Chapter 92: Eve
The Construct attack was over in a matter of hours rather than days. The brevity was in stark contrast to all of the previous waves, and the break they had earned before the final was an incredible relief. But it had been brutal.
Coop defeated the final Ruin Construct in the darkness of the night to the solemn appreciation of the remaining defenders. All of the remaining residents of Ghost Reef were gathered around where he fought, between the library and the fort’s eastern wall, with the canal to the north and open courtyard to the south. Initially, they cast a wide net, hunting down the loose Constructs from the edges of the fort. The residents gradually closed in, until they were all surrounding the final enemies as they were defeated by Coop.
Once it was over, residents sat on the roof of the fort wall with their legs swinging over the edge while pirates stood along the canal. The phantoms and other residents spread in a protective arc between the edge of the runed library and the open galleries of the fort’s wall. None of the Constructs had been given any chance to escape the Champion’s arena.
Even though the Constructs had only challenged them for less than a day, the battles had been fierce. The toll they had taken on the defenders was obvious, and that was before Coop surveyed the destruction of the fort itself. He let his weapons dissipate once the last enemy was gone and took a good look at the defenders.
Only about half of the phantom pirates survived, though the remnants were in good spirits under the watchful supervision of Captain Kayla and her first mate. At most, they grumbled for a chance to get drunk, or to get their comrades to pay up on various wagers. The Fearless had been moored at the edge of the canal, and the pirates leaned against the hull of the corvette where it loomed over the seawall while the crew sat on the rails along the deck. They picked at gold teeth and roused each other with forceful shoves whenever they spotted something interesting.
The phantom army was devastated in comparison. They had started the siege with 7,500 members on the first wave, including the support phantoms and wraiths, but now they barely outnumbered the pirates. Sure, some had been lost along the way during the previous waves, but just the support roles before the tenth wave outnumbered the current total soldiers. The support phantoms had jumped into the conflict themselves in order to bolster the squads as they took losses engaging the parties of Constructs, so even the safer messengers and supply runners had faced the much stronger monsters in direct combat.
Coop believed the phantoms were prepared to sacrifice for the settlement, and they had absolutely validated their dedication. If the settlement survived the final wave, he really hoped the system would allow them to be resurrected again. As far as he was concerned, he and all the other survivors owed them considerable gratitude.
Shane spoke up, clearing his throat as he raised a hand and got the attention of the crowd. “Good work, everyone. Get some rest before the last wave.”
After being dismissed by their acting general, most of the survivors naturally headed for the tavern, either to visit their loved ones or to get some food and drinks, but quite a few stayed where they were, needing to gather themselves through the physical exhaustion and mental fatigue that had accumulated not just from the previous wave, but the entire event. Coop was one that lingered. He hadn’t come down from the mixture of Haunted title hype and adrenaline that coursed through his body while he fought.
Madison directed anyone who was injured to wait for her at the civilization shard. She demonstrated her aptitude by approaching the Tomb Blade, who was hopping along while being propped up by the tall blonde Dragon Knight. He’d taken a nasty injury that left him with one leg terminating below the knee. He’d already been healed, healthwise, but like when Coop’s bones were broken, the injury remained as an affliction that would take time before it disappeared.
Madison’s wings lit up the darkness while she touched the man and his leg regrew, from the inside out, starting with the bone. Coop watched with grotesque fascination as Madison reconstructed the complicated limb in less than a minute. The former bus driver tested the foot gently before he put his weight down and smiled at the miracle of such a quick recovery from a devastating injury. His party smacked him on the back while he celebrated in relief.
Coop was in awe at the healing prowess on display. He wondered if they could develop more healers in the future, or if Madison was one of a kind. When he thought about it, her whole family had ridiculous classes. Charlie and Madison were obviously exceptional, as recognized by their factions, but Emmanuel wasn’t even trying to progress, had rejected his sponsorship, and was entirely focused on keeping his family together instead of his own gains, yet even he’d shown flashes of unreal power.