Unchosen Champion-Chapter 316: Blast from the Past
Marcus, the Viceroy of Ghost Reef and chief diplomat of the Lighthouse, stared at the peculiar flock of pink flamingos. He was perpetually astonished by their presence. The kitschy plastic lawn ornaments were the last choice of decor he would have predicted for such an important gathering, but there they were, in all their flamboyant glory.
He had already attended countless conferences, fundraisers, and meetings in his lifetime, but representing Ghost Reef during mana’s assimilation had sent him to the most unique venues by far.
The pink decorations established an entire flock, grazing at the edge of an artificial turf yard. The unnaturally green, plastic grass floor just added to the uncanniness, like they were attending the continental summit within a dreamlike scenario of overexposed colors. The setting was a time capsule, displaying a surreal imitation of 1960s suburban Americana, slapped into a rural farmland.
Marcus sat in a white plastic chair, flimsy and brittle with age, near an idle barbeque grill that was positioned on a generous concrete patio and beneath a conspicuous air filter. The three opposite walls were painted with the depiction of a white picket fence, separating the fake lawn from images of large grassy fields, filled with happy cows in the distance, and dotted with large solitary trees that provided islands of shade.
The ceiling was covered in soft lights while portraying blue skies and white clouds, as if it was a summer afternoon, no matter the season or time of day. A single large vault door led back to the rest of the facility, positioned in the center of the one wall decorated with the picture of an idyllic post-war household. There was even a picture of an apple pie cooling on the window sill of the kitchen, steam drifting in an imaginary summer breeze.
Marcus subtly shook his head, finding the bunker itself slightly more unnerving than the recent developments that had put many of the other attendees into a mild state of panic.
“It’s not that bad, as far as safehouses go.” Arthur opined, standing over Marcus’s shoulder, like a mix between a butler, secretary, and bodyguard, clearly detecting the Viceroy’s bewildered observations of the place. The fact that the proper old man, and intelligence advisor of Ghost Reef, had a point of reference for safehouses wasn’t suspicious at all.
Marcus smiled, doing his best to stifle a laugh that would have conflicted with the general mood of the rest of the attendees. This was the designated VIP area, separate from other communal areas of the underground complex that had been built beneath a red barn at the side of a cattle ranch somewhere in the western portion of Kansas. The company was overly serious thanks to their special status and all of the official matters regarding the Primal Constructs and Fallen Zones that they had planned to discuss for the last several days.
Of course, Marcus had opened with the more detailed explanations of what they knew regarding the cataclysmic Eradication Protocol, advertised the purpose of Ghost Reef’s unique level of effort, and extended a preliminary invitation of proper cooperation with the rest of humanity through the Lighthouse faction. They had all previously been given a brief one-line introduction from either Coop or one of the growing number of experienced Ghost Reef ambassadors, but this meeting had provided the first detailed reveal of the plans already in action and the mysterious bits of information they had pieced together. It had been a serious string of topics and the audience were essentially the leaders of the post-mana world.
Marcus had gone on to individually meet with each and every official representative, keeping the message simple and straightforward. The Eradication Protocol was a real threat, as evidenced by the preliminary appearance of Icons of Mana, and in order to have a fighting chance, the best way was to have the settlements join the Lighthouse in order to benefit from the faction’s aura throughout their territories. Failing that, Ghost Reef would be a shelter, and anyone willing to help bolster their chance of survival would be welcomed.
Given the topics, a certain level of sobriety was appropriate, which was why the decor was so incongruous.
“It’s hard to appreciate the interior design choices after helping plan our own underground.” Marcus quietly confessed. “The vastness of each level is incomparable, and the decor…” He shuddered involuntarily.
Arthur chuckled under his breath as Marcus avoided speaking too harshly. “To be fair to the late architect’s original vision, I believe pink flamingos were in vogue at the time of construction. Perhaps the generations that inherited the project weren’t quite so passionate about modernizing the property.”
Marcus hummed. “I suppose so.”
