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Jace rolled out of bed and stretched. Oliver must be busy, he thought as the spectral Wayfinder did not ‘pop’ into existence when he awoke like the day before. I should just get to work. He made his way to the same supply closet and began to replicate his creation from the day prior, holding the flashlight in his mouth.

About an hour passed before Oliver appeared with his telltale pop. “Hey, sleep well?”

Jace just nodded as he slowly shaped the metal into a bowl. He spoke through the corner of his mouth, “I did. We’ve got two days until this Trial is over. What happens after?”

“You will choose a Cosmic Power. Think of it like a power source. You will have several options. The most popular is Planet.”

Jace pulled the magic flashlight out from his teeth and shut it off. “You’re talking about like in video games?”

“Precisely!” Oliver swam around in the air as he spoke, “If you chose Star as a power source, then your Class Skills would be flavored by that choice. So, if you chose something like Mage as a Class, you could throw fire, light, radiation - anything that a Star produces.”

“So, with Planet, I’d get something like dirt or rocks?”

“Anything that could be found on a planet. Wood, stone, metal, plants. It is a broad category, and that is why it is one of the most popular. Extreme versatility, in fact.”

“What are the other options?”

“Nebula, Black Hole, and Pulsar; in addition to the aforementioned Star.”

Those are all stellar objects…but he’s missing the biggest one. “What about Dark Matter?”

Oliver’s face went blank, “Come again?”

“Dark Matter. It takes up a lot of space. If a Star or Black Hole could be a power source, why not Dark Matter? It’s out there, somewhere.” Or, at least, that’s what I learned when I got to visit that museum on its free day. The memory of taking Chroma there for his birthday was one of his fondest, and he smiled faintly.

“I’ll query the System.” Oliver’s eyes went black, and he shook his head as his eyes returned to normal, “Umm…You have a chat request.”

Jace paused his work, “Sorry?”

“Umm…X wants to talk to you.”

“Who is that?” Jace asked. Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out as he froze in place. “Oliver?”

The spectral river otter just floated in place, mouth ajar and eyes black pools, just like when he accessed the System. A female voice came from his Wayfinder’s mouth. “Sorry about that. This is the best way to talk. Hello, Flicker. I’m X.”

Jace set down his tools and leaned back against the wall, cracking his neck, “Why did you want to talk.”

The voice sounded…curious. Inquisitive. “Why did you ask about Dark Matter?”

“It makes up a lot of the universe, doesn’t it? So why isn’t it a power source?”

“It is,” the voice replied. “It’s a secret power source that I prevent people from choosing. So, tell me, why should I let you choose it?”

Jace smiled, “I think I’m pretty special. Has anyone else killed one of those Vyrk-things?”

“No, they have not,” the woman replied. “I only let people access it who…become a Signer for a specific faction.”

Jace gestured for her to continue, “Go on.”

“My faction. One that only very few Aspirants are allowed into. In fact, they have to do something remarkable to stand out during their Aspirant Trial to even have a chance of getting my attention.” Her voice shifted to a sadder tone, “And none have survived to Ascendant.”

“Why do you lose so many?”

The tone shifted to frustration, “Their work upsets other factions and they are hunted down. My faction, Dark Between Stars, represents people who are helping me keep The Cosmic System in check. You’re familiar with computers, I trust?”

“I know the basics.”

“Then you’re aware that computer Systems develop bugs, need hotfixes, and updates. Well, The Cosmic System is like that. I’m the technician that keeps fixing things. Magic, mundane, technology, magitech - the whole deal.” She sounded disappointed, “I can only do so much. Safeguards were put in place to prevent an administrator like myself from manipulating The Cosmic System for their own benefit. But…Aspirants and Ascendants can meddle where I can’t.”

“Ask away.”

“Pardon?”

Be confident. Jace smirked, “I’m sure you have questions you want to ask. And I’m interested. I can’t remain a free agent and reach Tier 10. I doubt the factions would be okay with a powerful, non-committed Aspirant.”

He heard a slight giggle, “Seriously? There’s never been a Tier 10 Ascendant.”

“I’m going to get there,” Jace countered in as serious of a tone he could muster. “It’s the only way to bring Chroma back.”

“Who?”

“Someone I love.”

There was silence. A tense, heavy silence. Jace felt the tension in the air, and it almost became unbearable as he began to open his mouth. But she responded. “I’ve looked through your file. Since joining The Cosmic System, you’ve shown extraordinary resilience, thought fast on your feet-” she made an upset noise, “Sorry, forgive the unintentional pun.”

Jace waved it away, “All good. Please, keep praising me.” He tried to pour as much suave into his tone as possible. Even if he did not end up allying with this X person, he could stay on their good side. She was in some position of hidden power. He would be a fool not to.

