Unchosen Champion

“You sure you’re okay?” Coop tried confirming, not for the first time.

Grizz put a scarred hand on the shoulder of the fragile seeming member of his little group in solidarity, supporting Dan as the mana guide gulped and nodded that he really was alright. Coop tilted his head to the side, trying to get a read on the guide.

“Don’t worry, Champ.” The older veteran spoke on behalf of the scout. “Dan’s a soldier.” He concluded, and Cap bowed her head like his words were profound. Dan smiled weakly at the support of his party.

Dan had nearly been overwhelmed by the currents of mana flowing through the enormous cavern when he first tried to make sense of their surroundings. When Coop only saw a pristine wilderness of untouched dirt, Dan was subjected to the deafening roar and crushing weight of an avalanche. He described the ambience like mana was slowly rolling across the landscape with the inevitability of a glacier: an unstoppable force of nature, less guided by the tunnels and more responsible for them. The potential energy was terrifying.

By his own account, he had things under control after having a little time to acclimate, but his initial experience was staggering. Even after hours of adjusting, he was pale and clammy as a result of the inundation of mana. Coop frowned at his sunken eyes, genuinely worried for the guy. It was like he had been forced to march across a desert with no relief.

Just for fun, Coop toggled his own Vaporform to see what he could witness for himself after hearing Dan’s impressions. He figured it would be better to know ahead of time what he was getting into if he had to use the ability in the middle of combat.

He toggled the skill back off a fraction of a second after testing it out, feeling like he had been punched directly in the retinas. It felt like his very essence could have been smothered in a molasses-like cascade of mana that threatened to drown and suffocate his spirit all at once. While he could jump in and out of Vaporform, he thought it would be best to avoid lingering with the skill toggled on. He was extra thankful that his mistjumps had been streamlined to the point that he wasn’t dragged through the mists anymore. They were really in the thick of it in terms of mana density.

The galactic community had compared the Underlayer to a planet-wide mana well for good reason. The same drifting tides that Coop had witnessed for himself in the Coral Forest were present in the empty underground, but magnified by thousands of times. The difference between the Underlayer and a Mana Well was like comparing the global ocean conveyor belt with a local drainage canal. Dan had needed time to adjust before he could make sense of the seemingly empty caverns, and Coop couldn’t blame him.

“There’s something major in that direction.” Dan insisted, eyebrows furrowed with concern. He pointed off to their left as his squadmates huddled at the foot of the Ghost Reef pillar to share their findings with Coop.

“Otherwise, you can go that way.” Dan pointed past the right side of the monument as he continued his assessment. “Or that way.” He pointed straight left from where Coop stood, away from the pillar. “Those seem to be the passages that continue further.” He let his hand drop after indicating each way.

“And what directions are those actually?” Coop asked for his own sake. The complete lack of landmarks was confusing enough. Having every direction be defined by pointed fingers wouldn't help much.

Cap answered for the strained mana scout, having already organized their presentation after they explored the immediate vicinity of their landing point with Amanda and Mikey B. “The point of interest is to the west northwest, but the major flow of mana seems to split between southwest and northeast.” She lifted the palms of her hands out like the intel could have been more concrete, but they had to work with what they could get. “We’re making educated guesses based on our orientation when we came through the teleporters.”

Dan nodded before adding his own emphasis. “The main thing I wanted to highlight for you is that whatever is over there is really strange.” He pointed toward the point of interest again like it threatened to hypnotize him. “I haven’t felt anything like it before. It’s kind of similar to a civilization shard, but sort of inverted.” He frowned, struggling to relate his extra senses in a way that would make sense. “This place really is an ocean of free mana. Mana is drifting in both directions very slowly, with a small amount leaking toward the surface as if it's guided by the pillar, but there’s a large gyre over there that spins like a drain. It’s concentrating mana that would otherwise simply flow through the rest of the caverns.” Dan turned back toward the group. “Shards normally emit as much as they absorb, like a filtration device, but that thing is a sink, guzzling mana down.” Dan frowned a bit as he considered what else it could be.

“Hm.” Coop gazed across the blank, dirt-filled plains, and did his best to make note of the direction.

