Chapter 103: Last Stand (Patreon)

Coop managed to get into a solid groove, smashing his way through the regular Ruin Excavators at a constant pace with his heavy morning star. He didn’t need to rush, but he still expanded his hunting grounds to account for the monsters’ spawn rates and prevent himself from catching any downtime. His was a strategy of consistent, uninterrupted combat. It was quite the contrast with Camila’s burst of power against the Ancient Defenders, where she needed to pause to wait for her own cooldowns as well as a full wave of monster respawns.

He was a little jealous of her speed at the time, but slow and steady wins the race, and Coop wasn’t even that slow. One hit kills and unwavering movement kept him efficient. It wasn’t the first time Coop had compared himself to the turtle racing a hare, this was just the most recent example. The leaderboards had become evidence of his straightforward persistence.

Eventually, he was cycling along the edges of the darkness engulfed walls, catching the Excavators as they entered the chamber from deeper within, in a constant series of battles. He charged from one point to the next, his footsteps becoming a rhythmic precursor to the thumping of his slamming attacks as they formed a steady beat that echoed through the expansive caverns.

He was curious about what he would find deeper in the tunnels that spat the monsters out, but he refrained from exploring and interrupting his first grind in the pearlescent chambers. He had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn’t actually find much of interest in Felrog’s meandering side tunnels, yet the possibility of elites remained tempting. Odds were that he would simply find regular Ruin Excavators in prepared ambushes instead, and that would be an annoyance that interfered with his pace. New monster variants would need to be outside of the settlement’s territory if they didn’t get a wave during the siege, and he doubted he could penetrate the depths enough to exit the perimeter of their territory by taking stroll through the dim tunnels.

Balor’s enthusiasm for the underlayer didn’t include the pockets of earth in between, and Coop trusted the dwarf’s judgment when it came to the underground. The gaping chasm in the center of the chambers was the important feature, the gateway, as the alien called it. The stonemason would need to crack it open before they could access the real subterranean stratum and judging by its current depth, it would be a real significant project, far greater than anything they had done before. Coop wasn’t even sure how they would get to the bottom of it right now, considering the depths already appeared to go on forever. Setting up their gateway would be a long term project, for after they got all of their other ducks in a row.

Part way through his grind, he shifted to one of the adjacent chambers, further away from the entrance tunnel. A quick weapon swap and mistjump across the gap gave him fresh grounds to roam. He left the initial cavern to the surprise company that arrived in the night.

Gibson’s party ventured into the depths beneath the settlement in order to start their own quests to defeat the regular monsters, apparently forgoing sleep in order to continue their progress. They were feeling comfortable with the particular Excavator variants of the Primal Constructs after their contribution against the Frenzied version during the siege event. They planned on hunting them until they received their own Slayer titles. Coop respected the enthusiasm, but he made sure to encourage them to pace themselves, reminding them that the quests were a marathon and not a sprint. They promised to heed his advice. Coop just hoped they wouldn’t be discouraged when they really dug into the stage with a 5,000 kill requirement.

Coop inspected them before he happily ceded the first chamber’s hunting grounds.

[Human (Level 60)]

[Argent (Body)]

[Chosen of the Allies of Genesis]

[Human (Level 57)]

[Crushing Palm (Strength)]

[(Patient)]

[Human (Level 59)]

[Malkiian Peacemaker (Intelligence)]

[(Bound)]

[Human (Level 62)]

[Blackflare (Strength)]

[Chosen of the Mourning Souls]

[Chaotic (Eldritch)]

[Human (Level 59)]

[Force Propagator (Intelligence)]

[Chosen of the Kiberius Spirits]

[(Defiant)]

They were certainly the second strongest group in the settlement, but that wasn’t saying much, sadly. The only other consistently formed group was Shane’s party. There were plenty of strong individuals among the residents. He thought of the Cleary brothers or even Derek. Coop wondered if more parties would form after their experience with the siege event. It wasn’t something he was actively encouraging, but they might come together organically. The most likely outcome would be dynamic parties temporarily forming rather than more static groups.

Most people appeared to be more comfortable grinding when they had both backup and company. Not everyone was quite as solitary as Coop and able to engage in the monotonous task of repeatedly engaging the same monsters over and over without letting their guard slip and putting themselves in danger. Even Coop was guilty of losing focus a few times, most recently with the Excavators. He could see some of his companions feeling more dedicated if they teamed up.

