Coop was feeling pretty proud of himself. He had successfully made some new friends, in spite of a rough start, and their strength was definitely impressive. They were already leading him through the jungle on yet another hike, but this time he had been assured that they would take him to the stronghold of a High Priest.
Upon landing in Belize, Coop had suspected that he would need to make a spectacle of himself in order to get the attention of the Cult of Chakyum. That way he wouldn’t need to search them up himself since they would come to him, but he wanted to delay enacting that plan until he had a better lay of the land and understanding of the scene. He figured carving his way through monsters would be a good way to get noticed, but meeting with local guides like this was much better. Finding friends that could guide him to the cultists was a win-win.
It seemed like most of his initial encounters with others started off a bit rocky, with people being suspicious at the minimum and leaning toward hostility as a default. There had obviously been a significant amount of conflict in Central America and it wasn’t all caused by the Primal Constructs. When the locals were confronted with an unknown human intruder, they deemed him a potential threat, and they were quick to fight for their lives. There was no way to blame them. They were doing their best to live another day in a dangerous area, and it wasn’t like Coop did himself too many favors. He was basically tripping every defensive measure they took and he had a disturbingly oppressive aura if they had the ability to detect it through his always active Presence of Mind ability.
No matter how he looked at it, he felt like preemptively defending themselves was a completely reasonable response to his appearance. He was interfering with the established dynamic of the region with his presence alone. The scenario was different when he was in their territory as opposed to his own. If they attacked Coop while he was in his own territory, he would retaliate with deadly intent, but in their house, they deserved the benefit of the doubt. He wouldn’t admit it to any of his new companions, but he would probably extend the same line of thinking even to a Priest. Their lives would hang on whether or not they were reasonable enough to communicate with him before committing to a life or death struggle. At least in theory.
In a way, he was proud of the variety of ways people had developed to survive. Their determination to continue gave him hope in a way that he hadn’t felt when the only outside interactions Ghost Reef had were with Empress City and the Endless Empire’s Chosen. There would be countless examples of humans finding innovative ways to keep going. So far, three different groups had three different strategies that had all kept them alive. The Corozal citizens concentrated on their profession levels and fortified their area with clever traps, the Crossroad warriors had garrisoned deep in the jungle and worked in a close cooperative with each other to maintain their isolation, and Coop thought the Jaguar Sun were basically super heroes fighting on behalf of everyone else.
He was really impressed with Tzultacaj. He was the one who started the Jaguar Sun through his actions alone. He accepted the challenge from the Primal Constructs right away, then confronted the Cult of Chakyum when he determined them to be at least as monstrous as the invaders. His dogged persistence and righteous cause inspired others to join him in his efforts as he went. The man was a fighter through and through.
His firepower was to the point that Coop believed it was even comparable to Charlie’s. The two also shared a bit of a theme, though there was something different in the flavor of their skills. The Aeromancer brought the lightning from a thunderstorm that might sweep through the tropics. It was familiar and dangerous. Tzultacaj wielded something more primordial, like the thunder from storms that forced dinosaurs to take shelter. Coop couldn’t consciously parse the difference as it was just an impression he had felt when witnessing both of their skills, but he knew there was uniqueness to each of their abilities. They may share an element at a basic level, but there was something fundamentally distinct between them. He thought this aspect of the system was neat.
When the contracted alien residents immediately associated his Spectral Affinity with those of the undead, he suspected they were identifying a similar phenomenon. There might be some overlap, but he wasn’t actually undead. When he imagined the maze of paths, he figured the affinities established zones of similarities that evolved into a gradient of skills. Tzultacaj and Charlie were thematic neighbors, where Charlie’s path took her off toward natural elements and Tzultacaj angled toward Coop’s backyard, tapping into ancestral strength. To further complicate things, Charlie and Tzultacaj had also focused on contrasting archetypes, with the Aeromancer a backline caster and Tzultacaj an in-your-face brawler, but still, the similarities were there.
Coop had also taken a good look at Tzultacaj’s weapon and found himself enthralled. The Inheritor’s axe was a Unique item with special abilities tied directly to the Inheritor class. Upon wielding it, Coop had been met with the sense that it didn’t belong to him and absolutely never would. It wouldn’t work any better than any other outdated piece of equipment if he attempted to use the axe himself. The weapon was bound to the Inheritor in a similar vein to the way Coop’s ethereal weapons were bound to him. Coop wanted to see the stats of the weapon to compare with his own and maybe confront Garod with an example of a comparable item to those the blacksmith was crafting. Maybe there was a discount opportunity there.
Coop was a little jealous that his summons weren’t given the same special classification. He knew it was because he was using his class abilities to manufacture the weapons. Tzultacaj was using an actual ancient axe that had been enhanced by the system after being passed down through his family for generations through some kind of hunter’s rite. Really, Coop had the advantage in flexibility, but the weapon was still cool. It even had protection from being disarmed, though it was a lot more violent than Coop’s ethereal weapons and armor being tied together.
