Dark Matter Ascension

Jace sat, staring at the group of soldiers far across at their ship as they continued to build up defensive fortifications. He didn't really care, much, knowing that it would make no difference. Instead, he picked up the conversation that he had left off from. "Shhiv? You there?"

Quinn's voice came over the comms, "Give me a moment to get her and Xera back on my line."

"I thought it took time for messages to travel up the voidlight tether?" Jace asked.

"I'm using my energy for this expedited communication," Quinn replied. "Getting multiple people on the line is draining."

A few seconds passed and Xera's voice came through the helmet's speakers and integrated comms, "Back to where we left off; I can integrate Shhiv into the Astral System without issue."

"My concern," Jace said as he took in a deep breath, "is that we don't know what happens after someone linked to the Astral System dies."

"Actually, we do," Quinn replied. "Ollie got a ton of scans while you were killing off that Trax species, since all of them were Dreamers – aka linked to the Astral System. Their deaths functioned in the exact same fashion as deaths in our universe."

Jace felt some relief and swallowed down the knot he didn't realize had built up in his throat, "…Good. Shhiv…if you are comfortable with it…it's your decision."

"I want to help," she replied, earnestly, as her enthusiasm and sincerity came through her tone of voice. "I know that you have a tough job, and I'm not up to going there to help you. But if I can do something to help on my end? I'll do it. And, I'm going to do The Cosmic System as well. Become an Aspirant. Greg's already on board to help!"

Jace felt a twinge of panic, but the knowledge that Greg would be with her quelled the fear tightening around his chest. "Thank him for me," he whispered.

Xera's voice cut in, "I'll get her set up ASAP. When you return in a few days' time, we will see about getting some Runes carved into your Equipment."

Jace smiled, still feeling that slight knot in his stomach, but felt relieved at the same time. "Love you, hon. I'll be home in a few days."

"Bye!" Shhiv replied.

Jace sighed and stood up, his energy filled up. He turned off the audio-insulation on the helmet and spoke aloud as he looked at the tall Astral Demon who was looking out at the hostile army. "I can deal with them, now." He raised his hand and pointed out in the distance, glancing aside at the tall figure, "Just watch." Void Beam (Rank 1) [Horizon-Splitter].

Reality tore asunder in front of Jace. The entire field was cleared out several miles. The forest the ship had crashed into, the ship itself, the forces – all gone in an instant. Jace immediately sagged forward but his armor locked into place to keep him upright. With a thought, he tasked the NICIF with keeping his body under control and moving normally, as to not show weakness.

Looking back at the tall figure, they stood there, stunned along with all the rest of the Astral Demons. "Now, I have some questions."

Shhiv was sitting in Xera's luxurious living room. She had a cup of green tea, and was taking little sips of it as The Architect finished her presentation.

"…And so you now have to make that choice."

Shhiv was practically abuzz with excitement, her tail flicking back and forth and the razor-sharp fin on the end cutting into the couch in places. "Right. Well, as long as Greg is okay with it."

The larger man sat up from the indent he had made on the couch. His eyes were steely and his gaze hardened as he stared at Shhiv. He cracked a tiny smile, pushing apart his big, orange-red beard. "I don't mind another escort mission. Missy will come along."

Xera tapped the floating screen, "You are sure about this?"

Shhiv nodded, "I want the full thing." Xera began setting up the interface, and Shhiv saw a Cosmic System screen appear in her vision.

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[Civilian to Aspirant interface.]

[By selecting this option, you will be placed into an Aspirant Trial.]

[This Trial will instantaneously warp you across the universe to one of several Trial worlds.]

[Survive for three days, and you then may choose a Cosmic Power and Class.]

[Do you accept?]

-----

Shhiv looked over at Greg, and he gave her a thumbs-up. "I thought it was seven days?" she asked Xera.

"I edited it," The Architect replied. "Seven days seemed a bit arbitrary. Always was, but Xero insisted on it."

Shhiv knew the name – her brother, now in therapeutic virtual reality. "Well…I'm ready. Greg will warp with me, right?"

