Unchosen Champion

Coop headed across the bridge to see Ledwidge in the training facility. He still had more errands to run, but he really didn’t want to miss the first of the army’s official training sessions. He was honestly nervous, depending on how it went, he would gain or lose confidence in their chances during whatever challenges the settlement events brought.

The training yard was filled nearly to the limit with phantoms. They were buzzing with energy, mingling with each other, vaguely grouped up into larger companies. Coop found a spot on one of the sides, relatively out of the way, and joined them in waiting for the training to begin. He figured a full division of soldiers were in attendance along with their support phantoms and wraiths. He should probably know how his army was structured, but he’d leave that alone for now. If the settlement would be successful, most of the responsibilities would need to be delegated anyway, and structuring the army was just the first of many things he would let others take care of. Coop was more interested in their individual skills for the immediate future. Teamwork and tactics would come with time and experience.

Ledwidge appeared on a wooden platform that seemed to be built of living wood in front of the crowd. He was joined by several other people. Some were expected, like Gideon and Shane, as they were the leaders of his army and security. He spotted Arthur waiting in the shadows behind the platform. He was also expected, though he wasn’t really the leader of anything. Coop shrugged and thought for a second before he decided Arthur was the head of Intelligence. Coop briefly entertained the idea of spies, but that was something else he would almost certainly delegate.

Captain Kayla was a surprise addition to the stage, as she had her navy separate from the army. They were also joined by Marcus, who was helping a very old man stand on the platform. The old man was in a white cap with a black dress coat, fully buttoned, with a white dress shirt and black tie underneath, black pants, and black dress shoes. The wrists of his jacket had yellow stripes and stars and the breast was completely covered in medals, ribbons, and a prominent gold insignia. Coop didn’t know much about the military, but he could still guess that the old guy was an extremely decorated, highly ranked veteran. He looked frail, hunched over, as he relied on Marcus to remain standing, but Coop thought seeing one of the newest residents already involved was a good thing.

Once the group was situated in the center of the platform, one of Ledwidge’s arms started growing conspicuously. He gripped the thickening arm’s wrist with his other trunk sized hand, and with a crack that silenced the crowd, broke it off like dry tinder. He slammed the butt of the broken piece against the platform, revealing both of his hands fully intact, each clenching the bo staff that he had just sprouted. It was as thick as a telephone pole, but in the hands of the 7 foot treant it seemed like the right size.

“Phantoms of Ghost Reef! I welcome you! My name is Ledwidge, and I will be in charge of your basic training.” The alien’s voice was deep and clear, projected across the training yard effortlessly so that no one could ignore his words. “I have consulted with experts on human training to develop a program that will have you rise to your Champion’s expectations.” He swept his gaze across the training yard, “It will not be easy. I’ve trained with countless armies over the millenia, but I’ve never heard of such a rigorous program.” He paused and glanced at the old man before returning his attention to the crowd. “For your sakes, I hope you will surprise me.” The treant stepped back and the old man stepped forward, pulling away from Marcus and suddenly looking reinvigorated.

“You heard that overgrown houseplant! This isn’t a vacation! It’s not meant to be easy! They told me you maggots were already dead. So, let me be the first to welcome you to Hell!” Coop raised his eyebrows at the old man’s aggression. He had come to see what kind of alien training techniques the phantoms were getting, but this was a far more familiar boot camp than he had anticipated. Coop could see that human-style training had infiltrated the treant’s plans. He thought that made sense, human training for humans, but he still hoped to see something new that would provide some strong influence.

Before they started, they were to be assessed. The first evaluation was a classic. Push ups. It only took a few minutes before Coop was already thinking about sneaking out. With his current strength and stamina he could do the simple exercise indefinitely, but the soldiers around him were periodically flashing in light as they gained a level here and there from the basic test. He figured it would be best to wait until they switched exercises before he exited the training. He didn’t want to make a scene by quitting during the very first assignment, but it didn’t seem like he would see any alien training methods today. He knew better than most that persistence paid off with all his grinding. He suspected that philosophy would remain true.

As the flashing of levels slowed down and the push ups continued, Ledwidge moved to the center of the yard and raised his massive bo staff over his head before he slammed the ground like he was chopping wood. Coop felt the training yard shake and watched as a shockwave kicked up the sand and expanded from the point of impact.

When the shockwave blasted past Coop he immediately felt pressure in his triceps, shoulders, chest, and abs. It was like the gravity had been turned up to 11. Coop pushed through, feeling like he had finally been challenged. He refused to back down after he already decided to participate until a better opportunity to leave, and at least this was something new.