She laughed, then resumed her intrigued tone. “You’ve also got a knack for survival, which might be more important than anything else…If you’re interested, I’ll make you a Signer for my faction and unlock access to Dark Matter as a power source.”

“What’s it do?”

“Dark Matter is nebulous and on Earth your scientists have only guessed at it. My people know what it really is. Invisible matter. It doesn’t absorb, reflect, or emit any light. Fully undetectable. It also does not interact with electricity or magnetism. It exerts a gravity well, as well. Not as potent as Black Hole would allow for, but you could affect a much larger area.”

“How would I use it?”

“Cosmic Power sources alter your Skills granted by a chosen Class. It could manifest in many number of possibilities. There are so many possibilities that I’d be here for decades listing off what might be possible.”

Jace leaned his head back and nodded. “Last question. If I joined your faction, survive the Aspirant Trial, get to The Cosmic Corridor and all that…what would I be doing as your Signer?”

“You’d be influencing events with which I cannot interact. Helping to keep balance in The Cosmic System. Finding problems and fixing them. In some cases, breaking things to make sure other things work. It would require you to work against the interests of factions. You’d be making enemies…but I make sure that my Signers have the best Boons.” She giggled, “I get to assign Quests if I choose, and I can make their rewards the highest rarity level.” She sounded very sincere.

This woman is extremely powerful if she is the tech support for the whole System. Staying on her good side would be a smart way to ensure I can rise to Tier 10. But…don’t make it easy. He knew that if he was too eager, then he would be showing her a weakness she could exploit. And he did not trust her yet. “How many Signers do you have right now?”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

He could feel the disappointment in her voice, “None. I’ve got my eye on a few from this current Aspirant Trial…cracks are beginning to emerge in The Cosmic System that I can’t fix. I need Signers. Right now? You’re my best bet.”

Well, she’s being vulnerable. But still…build up the wait. Make her desperate. Make her want you. “I’d like a bit to think on it.”

“...I understand” She sounded slightly annoyed. “If you do want to become a Signer for my faction, then let Oliver know. He’s been present for this whole conversation.”

Oliver’s body jerked and his eyes returned to normal. “Oh, that is always weird.” His voice was back to normal as well.

Jace picked up his small tools again, “Welcome back.”

“I was never gone,” Oliver muttered as he floated just in front of Jace. “Right. So, you learned about X. Thoughts about her?”

“For all I know she could be listening in,” Jace replied with a slight frown. “I want to think about it. For now…tell me about these Classes you both had talked about.”

Oliver bobbed up and down, “Classes give access to Skills. You choose a Class, and your Cosmic Power influences the Skills and its name. For example…let us say you wanted to focus on stealing stuff. You would be a Thief. If you chose Nebula as your Power Source, then you would be a Nebula Thief. Make sense?”

“Yeah. Simple enough. What are the limits to Classes?”

Oliver spun in the air, “Limitless. You can choose professions - like Baker or Mechanic - Classes from those video games you mentioned, and anything else you could imagine.”

It would be neat to be able to fight and use this Cosmic Power at will. “Are there any Classes that let a person fight well and use their power-”

“Swordmage,” Oliver interjected. “That is the best one that matches what you describe. Melee weapons and phenomenal cosmic powers in the palm of your hand. Spell and blade, cannot go wrong.”

Jace smirked, “That means getting up close and personal. Honestly, something with a gun would be better.”

Oliver shook his head, “Guns need ammunition. And they will not work on every world.”

“Come again?”

“Certain worlds have technology restrictions. There are plenty where The Cosmic System forces changes. A gun would not work if you went to a world with a lower technology level.” Oliver held up his little paws and a blade of starlight appeared in his hands. He swung it with his little paws, the cascading sparkles left behind a mesmerizing display. “And swords are in every world. Something blade-like, for sure. I mean, you could go with something like Archer, but projectiles are easy to deal with. Most people do some combination of melee and magic or choose something that aligns towards a merchant or professional role.”

Still not convinced, Jace thought. I don’t want to be forced up close with something. But it doesn’t sound like these Classes or the Skills that come with them will force me to do something I don’t want to. I can still use all my honed talents from surviving on the streets. I can still hide, sneak around, and run. He smirked and chuckled, Plus, Dark Matter is invisible. If there is some Skill that lets me cover myself in it…I might never have to fight things.

The two near-death experiences were jarring, and Jace knew he would need time to properly decompress. But now was not the time. “I’ll think on it,” he told Oliver as the otter dropped the blade of sparkles which then vanished as they fell.

Jace set to finishing the last few parts of the prosthetic. Oliver just floated in place, and his eyes were vacant - as if he were off somewhere else. That did not bother Jace, and he welcomed the light source as the rest of the place was dark save for that and the flashlight. The time alone allowed him to reflect.