"Yup," the man replied. "I have my Skill on you. As soon as you get pulled away, I'll be with you."

Shhiv tapped the confirm button, and fell into the gorgeous black and gold of the Starlit Sea.

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[Registering Aspirant data.]

[Shhiv'zal, born during The Fifth Swell. Age, 25. Grey-blue hair. Black eyes. 5′7″. 160 lbs. Muscular build.]

[Odds of survival estimated at 10%.]

[Your assigned Wayfinder will arrive in 3.]

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

[2.]

[1.]

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There was a pop, and looking over she saw a duplicate of Ollie. But it wasn't Ollie, and somehow Shhiv knew this Wayfinder was female. "Hi there. I'm Shhiv."

"Oh, we've met!" the Wayfinder replied. "Josie. I worked with Xera."

Shhiv felt a little bit giddy, "I can't believe I have a Wayfinder! Why did you decide on me?"

"Because you're married to Jace Seren, and his Wayfinder is Ollie." There was a sense of bashfulness to the statement, and as much as an otter could, she blushed.

Shhiv giggled, "I see. You want to come along with me because then when I get to Tier 10 Ascendant, you can be with Ollie. Just like I'm with Jace."

Josie buried her face in her little paws, "It sounds so juvenile when you put it like that!"

"It's okay," Shhiv said as she grabbed the Wayfinder and hugged her. "Also, ten percent? When did that change?"

Josie wriggled out of her grip, "Xera's changes to The Cosmic System. A more even playing field, as it were. Greg has his Skill on you, still, and when we spawn into your Trial location, he will warp next to us. Ready?"

"One more thing! Why are you an otter? I thought you were like my spirit animal in shape."

Josie shook her head, "That was the old format of the System. The new updates Xera installed give me carte blanche to choose what I want. And…well…" she trailed off. "Ready to go?" she asked as she came back with her bright, peppy voice.

Shhiv checked her inventory. A well-supplied travel pack, a TPSB, a suit of very protective, high-tech-world armor, a slug thrower machine pistol, and a collapsible spear. "I'm good. Let's go!"

The tall demon had introduced himself as Wraktol, the guard commander of Richter's Repose. They had gone down into the city, and whilst reconstruction, recovery, and repair efforts were underway, Jace was able to pepper the man with dozens of questions. Thankfully, the individual revealed that they were several millennia old, and thus were a fount of knowledge.

Richter's Repose was created by Richter, a Demon Lord who was a powerful Potency for being on the first Layer of the Astral Verge. Jace learned that the higher Potency an Astral Demon was, the harder it was for them to stay on the higher Layers. They would naturally "sink" through the layers of the Verge until they were on an appropriate layer. This was not a hard and fast rule, however, as with enough effort a demon could rise from those layers. But it was akin to constant strain or tension.

Richter made the city as a stronghold against all Astral Demons who only sought death and destruction. He fostered a safe haven, and it had held strong for twenty-thousand years. The demon died two-thousand years prior, and his Essence was distributed to his citizens as his last wish. As Wraktol put it, "He was a true man of the people and just wanted to give us another option."

"Why are Demons so…inherently nasty?" Jace asked, genuinely curious about what made them tick.

"We are formed of the collective unconscious and emotions of Dreamers from your universes," Wraktol replied with just a hint of distaste in his tone. "You can blame all sentient species from the universes for how we are."

Astral Demons take after the emotions felt by species living in universes, Ollie added in Jace's head. The more negativity, the more "evil" the demons are.

"But you aren't slaves to your nature," Jace replied. "This city is evidence of that much."

"You are correct," Wraktol replied. "It takes some doing, but if we are away from more…volatile influences, we are more readily able to suppress our baser urgers. Thankfully, the other Astral Demons do not care in the slightest. We aren't competition to them, and so they leave us alone. Trade ships that come visiting? Not so lucky until they touch down in the space port."

Jace kept walking alongside the figure as the town slowly came to live. The damage was limited to one side of the town, and so people were heading over to help with the reconstruction and also taking stock of the dead. Jace felt a roiling in his gut at seeing that group of demon children who had been slaughtered. "How do you have children if you're formed from collective emotions?"