The only things that absorbed mana, as far as he was aware, were people and animals when they defeated enemies, or monsters as they passively leveled up and evolved. In that sense, mana was a corollary with experience, but there weren’t any monsters in the Underlayer.

“Maybe it’s an Icon.” He mumbled, causing Amanda and Mikey B to perk up as they remembered the powerful enemy from the siege. It wasn’t like the rules applied to the forces of mana. “Or maybe there’s an Under-Underlayer?” He added.

He shrugged, setting it aside. “I think I can manage to go straight when I go on my own.” He looked back at the scouting party and tried reassuring them as they looked at him dubiously. “I’ll probably be able to find the pillar if I get lost anyway.”

“If you get lost, just follow one of the walls.” Grizz advised with a serious expression. “That’s how I solved mazes as a kid.”

“Dunno if that applies to three dimensional cave systems.” Cap muttered skeptically. “Especially if they’re potentially hundreds of miles across.”

“Don’t worry about any of that yet.” Shane butted into the small meeting, shadowed by Arthur, who politely bowed his head toward Coop. Shane was as covered in the rich dirt as everyone else, despite taking the role of foreman while the other residents constructed earthen fortifications around their staging area. “We need to make sure the event goes smoothly before you go off on any adventures.”

“You have to go that way, first.” Arthur chimed in, somehow the only person among all of Ghost Reef’s residents to avoid being caked in a layer of the soft soil. He was pointing in the direction that had been described as northeast. “Empress City and Neptune’s Bridge should be that way, assuming our trajectories were consistent and the tunnel doesn’t diverge.”

“Don’t encourage him.” Shane gently scolded the older gentleman, but Arthur remained unapologetic.

“Coop thinks there might be an Icon of Mana out there.” Amanda shared with the pair of Ghost Reef advisors.

“Really?” Shane wondered, turning more serious as he immediately added another priority to their preparations to-do list.

“Nah, I was just guessing what else could be absorbing mana.” Coop tried to avoid starting a panic.

“Amanda, would you be so kind as to scout for us?” Arthur suggested, ignoring Coop’s attempt at reassurance.

“Of course.” The Outrider confirmed.

“Hang on.” Shane stopped them. “Make sure to come back before the event begins, even if it means turning around before you figure out what it is. We might need every little bit of help with the Constructs.”

“You got it.” Mikey B chimed in as he and Amanda rushed toward the northwest, setting off at a brisk pace.

“I have a good feeling about our chances.” The Intelligence Advisor countered Shane’s barely hidden concern, glancing across their makeshift defenses. “We’re certainly more prepared than any would expect, and there are still some hours before our guests finally arrive. I wouldn’t be surprised if any third-party observers thought the roles of attacker and defender were flipped thanks to our improvised stronghold.”

Coop glanced at the timer, confirming that they had eight more hours before the Primal Constructs were scheduled to make their entrance. Looking beyond the system’s display, he admired the configuration of their defenses. They may have been improvised, as Arthur noted, but they were impressive, considering how hastily they went from plan to reality. The focused efforts of Ghost Reef’s residents with Shane’s oversight had resulted in an entire complex of trenches and embankments.

The 10,000 soldiers from Empress City were the closest to the pillar where Coop had grouped with the scouts, hidden behind large mounds that protected them from long distance linear attacks. The mounds were around 10 feet tall, and had a smoother ramp on the inside than the steep slope on the outside, establishing an inner wall with a slight elevation for anyone with long range skills. A majority of Ghost Reef’s original residents had specialized into becoming the equivalent of snipers due to their experience defending the fort. They would have an ideal place to leverage their abilities along the innermost embankment.

Behind the interior of the mounds, the visiting soldiers were establishing a series of rest areas that could combine to fit every single person they had brought into the Underlayer. The scars from Ghost Reef’s Siege Event hadn’t faded, so the plan was to prepare to fight for the entire duration of the event, just in case. They would be able to rotate soldiers to the back if they had non stop fighting for the 44 days of the Underlayer Event and provide much needed rest from unceasing combat for those who required it.

