Unchosen Champion

Coop accompanied Jones, Camila, and Charlie as they entered the Clumsy Shark together. It was still the premiere hangout in Ghost Reef, despite the growing population driving demand for other venues that were popping up around the fort, diversifying the options. The group sat themselves at a table in the center of the half-filled dining area of the Tavern, letting themselves in just like old times. The main difference was that they were surrounded by phantoms and a small number of human residents who were scattered between the bar, the central tables, and the more private booths. The place certainly had more customers compared to when the population of the island was barely above 10 total residents.

Even with the majority of human residents following Madison to Central America, the atmosphere of the tavern was like a relatively busy breakfast spot after the early rush was settling down on a lazy Saturday morning. A handful of waiters checked on tables while groups took their time and enjoyed each other's company. The fire crackled beneath the mantle of the large fireplace and the large carpet-like tapestries that were hung from the wooden rafters against the walls muted the conversations that were taking place, though bouts of laughter still managed to fill the room. The sounds of their seats sliding on the wooden floor did nothing to diminish the ambiance.

The relaxed setting was a welcome change compared to what Coop had experienced in the Yucatan. Only Juan, the fisherman in Corozal, could create a similar feeling, but even then, the other elders were always keeping an eye on how things were developing, doing what they could to make sure they wouldn’t be caught by surprise. The dynamic of the Yucatan had required a level of vigilance that never quite went away. Inside the Clumsy Shark, Coop felt like he was the only one with any worries.

The appetizing scent of the house stew filled Coop with nostalgia for the simpler times where he was blissfully ignorant of the constant greater threats to their survival. The Ancient Defenders had been enough of a challenge for him back then, while Balor and Jones focused on the layout of the undeveloped fort courtyard. Coop felt like he should be savoring the brief respite.

A human waiter came to take their orders, holding a pad and stubby pencil-like writing implement, even with the easy to remember menu, like he was brand new. Coop glanced around the room, finding it odd that Desmond and Maeve were absent despite assurances that the alien residents were back to work. There were only humans and phantoms within the dining area, eating or serving. In fact, now that he thought about it, Coop hadn’t seen any contracted residents in the settlement at all. That seemed strange. He shook his head, trying to focus on one concern at a time. Two if he added filling his stomach with being brought up to speed with regard to the Underlayer Event.

Jones refrained from ordering, having already eaten, but the other three all requested bowls of stew, the house special. The waiter left them to their conversation with a pleasant smile. Coop was amused because he didn’t think the man recognized him, instead deferring to Jones as the senior representative of the settlement. Coop wouldn’t have it any other way.

Charlie was uncharacteristically chatty and Coop was happy to listen to the eager descriptions of their trip, saving his topics for when they were all caught up. She was really excited to share her observations of Neon Park, from the ivy-like vines climbing the skyscrapers, the gargoyle-like Primal Construct variants, the outer boroughs defensive patrols, and the safety established in a communal underground. She tried to share every detail with Camila adding particulars to help paint an accurate picture.

Coop had to admit, he felt a twinge of regret that he hadn’t been able to accompany them to the post-mana version of New York City. From what they shared with him, it was another massive settlement, easily rivaling what the Cult of Chakyum had established in the Yucatan Settlement, but without all of the Oaths, human sacrifice, and necromancy. Instead, it had embraced the stubborn resistance that was also personified within Ghost Reef, though with a different “don’t tell me what to do,” kind of attitude toward the broader galactic community.

The fact that an Unchosen bartender and a DJ had claimed the civilization shard and managed to hold onto it while hundreds of factions, Chosen or not, vied for control was a testament to the pair’s shrewd savviness and outright strength. Coop got the impression that they would be a force on any kind of battlefield, whether it came down to physical conflict or diplomacy. Coop was happy to hear that they already considered Ghost Reef an ally, though the distance would make networking difficult. Taming the wilds in between would be a project for another time, one that Coop didn’t think he would be adding to his list any time soon.

In turn, Coop shared the details of his adventure in Central America, starting with Corozal and culminating in the incredible reinforcements brought by Charlie’s mother. The Jaguar Sun may not have been nearly as organized as their newest allies in the Northeast, but they had their own admirable virtues that Coop was happy to espouse. Rather than clever diplomacy, they expressed the resilience that Coop respected in the human spirit. Between Tzultacaj the Thunder Axe, Juliana the Beast Soul, Mateo the Ingenious Guerrilla, and Sierra the Cloud Dancer, Coop thought the Jaguar Sun Elites could rival the best that Neon Park could offer. Coop teased the girls as if they were agents of the respective groups, claiming the superiority of the Jaguars.

Camila and Charlie hadn’t seen most of Neon Park’s combat potential, but they weren’t ready to concede anything. Even though Neon Park hadn’t been under the same combat pressures as the Mayan rebellion, the combination of the elites in Camila’s family with Platinum and Neon would already present equally potent levels, and the population of Neon Park and its allies was even larger than the Yucatan’s.

