Dark Matter Ascension

Jace lay there for a good fifteen minutes before Jonsar finished removing his arm and began attaching the new one. "The prosthetic’s proper name is Anathema Arm. It has a Skill included, called The Arbiter’s Anathema – which lets you deactivate any Skill you can see, once per day, and locks the person who used the Skill from re-using it for 24 hours." He began integrating something into Jace’s shoulder socket – but the Aspirant couldn’t look to see what was happening.

"That sounds quite potent," Ollie stated as he swam in circles above the two.

"Oh, it is," Jonsar replied. "Plus, on worlds with magic or magitech, the arm itself acts as anathema – magic and magitech just won’t affect it. Which means you can also use it to break barriers, spell shields, all sorts of neat applications. That’s just a passive trait." He chuckled, "I am happy this is finally seeing some use. A faction traded it to me in exchange for services years ago and I’ve been saving it for a special occasion."

"Are you part of a faction?" Jace asked as he felt the slight tug of something connected to the inside of his torso, and fingers reaching around inside his shoulder socket. "I didn’t notice your fingers as a weird color – but you have that greenish slimy skin."

"I am not a part of any faction. I am a free agent. But I serve most factions equally. Limbs might be my specialty, but I often leave The Eternal City to make house calls or emergency runs to other worlds. The exception is the Black Hole Conclave – I don’t help those fuckers."

Jace felt a sensation in his left arm – a feeling of warmth. The straps around him were released, and he felt a slight pulse of dull pain near his shoulder joint. Sitting up, he examined the new limb and began manipulating the fingers. It was symmetrical to his other arm – so he was not lopsided, thankfully. The pain quickly faded.

It felt like his arm. It wasn’t a prosthetic, it felt like it was a part of him. Looking down at the legs, he felt the slight tingle of cool air drifting over his still-nude form. There was a weird shifting under his skin, the CIF surging into the prosthetics. He didn’t feel like he had artificial components…they felt natural. No wonder General Logistics wants this stuff back.

"Those legs are impressive," Jonsar said as he stood up and stretched. "Omni-directional joints for the knees and ankles, plus those claws are quite versatile; grappling and slicing." He chuckled, "You’re more machine now than man."

Jace stood up and began getting dressed, "I don’t mind." He held up his left hand and watched as the symbol of Dark Matter appeared on the back of the black and gold limb. "I was curious if that would come back."

Jonsar’s eyes glowed green once more as the diagnostic panel appeared above him with a visual representation of Jace’s body. "This is wonderful! That CIF is really a groundbreaking discovery. Normally prosthetics max out at 80% of integration rate, but you’re at a full 100%."

"Too bad a mega corporation wants it back at all costs," Jace replied as he finished re-equipping himself.

"That seems easy to deal with," Jonsar replied. "I can just produce a bunch of the stuff for you to take back."

Jace frowned, "I don’t want a megacorp getting their hands on it and monopolizing it. It’ll just give them more power. Maybe if someone else takes over."

"Fair enough. Well, I’m not going to mass produce it or anything of that nature. I’ll keep it in-house for the time being." He smiled, "If you need any more medical help, I’m your guy. House calls or on-the-spot ’travel’ calls are extra!"

"Is there a place where I can restock my medkit here?"

"First floor pharmacy." Jonsar walked Jace to the door and shook his hand, "Pleasure doing business. Stay safe out there! If X has you doing their business, well, you’re doing something good." The door slid shut. Jace flicked the slime away from his hand and it flung to the floor before it dissipated. He could feel the slime wick away, and the sensation of touch brought a smile to his face.

Getting to the pharmacy was easy enough, and Jace was able to refill his medkit with antibiotics, bandages, painkillers, and a medical foam-in-a-can that could be used in a pinch to seal up a large wound – like if he had a gaping one in his chest. All for the low, low price of 150 Stardust.

"Where next?" Ollie asked.

"Did X end up getting me a place to crash?"

"Yup. Just focus on this image-" A screen appeared in the corner of Jace’s eye, and he focused on the building as he began walking.

A minute later, reality warped around him, and he was standing in front of the building. A nondescript, metal and concrete structure that looked very mediocre. Perfect for blending in and not drawing attention.

Ollie flew up to the door and interacted with some panel. The door slid open, and Jace followed his Wayfinder inside. The door shut behind him. "Welcome to your new home!" Ollie said proudly.

Jace walked down the long hallway after Ollie. It was neat and very austere; no trace of dirt or debris was on the floor, and there were dozens of doors on either side. Ollie led him to an elevator which was nondescript – just like the building exterior – and the two went up several floors before Jace stepped out.

