JaceVAmor
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Chapter 143: Chaos Theory
🕑 Added 2023-10-11 15:11:01 +0000 UTCThe Flame Knight finally had a chance to properly introduce himself as the Captain Javier previously mentioned by the refugees, after Coop goaded him into an explanation for their presence. Evidently, he had been entrusted with leadership over their evacuation from Empress City, employing one of the cruise ships that had provided housing for those who left the City’s outer ring.
Coop had to interrupt him multiple times until they ended up starting from the beginning, since every time the Chosen of the Empire started to tell his story, Coop needed him to back up even further. Coop lacked critical context for what was going on in Empress City, so they wound up all the way back to the aftermath of his escape.
“You started the revolution.” Javier stated conclusively, finally culminating his backtracking with an unexpected declaration.
“I, what?” Coop still didn’t understand, but they were already at the actual start of the story, so he couldn’t force him to rewind any further. He was pretty sure he hadn’t done anything of the sort.
“You freed Jackson Hobbs from the Empire’s prison. He founded a new division for the CRA and declared a secession from Empress City, annexing the port and the coast, all the way south, to Crane Point, to join the settlement you were representing.” Javier continued, almost as confused that Coop didn’t already know the result of his interference.
“Man, what the hell are you talking about?” Coop wasn’t sure if his incredulous feelings were appropriate, given that he had in fact killed some prominent people in the Empire, but he remained skeptical, to say the least.
“Well, at first, we didn’t know what your settlement was called, or even your name, but you caused a bunch of rumors to spread among the citizens.” The Blade Tyrant nodded along while the Secutor just stayed flat on his back with his shield underneath him, staring at the sky, taking deep breaths after nearly sinking to the bottom of the ocean. “The people took to calling you the Nomad from the Conch Republic. They told stories about how you came to the Empire’s house and flicked their nose, then rode off into the sunset with those who dared to listen. Far too many people have personal anecdotes about how you interacted with them, inviting them to come along. They kick themselves for not listening.”
Coop just grimaced at him while he continued. While he had tried to engage with some people, it was becoming obvious that everything about his visit to Empress City was exaggerated to an unrecognizable level. The rumor mill had worked overtime to create a mythological figure.
“The word spread around the city that there was an opportunity to leave, but at the time, no one believed there was a greater local power than the Endless Empire, so they didn’t take it, choosing to stick with the security they felt they already had. Everyone else who had made a break for it had died to monsters or to patrols. It wasn’t until after the Empire failed to stop you that people realized the opportunity they missed, and then even more so when it came out that the names of some who left with you were in the siege event leaderboards.” The Flame Knight did his best to explain the general landscape that had led to the situation they had ended up with.
Coop interrupted him, yet again. “Alright, it might be possible that some small things had greater ripples, but I’m not forgetting that you all are members of the Empire and the last time we interacted wasn’t exactly friendly. Even if what you’re saying is true, you were on the other side.”
The Blade Tyrant spoke up for the first time. “We defected.” He obviously wanted to make it clear, putting respect on Coop’s level.
Javier nodded. “Yes, we defected. After you showed us mercy and happened to eliminate most of our chain of command, we had our eyes opened to the fact that conditions didn’t need to be as bad as they were, end of the world or not. The people in leadership positions used the apocalypse to seize power and deliberately kept people down for their own gain. If our supposed allies knew exactly how you had escaped us, they would have executed us for our failure, without question, but you, an enemy, hadn’t been as willing to kill us when you had every right to.”
“Weren’t there still four of you?” Coop double checked.
“Carl is dead.” The Blade Tyrant clarified. Coop assumed that was the Honan Cavalier that he remembered trying to bind him in their fight.
Javier nodded. “He disagreed with the rest of us when we decided to leave and stayed with the Empire.” He expanded. “Tried to turn us in to gain favor for himself which forced us to leave early, even before the siege event began. Got himself killed trying to curry favor with the Empire’s leadership.”
“So, you guys turned into freedom fighters instead of just escaping?” Coop asked, still feeling like there was a gap from point A to point B.
