The Fifth Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  Tian Cui slashed a nearby tentacle. Red curses spread from her blade into the octopus as everyone piled on their attacks.

  The octopus didn’t have time to react as the attacks landed, claiming its life as it fell into the water. A tombstone appeared above it.

  Elan was still crouched, looking at it all in shock.

  Instead of celebrating, they all checked their weapons and armor, reloading what they had as Storbon retrieved his spear and inspected it.

  Elan got up, looking at them all. Monsters, monsters in human skin! How did they train to be able to work so flawlessly together?

  “Mister Silaz, did your level increase?” Storbon asked.

  Elan smiled dryly and checked his notifications. “I’m now level thirty-one.”

  “Good, that’s two more levels. We should be able to level you up in another two or three beasts now we’re into the high thirty monsters,” Storbon said.

  “Why do I feel that you’re not even trying hard?” Elan muttered.

  “Well, it would be boring to finish them off so quickly and it’s good for us to train our different skills by handicapping ourselves,” Tian Cui said.

  Elan nearly jumped out of his skin. He didn’t realize she was so close.

  “Really?” Elan had been joking, but as he looked at the sheepish smiles and shrugs from the rest of the group, he could only shake his head.

  ***

  Hiao Xen sat up in bed, holding a light stone in his hand, just letting out a little bit of light so that he could read the report in his hand.

  “You work more now than you did with the Blue Lotus,” Nuo Xen, his wife, complained. The light caught her eyes as she looked up at him with a pouting expression on her face.

  Hiao Xen stored the light stone away quickly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “Is something worrying you?” She sat up and moved his arm around so she was nestled up against him. She yawned as she closed her eyes.

  Hiao Xen smiled happily.

  She poked him in the side, making him twitch and focus on her words. “Aren’t all of the sects trying to set up places to recruit crafters from?”

  “Yes, though I can’t help but feel uneasy,” Hiao Xen said.

  “It will sort itself out,” she said sleepily.

  “It looks like that on the outside, but inside it means a lot of work to make sure that nothing goes wrong. Even against the Expert-level crafters, we were able to make it out okay.” Hiao Xen relaxed slightly and then let out a tired laugh.

  “Something else wrong?” She opened her eyes to check his expression.

  “No, just thinking about it all. We have people buying up land from all across Vuzgal. I took the advice of Erik and have started to auction off land, piece by piece. The prices people are willing to pay is incredible. There are no less than ten Expert-level crafters in the city, hosted by the different associations. The crafting sector is being quickly built up. The first tier-three building has been completed and the other buildings are not far behind. I am not sure where Erik got the blueprints from.

  “There are new buildings going up every day. We’ve already sold off all of the materials that we have remaining. The Alchemist Association has taken over running the admittance of people to the different dungeons in order to protect their growing lands.

  “The associations have had to rebuild their facilities and it seems that they’re competing with how big they can make them. The Sky Reaching Restaurants have all been doing a quick business, with the Wayside Inns hosting hundreds, if not thousands, of people who wish to visit the city. Vuzgal is booming. It—it, well...”

  “It feels like something will go catastrophically wrong? It feels like if you let go of the reins even a bit, then it could all come crashing down?” Nuo Xen asked.

  Hiao Xen let out a laugh and kissed her head as she’d been able to put his worries into words in just seconds. “Since when were you able to read minds?”

  “Since I married you,” she said with a happy smile. “Don’t worry. You have built everything up to this point. Now it is time to see if it truly works. Erik and Rugrat placed their trust in you. They wouldn’t leave you in the city alone if they didn’t.”

  “It would be easier if I knew where they were,” Hiao Xen said dryly.

  “Everyone has their secrets, but they trust you for this position, the leader of Vuzgal. Now even the elders of the Blue Lotus in the Fourth Realm have to treat you with respect,” she said.

  Hiao Xen nodded.

  “Now, go to sleep. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do anything tomorrow!”

  Chapter: Rise of the Rifle Platoons

  Yui looked out over the balcony over the training square below, seeing men and women wearing simple gray clothes jogging from one class to another. There was a corporal and a sergeant with each group looking over them. Making sure that they didn’t mess up.

  Even as they marched, they were learning, changing their movements so that they moved in time with the person ahead of them. If they didn’t and they stepped on the other person’s boot, then they would both be down on the ground and slow down the group.

  “Taking joy in watching others’ pain, sir?” Sergeant Sun Li saluted.

  Yui smiled and saluted back. “Well, I hear that it really motivates them if I look over and frown a few times.”

  “Ah, yes, the secret art of frowning motivation,” Sun Li said, as if his outlook on the world had been changed.

  Yui rolled his eyes. “What are you coming and looking for me for?”

  “Just wanted to bring you up to date on the latest group to go through scout training,” Sun Li said.

  “Walk with me. I have to go to the quartermaster’s to check how things are going with uniforms, armor, and the like,” Yui said.

  “Will they have weapons and armor ready for everyone?” Sun Li asked.

