Dark Matter Ascension

Jace was able to clear miles and miles with ease. The vast, enormous plains of cracked brown and ochre were flat and seemingly lifeless. "Is there any wildlife?" Jace asked as he made his way past the mountain that led back to their universe.

No, Ollie replied in his mind. Just Astral Demons, and Dreamers. Maybe other residents of the Astral Verge we have no encountered yet.

Jace heard an enormous crack, and glancing up to the source of the sound saw a gigantic fireball bloom in the sky – a crimson and orange explosion that spread out in all directions before a shockwave followed that up and scattered them to nothingness. A vessel, sleek and oval from below, manifested in the center of the explosion's radius. Some type of space ship using a warp travel? He thought.

Perhaps.

The vehicle hovered far, far above Jace as it moved towards the bottom of his universe's funnel. Small metal probes poked out at the net, were obliterated by Void, and then the ship vanished with another fiery explosion. "Looks like they're trying to find universes to enter," he commented as he turned his attention back to the direction he was traveling.

There are unknown numbers of universes, with countless species who doubtless have varying offensive capabilities. I would not expect all of them to have the power required to survive and travel through their singularity – many probably got here or travel through this place by ripping holes in their reality.

"Xera called those punch drives, right?" Jace asked, recalling the conversation with Xera about the exact subject when Velenar Prime was being fitted with an engine by the Black Hole Conclave.

Yes. One of the several types. Punch drives, rip drives, slip drives – all means of traveling vast distances through one's universe by going through the Astral Verge.

Jace kept jogging, passing the miles in minutes as he tore across the landscape. There was no horizon, just an endless plane of existence. He could see rising spires dotted about that were akin to stalagmites, jutting up to the skies, and opposite them the funnels that were akin to stalactites. One in particular, about ten miles away, stood out to him prominently.

The entire mountain was fortified. Surrounded by walls, shimmering energy barriers, turrets, and manned by hundreds of thousands upon the enormous bastion. Surrounding them, assaulting from the ground, was yet another demon horde. The sheer number was mind boggling to Jace and he could not count them all as the writhing bodies piled atop one another. "How many are there?" he whispered in shock.

Hard to count, Ollie replied. I would expect Astral Demons aplenty. The skies above were ablaze with a constant combat, as the defensive structure was built up, along the mountains, to meet the enormous funnel. Ah, a space elevator – but meant for Astral Realm to their universe travel.

The whole construction was covered with bristling weapons emplacements, and lasers scattered outward before exploding into the rest of the Astral Demon army that was flying, trying to get at the thinner – and presumably weaker – center segment. Jace felt a hint of fear at the sheer number of hostiles. But there was a feeling in his gut that pushed him to keep running forward and almost instinctively draw his sword. That same swelling sensation in his chest, a feeling of pride.

These people needed saving, and he was there to do just that.

But that thought gave him pause and he halted his charge, despite his body screaming at him to run forward and destroy this demon horde to rescue these besieged defenders. "Ollie, what's happening?"

Not sure what you mean. Your biochemistry and telemetry readings are all normal.

"I…I feel an urge. Like I have to help them. To save them."

Hmm. I will need to evaluate further. In the meantime, you should just listen to your gut. I'll keep monitoring and see what I can do.

Jace let his instincts take over and stopped suppressing that desire that surged in him. He sprinted forward, activating Void Shield (Rank 6), Void Blade (Rank 17) [Rending], Aura of Wrath (Rank 11) [Voidflame Vestment], and Shattered Limits (Rank 19). He felt his adrenaline pumping, his heart beating wildly in his chest as the golden light flared around his weapon and limned his body, Valiant Crusader's Might kicking on as he charged the back lines.

A pink-on-black message appeared in the corner of his eye, drawing his attention. There was no voice, just the text that scrolled by so quickly he would not have been able to keep up if not for his various innate Skills amplifying his senses.

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[Data analyzed.]

[Welcome, Jace Seren (aka "Wraith"), to the Astral System.]

[Integrating your information took some time thanks to your unusual method of joining.]

[Your Emotional Source has been registered fully, as has your selected Class.]

[Access to the Astral Mission Board has been enabled!]

[You will receive a System notification when you enter the radius of a location with an active Mission, along with who has sent the mission.]

[Upon completion of the objective, you shall receive a reward depending on who set the mission.]

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

[Missions may be mutually exclusive depending on the goals that are desired.]

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[Mission: Destroy the stronghold protecting Universe 467.]

[Reward: Uncommon (Gear) Infusion.]

[Sender: Demon Commander Rexclinar.]

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[Mission: End the siege of the stronghold protecting Universe 467.]

[Reward: Uncommon (Gear Alteration) Infusion.]

[NOTIFICATION: Due to your Emotion Source, completing this Mission will result in a free rarity increase to the Infusion reward!]

[Sender: Vanguard Empire (Universe 467).]

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Jace reached the demon's back lines, carving a swath through them. Left, right, over and over engaging in brutal carnage as he dominated their numbers. He was an untouchable, unstoppable torrent of destruction that carved a bloody path through their lines. The golden glow continued to build up around him, and Jace could feel his confidence brimming as he knew someone up on those battlements saw the carnage he wrought and was inspired or cheering him on.

Raging Cleave (Rank 10) [Echoing Cleave], Jace thought as he activated his Skill and unleashed a vicious, horizontal slash that repeated a split-second later, cutting the demon forces into bits as they began to collapse in on their ruined bodies. The [Voidflame Vestment] crackled all around him, the raw threads of Void zapping and disintegrating where demons they touched, causing instant annihilation.

