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Quinn felt relaxed as the world returned around her. She took in a deep breath followed by a hacking cough as she tried to sit up, but the straps holding her in place were still present.
The masked figure from before loomed over her, “You did great. I’m going to inject a stimulant to help you get your faculties back, and then I’ll let you out of the restraints.”
She felt the prick of a needle again, and then the straps were removed. Priam ran over as she sat up, and he put his hand on her, “Pulsar Physic (Rank 1),” he muttered. The small, metal tube in his left hand that was balled up glowed a bright yellow before fading.
“My, you Aspirants are really something,” the doctor replied with a chuckle as he took off his mask. “Ms., you should be able to see the new interface from the biotech.”
Quinn nodded as she saw The Cosmic System screen layer over and then incorporate the new bionic augmentation. Pheracorp Bionic Brain and Eyes, both Mark I, she thought as she felt the welcome absence of the left-side-temple headache. She felt herself unintentionally tearing up at the sudden removal of the only source of pain in her body over the past month and a half. “Thanks, doc.”
“No problem. Now, your access port is still the same, but you will need to cut away the nerve-detached flesh around the access port every few hours until the scar tissue forms correctly.” He handed her a small, paper pamphlet. “You’re officially my fifth surgery!”
Quinn smiled, “Happy to help you out. Pleasure doing business.” She hopped off the table and steadied herself on Priam’s shoulder for a half second. I need to interface and see if they put some type of programs in here I need to burn. She went over to Greg as the doctor left the room, “How’s it going?”
“Seems good,” Greg replied as he handed Quinn her sliverscreen back. “What’s our plan now?”
“First let me diagnose…” Quinn trailed off as she plugged her new bionic brain into her customized sliverscreen. Just like I thought. A few tracking programs, keyloggers, other crap clogging up the processing power. She effectively did a full reboot back to the basic settings to a pre-factory state, and then uploaded all of the operating system of her old Cybermind – which she knew was fully cleared of any malware as she had designed it from the ground up after wiping it.
She turned to the two and gestured to the door with an authentic smile on her face, “Let’s head out to the APC and I’ll give you the list.” The trio left and Quinn got into the driver seat as the world seemed just a bit brighter. Sure, she couldn’t zoom in with her new eyes; but they made it so she didn’t need any computer screens anymore – which was huge. Plus, somehow her Broker Skills through The Cosmic System were also able to pull up the System screens for her-eyes-only, versus hovering in front of her.
“We’ve got three missions to tackle,” she said as she began driving back to their temporary lodging. “The first and easiest is going to be a simple guard job. Some big wig is coming to town for a meeting, and Pheracorp wants extra security. Easy creds. The second is going to involve us using our Cosmic Power Skills in a controlled environment for data gathering purposes. Also easy, but a risk to us because it might be used to try and engineer countermeasures. The last and most difficult is to find a scientist who fled into the city with experimental implants.”
Greg nodded and looked at Priam, “You’ve been quiet. What do you want to do?”
Quinn followed up, “Your choice, Priam.”
“Hmm…I don’t want us to show off our Skills and maybe get hurt down the trail because of it. Let’s go guard this person. Seems easy.”
Quinn turned the car into the parking lot and nodded, “I’ll let the Fixer know and we’ll get right on it.”
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Sector Commander Victoria was being chewed out over the communication network and implant built into her ear canal. “You lost a whole squad of mechs and a burnable asset of Streetrunners!” He was outraged and the voice was full of fury that she knew all too well from her days on the street hearing him chew out her old bosses.
“Yes, sir.” Victoria replied in her stern and proper tone.
Her Region Commander’s voice did not scare her. She felt fear after watching the footage from inside the Mega-Plant. Not just 12 mech units, but also one of only three Streetrunner crews on Pheracorp payroll – expendable and burnable assets that were strictly ‘off the books’ – all killed by this alien.
Their cloaking technology is phenomenal, Victoria thought as she kept getting reamed out in the single ear as she pondered her next move. Doubtless, the Region Commander would keep her in her position to take the fall once the sabotage stopped. If she didn’t have this alien dead or captured, then she would surely lose her job and be stripped of all creds and biotech.
She had spent the past thirty minutes trying to make out a pattern to the attacks – but it was seemingly random. The alien Aspirant had attacked four of the smaller manufacturing plants and then moved across the city to wreck one of the largest factories that Pheracorp had. I just am at a loss.
Even Louis had stopped his usual probing and attempts to try and get under her skin. He knew as well as she did that if she did not find this Aspirant and bring them in, dead or alive, then he would be taking over for her. He was sitting pretty and confident in his chair.