The siege event had turned every invader into a significantly more dangerous version, so the residents of Ghost Reef were finally coming around to really grinding the regular versions down, whether it was in groups or not. There were enough different monsters for them to take their pick of matchups, based on their preferences. It seemed like being exposed to the monsters and witnessing Coop’s prowess had encouraged everyone else to grab the advantages that Ghost Reef offered. That was good news for the settlement.

Eventually, Coop was ready to call it a night after around 2,500 Excavator defeats. As far as his stats, he’d only received a single level in Scavenging, but he was just getting back into the swing of things with this initial hunt. He checked his notifications as he bade farewell to Gibson’s party and returned to the lighthouse.

[You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 33)]

[+17 Basic Credits]

[+1 Soul Dredger (Uncommon)]

[Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]

[Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (2669/5000)]

Coop was satisfied. A short session that yielded over 2,000 monster defeats before he even broke a sweat. He’d really missed seeing his quest numbers go up after fighting so many of the stingy event monsters. The event may have given him experience, challenging monsters, and a global leaderboard to abuse, but it lacked the reliable kill tracker of the quests and the incremental progress that it represented. And that was ignoring the anxiety from the constant threat of annihilation for his settlement and his allies.

It was good to be settling into a period of calm. He hoped it would become the new normal.

—

Hai Yun scowled at the army of settlement guards blocking the road, uncharacteristically allowing her true emotions to slip into her expression. She quickly stifled the brief lapse in her mask of equanimity and carefully observed the ambushers while casually smoothing the silk wrapped around her wrists.

There were over 100 Chosen guards in front of her. They were all armed and armored by their sponsoring faction, one that intended to claim the world. Based on what she had seen of their settlement’s organization, she judged they had no chance of accomplishing such a feat. The nearest shard for them to conquer was the massive Gangcheon settlement. This faction was at least a million Chosen short of becoming even a regional threat, let alone a global one.

Still, they had respectable levels, some of them even enough to brush against the top 1,000 of the leaderboards, though they didn’t quite make the cut. She and a handful of her original surviving bodyguards eclipsed them dramatically, but it wouldn’t change the inevitable outcome of a clash between her forces and theirs.

Hai Yun sighed, leaving a bitter trail of visible breath in the cold air, exhausted from traversing the wilds, then being on the front lines for the entire duration of the siege event, just to be hounded by the settlement’s dogs as they ventured back into the wilds when it ended.

She had meant to take her people to the Korean settlement that consistently appeared in the top two of the leaderboards, Gangcheon, judging it to be their best hope when they left her family’s ancient compound, but the siege event had interrupted their migration. Instead, they sought refuge in a smaller, more militant settlement her scouts had identified before finding their destination. The same scouts that she had sent ahead to prepare their ancient merchant ship for their retreat from the peninsula, but would have been useful in identifying the trap that awaited the rest of them. Another mistake, she thought, dourly.

“You didn’t think we’d simply allow you to leave, did you?” The leader preened in front of his soldiers, alone in front, while the rest of his team hid behind temporary cover. His stark white uniform contrasted with a dark blue sash over one shoulder, peppered with snowflakes clinging to the surface, and an unblemished, brown leather belt around his waist. He pressed both of his thumbs into his belt and grinned confidently. He believed that with their numbers, they had already won.

He was correct.

She looked behind herself at what remained of her pitiful train of attendants and followers. They were even more exhausted than she was, and many had fallen into despair over the weeks of struggle, and yet absolutely none of them had abandoned her. The difference between her fighters, attendants, and their families had become difficult to ascertain at a glance. The untamed areas between settlements were even more dangerous than anticipated, even without a mana well in close proximity. Monsters were growing wherever they could find mana. Everyone had already faced death many times over, becoming battle-hardened even though many had started as simple civilians.

Half of her loyal attendants had already turned to protect their flank, fully prepared to lay down their lives, if necessary, in order to buy her time. It was a sight that both frustrated her and made her proud. She may have let them down by the end, but their support had never wavered, not from a single one of them, and not for a single moment.

