JaceVAmor

Chapter 49: Block Patrol

Peacock Park was as safe as it could get after the apocalypse. Coop was sitting on a wooden bench taking a well earned break while watching ducks swim along the shore of a small lake inside the park. The sun was shining and birds were cheerfully singing from the branches of nearby trees. There weren’t any Primal Trackers to be seen.

Coop hadn’t found where the monsters were spawning from, but he had culled the invaders through the night and into the day. Every once in a while anothe...

Chapter 48: Peacock Park

Coop found himself in the ruined living room of Charlie’s childhood home with some strangers. The girls had left him with this Mr. Gibson to arrange the transport of all the people Charlie’s father had already organized. Charlie’s goal had been to gather her family and friends, but honestly, Coop had expected maybe five people total. He wanted to recruit more, keeping an eye out for anyone that might have some expertise with curses, but Charlie and her father seemed keen on bringing eve...

Chapter 47: Neighborhood Watch

Charlie joined Camila in leading the way as Coop observed every detail of the city. She figured he was just surprised by how much things had changed. The metropolitan areas had no way of disguising the damage that the assimilation of mana had caused. Compared to natural landscapes, it was a lot more obvious when smooth pavement was suddenly cut off, or a modern building was falling apart like it was left derelict for decades.

Not every structure was deteriorated, like how not every tree...

Chapter 46: Proper Sailing

Coop was inside the Eye of the Storm. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he was in a spot of relative tranquility, isolated from the controlled chaos outside.

Captain Kayla was accommodating enough to allow him to stay within her quarters while they sailed to the mainland. A proper sailing ship on a quick voyage was a busy place, and Coop had felt out of place without anything to do to help. The phantom pirates were constantly in motion, pulling ropes and hustling back and forth, but ...

Chapter 45: Slayer II

Coop sat on the dunes, watching the golden sunset reflect on the calm waters around Ghost Reef. A great white heron was walking along the beach, and Coop admired its silhouette as the last of the light faded away. Earlier, one of the new foragers, an ape-like alien, waded out of the water and headed back inside the fort, but there had been no one else. The new residents were still making themselves comfortable inside their new home. Coop was alone, outside the safety of the walls.

Once ...

Chapter 44: Pig Island

The first Primal Kite initiated its ambush, bursting out of its hiding place, launching water and sand into the air. The group wasn’t even halfway across the shallow waterway before they found their first enemy. Coop had previously readied his ethereal armor and spear to the surprise of Shane’s party, but he wasn’t the one who would be fighting this monster.

Coop wanted to observe their combat abilities and they wanted to prove all of Coop’s warnings unnecessary. Shane’s party...

Chapter 43: The Siren

Coop exited the menus of the civilization shard to watch the galleon, christened The Eye of the Storm, approach the fort. The massive ship entered the canal, rowing past the impressive library and advancing toward the center.

The settlement needed a proper marina. It was another construction to add to his shopping list. The galleon was able to fit into the canal, but there was no way a bridge would be tall enough to clear the masts of the huge sailing ship. The ship was so long it would...

Chapter 42: Reinforcements

Coop was worried that he had just unleashed some evil sorcery upon Ghost Reef. The spectral relic had exploded with energy when he placed it at the top of the lighthouse. There was no visible damage to the island and the ghostly mist had slowly disappeared. The island looked the same as it did before, except the lighthouse had a new gemstone lightbulb that gently glowed with a shadowy teal color.

“Well, that was way more dramatic than I expected.” Coop told the girls.

“No ki...

Chapter 41: The Downbeat

Coop researched curses in the new library until after the sun had gone down.

Unfortunately, it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to cure Jones anytime soon. The rituals were specialized knowledge that required someone with specific affinities to perform successfully. Coop’s spectral affinity wasn’t one that could lead any rituals that removed curses, and blood curses were even more restrictive.

He stood up from the comfortable library seat and stretched his back. The tension i...

Chapter 40: Vronk Bread

The bakery door announced Coop’s presence with a friendly chime. Coop stepped inside and was greeted by the heavenly smell of fresh bread. A wide display counter separated the front of the bakery from double doors that led into the back section. The lovely aromas wafted from unseen ovens behind the doors.

Coop took his time checking all of the displays. It was a bit different than what he expected. He thought there would be all sorts of baked goods, pastries, cookies, and cakes. Inste...