As he fit the prosthetic to his foot stump and began to secure it, he thought back to the encounter with the Vyrk-thing. One of the talents he developed back on Earth - as all street kids did - was looking at a previous situation to learn from it. He replayed the encounter in his mind. I did the right thing stripping down to hide. But I should’ve stayed hidden. It was too risky to kill it. He had been blinded by the idea of a reward.

I can’t let myself get carried away like that. I was lucky. The ferrofluid was a completely dumb stroke of luck. I can’t rely on random chance and circumstances like that. I should play it smarter. Don’t take Quests that have too large of a risk for the reward.

He thought through the travel to this hidden bunker. Nothing to improve on there. Down the tunnel, and into the facility. Nothing to improve there, either. Except not securing the facility before falling asleep. But that wasn’t really something I could control. He had been exhausted and was lucky he even made it to the base in the first place before passing out.

Last was the whole situation with the turret and the chair. I have to be cautious. Even in a place that feels safe, I can’t let down my guard until I’ve secured it all. That brought him to Oliver. The Wayfinder could travel a few feet away from him and was invisible to all except Aspirants and Ascendants. I need to use him more to scout.

His Wayfinder seemed, for lack of a better term, inexperienced. This is just as new for him as it is for me. I can’t rely on him as a crutch. He’s a tool in my kit. Use him to get information from the System. Use him to scout. But don’t rely on his advice. He looked up at the otter as he finished securing his other foot. But…he was right about the chair.

Jace focused on his muscles over his body - years of training coming to bear as he slowly flexed and unflexed each part he could isolate. A common talent among anyone who had to stay hidden for long - the consistent muscle movement prevented cramps. In this case, it also demonstrated just how much his muscles had grown. He was stronger, no question about it. And he had healed from the near-life-threatening injury because of the call Oliver had made. I have to trust him more.

Trust was a hard commodity in Jace’s life. He tried trusting his mother - she dumped him in an orphanage. He trusted the orphanage, and they abused him to the point he had to run away. He tried trusting other couriers, and one tried to kill him. Trust was hard-earned. But if he did not trust Oliver…he felt a shiver of fear at what could happen if he did not get over his hangups.

Jace sighed and tried putting weight on the prosthetics. He took a few test steps, and then tried to jog in place. Identifying where the supports were weaker, he sat back down, took them off, and made more adjustments. Rails that could run up the shin and then be secured. Trying once more, he found them satisfactory enough. He could jog in place, and sharp turns would be the only real limitation.

Is there anything I can do with my arm? He picked through the various parts and shook his head as he came up empty. “Hey, Oliver. Can we break apart anything else in this bunker? Like, can we repurpose that turret as a gun?”

Oliver’s eyes refocused and illuminated. He flew over to the turret and his head disappeared inside of it before he pulled it back out. “You could get it off the housing. It would need a power source - magitech based - and convert the ammunition container. Plus, something to put it on to make it portable. Some type of platform.”

Jace dug through the various scraps and found a long length of metal that could work as a grip and platform. He kicked a box over and slid it to climb up next to the turret. Unfastening the object was easy enough, but he could not catch it, and the turret clattered against the ground as the ammunition rained out over his head. “Damnit,” he muttered as he carefully got off the box and tried his best to scoop up the ammunition. Soon enough, he had a small pile of all the parts.

“Power source,” Jace muttered as he investigated the now-dark reactor room. “Think we can take apart that arc reactor? Maybe get something going like a basic battery and crank-powered generator? I mean, you said magi tech, so that implies I could rig some simple, purely mechanic device.”

Oliver flew through the door, and Jace slid it open as he followed the spectral otter. Oliver flew into the machine and emerged a few moments later, “I’ll point out what you need to pry or break off.”

The two spent several hours disassembling the device with only short breaks for Jace to scarf down a meal and get some water. Eventually, he had the components he needed, but before leaving he stopped over the desiccated bodies in the spare room. “Can’t I turn them into Stardust, also?”

Oliver nodded, “Sure. It won’t be much, but I can do that.”

“It’s not like I can bury them,” Jace replied as he wiggled his stump. “Go ahead.”

Oliver flew over them and sparkling starlight cascaded upon the bodies before they vanished, becoming a swirl of sparkles all their own that he vacuumed up into his little paw.

<<<<<>>>>>

[Stardust Acquired: 10.]

<<<<<>>>>>

Jace sat down, but Oliver floated above him and held his paw up. “It’s late.” He waved his hand, and a clock appeared next to him.

<<<<<>>>>>

[23:30.]

<<<<<>>>>>

“Well, this can wait until tomorrow. It’ll take me most of the day to make the gun, anyhow.” Jace stood up and went to the living quarters. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he felt the call of sleep.