JaceVAmor
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Chapter 174: The Crossroads
🕑 Added 2023-12-22 16:11:01 +0000 UTCCoop spent another warm night sleeping in a gently swaying hammock. In all honesty, he wouldn't have minded if the pattern continued throughout his journey. Working hard in the day, navigating difficult terrain and fighting Primal Constructs followed by pleasantly calm nights, but the odds were against maintaining such a consistent schedule. While he was on his expedition, sleep would be something he embraced when he had the opportunity, and it was unlikely that the chances would keep coming.
He thought he’d embrace his tourist qualities and ask Fernando to craft him a hammock to take home as a souvenir. There were plenty of candidates for napping spots among the palm trees on the beaches of Ghost Reef. The particular hammock he was using may not have been created by someone with almost 500 levels in the weaving profession, but Coop was off to dreamland in a matter of minutes regardless, swept away by the panoramic sounds of the jungle.
This time around, he didn’t receive his own private cabana the way he had in Corozal. Instead, he was surrounded by more than two dozen of the local residents who shared a communal sleeping place. It was like an open air barracks that was lined with the colorful hanging hammocks rather than bunks. A large portion of the residents were resting while others guarded the village. Coop could almost imagine he was attending an immersive summer retreat with a bunch of other campers while the counselors stayed up late. Unfortunately, it reminded him more of the siege event schedule the residents of Ghost Reef had adopted than a pleasant vacation, where guards were constantly on shift, barely maintaining their survival.
The Crossroads, as the village was called, was an incredibly small settlement that had been situated deep within the overgrown jungle hills at the edge of the lowlands. Structurally, it only consisted of a group of four large communal buildings that surrounded a centralized cooking area. Ringing the cooking area were auditorium benches where people relaxed at all hours, like it was a living room, with enough seating for the entire village to be present at once. Those who were present when Coop arrived were working on smaller projects, carving with worn metal tools or repairing clothes and weapons while chatting with others who kept their hands busy with their own work.
At first he suspected they would also have extraordinarily high profession levels, maybe not on the same level as Corozal, but still high. Then he realized none of them would have professions at all. If they never left their village, they never had an opportunity to interact with a civilization shard. He needed to invite them to visit Ghost Reef.
Each of the main structures were constructed from simple materials, primarily wood and thatch, but they were intricately detailed and gave the sense of being far older than their individual parts. Coop wondered how many times sections were repaired or replaced to accommodate the changing population of the village. Smaller camps were scattered around the edges, hidden by the all-encompassing rainforest, but the residents seemed happy to share what was essentially a fully cooperative community.
As it turned out, The Crossroads had over 100 residents. Coop would have been shocked to find such a populated village in its place, even without the assimilation. It was practically inaccessible, so the fact that people had settled there was somewhat surprising. There certainly weren’t any roads, so he thought the name was ironic.
The village was totally remote, tucked away deep in the jungle on top of a ridge jutting from the lowlands. The defining feature, other than the thick jungle, was an adjacent shallow stream of rushing water. The stream was only ankle deep, but it led to a small pond on the edge of the ridge that he and the tracker had climbed to arrive in the village in the first place. A trickling waterfall of escaped water from the pond cascaded down the rocky cliff and contributed to a larger river that snaked all the way across the lowlands until it eventually reached the ocean. There wasn’t a single road that reached the location, let alone two to intersect and make the name more appropriate.
However, Coop learned that the village was actually named for the crossroads between the Path of the Eagle and the Path of the Jaguar. It had been named that way 3,000 years prior to his visit. Coop imagined there was some story that had been passed down over the generations until it morphed into legend, but rather than share tales, the villagers were only interested in exchanging information. They had minimal contact outside of their village, and virtually none after the Primal Constructs had discouraged the few who even knew they were there.
At first, they were extremely suspicious of Coop. He wasn’t recognized, and the only other unknown people they ever encountered with question marks for levels were priests from the Cult of Chakyum. The priests hadn’t discovered the exact location of the village, but they were constantly roaming the lands, and the warriors of the village had skirmishes with them on more than one occasion. The fact that Coop was right there in the village made them nervous, and at first, they were unhappy that the tracker had led him to their enclave. Luckily, the tracker was a known quantity who had visited frequently in the past. After their journey together, he was more than willing to sing Coop’s praises. And he really sang.
After leaning on Coop’s Strength to make it through the region that had been collectively abandoned to the Elite Ruin Nebulas, he generously extolled Coop’s virtues. The tracker recalled how Coop’s spears tore through the skies, annihilating monsters with practiced ease, and when retelling how a Field Boss was defeated in a matter of minutes, even Coop was on the edge of his seat. The tracker spoke with enough enthusiasm that even Coop was completely enthralled, barely recognizing himself in the story, and he had been the one who lived it.