Another 200 Chosen settlement guards had finally caught up from behind them, surrounding her party while closing off their only avenue of retreat between the steep, rocky, snow-covered mountains. They had chased after them ever since she had agreed to leave their territory. She had allowed herself to hope they were just making sure she took her people away, but of course that was a naive dream.

“We won’t allow you to gather forces and return to our land.” The leader proclaimed. “The shard belongs to the Knights of Time and eventually, the world!” He said while spreading his arms wide to the adulation of his squad.

Hai Yun returned her full attention to the leader, keeping her expression completely neutral while willing him to burst into flames. “As if we have any interest in your pathetic settlement.” Hai Yun declared. “You’re lucky we arrived when we did, or the monsters would have overrun your miserable defenses.”

The settlement had ‘generously’ allowed her to set up a camp in the mouth of a gorge, dead center in the path where the invaders attacked. They wouldn’t even allow the families of her followers shelter behind their fortifications, nor any relief between waves.

“And we thank you for that.” The leader sneered contemptuously.

It was obvious what would come next and Hai Yun clamped down on her emotions as she recognized her many failures that led to this final confrontation.

“Mistress,” One of her young attendants interrupted Hai Yun’s thoughts with a whisper. The girl was barely 15 years old and had only received her class during the first wave of the siege. The fact that she was level 34 after just a few weeks did nothing to change the fact that she was a child. “You should flee. We will hold them off.” The girl offered with a determined expression that was reflected even among Hai Yun’s oldest followers.

Hai Yun shook her head. “Nonsense. I will punish these dogs for their impudent barking.”

Hai Yun held her arm forward, palm facing up, with just her pointer finger and middle finger aimed at the leader of their ambush as if to personally challenge him. He continued sneering at her, reveling in his favorable position. She flicked her wrist up, so that her two fingers aimed at the sky and her flame dragon blasted out of the ground around the leader’s feet. Her level 50 skill had made her dragons significantly more responsive, something she had withheld during the last wave of monsters.

The leader’s sneer melted away, replaced by his agonized screams as her first dragon rose into the air like a volcanic eruption. It seemed her will had been more than enough for him to burst into flames after all.

The heat of the dragon’s entrance immediately melted the fine, powdery snow that covered the landscape and a wave of warmth blanketed the ambushers. The leader’s invisible shield shattered as he died, revealing itself to be uselessly placed a dozen feet in front of his position where he expected to intercept any frontal attacks.

Hai Yun bent her elbow and clenched her hand into a fist and her dragon exploded in an air burst of fiery lances. The horrified expressions of the nearby soldiers witnessing the quick defeat of their leader transformed into anguish as they joined him in the torment of a painful death.

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

Hai Yun accepted that she would die here as well, but she would extract a high price for the lives of her followers.

She pushed the palm of her opposite hand forward, extending it beyond her silken wrist wrap, looped around two fingers, as she continued her assault. Her second dragon rushed forward, like a battering ram, toward the entrenched ambushers, mouth agape with lightning teeth displayed. Purple and white sparks spread across the ground in unpredictable patterns, but her attendants fearlessly charged directly behind the dragon, not needing her verbal direction to fight to the death.

A thick wall of deep blue ice crossed the road and her lightning dragon smashed into it as the rest of the Chosen recovered their wits and began to fight. The ice wall held strong despite streams of electricity leaving glittering trails fanning across the frozen surface. Her bodyguards leapt into the fray, each engaging a dozen of the settlement’s soldiers in brutal close combat on the edges of the wall. The battlefield collapsed into chaos as weapons cut through the air and spells flew through the gaps. The snow-covered valley hardly muffled the cries of distress as blood stained the ground red.

She resummoned her flame dragon, and let it swoop across the ice barrier, melting it with flames. Then she called both of her conjures into the air, twisting them into a double helix and letting their combined form smash down into the midst of her enemies from the sky. A wave of fire and arcing lightning swept the battle line. The air itself was charged by her attacks, making the fine hairs on her arms stand up, and the crisp winter scents were drowned out by the burning flames catching her enemies.

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

She knew that her followers were dying at her flank, holding off the soldiers that had chased them for days, but she had to face the enemy in front of them. She would be sure to make their sacrifices worthwhile. Her dragons swept the backlines of the enemy, seeking out the undefended ranged fighters while her bodyguards held the line, weapons and bodies drenched bloodred.

