"No shit," Jace replied as he saw the singularity vanish above him. A single, compressed sphere of matter – maybe the size of a soccer ball – fell into the now-sixty-foot-deep pit. "But...if all of those bodies were compressed into that, there’s a ton of Stardust." Jace pushed himself off the spit of land and hit the bottom of the pit right as his Dark Energy Mine faded and gravity reasserted itself. "Dust it," he ordered.
Ollie nodded and did so. The spur of ground that Jace was standing on crashed to the ground behind him.
<<<<<>>>>>
[Stardust Acquired: 3000.]
<<<<<>>>>>
"Why so little?" Jace asked. "There had to be thousands of these things killed."
"You did not get the kills, or participate in the kills," Ollie replied. He looked over to the crater edge, and Jace followed his gaze as the armored figure slid down into the bowl. "You should run. An Ascendant, 2 Tiers higher? You will do far less damage."
"How much Stardust do I have?"
"4305 Stardust currently."
"That’s enough for eight levels, and I’m level 19. I’d hit Tier 2, right?"
"Close. It costs 500 Stardust per level until you hit Level 25. Then, it costs 1,000 Stardust from 26 to 50. So, you will get seven levels if you spend all you can right now."
"But that level up means a Tier increase, which should offset the damage reduction from being a lower Tier."
The figure kept approaching but was a few thousand feet away still. "Okay," Ollie said softly. "I trust you. You got this!" He threw the Stardust into Jace’s face, and he felt a huge rush of energy fill him up. "What do you want for a Skill? It will not happen until you make that choice."
"I want some type of Skill that I can dump lots of Ranks into. Maybe something like body improvement?"
<<<<<>>>>>
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),
Stardust: 305
Equipment: Swordmage blade, Swordmage starting gear, Wirecannon Arm, Dragonclaw Devastation Legs, Runner’s Replacement (damaged), messenger bag, sliverscreen, survival knife, survival meals (x46), canteen (x4), medical kit (x2), flint bar, flashlight, 40x arc reactor components, 2x hyperbike components
Boons: None
<<<<<>>>>>
Cosmic Infusion (Rank 1): Increases the user’s physical traits by a minor amount.
Cosmic Infusion (Rank 2): As Rank 1, increases the user’s sensory traits by a minor amount.
Cosmic Infusion (Rank 3): As Rank 2, increases the user’s cognitive traits by a minor amount.
Cosmic Infusion (Rank 4): As Rank 3, increases the user’s physical traits by a moderate amount.
Cosmic Infusion (Rank 5): As Rank 4, increases the user’s sensory traits by a moderate amount.
<<<<<>>>>>
[Quest: Slay the Black Hole Conclave Ascendant.]
[Time Limit: ASAP.]
[Reward: Legendary (Equipment) Boon.]
[Sender: Dark Between Stars.]
<<<<<>>>>>
"I got you a Quest," Ollie said as his usual voice returned. There was a trace of fear, of panic – but also a sense of resolve. "You will survive. For Chroma. For yourself...for me." He looked at Jace and the Aspirant saw the whiskers of his otter companion twitch slightly. "He has stronger gravity manifestations than Dark Matter can emulate. But he specialized in gravity manipulation, not entropy. Just stay out of range."
"Can...Can he do another one of those singularities?"
"Doubtful," Ollie replied as he crossed his arms, "You struck him. [Rending] never ends unless you will it to end. That is making him weaker. That is sapping his energy. You can just keep away from him and let that do its work...but he might be able to stave it off."
Jace nodded. Dark Matter Cloak (Rank 3). He vanished once more, and moved away from his last position, knowing that the scent trail would lead to that spot.
He saw the sword-wielding figure stomping across the ground towards Jace’s last location. The man was covered in the black miasma, and the crimson had spread from his midsection to the tops of his legs. Good thing I got him with the Dark Matter Blade, Jace thought. He ducked into the grasses out of instinct. Hold on a second...
This was the exact same type of grassland that Jace first arrived in. He gripped the ground with his claws and felt the familiar, slight ’crunch’ of the soil. That gives me an idea. He pulled out the survival knife. Dark Energy Mine (Rank 1). The black dot manifested on the dagger. He flung the blade in an overhand throw.
The dagger stopped and dropped two feet from the Black Hole Conclave Ascendant. He looked over in the direction of Jace.
Detonate.
The space around his target erupted as the nanite-infused soil floated from the ground and created the equivalent of a smokescreen. Dark Matter Dart (Rank 4). Jace launched a flurry of invisible projectiles at his opponent.
There was a pulse of black energy as the anti-gravity was disabled and the particles fell to the ground. A split-second later, the nine darts slammed into him – punching into the armor across his torso and neck. He toppled to the ground. Jace waited patiently, watching as the purple and crimson miasma continued to spread across the prone form. He was moving, but barely.
There was a burst of black energy once more, and the miasma creeping across him receded – but was still there and began to slowly spread once more. Some type of healing? The Ascendant stood up, but looked completely exhausted. His shoulders were shaking, and Jace could hear the ragged breathing.
Jace felt tired, also. His eyelids were drooping and he felt himself falling asleep. Just one more shot. He raised his palm. Dark Matter Dart (Rank 1).
The bolt of purple slammed into his opponent’s skull, and punched all the way through the head, blowing out the other side. The body collapsed into a heap on the ground.
<<<<<>>>>>
[Quest Completed: Slay the Black Hole Conclave Ascendant.]
[Time Limit: ASAP.]
[Reward: Legendary (Equipment) Boon.]
[Sender: Dark Between Stars.]
<<<<<>>>>>
"Wow...you did it!" Ollie shouted. "I knew you could do it!"
Jace nodded, tried to say something witty in response, but collapsed as the world went dark.