JaceVAmor

Chapter 79: Vanquisher

Coop made it to the edge of the crater that had once been Felrog the Soul Snatcher, Field Boss of the Ruin Excavators, still in awe at what he had witnessed. Sunny whined at his side, encouraging him to give the dog attention. The crater was actually a perfect cat’s paw print, with four clearly defined toes and a larger pad. In the center of the pad sat Jett. She was vigorously cleaning her normal sized paw, chewing, then licking in a cycle.

The sun was rising. A proper sunrise in the...

Chapter 78: Eclipse

When Coop’s debilitating Soul Rot debuff expired, he ran after the fleeing field boss. If there was one constant tactic that he had employed, it was pressing his advantages when he had them, but Felrog the Soul Snatcher had evaded him.

Coop had no idea which tunnel the monster had escaped into, and there were way too many passages to try guessing. They covered the walls, angled up and down and split and forked in a maze that Coop was glad he hadn’t been lost in when he followed the ...

Chapter 77: Felrog

Coop squeezed the handle of his morning star with a white knuckle grip. He was straining his eyes as he stared into the darkness of the hive tunnel, doing his best to spot any threats. There weren’t any of the red lights that would denote a Primal Construct was waiting in the depths, but he was still nervous. When he and Jett stumbled upon Felrog the Soul Snatcher the first time around, they were both caught by surprise when the Field Boss launched itself through the tunnel like the bullet ...

Chapter 76: Frenzied Excavators

Coop joined other residents and phantoms that were similarly rushing toward the civilization shard. The distance between the southern wall of the fort and the southern town circle was crowded with half-rested reinforcements that abandoned their breaks in order to protect the shard. It had only been two minutes since the buzzer alerted them of the start of the third wave, but those few minutes were enough for another battle line to be drawn.

Rear Admiral Gideon, the leader of the phantom...

Chapter 75: Marauders

Coop identified one of the red-tinged Prowlers as they snuck across the sandy battlefield.

[Marauding Prowler (Level 40)]

[(Agility)]

[Minion of the Primal Constructs]

These monsters were ten levels higher than the Enraged Defenders. The difference in levels was consistent with the regular variants found on the island, but Coop could immediately recognize a major contrast between the Ancient and the Marauding Prowler’s behavior. Instead of being in consistent groups ...

Chapter 74: Relentless Assault

Coop fought Enraged Defenders all day, refusing to yield his position on the battlefield. He kept swinging his ethereal glaive even as the sky turned blood red. The sunset’s brilliant display filtered through the red mana that encompassed the territory cast an ominous aura throughout Ghost Reef. Coop barely noticed.

He fought in the dark, illuminated by flashes of magic, as the ranged combatants did their best to thin the horde of monsters carpeting the island. Despite his battle-tran...

Chapter 73: The First Wave

[000:00:11]

Each of the last 10 seconds were accompanied by an unnatural beep that echoed across Ghost Reef. Every time the number counted down an alternate tone rang out. Coop watched as the timer hit zero and a loud buzzing announced the start of the event. The silence that followed was thick with everyone’s anticipation.

Coop was waiting on the southern wall of the fort, watching for a frontal assault along with the majority of the residents. People had spread out along the w...

Chapter 72: Siege

Coop was waiting at the civilization shard, along with what seemed like most of the residents of Ghost Reef. The town circle had people scattered around, new faces along with more familiar ones. Word had spread through the settlement that something was starting, and for the last few days everyone was preparing as much as they could, even when they weren’t exactly sure what was coming.

The residents had made an effort to gather as many levels as possible and the phantoms had immersed t...

Chapter 71: Fog of War

Coop ended up analyzing his skill options while laying on a bench in the herb garden. A new stone path traversed between the herbs, making a scenic cut through for anyone skipping between blocks. The garden’s leafy green plants had already grown all along the trellises, making tunnels that shaded the length of the path. The temperature was notably cooler, in sharp contrast to the muggy humidity of the mangrove forest.

He had his arm over his eyes as he lamented the difficulty in decid...

Chapter 70: Ambidexterity

Coop carefully picked his way across the root bridges inside the mangrove forest. The massive mangrove roots created excellent pathways, keeping him high and dry, but still below the lush canopy of leaves. He was moving slowly, with his spear and shield ready, constantly scanning for ambushers.

The threat of another field boss hidden in the tea colored water below or lurking within the thick mass of leaves above made him travel cautiously. Coop hadn’t culled the monsters in the mangro...

