered in pulsating, fleshy growths that spiderwebbed out across the place, small tendrils crisscrossing the remnants of rounded buildings. He saw pools of partially-dried, partially-sludgy green fluid with insectoid parts. Three huge pits had been excavated, the dirt and stone pushed into mounds on the sides.

The horrific squelching noises came from within, and he saw a steady stream of Astral Demons working their way out of the pits, being greeted by a very tall, outwardly female one of their species. But she did not appear like these other ones; malformed monstrosities that were covered in horrific growths, spikes, tumors, scales, and fur. She was gaunt, with the skin stretched tight across bone structure, with rigid spines sticking up out of the joints. The head was narrow and swept back, tipped with razor-sharp spines that moved slightly in coruscating patterns.

"Potency 3," Quinn stated over the comms with a bit of concern tinging her voice. "The higher Potency and Astral Demon attains, the more they can control their appearance."

Jace gripped his weapon and pushed his disgust deep down. I could just [Horizon-Splitter] them all. But that would take a lot of energy. Plus, seeing what a higher-Potency Astral Demon is capable of is going to be valuable.

We could use all the data we can get, Ollie replied.

Jace leapt down and rushed towards the tall demon.