Luckily for everyone involved, Ghost Reef would be the bridge between the different groups. Together they were building a united force that recognized the external threats that endangered them all.

Coop and Charlie were having fun trying to demystify Camila’s grandmother, who, despite always presenting an elegant facade, was easily the single most notorious individual in the northeast. It wasn’t entirely due to her connections, but also because of whatever skills she had revealed early in the assimilation in an effort to secure untamed territory for her community. Apparently, she had been so successful, no one with a working survival instinct was willing to test her or her grandchildren. That level of respect even applied to Camila, who further benefited from her own reputation as the missing member of the family that independently established herself on the leaderboards.

The casual conversations were enough for Coop to briefly forget the pressures of the assimilation. Coop hadn’t felt the same relief in a long time.

As their food arrived, Coop noticed Jones chuckling to himself like a chaperone listening to kids on a field trip argue about which superheroes would have the upperhand in a competition, knowing full well that the heroes would always end up on the same side. Coop shifted the conversation to include the island’s caretaker, sharing some of his idle thoughts on mana affinities. He watched Jones’s ears perk up, especially when he described his preliminary analogy where they could apply color theory to the affinities, using the color wheel as a visual guide.

Coop’s idea started by placing his own Spectral affinity in the center of a ring, feeling like it was a more neutral mana flavor that existed in between other extremes, but the overall idea was based on the affinities of the Herald of Cosmos and the additional power she appeared to wield because of them. He thought her Void and Stellar affinities represented complementary types that would be on opposite sides of the wheel, but both Jones and Charlie had their own combinations to add to the puzzle.

Charlie’s Wind, Rain, and eventually Lightning affinities were analogous types that would be on the same half of his imagined wheel. The fact that they ended up combining into a more dominant Storm affinity was a completely unique situation as far as Coop had seen, but affinities were rare enough that other than Jett, he couldn’t think of anyone else that had reached three. Perhaps the combination shifted her onto an interior track of the wheel, or the opposite, into an outer echelon.

Jones, on the other hand, had a pair of affinities that were neither opposites nor analogous. Stone and Blood had resulted in a racial evolution after his blood curse was removed, though they were just guessing at the cause and effect. Coop suggested that his affinities were two of three triadic types that would be evenly spaced on the wheel, otherwise, there might be another flavor in between that could turn them into a combination akin to Charlie’s.

Still, Coop was just spitballing. Why hadn’t Jett’s combined or had some other obvious impact on her build? Was she assembling another combination that required four? It seemed possible, but he couldn’t even use his theory to explain his own affinities. Maybe instead of a simple color wheel it should also include shades, tones, and tints, or even be a sphere instead of a two-dimensional ring. It very quickly became too complicated for him to imagine, but he had definitely given Jones something to deliberate on. Given the wide variety of affinities, it seemed like it would keep the old academic busy while Coop was exploring battlefields.

Coop watched as his friends became engrossed in the conversation, laughing at particularly ridiculous suggestions while adding their own dubious thoughts. He just basked in it for a few minutes, watching as Jones expressed sophisticated theories to the very serious looking Charlie while Camila leaned back in her chair, angling her face toward the ceiling and adding her own concepts.

Eventually, Coop brought them back on track with a sad sigh. As nice as it was to simply enjoy the company, he knew as well as anyone that the break could only be brief. Somehow, being with his friends had done more to refresh him than the good night’s sleep.

“Don’t we need to be getting ready for this Underlayer Event?” Coop finally presented his main concern to the table. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been feeling nervous about it ever since the announcement.” He admitted. “It wasn’t like the Siege Event was a walk in the park, plus we probably need to help Empress City and Neptune’s Bridge at the same time. I doubt things will be easy for us.”

“We’re ready.” Jones asserted confidently. “We’re far more prepared than we were before the Siege Event, when we were hardly keeping up in terms of levels. Besides, the initial challenge of an Underlayer Event is reaching the Underlayer in the first place.” He pointed toward the center of the settlement, obstructed by the walls of the tavern beyond the bar. “That’s what Balor’s Tower was for, remember?”

Charlie bobbed her head from Jones’s side, apparently sharing the old caretaker’s confidence. “Neon Park had thousands of people scouring the tunnels for access, and in the end there was only a cavern upstate, near the edge of their territory, that the entire alliance will have to share because they couldn’t find any alternatives.” She added. “They only got that much of a head start thanks to Marcus and Neon, but they will have to physically make it down. We have a huge advantage that ours is within the settlement and already assembled by Balor.”

“It’s unlikely most settlements will even find an access point and make it down. They’ll forfeit the Underlayer portion completely.” Jones concluded, applying knowledge of the system event to his statement. “Even with a path down, the journey could prove too difficult to arrive in time.”

Coop wasn’t entirely satisfied, mostly because he still felt like he was out of the loop. “I need someone to explain what we know about the event already. I’ve been hiking through rainforests ever since the announcement. I don’t even really know what the Underlayer is.”

