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Priam’s head pulsed with pain, and his jaw was sore. He smelled the scent of slightly charred fur, and his sharp hearing picked up the sound of movement. Sitting upright, he looked around and saw the sides of a tent, gently billowing. He was not burning up, but he felt extremely warm. Pulsar Ward (Rank 1), he thought. The familiar and comforting thrum of the barrier instantly put him at ease, and the temperature regulated.
With a pop his Wayfinder appeared. The geometric shapes danced around and shifted in color – which translated to words in Priam’s mind, as his species used a written, symbol-based language.
You are alive! Thank the System. Bloopa’s shapes turned and twisted between a triangle-mixed with a sphere, and an octagon.
“Yeah…where am I?”
Scanning…Ah, a lava tube. And you are inside a tent.
“You’re awake,” the voice of the Aspirant said from right next to him.
Priam jumped and turned to see the Dark Matter Aspirant suddenly appear next to him. The purple highlights and glow to his eyes faded as his Skill deactivated. He was muscular, not overtly so but definitely strong if the overall build was anything to go by. The hood was pulled back, and the eyes were…cunning in nature; mesmerizing, in a way. Black, draconic slits like the horrible predators on his home world he’d heard stories about. That black was pierced by a central line of glimmering starlight – the light-blue of Stardust – and surrounding it was purple nebula clouds.
A spectral furred snake with whiskers was curled around his neck…and he was…petting it? How is he touching a Wayfinder?
“What is your Wayfinder saying?” he asked.
“Uhmm…This is Bloopa,” Priam said as he gestured to his companion. “I’m Priam- but I already told you that, didn’t I?” He chuckled nervously. “Please don’t kill me.”
Flicker raised an eyebrow quizzically, “Why would I keep you alive if I wanted you dead? I could have killed you while you were knocked out.”
“That…That’s right,” Priam felt his heart sink. Rory and Giordo had just…tossed him aside like useless trash. “I’m not useless,” he whispered. He looked up at Flicker, “How’d you break my barriers?”
The furred-snake spoke up with a gruff voice that was quite deep, “First you answer our questions.”
Priam felt the fear and sorrow slowly beginning to be replaced by curiosity. “Sorry, but what is your name?” he asked the whisker-snake.
“Oliver. That’s all you get from me. A courtesy. Hi, Bloopa. Long time no see.” The prismatic shapes shimmered and shifted, and similar shapes danced in the otter’s eyes as they conversed silently.
“Good to meet you…how can he touch you?” Priam asked.
Flicker cleared his throat, “He’s busy. So…what do I do with you? You’re a full support Class with no offensive capabilities.”
“I…I don’t know,” Priam replied. He felt a slight tug on his temples from his hat. Oh, good idea. That will get him to trust me! “I can show you my readout, if you want!” Pour on the enthusiasm, Priam. I’m easy pickings if I don’t have a combat-focused Aspirant to protect me.
“Go ahead,” Flicker replied. His face was hard to read.
“Okay! Bloopa? Could you?”
<<<<<>>>>>
Name: Priam Westerfold (Aspirant, Tier 2)
Power [Class Level]: Pulsar [Priest 38]
Skills: Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions]: Pulsar Ward (Rank 20) [Multi-Target], Pulsar Physic (Rank 10) [Contingent], Priest's Benediction (Rank 10) [Enduring]
Stardust: 450
Equipment: Priest's starting gear, Priest tome, (Insightful) Dad's Hat
Boons: Common (Information), Rare (Equipment Augmentation), Epic (Information)
<<<<<>>>>>
“Pulsar Ward scales endlessly, so I can make super strong barriers for people! But…you shattered it almost instantly…how’d you do that?”
Flicker’s eyes narrowed, and the lizard-like, slitted eyes made Priam feel like he was under the eye of one of his teachers back in Khrox. “Explain your other Skills.”
“I can use [Multi-Target] to put my barriers on multiple people. Pulsar Physic lets me cure an injury and affliction on up to 6 creatures within 480 feet, and the [Contingent] Evolution lets me set a trigger condition – like when you’re hurt! Or, even on the edge of death!” Keep laying it on. I need to make this guy see my value, so he doesn’t just leave me here without protection.
