JaceVAmor
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Chapter 172: The Heavy Void
🕑 Added 2023-12-18 16:11:00 +0000 UTCIn the morning, Coop was treated to a simple breakfast made by someone with nearly 500 levels in cooking. They gave him two plates. The first had scrambled eggs, refried beans, and a salsa on the side, while the other had a small stack of warm flour tortillas. The cook warned him to take it easy with the salsa as it might be too spicy for him. Naturally, Coop treated the warning as a challenge.
The meal sounded basic, but once he took the first bite he practically lost control of his body, shoveling the food into his mouth with the tortillas. His mouth was numb halfway through the meal, and he was sweating, but he couldn’t even slow down. The meal was perfect in its simplicity, but the citrusy hot sauce with habaneros, garlic, onions, carrots, and he guessed orange juice transformed the delicious meal into an actual masterpiece that rivaled the food created with the extraordinary experience of Desmond back in the Clumsy Shark. There was something to be said about native Earthling cooking that he hoped to share with the contracted residents in Ghost Reef.
After Coop finished his meal, barely holding himself back from licking the plates to the amusement of the residents, the tracker led him on the first leg of their journey into the jungle. Leaving the town behind, they headed inland, away from the coast.
At first they followed the main road exiting Corozal, where cars would have driven in the past, but after only a brief time, they veered off the worn pavement. The tracker followed access roads that only a local would know were public or private, spread between what were previously farm fields and were now populated by dense brush taller than Coop’s head. Islands of even taller trees crowded the fields, overlapping in some areas, and demonstrating how the forest would reclaim the land and provide the Primal Constructs with an avenue to further encroach on the outpost’s territory. The intertwining canopies were thick with sturdy branches for the monsters to latch their arms to, and the tracker warned him to keep his eyes up when they were near the trees.
The paths that the two walked were composed of reddish brown crusted mud. The trail was filled with steady footprints that eventually had Coop wondering about the traffic. They overlapped such that Coop would have guessed crowds of people were frequently making the same trip that they were, but the tracker dispelled Coop’s theory by claiming them as his own.
“My regular route.” The man briefly explained after Coop had noticed the tracks.
They were following the man’s frequent stomping grounds. Previously, he used to travel the winding farm roads while avoiding monsters, but in the recent weeks he had been leaving less frequently and when he did, much shorter distances. Things had grown too dangerous in the region, and there were few destinations worth visiting that he had the capacity to reach.
It didn’t take long for the pair to leave the wider path and enter thicker and thicker forest. Apparently, they had once been more farms, specializing in various fruits and trees, and they had been ripe for mana to empower the trees for the forest to reclaim. A few miles out and they were already on hiking trails that were only wide enough for them to move in single file, with the more dangerous canopies on both sides. The Tracker took the lead, trusting his senses even more than Coop believed in Presence of Mind.
As the sun rose, so did the temperature. By the late morning, it was hot enough that Coop was daydreaming about the beach while he followed in the other man’s footsteps. As fast as they moved, it wasn’t enough to counteract the lack of a comfortable breeze. All of the wind was smothered by the leafy vegetation around them. The heat blurred the trail in front of them, evaporating whatever was left of the night’s rain and turning the humidity into something Coop was willing to curse. Their footprints were baked into the surface as they moved, adding to the tracker’s past footsteps.
The trail may have been bordered by tall grasses and broad-leafed plants, but it was in direct sunlight as far as the eye could see. In fact, the tracker had specifically selected the route due to that gap in the canopy. The Tracker preferred lanes where the trees did not encroach the trail, minimizing the threat of Primal Construct ambush. Coop thought it made sense for the non-combatant.
Apparently, most of the Yucatan peninsula was occupied by the relatively predictable Ruin Nebulas, but elsewhere, the jungles had stalkers that hunted people. The tracker’s lesson was simple. The jungle was always dangerous. Coop took the warning for what it was, minimizing how much like a tourist he behaved, but secretly, he felt excitement at the potential variety of monsters. It meant that different areas had different environments worth being cautious towards, but also that there was a chance for Coop to work on more Slayer titles.
The tracker wore a loose poncho with a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off and a pair of frayed hiking boots that kept him moving forward at a brisk pace. Coop was sweating to keep up, but he wasn’t particularly pressed. It wasn’t anything like doing hours of suicide sprints on the sandy beaches of Ghost Reef, but he still wondered if Salvation would conjure up a parasol to protect his skin as he followed along, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The tracker had to stop his steady gait dozens of times, pointing out where Elite Ruin Nebulas were waiting to ambush at the edge of the path, hanging from tree limbs like deadly spanish moss. Coop easily destroyed them with spear throws from a distance when they were exposed and had the tracker slapping his back, impressed and excited by the feats of strength. The Nebulas had taken a firm hold on the trees, and the trees had encroached on all space in the region, making it treacherous to even think of leaving the town. The monsters had levels that no one should scoff at, though Coop may have let some confidence slip into his step. Just a little.