The diligent preparations of the more powerful Ghost Reef veterans had freaked the Empress City soldiers out enough to have them working equally hard. They had arrived with enthusiasm, volunteering for war with complete confidence in Ghost Reef and its Champion, but Coop could see in their faces that they were harboring fresh concerns due to how seriously Shane and the others were taking their preparedness. They were working extra hard, finally realizing that, even though they had imagined the victory parade, they had to fight a war first.

Within the mounds of the inner stronghold, channels had been carved that ramped down into relatively narrow trenches. Three people could walk side-by-side into what they were calling the supply trenches. These connected the central rest areas to the first battle trench, which had a low wall of dirt facing away from Ghost Reef’s pillar. The battle trench was wide enough for full parties to stage ranged attacks while remaining behind the cover that had been dug into the ground. It was the second layer of protection.

Another set of embedded supply trenches connected the first battle trench with more forward support areas. They were designed to be smaller versions of the main rest areas for immediate relief to those at the forefront of battle. Those were then connected by more supply lines to the front line trench, which was their third and final layer.

The excavation had been nonstop, but the residents of Ghost Reef were relatively familiar with that kind of physical labor. For the most part, they just needed to dig holes in the soft ground and they had no reluctance toward getting dirty. They took to the task intensely, their severity inspiring those unfamiliar with the struggles that an out of control system event could generate.

Beyond the front line trench was a no man’s land of mostly empty dirt, visible from the inner mound, the first battle trench, and the even lower front line trench all at once. There were some areas with small mounds in the distance, but they expected it to largely be a place to engage in open field battles, the way the event was advertised. The dirt was freshly disturbed by the preparations of smaller squads of residents, micromanaged by Elder Olani.

The exact challenge they were facing was still something of a mystery. They expected Primal Constructs to have strongholds placed some distance from the pillar, but within the range of Ghost Reef’’s settlement territory, correlating with locations on the surface that the invaders intended to take over. Unfortunately, that meant the defenders had to anticipate enemies anywhere from their immediate vicinity to the miles and miles that their territory had expanded.

While it was possible they would need to stage assaults across large tracts of land, they focused on establishing a headquarters first. No matter what, Shane decided they would treat the pillar like their core, since its base protected their gateways back to the surface. The trenches would be their lines of defense from which they sent their assaults. No matter how the event was framed by the system, they saw themselves as defenders first.

They were able to travel to and from the surface as they pleased so long as they controlled the runed portals and either the settlement or the individuals had enough mana for the transport. The Underlayer was essentially their backyard. Even if they failed to dislodge the Primal Constructs, maintaining the gateway would be a priority throughout the duration of the event.

When it came to the actual Underlayer, there were a few oddities to the region that would impact someone like Coop more than most others. Mainly, he had noticed the way the density of pure mana interfered with manifestations. Coop’s weapons were slowly taking durability damage, which wouldn’t be of concern given the ease that he could manipulate and refresh them, but it also meant that his more fragile summons would deteriorate at a more rapid pace than anywhere else.

The phantasms from the Legacy of the Mists might only be good for a single attack, reminiscent of their original iteration before his investments into Acumen, and Fog of War would require virtually all of his mana to temporarily maintain the domains that he had gradually grown accustomed to applying when he wanted to take over a battle. Add how he would limit his implementation of Vaporform to be as brief as possible and he was looking at quite a few little disadvantages that collectively might make a difference.

Coop’s alternative to selecting specifically designed area skills would be diminished within the Underlayer, but he wasn’t so weak that he couldn’t compensate with his own power. As annoying as any of the limitations were, he was glad he hadn’t put himself on a path that would rely on his more delicate manifestations. The challenges seemed easy enough to overcome through tactical usage of his abilities.

He wasn’t the only person that would have a slight handicap. Everyone in the Underlayer had to deal with the same quirks. Charlie, for instance, wouldn’t be able to maintain her storms for the amounts of time that made her the anchor of their siege defense. That meant there wouldn’t be walls of tornadoes allowing their casters to cycle through abilities. Many others were already adjusting their own skills, happy to have the first day to prepare themselves before combat began.

The direct connection back to the surface also gave them the chance to test what they could bring down. Their equipment, despite being made through magical processes, was fine, stabilized by their own presence, but other manifestations were dispersed like a defeated monster as soon as they were exposed to the Underlayer. Construction materials had disintegrated in the mana-infused air like they were submerging a sugar cube in hot coffee.

