Chapter 38: Blood Curses
Coop wasn’t sure if the Empire’s attempt to take his settlement was already over. It seemed like Kevin was only able to muster himself and two others to defend the civilization shard. Somehow, it was even less than the minimum that Coop had expected.
He went ahead and upgraded the settlement from an Outpost to a Village, there was no reason to wait now that the optional objective to collect the relic was complete. With all of the other requirements met, he just needed to pay the 25,000 basic credits. He would have to purchase new buildings later, even if the rest of his pile of credits was burning a hole in his pocket. He still had nine potential enemies lurking around.
He did check one thing before moving on, he found the transfer tab and noted that it would take three weeks for a challenge to his status to complete now that the settlement was upgraded to a Village. An Outpost only had a three day countdown. He imagined it would take a full siege to hold out long enough to conquer civilization shards as the settlements upgraded further and further. It was a relief to know that he wouldn’t be completely tied down within a close proximity of the civilization shard. If there was a challenge he would have time to return. He quickly checked his notifications.
[Quest Complete! Upgrade Outpost to Village]
[Champion title upgraded!]
[You have a new quest!]
His Champion title also evolved, growing from giving +10 to all stats to +25 to all. With six different attributes it was now giving him a total of 150 base stats. Even if he wasn’t using the 50 that went to Intelligence and Acumen, it was still as many raw stats as his Slayer title. He was happy with that.
One of Olani’s grandkids appeared while Coop was finishing up. He told Coop that they had been hiding out in the barracks until he got back. The Empire hadn’t left the courtyard at all. Apparently, they were afraid of whatever was inside the fort. Olani was there taking care of Jones. So Coop’s next destination was set. Olani’s grandkid ran back to the fort to let her know he was on his way.
Before he left the courtyard, he went to check on Maeve and Desmond. The blast shields had withdrawn and the mana shield disappeared. The walls had all returned to normal, hiding the mana that pulsed within them behind mundane materials. It seemed like they already knew the ownership dispute was over.
When he entered, the familiar comfortable atmosphere and the roaring fire were still present. Coop smiled to himself, it felt like coming home from a long trip. Desmond waved him inside but when Coop spotted five of the missing Empire people he leveled his spear at them. They were all seated at a booth in the back playing cards. Everyone in the room froze.
Maeve was the first to react, “Whoa, don’t worry, Coop, these ones have remained neutral.” Maeve put herself in between the party of five and Coop and assured him that they weren’t a threat. Coop returned his spear but kept his eyes on the potential threats.
She stepped forward and put her hands on his shoulders. “Look at you, Coop… you’ve been through a lot huh?” Maeve asked with obvious concern while her eyes moved up and down.