Chapter 189: Field Test (Patreon)

“I guess it’s been a while since one of these guys showed up.” Coop sighed, resigned to the fact that another Icon of Mana had revealed itself to the planet.

Given that Coop hadn’t been the one to trigger the Icon, its appearance was probably a bad sign. Maybe an extremely bad sign. The Eradication Protocol was meant to be something to worry about years in the future, but if Icons of Mana were already casually introducing themselves to the planet, it might be closer than anyone anticipated. The Icons were supposed to be precursors to the protocol. Unique circumstances surrounding the siege event with the continuous mana dome covering Ghost Reef and the mana siphon ritual conducted by Madison to cure Jones’s blood curse had given them a window to materialize prematurely.

However, Coop hadn’t done anything that established an extraordinary mana concentration such that an Icon should have appeared this time around. He had to hope that Huracan had been working on something special that led to mana pooling in the region. Otherwise, the only conclusion would be that the assimilation would be further complicated by another powerful force entering the fray much sooner than anticipated. Whatever formation the black stone spires and the living flame had created may have been enough, but Coop wasn’t enough of an expert to be sure. No matter the circumstances, even the mere fact that someone else could have brought an Icon would be a grim development.

Lyriel, the self-proclaimed Avatar of the System had promised years of prep time based on the progress of Earth's assimilation and its concentrations of mana. Coop began harboring doubts about the accuracy of her predictions, and now with a third Icon appearing, seemingly on its own, he was fearing the worst. Outside of Ghost Reef, humanity wasn’t ready. Even the territories that The Lighthouse had claimed wouldn’t be prepared to face the forces of mana. Empress City was basically a fresh settlement, building from scratch, and Neptune’s Bridge had just lost a significant portion of its fighting force in the Sapphire Armada’s effort to claim Ghost Reef. Corozal was hardly ready to deal with roaming Field Bosses, and there was nothing to be said of the rest of the world. None of them would know what was coming before it arrived on their doorstep. Coop had to hope that Marcus was spreading the word effectively as he negotiated relationships with other settlements, but they would still need time to refocus on the looming threat.

Coop shook his head and dismissed all those worries. Like the small wildfire, he just needed to take care of what he could. Refocusing on the matter at hand, he took a deep breath. He had an Icon of Mana to smack around. When he had the chance, catching the outline of its wing at the edge of the sandstorm, he double checked the monster’s aura.

[Siege Boss: Inevitable Conclusion (Level 175)]

[Shadow of Power]

[Icon of Mana]

Coop considered how to handle another encounter with an Icon of Mana. The first Icon, Irrevocable Condemnation, had only been level 75 and had appeared by absorbing the mana accumulated beneath the mana dome during Ghost Reef’s siege event. Back then, Coop had the full support of his surviving allies at his back. At the time, they had all progressed way beyond what normal mana levels would have permitted under regular circumstances thanks to the unusual Siege Event. He hadn’t known the danger he was actually facing when he first saw the monster, and he treated the confrontation like any other, by poking and prodding at his opponent while he sought an advantage and determining its strengths and weaknesses. It had worked out in the end, but not without significant contributions from the other residents and phantoms.

The second Icon of Mana, Monolithic Destiny, had made its entrance through Madison’s mana siphon within the Merciful Medical Center’s ritual chamber. It had really jumped the gun, appearing in a swirl of mana that was rapidly extinguished as the ritual concluded long before its form could fully materialize. The premature arrival had given Coop an opportunity to smash the monster back to wherever it came from. Still, even in its incomplete form, it was a durable level 100 Siege Boss that he had desperately fought to prevent from laying waste to his settlement, sustaining a pummeling from Coop that no other had been able to withstand, with maybe the exception of the Sapphire Armada’s Champion and council of Chosen.

Now, the third Icon, Inevitable Conclusion, showed up without Coop witnessing the manifestation. As Coop gazed into the levitating sand, he wasn’t sure how to proceed. Entering its domain seemed like a bad idea. Somewhere inside was another Icon of Mana, a siege boss level threat that was at an equal level to Coop. The others had been below his level. His natural inclination was to stay out of the obvious sandy domain as the monster would hold every advantage if they were both caught inside.

Every few seconds he caught a glimpse of the Icon. Sometimes it was a fleeting silhouette just barely betraying its position, like a mirage in the sand. Other times, he would get a brief glimpse of a single leathery wing or the tip of what must have been an elongated tail, lined with bony protrusions that formed long spikes all the way to the end. Flashes of reflected light would occasionally reveal armored scales. While the Icon wasn’t overly large, it was certainly alien.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Coop thought he could get away with just pretending he didn’t see anything. He could whistle a tune and be back in Corozal in less than three minutes with three super long mistjumps. Mikey B and Amanda were probably already halfway to relaxing in Cancun, wondering if Coop was serious about taking his first break on the Yucatan expedition.

“Damnit.” Coop cursed at the cloud of sand, kicking a pebble off the stone pyramid.