Chapter 39: Alchemy and Herbalism

Every time Coop made purchases for the settlement, Jones was there. It was Coop’s fault he wasn’t with him this time. Coop shook his head in an effort to ward off the wayward thought. Instead, he recalled all of the things he wanted to purchase but couldn’t until he saved enough credits.

He had almost 200,000 credits to spend now.

The quest to upgrade the settlement from an Outpost to a Village required one defensive building and three other buildings, a population greater t...

Chapter 38: Blood Curses

Coop wasn’t sure if the Empire’s challenge attempt on his settlement was already over. It seemed like Kevin was only able to muster himself and two others to defend the civilization shard. Somehow, it was even less than the minimum that Coop had expected.

He went ahead and upgraded the settlement from an Outpost to a Village, there was no reason to wait now that the optional objective to collect the relic was complete. With all of the other requirements met, he just needed to pay th...

Chapter 37: Kevin The Hammer

Coop waited, balancing on top of the ship’s side railings while watching the fort slowly draw closer. Charlie was carefully steering the ship within the narrow channel that guided them through the treacherous reefs that earned Ghost Reef its name. They had passed more than one wreck. The ribs of old ships still reached toward the surface where they were sunk centuries previously.

Charlie had a significant advantage over the captains of past eras. With mana she was able to control the ...

Chapter 36: The Last Tour

Coop had grown to love being the junior caretaker of Ghost Reef, but dream job or not, that wasn’t his role anymore. Instead, he was now Champion of Ghost Reef and the responsibilities had evolved along with the title. In a way, becoming Champion resembled a significant promotion even without an appropriate pay raise. He was working hard to set the settlement up for success in the long term future, just like he had planned for his class.

Coop thought it was amazing how much had change...

Chapter 35: Charlie's Angels

The interior of the offshore oil platform was nearly shrouded in shadow as the fading sunlight struggled to illuminate through overlapping pipes and metal grates. The day’s light fled the emptied structure and Coop was prepared to do the same. It was the end of a long day in a series of long days, but Coop had successfully completed his quest. He was ready to return to Ghost Reef and upgrade the settlement.

The Endless Empire’s challenge to his ownership of the civilization shard re...

Chapter 34: Backstabbed

Coop had been backstabbed.

The Empire’s Chosen were trying to steal his settlement, but that wasn’t what he meant. There was a literal knife in his back. He had been stabbed right below his shoulder blade in a surprise attack while he contemplated how to leave the Zombie Lord and what the Empire’s plan actually was.

Coop spun, not willing to let the rest of his meager 125 health and 100 mana be drained by the opportunistic ambusher. He turned with his sword drawn and swept i...

Chapter 33: Reaper

Coop was immediately put into a defensive position. He was barely able to block the Zombie Lord’s powerful flailing attacks as he recklessly charged into Coop like a frenzied wild animal. The Zombie Lord was fighting like a much larger version of the Agility zombie. Instead of being the size of a regular person, like the zombie variants, he had grown significantly larger. The Zombie Lord had become a mutated gorilla sized monster and he pressured Coop with a surge of attacks. Coop barely hu...

Chapter 32: Calamity Bringer

Coop had a perfect view of the sunrise. He stood on the final landing and allowed himself a moment to enjoy it. Dawn broke on the 21st day since the apocalypse. He took a deep breath and gathered his resolve. He’d get this quest done and upgrade Ghost Reef. The settlement events were marching closer and he wanted to be ready for whatever new challenges they brought.

He finally had the sky above him, all of the previous floors had their outdoor areas covered in metal grates, pipes, and...

Chapter 31: Guerilla Tactics

The oil rig was lit by nothing but the waning moon when Coop moved to the fifth floor. It had taken until late in the evening for Coop to feel comfortable continuing further into the zombie infestation. He had to wait for his health and mana to recover after the previous fights.

When he first stepped foot on the fifth floor he was regretting his caution. The darkness gave the entire platform a spooky ambience that made him nervous. Deep shadows filled the corners of the platform, raisin...

Chapter 30: Ethereal Swordsmanship

It was already morning again and Coop was still on the zombie infested oil rig. Time just flew by while hunting zombies. Coop had spent the second night clearing the third floor of the platform and was getting ready to start on the fourth. He was mentally regrouping before venturing further.

The first floor had held 40 elite zombies that were between levels 20 and 25. The second floor also held 40 elite zombies, but they were between levels 25 and 30 and they also had around 50 normal z...

