Anything ~ 34!

Luke’s head throbbed, and he wondered if it was because of the concussive mana blast from his Sigil, or if it was something the strange man had done. Probably a little of both. He lay in the nice warm sand and grumbled as he looked over the new messages he had received.

Information packet integrated: Higher Ascenders and where you stand.

Higher Ascenders are considered anyone past the level 30 threshold, also known as ‘World Anchors’. As Ascenders increase in power, they naturally begin warping the natural laws, until the point where they tear off a chunk of a plane and internalize it. At each level above 30, the Ascender can choose to create a lesser duplicate of a feature of a world and build it up over time, or take the original for themselves. Tearing chunks out of Planes often leads to instability, potentially the destruction of the original world.

The first choice sets the precedent for the Ascender, and they cannot step off of that path.

Those who tear out chunks are known as Annihilator Ascenders. Those who build up the duplicates into their own version over time are known as Creator Ascenders. At level 50, the Plane the Ascender has been shaping becomes actualized. This creates a new Plane of existence, and often tears holes into adjacent Planes. Planar wars are often waged to bring new Planes under the control of various factions. In general, but not always, Annihilator Ascenders have a large advantage over others in the early fifties. They have powerful, original features from multiple worlds.

The advantages of Creator Ascenders are harder to achieve, but as the Ascender increases in power, their world grows stronger, faster than what Annihilator Ascenders can make happen. This is due to the lesser duplicate following a new growth pattern that is closer to the will of the Ascender, while Annihilators need to increase each feature individually. The lesser duplicate can become far more powerful than the original with enough time and resources dedicated to it.

Luke Von Murderhobo, you are formally in the service of the Creator Ascender ‘_Error_’ and will be until you meet with _Error_ and determine if a partnership will be beneficial to both of you. _Error_ maintains a residence in Zone 50, and eagerly awaits your arrival.

Information packet integrated: Anarcanists and you.

Anarcanists are a faction of Annihilator Ascenders, who have actually come up with an impressive method of improving their Planes rapidly. Instead of personally tearing chunks of a world off and adding it to their plane, they build up mana on a world to the point that a world would naturally Ascend. At the moment of Ascension, they guide the world to their Plane and attach it as a new extension of their world. There is great benefit for all that survive the process.

The Ascender gains territory and population for their Plane. The surviving creatures gain a powerful protector and guide that will help them Ascend.

Each positive is offset, of course. By forcing the world to Ascend out of its natural timeframe, the creatures on the world will be unable to handle the mana of the new Plane. Each creature will need to survive an intense mana baptism. On average, the survivors number roughly 20% +/- 10% of all creatures in the original world.

Luke shook his head as it finally cleared and snarled at the messages. “Ugh. It’s politics all the way up! No wonder my world place just kills almost everyone that wants to step on it. I bet Error just stays there and beats down anyone that annoys it. I would, too.”

His mood ruined, Luke looked at the portal next to him and shook his head. He punched it closed without bothering to step inside, and started trudging back to his team’s current base. He had been given secrets about what went on beyond their little world, and he should start working out a plan for himself. He should also inform his team of the encounter, as well as tell them what was coming as they levelled up. There was too much to do. But, Luke didn’t particularly want to do anything else today, so it was time for a nap instead.

He got back to camp and drifted off to sleep, only waking a full day later when not only his body was healed… but as a Lotus Coffin tried to stealthily slurp him down. A twitch of his wrist turned the overgrown flower into mulch, and he resolved to inform the Druid that his plants were, indeed, out to get him. The Murderhobo stood and twisted to warm up, then set off in search of his friends.

“There you are!” Taylor saw him pop out over a dune and waved him over. “We’re just about to start the next phase of regrowth. Have you seen how many miles of land went from sand to greenery in less than two months? There’s already been two entire crop hauls for the locals! They have more food than they’ve had in a generation!”

Luke listened as she gushed about the state of the kingdom improving under their watch, and how it was all thanks to the flora-focused Druid on their team. When she finally slowed down, Andre was beet-red and couldn’t hold back the beaming smile on his face. Luke decided that it was time to tell the others what had been going on with him. “So, Andre, one of your flowers tried to eat me while I was sleeping. Also ran into a level fifty-plus Ascender and got info on what happens after we reach level thirty.”

The distracted Druid shook his head. “You must have rolled around in your sleep or something, Luke. The plants don’t just - wait. What?”

“Level twenty is the limit, Luke.” Taylor shook her head at the Murderhobo and rolled her eyes.

“That’s what I said.” Luke agreed with her easily. “He told me that was true here, but it goes up… he didn’t tell me how far.”

The Murderhobo told them about the info packets he had accessed, leaving out the part about Error. No need to tell others his business. They listened intently, and discussed lightly, until Taylor waved them off and motioned to Andre. “We just don't have enough information to really get into the weeds about it. Speaking of weeds, are you ready for phase two?”

“So ready.” Andre’s smile turned sly, and he raised his arms dramatically. “Are. You. Ready?”

