Unchosen Champion

Coop spotted the lodge on Placid Lake while it was still far in the distance. The night after the Lighthouse’s official induction into intergalactic relations had already come and gone and Coop hadn’t wasted any time while mentally recovering from the crash course in the affairs between sovereign states. He covered significant ground traveling up the mainland peninsula, intent on fulfilling his own role in safeguarding the faction.

The pastel purple and gray-blue sunrise that started a brand new day reflected off the surfaces of water like a mirror, disguising the horizon. The effect highlighted the man-made structure, causing it to stand out against the natural environment while it was still far away. The lodge rose above flat ground on top of slender stilts that were reflected by the smooth water around it.

Almost the entire Florida mainland had been transformed into a grassy river by the unimpeded Everglades. If not for the cypress stands rising from swamps, drier pine rockland strips, and the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, the peninsula might have become a calm shallow reef wedged between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, the unique natural region had been reinvigorated, reclaiming territory from Orlando all the way through the southern edges of the peninsula. Thousands of wide grassy rivers slowly crawled across the land, flowing so gently as to seem still, collectively forming a distinctive realm that encompassed the entire region.

Luckily for Coop’s navigational skills, the path to the Outpost was mostly linear. His allies built a boardwalk that weaved north from Empress City, crossing the wetlands almost the entire way north. Even while his spear throws shot him across the sky at an increased pace, with his thoughts in the stars, he wasn’t able to get lost, so long as he kept the trail in his vision.

At night, when he first started traveling, there were patrols periodically moving along the boardwalk, claiming the narrow strip for the Lighthouse, keeping it safe. Groups of Empress City residents carried torches that warded away the darkness. They may have felt isolated by the encroaching night, but from above, Coop could see that they weren’t solitary beacons, but a slow chain of coordinated teams shifting between rest stops. Everyone was doing their part.

It was morning by the time Coop reached the end of the line, leaving the patrols behind as they settled into the relative security of the small hut-like guard posts that had been constructed periodically along the trail. He adjusted his next spear throw to make a soft landing at the edge of the final small island, surrounded by a donut-shaped lake, happy with how quickly he reached his destination.

The Outpost was closer to Orlando than he expected, probably somewhere in what was previously Osceola County. He had to praise his allies for successfully carving their way so far north. The ground covered was comparable to the space between Corozal and Cancun, keeping in mind that Earth had been inconsistently stretched by the activation of mana.

Even if the land hadn’t grown, it would have been unforgiving to cross by foot. Mr. Gibson had excitedly explained how his party had spearheaded the path through the expansive Everglades while Coop roamed the rainforests of the Yucatan. The highlight being when they defeated a wild Field Boss and used its nest to establish an Outpost at the end of the line. On the way, they had discovered two different Primal Constructs for Coop to hunt.

Coop made rapid progress traversing the wilderness, in large part thanks to his Mistwalking skill evolution, but because of the approaching settlement event, he hadn’t allowed himself to stop and introduce himself to the local monster variants. The invaders were being spared from his consideration for the moment. Instead, Coop concentrated on making sure he avoided losing his way.

Jackson and Fabiana’s forces out of Empress City had channeled the energy of the citizens of South Florida into productive projects after Coop and Marcus’s successful influence after the conclusion of their civil war. While Empress City was largely limited by mana as they constructed a much larger settlement than Ghost Reef itself, they harnessed the excess vigor and took to taming the trail northward with enthusiasm. Multiple Guild Houses sent their members in an effort to ensure that the project was successful. They knew they would benefit from having access to the wilds or a land connection to their neighboring settlement, depending on the nature of the Guild.

Coop hadn’t spent any time visiting Empress City, merely passing through on his way north while it was already dark. He did use a portion of their limited mana to use one of Ghost Reef’s newer settlement abilities to make his own mission slightly easier.

Champion Projection was awarded when Ghost Reef became a City and it gave him the ability to transport himself to one of the subordinate settlements at a significant cost to both shard’s mana pools. It was a one way trip, but it saved him the initial boat ride from Ghost Reef to the mainland.