Tzultacaj had only tried to split Coop’s skull in half. It was the axe that had exploded upon being separated from its owner. The effect had even surprised Tzultacaj as no one had removed his weapon before. Coop valued mistjumping way more than some damaging effect, so it wasn’t a trade he would make willingly. He couldn’t imagine much utility coming from exploding, though he had some ideas that weren’t completely outside the realm of possibilities.
After relatively brief introductions, the pair of warriors didn’t waste time lingering in their camp site. Once Coop described his mission and they realized their shared alignment, they set out, leaving the blast zone behind to be reclaimed by flora. If anyone stumbled upon the flattened area before it recovered, Coop couldn’t imagine what they would think. It was like a crop circle in the middle of a jungle. He supposed aliens were already confirmed to be real, so maybe it wouldn’t bother anyone.
Juliana, the Beast Soul, waited until they were ready to move before actually introducing herself. She tried her best to establish herself as a force to be reckoned with when she finally did. The posturing had backfired almost as much as Tzultacaj’s opening barrage, but Coop was even happier with her initial attack. She released a huge black jaguar that pounced right in front of Coop’s face in a manner that reminded Coop of the lunging attacks his phantasms executed from the mists, though instead of a ghostly weapon, it was all claws, teeth, and snarls.
The massive cat stood five feet tall at its shoulders, was easily 15 feet long, and must have weighed half a ton. His coat was black, but there was a visible jaguar rosette pattern hidden within his fur that was only visible in shimmering bursts with careful observation. Apparently, his name was Felix. The Beast Soul and her Soulbeast had attempted to intimidate Coop with a leaping entrance and a dramatic roar, to establish the hierarchy, but they didn’t get the response they had been looking for.
“You’re a good kitty, Felix.” Coop chuckled as he pet the now docile animal as they strode side by side and he remembered his dramatic entrance. Coop was able to use his whole arm to really scratch the jaguar’s ears, and the purr he got in response was like a truck engine. The cat had been sticking pretty close to Coop ever since their initial meeting after Coop naturally went straight for the pats.
Juliana huffed as her Soulbeast warmed up to the stranger that they had just met. “Can’t believe you didn’t even flinch.” She grumbled. “What kind of psycho doesn’t get scared when confronted by a huge cat? Did you not see his vicious claws? His deadly teeth that could take your whole head off?”
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Coop shrugged dismissively. “I’ve seen bigger.” He imagined Jett’s shadow form and felt confident in his assessment. She could crush buildings. Felix was basically an oversized stuffed animal in comparison.
“Bigger?” Juliana wondered, and Felix angled his head, but Coop just laughed and inspected the oversized cat.
[Jaguar (Level 125)]
[Soulbeast (Agility)]
[(Bound)]
“Is Felix on the leaderboards?” Coop asked.
Juliana looked puzzled for a moment. “No?” She and Felix shared a look before she corrected herself. “Huh. I thought it was just for humans. He’s only ranked seventh among Felines.”
Coop raised his eyebrows. It seemed like the cats were ahead of the humans. He double checked the human leaderboard.
Day 79
1. Coop (Level 157)
2. Charlie Seraphin (Level 107)
3. Camila Alvarez (Level 107)
4. Ix-Hau (Level 107)
5. Hai Yun (Level 105)
6. Reina Kitawa (Level 103)
7. Akari Kitawa (Level 103)
8. Sefu (Level 101)
9. Azizi (Level 101)
10. Imara (Level 101)
“Cats are kicking our butts…” Coop observed.
Juliana was slowly nodding, probably looking at the same thing he was. Felix broke off, taking his turn to clear an enemy with a bit more enthusiasm than the previous rotations, maybe feeling motivated to climb the leaderboards now that attention had been drawn to them.
As they traveled, one of them would constantly break off as they detected an elite enemy. Juliana, Tzultacaj, and Felix were all capable of dealing with the monsters as long as they weren’t more than about twenty levels above them. If they exceeded their comfort level, they simply teamed up to defeat their opponent. They wouldn’t let Coop help, wanting to make sure he was in peak condition before he challenged the High Priest’s lair. They wouldn’t listen to him when he complained that he was bored, but they did tell him about all the other monsters they had encountered in the region.
On the other side of the Yucatan settlement, in Mexico, there were two more Construct variants, and there was at least one more that occupied the border into Honduras: the stalking monsters he had already heard about. Unfortunately, the Jaguar Sun had lost contact with most of their territory after the siege event, mostly due to the monsters developing into elites while they were focused on the cult.
