JaceVAmor
patreon
Chapter 350: Serrania de la Macarena
🕑 Added 2025-02-26 16:11:02 +0000 UTCThe second designated stop for Coop was another settlement that he had seen on the temporary event leaderboards, the so-called Serrania de la Macarena. Like La Piedra, it had climbed the ranks when the residents of Ghost Reef had ventured through the underground, hunting the armies of Primal Constructs that had appeared during the Underlayer Event.
In a way, every uncontacted settlement had been exposed when their designated control points were liberated from the invaders, but only a few were large enough to climb into the top ranks through monster eliminations alone. Serrania de la Macarena was one example of a large settlement that had no representation in the underground, but enough alien enemies to score high. Judging by the points that had been accumulated at the time, Coop thought it should have been roughly three times the size of La Piedra. An estimated population of four million might have been on the conservative side of things.
As he and Juliana traveled together, his anticipation for visiting a mega settlement was rising. La Piedra had exceeded his expectations, bolstered by nearby populations and owing a debt to the strange natural rock formation that sheltered their civilization shard during the early struggles. He couldn’t wait to see how others had found success.
The assimilation had drawn out the hallmarks of human resilience and adaptability all across the planet. He couldn’t help but feel curious about what had empowered the survivors of another successful settlement. Was it social cooperation, collaborative competition, or maybe alien control? How had natural environmental factors affected their development? He was eager to find out.
No matter what kind of society had withstood the crisis, he thought there might be lessons to learn and take home. He anticipated a complex development that demonstrated the extent of human ingenuity or steadfast fortitude, and he’d happily spend an afternoon familiarizing himself with the atmosphere to better understand the situation and potentially make new friends.
After a long trip across mountains and then through rejuvenated forests, as they pushed through underbrush into a final open clearing, he got his first sight of the settlement in the distance. His lofty expectations were unmet. He could instantly determine that the development was significantly smaller than it should have been, making La Piedra seem like a regional metropolis when compared to the tiny village below them.
Instead of a thriving city filled with millions of people, there was only a meager enclave of ramshackle huts tucked into the edge of the lush forest, facing a shallow river. The buildings stood on narrow wooden stilts that leaned every which way, making each structure seem like they were on the verge of collapse. They were nestled amidst much more impressive, towering, mana-infused trees, with thin canopies and large branches that allowed the sun to reach the ground, all overlooking a series of short cascading waterfalls. It was a nice spot, but it wasn’t even close to what he was expecting.
Rather than a stronghold, it was a tiny refuge with only a few resilient survivors, perhaps less than ten thousand, who had found sanctuary in a remote location even for the Primal Constructs. The fortifications he expected were completely absent, instead replaced by what seemed like a series of neglected wilderness cabins, designed to be as wild as possible to provide an authentic experience for adventurous tourists, then further eroded by the introduction of mana. Unless he was missing something, he had no idea how they had made it beyond the first settlement event, let alone hundreds of days into the assimilation.
Even compared to Ghost Reef’s stone fort, the whole developed area was small, more like what would have been left if the Siege Event had permanently destroyed the island’s walls and only left them with space along the canal streets. It was like these people had been pushed to the brink and were unable to recover, instead just waiting to be finished off. Coop thought it was good that he was visiting, because it seemed like they needed any help they could get.
At first Coop frowned, not seeing how they could have survived at all and wondering what disaster had fallen upon them. Then he froze in horror as he took a closer look at the natural surroundings, specifically beyond the blocky, dark colored, granitic rock slabs that served as the foundation of the huts, bordering the rushing river. He scowled as he realized that the water was bright red.
His thoughts that something catastrophic had happened in the recent past changed to the fear that some disaster was currently happening to the people that lived there. The river at the base of the last short waterfall looked like it was overflowing with blood. He couldn’t explain the lack of shelter for the millions of people he thought he would find, but the water had him assuming the worst for those who had called this place home.
