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Chapter 290: Tea Party
🕑 Added 2024-09-18 15:11:01 +0000 UTCCoop lifted the fanciest teacup he had ever seen toward his lips, uncomfortable with the delicate porcelain between his fingers. Compared to the sturdiness of his ethereal weapons it felt unnatural, like his hands weren't meant for gripping such a fragile item. He gently blew into the liquid, before taking a hesitant sip.
Despite trying to avert the tea party, Coop had been unable to avoid it. The expensive rarities that were brought out belonged in a museum, but the man who kept him company insisted that valuable items were best appreciated by being used for their intended purpose.
It was a philosophy that Coop understood, but didn’t live by. He was the type of person who hoarded his resources for a rainy day, overly concerned with wasting them when they would have been better applied at a different time. Coop was self aware enough to compensate for that fact. His remedy was in accumulating absurd quantities of useful resources so that he always had some extra as backup and was therefore more willing to use portions of what he collected. That’s how grinding had become a natural habit when he sought optimization, even before the assimilation.
The only exception was when it came to items with only one purpose. Even Coop couldn’t find a reason to save them for later, so he begrudgingly made sure they would be used.
But he was learning that actively using every possession possible was a philosophy that didn’t only apply to objects. It could be applied to people and the human resources they represented as well. Coop felt like the Grand Horde was an example of actively using all that was available, taking the idea to an extreme that went beyond even what Ghost Reef had been implementing, and his island settlement had been operating that way out of necessity based on its tiny starting population. The Grand Horde didn’t appear to be under the same limitations.
The comparison made him reflect on how his own subconscious inclinations had changed the dynamics of the Ghost Reef settlement. There had been many situations where he had shouldered burdens that someone else in his position would have distributed to others. Things would certainly be different if someone else had been in his place, but not necessarily better or worse. Just different. He had delegated virtually all of the political and administrative responsibilities onto others, for instance, but when it came to any sort of combat, he consistently accepted the responsibility of going first.
As Coop swallowed, he felt the soothing tea go down. It left a refreshing sensation that wasn’t dissimilar to the health elixirs from back home. The sip was invigorating, causing him to lift the tea cup to look a bit closer, taking the description a bit more seriously after experiencing the taste.
It had been characterized to him as snow lotus tea, made from a rare flower found in the Himalayas where the Primal Constructs failed to survive long enough to evolve into more advanced variants. It was supposedly a pristine environment that preserved some of what Earth once was.
Coop took a deep breath that filled his senses with the light floral aroma as the hint of sweetness faded from his tongue. He could almost feel the snap of cold air in his lungs, imagining the harsh environment of towering peaks and high altitude meadows where the flowers thrived.
A quick check of his status revealed a 30 minute ‘satisfied’ buff that regulated his temperature to maximize his comfort, an additional bonus tacked on to the taste. He wondered if there was a specialized profession that existed in the cross-section of alchemist and tea sommelier among the Grand Horde. They might make a decent rival for the coffee dominated territory back home.
Coop let a satisfied exhalation escape and turned his full attention back to the man that had invited him to have the tea in the first place. Seated across the solid wood table, beneath the temporary tent that had been lined with thick rugs in the middle of the Underlayer, was the Warlord of the Apocalypse. The older gentleman was smiling so wide that his cheeks were turning rosy while the rest of his face was squeezed tight, ironing out the wind and sun borne wrinkles that otherwise lined his face. Once the Great Khan of the Grand Horde took his conical helmet off, his presence transformed to one that Coop couldn’t help but find friendly, like a merry old uncle.
Coop wondered if he was experiencing a similar effect to the presence he supposedly gave off himself, where his aura and personality conflicted in a way that undermined expectations. The other man had gone from Warlord of Apocalypse leading a Grand Horde of barbaric warriors while riding his Doombringer mount to jolly confidant and mentor once up close.
The Great Khan was no Lich, and as far as Coop could tell, he hadn’t manipulated people into following him. His position was more of a consequence caused by the environment and his early decisions triggering a domino effect where more and more people joined his cause.
Across the world, the first to take up arms against the invaders and be successful created a stimulus that others were able to latch onto, so it wasn’t an unheard of phenomenon to Coop. No matter the culture, it seemed like humans had that much in common.