Chapter 69: The Alpine Flower

Coop offloaded thousands of materials to be distributed among the crafters by the Master Blacksmith, Garod. The diminutive smith had already taken on the role of foreman of the crafters, so he was getting some extra responsibilities. Coop dropped off more than half of his Blight Fangs and Jagged Metal Teeth, the Uncommon drops from Ancient Prowlers and Primal Trackers. Unfortunately, the Ancient Defenders never dropped any materials and he hadn’t accumulated many from the Primal Kites and R...

Chapter 68: Kitty Cat Diplomat

The entrance of the Town Hall was at the top of a handful of wide stone steps. The building was moderately sized, reaching only half the height of the fort wall. Six white columns dominated the facade, holding a triangular pediment that gave way to a gently curved rooftop. A steeple marked the peak, centered on the top of the roof where it jutted toward the sky.

Coop didn’t spend any time admiring the building that would become the seat of government for Ghost Reef. He jogged up the s...

Chapter 67: Soul Snatcher

Coop shook his head as he led Jett through the first corridors in the basement of the fort. He turned around and used Presence of Mind to inspect her again, just to confirm what he had seen.

[Awakened Cat (Level 54)]

[Sentinel of Shadows (Agility)]

[Venerated of the Blessed Mau Collective]

[Sharp, Dark, Silent (Slayer)]

How was it possible for her to be leveling so efficiently? He wanted to know her secrets. Maybe he could copy her strategy, if only she would sho...

Chapter 66: Blood and Thunder

It seemed like Coop walked into a trap. Despite his attempt at carefully inspecting the fort for monsters, his attention had slipped after not finding anything for so long. Then, he’d overextended himself when he finally found something. He had received multiple afflictions from the surprise attack of a second monster and the death throes of the first.

He dismissed his sword and his shield, finding them less than ideal for fighting the smaller armored monsters. He summoned his spear, ...

Chapter 65: The Fearless

Coop accessed the civilization shard and assigned Marcus Rollins to the first advisor position. There was no fanfare, but Marcus stared into space as he was clearly checking his notifications. Coop let him catch up, and instead cycled through some of the shard’s other menus. He wanted to see if he could summon more of Kayla’s fleet. Her crew had worked on modifications to the dock that should be sufficient to add a few more vessel slots, at least. The sooner he recruited them, the sooner ...

Chapter 64: Basic Training

Coop headed across the bridge to see Ledwidge in the training facility. He still had more errands to run, but he really didn’t want to miss the first of the army’s official training sessions. He was honestly nervous, depending on how it went, he would gain or lose confidence in their chances during whatever challenges the settlement events brought.

The training yard was filled nearly to the limit with phantoms. They were buzzing with energy, mingling with each other, vaguely grouped...

Chapter 63: Unretirement

Coop made a quick visit to the apartments to see Charlie and her parents. He climbed a few sets of wide stairs and considered the lack of elevators in the system constructions. These apartment buildings were brushing up on the height that elevators would make sense, but Coop hadn’t explored any of the upgrade options for the structures, so some magical alternative might just be available for a price.

Even the hallways were overly wide, with cathedral ceilings that made Coop feel small...

Chapter 62: The Young Prince

Master was dead. The old pack had abandoned their posts. The mission seemed to be over, but he hadn’t been relieved of his duties yet. He hadn’t been given any new ones either.

He was a good boy. His new pack told him so. They welcomed him and told him to be patient. So he was. He waited for a new assignment. It was tough, he was driven away several times, but he returned anticipating a new schedule each time. Ages passed, but he waited. He was still a good boy, even if no one said ...

Chapter 61: Housekeeping

Jonah the waiter approached the table looking sheepish.

“...Sorry, I’m new here. I’d only ever seen her respond the way she did to him.” He gestured toward Derek. “Y’know, like trash.” Derek cleared his throat, like he was hoping to reclaim some of his long lost dignity.

“Don’t worry about it, Jonah, we’re all friends here.” Coop tried to make the guy comfortable and didn’t bother shielding Derek from catching stray shots. “Where’d you come from anyway?...

Chapter 60: Home Sweet Home

The catamaran parted ways with the Eye of the Storm as they approached the island. Sharkbait was sailing them around the northern edge of Ghost Reef and through the channel to the dock, but Captain Kayla’s ghost ship was able to sail across the shallow reefs and head directly into the canal that separated the two halves of the fortress. The Tempest Fleet would have a formidable home field advantage if a battle ever reached the island.