  Yui activated a formation that would keep anyone from listening to them. “I don’t think on this training rotation. They should have their armor and their basic clothing, but they’ll be using repeaters. Veteran units and scouts are first priority, though I have heard that production has increased, so it shouldn’t be long until we have some more weapons for people.”

  “What about grenade launchers and the mortars?”

  “Mortar round production is increasing as well. The number of grenade launchers produced is still low. To increase the speed and reliability, for now, until the crafters increase in skill, we will be only making launchers with one changeable formation socket. Though, the people in the formation workshop have been working hard to make different versions that will give us an edge in fighting.” Yui stretched.

  “Yeah, those things are badass,” Sun Li said.

  Yui looked over.

  “Highly effective weapons of awesome explosiveness?” Sun Li raised his shoulders, in question.

  “Looks like we might be making a professional military with no professionals in it,” Yui said.

  Sun Li just laughed.

  “So, what were you saying about the scouts?”

  “So the scout section has been broken down and they are training the other vets. Once they have completed training, they will be ranked as corporals, and get that sweet bump in pay. Once we have completed that training, we will focus on the recruits,” Sun Li reported.

  “How long until we have all of our people trained and we can train the recruits?”

  “Take another week for Second Rifle Squad to become a scout squad. Then two more weeks and First Rifle Squad will finish their scout training as well. Give us all of our people back to train up shiny new recruits,” Sun Li said.

  “Okay, I got some information from Erik on the medic squads. They need to attend a weeklong course at the academy, then they will get hands-on experience in Vermire for a month. They will be qualified as medics. He’s looking to set up a hospital here in Vuzgal so we won’t need to send people far to heal others.”

  “The engineers, mages, and close prot
ection?”

  “Modified training, with assistance from academy teachers. Work in workshops first, get our basics down, then training in the field. Mages, there will be a new training course. Mages will be trained in close quarters combat as well as ranged combat at the barracks by the strongest in the army. Close protection is being organized by the special teams,” Yui said. “Pass it on to the other sergeants so I don’t have to.”

  “Leave it with me, sir,” Sun Li promised with a grin.

  “We might not be in the operation to clear the Metal floor but our job is no less important. We need to stabilize Vuzgal and grow our military as fast as possible to make sure that no one has plans to attack us from behind.” Yui watched Sun Li closely.

  Sun Li stood taller, looking more determined. “Yes, sir.” There wasn’t any hint of playfulness in his eyes.

  “We also have to teach everyone how to use mortars in the not-so-distant future, so make sure that Sergeant Hall and his people keep their skills up to date.”

  “Will there be a switch up in companies and moving people around with the new people?” Sun Li asked.

  “For now we’ll remain in our companies, though if there are positions for advancement then anyone can apply for them. It might come with changing companies. We’re all one military at the end of the day. Which reminds me, make sure that your squad is ready to move at all times. If something happens down below or here, we’ll need your people to react first. I want to have trained soldiers on our walls as soon as damn possible.”

  “Agreed, though the first batch of recruits should be finished in five more weeks,” Sun Li said.

  “We’ve sped up the program. Should be able to fit into two months—going to have to make it up in the scout program. We have two hundred and twenty-five training here in Vuzgal, with the same amount training down in Alva. We’ll have around five hundred people in our ranks, hopefully more if we don’t have that many dropouts and failures. Dragon Company will have the advantage with people from Alva, so we’re going to have a lot of people changing companies to get the fresh blood in and move people up the rank and training ladder. Captain Glosil has a plan.”

  “Five hundred soldiers? Well, damn, we had only a hundred a few weeks ago,” Sun Li said.

  “Quality over quantity, though,” Yui repeated.

  “Don’t I know it. None of them will be making it past me unless I’d trust them to watch my ass.”

  ***

  Elise looked at the warehouses of Alva. They were secured and locked up. The people working there had all taken restrictive oaths; nearly all of them were from the academy. There were classes going through with their teachers, using this as an opportunity to expand their horizons.

  The lower-grade students would separate out the loot, with the higher-level students or graduates getting it afterward to appraise the item, or if they didn’t know what it was, pass it to others for them to figure out what the item was.

  “So this is the system that you came up with,” Delilah said as she stood with Elise.

  “Yes, but it’s a mess. We have thousands of items and hundreds of people to sort it all out. There’s a lot of items that they have never seen. I’ve got Egbert down here a few times to look at things. He is like a damn book with the amount of items he knows. Somehow he keeps on getting away from me.”

  “Like master, like minion?” Delilah asked.

  Elise had to shake her head as she let out a half laugh. “Yeah, it might be hard to get him to come down here but Erik and Rugrat have supernatural abilities in avoiding tasks they don’t want to do.”

  The two of them sighed, thinking of their overlords.

  “So, what are you thinking for these items?”

  “I’m thinking that I would like to be a full trader instead of the person just representing them. But then I remember the stipend that I get for this, and know that my trading company is among them, and I don’t want to be lynched by the other traders.”

