Chapter 108

Becoming A Martyr

Martyr. Martyring. There is something so tragically lovable about someone purposefully sacrificing their lives to save another. That is part of why I feel so hollow. Yeah, sure, I am technically a martyr in that I now realize I am sacrificing my own life for the sake of everyone else.

I even feel a little bit better about making it so Wizard me from this universe doesn’t have to worry about such problems. That he will never have to be burdened with the task of self-sacrifice. So why is it that I feel so hollow inside? That I haven’t quite earned this status of Martyr? Simple, I was never given the chance.

That’s right, I had my chance at being a martyr stolen from me.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I will likely go down as a martyr, both Jesses and I will all be remembered as martyrs, if nothing else. But it feels like they earned their status and title as martyr, while I am now just the participation trophy winner of the title. Sure, now that I am already so deep into this, I am going to continue forward with clearing the last Behemoth out of Alien Jess’ universe. That way her sacrifice will have an impact on her own universe.

But I can’t help but feel that this is a hollow victory. One I didn’t earn.

This time, just like the last time, I earned one hundred levels per class.

Name: Kyle Goldman Age: 18 Race: Half-Human* Mage Class Type: Prime Support (Omega)

Level: 266

Certs Remaining: 0 (of 267)

Mental Class Type: Psionic Prime (Omega)

Level: 266

Certs Remaining: 0 (of 267)

Spirit Class Type: Spiritual Augmentationist (Omega)

Level: 263

Certs Remaining: 0 (of 264)

In a way, I kind of like the idea of having my classes automatically increased like this. Makes it all easier to deal with. No certs, no hanging onto certs trying to level or find the best way to level. Just wham, 100 levels to all Classes that you might possess.

Free Attribute Points: 122

This of course meant that I gained 99 free attributes, which with the 23 I held previously gave me a total of 122. Which with the new levels my Maximum Base Score for Attributes has also increased yet again.

Maximum Base Score: (178)

With that, I do the immediate thing of increasing my Spirit by 60 points, to the new Maximum Base level of 178. Then this time, with my remaining 62 Free Attributes, I decide to spend them before this final battle.

10 go to Intelligence and Willpower both.

10 to Perception.

12 to Endurance.

Then the remaining 20 points go to Power.

Attributes Free Attribute Points: 0 Physical Attributes (Base Max: 178) After Modifiers Strength: (16) 82 Dexterity: (20) 102 Agility: (25) 128 Endurance: (29) 148 Mental Attributes (Base Max: 178) After Modifiers Perception: (30) 154 Intelligence: (38) 195 Willpower: (38) 195 Power: (73) 374 Spirit Attributes (Base Max: 178) After Modifiers Spirit (178) 302

I know what you are thinking, why Perception? Simple, I am having a harder and harder time keeping up with the monsters we are facing. Well not keeping up, but a harder time piercing the veil that the monsters are using.

Once again, after seeing the bonuses from both my Title and my passive Spirit Attribute Augmentation power, I feel amazing. Though my Perception is having a harder time keeping up with my mind. This started off slowly, but now that I am getting to a much higher level, it is showing as a glaring weakness. Or at least it was, now that I am closer with the increase of ten attribute points keeping it on pace with my Intelligence and Willpower, I hope it will roughly stay the same. Though in the future, I think I will make it, so Perception also stays even with Intelligence and Willpower.

Hah! Next time. Who am I fooling. This is it, one final show down. Three dumb martyrs go to a universe to kill a super charged monster.

Now that I know the signs to look for, I can feel my own broken shards within my body. Those broken soul shards are pulsing and angry. Or at least that is how I imagine them. I doubt they have any emotional state to them. Just tiny fragments of nearly unlimited power.

“So, you are finally awake.” General Tigran says, peering into the hospital room that is housing me.

The lights come on as the General enters, flanked by both Jesses who quickly peel off in different directions around her.

“Are you okay?” My Jess asks.

I smile, “I should be asking you the same thing.”

With that she looks a little sheepish, though she does run forward to give me a hug. I guess I did need a break. I have pretty much been non-stop since we battled the Prolaxian swarms and then battled the first Behemoth. I am glad that I am not hooked up to diagnostic equipment. In fact, it looks like I was just placed on a bed and then wheeled out of the way to a dark room so I could rest.

“We wanted to thank you for assisting us.” General Tigran began.