“What happened here?” He whispered, aghast, squeezing the spear in his right hand as he prepared to fight some existential horror. Either something was currently in the process of destroying the population he had anticipated, or there was some nefarious ritual taking place, which might explain the lack of security. Whatever the case, he leapt to the conclusion that there would be a fight soon, feeling his adrenaline surge and heat rise from his shoulders as his aura spread.
Juliana’s placid smile faded as she saw the color drain from Coop’s face and his muscles tense, preparing for battle. “Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked as she glanced from his expression back to the small village.
“Isn’t that blood?” He asked, gesturing toward the river that flowed through the exposed settlement with his spear.
She looked closer, responding at nearly the same time. “No, no, that’s just how it looks when certain plants in the river bloom.” She clarified before Coop let his imagination get further carried away, though she couldn’t help but double check, his reaction so strong.
She rushed into a better introduction of their destination before Coop got the wrong idea, explaining that this was Caño Cristales, a natural wonder known as the River of Five Colors. It was called that due to the completely clear water and colorful plants beneath its surface.
Coop looked a bit further up the river, beyond the waterfall of blood, and saw other vibrant colors, making the red seem more pink when bordered with bright yellow, green, and blue. He realized it couldn’t have been blood and relaxed a bit, thankful that they hadn’t stumbled upon some grand sacrifice. Maybe he was a bit scarred by the Cult of Chakyum, leading to a bit of sensitivity.
The Serrania de la Macarena civilization shard was essentially unprotected, and the human residents had formed what amounted to a small camp at the edge of what Coop first assumed was the river of blood. As Coop got the explanation from Juliana and they observed the territory, massive flocks of blue and yellow macaws took off from the trees in the distance, circling the perimeter in hundreds of pairs and triplets before settling in a different set of nests. The process repeated with different flocks, each revealing that hundreds of thousands of the birds must have been present in the vicinity of the shard, each checking for a disturbance within their territory.
When Coop’s little party was noticed, during Juliana’s explanation, the birds grew even noisier, as if announcing their presence to the rest of the forest. Then, while Coop was distracted by the parrots, the nearby trees exploded in movement and loud chittering as hundreds of tiny monkeys revealed their nestled troupes among the leaves, rushing to be at the forefront of what seemed like a confrontation between wild animals and intruders.
The first burst of movement triggered a reaction that cascaded through the tops of the trees. Thousands upon thousands of spider monkeys started swinging through the branches while larger groups of squirrel monkeys bunched together, shoving in between each other to get closer to Coop and Juliana.
Coop started to feel threatened as thousands of auras pressed upon their position, and even Felix huddled a bit closer to his side, despite being a fearsome predator himself. Coop flexed Presence of Mind, checking some of the auras that crowded the edge of the stone clearing to gauge the danger.
[Capuchin Monkey (Level 215)]
[Rib Biter (Agility)]
[Spider Monkey (Level 258)]
[Wrathful Fang (Agility)]
[Spider Monkey (Level 294)]
[Martial Daeva (Acumen)]
[Squirrel Monkey (Level 233)]
[Ankle Crusher (Strength)]
[Capuchin Monkey (Level 289)]
[Awakened Striker (Intelligence)]
“Oh…” Coop’s eyes widened as he put two and two together, realizing this settlement wasn’t an exclusively human territory. The population he had expected was reflected in not just the monkey armies that were swarming the forest, but also in the enormous flocks of parrots that were also inching closer to the small clearing that Coop, Juliana, and Felix had entered, as if there was an alliance of jungle creatures defending this territory.
He was wrong about the lack of fortifications. The rugged forested terrain was a natural barrier dominated by what may have been millions of sentries. They all demonstrated impressive progress that hinted at thorough control of the region, given their numbers and shared experience.
The monkeys screeched and howled in response to their presence. Coop’s ethereal round shield solidified from a small burst of mists, joining his spear and armor, as they were essentially backed into a corner. Juliana was making confused sounds, not expecting conflict at all.