In this case, he thought it was a reasonable expense given that Empress City would be avoiding direct participation in the upcoming event by virtue of lacking an Underlayer Gateway. Ghost Reef would be handling the invading armies, with the explicit goal of claiming the control points for each of their subordinate settlements at the absolute minimum. Ghost Reef was geared up for war in the Underlayer while essentially fighting on a galactic front as well, but Empress City and Neptune’s Bridge were free to maintain their positions and focus on their own development. They could spare some mana for Coop’s visit.

The actual experience of teleportation hadn’t been particularly special. There were no alternate dimensions that he drifted through while his existence was sent across space, and nothing entered his senses that might reveal more secrets of the universe. Instead, he essentially blinked and reappeared in a new location, though his entire body tingled for a few minutes afterwards. The uncanny feeling mirrored his regrown arm just a bit too closely, making him think that his body hadn’t been transported so much as it had been reconstructed, but he tried not to think about it too much. If it worked it worked.

Coop shouldn’t have been surprised, but Champion Jackson Hobbs wasn’t content to idly sit on his hands when Ghost Reef geared up to fight battles on their behalf. When Coop arrived in Empress City, he found that the former Chosen of the Endless Empire had been integrated into the so-called Conch Republic Army. Together, both sides of the civil war were gearing up for transport to Ghost Reef, explicitly to participate in the Underlayer Event. Empress City was an active place these days, and the residents had internalized that energetic lifestyle as a sort of regional identity.

Jackson intended to lead them to Ghost Reef, though he at least conceded to Fabiana as she insisted on letting the Flame Knight, Javier, actually lead their forces into battle in the Underlayer. Coop saw no obvious reasons to turn them away, so as he left Empress City, the general structure of their reinforcements were being organized.

At this point, if the vestiges of the Endless Empire attempted some kind of coup on Ghost Reef, they would be completely annihilated by any one of the alien residents. The fact that Maeve and the others were unshackled by the system in their ability to defend Coop’s claim on the shard meant that Ghost Reef was completely secure from such a mundane threat.

As far as he could tell, there were only three legitimate threats to the settlement remaining. The first was obviously the Eradication Protocol and the forces of mana itself. It had been a while since any Icons had revealed themselves, but that didn’t negate the fact that they were lurking in the background of their assimilation until mana adequately activated for them to mobilize.

The second was from the outside factions of the universe. Even if they were limited by system rules, they could still pierce the assimilation while remaining within the guideposts provided for faction wars. For now, they were under control, thanks to Balor and the other contracted residents along with the phantoms.

The third would come from the Primal Constructs, especially through the settlement events. The regular invaders were basically fodder for the residents of Ghost Reef, but the actual settlement events represented an unpredictable variable for them to contend with. Even the schedule of such events was up in the air. Since they could come at any time, it meant that they needed to be constantly progressing throughout the assimilation in order to always be prepared. Actual physical attacks on Ghost Reef by the Primal Constructs would be defended by the alien additions to the faction, but if there were more roundabout ways that the invaders could take control of settlements through the settlement events, it would be up to the unassimilated members to counter them.

In any case, Coop felt like he could relax when it came to letting outsiders visit Ghost Reef. Between the residents, the phantoms, and now the extraordinary power of the aliens, the Core of the Lighthouse was beyond safeguarded from the mundane threats presented by the human Chosen of various factions.

Neptune’s Bridge wouldn’t be providing the same commitment as Empress City. Frankly, the former Sapphire Armada’s sailors were already embedding themselves within Ghost Reef’s Navy and contributing in that manner. Coop wouldn’t be able to distinguish them from any other residents that chose to join the pirate crews, so they were already doing what they could to pull their own weight. Admiral Kayla had been active in recruiting sailors. They had come from all sorts of places, from the residents of Ghost Reef, Empress City, and Neptune’s Bridge, but also from her fleet scouring the islands of the Caribbean.