When the man abruptly stopped and put his arm up, Coop could immediately tell something was different compared to the previous times, and he gathered his focus, suppressing his confidence with diligent silent preparations, adjusting his stance and his grip. The tracker was squinting forward at something not even Presence of Mind was picking up, though he thought he could sense something heavy vibrating the trees that could have just as easily been a breeze sneaking through.
“What is it?” Coop whispered, but the tracker shushed him before slipping into the bushes on the side and pulling Coop with him, entering the forest that a few seconds before had clearly been considered too dangerous to test.
Instead of answering, the tracker just led Coop further away from the path, beneath the canopy that constantly had Ruin Nebulas waiting, moving slowly to make sure he didn’t step on any dry branches, and risking it all to get away from the safer trail that he had hung his life on. Once they were suitably far away, he crouched in the center of a bed of leaves and held his hat against his chest, like he was paying his respects to something dear in order for a favor. Coop obediently copied his actions, camouflaging himself to the best of his own ability behind some slightly torn banana leaves, and letting Presence of Mind occupy his senses, though he didn’t bother with any prayers.
They waited for a few minutes, feeling the subtle rumbling steadily grow, before Coop finally saw what they were hiding from. At first it just seemed like a slow moving dust cloud, like a bizarre weather anomaly, following along the same trail that he and the tracker were following, but when it got closer Coop witnessed several of the snapping claw heads that he had already become familiar with when he first arrived on the shores of Belize.
The snake-like limbs were grabbing the trunks of trees, tearing chunks into the bark along the border of the trail, and dragging the rest of its bulk forward. It effectively widening the trail, toppling saplings and clearing brush as it clumsily moved. The bus-sized monster was making progress along the forest floor, far too large to remain in the canopy, and even too large for the narrow trail.
The dust cloud obscured a big fat Ruin Nebula, easily as hefty as a tank. It gradually made its way to the spot that the tracker had abandoned the trail and Coop took the opportunity to use Presence of Mind on the massive specimen.
[Field Boss: Ruin Nebula (Level 114)]
[Xishe the Heavy Void (Agility)]
[Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]
“Nah man, I’m not hiding from that.” Coop whispered as he got a good look at the monster passing them by. To him, it looked more like an opportunity than a threat. Sure, he was meant to be prioritizing the Cult of Chakyum, but there were certain chances he was keeping an eye out for, and Field Bosses were near the top. Bosses were right up there with Slayer titles.
“You crazy? That’s a Field Boss!” The tracker hissed back, eyes bulging at the Champion’s statement. He believed that Coop had really lost his mind with his casual statement after perceiving what was a deadly threat.
“It’s fine, just stay here for a minute.” Coop reassured him with a winning smile before he hopped through the brush and returned to the trail. It wasn’t overconfidence, but experience that buoyed Coop’s spirit. Coop had defeated quite a few Field Bosses already, most of which were higher level than he was. In this case, he had the advantage in levels as well.
When Coop burst out of the bushes he was well behind the steady forward crawl of the Field Boss. It was much too large to remain among the trees within the branches of the canopy like the smaller elites, but fundamentally it was the same thing. A giant mass of snake-like limbs shrouding a dark center with weak points on the top. It was making deceptively fast progress with its steady draw forward, but the Agility stat primarily influenced the limbs rather than the entire mass that formed the monster. They grabbed at branches and tree trunks in all directions, pushing and pulling as the boss struggled through the forest. It seemed like the dense vegetation that gave the normal-sized monsters a serious advantage was more of a disadvantage for the more advanced version.
Coop summoned a heavy spear and propped it over his shoulder as he planned his attack. After judging the distance while gauging the monster's speed, he took a few practice swings before planting his foot and launching the projectile into the sky. He was even stronger now than he had been during the last several major fights, with extra Slayer titles boosting his attributes, and he didn’t want to wait too long for his opener to come down on his enemy. He was careful with his throw, keeping it under control with consideration of his growth.
As Coop waited, he stood still in the center of the dirt path, weaponless and patient, with his ethereal armor emitting aqua smoke that drifted straight up due to the lack of a breeze. The heat radiated from the dry mud beneath his feet and the air was blurred as the sun cooked the ground. The tracker held his breath as he watched what seemed like a classic western showdown from the side, anticipating Coop’s inevitable death once the monster drew its weapons. He would need to report what happened to the others in Corozal as soon as possible. The Field Boss had no idea it was being observed, but Coop made no effort to continue hiding. The ball was already rolling with his opening spear throw launched.
