Unchosen Champion

The bakery door announced Coop’s presence with a friendly chime. Coop stepped inside and was greeted by the heavenly smell of fresh bread. A wide display counter separated the front of the bakery from double doors that led into the back section. The lovely aromas wafted from unseen ovens behind the doors.

Coop took his time checking all of the displays. It was a bit different than what he expected. He thought there would be all sorts of baked goods, pastries, cookies, and cakes. Instead, he only found bread. A huge variety of bread that was all carefully displayed behind the glass. It seemed like this particular baker was especially fond of baking bread and really nothing else.

Coop wasn’t any kind of expert on all of the different types, but judging by the shapes and colors of the different loafs, this baker produced an extravagant assortment of bread. He didn’t think there were analogs for most of it on Earth. Unless there was a blue baguette he didn’t know about, the alien baker baked lots of alien bread.

The double doors exploded outward and a huge monster stepped forward. It was so large it had to hunch to fit beneath the ceiling and could only fit through the doorway because it was twice as wide as a regular door. Even then, it was a close call. Coop only vaguely registered the white chef’s uniform and the red apron that matched the red chef hat before his spear was in his hand.

It was an odd outfit for an ogre. Coop didn’t get a chance to react to the monster’s dramatic entrance. The ogre prepared to roar.

“You want Vronk bread?” The roar came out as a cordial question instead.

Coop quickly dismissed his spear, embarrassed at his inability to expect the unpredictable aliens every time.

“What’s Vronk bread?” Coop managed to respond, nearly with politeness despite his quavering voice.

“Me…” The ogre began before pausing, “I Vronk.” He corrected himself. “Vronk bake bread.”

“You’re Vronk?” Coop asked, and the ogre ducked his head further to nod. “You’re the baker?” Coop continued, and the ogre ducked his head a second time.

Coop accepted the situation, “Okay, I’m Coop, the Champion. Welcome to the settlement, Vronk.”

“You want Vronk bread?” The ogre asked again as a response.

“Yes, I would like some.” Coop agreed. It smelled fantastic, so he’d give it a shot.

The ogre huffed in happiness and used his fingertips to collect a small bag from behind the counter and gently placed a loaf of bread inside. He gingerly handed it over the counter between his two enormous fingers for Coop to take.

Coop accepted it and paid before asking, “Do you bake other things too?”

“Vronk take request but bread is Vronk favorite.” The ogre-like alien explained.

Coop nodded, he could have guessed that Vronk liked baking bread. “That’s fine, I was hoping for bread in the tavern.”

“Vronk make.” The ogre promised with a vigorous nod that could have been dangerous headbutts if it was a bit closer.

Coop thanked the new baker and made sure he would ask if he needed anything. The ogre-like alien just seemed happy to bake bread, so Coop left him to check on the next new arrival.

He ate the bread on the way and it really was amazing. Coop concluded that Vronk’s bread was magnificent, it was the best bread he had ever tasted. The soft crust yielded to a light and springy interior that Coop absolutely devoured. Was it the mana or the ogre that made it so good?

He was stuffed with bread when he made it to the Clothier on the other side of the block. It was a fancier building than any of the others, with a glass facade and various cloths and patterns on display. There weren’t any mannequins, which Coop thought made sense since aliens had a variety of body types.

He walked into the boutique, but before he could look around the proprietor charged forward. Coop tried to be ready for anything, but he was still put on edge when he was presented with eight feet of teeth, fur, horns, and claws. At least he managed to avoid summoning a weapon this time.

The clothier was some kind of carnivorous looking minotaur or maybe a canine with horns.

He was hunched over like a werewolf and Coop could see red and black tattoos beneath the thick gray fur coat of his arms. He had a sleeveless vest and a matching kilt that Coop had to admit were quite stylish if a bit alien.

His feet were uncovered, displaying wicked claws that mirrored the ones on his hands, and all of his sharp teeth were exposed in an elongated grin. His four horns twisted around each other before curling forward like a bull’s. Two of the shorter horns were pierced with hoops while the longer ones had metal bands wrapped halfway down.

Coop was worried about the clothes being torn with all the sharp claws and horns and teeth. He had lived with Jett long enough to think all the fur would be difficult to manage as well. This person was in an interesting line of work given his assets.