Ollie led him to a door and tapped his paw against a panel on the wall. "Okay. Now, you need to put your palm-" He frowned, "No palm print. Umm. Okay. Foo-"

Jace sighed, "Is there an optical scan?"

"Oh, yeah! Look right here."

Jace did as he was instructed, and the panel beeped and flashed green. The door slid open, and he walked into an apartment. As the door slid shut behind him, he felt overwhelmed. My own place. I finally have my own place to live.

Having lived on the street for most of his life, the closest thing to ’home’ was the lean-to that he built behind a wayward dumpster near the river. He was damned proud of that construction; cleaning out the container itself to act as an inner room that was safer than the windbreak outside. It was his and Chroma’s home.

But this…this was home, now. The floor was stone tile that his claws clacked on as he walked around the space and took it all in. The space wasn’t enormous – just three modest sized rooms – but he felt a surge of joy and delight. I’ve got my own bedroom, my own bathroom, and another room for whatever?! It was luxurious; that was the only way he could describe it.

Ollie flew in front of him and paddled in the air through shimmering waves of nebula, "The room is soundproof and surveillance-proof. No one will know what goes on here. Just you, me, and Xera. Oh, she also wanted me to do one more thing." Ollie floated over to a panel on the wall – there was one such panel in each room – and he opened a catalogue. "She called in some favors with merchants who owed her. You have several options…"

Jace walked over and looked through what was effectively a designer catalogue for home décor. "I want that one," Jace said as he pointed out a three-dimensional representation of a room inspired by the Starlit Sea where the Wayfinders congregated. "That for the bedroom."

"Good choice. I always love being there."

Jace continued perusing for a good hour. If this is my new place, I want it to feel like mine. "Let’s do water themes for the bathroom. Rivers. Not oceans."

"Generic," Ollie muttered sarcastically. "But you do like the water. My current form is proof of that."

"And that open room…I want it to be snow themed. Let’s have it be for entertaining guests." Jace had experienced winter many times, and even though the cold was always biting, he loved the snow. It was one of the few positive childhood memories he had from the orphanage – the snow days in the small lot behind the building. Pelting each other with the slightly-grey, cold packed powder.

"Done! Orders are sent off. They’ll show up and decorate when we’re gone."

"Wait. Won’t that mean that they’ll know where I live?"

Ollie shook his head, "No. The minute-long warp travel only takes you outside buildings where a person or place is located. Never inside. And this building is one of thousands that look identical. As for them remembering this place? Trust Xera."

Jace nodded, "What about guests? I’d love to have Greg and his lady friend over. I’ve never actually had a friend visit…I just have never had a place to invite them to."

"If you want it, we can make it work. Greg has a Wayfinder, so we should be able to coordinate that way."

"Well…what now?" Jace asked.

Ollie floated through the air, "Take a day or two to relax. Xera said she’s researching a good, Tier 2 world for us to acquire Stardust and other rewards. A place with a lot of Complexes."

That reminds me…

<<<<<>>>>>

Name: Jace Seren (Aspirant, Tier 2)

Power [Class Level.]: Dark Matter [Swordmage 26.]

Skills: Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions.]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Dark Matter Blade (Rank 5) [Rending], Dark Matter Shield (Rank 3) [Reflecting.], Swordmage Stance (Rank 3), Dark Matter Dart (Rank 4), Dark Matter Cloak (Rank 3), Dark Energy Mine (Rank 3), Cosmic Infusion (Rank 7), Starfire Stride (1/day), Arbiter’s Anathema (1/day)

Stardust: 2230

Equipment: Swordmage blade, Swordmage starting gear, Wirecannon Arm, Anathema Arm, Dragonclaw Devastation Legs, messenger bag, survival meals (x46), canteen, medical kit, flint bar, flashlight

Boons: Legendary (Equipment)

<<<<<>>>>>

"I still have a Legendary (Equipment) Boon to use."

"Any thoughts?" Ollie asked.

"I was going to use it to replace my arm if needed, but that was taken care of. What do you suggest?"

"Hmm. Well, your clothes could use some improvement. Better armor."

"I earned the Boon on the magitech world, so what do they have that’s lightweight but stronger than this Swordmage starting gear?"

Ollie’s eyes went black and his voice went monotone and robotic, "Accessing System. Standby…"

Jace walked around the apartment once more, taking in the space. His space. The thought that this place was his filled him with such joy that he couldn’t help but laugh aloud. From a life on the streets, to phenomenal Cosmic Power at his disposal, to near-death experiences…and now a place to call his own. It felt good, being rewarded for his hard work. And not having an employer screw him over. I should thank Xera. Maybe get her a present. What would I even get her?