Flicker nodded, “One more to explain. Go on.”
“Right! So, my Priest’s Benediction increases traits – physical, sensory, or cognitive – if they’re within 30 feet. And [Enduring] means that it will last until I use the Skill on a new target.”
That earned an intrigued look from the Aspirant, “Interesting. Humor me – use that Benediction Skill on me.”
Okay. Priest’s Benediction (Rank 1) . Priam saw the gold, crackling magnetic energy begin to cascade around the Aspirant – but then fizzled as a dark, purple energy dissipated his barrier. “What was that?! The Skill didn’t work! I swear, I tri-”
Flicker shook his head, “I don’t think any of your Skills can affect me. Ollie?”
“Yup. Flicker here is highly resistant to Pulsar-based Skills.”
Priam looked sideways as the tickling noise hit his ears. He saw Bloopa’s movement, and his brain translated the shapes. Oliver has given me a little bit of access – he has a lot of firewalls put in place by X.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Who is that?” Priam asked the cluster of shapes.
We can talk about that later. For now, just know that this guy is strong. Just look at his arms, legs, eyes – all of those are very-high rarity prosthetics. His Equipment is almost all of the Legendary rarity as well. Oliver did not give me much information access…but he is a Signer for a secret faction I am not allowed to tell you about.
“Why not?”
Programming. I just cannot tell you about it. If you can ally with him – you should. If he accepts you as an ally…I might be able to reveal more.
Priam felt the fear redouble itself and he looked to this person that his Skills could not affect at all, but also a ray of hope at Bloopa’s information about the possibility of becoming allies. “I can carry your gear! You have a big pack there; I can lug it around for you!”
Flicker sighed, “I can carry my own gear.”
“Then-”
Flicker interrupted, “I don’t think I can take you with me.”
He was going to say more, but Oliver put his mouth against his ear and whispered – not quietly enough, as Priam’s elongated ears picked it up. “You should consider taking him along. You can suppress your innate resistance to allow his Skills to affect you.”
Flicker replied in the same whisper, “I…It’s risky. He just tried to help people capture me for the Conclave.”
“I only went along because I had to!” Priam blurted out, drawing the gaze of both Oliver and Flicker. “I…” he felt a coil of regret in his chest. “I owed them both. They saved my life. I couldn’t get left behind! I need to get stronger, so I can go back and save my world!”
Flicker’s eyes widened slightly at the omission, “Explain more.”
Priam took a deep breath and nodded, “My world – Fernaid – is ruled by am Ascendant named Wricen the Indomitable. It got merged a hundred years ago, so I went to Khrox right after I was born. After growing up, I chose Aspirant, and I met Rory and Giordo. They promised that if I chose a support-focused Class, they would get stronger and help me kill Wricen. Well, I met Rory first, but Giordo joined up late-”
“Why?” Flicker asked.
Priam frowned and sighed, “I…my dad told me I had to.” Priam pulled the brim of the hat down – his dad’s hat. “He said that our family, our fluffle, we were all hunted to extinction by Wricen because of our connection to the gods. Except him, my mom who died having me, and me.” He looked up at Flicker, who had a dour expression on his face. “I…dad wanted me to be an Ascendant so that I could get revenge…he was captured and taken back.” Priam pulled his knees into his chest and pushed his face into his legs. “I never heard from him again.”
Priam slightly jumped when a warm hand gripped his shoulder – gentle, but firm. “Sounds rough. Sorry about that. Ollie? What would X say about this?”
“Let me ask…They are aware of Wricen the Indomitable. Removing him would in fact stabilize The Cosmic System, as he is attempting to wring more control out of his local section on Fernaid.”
Flicker patted Priam on the shoulder, “Hey, look at me.” Priam did so, and he saw a calm, kind expression on the Ascendant’s face. “I can’t promise you safety. I can’t promise you anything. But my…boss thinks that stopping this Wricen guy will help the whole System.” He grinned, “And it’s my job to keep it all in check.”