"Dreamer! You have incoming!" he heard from an amplified audio source coming from the direction of the stronghold. "Your left!"

Jace wheeled to his left and saw an astral demon that was not a monstrosity of horrific flesh and mutated mass. Instead, the figure that charged towards him – demons getting out of the way and forming a perimeter as if awaiting the duel to come – was vaguely humanoid. A blob of flesh and writhing muscles that was covered in bristling, spiked metallic armor. It had no weapons, instead fleshy tendrils that dashed about its body and were tipped with wicked blades created a defensive barrier. It roared out, "Face Rexclinar! Face your doom!"

Jace did not reply, instead just releasing a horizontal sweep as he unleashed (Fulmination) from his weapon. The brilliant arc of purple-tinged-gold shot out, sliced clean through the midsection, and the figure kept charging. Irritating, Jace thought as he took up a ready stance, taking note of his slowly depleting energy reserves. It's fast.

Jace was under the effects of Shattered Limits, having his physical, sensory, and cognitive traits amplified by x100 – and yet this thing still showed speed that looked like it could keep up with him. The rest of these Astral Demons? They appeared to move in slow motion. But this thing moved normally. And as it got closer, those wicked, bladed tendrils slapped forward and hit his Void Shield – doing nothing.

Jace stepped forward and stabbed, driving his weapon deep into the thing's fleshy mass. But he was taken aback when he saw the whole of the body shift apart and form a huge, tooth-filled, gnashing hole that bit down on his arm. He felt the crunch of his Anathema Arm being smushed, and felt pain as it got past his Void Shield.

It has Psykinetics on its weapons. It must have probed your defenses and found that it cannot use non-Talent-augmented effects on you.

Jace felt a hint of panic as he summoned his sword to his other hand and tried to slice around his right arm to pull it out. But the blobby flesh just sloughed over, regenerating faster than his Void could destroy it. Dark Matter Mending (Rank 4) [Vampiric], he thought as he activated his healing Skill. His arm healed over, and it cost no energy thanks to his continues damage inflicted upon his foe.

The lashing tendrils rained down on him, stabbing through his Void Shield, and whilst his armor took some of the hits, the blades still pierced his skin and he grit his teeth as he bared the pain. I don't want to use my trump card and drain my energy. Void step (Rank 1) [Burst]. Reality warped around him as he appeared behind the creature and struck down with a vertical chop, right along the spine, followed by a quick, horizontal slash that severed tendrils.

The demon turned around and let out a guttural laugh, the mouth on its stomach laughing along with it. "A worthy challenge! Finally! I will delight in feasting upon your soul!"

"Highlord! You have to come see this!"

Tibalt was standing at the command center, monitoring the endless siege and evaluating where best to send new defenses, fresh recruits, and more resources. "Divert more power to sector 5," he stated before turning to the soldier that had run in from the side. "I have a comms network, private."

"Sir! You need to look at the cameras for sector 8!"

Tibalt looked to the control center staff, "Sector 8 view, on screen." They turned and completed his commands, and Tibalt saw an intriguing sight. "Is that one of ours?" he asked as he looked at the bipedal individual. "Fighting against the Commander?"

"No, sir! Some unknown Dreamer."

"Valiant Emotion Source," Tibalt stated bluntly, familiar with the golden glow of those who viewed themselves as heroic individuals who could save others. Idiots, he thought. Giving into heroics is what gets soldiers killed. "An unknown Dreamer concerns me why?"

"They accepted the Astral Mission, sir!"

Tibalt sighed, "Just a passerby who wanted-"

"Sir! Please watch the battle, sir!"

Tibalt forced his gaze onto the monitor and saw something very interesting. The individual was being eaten by the Demon Commander – only to teleport behind it and gain some distance. "They have a personal teleporter?"

"No, sir! No energy surge detected. It was as if they just vanished and reappeared."

Now that got Tibalt's attention. "Get our analysts on it, now!" he ordered as his crew went scrambling. "And divert some of our defensive fire. If we can help take out the Demon Commander, then the siege may lessen as the horde devolves to infighting."

His troops went to work, sending out orders and tasking one section of turrets to the duel. Tibalt continued to monitor the whole battlefield, as that small duel was but one front of this multi-century siege. Killing the Commander will help massively, but it won't end the siege on its own.

Jace threw his sword over and over as he kept at range, each hit slicing off another tendril as the massive hulk continued to chase him, trying to force him into his stomach-mouth thing. But Jace just used Void Step to make space each time.

His Edge's Intuition (Rank 5) [Danger-Sense] kicked on, and he hit the deck as a volley of laser shots impacted the Demon Commander, sending it reeling back with a roar of pain before the lasers exploded. The creature seemed relatively unaffected, but was just shoved off balance. Dark Matter Dart (Rank 4) [Exploding], Jace thought as he sent all the darts into the creature and they detonated, blowing off huge chunks of it.

But it persisted, and healed, and its regeneration overcame Jace's Void Blade and [Rending]. I think I'll have to Void Beam it, Jace thought. Since Void Counter and Arbiter's Anathema won't affect it, given its higher Potency.

He'd already tried that once, and nothing happened except he wasted energy. Thankfully, he still had half remaining. Raising his hand, he muttered, "Void Beam (Rank 3) [Piercing]." The line of grey-white lanced forward, completely consuming and decimating the Astral Demon. A wave of gold followed immediately after, and Jace saw his energy drain down a bit before he shut off the Skill. He was huffing in air, breathing heavily. Tapping on the reserves in his Primal Hide, he refilled up to near-full.

Brandishing his sword, he wheeled around and looked at the now-enraged Astral Demons. "Bring it on!"