“Stay at your post until the shift is over, then report to the main headquarters for debrief,” her boss muttered, his anger having sputtered out.
“Yes, sir,” she replied. She tapped the small panel behind her ear to hang up and looked at the map of the Sector of Campinas. I need to find out why they’re doing this.
First cables, and then magnets. Then, power transformers and steel rods. The larger factory was dedicated to the production of trucks. They all seem disconnected. There isn’t a pattern. So what do you want? Just to sabota-
She paused, and an idea clicked in her head. You’re just trying to cause chaos, isn’t that it? Your real target isn’t here…you’re just the distraction. She pulled up the video footage of the vehicle from earlier. She saw the Aspirant with the Star symbol and tracked her through the camera network – speeding through the footage where she was in the safe house – and then saw her enter one of Pheracorp’s cred-clinics.
I would bet that those Aspirants are allied with this alien one, here. This guy is diverting resources to dealing with him…but I bet those three…She pulled up their Fixer’s information – as she outranked that individual by several levels – and saw their next assignment. Oh shit.
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Jace woke up and yawned. Ollie popped into place next to him and the Aspirant began packing away the bedroll. After, he fished into his pack and consumed two of the survival meals and chugged down some water before making sure everything was affixed in place on his person. “Right. I’ve got how much Stardust?”
“4,600 available,” Ollie replied.
“Let’s level up twice. Is there any Skill I haven’t capped out yet?”
“Just the limitless Ranks of Dark Energy Beam.”
“I want to tap a little more into the mage side of Swordmage and Wrathblade. Something that lets me, I don’t know, blow apart walls or structures?”
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Name: Jace Seren (Aspirant, Tier 3)
Power [Class Level]: Dark Matter [Swordmage
Skill Name (Rank) [Evolutions]: Universal Translation, Environmental Adaptation, Dark Matter Blade (Rank 5) [Rending], Dark Matter Shield (Rank 3) [Reflecting], Swordmage Stance (Rank 3) [Astral Annihilator], Dark Matter Dart [Exploding] (Rank 4), Dark Matter Cloak (Rank 3) [Group], Dark Energy Mine (Rank 3) [Distant], Cosmic Infusion (Rank 10) [Innervating], Dark Energy Beam (Rank 12) [Limited Range], Dark Matter Mending (Rank 4) [Vampiric], Energy Cost Reduction (Rank 10), Wrath's Embrace (Rank 10) [Focused], Ruination Razor (Rank 2), Starfire Stride (1/day), Arbiter's Anathema (3/day), Shadow Nebula Smokescreen (1/day), Hope's Edge (1/day), Archmage Geomancy (1/day), Archmage Hydromancy (1/day), Archmage Pyromancy (1/day)
Stardust: 1,600
Equipment: (Returning) Nethaldrim, (Medium / Snowguard / Burnguard) Aegisleather, Ghostlight Grapnel Arm, (Thrice Judged) Anathema Arm, (Overclocked / Lightfoot) Dragonclaw Devastation Legs, (Terrifying) All-Seeing Dragon's Eyes, Mind's Eye Amulet, Thellor's Everguard, (Heavy) Venture Pack, survival meals (x52), enhanced canteen, optimized medical kit, flint bar, flashlight, Omnitech prosthetic repair module (x3 charges), (Restful) Wildercloth tent, Devilsram wool bedroll, 28,000 creds, 38x throwing knife, x2 micro-EMP charge, traditional lockpick set, e-pick
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Boons: x4 Uncommon (Variable), Rare (Variable)
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Ruination Razor (Rank 1) – The user's next strike against a structure will deal massively increased damage and strike structural key points. Requires the user to be under the effects of Wrath’s Embrace.
Ruination Razor (Rank 2) – As Rank 1 but lasts for the next two strikes.
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“Well, another unlimited scaling Rank Skill,” Ollie commented. “That is quite useful.”
“Hell yeah it is!” Jace said with excitement. “I can just go building to building and drop them in a few uses of the Skill. I’ll be able to destroy these factories way faster.”
Ollie moved his paws in the air as he manipulated invisible-to-Jace screens, “I will ask Xera to put together a Batch Quest then. Effectively, multiple Quests with a similar or the same objective, so that she can combine the Boon rewards on her end.” He rubbed his chin, “I would bet that most of these Wrathblade Skills will require you to be in Wrath’s Embrace. Almost like an activation state to ‘prime’ your body.”
“Fine by me,” Jace replied as he activated Dark Matter Cloak (Rank 3) and shoved the door open leading to the roof – ignoring the lock entirely as his muscles and prosthetics almost ripped the door off its hinges. Walking onto the rooftop, he was…confused. “Where’s all the helos?”