Ollie came back online a moment later, his eyes snapping back to their blue orbs. "I found something that works pretty well. Want me to activate the Boon?"

"Hit it."

<<<<<>>>>>

[Using Boon: Legendary (Equipment).]

[Manifesting.]

<<<<<>>>>>

Jace’s clothing vanished and was replaced immediately by a jumpsuit that hugged his body like a second skin up to his neck. The moderate temperature in the room around him shifted between hot, then cold, before returning to normal. Some type of armored and padded set of pants manifested on his body in a surge of pastel-blue starlight; covered in tiny, flexible scales that shimmered in the light. An armored shirt made of the same material appeared on his torso, and an accompanying hooded jacket. A belt with several utility slots completed his new look.

"There you go! (Medium) Devastation Armor. Stronger, more resilient, more flexible, and much more stylish than your starting gear. This is the top-level of military clothing that allows for mobility-based combat. There is a (Heavy) suit – but that would slow you down considerably, and you fight with agility and nimbleness."

"Awesome," Jace replied as he looked over his new clothes. "Now I just have to get some type of better bag to hold everything," he muttered, looking at the messenger bag from his courier job, and the duffel bag from the hidden research outpost. "Something that is durable and can carry a lot. Looting stuff to sell made a ton of Stardust."

"I agree. There are several merchants we could visit that could acquire such an item. Or you could go back to The Star Market-"

"No," Jace cut him off. "I’m not going to abuse the deal I have with Quinn. I won’t take advantage of it constantly. At least for buying stuff."

Ollie shrugged, "Then a place more local? I know a merchant who sells what you are looking for, only 100 Stardust."

"Good. But that’s not all I want to do," Jace said as he left the apartment and went down the elevator, Ollie curling around his neck like a furry scarf. "I also have someone to meet. Someone to thank."

Someone who saved my life

Beep. Beep. Beep. The alarm kept going off. Shhiv-zal tapped the panel inside her tank before rousing and unclipping from the wall tethers that kept her upright in the watery cube. Checking the time, she froze. It’s not my alarm, she thought. So why was it beeping? Tapping the panel, her breath caught in her gills.

In front of her building was that Aspirant she had talked to almost a month ago. What was his name? She fumbled for her cosmopanel and went through her notes. Jace. Jace Seren. Shit! I told him I’d take him out on the town? She groaned and tossed the device to the side as she swam out of her bedroom and into the main room. I don’t get paid until next week! She was instantly dried as she stepped onto a green tile in front of the bedroom door.

Grabbing the cosmopanel, she opened up the application that connected it to her building’s front entry. Just audio for now. Don’t want to scare him off. "Hi there! Jace, right?"

"Yeah," He smiled, but was looking away from the camera aperture. "You’re Shhiv-zal, right? The person who introduced me to the whole Cosmic System stuff?"

"Yeah," she said as she twirled her finger through her hair. "You got me up a few hours before my shift."

"Oh, sorry. My bad. I can come back later if you wa-"

"No! It’s fine!" she blurted out. Her voice rapidly spilled out, "I normally go exercise before work anyways. Sorry, it’s just, wow. Aspirants never come to visit people like me."

"Like you?" he asked.

"Civilians, I mean. Especially simple System Operators at the lowest level. Listen…um…I don’t really have the funds to take you out on the town like I said I would…"

Jace waved his hand dismissively, "Don’t worry about that. I’m loaded." He grinned and chuckled, "First time I’ve ever said that in my life. I would love to get something to eat. I’ve been eating sludge out of survival packs for weeks now."

"Okay! Give me ten minutes? I know a great place!"

He nodded and gave a thumbs up – she saw that his arm wasn’t the same as when she was first giving him the run-down of The Cosmic System and inputting his data. It was a mechanical limb. Black with gold lines running through it.

Taking a moment to really look at him instead of just staring at his gorgeous, brown eyes; she saw his other arm was a blue metal with a geometric black pattern. Even his feet were not like other earthlings she had input into the System – deep red with the same geometric black linework, and they were claws of some predator animal. He still looked a bit roughshod and grime-covered. Must have had a rough Aspirant Trial, she thought.

Setting the cosmopanel down, she took a deep breath. Okay. Good first impressions. Good first impressions. Running to the restroom she quickly brushed her sharp teeth and got into some clothing appropriate for going out and about. I’ll catch up on my sleep later. Just skip tonight’s show. Ah! I can’t believe it! This is so exciting!