At this, I noticed that the elite Endarian guards had filled the entry way to the small room. Then once again at the center was a floating chair. Looking at the chair, I thought I needed to get one of those. They looked so amazing.

Astria, in her floating chair also came close.

“Yes, I wanted to thank you personally. What you did…” Astria’s voice trailed off as she was suddenly flooded with emotions. It was clear that this was having a direct impact on her.

The sad part was, I felt hollow for receiving this praise. I wasn’t a hero in this. I didn’t deserve any of the praise. Knowing me, I would have likely argued against sacrificing both myself and the Jesses. Looking back on everything, the necklace resting against my chest was basically useless. Sure, we could have used it once to save one of the three universes, but what good would that be? We also kept it just in case we would need it for this final Behemoth. But again, we were already dead. Even now I could feel more and more fragments of my soul breaking away, thanks to my increased Spirit Attribute. And no, the Spirit Attribute did nothing to heal my soul. If anything, it made my soul slightly more potent. In a way, that was likely the only reason we were having such an easy time thus far. My soul fragments were so powerful that after only a handful of times of magnifying their potency, they were able to rip through the lesser Behemoths.

Of course, now we had to face the major Behemoth. The fully charged devourer of worlds and galaxies. One that has already had plenty of time to grow and expand. One that I don’t think we could even teleport into the universe, without finding ourselves trapped far away from the monster’s core.

“If there is anything we can do to assist you, please let us know.” General Tigran said.

With that, my ears perked up. I realized I had missed a bit of their speech. I particularly missed the part where Astria said we were all heroes that would forever be remembered. Okay, maybe I didn’t miss it, but didn’t feel that it was applicable to me.

But with the General’s words, I was brought back to the conversation as my mind began working in overtime.

“Anything?”

***

A few hours later, we were in the stationary war ships grand training gym. Why the gym? Well simple, we were about to kill ourselves to save an entire universe and we were about to televise it for a live audience in a completely different universe.

“People of the Universe. Today we are proud to present the three Guardian heroes who have come here to our universe in our time of need.” General Tigran began, this was all theatrics and something that was needed.

The reason such a long-winded introduction was needed? Simple, Astria and I were busy working on constructing another one-way gate that would direct us to the Fifteenth universe. The one where Alien Jess came from. I of course couldn’t call it the fifteenth universe as apparently that would confuse everyone. So instead, I just sat back and let others describe the location.

Apparently Alien Jess, as part of her Guardian training had been implanted with the coordinate rune that directed her to her universe. After drawing it a few times, Astria and I were able to solidify it for long enough to form a one-way portal.

Once the portal was established, it was clear that the Alpha Behemoth was there. We saw it clearly devouring the remains of a star. From there we had to walk the portal entrance over to where the heart of the Behemoth was.

After a quick guess on my part, we found that the heart was right at the center of where the first two Behemoths had formed. Right in the middle of my home Galaxy. Seeing it now, there was no way to tell where or even if my home planet even still existed, in this fifteenth… I mean third universe.

Still, that was a problem for others. Right now, we were in the preparation phase. With the solid portal created, we began our preparations. The first thing I did was lock the portal in place with Spirit-X. From there, I began holding hands with the two Jesses, so I could transfer more portions of my soul to them, that they would then supercharge with their own soul fragments.

As a sign of how nervous we all were, My Jess snuck a kiss. Now, this might not seem like a big deal, but Jess hates PDA. So, the fact that she gave me a kiss, despite knowing that we were being live streamed now meant she was either nervous, or…

Or she didn’t think we would be able to do so again. The second option is honestly the more concerning of the two, but that will only matter if we don’t make it out.

“These Guardians of the Universes have asked for the assistance of our Astria…” General Tigran continues.

I grimace at the way my own lame name for us is now being used as our moniker. Gods, that is such a stupid title. As soon as she said the name, both Jesses just turned their attentions towards me and sighed.

Sorry. I mouthed, not quite knowing what else to do.

Fortunately, the pageantry ended when the General realized we were all looking at her.

“With that, we will now be able to pay it forward. Thanks to Professor Astria, we have created a one-way dimensional gate to an alternate universe. An alternate universe that is now being ravaged by a Behemoth like the one we just fought. With that, I present to you, the Guardians of the Universes.”

Fake Applause.

They literally pumped in the sound of fake applause. The reason why, was no one else was here. The only four people in the gymnasium proper were Astria, and the three of us. Everyone else had tactfully decided to send in drones to record everything that was going on.