“Yes. Feces, man. You’re a Druid, not a Bard.” Luke reprimanded the huge man. “Every minute you spend showboating is another minute that plants aren’t growing.”

That wiped the levity off Andre’s face, and the sly look turned sheepish. “Fair enough. Zed’s watching anyway, so he can make a proper story out of this later.”

“Hello!” Called the Bard as he uncovered himself and let everyone know about his presence. For some reason he had been under a sand-covered blanket, but no one was startled. He pouted as Taylor and Luke ignored him, and Andre’s attention was turned fully toward the desert in front of them. The Druid gripped his Livingwood Staff with both hands and closed his eyes. A surge of mana rippled through the area, and power flowed through the Druid.

The creep mat began to practically boil out from under them, growing, spreading, and being absorbed by the plants that grew from it just as quickly. The fungus and various mana-filled portions of the creep pulled in the trace elements from the sand and rapidly aged, becoming a rotten compost in seconds, then the slurry was sucked up by the root systems growing out from the seeds. In truth, the loam that grew at that point wasn’t a sustainable vegetation in this area, but it too was designed to grow and age rapidly.

Topsoil that could properly sustain grass and shrubbery was the next stage of growth. If Luke had taken the time to have a good yawn, he would have missed out on seeing the first stages of growth and only seen a carpet of greenery appearing. Something that Luke could sense, and the others clearly could not, was how the mana flowing in the area was starting to impact the world around them.

Life was usually what generated mana. Not always, as the new blue world Luke had found proved. He had an idea that the world in that case was full of a mineral that was rare in other Planes, and generated mana simply by its high energy output slowly converting. The Murderhobo watched as the rapid life cycle began to pump out mana, only for it to be captured and re-channeled by the Druid. After ten minutes of this, blood was leaking from Andre’s orifices, but the man himself didn’t stop what he was doing.

Luke grabbed and shook him, and the Druid opened bleary eyes, looked around, and shook his head. “S’not done… gotta finish…”

“Or you could do this over years instead of hours, and survive the experience.” Luke commented with a shrug. “Up to you, but I’m thinking most people would prefer my option.”

“Neat, he almost died from growing some grass!” Zed was furiously scribbling into a notebook. “Okay… I’ll spin that so the population thinks that he’s doing it to help them, and not the real reason of because he has brain damage when it comes to growing things. Oh… maybe make it a love story where he’s pushing too hard so that he can finally be free to pursue his real passion?”

“What’s his real passion?” Taylor quizzed the Bard darkly.

“You, of course. We’ve known that since we were kids.” Zed distractedly answered as he held up a thumb to gauge how much the land had grown out. “Looks like it’s still moving. I’m reading… four kilometers of direct growth, another half since he ended… it seems to be slowing. A good inroad to the desert, maybe his plan is to cut the desert into sections and fill those in with plants? Do grid squares of growth? Smart, smart.”

Taylor’s impassive face was bright red, and it looked like she was wavering between smacking the Bard and going to comfort the dizzy Druid. Her indecision led to her inaction in either harming or helping one of her companions.

It also increased Luke’s estimation of her immaturity. Here was a person that wanted to lead others, to reform the world around her, to care for the Kingdom… and she couldn’t make up her mind on her own minor desires. The Druid fell asleep, so the Murderhobo set him down and glared at their ‘leader’. “Hard to follow someone that can’t make a choice.”

“What do you know?” Taylor spat at him, venting her embarrassment on the first unrelated target that presented itself.

“I know that we’ve faced scarier things than asking to get to know someone better.” Zed decided to join the conversation of his own free will, so Luke closed his mouth and let the wordsmith speak. “If you like someone well enough that you want to decide if you want to like them more, ask them to join you in a more personal setting and figure it out. Getting tea or a meal with someone isn’t the same as asking if they want to spend a life with you. Don’t put them on a pedestal in your head, who knows if you have enough in common to have more? That’s what courting is all about, no?”

“I’ve seen how you handle relationships, Zed.” Taylor turned to look out over the sands in the distance as the creep made its way over them. “You have no leg to stand on.”

“I promise you, they know exactly what they’re getting.” Zed winked at Luke, who simply stared back at him. “A conversation partner, and a healthy workout. In places like this, that’s already a boon and a rarity. Have you tried having a conversation with the locals? They’re exhausted all the time due to malnutrition. We’re fixing that, but it’ll be a generation before they start growing strong, tall, and healthy again.”

“This is such a sweet discussion, I almost feel bad breaking it up.” A coarse voice called down to them from the top of a nearby sand dune that had been turned into a healthy hill. The group got into a fighting position as they turned to face the voice. Over the next few seconds, dozens of Knights in the Kingdom’s regalia crested the hill and looked down at them disapprovingly. “As it stands, you can finish it in a cell. By the King’s authority, you’re all under arrest for the suspected murder of Heaven’s Earth. On your knees.”

A *chime* rang out as the truth of the man’s words rang out, and the three awake Ascenders were forced to drop to their knees. A soft snore came from Andre, causing the large group rapidly surrounding them to chortle.