Chapter 371: Favoritism
Ramona Rojas was tussling with intensifying doubts regarding her assignment. She couldn’t help but ask herself if the leaders of the Lighthouse really knew what they were doing.
She had to admit that they had been completely validated by the start of the Eradication Protocol, and the time leading up to the pronouncements had been extraordinarily productive such that she was happy to have placed her trust in them, but that only accounted for so much credibility. When the consequences of their inadequacy was extinction of the human race, any perceived deficiencies were that much more conspicuous.
She subtly shook her head, unsure if she really wanted to judge their competence. A negative result would mean that she, and virtually everyone else, had made a huge mistake. The enthusiastic determination that had her reporting to her assigned fleet as soon as the Eradication Protocol began was fading with each passing day, and for one reason in particular: her previously unknown commander.
One of her shard security guards-turned-party members squinted his eyes at her, probably worried that she wasn’t comfortable with the red haze, but before he said anything, he went back to adjusting his gloves, just in case they had to join a fight after all. The mass of cannons took care of most monsters appearing in the open, but every once in a while individual demons caused moments of havoc on the decks before being put down.
After their trans-Atlantic trip, they had sat idle in the North Sea for far too long, just letting the enemies gradually become more dangerous. The stressful inaction had her contemplating the series of events that concluded with her becoming subordinate to a wisp of a girl.
Ramona had made some difficult decisions based on the advice of the powerful strangers that had first arrived at the base of the rock that protected her civilization shard. Juliana from the Jaguar Sun had already sold her on the Lighthouse by the time Coop showed up to lend them a hand.
The Jaguar Elite had painted him as an absolute force, brave and gracious, but his first impression had been that of an amazed tourist, excited to see what their country had to offer. Afterwards, he had made the apocalyptic invasion of monsters seem like a complete triviality, exuberantly clearing a path through an entire continent. Being in his presence, even temporarily, had been enough to convince her that cooperation would be wise. That he had fallen from the top of the leaderboards hardly mattered to her judgment.
When the more official seeming ambassadors from Ghost Reef started to arrive afterwards, she had more or less determined that the best course forward for all the residents of her settlement was to be absorbed by the much larger and more organized faction, anchored by the Unchosen Champion. She was fully committed before even visiting the island.
The residents of La Piedra had been scraping their way through the assimilation, but they had not excelled the way Coop had. So for their sakes, she had bargained for a safe place in Ghost Reef so that the population could safely transfer. Rather than be subsumed by an oppressive force, they were welcomed into the fold with experts facilitating the transition at every point. They even sent people to help pack and move, making sure that no one was forced to leave anything behind.
At every point, they were surrounded by individuals more powerful than she was. From the ambassadors and diplomats to facilitators, scouts, and guards. The passive demonstration of strength left her and everyone around her impressed. If the Lighthouse was not benevolent, they could have easily conquered just as much of the world as they did through cooperation, if not more.
The training facilities on the island helped her and her people get up to speed in terms of levels, but for the most part her followers were still unremarkable civilians tucked away in one of the many levels of Ghost Reef. The community they had formed still existed, but it was rebuilt within a deceptively spacious underground cavern and sheltered by the efforts of much more powerful individuals.
At the same time, she and the pinnacle warriors that had been holding the settlement together against the alien invaders volunteered to be fast-tracked onto a hardcore elite training path so that they could better contribute to the broader faction. The Lighthouse had aspirations for them all, and they all received equal investment, but because she and her handpicked allies were already ahead, they thought they could contribute more to the faction on their former settlement’s behalf. It was a small exchange that would benefit the faction, but would benefit themselves even more.