Unchosen Champion-Chapter 345: Soul Shroud

When Coop exited the Coral Forest, he emerged into a world that was bathed in the rosy light of dawn. The atmosphere was almost flushed, as if the previous day’s sun had kissed pale cheeks, leaving a slightly ruddy sunburn on the planet. He wasn’t sure if the prominent reddish tone was due to his time spent underground causing his eyes to adjust, but somehow he doubted it was that simple. The atmosphere was noticeably changing as time went on.

The settlement was eagerly awakening with the sunrise, stirring with activity as the day began in earnest, ignoring the rubicund blush as the reliable tropical sun climbed higher.

Coop slowly turned, taking in a panoramic view of the territory. After spending so much time within the underground dungeon, acclimating to the relatively dim illumination provided by motes of mana, bioluminescence, or in the actual darkness of the abyss and other caverns, it felt good to be back on the surface. The sunlight was able to penetrate all the way to his soul. To him, it was like being warmed by a fireplace after a cold winter day. He relished the feeling.

It seemed like the collective forces that attended the continental summit had arrived in Ghost Reef during the night, disembarking before the sun had risen. The most eager of the bunch had gone straight to the Coral Forest, still in the mindset that they were racing with the Unchosen Champion. Coop supposed it wasn’t over yet, but he had taken a lead as they all pushed beyond the soft limits of the assimilation, and that was probably bad news for the most ambitious of his friendly rivals.

He took a deep breath, leaning his head back every so slightly as he exhaled in order to catch the sun on his face. He couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction, like a neglected office plant spreading its leaves in the open air for the first time. He embraced the atmosphere, letting his exposed skin be bathed in the sun, letting it cleanse his concerns with its warmth.

After a single moment, he felt rejuvenated. All the mental fatigue was expunged by the idyllic landscape and summertime heat. It was almost too bad that he had more work to do, more levels to gain, and more stats to accumulate. A long break would have hit the spot, but he had no idea when the next event would be triggered, and his re-levelling grind was incomplete.

The shallow sea was spotted with hundreds of ships, coming and going with bells tolling from the harbor. Dozens of parties were patrolling the sandbars, hunting Primal Kites in teams, occasionally highlighting a section of the ocean with explosions of energy or the spotlights of levels gained. Foragers were slowly wading further away from the islands, seeking small treasures and resources to harvest, sometimes strolling miles away from any shore.

Despite the minor disturbances, the surface of the ocean was a rough mirror reflecting the fiery hues of the rising sun, shimmering with a thousand focal points, one at the top of every tiny wave. The horizon, opposite the islands, was a breathtaking scene of orange and crimson, igniting the sky, and casting long dramatic shadows across the superficial waves. Coop had arrived just in time to experience the perfect moment of sublime beauty, a testament to the treasure that was Ghost Reef itself, untarnished by the influence of the assimilation.

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The main island, where the fort marked the center of their civilization, was completely saturated by the light of the climbing sun. The overwhelming light, reflecting all across the horizon, made the entire key seem insignificant, but to Coop, the apparent triviality made it that much more precious. He nodded to himself, embracing the surge of motivation that came from beholding his home, standing strong in the changing times.

Further toward the shore, local families were enjoying the morning, playing catch along the sandy beach or tagging each other in games with the swimming pigs as the animals trotted through the shallows. Coop noted the number of people exercising or training, taking the opportunity to start the day properly. New residents were being escorted by strangers that were already comfortable enough to guide people around the settlement. Even Coop could tell the difference because the expressions of shock toward the security of Ghost Reef were always the same. The ones that were so obviously in awe were clearly brand new, with one exception: Coop himself.

Before he moved on to the Slayer grinds that would define the third phase of his leveling plan, Coop decided to take the rest of the morning to revisit his own routine. The timing just seemed right.

He stretched both arms over his head, leaning side to side, feeling the extension in his upper back, before he let his arms down with a sigh. He started wading back toward the shore, tracing the sandbars with his feet and passing by a small skiff that carried several parties of adventurers to the Coral Forest for their own missions. He rinsed some of the grime off of his skin as he went, making himself seem less like a monster rising from the depths and more like just another resident.

When he reached the outside of his lighthouse, he shook out his legs, stretching his quads and hamstrings before he took off on a short jog toward the fort accompanied by the always willing retriever. Rather than a warm up for the day, it was more like a cooldown after a month of grinding, but Sunny was just happy to have an excuse to prance across the settlement with Coop.

Feet and paws traced a well-kept path that took them up to the top of the stone walls, where Coop satisfied himself with a casual lap as the sun rose higher to fully establish the day. Halfway through, Olani’s grandkids caught up with him, breathlessly explaining how they had never missed a day of training.