“Before the siege, Jackson was already networking in the outer ring. He got in touch with us even before we had a chance to decide what to do, whether we would hide out, take our chances in the wilds, or something else. Jackson was executing plans from the start. During the siege, he made his presence known, rising to prominence, offering protection when the Empire refused to secure the outer ring from invaders. We were a part of that, helping fight the wave along with others that he had recruited.” The Flame Knight paused to catch his breath, frantic as he was to explain the situation to Coop.
“We still barely made it. When people were given the ultimatum to fully submit to the Empire or perish, our success offered them a third option.” Javier looked nervously at the Blade Tyrant who shook his head before Javier continued with what made him uncomfortable.
Javier sighed before he kept going. “Jackson, he, uh, maybe leveraged his connection to the Nomad to establish credibility as well. Even the army claims to be a part of the CRA, the Conch Republic Army, and the land claims were based on all the rumors around the Nomad’s visit. There were a thousand people in Peacock Park before they moved to the port. But, that’s how we ended up flipping sides before the civil war started. We knew you were the one behind the Nomad stories and were hoping to join your side.”
Coop just shook his head. He had to appreciate the unlikely cascade of events he had unknowingly set off, but surely if it hadn’t been him, something else would have started the chain reaction at some other point. He had just created a convenient figure for this Jackson guy to base his revolution around. Coop was thinking about the ramifications of defeating the Field Boss for Empress City, wondering if that was what really changed their fates. Would Empress City even have existed long enough for a civil war if he hadn’t visited?
“What the heck are the odds?” Coop muttered rhetorically. He supposed the Empire had conveniently placed some particularly important political figures in one place. Madison, the Chosen Sage of the Merciful, Emmanuel, the supposed leader of a rebel group organizing in the suburbs, Marcus, a politician who was agitating for a change in their tyrannical structure, Coop, a potential ambassador of an unknown settlement, and this Jackson who was itching to fight a revolution. “Not my fault.” Coop spoke under his breath. “That’s gotta be on the Empire.”
The three former Chosen of the Empire stayed quiet while Coop tried to run through his options. He was definitely throwing these three guys to Arthur, and the rest of Ghost Reef would have to work through the rest of the refugees. The settlement almost certainly didn’t have the housing to accept the massive influx all at once, but Marcus had been planning to handle more people, exploring upgrades right after they leveled the city after anticipating them for weeks. They’d have to see how many they were willing to take and test their readiness to do so at the same time. Maybe Marcus would surprise him.
A lone pirate was slowly paddling a single row boat across the open water, approaching the partially submerged bow that Coop and the others resided on, bobbing listlessly in the ocean, buoyed by the crab claw at the edge. Coop waited for him to get closer, still making his decision while expecting an update on the status of their rescue effort. He assumed it had all gone well.
“And how did you all end up here, specifically?” Coop asked, wondering about the cruise ship that just happened to be bypassing his island chain.
“Well, we were trying to reach Ghost Reef, searching for safety for the civilians. I’m a captain in the Conch Republic Army, you see, and the people have trust in us to keep them safe, but that seamonster grabbed us. Jackson sent us to be the escort, in particular, since we’re the only other ones with an actual connection with you, sort of a hail mary on his part.” Javier summarized for Coop, admitting his role in the situation. Coop just grunted.
Combined with the envoy, it was pretty obvious that more people would be seeking them out, for one reason or another. Ghost Reef wasn’t much of a secret and neither was he. It didn’t take a detective to connect them anymore, especially not after the settlement event announced the winners to the world.
“Ahoy!” The pirate shouted as he got closer, lifting his tricorn hat to wave it at Coop. “Everything alright, boss?” He asked with a casual indifference that fit the Ghost Reef attitude perfectly. The pirate used one of his oars to brace against the outer edge of the giant claw and avoid getting too close. He propped his feet up on the gunwale and waited for direction.
“Just trying to decide what to do with these three.” Coop explained why he hadn’t mistjumped back to the Eye of the Storm with a casual gesture across his semi-prisoners. It seemed like he was holding up the residents' return.