“Maybe they went away because you disappeared?” Ollie suggested.
Possibly, Jace thought. “Well, show me the this Batch Quest.”
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[Batch Quest: Stop Pheracorp operations in Campinas.]
[Current Progress: 8%]
[Time Limit: 12 hours.]
[Reward: Based upon Current Progress when Time Limit expires. (Equipment).]
[Thresholds: 10%-20% Common, 21%-40% Uncommon, 41%-60% Rare, 61%-80% Epic, 81%-99% Legendary, 100% Artifact.]
[Sender: Dark Between Stars]
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Ollie pointed at the screen just in the corner of Jace’s vision, “Batch Quests are a way to group together a lot of similar quests. When the Time Limit ends, you get a reward based upon your Current Progress.”
“Then there’s no time to lose,” Jace said with a smile as he drew his sword with his left hand, fired off his Ghostlight Grapnel, and began moving across the rooftops to one of the designated facilities.
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Priam was standing just behind Greg. Quinn was back at their home base, acting as something called a ‘Webwalker’ – a person who could interface with this Earth…web, and find information, monitor communication spells, look through scrying eyes mounted on buildings. She had made him shove a small, metal piece of shiny material into his ear, and her voice crackled through the small device.
“Remember, the goal is to just stay on guard. This visiting general from the USA is trying to broker a deal for bioware. His flight should be coming in any moment.”
Priam pulled his hood down further as the whump whump whump of a flying, metal bird they called a ‘helo’ signaled its arrival. The clear, dark grey skies of the evening were the perfect cover for the nearly-black vehicle that landed on the platform that Priam and Greg were on; alongside twenty heavily armed and armored security guards, and twelve of these so called ‘mechs’ that just looked like really bulky suits of armor with magically enhanced limbs.
As soon as the man stepped out, Priam got the signal from Greg. A sparkling, brown symbol appeared above the fat, white human in a black business suit. He used that Protector’s Vow, Priam thought as he also raised his little, metal tube. Inside was his Soul Warden Writ, which he had been using at every possible chance to increase his soul energy coefficient. If he did get to a fully magic world, and somehow acquired spells to convert into Skills, then he would be able to manifest them at a far greater efficacy. At this point, 190% efficacy.
The Pheracorp lady – a human woman with a crop of blond hair that dangled just below her jawline and down to her shoulders – stepped out of the building behind the two Aspirants and approached the suit-wearing person. “Welcome. If you look up, you will see an Aspirant has used a Skill on you to keep you safe.”
The man glanced up, and his deep, rumbly voice shook Priam’s torso. “Appreciated.”
“We have another Ascendant. Priest, if you would please…”
Right. My codename. His Wayfinder, Bloopa, who was currently hiding under his hat that was under the hood, had advised him to take on an alias just like Jace had Flicker as a code name. A way to protect their real name as a Signer for the Dark Between Stars. Pulsar Ward (Rank 20) [Multi-Target], he thought as he put a glimmering, golden-honeycomb construction barrier on Greg, the woman, this diplomat, and himself. He gave the lady a thumbs-up, and she nodded curtly before leading the man inside.
Greg and Priam followed her in along with the group of soldiers and mechs. The conference room was large, but the sheer amount of military personnel inside made it feel very, very cramped. The blonde-haired woman and the suited man sat down and began discussing something that Priam really wasn’t concerned with. Instead, he whispered, “Hey, Bloopa. How is Jace doing?”
The series of shapes and structures that he could interpret for meaning danced on the top of his head, and he was able to interpret that into words. Your ally is currently doing something called a Batch Quest. He is at 22% completion, with 9 hours remaining.
“Thanks,” Priam whispered as he heard a word in the conversation at the table that did interest him. Gods? I thought Earth’s deities died off?
The man in the suit pulled out a briefcase from under the table and tapped it, “It’s biocoded, so don’t try anything funny.”
“I wouldn’t possibly dream of it,” the blonde-haired woman replied.
“A bunch of artifacts in the Great Smithsonian Archives became…active, when Cosmogenic Merging occurred. From The Cosmic System, we know that gods once existed on Earth, but they died off since people used technology and didn’t worship them in enough numbers.”
“I am familiar with this idea. What of it?” the woman asked.
The man chuckled and opened the briefcase as he pulled out a glowing shard that Priam instantly recognized.
A Godheart. The remains of a deceased god or goddess.
This one was glowing with a vibrance and luminosity that sung to his soul. He knew, given his high soul energy coefficient, if he consumed it – literally ate it – he would get some amazing divine-magic. And it was his duty. His clan’s sacred task. To put the dead gods to final rest. It was why they were so in tune with divinity.