They were still several years too young to select classes, but that hadn’t stopped them from making big plans and training with the future in mind. Coop encouraged them, making a silent commitment toward making sure external forces didn’t interfere with their aspirations. Sunny switched to their sides, hopping in excitement, in order to extend his playtime as the kids made plans to swim in the canal afterwards.

The courtyard of the fort was already filled with activity, as the daily routine of architects and construction workers claiming supplies for their underground levels was well underway. The parks were packed with new faces, many of which seemed to be discovering the comforts of the island settlement for the first time. The various shopkeepers seemed well-aware, leaving their doors open and encouraging people to take a look, even if they only intended to windowshop.

The archives were brimming with visitors. It seemed like it had become a major hub, akin to a university library during finals, though it was just a regular day. An equal number of people were exiting with tablets and regular books in hand, utilizing the space with their materials taken from the human libraries as well. Coop could only assume that beyond just Charlie, there had been many others adding to the collections. Since he hadn’t heard about the contingent of contracted undead workers expanding into the underground with franchises like so many of the others, he imagined the library was becoming one of the main attractions on the surface.

The training yard was also packed. Coop could hear Ledwidge’s booming voice from the top of the outer walls as the treant commander directed humans and phantoms alike. It was as full as it had been when the first batch of phantoms had begun their bootcamp, and judging by the overflow, exercising in Emmanuel’s open air gym or simply enjoying themselves on the various benches lining each main thoroughfare, Ledwidge had his work cut out for him. Even if there were more training yards, there was only one Ledwidge to go around.

Meanwhile, every parapet that Coop passed had a squad of phantoms on duty. Though they were mostly relaxed, one or two from each and every party had their eyes fixed on the horizon. Compared to the early days, they had a lot more to look at. There were literally thousands of sailing ships coming and going from Ghost Reef. The Tempest Fleet had been consistently growing larger and larger, to the point that Coop imagined most of the population of Ghost Reef could be on the sea at any given time, and he was fully aware that meant tens of millions of people sailing among the fleet. There were enough ships to validate his judgment.

The surge of population that had enabled him to upgrade the settlement had continued while he was in the Coral Forest. It didn’t even seem like it was slowing down. In fact, if anything, it was escalating. He imagined that the initial migrations had been conducted by those who were desperate, intrepid, or simply curious but uncommitted. After some more time had passed, word had spread regarding the truth of Ghost Reef, and it seemed like it had created a feedback loop where more and more people wanted to see it for themselves.

After his morning exercise was complete, he returned to the lighthouse, took a long shower, and then headed toward the Clumsy Shark in order to visit with Maeve and Desmond while he had a late breakfast and refreshed some of his expired buffs. Lyriel quietly joined him, seeming like she had just awoken from a literal hibernation. He couldn’t help but laugh at the image of an angel with bedhead.

He redirected her to the coffee shop as they made it to the center of the settlement and bought her a cup, watching her perk up at the mere whiff of the drink. She assured him that she hadn’t been sleeping the entire time, but Coop harbored some silent doubts.

They separated outside of the tavern, with her claiming that she had something to pick up before she joined him, but even that just seemed like an excuse to seem busy. Coop shrugged, accepting Palisteon from her before she went. He entered the familiar warm atmosphere inside one of the original buildings in the courtyard of Ghost Reef, noting that the tiny alien had become two intertwined worm-like creatures that were apparently inseparable, basically doubling his overall mass.

Though Maeve was the first to notice him, Marcus was the first to call him over. Coop sat with Marcus, Shane, and Arthur, all of whom seemed to have arrived when all the guests from around the world came. He placed Palisteon on the table to the silent observation of his companions, and the alien responded with an excited ‘Mweep’ when Maeve placed a cat bowl full of treats in front of him.

“Things appear to be going well.” Arthur observed, broaching the conversation with a raised eyebrow at Coop’s refreshed appearance and the several hundred levels he had advanced since they separated.

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“Better than expected.” Coop responded modestly. The last time they had spoken, he had given them a timeframe that was approximately four times longer than the one he was currently on. “I’m about ready to move onto the Slayer quests.”

“Phew.” Marcus expressed his surprised relief. “Good thing we came back when we did. The new batch of diplomats have only just left. If you leave immediately, you will probably beat them to the various settlements, but either way is fine as long as you don’t mind playing ambassador a bit.”

Coop shrugged, thinking it would be better to leave such a thing to the professionals. “How did the Fallen Zone go?” He wondered, changing the subject while Desmond served up a series of plates for Coop to enjoy. He eyed the blue-colored pancakes before smiling at the weird stuff that he had complete confidence would taste amazing.