Coop learned that they had mounted a proper war party against the Yucatan settlement, it had developed through simple momentum that Tzultacaj had inadvertently built, starting from the early days, but they had moved right at the time that the monsters were reaching elite levels and in a frenzy from the event. Ultimately, they hadn’t had a proper battle with the forces of Chakyum in the settlement, but they had crushed dozens of priests’ strongholds and reclaimed most of the territory that was outside of the sphere of influence of the civilization shard. They couldn’t keep it themselves, so it was only a matter of time for priests to reclaim the lands they lost.
After the siege, the cult had been aggressively expanding, sending priests to gather experience however they saw fit and spreading Envoys to discover other settlements with the intention to force them to convert. The Jaguar Sun didn’t have good intel on the Cult’s efforts, but they had heard rumors that they struggled to make inroads further north as there were strong settlements in Mexico, and South American settlements were impossible to reach due to the development of the Primal Constructs. Basically, the Cult of Chakyum was presumed to be solely represented within the Yucatan settlement while dominating Central America. The fact that they were expanding through the ocean made the pair nervous, but other than Ghost Reef, they weren’t sure if they would have many opportunities to spread themselves.
It was less than an hour before their hike was closing in on their destination. “We’re almost there.” Tzultacaj warned, which buoyed Coop’s spirit. After hiking through the jungle for days he was missing the smaller scale of Ghost Reef and the ease of travel. Not to mention how long it had been since he had any real combat, weak Field Boss notwithstanding. These people were a good escort, but they were really hogging the combat experience and the rest of the human leaderboard was slowly catching up to Coop while he traveled around. It made his muscles itch.
“Felix is really concerned about you. Are you sure you can handle it?” Juliana asked again, reminding Coop that the cat had taken a liking to him.
“No worries.” Coop responded confidently.
“Well, this isn’t an ordinary Priest, but a High Priest. We can go find a regular one that hasn’t embedded themselves so deeply for your first time.” She suggested, revealing that she shared Felix's concern.
“It’ll be fine.” Coop continued to express his calm confidence. He actually preferred to jump right up to the top of the list of threats. If he was going to confront the head honcho, he couldn’t be intimidated by the existence of a lieutenant.
Tzultacaj halted their procession and pointed through the forest. “It’s there.” He stated gruffly.
Coop could see a crack in the ground, but there was nothing to indicate that it was a notable feature. The land had risen steadily since Coop and the Corozal Outposts’s Tracker had climbed the first ridge. At this point, they were hiking through low mountains that were blanketed in dark green forest. The ground was mostly covered in tangled roots, fallen leaves, and rich dirt, but rough volcanic rock was often revealed beneath the vegetation. Up ahead, where Tzultacaj had pointed, a narrow ravine began, cutting into some exposed rock. Roots had crawled across the surface until they were hanging over the edge, and green sprouts leaned over the gap in an effort to capture what little sunlight breached the upper canopy.
“That’s it?” Coop wondered, a bit skeptical as it didn’t live up to his imagination. He was expecting a supervillain’s lair from the cultist; a wide open cave mouth with a cloud of bats escaping as he approached, but it seemed like the High Priest understood the need for discretion even if they were unchallenged in the region. The opening was only a bit wider than an exposed manhole cover.
“It is a tight ravine that expands with depth. There are countless sinkholes in the region, and many of them are connected. It’s a labyrinth down there, not helped by the High Priest’s deceptions.” Tzultacaj explained tersely as a scowl grew on his face. Coop could actually feel heat coming off the man as his temper flared while thinking about the cultists. The man truly hated them. “The poisons are especially dangerous.” He finished tersely.
“Alright.” Coop sighed, thinking the Coral Forest was just way cooler than this hole in the ground. He shook his head at himself. There was no place like home. “You guys just relax. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“If you’re not back before we’ve recovered, we’ll come save you.” Juliana said with Felix looming behind her shoulder. She began unpacking her pack, gathering a large coil of rope and securing it to a nearby tree.
“We’ll be ready to finish the job.” Tzultacaj added, squeezing his axe tight enough to make it creak. “Tonight, we’ll keep guard here, so don’t get overwhelmed before we join you.”
“That’s fine with me.” Coop responded, though he had no intention of taking that much time.
Coop leaned over the gap to take a peek into the hole. It looked pretty deep with darkness shrouding the space, but it widened beneath the surface like he was standing on the lip of an enormous stone bottle. The cenote would have some groundwater at the bottom, but Tzultacaj and Juliana had specifically utilized this entrance due to the relatively easy traversal back to the surface along the walls.
Coop used his toes to nudge a twig over the edge and watched it disappear without a sound. He shrugged to himself, deciding that the path was clear, before hopping into the middle of the gap. He let himself fall into the abyss, chasing after the twig.
Before the rush of air consumed his senses, he heard the pair of warriors gasp. They had expected him to carefully climb down using the equipment they brought, just as they had done, but Coop surprised them both one more time with his haste.