Wraktol grinned, "Well, Astral Demons are formed in three ways. The first is the old way – coalescing into beings of raw emotion given form. Then you have the warmonger method – taking the bodies of Dreamers and turning them into brood pits to facilitate rapid creation of demons. The last way is gentler. We can take Essence from our various trades and shove enough of it together into a small space, to accelerate the "old way"." He pointed to a handful of demon children that had come out and were playing a game of who could help clean up the most – making small rock piles in contest with each other.

"Just smushing it all together," Jace observed as one of the demon children went to a collapsed building and grabbed a large chunk of stone – bigger than a kid should have been able to carry – and brought it over to his pile. "So you don't actually reproduce."

"Not in the way that you species do," Wraktol replied.

The duo arrived at a large, central tower that was in the very middle of the town. The crossroads of the largest, busiest town square that was now empty as people helped recovery efforts. Leading Jace inside, Wraktol led Jace up several steps until they arrived outside a wooden door. Shouting and arguments could be heard from inside, and after rapping his knuckles three times, Wraktol opened the door.

Jace stepped into a conference room. A large, open-windowed room with a table showing a map of the town broadcast via a hologram. He saw, oddly enough, one of the Gyanv who was manipulating the display, their mandibles chittering back and forth slightly as they talked to themselves. "And this is just a single instance," they whispered.

The rest of the room was occupied by a motley crew of Astral Demons. Wraktol stepped behind Jace, "This Dreamer is the one who destroyed the fleet and helped save the city."

This caused the whole group to silence immediately, and Jace waved. "Hi. I'm just passing through." He looked at the Gyanv, "I met some of your species at Outpost 1198. You are all over the place, aren't you?"

They clacked their mandibles and nodded, "Yes, Dreamer. Our numbers are endless, and our hives will expand our empire."

Jace frowned, "Like those Vanguard assholes?"

This earned a collective grumbling from the group and the Gyanv replied with a visceral disgust in their tone, "No. We do not seek domination. We seek…alliance. Yes, that is the word. The Gyanv seek a united front of Dreamers to face the demons who are not like these here."

Jace glanced over at Wraktol, "The Astral Verge is practically endless. I'd imagine that there's other cities out there like Richter's Repose?"

The tall demon made a noise of agreement, "Mhmm. That is accurate. We are dwarfed by the number of hostile Astral Demons out there, but other cities like this one do exist."

"What do you want?" A female demon at the table asked.

Jace shook his head, "I was just helping out. Being a hero."

"I knew I saw the gold of valiance," one of the demons who appeared much bulkier and male replied. "What is your Class?"

"[Crusader]," Jace replied. As soon as the word left his mouth, the demons began to move away from their chairs and towards the windows to escape.

Wraktol raised his clawed hands, "He does not seek our destruction. He helped save the city."

They calmed slightly, but the female demon who had spoken before stayed next to the window, "How can we trust a [Crusader]? They are the most suited to killing our kind!"

Jace crossed his arms, "Don't judge me before you know me," he stated bluntly. He felt that flickering ember of rage, righteous purpose pushing him to kill these demons, but it was easily kept in check. Compared to the heat of the <Wrathblade>, this was nothing to him. "Now, I don't want anything from you all. Except two questions answered that Wraktol here couldn't answer. First, what is the structure under the city that these Trax were looking for? And second, can you give me directions to the next Layer of the Astral Verge? I just know it is east."

The assembled demons looked at each other, and the one that was bulkier replied. "The next Layer is east, that is accurate. You have a long ways to go. Easily tens-of-thousands of miles to traverse."

"We have the space port," Wraktol stated. "You could get a ride there if you can pay for it."

Jace nodded, "And the structure under the city?"

This caused the various demons to squirm slightly, but again the bulkier male spoke whilst the female bore holes into him with her eyes. "That is a vault. One of the reasons Richter chose this place to build over."

"What's a vault?"