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

As she summoned a new cycle, she used her lightning dragon to catch a series of polychromatic energy arrows that targeted her directly. The dragon consumed the attacks and she finally spared a hasty glance behind. She wanted to see how much time she had left because she had no intention of dying with any mana in reserve.

She was relieved to find most, or maybe even all of her followers remained steadfast at her back. She was able to concentrate on turning her dragons into a swirling torrent of flames and lightning while her elite bodyguards cut through their distracted and panicked foes. For a moment, she believed they might be able to punch through, cleaving through the ambush before they were overwhelmed.

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

However, an ear shattering shriek arrested her swelling optimism. The sounds of battle only grew more intense from her flank until she couldn’t resist the urge to turn around and bear witness. The enemy trap had failed and she had routed the frontal assault, meant to pincer them between against the larger force, but the pursuers would be able to engulf her meager forces on their own. She still had enough mana to extract a heavy price from their killers and she prepared to call her dragons onto the rear.

Upon a closer look, she realized that her followers hadn’t even been engaged in combat at all. A single individual was cleaving through the gathered enemy Chosen, causing chaos from within their column while deflecting magic attacks with swipes of stretched claws.

The disorder was already winding down by the time Hai Yun joined her spectating followers. She witnessed the young lady that saved them tear a hulking warrior’s throat out with a swipe of her nails, bite through the neck of another with pointed teeth and an impossible stretch of her jaw, and impale her pointed fingers into the heart of a third, launching a gout of crimson blood arcing into the sky. It was a savage slaughter, even for this apocalyptic Earth.

The girl wailed a dissatisfied screech and a dozen of the remaining soldiers dropped their weapons and collapsed in a perfect circle around her, clutching their ears or eyes as they bled. She jumped into the air toward the final holdouts with elongated fingers and sharp nails held forward. Her thick matted hair trailed after her like a beast in its own right and Hai Yun spotted the girl’s blind, cloudy, pupiless eyes for a brief second before she landed and the final enemies were torn apart.

The attendants mumbled around Hai Yun in hushed tones fearing what they were seeing, as the girl’s wounds rapidly closed where she had been pierced by arrows or spells. “Demon!” “Vampire.” “Devil…” but when the last soldier was defeated, Hai Yun stepped forward to thank their savior.

The girl stood barefoot in the center of a massacre despite the below freezing temperature. The ruined rags that might have once been a nightgown barely clung to her thin figure. She was so skinny, she might have been starving if not for the effects of mana. Her fingers and nails shrank to a normal size as Hai Yun walked through the killing field, though they still dripped with blood.

“Thank you,” Hai Yun expressed in genuine gratitude, “but why have you saved us?”

The girl kept her head down, causing her blood-soaked hair to cover almost her entire face, though Hai Yun could still see the blood on the girl’s cheek and chin that obviously wasn’t her own.

When the girl didn’t respond, Hai Yun continued. “Might I know your name?”

The girl turned her head away, but she responded in a shaky voice that belied the power she had displayed. “I don’t know it.”

“You don’t know your name?” Hai Yun’s eyebrows rose unconsciously.

“I know what it was, but I don’t think it’s mine anymore…” The girl seemed confused, but Hai Yun would honor their savior if she could, and perhaps even establish a powerful ally in doing so. Hai Yun had been taught to strike when the iron was hot, and here she saw an opportunity beyond obligation.

“That’s alright.” She reassured her. “Mine is Hai Yun. Would you like to come with us? We are leaving this place, we will find somewhere better.”

“Are you sure?” The girl flinched, but one milky eye appeared between locks of hair.

“Of course.” Hai Yun responded confidently.

“We don’t have to fight? But, you saw me.” The girl faltered, whispering. “You saw…”

“You saved us. For that, we will be forever grateful.” Hai Yun stated with a short bend at the waist. She knew her followers would reproduce the gesture with their own deep bows.

After more hesitation, the girl decided. “I would like to go…” The girl pondered for another moment before she continued, “I was called Irina before.”

Hai Yun was surprised to hear a European name this far away from the continent. “Then let’s go together, Irina.” She invited the girl with an outstretched hand.