The rest of the facility wasn’t quite so meticulously beautified, remaining much more utilitarian, designed for safety and longevity first. Unfortunately, they were prepared for the wrong type of invasion. The apocalypse had been driven by magic and aliens rather than nuclear weapons and conflicting economic policies.
When Marcus first arrived at the Heartland settlement and was led to a simple wooden hatch door, like they were going to be waiting inside of a tornado shelter, he had grown skeptical of the accommodations. However, once inside, it became obvious that one of the past members of the community had been an extreme doomsday prepper for what must have been decades. A small town could have survived a nuclear winter inside the underground complex that had been dug beneath the grazing fields of one of the local families. Fallout wouldn’t have been a problem, but Marcus thought the pink flamingos might cause the residents to go insane before they ran out of supplies. Still, his skepticism transformed to begrudging amazement at the dedication necessary to complete such a project.
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The rest of Shane’s party, aside from Arthur, remained outside, along with the massive coastal armies, planning and coordinating for the subjugation mission that had been the initial reason for the meeting in the first place. The purpose had evolved with the conquest of the Underlayer, and now Marcus was among the most eclectic collection of representatives he could have imagined. What should have been a collection of commanding officers had transformed into a diplomatic summit.
Ghost Reef had sent messengers across the globe, networking, and also spreading last minute invitations to the meeting while mapping the underground. Thanks to the impressions left by Coop on the invitees, most promptly accepted. By his count, of the approximately 230 surviving settlements, all but 50 were already represented in some form or another.
As they allotted time for more people to arrive at the impromptu meeting and allowed for private discussions of the new information to take place, the primary topic had shifted to the unexpected developments of the Leaderboards.
Gangcheon, the super settlement located in South Korea that had consistently held one of the top three ranks in the world had disappeared from the list entirely. The obvious conclusion was that it had been destroyed, but the timing had been totally unexpected. The Underlayer Event had barely concluded, and a brief time of relative peace had begun. The smart money was on human conflict as the cause, but it was possible Primal Construct encroachment had eventually succeeded, though the details of basic variants overwhelming a settlement of millions were difficult to imagine. Humans everywhere had proven more capable than that.
Ghost Reef’s scouts had already visited the settlement and made a solid connection with Champion Ho-jung and her faction of loyal associates. The Korean leadership company was even invited to attend the summit, but they had declined due to other internal obligations, which now appeared more urgent than they had let on. It seemed whatever they had to deal with boiled over quite severely.
Among the settlements spread across the world, Gangcheon’s leadership were among the most amenable to developing a closer connection to Ghost Reef and preparing for the future, even openly willing to promptly join the Lighthouse as individuals if not as a settlement. It would have been a shame to lose them, but Marcus could scroll through the individual leaderboards and conclude that they hadn’t been wiped out. The important names that had been relayed to him, Ho-jung, Sang-hoon, and Min-jun, were all still alive, at the very least. Whatever disaster had occurred was strictly limited to their civilization shard. He was sure that Ghost Reef would hear about it soon enough.
However, the fate of Gangcheon was merely an opening salvo of developments seemingly designed to generate panic among the diplomatic attendees. After their resolve had been chipped by the difficult to accept Eradication Protocol and they wrestled with the idea of submitting themselves to the authority of the solitary human faction in the Lighthouse, a growing source of hope had vanished. When Coop disappeared from the individual leaderboard, it was like Christmas was canceled. The mood within the bunker sank like a rock.
Some were alarmed, but others seemed to harden their resolve as if the responsibility of championing Earth had fallen onto their shoulders. It was a wake up call for those who saw themselves as rivals to the Unchosen Champion, as if it was now up to them to step forward and represent humanity.
Thankfully, Marcus and Arthur were not the only members of the Lighthouse that could see Coop was still alive who were present for the meeting to help avoid more panic. Platinum and Neon had also officially joined the faction, along with their enormous settlement and its subordinate shards. They were able to corroborate their stories while representing the northeast alliance. The pair were fielding even more questions than Marcus as they engaged with two dozen diplomats from Europe. Even with the knowledge that Coop was alive, Platinum was among those who seemed ready to carry the torch on his behalf.
