Chapter 195: Rehab
The Corozal Mender had already checked on Coop’s wounds, but by the time he reached her, he had naturally healed everything that she could have treated. He assumed defeating the Icon had allowed his improved Reaper title to fully restore his health in spite of the apparition’s Soul Burn. However, the physical debuffs remained, and he didn’t want to risk fighting more High Priests while hobbled by the injuries that they represented. Unfortunately, all of the debuffs were beyond even the extremely high level Mender. According to her, only time could heal his current injuries.
The real problem that provoked the intermission in his priest hunt was his inability to mistjump. Even with all of the other injuries, if he could properly throw his spear or shield, he would have been able to press on until the rest naturally recovered. Limping through the jungle was just far too inefficient to get the job done. Legacy of the Mists summoning phantasms provided him with plenty of lethality, but his travel times had increased too much. It was a classic problem for Coop as he sought efficient grinding rotations. From his perspective, everything was a kind of grind.
Coop would only be spending one night in Ghost Reef before he returned to Central America. He didn’t want to lose any of the progress he made in the Yucatan by spending too much time away, and the trip itself was long enough that it was already a significant time investment to leave at all. It was regrettable, but he didn’t have time to relax and enjoy the familiar atmosphere of home. A brief stop would have to be enough to recharge his batteries.
The work he had put in clearing areas of the Yucatan could be undone if he was inattentive for too long. He was leaving a power vacuum when he defeated the Priests of Chakyum, opening up their enclaves and hunting grounds with their absence. There was a small chance that other cultists would take their places, slowing down his progress through the Yucatan by forcing him to reclaim previously cleared areas. His journey through Belize hadn’t been particularly linear, but he had already carved out a wide area up the Yucatan Peninsula and throughout the Northern Lowlands of Belize.
When it came to the local Primal Construct variants, he had also spent quite a bit of time in an effort to reset the region by culling the elites. Hopefully, regular versions would be respawning, but if he was gone for too long, they would have the opportunity to regain their elite status. The warriors from the Crossroads would handle the monsters in close proximity to the outpost, but the rest of the peninsula was just left to Mikey and Amanda, and he couldn’t expect the scouting couple to maintain that much influence over wide swathes of wilderness in addition to their other duties.
Coop mumbled to himself, already planning on grinding some more, as he walked into the shimmering light of the Medical Center lobby. This time, the lights that scattered on the ceiling reminded him of the blizzard of moths inside the Butterfly Cave, but seen during more pleasant conditions they were quite pretty. It almost made him want to revisit the underground caverns to properly admire the natural formations without the whispers of insanity echoing in the back of his head. Maybe he’d make a group trip out of it.
A slender, bald-headed alien greeted Coop, calling out to him to bring his attention away from his future responsibilities and vacations back to the present. They were kindly smiling at him and he noted that even though Jones had warned him about absentee contracted residents, there was an alien manning the front desk of the hospital. He attributed their presence to Madison’s strict guidance.
“Welcome, Champion.” They started with a bow, causing the shine on their head to reflect the golden light. “We see you have some need for our service. I hope you will not think less of us if we retrieve The Sage to provide your treatment.” They straightened out of their bow and looked at him regretfully. “Even though we are capable of aiding you immediately, she has given us firm instructions regarding your treatment. Unless it is immediately life threatening, any rehabilitation is to be reserved so that she may personally provide it.” The contracted resident explained.
Coop grunted. “I guess that’s fine.” He hadn’t even considered that the aliens would be able to fix him up independently, but Madison was way ahead of him. “Can you tell me about the contracted resident meetings?” He asked, changing the subject to something Jones had mentioned.
“We’re sorry, Champion. Those are reserved for the unaffiliated contracted residents. We have not been invited due to being members of a faction.” They responded apologetically. “Though we do have proposals to be made once the others have decided on a plan of action out of respect for our Sage.”
Coop frowned, wondering if he should be more concerned. “What is that all about?” He muttered, not expecting an answer.
The alien responded anyway. “The formation of a faction is a major event within the galactic community, one that you are unlikely to be ready for. None truly are. We believe they are considering ways to provide you with preparations. We have already done the same.” They smiled kindly before directing him to follow. “Rest assured, Champion. Ghost Reef has already developed into a home for many. An uncommon feat.” It seemed like they really believed he had nothing to worry about with regard to the contracted residents.