Unchosen Champion

Coop stumbled into the dungeon’s cell, sliding into the back wall shoulder first. He felt the impact in his injured ribs, but he didn’t react, gritting his teeth instead while waiting for the guard to leave. He didn’t think there was any reason to reveal more than necessary, even if she could read his aura, he had no idea what information she could actually glean from it. The alien guard didn’t linger after tossing him inside, disappearing into the stairwell, before he finally moved.

“You alright, mate?” His lone cellmate asked once they were left alone.

Coop sat up and dusted himself off, but the cell was immaculate, so he didn’t accomplish much with his pat down. “I’m good.” He responded before trying and failing to inspect his companion. He grimaced when he realized Presence of Mind was still disabled by the collar. It had already become second nature to apply his skills. Without them, it felt like he lost one of his senses.

“She’s pretty rough when she gets feisty. I wonder what you did to put her in a mood.” His cellmate wiggled his eyebrows at Coop causing Coop to involuntarily make a face at the man for the implication. “Anyway, brother, what are ya in for?”

Coop shrugged, “I had a little fight with General Rod.” Coop glanced around the room, finding only three other prisoners. It looked like things were working out, because one of them was Charlie’s father. He looked really beat up, with one arm cradled gingerly by the other and a bruised face under a short but scraggly beard. He hadn’t even looked up when Coop was dragged into the cell.

Coop’s cellmate was nodding. “That sure sounds like L’il Rod. That one’s got a chip on his shoulder, for sure.” He commiserated. “I thought you’d say you went on a bender. You reek of alcohol, mate.”

“So, what’s with this place?” Coop asked, keeping his voice down, but keeping his eye on Emmanuel. “Are we good to socialize or are we gonna get beaten?” He continued, indicating toward Charlie’s father.

Coop’s cellmate glanced at Emmanuel before responding. “Nah, we’re good, mate. He’s like that ‘cause of the interrogations with Rod’s people. He’s supposed to be some kind of rebel leader and he won’t tell them about his allies. The aliens are quite gentle, actually, and not so bad to look at if you ask me.” Coop definitely hadn’t asked and shook his head in disappointment at his cellmate, already getting an idea for what kind of guy he was.

Coop went over to the bars of his cell, “Psst! Emmanuel!” Charlie’s father perked up when he heard his name, looking over at Coop through one eye. The other was swollen shut. “Charlie sent me to get you out.”

“Charlotte?” Emmanuel whispered with a dry voice. Coop nodded.

“Damn, that’s the first time he’s said a word.” Coop’s cellmate observed. “I’m Derek by the way. You gonna get me out too?” He asked with a chuckle, obviously skeptical towards the idea of escaping.

Coop turned back to his cellmate. “That depends, what are you in for?”

“Oh hoho…” Derek’s eyes had lit up. “Now that’s a story! It all started back when I was in college-”

Coop interrupted him by raising a hand to stop him. “Dude, just the abridged version, alright?”

“Ah, well, basically I got caught sleeping with Rod’s older sister and their mother back in the day.” Derek concluded. “Now, he says I’m a political prisoner. I mean, what are the odds that his best buddy would become Champion?” Derek shook his head in disbelief. “Unlucky.” When Coop just watched him with a withering gaze, he stopped and put his palms up, gesturing like ‘what can you do?’ Coop barely kept from rolling his eyes. “It’s true!” Derek assured him.

Coop returned his attention to Emmanuel. “Where’s Mrs. Seraphin?”

Emmanuel pointed to the wall behind him. “Madison is restrained in the dark room. Those bastards keep her in there at all times to keep us separated.” The air practically vibrated with Emmanuel’s rage.

Coop nodded, “Alright, we’ll get her.” He looked at Derek. “Do you know anything about these collars? Like, will our heads explode if we tear them off?”

Derek’s eyes widened, “Tear them off? They won’t explode, but I don’t think that’ll work mate.” He knocked on the bars. “They’re just as strong as the prison, and they get stronger everyday. We got the guard lady to explain it once, something about absorbing mana at a set rate so that they’ll work even as people level up. Superman wouldn’t be able to break ’em.”

“What about the guards? Do they check in on a schedule or something?” Coop questioned.

“Nah, we’re pretty much just ignored until they drag someone in or out. I don’t even know what day it is. Can’t even check the leaderboards with the collars on.” Derek explained.

“What about everyone else that’s locked up?” Coop wondered.