The gestures of the monkeys were so human, Coop imagined they were an unruly crowd ready to spectate a gladiator arena, and he already looked the part with his summoned equipment. He never thought he’d have to answer a question of whether or not he could win in a fight against millions of monkeys and parrots, but sometimes life was unpredictable. They couldn’t count him out.
There didn’t seem to be any hope of calming things down given the massive mob that had formed so hastily. Coop didn’t want to make the first move, so he simply prepared the battlefield, slowly channeling Fog of War to avoid forcing a response. If he was alone, he would have retreated, avoiding a bloodbath that helped no one, but he wasn’t sure if Juliana and Felix would be able to escape, so it looked like a fight would be inevitable.
Thin mists gradually spread across the clearing, barely perceptible, while Coop continued to hold his aura back. Between the loud parrots and rambunctious monkeys, he could barely think. They flashed teeth and talons, bristling at the defiance Coop demonstrated when he stared back.
Juliana and Felix inched closer to Coop, both equally caught off guard by the hostile reception. It was Juliana’s first time visiting the settlement as well, since the Jaguar Sun had received their information from Champion Ramona and the other residents of La Piedra ahead of Coop’s arrival. She was just as surprised, despite knowing a bit more than Coop about their destination.
Before either side made any truly aggressive moves, a familiar aura rapidly approached, causing Coop to hesitate in his preparations. A human bounded across the tree line, landing in front of Coop and Juliana with her own cloud burst. The monkeys changed their vocalizations, rapidly communicating with each other, but refusing to cede ground.
“You made it!” Sierra exclaimed excitedly, completely ignoring the audience of wildlife in favor of addressing Coop and Juliana.
“Sierra!” Juliana responded in relief as the Cloud Dancer crashed the party and took center stage.
Sierra turned away and waved at the monkey armies, trying to get them to disperse while communicating with them like they were disobedient children. She put her hands on her hips and reminded them about the hospitality she was promised from the human residents, then returned her attention to Juliana and Coop. “C’mon, they’ll leave us alone. Probably. Let’s go see the Champion before you go hunting.”
She didn’t waste any time and led them toward the tiny settlement with its exposed civilization shard, apparently operating with the same urgency as the first few legs of Coop’s journey. What seemed like a majority of the monkeys declined to leave them alone, following along as she explained the situation, keeping a wide berth from Coop. They appeared to respect his strength as much as he recognized their numbers.
Sierra prattled on, unconcerned with the audience of wildlife. Basically, when he made the plans to grind Slayer titles and it was decided he would go to South America, the Jaguar Sun had only made initial contact with La Piedra. From there, Sierra was sent to the Serrania de la Macarena settlement to scout the next stops while Juliana smoothed things over for Coop in the first location.
The Serrania de la Macarena territory was enormous, covering thousands of square miles, but it was entirely patrolled by the native wildlife that had gathered there. The human residents couldn’t help with guiding him to specific hunting zones as the vast majority of their territory had been unexplored, let alone the lands beyond. They were a combination of local guides, visiting tourists caught by the assimilation, and survivors from Bogota. Truthfully, the shard belonged to the animals, but there were enough humans to form a resilient community that was mostly sheltered from Primal Construct raids.
Elsewhere, in the forest, there were countless villages formed in exactly the same way. While Coop had assumed the human population surrounding the shard was all that the territory had to offer, he was actually mistaken. In a strange inversion, it was the humans that survived in smaller groups, forming individually communities within the broader territory, and it was the animals that had grouped together to defend the civilization shard.
Within the thousands of miles of forest, there were hundreds of small communities loosely connected by the existence of the taming settlement territory and the armies of parrots and monkeys that maintained the lands. Coop had imagined several different possibilities for how settlements might be organized, but he had failed to anticipate what he found after just two new locations.
The population of Colombia and portions of Venezuela had been broadly split between the two settlements. The dividing line was the Magdalena River Valley, which he and Juliana had crossed without a second thought. The good news was that both surviving population centers could reach the river when the Tempest Fleet inevitably explored it, but the bad news was that neither settlement controlled any portion of the river.
