Chapter 317: Rank and File
Marcus wielded his unique scepter in one hand as he stepped toward the front of the battlelines. He activated his base abilities and liquid gold mana condensed on the pommel of his weapon, dripping with thick globules that shone with a reflective illumination. The droplets evaporated before touching the ground, revealing themselves to be splashes of an almost spiritual molten fire. The effect established the impression of a weapon crafted from sacred flowing metal.
Others parted ways for him, silently yielding to his determined steps. His relatively small entourage composed of Shane’s party followed close behind. Most of the people present were subordinates to the representatives of their settlements and were apprehensively awaiting further instructions. The tornado sirens stirred them into action and word spread that an ‘unknown’ rank boss approached, but many were waiting for directions. They had already faced Elites and Field Bosses with enough regularity that it wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but an unknown boss drew the likes of Neon and Sila Tupua out from the bunker. Marcus intended to be at the forefront along with them if there would be a major confrontation.
Though it was late in the evening, the settlement was lit with countless different lights beyond his own glowing weapon. It was the site of a massive conference and the staging area for the upcoming effort to subjugate the notorious Fallen Zone. None who had made the journey had done so without bringing their own forms of security, so there were many different warriors with a wide range of equipment and skills present.
There was a sense of competitiveness carried on the dry winds of the sweeping plains. Each group wanted to prove their own credentials against the Primal Constructs, especially in the absence of Ghost Reef’s Champion: the Siegebreaker and Underking. There were more than a few individuals among the crowds that believed they would fill the role of strongest on the planet, and there were even more politically inclined representatives who were encouraging their strongest fighters to step up in order to establish leverage over the rest. They all still underestimated Ghost Reef.
Marcus could feel his energy magnified after cycling through his weapon and into his bones before expelling from his body like a sparkling vapor, giving his head and shoulders a delicate aura of yellowish flame. Though he was an important figure, the Viceroy of Ghost Reef, and one of the leading officials of humanity’s only established faction, he was more than capable of contributing in a fight. Since Coop wasn’t present, he would take it upon himself to continue to build their reputation on his behalf, holding down for his friend while others jockeyed over his perceived role.
At his side, Shane organized his party in order to support the Hierophant. The buffing and debuffing domes that Shane channeled were enormous, providing tangible benefits to hundreds of thousands of soldiers within his range, making it clear that the way they were positioning themselves was not just for show. The Dragon Knight and Tomb Blade revealed avatars of flame and bone as they prepared an opening salvo to follow Marcus’s lead. His level might have been low for a resident of Ghost Reef, but Shane’s party was still the strongest, if only by a hair compared to Gibson’s party.
The confident organization of the highest level party present incited the participation of other groups. They stepped forward, taking their own positions in the front, not wanting to be left behind and maybe trying to make a good impression on Ghost Reef for the future.
The five squads of special forces from the European Emergency Community took their positions beyond Arthur, checking their equipment and giving each other hand signals when they were ready. Of all the different groups, they were dressed in the most modern seeming equipment, looking exactly like anonymous operatives prepared to breach an enemy enclave with warriors in kevlar armor and scouts in ghillie suits.
Rather than craft something completely new, they had adapted pre-mana kits to function with mana. They had full face masks and what must have been modified night vision goggles hiding their individual features. Overall, their getups rivaled the looks of the Ghost Reef Standard Issue armor created by Garod himself, but they lacked the bonuses that were provided by the grandmaster crafters of the island settlement. Still, they were consummate professionals with far more experience than most humans when it came to conflicts of life and death and there was little hesitation once it was decided that they would participate by their non-combatant handlers.
They contrasted with the individual champions of the Assembly of Settlements, who relied on no equipment whatsoever. Imara, the champion of champions, generated a personal whirlwind that whipped dust into the air while one forearm flared with deep red fires up to her elbow and the other flashed dark blue with bursts of electricity. When she clapped her hands together, a shower of embers and sparks cascaded from between her fingers before falling toward the ground. Another warrior shadow boxed at her side, in nothing but boxing trunks and knuckles protected by tape, while the other had water swirling between his fingers. Behind them a man that looked like a professor seemed ready to merely observe, though mana was physically flowing through his feet, up his body, and into the sky. They clearly brought a different level of combat experience that Marcus expected would be a mistake to ignore.