Chapter 65: The Fearless (Patreon)

Coop accessed the civilization shard and assigned Marcus Rollins to the first advisor position. There was no fanfare, but Marcus stared into space as he was clearly checking his notifications. Coop let him catch up, and instead cycled through some of the shard’s other menus. He wanted to see if he could summon more of Kayla’s fleet. Her crew had worked on modifications to the dock that should be sufficient to add a few more vessel slots, at least. The sooner he recruited them, the sooner they could start getting levels.

The army had its own menu that called for his attention, blinking with a new option. Coop checked it first. A button he didn’t recall seeing before was flashing ‘Reinforcements,’ with a slow rhythm. He mentally pressed it and the shard itself flashed bright red, causing the group to squint and look away. When Coop looked back there was a new group of people standing around the shard, inspecting their own limbs as if they were surprised to be there. The wisps of ghostly vapors that emanated from their forms told him they were more phantoms. Had they already been able to recruit more? The settlement hadn’t had any upgrades yet. He inspected the closest one.

[Spectral Human (Level 1)]

[(Strength)]

[Phantom of Ghost Reef]

Arthur spoke up before Coop figured out what he was looking at. “The seven fallen soldiers.” The analyst promptly recognized. Coop looked again. Seven phantoms stood in front of him, looking relieved. They could respawn? When he considered whether they were minions or not, it had seemed like a possibility, but it wasn’t the sort of thing you banked on. He wouldn’t sacrifice them anyway, especially without knowing the mechanisms at play. What if they only came back once?

One of them, dressed in unfamiliar attire that reminded Coop of Native American clothing, spoke up. “Thank you for the second chance. I won’t let you down.” He promised.

Coop was still unsure. “Uh, are you the same person as before?”

The soldier hesitated and looked at his hands before he looked back up. “I think so?”

Coop just shook his head. “Alright… could you report to someone and make sure nothing is missing, like experience or memoires?

“Right away, sir!” The phantoms’ concern seemed to grow to match Coop’s.

“Just don’t die again, I dunno how many times you get to do that. Make sure to train properly this time.”

“Yes, sir!” The soldiers responded, giving him various salutes before they marched up the main street toward the fort walls. The group stood silently for a moment, watching them go.

“Well! That’s a relief!” Kayla’s laugh broke the surprised silence as the phantoms got out of earshot. “I’ll be counting on you if The Eye of the Storm returns to the abyss.” She slapped Coop on the back. He gave her a look that said, don’t get sunk, but she just laughed at him.

Coop returned to the shard and made it to the vessel tab before he made any new discoveries. He had the option to select two out of four corvettes.

“So, Captain, do you have a preference for any other ships in your fleet?” He asked Kayla.

“The Tempest Fleet is the best down to the very last swabbie.” She stated with pride. Coop wouldn’t dare to disagree.

Coop selected two corvettes and watched each of them rebuild themselves out of the ruined remains of their shipwrecks. Driftwood dislodged itself from the sand and recombined until it started to form a ship. The gaps where the parts had been completely eroded away were filled in by ghostly mana that solidified until it was barely distinguishable from the rest of the wooden ship. If it wasn’t for the subtle wisps of mana that leaked into the air, it would have made a perfect replica. Most of the ship had to be reconstructed by the spectral mana, as tides and time had barely left any materials to restore.

One corvette was shockingly close to the moat of the fort, as if it had gone on a suicide run across the reef to assault the walls before it couldn’t go any further. The other was bobbing out of the water, piece by piece, as its parts floated from the depths, well beyond the shallows.

Kayla ran to the middle of the unadorned bridge and laughed like she had when she first arrived, gazing out the canal in the direction of the rebuilding ships. The menus now had information on each ship so Coop read the details.

The first ship was named The Fearless. Coop figured they had to be fearless to sail so close to the fort where they met their demise. The other was also appropriately named, called Sea Burial.

Each had a crew of 50 pirates and The Fearless was 70 feet long while Sea Burial was the larger vessel at 80 feet. Both were still only about half the length of Kayla’s galleon. One look was enough to see they were a much smaller class of ship in every way. Both corvettes had three masts, just like The Eye of the Storm, but they only had one deck compared to the flag ship’s three. They also had a quarter of the flagship’s cannons, at 20 each, but The Fearless had what appeared to be a flamethrower on its bow and battering rams strapped against the sides of its hull, carved to resemble sea monsters reaching forward. Sea Burial had its own surprise as well. A massive ballista platform swiveled on the bow as the ship steadied itself and hoisted its black sails.

