“Nomad! Wait!” Fabiana called out from behind the group while picking her way through ruined concrete barriers and stepping over burned tires.
Coop, Marcus, Camila, and Charlie were already standing still after Coop paused to test his new title, so they waited for the insistent Commander. The rest of the rebel army appeared to be moving slowly, lagging behind as they collected the prisoners and cleared some of the debris to give better access between the airport and shipping port. The Endless Empire’s Chosen didn’t put up any more resistance, finding themselves both defeated and nearly evenly numbered for the first time since the assimilation began. Coop thought the role reversal would be a decent wakeup call for those who had grown accustomed to the situation as it had been.
“Thank you.” Fabiana spoke as she finally caught up, with Jackson looking spent as he followed along a few steps after her. Whether Jackson’s attitude change was from the weeks of constant fighting finally catching up to him or if it was from being confronted with Coop’s frustration wasn’t clear, but at least he was properly contrite.
“Listen, I want to apologize.” Fabiana spoke confidently, meeting Coop’s gaze with her own. “You should know that it was my idea to leverage your brief visit, not Jackson’s. The rumors about you were already spreading all over the city, and I saw it as an opening to rally people under a single banner. I understand that we ended up putting much too large a burden on you, and I’m sorry for that.” Fabiana finished, not entirely getting the point.
Coop took her words seriously, but he still felt like they only acknowledged half of the problem. The bottom line was that he wouldn’t have cared about rallying people around a fictional version of himself, if they had done so with the purpose of saving them instead of conscripting them into a war. He just didn’t agree with their priorities.
“I’m sorry, too.” Coop stated, putting his frustration aside and nodding at Jackson. “I trust that you had good intentions, thanks to Marcus vouching for you.” Jackson bowed his head.
“But the Empire needed to be put down.” Fabiana stated emphatically, unwilling to leave any doubt upon their position.
“Probably.” Coop shrugged. “I think they were failing on their own, but if they needed a little push, were random unleveled citizens the best people for the job?”
Marcus cleared his throat to jump into the conversation. “What would have happened if, instead of fighting, you rallied the people to evacuate Empress City and come to Ghost Reef? The cruise ship full of people you eventually sent shows you had the capacity to do so. If you weren’t sure we would take you, despite the accurate rumors of the ‘Nomad’ specifically inviting people that you yourselves helpfully spread, you could have sent a smaller group first to confirm. We would even have helped transport people with our own fleet.”
Marcus didn’t give her time to respond, continuing with his thoughts. “Your cause was righteous, given what became of the Endless Empire’s Chosen, but if you are going to become Champion and Viceroy of Empress City, you’re going to need to do a better job considering the lives of the people entrusting them to you.”
“You’re still offering the position? I thought it would be off the table after…” She gestured at Coop.
“You’re going to need to understand how we’ve been doing things, and confirm that you can align with us properly. Throwing away lives is certainly not something we approve of.” Marcus informed her.
She nodded along as they reached the demolished outer ring of the airport. One thing was clear; she was willing to take responsibility for the surviving rebels. Coop thought that was a start.
“How many of your people are left?” Marcus continued to assess the scenario.
Jackson was the one that spoke up. “Should be a bit over 26,000, plus the ones we sent on the cruise ship.”
“Don’t bother counting them. They won’t be coming back.” Marcus declared emotionlessly.
“What?” Jackson sputtered, suddenly looking scared all over again, as if Ghost Reef would be executing the rest of them after all. Coop kept a close eye on him.
“I mean, given the choice between Ghost Reef and Empress City, no one in their right mind would choose to come here.” Marcus clarified. “I suspect the majority of them will be moving into their apartments today and starting their job hunts.”
Jackson and Fabiana looked at each other with some confusion, apparently unable to envision a settlement that hadn’t been crippled by internal strife and poor management. Coop couldn’t blame them as he assessed the airport.
Empress City itself was basically deserted. The outer perimeter wall, full of wrecked cars that had been meticulously piled, was nowhere to be seen. The shacks that had been home to so many were flattened all the way to the edge of the inner ring. The inner wall had no signs of life, even if it was still standing as a barrier between the city and the airport. The group walked right up to the nearest gate and Coop prepared to smash through with his still equipped morning star before they were interrupted.
“Jenny?” A voice called from the edge of the wall. “Holy crap! It’s Jenny! I was so worried about you! It’s been a long time right?” A guard popped his head up over the edge and glanced at Camila, then everyone else before he ducked back down after spotting the approaching rebel army, escorting their prisoners through the former outer ring. “Ah, did you join the rebels? That makes sense. Let me get the gate for you.” The man called out from behind the fortifications.
Coop looked at the rest of the group quizzically. “What’s this?”