Rather than compare the man to the likes of the failed Champion of Empress City or the Undead Chosen Lich, as his reputation had led, Coop thought he was far more similar to Tzultacaj in the Yucatan. The Great Khan was more of a strategist and general than the aforementioned pure righteous warrior, but he had taken a resolute stand against the Primal Constructs early on, and slowly gathered an army just like how Tzultacaj had formed his rebellion against the Cult of Chakyum. Tzultacaj was a resolute fighter, but the Great Khan was something like a warrior poet, at least until he had become the messenger for the divine.
The respect the rest of his army displayed wasn’t manufactured for Coop’s sake. A large majority of the settlements in Asia had joined the Grand Horde, fully committing themselves to the Great Khan’s cause with manpower and resources, like the organization was a bulwark within the turmoil of the assimilation.
When Coop pressed for details the stories he received were vague. As a consequence, he got the impression that they weren’t afraid of showing force in order to expedite the process of generating allies. Especially because there was an opposing force of humans in the region that had coalesced, acting to exclude all those they deemed unworthy.
In the end, whatever the Great Khan was doing, it was working. They were destroying the Primal Constructs, and other than what sounded like relatively local conflicts with the Chosen of alien factions, they were finding resounding successes in their war effort. Even without knowing the details of their conquests, Coop felt like he couldn’t judge them too harshly considering how he had recruited his own subordinate settlements. The assimilation wasn’t a place where violence could be completely avoided.
However, Coop was struggling to come to terms with how the experience of millions in Asia had culminated in such respect toward himself, the so-called Champion of the Unchosen, a stranger and outsider. What the heck had he ever done for them? They practically revered him, going far beyond the way the EEC had regarded him through the leaderboards. The Grand Horde gave him the utmost respect, even more than his biggest fans in the Assembly of Settlements had shown. He shook his head as he tried not to spiral into his bewilderment, looking back into his tea cup for answers. The dark liquid had no comment.
Coop didn’t know the etiquette behind drinking tea, but he did his best to be polite. Was his pinky really supposed to be extended? He tested it, finding it uncomfortable and not wanting to risk losing the cup. He kept his fingers on the little handle while his other hand stabilized the porcelain and took another sip. The warm liquid gave way to the cooling sensation as it spread through his body a second time and he couldn’t help but enjoy it. An inadvertent sigh escaped as he relaxed.
The audience of people kept their distance, forming a wide clearing in the underground, occupied only by the tea tent. They actively tended to their many horses as they gave the leader of their army a chance to converse with the Champion of the Unchosen that had become the primary goal of their expedition into the Underlayer.
Coop was amazed by so many different things about the army, including its size, but most of all, he was impressed by the number of animals. It wasn’t only horses that bolstered the already enormous army, but thousands of other species as well.
Countless falconers groomed and fed their birds which were a mix of predators and scavengers. Eagles, hawks, falcons, and various vultures were all present. Other beasts carried supplies, including those being used to set up their tea party. They had camels, sheep, and goats, all with levels and their own equipment forming rear guards and supply caravans. Then there were the packs of dogs that roamed like independently operating squads, protecting the supply trains with minimal guidance. It was all another example of how the Great Khan believed everything should be used, from expensive tea cups to the animals that had gained experience. Everyone was a valuable member of their coalition.
Coop had started the conversation with the Great Khan confused, and by the end of the kindly gentlemen’s opening spiel, he was still confused. It felt like another butterfly had flapped its wings and led Coop into a bizarre scenario.
The man was attentive, despite his appearance, and he was reveling in how his people were admired by the Champion. After soothing Coop’s nerves and letting him appreciate the Grand Horde, the Great Khan finally brought the conversation back to the tea that had been poured while he explained the situation, subtly guiding Coop’s thoughts back to the main subject in a way that was considerate of Coop’s pace.
“How is it?” The Great Khan referred to the tea after letting Coop collect his thoughts, his eyes still practically shut from his smile.
“Delightful.” Coop guessed. He really had no idea. It could have been the worst tea in the world with a made up backstory about the Himalayan meadows and he wouldn’t have known the difference, but he didn’t want to disappoint the good-natured uncle with his lack of refinement. Especially not in the middle of the largest army Coop could imagine, including the animal companions that multiplied their forces. Besides, he genuinely enjoyed the refreshing sensation and floral aroma, so what did his lack of sophistication matter?
The Great Khan continued to let Coop marinate in the atmosphere for a few moments. The silence was more effective than words as Coop’s train of thought reversed from the army to the tea and finally back to the main topic at hand.
