Chapter 182: Neptune’s Bridge
Neptune’s Bridge was a monument of system reliant construction. The Sapphire Armada had built an unusual city completely unlike anything that previously existed on Earth. The city was built in the center of a long bridge that crossed into the open ocean. The separation of the Florida peninsula from the mainland of the former United States had been undersold by those who described the distance in words. There was no sign of land on either horizon, north or south, unless perched among the tall spires that demarcated where the bridge met the city. It could have just as easily been the middle of any of the world’s oceans.
The peculiar location was the result of a combination of unlikely factors that began with the civilization shard landing in the water. Submerged civilization shards had little chance of being claimed. They were much more likely to be destroyed by the early arrival of Primal Constructs, with humans never realizing they existed, as evidenced by the glittering beaches in certain regions, but Neptune’s Bridge had been a rare exception.
The Sapphire Armada’s first Chosen were able to claim the nautical shard and establish their maritime nation, following the direction of their sponsors from the start. The fact that there weren’t any current residents to begin with meant that the entire population had voluntarily joined in the early days of the assimilation, pooling all of their resources together. The level of cooperation would obviously be a rarity during the apocalypse, especially from such a large number of people, but they had benefited from some of the same factors as Ghost Reef in terms of population reciprocity. Orlando had been wiped off the face of the Earth by the arrival of mana, and the survivors had no choice but to pull together, especially with the pressure of alien monsters building.
Flocks of seagulls circled the four spires, claiming the white and silver stone structures as a refuge. Marcus waved a particularly curious group of birds away from his vantage point on one of the southern spires. In the distance, he could just barely see a wooded shoreline abutting the long bridge that stretched so far, it revealed the curvature of the Earth. The tips of mana-enhanced slash pine trees were the only details he could make out.
The city was smaller than expected, given the high population of the Orlando settlement. The actual footprint of the floating city wasn’t larger than a handful of city blocks, but it had a verticality that Ghost Reef lacked. Layers of buildings were stacked, and wide bridges of white stone criss-crossed the gaps high above broad canals. Marcus had imagined the city would be like Venice, but the comparison only held if multiple Venices were stacked on top of each other. Broad courtyards encircled the perimeter of every block, even those that were elevated by multiple levels, giving the city a bright veneer with light colored stone catching the sun on every level. Four spires grew even further into the air, towering above the blocks, two for each side of the bridge.
When he and the others arrived by ship, they had all been shocked into speechlessness. The bridge functioned like a massive wall for ships, preventing access to the ocean from the gulf, but Neptune’s Bridge itself contained enormous canals in between blocks, putting the city in prime position for monopolizing transport from east to west. Waves crashed into the bridge as if it was a breakwater, but from what they understood, it didn’t extend far beneath the surface. Apparently, the bridge and the city were all constructed of the same floating stone that the Sapphire Armada used to build their ships. Mana was necessary for their very existence.
“Incredible.” Marcus had observed at first sight of the gleaming city, to the gratification of Viceroy Hali, but Shane had been shocked for other reasons.
The tactically inclined siege commander immediately recognized the weaknesses of the city and understood why they wouldn’t be comfortable remaining in such a location. Basically, sieging the city itself would be virtually impossible. An invading force would be funneled into the narrow bridge and any push would be done beneath layers upon layers of abutting walls and towers. Reaching either of the extraordinary stone gates would require running a gauntlet with an active tower defense raining from above, and that was only after crossing miles of bridge while exposed to naval bombardment.
The situation sounded ideal for a defensive and naval focused settlement, but the issue had already been exemplified by the north. The long bridge also funneled the residents when they wanted to leave by land, and to the north, monsters claimed the wide landmass, reversing the advantage into a disadvantage. Shane saw that in order to siege Neptune’s Bridge, a force would simply need to camp where the bridge connected to land.
Even Marcus could see the problem. The Sapphire Armada had committed the bulk of its population to claiming a new settlement out of necessity. The residents who remained within the island city blocks were barely hanging on in a desperate defense against masses of Primal Constructs that pressed against their northern fortifications, even as Ghost Reef’s visitors arrived.