The Cleary Brothers had already gone back and forth dozens of times trying to figure out the rules, but in the end it seemed like everything infused with mana was soluble in the pure currents that flowed through the Underlayer, it was just a matter of time. Garod promised free repairs to their equipment now that he was a part of the Lighthouse, but he didn’t think any combat implements would be degraded enough to cause concern until the very end of the event at the earliest.

In the meantime, they built an entire complex of trenches in the dirt using the non-mana based tools they had built themselves, along with their bare hands. The original rake from Coop and Jones’s first days of combat continued to make important contributions to the security of Ghost Reef, this time wielded by Shane to outline where he wanted the trenches in the first place.

After the first half of the day, smoke had begun rising from one of the rest areas. Laurie and Greg, the couple that ran the coffee shop, had taken some volunteers and started experimenting with creating mud bricks. They were using their personal skills to wet and heat the ubiquitous dirt within molds. If they were successful, they would then use mud bricks to reinforce the hand-dug construction.

Depending on how long humans were left alone down there, Coop thought they would go through an entire series of structural upgrades as they experimented and rediscovered new materials. They might still prove the galactic community wrong about the utility of Underlayers.

“This event was supposed to be an open field battle for us against entrenched Primal Constructs.” Arthur observed as they all looked across their encampment. “But look at us. Perhaps human ingenuity will carry the day this time.”

Other than those who were retrieving tools or experimenting with the Underlayer and the gateways, none returned to the surface. They were mentally locked in for the event, and for Coop it felt wrong to essentially return to the sidelines, even as they waited for the first and last countdown to arrive. He assumed his allies felt the same way, since they all remained, covered in dirt, waiting for the battle to start while perfecting their hasty constructions. Even Dan refused to head back up, insisting that he was growing accustomed to the Underlayer.

Having received the information from the scouts, the meeting concluded, and Coop went back to assisting the residents that toiled in the dirt. He helped put the finishing touches on the front line trenches, extending them around the south side of the gargantuan pillar in a strange recreation of Ghost Reef’s moat beyond the outer fort walls. In a day, they had created the foundation of a massive fortress, making it resemble an archaeological dig for an actual ancient castle city. It was meticulously organized, but completely lacking in actual structures. If they had more time, they could have kept adding outer layers, but the event would be upon them soon enough. What they had would need to be sufficient.

Amanda and Mikey B returned when there was less than an hour left on the timer.

“Not an Icon.” Amanda broke the news, happy that they hadn’t discovered the worst case scenario. “It’s that meteor mountain.” She declared to Coop, chest heaving after she and Mikey B had rushed to cover as much ground as they could. Mikey just nodded behind her, leaning forward on the shield he carried the entire time while struggling to catch his own breath.

“The what?” Coop asked, having no idea what they were talking about.

“Y’know. The mountain.” Mikey helpfully added, using his free hand to gesture in the general direction. “Pokes out of the ocean off in the distance. Huge. Gets in the way of the sunset sometimes.” He spoke between breaths.

“Ah!” Coop exclaimed, suddenly realizing what they meant.

They were talking about the absolutely monstrous meteor that had blocked out the sky and dragged all the other mana crystals in its wake before crashing somewhere far off in the Gulf of Mexico on the day of the apocalypse. Somehow, the ever-present meteor mountain that loomed off the coast of Ghost Reef had slipped into Coop’s subconscious. It was just a part of the background at this point, especially since it was hundreds of miles away.

“That thing?” Coop wondered, recalling the enormity of it dragging across the sky.

“Definitely.” Amanda confirmed. “It penetrated all the way through the ground and planted itself firmly in the Underlayer.”

“Huh.” Coop thought it was crazy for such a huge meteor to have landed without annihilating the planet. He considered it for a few moments in silence.

“If it’s a mountain on the surface that reaches all the way down here, wouldn’t it need to be, like, a 100 times bigger than the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?” He questioned.

“For sure.” Mikey B agreed with a completely serious expression.

“Cool.” Coop concluded as his eyebrows rose.

Amanda just looked at them both like she had no idea how their minds worked.