“You don’t want anything to do with most of them. There’s like murderers and stuff downstairs...” Derek pointed at the other two on their floor. “They’re alright. That guy tried to get a petition going to start Champion elections,” The man was watching them with a hopeless gaze from his seat on the floor in the back of his cell. “And that guy tried to start a revolution in the outer rim.” The second guy nodded without remorse, gripping the bars of his cell, looking proud of himself and eager to get out.

Coop rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck. “Alright. Anything else that might be important before we break out?”

Derek still looked skeptical, “If you’re not messing around… they’re holding our stuff in temporary holding cells, like a makeshift armory. I can’t leave without my instrument. But it’s on the first floor, where the guard station is.”

The eager prisoner chimed in. “If you get this collar off me, I can make a distraction upstairs.” He gave an enthusiastic smile. “I’ll blow the top right off.”

Coop looked at Derek who tilted his head toward the eager prisoner. “He’s been dying to give it a shot, ever since they threw him in here.” The eager prisoner nodded vigorously.

“Alright.” Coop moved toward the bars.

Derek sat up, finally accepting that Coop was serious. “Hang on a sec. Where would we even go? We’re in the middle of the only settlement around. We’re just gonna flee into the wilderness and ask the monsters to take us in?”

“I’m taking Emmanuel and Madison back to my settlement.” Coop revealed.

“Huh?” Derek managed. “You’re a Champion?”

Coop shrugged, “Something like that.” He responded noncommittally.

“Uh huh.” Derek made up his own mind. “So, you got some Champion power to disable the collars? Even with skills, I don’t think we can break out of the cells.”

Emmanuel eased himself up, slowly drawing himself to his full height. The motion drew everyone else’s attention as he gripped the bars with his good arm, letting his other hang limply at his side. “I can. Just get this collar off.” He stated simply, with his gravelly voice practically dripping with confidence. Coop believed he could.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of that.” Coop waved him off.

Coop tested the bars himself while the other four prisoners watched. If their distraction was going to work, they’d need to keep their cells mostly intact, so that they could wait inside them while the guard went past them to investigate.

“And there’s just one guard?” Coop confirmed.

Derek and the eager prisoner both nodded.

Coop watched the point where the bars embedded into the ceiling and applied some pressure. He could feel the resistance, but felt confident he could break out. He yanked the bars inward with just his arms feeling them flex underneath his strength. He put some effort into it, using his legs, bracing his abs, and pushing to incorporate his back and maximize his leverage. The bars snapped out of their joints in the magical ceiling and floor with a metallic pop.

The entire front wall of the cell separated in one large rectangular piece. Barely visible motes of red mana leaked into the air from the breakpoints and disappeared into the air. Coop gently turned the bars and leaned the piece against the side wall of his cell, quietly listening for any signs that he had alerted the guard. The other three prisoners had all frozen at the sight, confused at the feat of strength they just witnessed.

“What?” Coop asked, worried that he tripped an alarm they hadn’t warned him about.

“Mate, when you mentioned your settlement I just assumed you had a way to disable the collars. You’ve still got your collar on…” Derek looked bewildered.

“Well, if the distraction is gonna work we need to have our collars on right? I’ll put the bars back after I let him out, but I don’t think the collars will stay together.” Coop explained while gesturing to the eager prisoner. “Can you make it look like you got yourself out once you’ve got your collar off?” Coop asked.

The prisoner nodded, still looking stunned. “Ah, but I should let you know that I’d like to stay once we’re free. Everyone I’ve ever known that’s still alive is in the city…” He looked at Coop worriedly.

“That’s fine. As long as you make a good enough distraction for all of us to get out safely, I don’t care what you do.” Coop dismissed his worries before he paused. “I mean, don’t make me an accomplice to anything heinous, or I’ll feel responsible and come put a stop to it.” Coop warned, not wanting to endorse murder or something.

“Oh no, nothing like that, I just want to help my family.” The eager prisoner reassured Coop.

“That goes for you too.” Coop told the still seated prisoner in the adjacent cell.

“I’ll go with you.” He confirmed. “Your settlement can’t be worse than this one.”

Coop didn’t know how he should feel about the lukewarm vote of confidence so he continued to the eager guy’s cell without comment. He pulled the front wall out with another snap and put it on the floor, then he stepped forward to figure out the collar.

“You know, the guard warned me just a couple days ago that I’d need to be level 100 and have every point invested into Strength to break the bars. She also said add another two levels everyday because they would keep getting stronger.” The eager prisoner explained while Coop tried to find a weak point in the collar.

Coop grunted. “Seems like the aliens are underestimating us, doesn’t it?”