Coop had no idea what these pirates had been up to under the pirate queen’s leadership, but they certainly looked intimidating. The corvettes, despite being half the size of the galleon and crewed by one sixth of the sailors, were still quite a bit larger than the ship that Camila and Charlie brought to Ghost Reef.

Coop interrupted the giddy captain’s laughter. “I’ll let you get your crew situated.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Kayla responded while smiling, without taking her eyes off the ships. “I never gave them permission to die! They’ll need to answer for that!” She looked excited, with both hands balled into fists and pressed against her hips, dead center on the edge of the unfinished bridge. She stared down the flamethrower and ornamented battering rams as The Fearless slowly approached. Sea Burial had to sail across the reefs before it would arrive.

Marcus hadn’t budged from the civilization shard, completely engrossed in the menus he now had access to. Coop interrupted him to find out what he was looking at. Marcus had received almost a dozen new quests that all related to the settlement. He had all sorts of quests to increase the population, construct different buildings, or acquire specific resources. Coop wanted those quests as well, but they were specifically for advisors. Marcus hadn’t received the quests to level the settlement that Coop had, as those were specific to the Champion.

Marcus got the rundown of their building priorities, with the Medical Center from the Merciful faction firmly at the top with most smaller projects delayed until then. The one caveat being buildings necessary for their survival, obviously.

He had already reviewed the general plans that Jones had created with Balor from the start, so he knew where buildings would go and how they planned to expand, though he had some of his own ideas to improve on the plans. Apparently, Jones had relied on his knowledge of ancient cities, and Marcus thought it was a good place to start, but there were modern adjustments that he thought would enhance the settlement. Coop just wanted Marcus to warn him if he wanted to make any sweeping changes.

Coop also told his new advisor about his idea for manually building. Was there any rule that said they couldn’t? Coop was under the impression that any deterioration of pre-mana structures was because it was constructed of pre-mana materials, like how Jones couldn’t get a food buff until they ate in the tavern where the food was made with mana infused ingredients. They could use mana infused materials from the start when they built new buildings and fill gaps in the system’s services. Marcus also thought it was worth a shot, assuming they had residents with the appropriate expertise. Labor obviously wouldn’t be a problem with their superhuman strength and stamina thanks to their levels.

Shane spoke up while Coop and Marcus were discussing where buildings would be placed and which services to prioritize, leaning toward the coffee shop that Coop had promised Laurie and Greg. “Ledwidge actually gave us a list of services he believed would be necessary for equipping the army as well.”

“Add them to the list.” Coop was glad to know what they needed, but he couldn’t help but feel exasperated at having even more purchases piling up. The security of the settlement was the real top priority with the looming events on the horizon, so he wouldn’t be able to delay the army’s upgrades.

“Actually, I’m also going to need a Town Hall to have all the information and tools necessary for the responsibilities you’re giving me.” Marcus added to Coop’s dissatisfaction. “After that, I believe the settlement will be able to smoothly develop through its own revenue… You’ve been purchasing services out of pocket right? I have no idea how you managed to accumulate so many funds. The library alone…”

Coop sighed. “Alright, how much is the Town Hall?”

“50,000 Basic Credits, for a factionless variant. I have a specific suggestion; it has a clerk from a species that dedicates themselves to the preservation of civilization shards. I believe they’ll have useful recommendations.” Marcus explained. Coop just transferred the 50,000 credits directly to Marcus to let him take care of it.

“And how much for what Ledwidge wants?” Coop asked.

“Um, which?” Shane quickly looked at Arthur for help. “There’s a whole list and we can’t see the prices.”

Arthur cleared his throat and pulled out a piece of paper, holding it up and leaning his head slightly back to read it like he was giving a King’s declaration. “Tanner, Clothier, Furnace, Smelter, Blacksmith, Armourer, Bladesmith, Weaponsmith, Whitesmith, Gemcutter, Druid Circle, Bowyer, Fletcher, Range, Coliseum, and all of the associated upgrades. He has even more recommendations for training beyond a basic level.”

“Oh, c’mon.” Coop took a deep breath. “At least, we have a Clothier already.” Coop rubbed his temples. “The Clothier wanted a Weaver and a Mana Mill constructed. Desmond suggested a Grove and Butcher. We also need some kind of School for the kids and a Workshop for the Cleary brothers and some kind of gathering place for organizing powerleveling.” He wasn’t sure how they could afford everything, and he really wanted to save his credits. Then again, when it came to equipping an army, he didn’t want to skimp. He was sure this wouldn’t be the end of what they needed. Plus, they had a navy.