Anyone that had survived on any of the islands from Cuba to Barbados had been visited by a ship from the Tempest Fleet and invited to take shelter in Ghost Reef. If not for the enormous creatures occupying the Atlantic, the fleet would probably have visited other continents by the time Coop returned from the Yucatan. The former pirates were beyond effective, and as their forces grew, so did their range.

During the Underlayer Event, the Navy would be responsible for defending beyond the perimeter of their settlement territory while the residents focused on the underground. Ghost Reef’s settlement was comfortably secure, but the lanes between their Core settlement and the subordinates would take constant maintenance. The residents of Neptune’s Bridge were already contributing more than enough by safeguarding their nautical territory from the increasing pressure of what they affectionately described as sea monsters. Meanwhile, their home settlement was still besieged on both sides by Primal Constructs. Compared to Empress City, Champion Hali didn’t have as much leeway to shift resources around.

Shane’s party had established a solid defensive strategy for the Orlando Settlement, turning the city’s long bridges into a tower defense game for the residents. Unfortunately, they required constant manpower. Sparing forces for the Underlayer Event was out of the question according to Coop’s trusted guard captain. Ghost Reef would make sure that the Neptune’s Bridge control point in the Underlayer was secure as their top priority to avoid adding to their already beleaguered position.

The Jaguar Sun was in a similar predicament as the residents of the Orlando settlement. The Corozal Outpost was essentially another settlement, but they wouldn’t be subject to the Underlayer Event. Instead, Tzultacaj, Juliana, Sierra, and Mateo had to contend with the remaining minions of the Lich as well as Primal Constructs without a settlement spreading territory to keep the monsters under control.

Coop anticipated that the Jaguars would find a solid equilibrium, considering the extraordinary resilience of the Central American warriors, but the immediate future would be a time to secure as much of a foothold as possible against potential Primal Construct growth. He was confident that Shane and the other forces from Ghost Reef would leave them in a good position, and of course, Ghost Reef’s Navy would be a constant connection with the Yucatan should resources need to be shifted around.

The only other group he felt the need to keep track of was the bloc of individuals that had joined his faction from Neon Park. Charlie and Camila had recruited a coalition that existed within the northeast alliance, and as he understood it, represented neighborhoods concentrated in the Bronx. They assured him they were in good hands with the local leaders finding their own way to succeed thus far in the assimilation.

All in all, everyone in the Lighthouse’s growing empire was accounted for. It would just be up to Ghost Reef’s residents to deliver on the promise of security for their allies.

Coop finally landed on the boardwalk after three more mistjumps, beneath the stairs that led up into the Placid Lake lodge. He made a small commotion, clearing his voice as he approached, to reveal his arrival and draw the local guards out from the building.

Sure enough, he was confronted by a group of nervous looking Empress City soldiers. They weren’t sure what to make of the sudden guest, but they were at least aware that Coop would be coming eventually.

“Yo.” Coop tried casually breaking the ice.

It felt like he was relieving a scouting party embedded in the no man’s land of a more traditional war with all of the subtle ways their posture revealed their discomfort. They did their best to assess Coop, struggling with the dichotomy of his demeanor, his unreadable level, and the hints that leaked from his aura.

“You’re Coop, right?” He was asked by the youngest member of the squad, the first to take a guess after a brief pause where they all exchanged nervous glances.

“That’s right.” Coop nodded. “Heard there were monsters around here for me to check out.” He added with a friendly smile. He didn’t need to fake it; it felt good to be useful.

The guard nodded back with just a little bit of awe at Coop’s enthusiasm to find monsters. Once they confirmed his identity as much as they could, they explained the Placid Lake Outpost’s situation.

Basically, there was what appeared to be an Infestation, not yet a Hive, that originated from the north of the lake. It was essentially a swamp of saw grasses, spanish moss covered cypress, and flowing shallow waters at the perimeter, but under the original advice of Mr. Gibson, they avoided scouting further beyond what they could see at the fringes. For all they knew, there was an alien fortress bolstering an army in the interior, though Coop had already seen that it was just more Everglades deeper in the swamp from the air. The main problem for the guards was that over time, the area that was claimed by the Infestation was expanding, as if it had a life of its own, and by the time Coop arrived, the Outpost was a small island surrounded by the quest area.