Then there was the Flame Knight ambassador, Javier, who had come along with Marcus and the others on behalf of Empress City. He was another member of the lone human faction and had interacted with Coop more than most. He was busy consoling the soldiers on the surface, along with the rest of Arthur’s squadmates as they came to terms with Coop’s assumed absence.
There was also Mateo and Tzultacaj who had come to represent the Jaguar Sun, though they were also already members of the Lighthouse. Neither of the pair seemed to fit in with the crowd, but their insistence that nothing could kill Coop was a source of relief for several others. Tzultacaj and Sila Tupua were quietly bonding over their shared experience tapping into ancestral powers, each clearly willing to rise to the occasion if necessary, much like Platinum.
Lastly, the representatives in exile for Shinjuku Gardens, the Kitawa party, were in attendance, split between the surface and the flamingo yard. They had joined the Lighthouse after settling into Ghost Reef, and for their first contribution, had made the trip to the Heartland to aid with the Primal Construct subjugation action. Reina and Seki Kitawa were reassuring the representatives from the Can Gio settlement, recognizing that while they had a lot of catching up to do, their party would continue to grow in its capacity to exceed expectations.
All in all there were enough people to alleviate some of the growing anxiety at the apparent loss of the highest level human from settling in, whether true or not. Coop was alive, despite what the individual leaderboards would have others believe. It had only been two days since his level cratered, and as far as most of the world knew, he was dead. The fact that he was still among the ranks of the Lighthouse and maintained his position as Champion of Ghost Reef proved, at least to those who knew him, that he was simply facing some new challenge. They could at least prevent anyone from preparing a funeral.
When one of the other attendees made eye contact with Marcus, he nodded back, inviting him to have a seat. “I don’t understand how you can remain so calm.” The Great Khan spoke as he made himself comfortable at the opposite end of the outdoor table, keeping his voice low so as to avoid stirring up more dread from the others present. At this point, introductions and topic setting were unnecessary. “Something terrible must have happened and she was counting on him.”
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“We can clearly see that he still holds his position in our faction and settlement.” Marcus responded with an oft repeated refrain. He glanced at Arthur from the side of his eye. “I’m sure whatever he is doing, it’s going to lead to even more progression. That’s just how he is.”
Arthur simply nodded, silently agreeing as he stepped away. Arthur’s operatives had already begun their investigation of the dominant Asian faction, modeled in a way after the Mongol Empire, and so far, found few reasons to deny their effort to grow closer to Ghost Reef and join the Lighthouse.
The Great Khan and his generals seemed to be genuine in their desire to cooperate with Coop in particular and they had done an excellent job avoiding internal factions from forming within their members, though the end result was steady loyalty toward their own leaders and no one else. Ultimately, the two parties still needed to work out the details, but it seemed like several underground levels of Ghost Reef would soon be occupied by portions of the massive nomadic armies as they transferred through the Underlayer and escorted their crafters from their scattered tiny settlements to the greater safety at the core of the Lighthouse faction territory.
“But this is completely unheard of, is it not?” The Khan continued, wanting an explanation as much as anyone else.
“It wouldn’t be the first time he’s done something unheard of.” Marcus responded, watching the tiny muscles beneath the older man’s eyes as they sized him up.
It was clear upon their first meeting that both of them were comfortable at the negotiation table. The Great Khan came from some sort of corporate background that had been forced to navigate the difficult political realities of being sandwiched between what had been Russia and China in the old world, and of course Marcus had been a rising politician.
Marcus found the man refreshing. Instead of dealing with alien or magically influenced people, or even the nonchalance of Coop, the man who was considered a Khan was exactly the kind of person Marcus had experience with. His concerns, goals, and requirements were all predictable, though never openly stated, with one major caveat. He had a different perspective on the Avatar of the System compared to the conclusion that Ghost Reef had landed on.
The Great Khan saw the Avatar as closer to the being that she outwardly projected, as that of an infallible goddess. He didn’t actually believe she was a deity, just that she was an individual that was powerful enough to be the equivalent of such an entity. Since she appeared to be on the side of humanity and was actively promoting Ghost Reef when she had the chance, they were currently on the same page, but the reason the Grand Horde wasn’t already being processed into the Lighthouse was that Ghost Reef’s advisors, like Coop, had too many questions about the Avatar’s motivations.