He gripped the collar between his pointer finger and thumb on both hands and pulled them apart. The difficulty was in the lack of purchase, like trying to open a wet pickle jar. It took more effort to keep hold of the metal band, but the collar snapped in half, releasing a tiny bit of mana just like the jail cells had. It was designed to come in two pieces that connected with a round joint on each end. He’d broken it completely.

The eager prisoner exhaled in relief before he looked nervously at Coop. His unrestrained aura had arrested the prisoner’s attention as soon as he was able to detect it. Coop reminded him of the plan and their deal, so the prisoner gulped, and concentrated on his task. Coop returned to his cell with Derek and propped the bars back into place. They looked as good as new, but he wasn’t sure if the guards had better perception than he did.

Red energy glowed from the fingertips of the freed prisoner as he singed his cell, his collar, and the broken bars, making it seem like he had used his own skills to free himself. Coop thought it would work if it was only given a cursory glance. Hopefully, the upstairs distraction would also be enough to keep the guard from investigating any further.

“I won’t forget you for giving me this chance.” The prisoner promised Coop before he disappeared into the center stairs, magically concealed as he went up.

“So, now what?” Derek asked.

“We wait for the guard to go investigate his distraction, then we free Madison and head downstairs to their armory before we escape out the front door.” Coop patiently explained.

“You make it sound so simple.” Derek complained.

“It is simple.” Coop concurred, he didn’t even need to say anything else before Derek sighed in resignation and waited patiently to see how everything played out.

They didn’t have to wait long. An explosion erupted from above. It was strong enough to shake the magically infused stones and if Coop wasn’t holding the bars, the broken wall of their cell would have been exposed. He was impressed. It definitely sounded like the tower’s top had been blown off.

—

Charlie had been doing her best to hold it together. She had surprised herself with how well she was doing. Normally, her mother was the solid foundation of her family. Whenever she faced a problem, she would run to her for help and advice.

She glanced at Camila, who was leaning from her spot in the shadows of the small alley to watch Coop stop his guards as he became distracted by a resident. If it wasn’t for Camila, Charlie probably would have been a panicked mess the entire time since she found out her parents were captured.

They had successfully entered Empress City about half a mile away and weaved a path through the run-down shelters to wait for Coop. They watched as guards ran back and forth from the airport all the way to the outer gate before they let him in, escorted by a single party. It was hardly enough to threaten Coop, but the members of the Endless Empire were constantly overestimating themselves. It was no surprise that they thought a few of their elites would be enough.

They watched as Coop casually greeted the random residents that he spotted, and even though they ignored him, he kept trying to be friendly. She didn’t think Coop was even conscious of his natural benevolence which made it all the more sincere. Coop even stopped to pet a muddy dog, holding up the small procession for a few ear scratches.

The residents seemed to have been conditioned to ignore the Empire’s guards, just staying out of the way to avoid unwanted attention. It certainly made it easy for Camila and Charlie to move around without being noticed, but she still hoped the miserable people would snap out of it. She agreed with Coop that it hadn’t been long enough for all of them to completely fall into despair.

Camila interrupted her musing, shaking her head. “He’s good with kids, animals love him… you watch, Charlie. Your parents are going to love him too.”

Charlie sighed. “Keep your eyes on the prize.”

“Oh, I am.” Camila confirmed with a smirk. Charlie couldn’t keep the exasperation out of her sigh.

Camila stopped watching and faced Charlie. “Hey, don’t worry, it’s gonna work out. Coop might even be able to get them released when he meets the Champion.” Camila hugged her. “It’s gonna be fine. We’ll be back to Ghost Reef in no time.”

Charlie exhaled again, nervous and frustrated. Camila and Coop were the strongest people she knew and they were both helping her right now. “Sorry.” She mumbled.

Camila stroked her hair before letting her go and returning to the corner to peek out. “He’s already inside, let’s wait a bit and see if we can get in again.”

They waited a few minutes before Camila led Charlie into the open and approached the checkpoint. The inner ring was secured more thoroughly than the outer, and there was virtually no cover on the inside, so sneaking around wasn’t a good option. The stray dog that Coop had roused approached them and Charlie let it sniff her before they got to the checkpoint.

“State your business.” An agitated guard uttered to them when they stopped in front of the sheet metal gate.

Camila responded confidently, “Scouting report for leadership.”

“Hmm? We weren’t expecting any. Who are you?” He asked.

“We’re already late. You don’t want to be the one to explain the situation to the General, do you?” Camila questioned.

“You know what, I don’t care. You can go in, but the dog stays out.” The guard relented before he took a good look at the pair of girls. He was obviously having a bad day.