What could they want with it? They can’t use it. Only people like my clan can.
The woman tapped her fingertips and nodded, “How does 10 million creds sound?”
“Please, 10 million?” The man cracked a smile and chuckled. “You can do better. I’ve already got pending meetings with other megacorps.”
“50 million,” the woman replied, her lips drawn into a grimace.
“That seems reasonable,” the man replied as he turned the case around to himself once more, shut it, and produced a sliverscreen. The woman did as well, and they transferred funds. Priam was hooked on the interaction, and barely noticed some of the soldiers moving closer to him.
“Pleasure doing business,” The woman said as the briefcase was opened once more. “Biocode disabled-”
“We’ve been burned,” Priam heard as Quinn’s voice came over the earpiece. “Someone thinks that Jace’s activities are meant to distract Pheracorp’s security forces from this meeting, and they think that you and Greg are going to interrupt and take it.”
“Why not?” Priam whispered so quietly that even he barely heard it with his enhanced hearing. “It’s a Godheart. It’s not useful to them anyways.”
Priam immediately regretted his words, as the guards near him turned on him with their metal tube-things Greg called ‘rifles’ pointed at his head. They screamed overlapping orders. The woman and the man at the center of the room fled in opposite directions – one through the doors back to his helo, and the other into the building’s elevator – the briefcase secure in her grip.
Priam raised his hands in surrender, “I’m not armed!” he shouted. His eyes never left the woman who took the Godheart into that elevator of the complex.
Greg’s body hardened over with earth and stone. The soldiers turned on him and opened fire – but he shrugged off the bullets as he ran to Priam, grabbed the bunny-boy, and got out on the helo-pad. The golden honeycomb of Priam’s barrier was cracking around the man, and as it shattered the stone began to get chunked apart, bit by bit, by those projectiles.
Pulsar Ward (Rank 20), Priam thought as he re-enabled the barrier on Greg. The man ran to the helo that was about to take off and ran into it with his non-holding-Priam arm held out. The vehicle let out a horrid screech as the enormous man pushed it off the building.
“What was that for?” Priam shouted.
Greg didn’t respond and instead held onto the helo as the two went flying over the edge. Priam screamed as gravity took over. My barriers can’t stop a fall from this high!
But his concern was quickly replaced by confusion as Greg’s arm jerked and they were floating about a hundred feet off of the ground. The helo had stabilized during the fall, and Greg let go. Pointing his arm down, he shouted, “Planetary Palisade!” A stone ramp grew from the ground fifty feet below them, with a slow, gentle curve that the two could roll down.
Oh, my barrier will definitely be able to take this hit!
The two fell onto the incline surface and rolled end over end, the barrier taking the brunt of the damage as it began to crack. But they both ended their fall-roll on the pavement, and Greg let out a laugh. “I’ve not done something that reckless in a long time.”
Quinn’s voice went into Priam’s ear, “Get four blocks up the street. I’m bringing the APC along with all our gear.”
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Greg looked down at the Pulsar Priest, and then back up at the mechs that were descending using rappel lines. “Shit! No time to talk!” he grabbed the bunny-boy by the collar, lifted him up, and pointed down the street. “Let’s go!” He took off running, almost falling down as the exhaustion of using Skills lay heavy on him. He had not pushed himself this far in a good while.
But the thrill of combat and being shot at was exhilarating. The plunge off that building? Wild. He knew the helo would be able to stabilize quickly, but had no clue how far it would fall before it did. Without Priam’s barriers, he would’ve made it – but just barely. However he could tank hits even now without issue. “You did good,” he huffed out as he ran just behind the very fast rabbit-man.
“They had a Godheart!” he shouted back.
“A what-now?” Greg asked as the APC rolled up and the back doors opened. It was…different. There was a slight glow around the outside, and he spotted the telltale signs of holographic images. Clever girl, he thought. She’s put micro-projectors around the outside so we can blend in. Right now, it was the same beat up APC, but once they got going, she could shift it to look like one of Pheracorp’s patrols.
He clambered and shut the doors behind him as Quinn floored it. Priam kept talking – rapidly, as if he was panicked. “They got a Godheart. It’s the corpse of a dead god that has condensed and crystallized. They can’t even use it. Once a god is dead, its dead. Only a divine-blooded clan like mine can even use it.”
Darrin, Greg’s spider-Wayfinder, crawled out of the neckline of his armor. “Oh…oh no.”
“What?” Greg asked, feeling his cheer and exhilaration of surviving fade. “What do they want to use it for?”
“Have you heard of the Singularity?”