Camila rolled her eyes. “This is Jim, he’s the one that let us in last time.”
The double metal panel gate slowly swung open and a lone guard stood against one edge. He addressed them before they could ask any questions, showing his palms. “So, the rest of the garrisoned battalions fled as soon as the Champion died, they all headed north to regroup with our new allies. The wilds have become too dangerous for regular scouting parties, so I don’t know how many of them will make it.” Jim the guard casually explained. “Everyone who stayed wishes to surrender, and as the ones tasked with protecting the headquarters, we didn’t actually participate in any of the fighting. If you could take that into consideration as you decide on fitting punishments, that would be great.”
He finally turned to Camila, coughed once, and stepped forward. “Jenny, would you go on a date with me?”
“Oh, no.” Coop whispered, suddenly feeling awkward enough to push away the rest of his agitations.
“Sorry, Jim, kinda busy with the apocalypse these days. Plus, you’re probably gonna be some kind of prisoner for a while.” Camila let him down a lot nicer than Coop expected. “Also, my name isn’t Jenny.” She concluded. Coop winced, but was sort of impressed by the guy for taking his shot, even at a time like this.
“Right.” Marcus didn’t let anyone else say anything. “Do you see that too?” He asked Coop, who glanced over and realized they could detect the civilization shard as if they already owned it.
“Let’s go.” Coop stated with a nod, urging them all forward.
As they followed one of the runways toward the terminals in the airport, Coop’s attention was piqued by the glowing tip of the jail, rising slightly above the top floors of the parking garage. It was covered in flowing red and purple mana, generating a shield that reminded him of the service buildings back home during the siege.
The rebel army prodded the captured Chosen of the Empire into the inner ring and started to fan out, claiming the territory for themselves. When Coop’s group arrived at one of the entrances of the airport there were thousands more Chosen inside, ready to surrender.
Coop just stood in the doorway. “Alright, come on out and line up!” Coop shouted, letting Presence of Mind wash over the area. Their levels were unimpressive, almost all were around level 30. Considering most of them had returned from the Endless Empire’s orientation around level 25, they hadn’t made much progress at all, even after the siege event. He was actually disgusted by their lack of progress.
“Fabiana, could you take the lead on organizing all the prisoners?” Coop didn’t wait for a response, turning to his more trusted companions right away. “Camila, could you make sure they don’t start executing people?” Fabiana’s expression went from accepting the responsibility to slightly offended, but she didn’t offer any argument.
“I’ll make sure everyone gets some advocacy.” Camila declared, happy for a huge opportunity to level her profession. “C’mon Charlie, let’s make sure they know that Ghost Reef powerhouses are the real deal. That’ll keep ‘em from getting any nasty ideas.”
“Marcus and I will get Jackson set up at the shard.” Coop finished. Only Jim looked unsure about what to do, hesitating as he watched the women leave. “You can join the prisoners right away, or you can come with us and tell us the state of things before joining the prisoners. Your choice.” Coop stated, getting his attention away from Fabiana and the girls who were guiding the prisoners from the airport back toward the rebel army like the Empire’s Chosen were a flock of lost sheep.
“I’ll try to be helpful.” Jim conceded, joining them in order to try and earn brownie points.
Coop and Marcus led the way through the airport, seeing that the shard was on an upper level. Coop doubted the paranoid Champion would have had it far from his lair, so he expected to find it near some of the more luxurious accommodations in the private areas of the airport.
“Where are we going to move it?” Marcus asked as they passed empty terminals. “People are going to need to access the shard to quit the Empire and to get their professions.”
“Jeez,” Coop muttered. “I forgot they don’t even have professions.” He shook his head in disappointment. Keeping them weak was definitely a major contributor to their failure. It made it so that no matter what happened, they were screwed in the long run.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“The airport is a pretty nice spot for a settlement, and the main pick up and drop off area has a fancy waiting area that could both be accessible and fortified for the shard’s placement.” Marcus mused, already planning another city. “I wonder if we can get Balor over here to work some of his magic.”
“We could always get another Stonemason for this place.” Coop suggested, not wanting to lend their first contracted resident out so easily.
Jackson spoke up for the first time. “What about the port? We picked it in the first place because we thought it would be more convenient to be closer to Ghost Reef.”
Marcus wasn’t particularly enthused by the idea. “If we utilize the highway, it will still be almost as convenient. We can set up housing and services along and underneath the highway, turning it into a main artery for the city. I suspect the port will evolve into a bustling connection and the airport can be a fortified government center.” Marcus continued as they walked up a second set of escalators. “The ocean will be the main barrier regardless of an extra mile between shards.”