“I can take ‘em to a boat, unless you intend to leave ‘em here.” The pirate offered, causing the Flame Knight and Blade Tyrant to look at each other anxiously.
Coop shrugged. “Will you be okay by yourself? They haven’t earned any trust just yet.”
“‘Aye, boss. An old seadog like me can handle some soggy level 50s without lifting a finger.” The pirate promised, grinning dangerously, revealing missing teeth in the moonlight while six muscled ghost arms faded into existence from his back before disappearing again. Coop used Presence of Mind just to make sure his confidence wasn’t misplaced.
[Spectral Human (Level 78)]
[Aether Soul (Acumen)]
[Phantom of Ghost Reef]
[Elysian (Defiant)]
Coop had momentarily forgotten that the settlement upgrade also increased the level cap on Ghost Reef’s phantoms. Yet another bonus for the shard’s progress. Apparently, they were already getting more levels, thanks to all the night’s activity. Comparatively, the Empire’s Chosen were fatigued, weakened, undergeared, and much lower level. It was a good enough situation for Coop, so he swapped to his spear to make his exit.
“Tell him!” The Secutor finally spoke with a hoarse voice after coughing up so much seawater and calming himself down after facing the depths of the ocean in full armor, realizing that Coop was leaving.
“Oh!” The Flame Knight was startled. “Jackson sent us with a message to deliver to you if we found you.”
Coop waited, only a little impatiently. “Well, what is it?”
“He said that something heinous is going to happen and you might feel responsible if you don’t come put a stop to it.” He showed Coop the palms of his hands as Coop scowled. “Those were his exact words. He really emphasized the word heinous.”
Coop remembered that those were his own words of warning to the prisoner that provided their distraction when they escaped, at least confirming that Jackson had been that guy. “What’s that about?” Coop wondered. Was he saying Coop owed him one for the distraction? Or was he really asking for help to prevent some nasty situation?
“The last major development before we evacuated was that The Endless Empire had signed an official treaty with The Sapphire Armada. That’s what prompted us to leave.” Javier did his best to catch Coop up.
“What is The Sapphire Armada?” Coop asked, honestly getting tired of having to.
“The faction running the naval settlement in Orlando that penned the Empire in. The thought among the CRA was that they would attack us from the sea while the Empire pinned us against the coast, so we had to evacuate before it started.” Javier promptly explained. “Spies claimed that the Champion of Empress City had come to some agreement that sold out the city in order to maintain his own position. Empress City would become a subordinate and abandon the Empire so that the Champion could remain Champion.”
“Why is Orlando a naval city?” Coop didn’t think his geography was that bad, but he was pretty sure Orlando wasn’t directly on the coast.
“Oh, uh, Florida is basically an island now and Orlando is the only artificial connection to the rest of the continent, like that cartoon with Bugs Bunny sawing off the state, but sort of at an angle where the panhandle stayed attached.” Javier trailed off as he took in Coop’s expression.
“Make sure you explain all this to my advisors.” Coop told him, as he imagined just what a mess the world really was in. So much for hoping people would come together in the face of their common enemy.
He threw his spear across the open ocean, leaving the flipped bow of the cruise ship bobbing in the water. He was aiming to land back where he started, on the forecastle deck of the Eye of the Storm. As his spear flew, he got the attention of the Flame Knight, maintaining eye contact for a moment. “Behave yourselves.” He warned, before he burst into mists and teleported back to his allies.
A second later he was back on the flagship, landing relatively softly on the worn wooden planks. At least he didn’t cause any damage.
“I trust everything went well.” Captain Kayla stated as soon as he landed on the deck. It had been kept clear of any refugees as they expected him to come back. Charlie stood on the bow, with both hands raised in the air like she was physically handling the atmosphere with Camila at her side.
“Good enough.” Coop confirmed.
“We got everybody!” Charlie exclaimed, happy with their efforts. “They’ve been talking about seaweed sea monsters and a Nomad. Was it the same seaweed that attacked us?” She wondered from the front, already putting things together despite the change in locale.