The warriors at the Crossroads had given up on maintaining a wide perimeter, pulling in their forces inward in an effort to keep the immediate surroundings of the village safe from encroaching monsters. That defense was the source of their surprising progress, but they were being pressed in spite of their labors. The presence of the low level tracker, who needed to survive a long distance in the dangerous territory, was proof enough that the stories had truth to them, leading to a reassessment of the unknown quantity that Coop represented, but they still wanted to know for what purpose he sought them out.
Contrary to Coop’s past trips, he didn’t see much of a reason to keep his presence a secret. It might actually help him with his task if he could have some of the Cult of Chakyum’s priests aware that he was seeking them out. Maybe they would overestimate themselves and return the favor by seeking him out themselves. Therefore, he openly shared the fact that an Envoy had come to Ghost Reef and leaned on the settlement in a way that had turned them hostile. Coop, the strongest human on the planet, was there to confront Chakyum.
The reaction in the village upon learning that Coop was on the hunt for Chakyum was met with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. All the people in Central America were already aware of Chakyum. They knew the stance the cult would take, and they assured Coop that it would certainly be a fight. There would be no negotiation with the priests, let alone their so-called death god. They saw Coop’s expedition as a warrior’s journey, and like the residents of Corozal, they promised to provide some aid, though they fully expected him to die, it would be a worthy death. Coop didn’t take any offense to their lack of faith in a stranger from outside, and he took it as evidence that this cult was actually strong. He wouldn’t underestimate his potential opponents, no matter how confident he felt in his own growing abilities.
The villagers even had a lead for him, though it might have been a few days late. Members of the Jaguar Sun had made contact with some of the village’s warriors while they were patrolling the wilderness. They were in search of a priest that had established a stronghold deeper inland, through the jungle, not far as the crow flies. The Jaguar Sun was a shell of its former self, but the individuals that claimed to represent the resistance force were the strongest in the region, and they thought, the world. If Coop couldn’t find a priest directly, the next best thing would be to connect with the Jaguar Sun and their ongoing fight. They might be limited to the exterior of the Yucatan’s settlement territory, but they were still the primary force wherever the priests weren’t in control, and they would know which direction Coop would need to go to make contact.
The warriors in the Crossroads considered themselves a step below the Jaguar Sun, in terms of fighting power, and were more insular in their attitude as a rule. That hesitance to expand their political relationships had been the primary reason for their survival, as they had been able to avoid direct conflict with priests by remaining hidden. Before the assimilation, they weren’t exactly a tourist destination, and the journey to their village was too difficult to easily commute. Unfortunately, the Primal Constructs were like an unavoidable tide and they lacked a civilization shard to buoy themselves. The overlapping pressures of the system provided conflict and human dispositions were proving difficult for them. Coop found their troubles relatable, and naturally offered them the option to let him help them.
They were aware that the Crossroads couldn’t hold out forever on their own, but the only people they could ask for help were the scraps of the Jaguar Sun. After Coop went to sleep, there was a lively debate over their future in the central area of the village, with the entire population taking part when they had a break away from their responsibilities.
By the morning, the residents of the Crossroads had made some big decisions. The combination of Coop’s confidence and explanations of Ghost Reef’s ability to create outposts along with the tracker’s revelations for the stance of the stubborn elders of Corozal had convinced the warriors at the Crossroads to reconnect. They intended to combine forces, protecting the Corozal Outpost properly with the hope of expanding the territory until they could reclaim their rainforest village. In the meantime, they would be able to secure their survival against the Primal Constructs for that much longer.
The fact that they would be helping move against the Cult of Chakyum, essentially revealing the existence of a massive experience farm that had managed to stay hidden for so long, was a major factor in building a consensus. The priests would see the high levels as an opportunity if they became aware of the Crossroads, and even if they could defend themselves in the short term, the priests would keep coming. Consolidating their forces in Corozal, where they wouldn’t need to worry about the monsters to the same extent, thanks to the Mana Pylon, was a clear path forward. And in the worst case, where Coop was defeated, they would be able to retreat to Ghost Reef and batten down the hatches within a settlement that could obviously withstand a siege until the apocalypse came.
When Coop was awake, the Crossroads was already packing up, though they weren’t leaving right away. They sent Coop off with travel rations and an honor guard of 25 fighters. During the night, after coming to the decision to join in, they had spread deeper into the jungle to confirm that the Jaguar Sun continued in their version of a siege on the Cult of Chakrum’s priest. Using their own hunting skills they had found activity deeper in the jungle, and it had been within the last few days. Once they put Coop on the path, they would return to the village and move as a large group, escorting the tracker back to Corozal.