He couldn’t kid himself. He was the same guy that took the time to restore battlefields after he was done fighting. The only reason he discovered the Icon of Mana was that he spent so much extra time putting out the stray fires that the High Priest had ignited while they fought. This Icon was just another mess that he would need to clean up. If he didn’t, it would certainly cause him more grief in the future, like a chore left undone. The Icon would empower itself until a confrontation was unavoidable and Coop would come to regret procrastinating.

Coop summoned his ethereal round shield, adding the familiar offhand to his already summoned spear. He stood at the top of the pyramid looking down on the sandy domain just like Huracan had looked down on his fog. However, Coop wouldn’t underestimate his opponent and expect to be treated as if he was a deity. Coop was just some guy who happened to start the assimilation in a lucky location. Anyone in his place could have accomplished the same feats he had, so long as they were willing to grind the monsters that inhabited the environment. Every resident of Ghost Reef was doing just that, even if they all proceeded at their own paces, proving that he wasn’t special.

The next time he spotted the shadow of the Icon, he let his spear fly. The spear shot into the sandy domain with enough speed to tag the monster though it lacked the full force that Coop could generate with his entire body. He wasn’t aiming for a devastating blow, though if he lucked into a critical hit, he would take it. Rather, Coop wanted to bait the monster out of the cloud of sand, and he hoped to force it into retaliating by presenting himself as a ranged opponent that was content to take pot shots.

When there was no reaction from either the Icon or the domain, Coop wondered if he had actually missed. There had been no feedback either way. If his weapon had struck the ground he expected that he would have been able to detect the sound over the quiet rushing of the sand, but there was nothing. If he struck the monster, he thought it would change its behavior, but that didn’t change either.

Instead of lingering on the mystery, Coop resummoned his weapon and repeated the attack. This time he waited until he caught a glimpse at the scaled tail before firing, but once again, nothing happened. It was like the cloud of sand swallowed the missile, preventing it from colliding with anything at all, not the monster or the ground. The monster’s form shimmered in and out of existence, playing with the shadows created by the cloud of suspended sand.

He wasn’t ready to give up on his opening strike, so he prepared for a third attempt. After a good thirty seconds where Coop felt like he was spearfishing, waiting for the opportune moment to impale his prey, he finally had his chance. When he finally got a good look at the monster as its form grazed against the edge of the sandy domain, it was already too late.

The Icon of Mana shot out of its domain, straight at Coop, driving upwards and finally revealing itself without the sandy obstructions clouding its form. The light shimmered around its body and all Coop could focus on were rows of tiny teeth arranged like rolls of heavy duty metal tack strips within its protruding mouth. Its reptilian jaw was open wide as it sought to bite down on Coop’s spear. Coop released the weapon in time, rushing to land his attack first, but the Icon’s jaw snapped shut, snapping the missile out of the air before it bounced up and over its back.

The Icon wasn’t particularly large, only extending around 16 feet long from the tip of its snout to the end of its spiked tail as it moved beyond its sand cloud. It was smaller than most Field Bosses. Coop’s mind immediately associated the monster’s rapid motion with the way an iguana swam, undulating its entire body to propel itself forward with its tail rippling behind. However, there was something odd with its momentum. Rather than simply being fast, smoothly shooting through the air, it seemed to skip forward like he was watching something moving rapidly while being lit by a strobe light. It reminded him of the way Arthur’s sliding attacks would leave cinematic afterimages as he went through the motions.

Coop stumbled backwards while raising his shield as he reacted to the monster’s attempted tackle. It only had a single wing, which it had folded backwards to be more aerodynamic, rather than using it to thrust into the air. It had a pair of arms that were stretched forward, seeking to catch Coop. One arm was clearly much longer than the other while the shorter limb was thicker.

Each arm had three spiked fingers that were more like talons than hands, both forward claws stretched forward to cut into Coop’s flesh, while the third claw trailed behind. Coop concentrated on the longer arm, forcing his offhand to bring the shield up in time to prevent being gutted by the rough spikes, utilizing all of his Agility to barely get there in time. The monster also had four sturdy seeming legs that were pressed against its body as it flew toward Coop. If it stood still, Coop imagined it would seem something like a draconic centaur, with its rough scaly, golden-brown skin and an upright torso, but at the moment, it was more like a barbed arrow with a trailing ribbon.

Coop barely got low enough to avoid the monster’s snout as he took a half-step backwards, sliding his foot down just in time to avoid a headshot. His shield shifted to protect his stomach, narrowly blocking the first claw’s strike, but the collision weakened his form and the second arm slipped past his block, cutting him just below the right side of his neck, above the edge of his shield and across his collar bone.

As he fell backwards, spinning from the blow with mists leaking from his armor, his blood splattered onto the ancient stone of the top of the pyramid, and he was able to watch as the Icon slid smoothly onto its four feet, balanced on its muscular legs. Its single wing unfurled like a parachute, displayed like a grotesque, lopsided kite, with a dozen pointed spikes running along its outer edge. The monster twisted around, dragging its spiked tail behind it and Coop realized his collapse had narrowly saved him from being impaled by the trailing appendage that he had been unable to account for.