  “In smaller words?”

  “We hit one hell of a jackpot. We have cultivation resources, we have jewels from across the realms, there are texts and books that could fill the old library three times over. I have no idea what are in them. Thankfully, that was one thing I was able to pass on to Egbert, who has his librarians looking through them. Did you hear that they’re going to be the teachers for the mage units?”

  “The librarians? They haven’t been in combat, or at least much combat,” Delilah said incredulously.

  “They might not have been fighting, but with all of their research and the knowledge they have, they’ve been studying magic most days. Most of them are also spell scroll scribes. Makes sense when you think about it.”

  “Yeah, but, just kind of hard picturing a warlock librarian, right? Am I wrong?”

  “I’m just the lady who ran the only real store in a village.”

  “When you put it that way...” Delilah trailed off. “Well, I will leave you to it. Remember that the best aids should be recorded down and saved. Rugrat and Erik have plans for them.”

  “I think everyone would have a use for it,” Elise said dryly as they shared a smile and waved good-bye, heading back to their other duties.

  ***

  Glosil stood in his combats with the rest of the group that had come down from Vuzgal or been pulled from their duties in Alva on special orders. Others who were free had also come to see what the citizens of Alva had done.

  In a corner of the park, there were some trees and shrubs. Outside, there was a placard with the Alva Army’s emblem. It had been newly created.

  It showed the Vuzgal castle with its pillar on top. If one was to look closely and were from Alva, they would notice that the pillar was actually modeled after the dungeon headquarters building. A light reached into the heavens, with two swords crossing in front.

  Following the trails, one would first find a stone wall that was polished to a mirror finish. On it were the names of those who had fallen in the defense of Alva Village.

  There was another tablet telling the story of Alva, from village to dungeon, and the history of the military.

  One could only feel pride listening to what they had done.

  Then there was the final tablet. On it there were names, thirteen of them. A picture was carved into the stone.

  When someone stood in front of the mural, a formation would detect which name they were looking at and a voice would read off the citation of how they died, what they were doing, which unit they belonged to, and how old they were. At the end, a person would appear: a friend, a fellow member of their unit, a family member. The person who stood on that square would listen to them talk about the deceased. When they stepped away, they would no longer be just a name on a wall.

  Glosil coughed and cleared his throat. To him, those names had never been names on a wall; they had been the sergeant who looked after his people. The private who put his shirt on backward when running to line up.

  It wasn’t a big ceremony. There were no grand speeches; people just wandered into the garden, slowly, in ones or twos. Many came out with tears in their eyes.

  He didn’t miss the looks they turned his way.

  Glosil saw all of them standing a bit taller, here for their friends; some of them were the recordings for the ones lost.

  People came over and talked to them.

  In most armies, they look down on the people, seeing them as weaker because of their lower levels. Even when they’re five times or ten times higher in levels, they respect the people and the people respect them. Not due to their strength, but for their sacrifice.

  Glosil turned his head, feeling eyes on him. He looked up to see two men leaving the garden. Is that—?

  Glosil caught Erik’s eye and Erik nodded to Glosil. Rugrat, beside him, greeted Glosil the same way as they headed off.

  This is about the lost and about Alva. With us there, we don’t want to distract or take away from it. Glosil remembered Erik’s words.

  He grit
ted his teeth.

  They’re commanders worth fighting for, dying for.

  Chapter: Move on the Metal Floor

  Everyone checked their gear. Rugrat pulled on Erik’s straps and had him jump up and down.

  “Good,” Rugrat said, seeing that nothing was going to fall out of Erik’s gear as they were fighting in the Metal floor.

  “Thanks,” Erik said as the rest of the army were doing the same.

  George moved around, pawing at the armor over his body. He didn’t like wearing it so close to his fur, and looked at Rugrat with unhappy eyes.

  “Who is a good boy?” Rugrat pat George and scratched through some of the armored plates.

  George looked appeased with the praise. As Rugrat pulled out a big steak and waved it in front of George’s face, he snapped at it. Rugrat pulled it back before he could get it. George gave him an accusatory look as Rugrat looked unhappily at him.

  “Sit!” Rugrat said.

  George planted his ass on the ground. His tail moved lazily from side to side, unable to hide his excitement completely.

  Rugrat held the steak as Gilga looked over and made a screeching noise at Erik, who was checking his saddle and her armor.

  “You just got food,” Erik complained.

  Gilga let out another screech and Erik let out a groan.

  “Sit!” he said.

  Gilga, the century-old beast, sat down eagerly, making the floor shake. She had her tongue hanging out of her mouth, not looking too different from George’s expression.

  Rugrat tossed the steak to George; he snapped it out of the air and chewed on it, quickly devouring it.

  Erik tossed up the piece of meat for Gilga; she shot forward, grabbing it and tilting her neck back, looking at him with big eyes.

  “I’ll give you another once we’re done,” Erik said.

  She let out a noise of complaint, trying to barter with him as Rugrat patted George, leaving the two of them to their discussion.