With our cue being presented to us. Both Jesses held their now free hands out towards the pulsing blob of an alien monster heart and fired.

Within the first few seconds, the protective coating of the beast dropped, but little else. If anything, the heart seemed to beat once or twice, then stopped.

Once their first volley was over, the two Jesses paused, then looked at each other. Then in that creepy children of the corn way they have, they seemed to come to some unspoken agreement and nodded at each other. Then both held up their hands towards the portal.

Then after a second of nothing happening, they turned back to me.

The glare they gave me caused me to almost jump on reflex.

“What?” I mouthed in a theatric stage whisper. One that was echoed back to me a few dozen times due to reverberating microphone feedback.

“Don’t stop channeling, until it is fully dead.” Alien Jess said, her eyes focused with determination. At her gaze I felt a shiver run down my spine.

“Okay.” I began.

Then I started channeling energy into and through the two. As soon as the energy entered them, it was spun, about enhanced and then sent at intense speeds right through the one-way portal to the alien menace.

I swear this was the best thing possible. We don’t even have to get close; we didn’t even have to be within the same universe. Just point Astria in the right direction, find a target, and aim.

One volley was fired. Then a second, then a third. Each time I was already reloading the two Jesses, before they had to ask. I could tell they were determined to see this through to the end. A second time, then a third time.

I began seeing black swirls form in my mind. I could feel my mind fighting to remain conscious. I was tired. So, so tired, and cold.

Finally, after what felt like an endless barrage. The monstrous heart burst, at which time a final stream of energy was fired from both Jesses, as a just in case.

Well, they also needed to fire the pulse, or else the rebounding energy would tear up their insides. Well tear their insides up more than they already were being torn up.

Then finally, then monster disappeared into a gooey marshmallowy slime.

I was so excited, that I could barely contain myself.

We had done it. Holy shit it burned worse than that one lifetime when I got that STD, while I was on tour of a remote alien world. But we had done it. We had survived.

“We did it?” I said, as I shook the two Jesses.

With that, it was as if a spell had been cast. Their firm resolve of standing still faltered. They stopped and turn their gazes towards me. At which point I was horrified by what I saw.

Blood rolled down their eyes and ears.

I had been stupid, so stupid. I immediately went to cast Healing-X on the girls, only to realize that this of course meant I had to release my control over the portal that I was maintaining. Letting the portal go, a portal that showed a universe that was now safe from the Alpha Behemoth, I suddenly felt so lost.

We had won, but at what cost?

Worse, I could feel my own body breaking down from within.

I felt liquid pouring down my face. Only after an inadvertent swipe, did I realize I too was bleeding from my eyes.

We were dying.

We had done it, a pyrrhic victory.

Healing-X.

Nothing.

“No, no, no.” I began, as I once again focused my mind and cast Healing-X.

Again nothing.

“No, no, no.” By now more fluids were pouring down my face, not just blood. I swiped at it and only felt the solid twist of blood going over.

“I, love yo…” Jess began.

“No, shut up. No! You can’t! Not like this!” I swore at her, but even as I said the words, I could feel her life force fading. She had pushed herself far beyond the brink of death. Only the fact that she still had a mission to do, kept her alive.

I turned my attention from my Jess, to see that Alien Jess was already gone. Her life, her spark, her energy it was all pale. She too had died. She had died, and no one was around to even notice. I didn’t even notice, so focused was I on my own Jess, that I missed her final moments.

Fuck.

I felt so rotten.

Then I turned back and saw that my own Jess was gone now too. Just like that, the time of two heart beats, two lives were gone.

“FUCCKKKK!” I screamed.

There had to be a way, there must be a way!

Then I realized there was one thing I could do. One last desperate try to make it so none of this ever had to happen.

I had to move quickly.

I stood up, getting ready to move.

Bluh!

I vomited, the sudden intense strain on my organs caused me to vomit. Looking down, I saw it was blood. I had vomited up blood. I didn’t have much time left; worse I was the only one who could do something to fix this.

Everyone else was likely okay with this, some random stranger comes in, sacrifices himself for the cause then dies. But I told you at the beginning I am not a martyr. I don’t deserve that title, and I will not get that title if I can avoid it, fuck that.

I took a few awkward steps, like Bambi learning to walk. Then when I was stable, I focused my mind and nothing.

Focus!

Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself. Then I moved.

Total Recall.

This time it worked.

Poof.