“I dunno, man,” Coop wanted them to consider something else. “A linear city? That might suck. I think concentrating everything in one or the other would almost certainly be better.”
When they reached the top of the escalators, their little dispute was interrupted. A seven foot tall, pastel purple lady stood with a lifeless body cradled in her arms.
“Uh oh.” Jackson muttered, glancing at Marcus who looked suitably terrified. This was another awkward reunion no one had really been expecting.
“It’s about time, Champion!” She shouted as her eyes locked with Coop’s, letting her hoarse voice echo through the empty airport. She was clearly angry at something, and her demeanor made it seem like it was Coop. Coop used Presence of Mind to inspect her, not expecting much.
[Prison Warden (Level ??)]
[(Strength)]
[Steward of The Endless Empire]
“What’s about time?” Coop stood his ground, despite knowing that even with his formidable power, the contracted residents weren’t something he was ready to confront. He would just need to hope the system did its job if it came to blows, and did it before he was demolished. Marcus and Jackson shifted behind him, as if there was any chance he could offer protection. Jim was just frozen in the back, completely out of the loop.
“About time you took over this miserable settlement!” She elaborated, still shouting. When Coop looked at her confused, trying to figure out why she would have expected that to happen in the first place, she continued, a bit more conversationally. “You fool. Did you really think you escaped my prison so easily? Of course I let you go. The Chosen Champion was a bust.” She practically spat.
She leveled her gaze back at them, appearing disappointed. “You never noticed that service buildings have significant structural protection? You may have been strong enough to escape your cell, but the walls are a completely different matter.” She pointed at Jackson from underneath the knees of the body she gently held. “That weakling would never make it through a blast shield, even with a thousand years to try, and you still wouldn’t make it through me.” She boasted, referring to Coop as she recognized his growth and didn’t find it intimidating in the slightest.
“Why would you do that?” Coop couldn’t help but ask.
“This assignment is not one of honor, but I do not wish to return. When this shard is destroyed, my contract will be concluded. I expected you to take over immediately. It was a miracle that this Empress City lasted as long as it did.” The prison warden elaborated.
“I, uh…” Coop hadn’t even considered that the contracted residents would transfer along with the settlement, though it was obvious.
“Don’t waste more time! You need to find someone that can cure the blood curse.” She continued. “This man needs help, before the curse corrupts him.”
“We can do that.” Marcus spoke up. “But, who is that?”
“He is a beautiful warrior who does not deserve the dishonor of a blood curse corrupting his mana. Look at his scars.” She shifted so they could better see his bare chest. He was just an older looking guy with a pained expression on his face, but he was in good shape and did have quite a few long scars criss-crossing his skin. “They have been using my prison to hold the cursed ones. All of the rest were emptied out to fill the army and are either dead or outside of the territory according to my ledgers.”
“Well,” Coop looked at Marcus who didn’t look like he’d object, looking more confused than anything. “We can do that actually, we already cured it once. How many more are there?”
“106 in total, but almost all are already dishonored.” She answered while staring at the man in her arms.
“Madison is going to be so mad.” Coop mumbled as he shook his head. “Look, uh, what should I call you?”
“My name is Eleza.” The prison warden finally gave him a name.
“Right, Eleza. I’m Coop.” She nodded. “We already have a healer and a clinic from the Merciful, but it’s at my settlement. Can you get all those people ready to be transported? How much time do we have?”
“They will all fight off the curse in the end, but they will be permanently corrupted if it is not soon enough. For most it is too late, but the last few still have some time before their mana is altered. This one and his companions at least.” Eleza explained, sounding like she wanted to save a sick puppy.
“Alright. Will you get him and his companions ready to be moved? We’ll have to come back for the rest afterwards.” Coop decided they could try to rush and help the few Eleza saw as uncorrupted first. They would have to send another ship for the rest.
“It will be done, Champion Coop.” The prison warden agreed before she jumped over the railing, down to the lower floor, then did the same until she was on the ground, heading toward the prison.
“Right.” Coop looked at the other equally confused faces of his companions. “Takes all kinds, I guess.”
They weren’t interrupted again before they reached the civilization shard after passing through a demolished lounge that had quite a few suspicious stains on the carpet. The shard was hidden away inside of an employee break room, next to a smashed vending machine and dwarfing a simple gray-blue sofa that had never been comfortable for anyone, before or after the start of the assimilation. The only light in the enclosed room was emanated by the glowing red crystalline structure.
“How’d they get it in here?” Jackson wondered, staring at the shard. He had never seen one before, but he was right about it being out of place. It was so big it went from the floor to the ceiling, too large to fit through the doorway.
“Huh.” Coop wondered himself. “I have no idea.” He chuckled at Jackson. “You’re gonna have to figure out how to get it out I guess.”