“Hey Captain!” Coop yelled over to Kayla, who was dressing down both corvette crews from her position on the bridge. She turned her steady gaze toward him. “What services do you need?”

She barely hesitated, as if she had been waiting for him to ask. “Port, Shipwright, Drydock, Siegeworks,” She paused and tapped a finger on her chin before she grinned, “ and an Admiralty. But we can manage on our own, for now, as long as we have a Tavern and a Brewery.” The crews chimed in with their support for alcohol.

Coop turned back to Marcus. “What do you think?”

“I see why you wanted to delegate.” Marcus acknowledged, looking paralyzed.

“Build the Town Hall.” Coop told him. “Then see how much of Ledwidge’s list can be covered by the settlement’s funds. Most of those buildings should be really cheap as basic services, but make sure we stick to factionless variations. Let me know how much more you need before tonight. Equipping the army needs to start as soon as possible. I don’t know what’s coming after Day 30, but I want to be as ready as we can be. We can save for the Medical Center and build for ourselves when we’re properly secure.”

“The Empire suggested that Day 50 was when the settlements really needed to be prepared.” Shane shared while Arthur nodded in confirmation. “Is something happening early?”

Coop shrugged. “When I became Champion I received a message that said settlement events initialize on Day 30, but either way, it won’t hurt to get started. We don’t have the equipment that the Empire provided its Chosen to begin with… or the numbers” Coop pointed out. “I’m gonna go investigate what got Balor all panicked. I’ll come visit the Town Hall afterwards.”

“I see.” Shane looked worried. “We should get some levels.” He suggested to Arthur, who nodded.

Coop went back across the bridge, heading for the fort walls on the side that had been separated by the channel. Apparently, invading monsters had established themselves inside, thanks to their isolation across the water. A hive formed that was preventing the settlement’s territory from denying the monsters further advancement. Balor wouldn’t be able to reinforce the walls until the hive was taken care of.

He hadn’t even heard of a monster hive before Balor brought it up, but the terminology reminded him of the quests that he received on the offshore oil platform. The system had called the zombies an infestation, so he had some expectations for what he would find beneath the fort. He selfishly hoped for another elite hunting ground, as long as it could be safely contained.

When he entered the walls from one of the many open thresholds he had to pause to wait for his eyes to adjust. There was something about the stone interiors of the fortress that just made it seem dark, especially compared to the tropical sunlight that lit the inner courtyard and reflected off the ocean on the exterior. The coarse surfaces seemed to absorb whatever light made it to the interiors.

The first floor fort halls were broken up by small round windows that barely let the light inside at all. Coop walked over to the nearest opening and realized that the windows weren’t meant to be round. Smaller rectangular holes that would fit the muzzle of a firearm while providing cover had been eroded into round headsized windows.

The setup of the first floor resembled that of a pillbox bunker, but he had trouble imagining what good small firearms would do when besieged by a galleon. Then again, judging by where The Fearless had lain, it was possible raids were also a threat.

Coop used his arms to brace against the wall and hoist himself through the largest window so that he could peek his head outside. The walls had to be thick to absorb cannon balls and brace against the storm surges of hurricanes. Gentle waves splashed against the wall six feet below the window. Tropical fish darted in and out of tiny crevices in the coral that clung to the exterior and the calm sea stretched all the way to the horizon. The floor of the fort was barely above sea level, and the walls were almost as thick as he was tall.

The whole thing was designed to just absorb water and let it drain in the courtyard and through the coral rock foundations. Coop thought it was amazing it worked at all, but the proof was in the longevity of the fort, still, it wouldn’t hurt to have Balor double check the foundations to repair the inevitable erosion caused by the sea water.

He pulled himself back into the fort and summoned his armor, sword, and shield, and continued through the wide corridors. His footsteps echoed, only broken up by the lazy waves that feebly swept against the outer wall. The tall ceilings were only interrupted by the occasional stone arches until he reached another hall, similar to the mess hall where Jones hosted visitors, though this one lacked tables and decorations.

He climbed the stairs up to a mezzanine that looked over the hall and continued through the second floor corridors. The windows on the second level were wide open, from floor to ceiling, like balconies with cannons waiting to be manned. Otherwise, the second level was architecturally similar to the first. Tall ceilings, stone arches, and wide corridors that were periodically interrupted with thick walls and rusted iron gates that segmented the fort in the event of a siege reaching the interior. The entire fort was a purely utilitarian construction, which made the aliens’ reverence toward it that much sillier.