They took him further south and west, toward more and more mountainous territory. On the way deeper in the forest, rather than conduct a thorough search with Coop, they were moving as if they were a squad of militants with a clear target. They chanted as they went, though there was no strict formation for traveling through the dense underbrush. Evidently, the chants were as ancient as their village, and were used to speak to the animals, essentially warning the more dangerous predators that they would be in for a fight if they challenged the obsidian blades of the moving warriors. It was a declaration that they would have safe passage one way or another.
To Coop’s surprise, the chants had also been incorporated by the system. While the universal language didn’t do anything to translate the syllabic arrangement, it did provide them all with buffs. Every refrain reset a short buff that Coop watched in his status window called Rootstrider that improved their travel speed and resisted tripping. Despite his expectations that his movement was determined by his own personal physicality, he did find himself moving faster as his steps subconsciously matched the rhythm of the warrior chant.
“Bizarre.” Coop shook his head as he skipped from root to root like he was traveling a route that he had gone over thousands of times, regardless of it being his first visit to any rainforest. The other warriors around him were just as fast as he was and he was certain none of them had Agility stats that eclipsed his own. It was almost like they had a system designated racial skill that empowered them in their home territory.
Coop found himself immersed in the chanting. As they moved, he didn’t have to concentrate on his feet at all, and felt himself subtly guided by the others as they went. They moved efficiently and even though they were traveling in a wide group, they didn’t run into any fights. Coop didn’t even need to summon his spear. Compared to the trip with the tracker, it was basically a peaceful cross country run in a humid jungle. Even with everything working in their favor, allowing them to avoid unnecessary stops, it was still another long trip through the forest before they reached their intended destination.
They stopped abruptly, right at the end of another refrain in the chant. As soon as they stopped, half of the warriors collapsed in exhaustion. Coop raised his eyebrows, surprised that they had been pushing themselves so hard. He barely felt any pressure on his own stamina even though they had been running cross country for hours in terrain that would be considered a challenge to make slow progress through under normal conditions.
One of the warriors approached Coop and directed him toward a small clearing. “We will rest there before the last portion of our journey. The one we seek should be up there.” He pointed to the other side, at the top of a vine covered mountain, where the rocks that were exposed were black and clearly volcanic. They had been steadily moving into marginally higher elevations as they went, but it seemed like they had finally reached some of the more mountainous portions of the land. There was an obvious smoke trail where someone was camping toward the peak.
“I can manage the rest of the way.” Coop stated, nodding as he judged the distance. “You guys have already guided me more than enough.”
Most of the tired warriors readily accepted Coop’s statement, more focused on doubling back. It was a grueling trip just to point Coop in the right direction. If they had to continue much more, they would have to race against the sunset to make it back to their home where they faced yet another march even further to the coast.
“It is treacherous ground.” A man pointed out, one of the original guards that had greeted Coop and the tracker in the first place. “Even for someone with your vigor, it would be better to have someone with more experience lead the way to find proper footing. There is great risk in falling.”
Coop smiled at the man’s consideration. He finally cast Invocation and summoned his equipment and watched as the man’s eyes widened at the ethereal mists. “I’ll part ways here. You guys stay safe.” Coop patted the guy on his shoulder and took a short jogging start before launching his spear in a high arc that would easily clear the climb. “We’ll meet again in the Corozal Outpost.” He smiled right before he activated his mistjump. “Keep an eye on the leaderboards.”
Coop spent ten seconds in the monochromatic world of mists before he reappeared in the air above the smoke that had been pointed out as his destination. He had to carefully adjust his body to avoid falling through the canopy of the forest, landing among the thick branches of a banyan tree instead. The temporary camp was abutting an enormous boulder and two individuals were sitting on either side of the fire, leaning their backs against the stone. Coop hopped down to the top of the rock and prepared to introduce himself while inspecting the campers.
[Human (Level 95)]
[Beast Soul (Mind)]
[Bestial (Bound)]
...
[Human (Level 99)]
[Inheritor (Strength)]
[Ancestral (Vanquisher)]
Coop was sure he found the right people. They seemed strong. The Beast Soul was a young lady in a faded tank top and torn jeans with dark wavy hair and the Inheritor was a muscular shirtless guy whose defining feature was actually the huge spiked axe he cradled in his arms almost like it was a family member.
Coop put on his best smile as the sound of his gladiator sandals finding purchase on the top of the rock got their attention. “Excuse me? I heard you guys might need some help? I’m Coop.”
Comments
Eric M
That kind of entrance probably gets you immediately attacked around there. 😜