Camila, as usual, had no mercy. “I think we’ll take the dog too.” Charlie was surprised that Camila kept pushing, but she hadn’t even realized the dog had followed them over to the gate.

“Alright, but you need to give me your name. I’m Jim. And if anyone asks, the dog didn’t come from here.” The guard capitulated, it had only taken one look and half a smile from Camila to get him to change his tune. Charlie looked at the dog and rolled her eyes. She imagined that the dog commiserated.

“Nice to meet you Jim, I’m Jenny.” Camila answered sweetly, twirling her ponytail with one finger.

Jim didn’t dither before he opened the gate, and the girls promptly let themselves in with the stray dog at their heels. “See you around, Jenny.” Jim called out as they left him behind.

Camila turned to Charlie once they were on the tarmac and snorted. Charlie shook her head. Getting in was the easy part. Coop and his escort of guards had already entered the buildings. They wouldn’t be able to follow him and entering the airport was a good way to run into more complications. Instead, they took a wide path, rounding the structure without going inside, keeping a hopeful eye out for Coop being given a tour. Small parties came and went, but they didn’t see Coop. Maybe the dungeon was inside as well.

They started to suspect that he wouldn’t be coming out for a while when the stray dog started huffing at the ground and looking at them before whining. It walked away from them before turning to see if they were following and whining some more.

“It can’t hurt to follow him.” Charlie suggested and Camila shrugged, not having any better ideas, and walked after the dog.

The dog led them around to the public side of the airport where the pick up and drop off areas had been. They followed a pedestrian path away from the airport, toward the parking garages. The girls eventually spotted the tower. It was obviously not a part of the original airport. One look and they knew that they had found what they were looking for. They had to stop the dog from leading them any further as he wanted to go right up to the front door.

As they prevented the dog from continuing forward, Coop’s escort of guards exited from the front of the tower. Coop was missing.

They quickly hid inside one of the adjacent parking garages finding a spot in the shadows, behind a white utility van. They crouched, holding the dog to keep him from giving them away. As they waited, the guards continued along the path, apparently not noticing the girls when they came out. They listened as the guards complained about General Rod not telling them things directly and the outsider’s disturbing aura defense. They were going back to outer checkpoint duty, begrudgingly.

Once the guards were long gone, the girls found the stairwell and climbed to the top of the parking garage. It was only a few stories shorter than the windowless tower. They inched their way to the edge closest to the structure, hiding behind abandoned vehicles, until they found a vantage point where they could see the entrance.

“So… do you think he’s just getting a tour?” Camila pondered doubtfully.

“Getting himself arrested was his original plan…” Charlie worriedly observed. “What should we do?”

“Let’s just wait a bit, either he’ll walk out of the front door like nothing happened, or he’ll send us some kind of signal.”

“I’ll get ready.” Charlie decided.

She climbed into the bed of a pickup truck, raised her hands to the sky, and started weaving the wind. It was different than when she was making small gusts and throwing them into sails, but the experience had taught her some things. She slowly pushed huge amounts of air in a circular pattern, just like her tornados, but on a massive scale. She managed her mana to keep it going for as long as possible. If anyone was watching the sky, they would probably notice how the clouds were slowly converging over the airport.

Camila kept a lookout while Charlie created a storm. It was something between a tornado and a hurricane, with howling winds flowing through the different levels of the parking garages. The process reminded her of some happy summers when her father would push the water in a round pool, slowly rotating around the perimeter until he formed a whirlpool that would sweep her and her mother in circles.

She was pushing the air around and around, building its momentum. It barely needed her input once she got it moving. She kept adding to it anyway, building it to last a longer period. She wanted enough power to topple the tower if necessary. She knew her parents were inside. And Coop. She wanted all of them outside, with her.

A fiery explosion erupted from the tower and Charlie saw flames and mana fly into the sky before they were whipped into the wall of her storm.

“What was that?” She shouted to Camila, over the howling winds.

“A signal.” Camila concluded, nodding at Charlie to give her the go ahead to release her ability.

Charlie channeled the rest of her mana into the storm, directing her frustrations and concerns into her spell. She kept going, pushing her abilities to the limit. She yelled as the last of her mana was spent, but no one would hear her as the wind had become even louder. The clouds that had gathered around the airport were ripping apart as the wind formed a funnel that centered on the tower and parking garages.

The airport was completely engulfed in the storm. The wind howled and threatened the buildings, despite being hurricane proof structures. The tower lit up with mana reinforcement, fighting the assault with alien magic. Charlie was spent.