Coop accessed the shard and received a prompt that stated he was already a Champion and he could abandon his other shard for this one or he could claim it as a subordinate shard and assign someone else to become Champion. His assignment options included everyone that was an advisor to him already, even the ones that had remained on Ghost Reef, and Jackson since he was close enough by proximity.
“Marcus, what does it say if you try?” He asked.
Marcus touched it before responding. “I can claim it as a subordinate shard and become a Champion or assign the position to Jackson.”
“Cool. Go ahead and do it.” Coop was glad that the official advisors had enough authority to do things like this. It really lifted a burden off of his shoulders to know that he wasn’t personally expected to handle every little thing. The advisor system was convenient to such an extent, he could imagine other Champions becoming too lazy to do anything themselves. For Coop, it just meant he was mostly free to concentrate on grinding.
After a few moments, Jackson looked at them. “That’s it? Now what?”
Coop just laughed, glad he wasn’t the only one that thought the system needed to do a better job with formal ceremonies. “Give it a sec, I think something will happen with our barely functioning faction.”
“You have a faction?” Jackson frowned. “We were under the impression you were… independent.” He rather carefully admitted, not wanting to offend them at this stage.
“It’s a human faction, we founded it.” Coop briefly shared, shrugging.
After a few more awkward moments, a pulse burst from the shard and filled the breakroom, passed through the walls, and warped their vision in a way that made Coop feel cross-eyed. After several seconds that Coop assumed gave the pulse enough time to extend to the edges of the settlement’s territory, everything pixelated, before slowly returning back to normal just like back on Ghost Reef.
A notification was pushed to all of the residents of Empress City and everyone in the faction, including Coop.
[The Lighthouse has claimed Empress City]
Coop gave a monotone “Yay,” and confirmed that the Purification Chip continued to work as the Avatar of the System advertised, providing them with the buff that was meant to protect them from the judgment of mana. Its effectiveness was still to be determined, but he still had hope that it would do something worthwhile.
“What the hell was all of that?” Jackson asked after witnessing the impact of applying the buff to the settlement’s territory, looking at Coop and Marcus like they were crazy.
“Man, that’s a long story.” Coop shook his head. “Marcus! I’ll leave the explanation of all the mana and system stuff to you. You can give Jackson a tutorial on the shard, unless you want to include Fabiana at the same time.”
“Sure, if you’re on your way back down, send Fabiana up. We’ll work on figuring out how to move this thing in the meantime.” Marcus agreed. “Jim, I’m gonna need you to tell me everything about how things were organized around here.”
“Make him quit the Empire first, maybe let him grab a profession. Actually, Jackson, can you tell me how many residents Empress City has?” Coop paused on his way out, pointing at the shard.
After a short pause while Jackson navigated menus for the first time, he responded. “87,203. Wait. It’s ticking down as I look at it.”
Coop glanced at Marcus, both noting that it was too low to complete the optional quest objective for Ghost Reef. “Jim, how many people would you say made a run for it?”
“Almost 10,000.” He responded confidently.
“It’s probably a combination of them and the ones you sent to Ghost Reef losing their status as residents for one reason or another.” Coop figured. “Marcus, doesn’t that leave a lot of Empire people, compared to the rebels? Won’t that be a problem?”
Marcus tapped his chin for a moment. “Honestly, if this was before the assimilation I would say it was a big problem for a peaceful transfer of power after a bout of violent unrest. But, I think we can work through it, and I mean literally work, we’ll make sure they’re too busy to think about it at first. We just have to decide what and where to build.”
“Don’t forget about the prison. Even if it can’t hold them, maybe we can put them on probation or something.” Coop hoped it would work out. “What do you think, Jim?”
“You won’t have any problems from the ones that were in the airport, they had to openly refuse to fight. The leaders called them reserve units, but that was to hide how many resisted orders. Even among the ones willing to fight, there’s really no love for the Empire outside of a few freaks scattered around. I imagine most of them died for the cause, but I’m still not gonna vouch for anyone that was actually fighting.” He admitted, causing the rest to settle in thought.
It wasn’t exactly a full vote of confidence, especially since that was a large number of people to consider, with all the ones who surrendered on the highway. Jackson and Fabiana would probably have their hands full trying to reconcile the two groups.
“Well, don’t start building without me.” Coop commanded, wanting to be a part of the planning at least.
Marcus didn’t take him seriously, waving him away dismissively, and reminding him to send Fabiana, but Coop knew he was the one with the credits. Marcus would come crawling for his wallet when they started deciding on system services. Coop left them measuring the shard and the doorway with their arms. A tried and true method that had resulted in the best Ghost Reef constructions.