“So,” Coop started, catching onto the subtle prompting while carefully placing the half empty tea cup back into its matching saucer. “Let me make sure I got all this straight.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he summarized the story he had been told. “A divine being appeared before you and gave you a directive. The directive was to deliver a message to me by any means necessary for the fate of our world and even the galaxy depended on it.”
“Exactly right.” The man confirmed, not the type to shy away from such an important mission.
“And that message was that I am in possession of the key, so when the Eradication Protocol has begun, I must enter the ‘ark’ and use it to destroy mana.” Coop continued, leveling his gaze on the man opposite him.
The Khan nodded along, eyes still squeezed tight by his expansive smile. “Correct. She, in all of her exquisite wisdom, knew you would understand.”
But Coop didn’t understand. What key? What ark? Would he even know when the Eradication Protocol began? And destroy mana? What did that even mean? It couldn’t be exactly what it sounded like, given how mana had been woven into the fabric of reality. Was it some kind of metaphor?
Coop sighed, trying not to let his exasperation expose itself by looking at the brightside. These people not only knew about the Eradication Protocol, but also wholeheartedly believed it was coming. Regardless of what they thought of Coop, they were aligned with Ghost Reef, based on the directives given by this divine messenger. That was undeniably a good thing. He hadn’t even needed to impress them with his prowess before the diplomats moved in.
Still, Coop shook his head in frustration. “...Lyriel.” He muttered under his breath as he pieced together the timeline of events.
Basically, around the time that Coop and Juliana were leading the Jaguar Sun in fighting the Priests of Chakyum in the jungles of the Yucatan, the Grand Horde had become the third group on the planet to defeat a Siege Boss. The Primal Constructs had begun forming an infestation on the edges of the Taklamakan Desert before the Grand Horde discovered them, but the humans assaulted them zealously, conquering the hive and its primary boss enemy with waves of cavalry. As a result of the battle and their victory, the Avatar of the System graced them with her divine presence, clearing the mana storm that had risen in the aftermath of battle.
To Coop, it sounded like the Grand Horde had defeated an Icon of Mana, assuming it was simply the second stage of a Siege Boss battle, and hadn’t even realized it. The resulting expulsion of mana was enough to open a window for Lyriel to make a visit, despite Coop failing in the aftermath of his fight with the Avatar of Huracan just weeks before their success. Coop wondered what he was missing at the time.
In any case, the victors of the battle met the Avatar of the System. She demonstrated her divinity by draining all of the mana in the region, including their own, after shooting from the heavens in a celestial spotlight. They reported that at first she was disappointed by Coop’s absence, but when she realized the Great Khan’s Honorguard was a hundred thousand strong, entirely made up of high leveled warriors, she was satisfied, stating that ‘that was more like it’ and ‘Earth was full of surprises.’
She provided the warning of the Eradication Protocol’s inevitability, how humans were branded for their past deeds, but then gave them hope that the Unchosen Champion’s settlement had the means to resist for some time. It was more or less the same spiel she had given Ghost Reef at the end of the Siege Event, but without granting a Purification Chip. Instead, before she left them, she personally gave the Great Khan the message to bring to the so-called Unchosen Champion.
It had been almost a hundred days since Coop spoke with Lyriel. The last time they met, she had promised to give him the key that would unshackle them all, but he hadn’t seen her since. It felt like she had skipped a step, and the most important one at that.
Coop shrugged it off, concentrating on how she was still spreading the word of the Eradication Protocol. That was actually kind of nice on its own. Regardless of missed connections or jumbled messages, she had contributed in a major way to his current efforts. Still, thinking about her continued attempts at deception had him shaking his head.
“You know she’s not really some kind of angelic being, right?” Coop asked, making sure he wasn’t interacting with the first adherent of some new religion that had successfully been manipulated by the Avatar’s presentation.
“Of course.” The Khan nodded, keeping his hands folded on the table. “But she was certainly a powerful entity, breaching the sanctity of the assimilation, and she had far more knowledge of the system and mana than any of the sponsors my people interacted with. She or her people could be the ones who save us as long as we cooperate.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.” Coop objected. “We need to save ourselves.”
The Khan’s smile never lost its enthusiasm. “Perhaps with her guidance we will be able to do just that.”
Coop shrugged. He preferred to try and take things one at a time. He took another sip of tea before the Great Khan delved into the details of his plans.