“We aren’t stuck here forever, are we?” The younger guard asked nervously. “The quest area is spreading a lot faster than the Outpost, so we’re completely surrounded now.”

The current group of guards were the first ones to be completely engulfed, and they had been worried that they wouldn’t be allowed to leave. It wasn’t yet time for their replacements to arrive, but fear was making them believe they would be abandoned to the mysterious dangers that lurked in the wilderness. The actual function of the Infestation was still mostly unknown to the people involved in the assimilation, and the actual nomenclature of Infestations and Hives didn’t exactly provide a pleasant impression. Coop might just be the most experienced quest clearer alive, so he did his best to reassure them that they would be fine to leave.

“Nah, don’t worry.” Coop casually dismissed the concerns. “There shouldn’t be any physical restrictions, so you can come and go as you please. There will probably be a specific minion type that’s establishing territory for some kinda leader. Once I deal with the quest, it should be completely fine.” He shrugged as he amended his statement. “Or at least as fine as any other section of the boardwalk.”

The fact that the borders of the Infestation were expanding at a faster pace than the Outpost’s territory made the guards uneasy. Mr. Gibson had done a good job instilling the dangers of the quest area, but he was also limited by the information he had gleaned from Coop’s adventures and the underground Hive that had formed beneath Ghost Reef’s fort. In any case, Coop promised to take care of things and suggested they stick to their schedule in the meantime.

He left them in the elevated lodge with their vigilance renewed. Coop took one more mistjump to cross the deeper section of the lake and land on a mat of bent grasses at the edge of the rest of the marsh. His legs slowly sank into the cool water, the vegetation not buoyant enough to sustain his weight, until he settled waist deep in the mire. Entering the Infestation properly revealed the quest to him, so he took a second to open his status.

[Status]

HP - 19250/19250

MP - 36000/36000

Class - Revenant (Level 237)

Profession - Scavenging (Level 162)

Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal

Race - Human (Rank 1)

Faction - The Lighthouse

Strength - 125 (+3600)

Agility - 125 (+1800)

Body - 125 (+1800)

Mind - 3000 (+600)

Intelligence - 125 (+3600)

Acumen - 125 (+1800)

Unallocated - 0

Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer IX, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender, Valor XXIV, Dedicated, Dynamo

Skills (Active) - Mistwalking

Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose

Quests - Fortune Seeker (20/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis, Settle the Infestation (0/6000)

Basic Credits - 7,804,244

“6,000...” Coop muttered to himself as he confirmed the quest objective.

It appeared to be an absolutely huge Infestation. He was harboring some doubts regarding whether or not he would be able to finish before the settlement event began. It would be a problem if he couldn’t clear the quest before he had to leave, considering his experience with the previous Infestations had demonstrated their ability to refresh themselves quite easily.

Mr. Gibson had also told him that the quest required 5,000 rather than 6,000. Unless the man was mistaken, the Infestation was actively growing more than just its territory. It looked like Coop would have his work cut out for him.

If he remembered correctly, the Zombie Lord had established his territory on the offshore oil rig with a mere 200 Elite Zombies representing his claim. Similarly, the Fairy’s Inkcap Mushroom and the High Priestess of the Butterfly Cave had created an Infestation with 200 Elite Sporeguards. Even the more advanced formation, the Hive that had lingered beneath the fort of Ghost Reef, required him to defeat 200 Elite Ruin Excavators before vanquishing Felrog, the named Field Boss. Obviously, something was drastically different when it came to the Placid Lake Infestation. A 30-fold increase in the designated monsters was something to take note of.

Coop shifted forward, curious enough about what he would find in the heart of the Everglades to temporarily distract himself from everything else that was going on.