Coop had been walking through the walls for almost half an hour, wandering between levels whenever he found another set of stairs, and he hadn’t found anything to indicate an infestation of monsters. It seemed like a more thorough search would be necessary, so he decided to take it one step at time. He’d explore each floor in its entirety, instead of bouncing up and down levels, starting from the very top. If it was anything like the oil rig, he wanted to start with the easiest levels as he worked his way to the core of the infestation.

Coop climbed to the ramparts and was welcomed by the sun. He could confidently clear the battlements quickly, jogging from one end to the other, mirroring the jog on the southern half of the form from his rarely followed morning routine.

It didn’t take long to go from one end to the other, and he still didn’t find any signs of monsters, invaders, hives, or zombies. The fort itself was in slightly worse shape compared to the reinforced southern half, with more sand on the roof and taller grasses clinging to the surface, bent from the constant ocean breezes. There were even a few coconuts scattered on the roof, sprouting tiny trees from their giant seeds. Coop had no idea how a coconut would end up on the roof of the fort, but there they were.

He moved back down to the fourth floor and started his sweep. He stopped halfway around, on the exact northern point, furthest away from the main entrance and the lighthouse beyond. He’d walked into a particularly large corridor and glanced up between the stone arches to look at the ceiling and it was completely covered in roosting bats. It seemed like the bat colony was doing better than ever. Coop had only ever seen a few scattered bats hunting bugs at dusk and he had no idea such a large colony existed on Ghost Reef.

Bats were cool, but seeing them all clinging to the ceiling, huddled together with their ears twitching and random individuals shifting around made him nervous. Some ancient human instinctual fear of vampires made him decide to abandon his thoroughness and bypass the central corridor of the fourth floor. He retraced his steps to get back to the roof and start a pass from the other end of the fourth floor until he got closer to the bat colony.

Aside from the bats, the fourth floor was empty, so he moved down to the third floor. He doubted that Balor would have mistaken the bats for monsters and sent Coop to clear them out. He knew the stonemason was an experienced adventurer himself, so he kept his sword ready, anticipating an encounter with invaders at some point. However, the third floor also appeared empty, though he did find some walls that had fresh scratches and ceilings pockmarked with three-pronged gouges.

He was walking along the second floor, feeling disappointed in his fruitless search thus far, when something clattered onto the floor just ahead of him. He raised his shield and stepped backwards on steady feet, assessing the threat with his sword at the ready.

[Ruin Excavator (Level 25)]

[(Body)]

[Minion of the Primal Constructs]

“Finally,” Coop whispered, relieved that he had found something after all. The monster was the smallest he had seen, and for the second time, Coop felt creeped out by something inside the fort. It was about the size of a housecat, but had four pairs of jointed, spider-like legs, each attached to a segment of its slightly elongated body. Each segment had a pair of armored metal scutes protecting it from the top. Six small red lights faced forward on the top of its first segment, between two additional shovel-like appendages that extended in place of another pair of legs. A scorpion’s tail slowly raised itself, threatening Coop with three pointed spikes on its tip. It was like an amalgamation of a spider, scorpion, and lobster, with too many legs, too many joints, and too many weapons.

Coop stepped forward and took a swing with his short sword, realizing right away that these things would be annoying to fight just from their size alone. He had to hunch down in order to reach low enough to strike the monster with his sword, and it was heavily armored on its back.

It made no effort to avoid or deflect Coop’s swing, it simply let its body absorb the blade. The legs didn’t resist the force, splaying out to allow the monster’s body to lie flat against the ground. His sword failed to penetrate the armored carapace, despite the sharpness of his ethereal weapon.

He quickly raised his sword, not discouraged in the slightest, readying for another swing aiming for the legs. He was still leaning forward, keeping his ankles out of reach of the monster, fearing retaliation from the nasty looking tail spikes, when something struck him from above, tearing into his back and forcing him toward the center of the room.

Coop nearly fell forward, but nimbly transitioned his stumble into a stomp on top of the initial monster. The sole of his foot slammed into it before it could dodge out of the way, but its tail still struck his armored greaves. His foot embedded its front half into the stone ground before it shattered and dissipated into mana smoke. Coop spun around, ready to engage the new threat.

A second monster faced him, with its tail raised and blood dripping from both of its shovel-like claws. Coop’s eyes were drawn up to the ceiling, where dozens more of the creepy scorpions were hanging by their tails, legs tucked in, and claws aimed straight down like alien harpoons.