Chapter 29: Elite Zombies

Coop spun, his sword cut through the air and, propelled by his momentum, sliced through the neck of another zombie. He didn’t even wait for the head to hit the ground before he was moving to the next room.

He kicked a flimsy door with the bottom of his foot, putting his weight into it, and the entire thing separated from its frame and slammed onto the floor. Coop stepped over it and swung his sword in a low angle at the next zombie’s leading knee. The blade pierced the monster’s l...

Chapter 28: The Breathless

The sun leisurely dipped below the horizon causing the shadows to stretch until they were replaced by the night itself. Coop found himself watching the sharks as they circled the oil platform. He had been inspecting as many as he could in the dimming light, but none of them had any levels. He had spotted several different species. Blue sharks, makos, and hammerheads were all present, swimming in and out of vision. Thankfully, none of them had gained any magical abilities. The last thing he wa...

Chapter 27: Cruising

After arranging the boat trip with Camila and Charlie, Coop warned Jones that he would be absent for a while to complete the optional portion of the settlement quest. Jones promised to hold down the fort, as he had for decades. Coop also said goodbye to the zonked out Jett and told her to keep an eye on Jones while he was gone.

Coop met the girls at the dock. While they were preparing to board the ship another group arrived to join them. Camila confronted the late arrivals and Coop gath...

Chapter 26: Presence of Mind

Coop finished his first dedicated Ancient Prowler hunt two levels higher than when he started. He had defeated over 3,000 monsters. It was an impressive amount, considering the increased difficulty when compared to the Ancient Defenders.

The fourth stage of the Ancient Prowler quest chain was complete and he had made some progress into the final stage. Viewing his quest, he had already defeated 605 out of 11,111 Ancient Prowlers. It wouldn’t be long before he upgraded his Slayer title...

Chapter 25: Ancient Prowlers

Coop began his Ancient Prowler hunting session with an audience. He trusted Charlie so he thought it would be fine that some of his abilities would be revealed. He wouldn’t be showing much other than his Salvation and Retribution skills when he summoned his equipment, but they might be able to glean his attributes by watching carefully. He didn’t use any teleports while fighting Ancient Prowlers, so that trick would still be in his back pocket. Defeating the monsters only depended on his ...

Chapter 24: Island Hospitality

Coop had done his best to be hospitable when he welcomed the ship full of people to the island. He thought he was improving his ambassadorial skills with all the practice he had been getting between the aliens and the refugees, but he didn’t think it had gone very well. The leader had been kind of hostile from the start. He wasn’t sure where he went wrong.

As soon as he and Jones had seen the ship, they saw it as the perfect opportunity. Coop needed a ride to what they assumed was a...

Chapter 23: Camila

Camila was watching calm waves roll over the deep ocean. She was far from her family, but they weren’t the source of her worries. Her concerns were too profound to be actionable, and that drove her crazy. She was naturally decisive, seizing upon worthy goals and taking action to accomplish them. In this case, there wasn’t much she could do. Her worries were for the future of humanity as a whole.

When reality fell apart, she latched onto the first sign of sanity she found. Despite Ch...

Chapter 22: Slayer I

The third day of grinding, Coop gained another level of scavenging, and another mana reduction to his teleport, bringing it down to 38 mana per mistjump. After he killed 3,089 Ancient Defenders, he left the dunes and moved to the beach to sit underneath his favorite palm tree and review his gains. He checked his notifications.

[You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 3)]

[+6 Basic Credits]

[Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Defenders V]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up!...

Chapter 21: Elite Raiders

Coop ended up spending the night at the Clumsy Shark. He learned a lot from Maeve.

The baths were magical, literally. They had magical water that maintained its temperature for as long as it was used. Coop’s only complaint was that the tub was basically a large barrel. He either had to tuck in his knees or let his feet hang over the opposite edge.

Coop ended up asking why all the system constructions and furnishings were so archaic. Maeve explained that the buildings weren’t d...

Chapter 20: The Grind Continues

The settlement had been successfully upgraded and was officially named Ghost Reef. Judging by the leaderboards, they were in excellent shape.

They had also welcomed their first three residents who had arrived on nothing more than a raft. If it wasn’t for mana, they would have been dehydrated and starving. Instead a nice bath and a quick meal was enough to get them back into shape. As he approached his refined hunting route to begin his grind he wondered what the limitations of mana wo...