“Welcome! Welcome! I am Erasimus Doomthread at your service.” The clothier announced. “Are you looking for anything in particular? I will have custom orders ready by the end of the standard day.”

“Thank you, Erasimus, but I’m not shopping, I just wanted to welcome you to the settlement and introduce myself. I’m Coop, the Champion. If you need anything you can let me know and I’ll see what we can do.” Coop responded, feeling like he was getting better at introducing himself to aliens after all.

“Good to meet you Champion!” The clothier looked him up and down and his smile faded. His pupils dilated and nostrils flared as he opened his mouth again, showing fangs that didn’t belong. “You can’t expect me to let you leave when you came into my clothing shop dressed in nothing. You don’t even have a nice coat of fur.”

Coop was momentarily confused before he looked down at his island uniform. Maybe he could get more shorts. He decided to use Salvation and summon his armor to show the clothier. The mist was conjured and quickly formed to his skin and solidified into the familiar gladiator style.

The clothier opened his eyes a little wider in understanding. “I see, and this is your particular fighting style? Incorporeal armor? It’s very interesting.” He clicked his claws together before deciding on something, “In that case I will need a Weaver and a Mana Mill constructed in the settlement. I can work with your skill, but I will need the appropriate materials.”

“It might be a little bit before we get more services.” Coop tried deterring Erasimus.

“I understand. It’s a fledgling planet after all. I’ll simply design something for now.” He clicked his claws against a fang. “I presume the exposed skin is for attracting mates of your species? Don’t worry we can work with it, and you can trust me. A slight covering will be much more alluring. Something that won’t interfere with perfectly fitted armor. It will need the Mana Mill to work properly, but it can be done. Tell me, what is the nature of your ability? Everything will be kept in confidence of course.”

“Ah, it’s Ethereal Armor,” Coop admitted, swept up in the enthusiasm of the tailor. “I dunno if I need clothes though.”

“Nonsense! I will not make you just clothes, it will be underarmor! Underarmor!” He raved before continuing his plans. “Ethereal… fascinating. Very rare in the living, unheard of even, but we can work with it. Thank you for your order, Champion. I will have designs ready for your approval the next time you visit.”

As Coop left the clothier he realized Erasimus was dangerous. It wasn’t because of the natural weapons the alien possessed. It was his salesmanship that Coop would need to worry about. Shaking his head, he went to his final stop.

He walked through the slightly scorched town circle and passed the civilization shard. Walking along the canal toward the largest construction in the fort he admired how far the settlement had come. Jones had planned for a massive city and Coop was starting to see how it would form.

The Library was large enough to contain every other building inside the courtyard by itself. The facade faced the canal to the north and the entire structure was three times as wide as it was deep.

It had a series of white stone steps that led up to a set of tall, tinted glass doors. The doorway was hemmed by massive square columns of the same stone white stone as the steps. The columns went all the way up beyond the fourth floor and connected to a stone overhang that covered the wide landing that formed the entrance to the doors.

The first floor was encased in floor to ceiling windows that wrapped the front and sides of the building. The only interruption to the glass were more white stone columns that were periodically embedded into the structure. Each corner had a larger stone column that stretched from the ground floor all the way to the roof.

The interior of the first floor was lit by magic lamps and the light flooded out of the windows. It would have been an inviting effect, but the lights were tinged very slightly with blues and purples lending the building a certain spooky mystique instead. They were like stage lights rather than the warm white or yellow lights that his human sensibilities would have expected in a library.

The second, third, and fourth floors also had floor to ceiling windows, but they were interrupted by dark stone in alternating sections. The dark stone contrasted with the white stone columns in not just color, but also texture. The dark stone shone as if polished while the white stone was rougher with a coarse appearance that would have been at home in the Mediterranean. Each floor was also punctuated by the same dark stone separating each floor from the next. There were also undecipherable runes placed in relief on the dark stone that gave the whole building an enigmatic appearance.

Both types of stone gave no indication of being made of multiple pieces. It seemed like the building was carved out of two gigantic interlocking stones, one white and one black. Coop imagined it was like magical poured concrete.

Coop could see comfortable looking seating areas in front of each of the upper floor windows with tables and small lamps. There would be plenty of nice views from this library.