“The monsters were already diminishing by the time we started. None of the Elites you warned us about appeared, and by the time we reached the center, the vast majority of the zone had already retracted. It was still relatively large, big enough to sustain several Siege Bosses, but even without our direct involvement, the other parties would have been sufficient to defeat them without worry.” Arthur recalled.

“Neptune’s Bridge was already growing bored.” Marcus chuckled. “Champion Hali was leading squads into the Fallen Zone by the time McCallister and Neon wrapped things up with the bosses. The General was caught by surprise when an unknown force that was equally leveled to the main elites appeared until they realized Hali was from one of Ghost Reef’s subordinates.”

Marcus shook his head at some memory. “You should have seen Hali let McCallister have it when he tried to pull rank and take command of her soldiers. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, is she?”

“Poor guy.” Coop muttered sympathetically, having been on the receiving end of such scoldings more than once. He’d probably receive another one the next time they met. “How did they end up coming here, then?” Coop asked between forkfuls of buttered bites.

“There was much discussion regarding your rapid progress.” Arthur continued. “A few among them haven’t quite accepted that you are unique and believe they will match your pace under similar conditions.”

Coop nodded at that, agreeing more with his doubters than the others. “That’s good I guess. Any problems?”

“Nothing too serious.” Marcus answered from the political side. “The Grand Horde and the European Community are both initiating their evacuations, moving the bulk of their civilian populations into Ghost Reef as soon as possible, almost all the rest are bolstering their defenses while their residents make up their own minds about where to go. They’ve mostly all agreed to join the Lighthouse at this point, at least those who were at the summit.”

“Are they all coming here?” Coop wondered, unable to ignore the massive problem of logistics that seemed to be developing. Could Ghost Reef grow even faster?

“They will if it becomes necessary.” Shane spoke up to clarify their preliminary strategy. “At the moment, we are aiming to extend the reach of the Lighthouse as far as possible. If the territorial auras end up being the key to combating the forces of mana, strategically, we are thinking that it makes sense to hold as much ground as we can.” He shrugged, in a way that reminded Coop of himself.

“Better to avoid putting all our eggs in one basket, unless we have to.” Marcus added helpfully as Coop’s actions slowed while he thought about it.

Shane nodded before he continued. “The Tempest Fleet has been preparing to make it all work. The idea is that no settlement will be left completely isolated, but given the scope of a global battle, we have to manage our expectations and distribute available manpower accordingly. It’ll be up to Ghost Reef to make sure they have a path back to us, and if we can’t, they will fall back preemptively. General McCallister wants to make the enemy fight for every inch of the planet, but there are only so many people left, right?”

Coop slowly lifted the fork toward his mouth, already feeling overwhelmed by the scale of preparations his advisors were taking. He thanked his lucky stars he just needed to level up to fulfill his role.

“General McCallister and the Great Khan are helping develop specific plans for each location with the local leaders. That’s another reason they came here, since Ghost Reef is the core of the Lighthouse. Gideon and Jones are currently showing them our War Room.” Marcus added.

“We have a War Room?” Coop asked with a mouth full of pancake, pausing his chewing in confusion.

“Of course. It is the only building authorized to occupy the 10th level, which is one of the 100 designated public parks.” Marcus elaborated, apparently knowing more about Coop’s settlement than he did, despite spending even less time around. “You should read Zakronaw’s weekly executive newsletter.”

Coop made a face that demonstrated he wasn’t sure if the Viceroy of Ghost Reef was joking, but the others seemed to give him a pass. Coop had carved out a simple job for himself, and they just wanted him to do it well. Sometimes, it seemed like his advisors, companions, and friends all wanted him to gain attributes even more than he did.

“Have you seen any of the mockups Jones and Che Min-Jun worked up for the fliers they want to distribute?” Marcus wondered.

Coop shook his head as he resumed eating. He wondered if maybe his niche had become too narrow? He already knew they would say he was the lynchpin of the entire organization, but he still felt a bit out of the loop.

The small group discussed the feasibility of spreading information to uncontacted populations that were holding out without either settlements or access to the Underlayer. The Koreans believed that their leader, Na Ho-Jung, was capable of circumnavigating the globe by herself, and had come up with a simple plan of dropping fliers where they would easily be found by anyone hiding out. Other people with flight abilities were volunteering to participate in the campaign. The idea was to let them know about the Eradication Protocol and the alliance that was forming on behalf of humanity, basically sending an invitation to seek out the Lighthouse.