Jones took the lead, letting the others continue eating while he elaborated on what he had learned through a combination of research in the archive and discussions with the contracted residents. Coop was amused as the senior caretaker put on his metaphoric professor hat and began an academic lecture. It had been a while since he was subject to one of the old man’s lessons.

“The Underlayer is essentially a series of enormous caves that are formed deep underground at the start of an assimilation. Whether this is an accidental consequence or a deliberate result of planets expanding seems to be unknown, but it is a phenomenon that occurs consistently across the galactic community. Some Underlayers are deeper than others, and I suspect the difference is due to the original size of each planet being variable.” Jones began, adding his own insight as he went.

“Huh.” Coop grunted curious about why the planets would be modified to a specific standard. He could guess at least one reason and he raised it to the table. “So the planets are definitely being terraformed, right?” He asked, feeling like it was the explanation that made the most sense, though the thought just added one more thing to keep in the back of his mind.

“It’s certainly a possibility.” Jones agreed, pausing for a bit as they considered the implications. Hopefully, Lyriel’s intel had been correct, and the creator species really was extinct, otherwise, Coop suspected that all of their struggles with the system would eventually be rendered irrelevant.

Jones didn’t let them linger on the idea, focusing on the physical features to begin with. “In any case, there is a new layer in the geology of Earth, most likely immediately beneath the crust. It should be quite enormous, large enough to have similar climate patterns to the surface, though it will lack familiar features that would take time to establish. More importantly, we shouldn’t expect to find any flora or fauna. Other Underlayers are massive, barren earth caverns with the defining feature being the presence of rich amounts of pure mana.”

“Mana flows freely through the Underlayer and this is where the idea of ley lines comes from.” Jones tapped his finger against the table. “Most in the galactic community liken planets to Mana Seeds and the Underlayer as a planet-wide Mana Well, but there are obvious differences that call that interpretation into doubt. For instance, there are no natural minions or manifestations in the layer whereas Mana Wells are universally teeming with mana-warped creatures.”

Coop scrunched his face with distaste. “No monsters?”

Jones shook his head. “No monsters.” He confirmed to Coop's endless disappointment. “There is some sort of erosion to any mana in the Underlayer that causes it to rejoin the ley lines. It won’t have any effect in the short term, but over time, manifestations will break down. This prevents those in the galactic community from permanently occupying the layer anywhere in the known universe. The mana infusion that Balor applied to the fort’s walls would cause them to crumble inside the Underlayer, for example, and that is a standard building practice throughout the community.”

“Weird.” Coop commented, wondering if affinities had anything to do with it. Ley lines were supposed to be pure mana, but every minion, manifestation, and construction was established through mana with an affinity.

Jones nodded in agreement as he went on. “Unlike Siege Events, Underlayer Events are an abnormal choice for a planetary sponsor. If they are used at all, they are typically reserved for much later. These types of events function best as an attempt to dislodge the most reinforced territories due to their nature. They are open-field battles over control points beneath each civilization shard. Fortifications are removed as a variable, thus negating the structural advantages of hardened settlements.”

Jones went on as Coop frowned, feeling even more worried about the settlement event as the explanation went on. That was Ghost Reef’s advantage Jones was talking about so unconcernedly.

“If the defenders can’t remove the invaders before the time is up, the invaders will be granted a pocket within the settlement’s territory on the surface. My understanding is that this would effectively create a foothold, but at this stage of the assimilation, there hasn’t been enough time for any settlements to truly expand to the point that shifting the front line with the planetary sponsor would be necessary.” Jones concluded.

Coop nodded along, finally feeling like he was in the loop. “Well, you said most settlements won’t even make it into the Underlayer. Maybe they’re trying to do to the other settlements what ended up happening to Neptune’s Bridge. If the Primal Constructs are given the opportunity, they can build these Fallen Zones before the settlements are established enough to dislodge them. Even the relatively organized and powerful Sapphire Armada preferred to fight us instead of dealing with their front yard, I can only imagine it would be worse for settlements that are already struggling.”

“Seems like a good way to carve out large sections of unclaimed land as well.” Camila added, putting her spoon down. “People will naturally avoid those areas if they can, just letting the Primal Constructs gain ground without any challenge.”

“Hm.” Coop murmured. The dangers presented by the event eroded the idea that the invaders had fallen low on the list of real threats after the Siege Event boosted Ghost Reef far beyond their development. “Maybe I wrote off the Primal Constructs too soon.” He considered. “Any of these settlement events could turn them right back into a planetary threat.” Coop looked around the table. “But why aren’t you guys worried? I feel like we should be worried.”

“Because it’s a system event.” Camila stated conclusively. “Every resident of Ghost Reef can hold their own when the enemies are restricted by the system. Even the newest among us are already catching up, beating the leveling curve. The Primal Constructs will be shocked when an organized army arrives through a previously established Underlayer Gateway. Plus, if things really get out of hand, like last time, we’ve got a secret weapon.”

“Oh?” Coop raised his eyebrows, excited to learn about some new development around the settlement. “What’s that?”

She pointed her spoon at him. “You.” She responded matter-of-factly.