While they coasted toward the dock, Coop counted 1...

Chapter 59: Tropical Lights

Coop was relaxing on a catamaran. He let the ocean breeze wash over him as he savored the feeling. It definitely beat the inside of a prison cell. Even if he hadn’t spent much time inside one, he felt confident in his assertion. He took a deep breath of the evening air and gazed at the cloudless sky in front of them. It seemed like Charlie had managed to consume all of the clouds with her storm for miles and miles.

The horizon was golden with the last vestiges of the day. They were li...

Chapter 58: Broadside

Coop had led his friends through an industrial section of the city that linked the airport with the seaport. They avoided the main thoroughfares, utilizing side streets lined with warehouses, so that the Empire’s Chosen wouldn’t easily spot them during their escape. Obviously, the plan hadn’t been flawless, but they were still entering the final stage: the getaway.

The group entered the port from the northern side via a private access road designated for commercial trucks, but the...

Chapter 57: Dust Devil

The group stared at the torches as they hovered in the wind. The lights pierced the gloom despite the hurricane, which made Coop think they weren’t just regular torches. The Empire was probably using someone’s abilities to keep watch. They had covered some decent ground, thanks to Derek’s support, so they expected to be near the inner ring. It seemed like the Empire was actively guarding their wall.

“Could we try going around?” Madison suggested as she peered through the wind....

Chapter 56: The Eye of the Storm

“What did you do?” The guard stood in front of the scorched and empty cell, nudging the broken collar with her boot. She stopped and looked at Coop. It was obviously too much of a coincidence for him to have arrived immediately before a prisoner escaped, but Coop was counting on the limitations placed on the aliens by the system.

“Nothing too dramatic.” Derek answered, inadvertently giving a suspicious answer after the guard had previously suspected Coop. “He just popped his c...

Chapter 55: Underestimated

Coop stumbled into the dungeon’s cell, sliding into the back wall shoulder first. He felt the impact in his injured ribs, but he didn’t react, gritting his teeth instead while waiting for the guard to leave. He didn’t think there was any reason to reveal more than necessary, even if she could read his aura, he had no idea what information she could actually glean from it. The alien guard didn’t linger after tossing him inside, disappearing into the stairwell, before he finally moved.<...

Chapter 54: Soul Tether

Coop stepped inside the plush lounge. It had an elegant carpet and plenty of open space with a central square bar area. A massive skylight above the bartender’s area lit the spacious room. Only a few well-geared guards were present, relaxing on a black leather couch with a low glass table between them. Coop started to walk toward them, but one of them shook his head and pointed even further to an area with a sign that stated VIP’s only. Coop snorted at the pretentiousness.

When he w...

Chapter 53: Empress City

Camila gently shook Coop awake after the sun had already risen. He was almost surprised Jett hadn’t taken over his pillow but he guessed her power was limited to the territory of Ghost Reef. Judging by the girl’s weary expressions, it didn’t seem like they had slept at all, but they reassured him that they were fine and ready to go.

Camila and Charlie left to find their way into the settlement from a different checkpoint. Coop wished them luck and got ready to go himself. They wou...

Chapter 52: Rendezvous

Coop, Camila, and Charlie left the country club behind and headed back toward the coast. Coop used his hand to shade his eyes as he glanced up at the shining sun while they strolled along the state road. It was still high in the sky, relentlessly beating down on them, and warming the pavement so that Coop felt the heat coming from above and below. He missed the steady ocean breeze of Ghost Reef.

They still had most of the evening to make it to Crane Point. Hopefully, the Eye of the Stor...

Chapter 51: Dauntless

Coop rested for a while, slowly catching his breath despite his injuries. He idly considered if he had learned anything.

When he and Jones had first battled an elite they had come to the hard realization that there was a significant difference between normal and elite monsters, even when they were the same type and same level. When he was on the oil platform, Coop had spent several days fighting elites that were as high as level 40 in order to retrieve the spectral relic. At this point,...

Chapter 50: The Blight Howler

Buck took Coop away from the city, further into the suburban sprawl that extended outward from the metropolitan hub. Despite Coop’s assumptions based on his appearance, the big man was talkative. Coop learned that the three brothers were each a year apart and the youngest was 10 years older than Elly. Buck took his position as elder of the family quite seriously, but the brothers knew they were hard to distinguish from each other and didn’t mind when they were confused for each other. The...