“The seaweed was growing from the back of a really big crab.” Coop paused before he shrugged, feeling like his explanation didn’t really do it justice, but the world was pretty weird now, so he was sure they could imagine it.
“That was real?” Charlie still seemed surprised, but Camila pointed to the only floating piece of the cruise ship, which was still braced by an enormous claw, visible even from the distance, and Charlie evaluated it carefully.
“About that,” Captain Kayla began, “Sharkbait has a request for you. Could we haul that claw back? He thinks we should have another feast.”
Coop scrunched his face again, not sure if he wanted to eat such an obvious mutation, especially from an animal that was advanced enough to embrace mana and level the way the crab had. It was too much like eating an arm in his mind. “Really?” He asked, and Kayla just nodded seriously. Coop sighed. “I guess, but maybe have someone take a look at it first to make sure eating it won’t have side effects.”
“It’ll be fine. Sharkbait will be so happy too.” She promised, beaming at delivering for her first mate. He didn’t seem like the type to make many requests, so when he did, it was notable.
“So, what took you so long?” Camila finally asked, gesturing back to the row boat that was slowly hauling the three Chosen toward the lights surrounding the fleet.
“That’s most of the party that tried to stop us from escaping Empress City.” Coop stated. “Had a few questions for them.”
“What the hell are they doing here?” Camila frowned, having more or less the same reaction that Coop did.
“Exactly what I wanted to know.” Coop concurred before he went into the explanation. “Long story short, those three claim to have defected from the Empire and joined a revolution. They came looking for Ghost Reef and ‘the Nomad.’ It sounds like they are anticipating the Empire and another settlement coming to try and crush their uprising and are hoping to get some help while evacuating people.”
“But, what’s the Nomad?” Charlie asked, carefully letting the regular atmosphere retake the zone she had control of, making sure it was gradual enough not to create a chaotic churn of wind and waves.
“Me, I guess? Maybe all of us combined?” Coop answered, scratching his sideburn as he thought about it, still not entirely convinced of the story he was told.
Camila snorted, but Coop couldn’t amend his answer. “You serious? These people have been muttering about the Nomad like it’s the tooth fairy or something.”
Coop just shrugged again. “It doesn’t seem like they had a lot of public, open resistance to the Empire’s strong-arming once they got settled in, and I guess we made a bit of a scene on our way out. Remember Charlie’s hurricane?”
“Oh.” Charlie mumbled, embarrassed that her contribution was so memorable.
Kayla guffawed, the exact opposite reaction as Charlie. “Oh! That’s hilarious! They used Coop’s little visit to create a myth to rally people around. You’ve certainly got a good instinct for leaving an impression.” She looked at Coop and gave him an assessing look. “So, what are you gonna do?”
“I’d rather mind my own business and make sure Ghost Reef is up to the task of providing a sanctuary for people like these.” He admitted, gesturing to the ships full of tired, but hopeful people. “But, they’re specifically looking for my help. I guess that makes it a little different.”
“We can go directly from here. Beat the blockade.” Kayla suggested as she eyeballed her crew priming them for orders.
“I’d rather go back, regroup with everyone, and decide what posture to take with their advice before jumping in.” Coop figured they could make up for any lost time with the speed of their ships, and he’d rather know what he was going to do before he walked into the middle of a civil war.
“As you command.” Kayla acquiesced with a mostly serious expression, before she ordered the pirates into motion, getting the fleet headed back to the settlement in a quick demonstration of surprising discipline. Coop was pretty sure they were subtly warning the refugees not to try anything through a show of competence. The refugees might outnumber them, but they didn’t have nearly the same level of experience as the pirates.
Kayla left some kind of magical anchored buoy with the intention of coming back to plunder the wrecked cruise ship with pirate divers. She stated that no good pirate would leave loot behind and further justified her plans by pointing out they could double check for survivors.
“You know there’s a giant crab still down there?” Coop tried warning her.
Kayla just gestured at the enormous claw, still pinching a small portion of the bow that the pirates had cut through, being dragged behind The Fearless. “It’s quite literally disarmed at the moment. It’ll be fine. No problems, guaranteed.” She winked.