Everything was happening too quickly. He knew he was in trouble, but he was acting on instinct, fighting to survive an encounter with an opponent that might really be too much for him. At the very least, the Icon had wounded him more severely than he had been since midway through the siege event. It had caused so much damage with a small part of a multi-pronged attack that Coop could barely follow and with more natural weapons than he expected. The weird part was that the Icon forced him to move as fast as he possibly could, but the Icon itself didn’t appear to be particularly quick.

He was already back on his feet by the time the Icon had turned to face him. His ethereal sword was manifesting in his empty main hand and he was pressing forward, already dripping in blood, unwilling to let the Icon dictate their duel. The monster had its back to the open door of the temple, but it was too large to easily fit inside, so Coop had it cornered. He sought to turn the momentum of the fight around, following the tailwind of the monster’s first attack.

A quick thrust of his sword was blocked by the short arm’s claws, and the monster countered with the greater reach of its opposite arm, having a length that matched Coop and his sword combined, but Coop had his shield in place to block the attack. He had been caught by surprise once, but now they were in a stand up melee, and he knew just a little better about what to expect from the monster.

He slashed with his sword again and a single talon blocked the edge, but his sword was already being withdrawn to be swept above as the Icon’s neck stretched forward as if it would bite his head from above. The monster stood on its four legs, shuffling them forward and back efficiently, and it was a full four feet taller than Coop, even with its tail flicking back and forth behind it like a snake preparing to strike.

The tip of Coop’s sword drew a thin line up the length of the monster’s chin, drawing some brown equivalent of blood from its scaly flesh, and the Icon reeled its head backwards as it took its first bit of damage. The fight wouldn’t be so one-sided after all, and like the Icons before it, the monster reacted with surprise at being resisted.

When it shoved its arms at Coop, he sidestepped as much as he could, but he would have his ribs raked by the extended reverse thumb spikes, so he activated Vaporform. It ended up being a field test to save his life.

The world transitioned into gray-scale and Coop completed his side-step before releasing his Vaporform. The monster’s claw cut empty space, displacing a portion of the mists that replaced Coop while he turned incorporeal for a split second.

Coop returned the favor by slamming his sword down on the jabbing arm. The blade bit deep, but failed to sever the limb completely, finding some bone-like structure deep within. Before he could withdraw his sword, the tail whipped through the air, seeking a body blow that would be impossible to avoid in his current position. There was no way Coop would get his shield around to his exposed side to block, so he dove into the world of mists a second time, toggling Vaporform and letting the spikes sweep straight through where he had been.

When he solidified again, a fraction of a second later, the Icon slammed its longer arm toward him, forcing a proper shield block that rang across the pyramid and slid Coop away from his sword as his feet lost their grip on the old worn stone.

They were both out of range of their melee attacks, with Coop losing his sword as it remained embedded in the monster’s arm. Blood dripped from his empty hand while the monster leaned back, demonstrating some wariness that made Coop’s bloodlust rise, like he was detecting weakness. Fog of War was already condensing atop the pyramid, but the Icon swept its tail across the stone, leaving gouges as it aimed for Coop’s ankles before the density rose to any meaningful level.

Coop’s domain did its primary job, empowering Presence of Mind and giving him a reaction speed that properly matched with his Agility enhanced physical speed. He would never expect Fog of War to properly confuse any boss monsters so it didn’t need to become a dense cloud to be worth the expense.

Coop stepped into the sweeping attack, jumping over the tail. As he rose, the wing unfolded, blocking his path with a series of bone spikes that would have finished Coop off. Instead, he reentered the monochromatic world, this time mistjumping to his sword. When he reappeared, he yanked his sword out of the monster’s arm and drove the end into the monster’s exposed chest.

He quickswapped to his battle axe after releasing his blade and aimed to cleave the monster’s neck, but the Icon recoiled far enough that he missed completely. The monster’s form shimmered as it accelerated unnaturally to get out of the way, but Coop’s swing sent a wave of wind across the monster’s face. While in his backswing, the tail came from the opposite side. He prepared another Vaporform toggle, but before the tail reached him, the wing smashed him in the chest with enough force to send him flying backwards as he bit the feint that the Icon had set up.

Coop cleared the edge of the pyramid as he took the blunt force attack before he could brace himself. He was too concentrated on activating Vaporform at the right time to avoid the tail, he had failed to account for the other extra limb that the Icon had available for the second time. Trying to properly execute his new ability had taken too much focus away from his tried and true tactics.

As he fell into the sand cloud he thought how unfair it was that the Icon had so many extra tools at its disposal. The monster roared, sounding furious at Coop, and he realized it was the first sound either of them had made since the confrontation began. His vision clouded as he entered the sandy domain, then he hit the hard-packed ground with a solid thump that knocked his breath out.