Unchosen Champion

“Ahh..” Coop sighed, letting a bit of tension exit his chest. “I miss the beach.”

It had been an extraordinarily busy second week of the Underlayer Event, not that Coop had expected any less when he first entered the underground. The Underlayer was actually living up to the standard set by the Siege Event after what Ghost Reef saw as an unsatisfying start, with invaders galore to defeat. It was exactly the type of gauntlet he had dreamed of.

Commissioner De Witte of the European Emergency Community had delivered on his promise to streamline Coop’s experience within his faction’s territory. As it turned out, the EEC was basically a well-oiled machine, and even though Coop was an unaccounted for variable, they quickly adapted to him, transitioning their strategy to one that reconciled his unexpected presence.

Wherever Coop went, he found people with lanyards and clipboards manning canopied tents ready to guide or otherwise support his efforts to kill monsters. They had done such a thorough job, Coop could sense himself growing spoiled. De Witte had idly commented that they all have ways to contribute, and Coop saw what they meant. In the EEC, the vast majority of people were dedicated to supporting others in their efforts to fight.

They waved glowing batons at Coop, directing him like he was a jet on a runway throughout the caverns. Given his travel times, they weren’t that far off. His spear traveled across their territory like a guided missile and the Primal Constructs were demolished wherever he went.

The EEC made every effort to escort him from one settlement to the next, spreading throughout their territory ahead of him from the beginning. The contested control points had teams of people dedicated to supporting his attacks with buffs and other reinforcements, camping out at a distance from the Primal Constructs as they eagerly anticipated his arrival.

Squads of their elite combat operators were stationed with them, beneath every single settlement, showing what a proper mission might have looked like, and for their part, they were all decently leveled and extremely well-equipped with modified modern gear. Back on the surface, they represented individual settlements while maintaining mostly friendly rivalries with each other, but in the Underlayer they were all business. It was a reminder to Coop that the deadly tip of his spear was a small portion of his entire weapon.

The EEC took every accommodation into consideration, practically rolling out the red carpet for the Champion of Ghost Reef. Rather than military-style logistics, Coop felt like he was participating in an exceptionally structured celebrity triathlon, where the organizers had spared no expense to make sure the contestants weren’t distracted by an overly complicated course and could put their best foot forward.

“They even provided snacks.” Coop mumbled, shaking his head in awe as he remembered. He never expected orange slices, cups of juice, and packs of pretzels while he went to war, but the Europeans had even considered his caloric intake after planning his route, staging rest stops should he need them. Nothing would get in the way of his combat efficiency.

Coop went through what was essentially a personalized guided tour across the entire European continent. Unfortunately, none of the actual attractions were underground for him to enjoy. Armies of Primal Constructs were a decent substitute for someone with Coop’s sensibilities, but he still would have liked to see some of the sights. It wouldn’t hurt for him to grow a bit more cultured, but for the time being he would remain some strange combination of beach bum and Champion of the Mists.

There were some nice vacation destinations in Europe, and Coop’s ambitions were at least partially predicated on securing the beaches of the world, but he hadn’t visited even one. Instead, he was grinding with every possible convenience granted to his quest. They captured the points on his behalf and scheduled an itinerary for him that adapted to his speed as he went. The support groups kept him buffed as he shot past and the combat operators would have helped defeat enemies if he asked for it, but they were even considerate enough to let him do the killing, recognizing that Coop saw the experience as its own reward.

By the time he had cleared the first set of control points they pointed him to, they were already more cognizant of his pace, making sure not to be the reason he slowed down. He only caught them setting up once or twice between the 20 additional settlements he cleared after leaving Commissioner De Witte and Chee Dale behind.