As far as they knew, she was behaving in a way that was too similar to the sponsors of individual Chosen, even if she might represent an unofficial faction. Ghost Reef already had a strict policy regarding factions motivated to take the planet, and whether or not the Avatar was somehow the unofficial equivalent remained partially unknown. However, that wasn’t the excuse they had provided to the Khan, instead focusing on the conflict between the Grand Horde and the Abundant Grasp. Nothing between the pair of negotiators was ever completely straightforward.
“Is he always late to such important events?” The Khan wondered, glancing around at the mingling world leaders, and noting Coop’s rather painful absence.
Marcus chuckled. “He runs on island time, that’s for sure. He and I are in alignment when it comes to the goals of our settlement and the mission of humanity’s future, and I am here.”
“Well, I hope you won’t stand on ceremony for too long when it comes to my army. We have made it clear where we stand, and you won’t get anywhere talking with the Abundant Grasp.” The older man continued, still advocating for the complete abandonment of over one hundred civilization shards despite what a valuable resource they were to the galactic community as a whole, as if he knew that their loss wasn’t the real reason Ghost Reef was holding back.
“They certainly haven’t been cooperative, but they still represent what we have determined to be the second largest group of people on the planet, only less than your Grand Horde.” Marcus flipped one of his hands. “Imagine if they were suddenly amenable to cooperation and wished to move into our home. We can’t completely abandon that many people, no matter how misguided they are at the moment.”
“You’re wasting your time.” The Khan continued, having a sore spot touched. “Leave them to their own devices. The Avatar will sort them out if she deems it necessary.”
“If even a few from their walled cities become refugees, that would be better than none. The least we can do is spread word of the Eradication Protocol and leave those with a better disposition with the opportunity to seek safety in the haven that we have worked so hard to build.” Marcus countered.
The Khan smiled, easily catching the implication. “Refugees are a completely different matter, but I guarantee that none from their faction would willingly step away from the taste of authority they have been given. The rest have been my Horde’s primary source of recruitment for the last few months, so I understand your inclination. Besides, my people will only help. They won’t get in the way or start problems where there aren’t any. They understand the stakes of the assimilation for humanity. I wouldn’t allow them to maintain animosity toward those that join our side.”
“Of course.” Marcus agreed. “And sending your legion of Earth Shamans to help with construction efforts will lay the foundation for our bond going forward.”
The Great Khan nodded. “They successfully opened the way to the Underlayer once. There’s no one better to help with your infrastructure projects. I’m happy to cooperate, so long as you hold up your end of the bargain.”
Marcus could only nod as he noticed the sponsor of the entire meeting approaching the table before he could reassure the Khan that they understood the pressure of their shared deadline. Both parties were specifically preparing for the Eradication Protocol, having been warned directly by the Avatar of the System.
“I’m not happy with you.” General McCallister sighed as he placed his hands on the table and leaned toward Marcus, causing Ghost Reef’s Viceroy to sit up. The Great Khan simply leaned back, like he was stepping away from the conversation, but his eyes were clear, intent on enjoying the show.
“Yes, I’m well aware, General.” Marcus responded, unintimidated by the military man.
“There’s a time and place for chit chat and gossip, and it isn’t on the eve of an important battle.” McCallister muttered like a disappointed parent. “I don’t appreciate you hijacking my mission. And I especially don’t appreciate injecting your political agendas into our operation.” He continued, clearly frustrated by the lack of action on the Fallen Zone.
“As you have stated, several times.” Marcus carried on. “Though it was never my intention.”
“And now we have been delayed even further, all while the Fallen Zone pulses and fades, spewing monsters, transforms, erupts, then grows far too quiet.” He tapped the table, clearly holding back his frustration. “We should be halfway to Fort Worth by now, but you’d have us continue to wait for a dead man.”