While the handful of Coop’s advisors caught him up to speed, despite being absent nearly as much as he had been, if not more, discussing the various projects being taken around Ghost Reef, Lyriel returned. She had a self-satisfied smile as she pulled a chair next to Coop at the already full table, and handed him a small apparel gift box after putting the full and sleepy Palisteon back on her shoulder.

“What’s this?” Coop asked, maybe a bit too suspiciously.

“It’s a present!” Lyriel answered aggressively, then when Coop continued to hesitate, she took it back and opened it up herself. After digging through the tissue paper, she handed him a narrow strip of folded mana-weave cloth. “The crafters here are more than sufficient to make something to my specifications.” She concluded.

Coop held it up, unfolding it and taking a moment before he recognized it as a bandana fashioned in the same style as Lyriel’s blindfold. It was the same color as his Under Armor, more or less, but it was ornamented with a series of alien runes, black in color, but shimmering in the orange light of the tavern.

“You can use it as a blindfold, like mine, but I was informed that you require a level of flexibility in your items, so we made some changes and settled on that design.” Lyriel explained. “I cannot take full credit, as it seemed like half of your settlement wished to contribute some idea or resource to the project.” She barely gave him a moment before demanding that he put it on.

When he continued to hesitate, she took it from him, folding it, then wrapped around his face. “Relax. Quit squirming.” She ordered as she blindfolded him. As soon as she finished tying it, Coop felt like he had been drugged with some kind of stimulant. All of his muscles were roaring with strength and he was suddenly aware of his surroundings in a way that normally only came to him in the midst of battle when he was focused on Presence of Mind while inside of Fog of War.

For a moment, he couldn’t actually see a thing, but once he finally gave it a chance, he realized he actually could make out something. “Whoah...” He muttered. “It’s so weird.”

If anything, his vision was worse than when he had his head knocked around and he was seeing double. Coop could sort of see as if he wasn’t blindfolded in the sense that his brain interpreted his surroundings, but he could also see the monochromatic world of mists superimposed on top, and that wasn’t all. A slightly different version of his surroundings was outlined in darkness, sort of like a negative exposure of the same scene. It was almost more comfortable to focus on the simple awareness of his surroundings than it was to direct his attention with his blindfolded eyes, but it was all rather disorienting.

“The Abyssal Soul Shroud of the Mists, Unique quality, crafted by Erasimus Doomthread and the Ghost Reef Grandmaster Artisan Union.” Lyriel recited. “They had to use powder from the Bone of the Lich for the runes and the Mycelial Dream Thread that you collected in the cloth, but it’s attuned to both of your affinities. Apparently they’ve been dying to make you something, but they needed someone as insightful as yours truly to provide the inspiration.” She explained with some rather expected self-satisfaction as she placed her fingers across her collar bone.

“So long as it is worn with your other item, it provides a 10% multiplier to your Mind stat, what you might think of as an inversion of personal aura and domain abilities, and passive regeneration of resources when you step into other planes matching your affinities. It is bound to your soul, so it cannot be destroyed or forcefully removed so long as you do not allow it.” Lyriel added. “Erasimus indicated that you would be familiar with the rules, based on your experience with his previous craft. Without the set bonus, it merely helps with your vision, same as mine.”

Coop experimented with it, consciously controlling the item the same way he did with his under armor. The bandana-like cloth vanished, and he blinked for a moment, as his inadequate feeling eyes readjusted, then the bandana reappeared, wrapped around his wrist. He sent it to his Scavenger profession spatial storage, then brought it back out, covering his eyes. Then, he used his fingers to slide it up to his forehead.

“How does it look?” He asked Maeve as she passed by and eyed him.

“Not bad, though I voted for the second place option.” She responded with a wink, not missing a beat before moving on to take an order from a new customer.

Coop chuckled in disbelief. “You guys had a vote?”

“Don’t look at us. We were away.” Shane responded innocently.

“What came in second place?” He wondered, finding the defensiveness a bit suspicious, especially combined with Maeve’s usual mischief.

Shane scrunched his face and Marcus shook his head while Arthur answered. “Better not focus on what might have been.” Even Lyriel seemed to be a bit timid when he turned back to her, but Coop decided to let it go.

“Well, thank you, Lyriel. I’m excited to test it out.” Coop concluded.

She just turned her nose away and made a sound that somehow expressed satisfaction and disdain at the same time. She was still partly the same old Avatar of the System, despite most of her actions demonstrating otherwise.

“Does that mean you’re gonna get back to the grind right away?” Marcus helpfully suggested.

“I suppose it does.” Coop answered as he finished his meal. “No time like the present, right?”