He kept doing push ups despite the extra weight, feeling like the big treant himself had perched on his back and was increasing the weight with each repetition. He watched as his hands sank, embedding themselves into the packed ground. Sweat dripped off his nose and his muscles burned. It reminded him of the times when he first started running in the sand during his grind sessions. He clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and pushed on, refusing to stop. The soldiers around him slowed down and some ended up flat on their stomachs, but most kept going. He felt the additional weight constantly increasing, with every repetition, pushing him more and more. He thought with his level of stats he would be able to do a simple exercise like push ups forever, literally, but he was being pushed closer and closer to his limit as they continued.

“Stop!” Ledwidge’s deep voice shouted, announcing the end. Coop had lost track of time and struggled to catch his breath as he stood up. He rested his arms on his hips, feeling like they were jelly, and looked at his feet as his lungs heaved in their struggle for more oxygen. He wasn’t sure if they even needed oxygen, but he sucked in the air regardless. Sweat dripped from his hair in front of his face as Ledwidge congratulated the soldiers on a job well-done. Coop inched further to the side, planning to leave before the next activity. It was a fun challenge, but he didn’t have time for fun right now.

“I’m sure you noticed that this wasn’t just a simple exercise.” The treant began. “Mana manipulates our bodies such that training is as much a mental exercise as a physical one.” The treant’s branch crown shifted with his excitement and he grinned as a snowy plover landed on the twigs above his head. “This was a test! Every time you resisted the pressure applied by the training yard, it increased. When you gave in, the pressure stopped increasing, recording a combined score that includes your mental fortitude just as much as your strength!” The treant beamed. “You must train both in order to keep up with your physical abilities!”

The treant stood in the center of the yard and raised his staff. “A score in the triple digits is beyond excellent, if you accomplished such a feat, please step forward for special training. Regardless of your personal development, you will become elite. Now, let’s check your power rankings!” Ledwidge announced, and a giant scoreboard appeared like a hologram in the middle of the training yard.

Ledwidge coughed in surprise, “Well, look at that!” Coop winced at his name. So much for avoiding a scene.

#1. Coop - 70,624

#2. Hozanek - 411

#3. Chauncey McCaskey - 409

#4. Josiah Clay - 407

#5. Duncan Crawford - 407

…

#1501. Reese Maddock - 202

Coop didn’t know how to interpret the numbers, but considering he was competing with level 1 phantoms, he could make an educated guess that it was a reflection of the difference in their levels. The mental aspect was just whether or not they were capable of actually utilizing all of their Strength, and it seemed like humans in general were able to push themselves to their limits when they had sufficient motivation.

As the phantoms searched for their own names on the list, the courtyard was quiet. Ledwidge’s muttering carried through the crowd as he mumbled to himself. “That can’t be right… hundreds of levels already… Impossible.” He shook his head, causing the bird in his branches to flap its wings to keep balance. Then he scanned the crowd and realized everyone was waiting for him.

Ledwidge recovered quickly. “It looks like the Champion joined our first activity! What a surprise!” The treant banged the end of his staff on the ground and the plover flew off, toward the fort wall. The treant paused viewing the scoreboard. It took a long time for him to continue. “Well! I’m happy to be here on your Earth… You humans are special indeed. I admit I underestimated you.”

“Told you so!” The old man in the military dress uniform shouted from the platform where he had remained with Gideon while the soldiers started their training. “Weak-ass aliens.” He muttered loud enough to echo across the yard inciting some stifled laughter in the soldiers.

Ledwidge regained himself, “Looks like every single one of you will become an elite.” There were scattered cheers while the treant scanned the crowd. “Champion Coop, why don’t you say a few words to your first elite division!”

Coop cleared his throat and the people around him twisted to make room and look at him as they realized where he was. He didn’t know what to say. “Uh, I’m looking forward to great things from you. Keep up the good work.”

Someone shouted “Ghost Reef!” and others joined in with their own shouts or cheered with real enthusiasm. Coop took the opportunity to make his way to the exit, feeling awkward about getting caught joining the training. Soldiers patted him on the back and he smiled and waved while doing his best to look the part of a confident leader.

Shane, Arthur, Marcus, and Captain Kayla were waiting for him at the exit of the training facility and walked outside with him. They could still hear Ledwidge getting the soldiers ready for a squat challenge, encouraging them to exceed themselves.

“Keep up the good work!” Kayla laughed heartily, holding her stomach with one arm and slapping her leg with the other. “That was hilarious!”

“What? It wasn’t that bad.” Coop defended himself. “Was it?” He asked, quickly losing confidence as he watched the charismatic captain struggle to get ahold of herself.

“No, no, it was actually great. You’re definitely a ‘lead by example’ type.” Kayla stated, wiping away tears. “I was just expecting something more sensational after you posted that score. Like summoning your big glaive and raising it to the sky to challenge the gods and whatever factions sent them.” She gave a charismatic smile. “But that’s more my style, I think.” She claimed while Coop frowned, thinking that maybe he missed an opportunity to build morale.