Still, the few locals of the core village were excited to meet the Unchosen Champion and did their best to prepare maps that would guide him to suitable monster nests, particularly where they had encountered monsters in the past, before settling into the current setting. Like La Piedra, they were happy to cooperate with the Lighthouse, though Coop thought they were just glad that they hadn’t been forgotten as the world fell apart, not that he could fault them for such feelings.
Before he left the riverside village, Coop promised that more members of his faction would be visiting after him, subtly encouraging them to do what they could about the wildlife, so that they would be able to coordinate plans for the future. Whether the residents of Serrania de la Macarena wanted to move to Ghost Reef or figure out a defensive plan, they would be better connected soon enough.
Sierra disclosed that the animals hadn’t given her as hard a time when she first arrived and the locals believed that they were simply more threatened by Coop, recognizing that even if they all banded together, they might not succeed in repelling him if it came down to it. Coop glanced out the window of the Champion’s hut, seeing batches of monkeys huddled together in the crooks of branches, keeping a close eye on him, not that he felt it was necessary.
Coop went off to find two different Primal Construct variants that he hadn’t seen before but were known to be in the territory. He wandered a bit, moving in the general southern direction that had been pointed out to him until he found the abandoned pre-mana town where most of the locals had lived before resettling around the civilization shard. It bordered another winding river, much muddier in color. Surprisingly enough, the forest had kept its distance, leaving the buildings to stand on their own, just as they had pre-assimilation.
The people had been forced to leave in the early days as Primal Constructs took over, and Coop found the culprits quickly once he found the town. He took his time liberating the dusty streets from Elite Primal Sparkers, just throwing his spear and strolling through the otherwise empty place, slowly picking up speed as he warmed up, waiting for normal variants to appear so that he could really start his grind.
In maybe 20 minutes he had cleared a thousand monsters on a dozen streets and already found himself at the opposite end of the town. At the side there was a small sign indicating the entrance of La Macarena Airport. Coop let himself in, exploring the single strip runway with a single abandoned prop plane with its tail detached. The air strip proved to be an even denser hunting ground than the town, much like the ninth hole of the golf course outside of Empress City.
Coop established a comfortable rotation as he was watched by hundreds of curious monkeys who had followed him out of the forest. They lined up on walls and stayed above the ground in the bordering trees, shoving each other for the best view. The quests were completed relatively fast, despite his leisurely pace, leaving him plenty of time to find the second variant among the ranchlands that remained after mana had activated.
As he left the town, he noted that some of the monkeys that had been sitting on tin roofs, watching him from a distance, were already defeating the respawns. He chuckled to himself as he mistjumped away, thinking monkey see, monkey do.
He didn’t go back to the village until he had both new Slayer titles. While there weren’t any Infestations for him to clear out before he got into the normal monsters, there were still plenty of Elites and even a single wandering Field Boss. He assumed that incidental conflicts with local fauna had prevented proper development of Primal Construct domains. A place like the airport might have been a decent place for Constructs to get established, but the forests were too hostile.
By the time he returned with two Slayer titles added to his stack, both Juliana and Sierra were ready to take him to the final stop of the Jaguar Sun’s leg of his journey. They would be heading south west, back into the Andes Mountains and toward the Pacific Coast, where another human stronghold was known to be.
Comments
JaceVAmor
i'm excited about the chapter planned for this
JaceVAmor
her pov is gonna be at the start of the next book
small_brain_boy
I'm curious when the next Off Earth POV is going to happen. I'd love to see her reaction to Coop taking down a level 5,000, then disappearing and reappearing on the leaderboards. I hope it's from the lady the Empire cast away. I very much enjoyed her previous POV's.
Nyroe
I wonder if the Mana translation will ever work between animals and humans. It's pretty clear the animals understand humans, but it seems pretty spotty the other way around.