After 20 seconds with the intensity steadily ramping up, the spear finally initiated the conflict. It smashed down from the sky, drowning out the forest sounds with a violent crash. The spear landed dead center on the Field Boss, perfectly calculated after thousands upon thousands of previous throws. At the same time, Coop advanced, a small smile crawling onto his face at the accurate opening shot. After the first step, his war fork manifested in his empty hand, replacing the spear that had embedded itself deep into the ground, carving its mark on the world before disappearing into mists.
The Field Boss was nearly split in half from the heavy spear attack, but it finally noticed Coop’s presence as it struggled to reabsorb the portion that was fading away. Long stringy shadows connected the two parts, black as night, revealing a life of their own. The sinewy threads struggled to maintain the monster's composure while the limbs snapped wildly.
In response to realizing Coop was there, 20 of the closest limbs launched themselves toward Coop, arcing slightly in a coordinated assault that kept them from tangling amongst themselves. The monster had no need to rotate, seeing as its entire form was vaguely symmetrical, at least radially. It was strangely quiet, with the arms sounding more like ropes whipping through the air than the monster’s heavy machine-like nature would normally exhibit. Coop didn’t receive any roars in response to the opening strike, and the forest had become tranquil in anticipation of the clash. It made no difference to Coop’s stance.
The boss was Agility based, but even then, it wasn’t fast enough to match up with Coop. Before the arms reached him, he had already cast Legacy of the Mists seven times, draining a chunk of his mana while directing each phantom to cut through the arms with their opening attacks. They cleanly severed the limbs with expert strikes that sent the excess portion flying beyond the monster’s intended target, landing somewhere behind Coop with the crash of leaves and branches, kicking up clods of reddish mud as they went.
Of the 20 initial limbs attempting to grasp at Coop, only eight remained attached. Coop barely adjusted his body, just slightly tilting his head to the left, lifting his right elbow slightly higher while maintaining his weapon ready stance, swaying to the side, and raising one of his feet a few inches off the ground, causing most of the remaining arms to whiff their targets with minimal movements. A sweeping strike of his war fork, that curved in front of him, sliced three more limbs and he pressed forward into the gap.
His Fog of War had already spread all along the path while he waited for his opening spear to land. Though the fog did nothing to obscure the area, Coop could easily comprehend the motions of the boss and had plenty of speed to react as he wished. The heat burned at the thin mists, but they were more robust now than ever before.
He followed his phantasms as the ragtag squad of ancient ghostly warriors advanced on the boss, side by side on the freshly widened path that had been carved by the monster itself. Coop hadn’t found a regular version of a Ruin Nebula, so he really didn’t know all of the features of the particular Construct variant, but the Field Boss was already displaying one interesting ability. Coop’s airstrike had split the monster in half, but rather than display any damage, the center shadowy portion had simply shrunk after reconnecting what it could. Then, as the phantasms chopped through its limbs, it continued to get smaller without losing the effectiveness of the rest of its claws. Rather than consider the monster a single entity, it behaved more like a collective mass, with each limb representing a portion of the whole. The limbs themselves remained mobile, undiminished by the center void being reduced.
As far as Coop was concerned, the fact that it could continue fighting at equal potency as it lost limbs was only prolonging its suffering. Together, he and his phantasms sliced and stomped their way through arms until the boss shrank into a rat-sized cloud of blackness with a single arm thrusting wildly in the air. The boss was dead moments after the first phantasms started evaporating.
[You defeated Field Boss: Ruin Nebula (Level 114)]
[+134264 Basic Credits]
[+4 Enigmatic Destruction Gem (Legendary)]
[+2 Enigmatic Guardian Crystal (Legendary)]
[+1 Gravity Core (Unique)]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]
[Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]
[Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]
“Where the Siege Bosses at?” Coop mumbled, feeling like the assimilation needed to start catching up to him instead of the other way around. Maybe he could even grind Field Bosses for profession levels to catch up to the Corozal townspeople instead of crippling his class progress by hunting weaker monsters.
The rustling of leaves announced the tracker’s return to the trail. The man looked at Coop incredulously, standing a bit unsteady on his feet as he glanced at the crater that the spear had left in the middle of the dirt path. When he found a complete lack of Field Boss to fear, he looked back at Coop. “You?” He started, pointing vaguely down the trail. “That?”
“Yep.” Coop responded and gave him a thumbs up.
Comments
Nyroe
They have been grinding Professions while Coop has been grinding his profession and his class. He's like the missing link of their town.
Eric M
Nice! He deserves an easy win. Wouldn't mind hearing the tracker's version of events when he shares with the other residents... 🤣
jons jonsson
Nice to see he can astonish them back!