The first floor had a spacious lobby with a long reception desk in the back. A single individual was seated behind the center of the wide stone desk. They were shrouded in darkness underneath hooded robes. Coop approached the desk to introduce himself. The floor was a sound absorbing carpet-like material that had gray and black designs throughout. He looked around and spotted plenty of cozy seating areas on each wing that utilized the interior columns to provide some privacy.

The ceiling of the lobby was completely open, rising all the way to the top of the fourth floor where a series of designs were cut into the surface. Each floor had a balcony that encompassed the entire opening. Staircases were on the left and the right of the lobby and Coop could see two more on the ends of each wing.

All in all it was very impressive. Coop thought it was like an expensive university’s library where they take prospective students on tours, not the stacks where they keep most of the books.

When Coop arrived at the reception desk, the figure looked up with an eyeless face. Its face exposed the bleached bones of an almost familiar skeleton. Not quite human, but close enough to confuse an anthropologist. Coop was proud of the fact that he didn’t immediately retreat in the face of an Undead.

Instead the alien was the one to back away, sliding the chair backwards and fearfully cowering away from Coop.

“Uhh, hello? I’m Coop, the Champion of this settlement… welcome?” Coop flubbed his introduction thanks to the weird reaction from the skeleton.

“Are you… a cousin?” The skeleton asked with confusion. “You are living?”

“Uh… I am a living human.” Coop clarified, equally unsure about the interaction.

“Forgive me. I was caught by surprise and sensed something strange. I am Abithik, the director of this humble archive.” Abithik leaned forward and pressed a dial at the edge of the desk. “Wait one moment and I will introduce you to the staff.”

“Sure.” Coop agreed. “I hope it isn’t rude to ask, but are you a part of the Breathless? I know you're independent, but….” Coop avoided pointing out his appearance, realizing it was definitely rude.

Abithik looked at Coop with his expressionless face. “I am not familiar with the Breathless, but I presume they are a branch of the Undead. Though I am a Lich, I am no longer a part of the Undead. None of the staff remain affiliated with any Undead branches.”

Coop nodded, “Sorry for asking. The individuals at the top of the leaderboard appear to be part of the Undead. The first place person is even called The Lich.” Coop tried to justify his curiosity.

Abithik nodded, “I understand, how unfortunate. I do wish you the best of luck in dealing with them. The Chosen of the Undead tend to be formidable.”

As Abithik finished speaking they were joined by another person. It was a zombie. He was in much better shape than the minions he had battled on the oil rig, but he was unmistakably dead. Coop observed the fleshy undead and compared him with the boney undead. He thought they might even be the same species.

Abithik privately explained to the new arrival why he had called the other undead and while he pointed to Coop and said ‘Champion.’ Three more zombies joined the conversation before it concluded. Other than the demons, Desmond and Maeve, these were the closest any of the aliens had been to looking like humans. With some different clothes, he probably would have assumed they were a group of goths. He wouldn’t be able to explain the skeleton though.

They lined up and turned to face Coop from the other side of the reception desk. They were all wearing faded plum colored robes like some type of monks. Abithik cleared his throat which was strange considering he was just bones.

“Allow me to introduce the staff of the archive. First is Lakan, he is responsible for the special collections located on the ground floor.”

Lakan gave Coop a polite bow, keeping his arms tucked into his robe. His skin was an ashy gray and his long black hair had a dark blue shine that was reflected in his deep blue eyes. His lips were also dark blue, almost black, that made it look like he had died of hypothermia and turned into some kind of ice prince. Coop nodded back as Abithik continued with his introductions.

“Responsible for the second floor is Ryseth.”

Ryseth ducked his head and gave a perfunctory bow. He was an older looking version of Lakan, but instead of dark blue his short spiked hair shone with dark red and his eyes were all black, completely lacking the white sclera, reminding Coop of contact lenses, and they were surrounded by a deep reddish brown that caused them to appear sunken.

He seemed uninterested in meeting the Champion, as if he was interrupted from completing some important tasks. Rather than waiting for Coop to acknowledge him in any way, he found something more interesting to adjust on the outside of his plum colored robe and applied his attention to that instead.

“Next is Asha-Kali, who takes care of the third floor.”