“It’s not me directing anyone else. If others want to meet Coop, that is their own prerogative. Besides, I’m sure he has a good reason to be late. Perhaps he ran into some trouble while securing our subordinate settlement on the way, but I’m sure he will bring you valuable intel about what he saw on his journey.” Marcus argued. “Either way, you’ll likely be glad to avoid starting without him.”
“No individual is that important.” McCallister firmly concluded.
“To be completely fair, he has already saved the world half a dozen times, potentially more, depending on your stance toward alien factions taking control of the planet.” Marcus pointed out, recognizing the likes of the Zombie Lord, the Lich, and the Icons of Mana as global threats, not to mention the Endless Empire and Sapphire Armada, and the Underlayer Event. “If anyone is that important, it’s probably him, though I expect he would simply agree with you.”
McCallister growled with simmering misdirected frustration before he turned away and addressed the room. “We’re moving at dawn, tomorrow, regardless of any absences. If you are planning on contributing, I suggest you prepare yourselves.”
His declaration yielded various levels of appreciation, ranging from a sarcastic salute from Mateo to respectful nods from the representatives of the European Emergency Community. He left the room, shaking his head to himself as his own secretaries followed in his wake.
“Well, he’s quite prickly.” The Khan observed, raising his eyebrows at Marcus.
“They always are.” Marcus chuckled.
The truth was he rather appreciated General McCallister as well. The man had no time for false idols, heroes, or gods. He was following a simple, logical priority list, starting with his own backyard and slowly expanding his sphere of protection as he secured more and more allies. He was all in on humanity as a whole and intended to do everything in his power to preserve it in what was essentially a strategy of impersonal triage. That underlying attitude was an asset that would help Ghost Reef, but the guy would need to learn how to take a vacation before he would feel comfortable on their island. In the meantime, Marcus hoped to get his settlements into the Lighthouse.
Before Marcus could provide the Great Khan excuses for the leader of the Pacific Republic, the tornado sirens started ringing across the settlement.
“More Field Bosses?” Someone from the African delegation questioned, sounding annoyed. The warnings had gone off several times in the few days they had all been present. The Heartland settlement wasn’t exactly bordering the Fallen Zone, but it was close enough to catch strays as monsters sought to expand the domain, and it had been happening more and more frequently.
Marcus stood, exiting the room to retrieve his new unique scepter and join the battle without any hesitation. Despite being an important diplomat, he was from Ghost Reef. Being combat-ready was as natural as relaxing during downtime.
Arthur joined him as they jogged down the long steel-grate corridors, lined with dormitory style rooms, before passing through an armory of old world rifles, and finally emerging from the nondescript entrance.
To their right, legions of soldiers were camped out among the fields in orderly tents, representing the west coast from Mexico to Canada with over two million individuals. On their left, around half as many fighters had arrived from the New England settlements. Both groups had been resting after the long march for about a week, but the break had been repeatedly interrupted by skirmishes of varying severity.
High level Primal Constructs constantly emerged from the gloomy domain as it pressed on The Heartland shard’s territory. Most had been taken care of by the more enthusiastic individuals, like Platinum and Imara, but some required larger contingents of combatants.
The Fallen Zone was a volatile domain that constantly sent Elite or more advanced monsters into neighboring territories, always probing for expansion. Their experiences, though limited, had left them with a profound level of respect toward the threat of alien invasion. The Primal Constructs from that domain were dangerous.
The alarms continued going off while Marcus sought clarification for what they were facing. Eventually, General McCallister gave him the answer from his command center. Three entities of ‘unknown’ rank were approaching the edge of their territory from the south.
“Unknown?” Marcus sought clarification.
“Ranks we have never seen before.” McCallister specified with a grim look on his face. “That means three hostiles beyond Siege Bosses are on their way.” He frowned at Marcus. “We must have lingered here too long. They noticed us.”
Marcus looked beyond the flaps of the oversized tent, into the dusky distance of the Fallen Zone. He wasn’t sure if he agreed with McCallister’s assessment; the Primal Constructs were rarely so tactical, but either way, it looked like they would be fighting without Coop after all.