“You’ll…you’ll let me tag along?” Priam asked, feeling hope flutter in his chest.
“At least until this Dungeon Run is finished. If you can prove yourself useful…I’ll let you tag along.”
Priam got up and hugged Flicker, “Thank you! Thank you thank you thank y-”
The Aspirant pushed him away, “Okay, that is a bit too much. Tone it back.”
“Sorry,” Priam muttered.
“I need some shuteye, so keep watch for anyone coming, alright?”
“Okay,” Priam replied as he saluted, putting his index and middle fingers of his left hand in a ‘v’ shape over his right forearm. “You can count on me!”
Flicker nodded and laid down. Oliver floated over and looked at Priam, “This is a litmus test of trust. You couldn’t kill him if you tried – so don’t. The tent is special – give him an hour.” The otter grinned, “And if you are truly dedicated to helping The Cosmic System…well, maybe a special someone will be interested in making you a Signer.” The Wayfinder vanished with a pop.
I did it! Priam felt ecstatic, and looked at Bloopa, “I did it!” he whispered.
Yes, you did. Now just prove yourself useful so he keeps you around. Ollie gave me a little more access – this Jace / Flicker fellow is level 48. And he has survived…a lot. Here, let me show you. Priam saw a video show up in his vision – a blurred face and scrawny human, facing off against a vicious predator that sent chills down his spine. He survived that without Cosmic Power.
Priam grinned, “Perfect. I can tag along, help out, get Stardust…and get home to stop Wricen.”
You should know that the faction Oliver mentioned, the faction that Flicker belongs to – Dark Between Stars…they try to keep The Cosmic System balanced. I cannot say more than that until I am given permission…but you should seriously consider joining this faction.
“Oh, I was already thinking about it. Especially if fixing my world falls under those duties.”
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“What the hell is a fluffle?” Jace whispered to Ollie as he finished packing up the tent after his equivalent of 8 hours of sleep.
“It is the proper term for a group of rabbits,” Ollie replied.
Jace glanced back to the entrance of the lava tube, “Well, he kept his word – twice.”
“About that,” Ollie interrupted. “His species is hardwired to tell the truth and be altruistic. Ill-will is very, very rare amongst his species. I also checked the validity of his story – this Wricen the Indomitable took over on behalf of the Planetary Independence Pact. And he has been…okay? Not a great ruler, but not horrible.”
“Priam mentioned gods.”
“Just like this world has World Pillars for their magic that was ‘overridden’ by The Cosmic System, their world had gods that were also ‘overridden’. They still exist on that world and have power just like there is magic here – but they would be the equivalent of a Tier 4 Ascendant. In fact, that whole world is rated at Tier 4, because of ‘divine magic’ given to every person who venerates these gods.”
Jace smirked as he finished packing up, “The existence of gods is crazy,” he replied.
“I know!” Priam shouted back from the mouth of the lava tube-tunnel. “Most people do not believe me until they look up the information on their cosmopanel or through their Wayfinder.” He grinned and walked over to Jace, “Ready to tackle some Complexes?”
Jace looked over at the rabbit-man; more of a young teenager to Jace’s perspective. He’s just live Verve was. Energetic, excited, and eager. Jace frowned. Once more, he felt an urge to protect this obviously out-of-his-depth young man; a means to make up for his failure to not keep Verve alive. “How are you with the heat? This volcano tile is hot.”
“Oh, no problem at all! I’ve got my Pulsar Ward.” He tapped a barely visible, yellowish-gold barrier. “It protects me from environmental effects. Even at (Rank 1).”
“And traveling?” Jace asked as he finished packing away his gear and quickly slurped down one of the survival rations.
“I can run pretty fast.”
Jace chuckled, drank some water to wash down the goop, put the canteen back into his bag and the wrapper into the stream of lava nearby. “I don’t want to run. We’re going to fall.”
Priam cocked his head to the side, and the floppy ears sort of ‘popped’ over the edge of the hat’s rim. “What?”