“Actually, I think that was perfect.” Marcus interjected. “You really gave the impression that you were just one of the soldiers. Really good political instincts to actually join the training rather than observing from the front.”

“I agree, but it’s the sincerity of his actions that makes it work.” Arthur pointed out.

“But how did you rig the scores?” Shane interjected. “That was way beyond the expected top end. But, I guess even the regular soldiers demolished his predictions.”

“There’s no way he did, didn’t you see Master Ledwidge’s face?” Kayla pointed out. She slapped Coop’s sweaty arm. “Raw power, am I right?” She wiggled her eyebrows and when Coop just frowned, she laughed again.

“You heard him before. 1% elites was what he said.” Shane argued.

“What are you talking about?” Coop asked.

Arthur explained. “The first tests are for deciding who will get elite training. Ledwidge claimed no more than 10 or 15 would qualify by scoring above 100 in any of the tests.” Arthur put his hands out. “You saw the results, every single soldier easily cleared the bar, and we definitely weren’t expecting any scores above three digits.”

“The lowest score was over 200, and the support staff were included in the test. They were naturally expected to be lower and even they beat the threshold.” Shane observed.

“Maybe the test wasn’t calibrated right. I mean it was supposed to be for level ones and I’m obviously a bit beyond that.” Coop offered. “What are you two doing here anyway?” He wondered referring to Captain Kayla and Marcus.

Kayla smiled at him again. “I just wanted to learn more about our leveling process. You see, my crew got plenty of levels on our little expedition, even the ones who did nothing but swab the decks or hijack other boats. I wanted to know why, so I spoke to the tree man and he invited me to observe.” Coop hadn’t even realized the pirates were leveling, so he inspected Kayla.

[Spectral Human (Level 7)]

[Sea Witch (Intelligence)]

[Phantom of Ghost Reef]

[Enchanting (Siren)]

Coop was excited, “Did you all get different classes? What did he tell you about leveling?”

Kayla giggled at his recovered enthusiasm, but didn’t let him rush her to respond. After checking her nails for a moment, she finally told him.“I’d say 90% of my crew that reached level five selected from the same five classes, and the rest mostly had just one that differed. They almost universally selected the ones that differed as it was the most personalized to their natural talents.” Coop was really happy that they received classes at all, the fact that they were receiving a variety was even better.

“As for leveling, you regular, boring humans supposedly accumulate experience through a different process than we do and none of it is exactly understood. We’re just going by what the collective comprehension of factions have guessed at. Something about mana transference, absorption, and integration for you. We are different in that we are already at maximum saturation as manifestations of mana, which is artificially limited by the settlement’s level, so our levels come entirely from practical application. He called it mana refinement, mumbo jumbo, but I got the gist. We’ll sail for our levels.” Kayla finished explaining.

“Huh.” Coop got the impression she didn’t actually believe in the underlying explanations and only trusted the conclusion. “I wonder if we can do mana refinement as well.” Coop wondered as he wrapped his head around his own doubts. Constantly absorbing mana made him feel like a balloon that would eventually pop, and he didn’t think that’s how it would work at all.

Kayla grinned at him, “You could try doing more push ups until you level up and see how long it takes.”

Coop didn’t like the sound of that either, “Maybe I’ll just go sailing with you instead.”

“Ooh, even better, you can do push ups on the deck while we sail.” Kayla laughed. “I’ll get Sharkbait to sit on your back. I can’t imagine a better way to motivate the crew!”

Coop let her have her fun and turned to Marcus. “What about you?”

Marcus wrung his hands. “Ah, well, first I’d like to apologize. I really didn’t think much of anyone that had become Champion. My experience at Empress City and in pre-mana politics painted a dire picture of anyone who would take up such a position. But seeing your efforts around the settlement and hearing your goals and some plans, I think I unfairly judged you. I’d like to accept the offer to become a settlement advisor, if it’s still available.”

Coop shrugged and looked at Shane and Arthur to see if they approved. When they nodded he figured that was good enough. He could remove Marcus from his post if it didn’t work out. “Alright, let’s head to the civilization shard and I’ll set you up.” Coop led the way toward the bridge. “Just so we’re clear, you’re gonna need to be more of a city planner that carefully manages a tight budget than a legislator.”

Marcus nodded. “I understand. I saw some of the preliminary plans while meeting with Mr. Balor and have a good idea for how to develop the settlement while anticipating unpredictable periods of growth.” Marcus lit up, barely containing his enthusiasm. “I think it’s an incredible opportunity to build a utopian city.”

“Utopian? Let’s just focus on survival for now.” Coop suggested, already feeling the need to reign in his new advisor.