Asha-Kali stared at Coop with a tilt of her head until he smiled at her. She returned his smile with a smirk that only went to one side of her face. Coop had to admit that she was very pretty even though she was undead.

Her hair was long and pushed straight back where it fell down and disappeared into her robe. It was mostly black in color but it also had lavender streaks and the loose hair that fell on her shoulders had lavender tips. She had pale skin, black lips, and purple and black around her eyes that he didn’t think was makeup, but still seemed like eyeliner and eye shadow. Her eyes were dark gray and she never broke eye contact from underneath her arched, black eyebrows. She had a large dark red brooch attached to a black choker on her neck that glinted with light whenever she shifted.

“And finally Shalatha, who organizes the fourth floor collection.”

Shalatha looked down at the floor and curtsied like she was meeting royalty. Coop nodded back at her, embarrassed by the reverence she showed him. She was the shortest of the group and had dark green hair that was in two tight buns with straight bangs that stopped at her eyebrows. Her eyes were dark green and both had faded red trails beneath that looked like she had been crying although it was obviously a permanent feature. When she smiled she revealed regular white teeth with canines that were only slightly too long.

“If you'd like to find something specific, you can ask me and I will refer you to the appropriate floor where the attendant can lead you directly.” Abithik continued.

Coop, not wanting to miss an opportunity, asked, “Do you have information on how to cure blood curses?”

“Indeed.” The lich responded confidently, “Shalatha, please take him. Poresco Stuiate Aracheom.”

“Right! This way, Champion!” Shalatha enthusiastically beckoned to get Coop’s attention. He had been distracted trying to figure out if Abithik had just cast his own curse.

“Coop is fine, Shalatha.” Coop responded and followed her to the nearby staircase.

“Oh… umm, ok… Coop? Coop.” Shalatha shyly tested.

“What was that Abithik said there at the end?” He asked as they went up beyond the second floor.

“Poresco Stuiate Aracheom.” She repeated. “It’s our catalog system, I’ll be able to take you straight to the correct shelf with those runes.”

“I see,” Coop accepted, it made sense that aliens had to have their own dewey decimal system.

He followed Shalatha all the way to the fourth floor. There were a lot of steps to climb as each floor was almost twice as tall as a regular one. Coop thought he might have overdone it by constructing such a huge library for his tiny settlement, but it was too late now. At least he might be able to get some valuable information out of it.

Coop belatedly noticed that for a huge library there were very few books on shelves. In fact, by the third floor he hadn’t seen a single book. When they reached the top floor he was beginning to suspect there were no books at all.

Shalatha led him to a bookshelf that lacked books just as much as the rest he had seen. Then she stopped next to it and smiled at him like she had completed her task. Coop was confused until he realized that each shelf had a collection of thin tablets carefully arranged in lieu of the expected paper books.

He reached a hand out and looked at Shalatha for permission. She nodded encouragingly and smiled showing her pointed canines. When he pulled one of the tablets it was blank. He tapped the face of it and a system menu appeared in his vision just like when he observed his status. Apparently these tablets displayed information the same way the system did. Did that mean the system regulated information recording as well?

“Is it alright for me to browse? You don’t have to worry about restricted information?” Coop asked.

“It’s fine! The generally restricted stuff is in the special collections, and you’ve unlocked access to everything else just by purchasing the archive, so the system won’t mind.” Shalatha happily explained before pressing her straight bangs down to smooth them out.

Coop looked around and realized what a treasure trove this would be. He just needed to make the time to explore the shelves. He wouldn’t need to try and tease information out of the contracted residents anymore.

Coop was reading through the table of contents of an encyclopedia of curses. He asked Shalatha if it was alright for him to sit down and she hurriedly gave him permission to do anything he wanted as long as he left the tablet at the return desk near the stairs so that she could replace it on its shelf.

He spent the next few hours learning about all sorts of curses. Reading in front of a huge glass window in a comfortable sofa-like chair, he researched while the sun sank between the gap in the fort walls and lit up the canal. Shalatha lingered nearby, trying to be inconspicuous while also being available if he needed help. Eventually he invited her to sit down with him and make herself comfortable which she hesitatingly accepted. She shot glances at him, making sure he didn’t need help, in between observing the outdoors of the new planet she found herself on.

Coop just wanted to help Jones. The guilt was starting to eat at him.