The Fifth Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  Rugrat pulled out an Earth-grade iron ingot and used Scan on it, combining his domain with his Simple Inorganic Scan and the Scan spell that Klaus had given him.

  Rugrat looked through the ingot. He didn’t just look at the purity and the grade; he saw the makeup of the ingot; he saw how the mana flowed through it. How it had been pressed into a shape filled with weaknesses.

  “Just because it is solid, I have been treating it like a brick. That would be true on Earth, but here, everything is a part of the Ten Realms. Everything is part of everything else through mana. If I look at it like alchemists look at ingredients, then it changes everything. I said from the beginning I wanted to build a weapon that from the base up made it the strongest it could be. I started to focus on how to hammer, how to shape the metal, but I forgot that original goal. Damn, this is a dumb idea, but I need to see if it works.”

  Rugrat sat there and pulled out a notepad. “I need to check with Tanya about pure magic, talk to the alchemists and refiners about how they prepare their irons and their ingredients, delve into the external use of mana, formations and specifically, natural formations. I should return to the dungeon to see the different floors. Study how different mana attributes move.”

  Rugrat was filled with energy as he put down notes.

  Chapter: Halfway Point

  Lady Sumi read through the letters that covered her desk.

  A man wearing armor and a red band on his arm stepped into the room and dropped to his knee in front of her.

  She finished working on the letter in front of her. “How are the preparations, Valter?” she asked, looking down at him.

  “Our forces are ready to move at a moment’s notice. I have scouts who are already watching Vermire. Nothing will move in or out of the outpost without our knowledge.”

  “Good. Once they reach the halfway mark, they should start to relax some. They should reach that point in a day or two,” Sumi said. “Head out. I want Aditya’s head on a plate.”

  Valter hesitated for a second.

  “Is there an issue?” she asked.

  “Lady Sumi, leaving you with such a small guard—I think that it is wrong. My instincts tell me to leave more guards with you.”

  “Are you sure that you can take Vermire with a smaller force?” Sumi asked.

  “No, I am not,” Valter said.

  “We have the walls and I am not without a few tricks. They have been planning this for some time and they’re still keeping everything hidden. If they had something to deal with the rest of the outposts, don’t you think they would have done it already?”

  “Lord Aditya has powerful means,” Valter said.

  “Lord?” Lady Sumi stood and her chair fell to the floor. “That worthless creature had my treasure and I had to find his family members to make him appear. Now that spineless coward has crawled his way up to his current position. He is nothing more than that worthless mercenary from before, looking to go over my head. This time I will not leave him alive.”

  The room chilled and Valter bowed deeply, not wanting to gain his lady’s ire.

  She took some time to calm down before she shook her head. “The other lords are all attacking different outposts. All of the outpost lords taking part in the alliance will be demanding reinforcements, placing pressure on Aditya. Each of the people we have contacted will be sending half of their force to take their rival’s outpost, and most of them have an outpost interface that give their military forces a bonus when claiming another’s land. Although Vermire does not have an outpost interface, we do. We also have a high population. The only reason I let so many live within my walls is to increase the buffs that we receive. We have surprise, we have strength, we have numbers, and you have spell scrolls to use. If you fail, you shouldn’t come back alive.”

  Valter pressed his forehead to the ground. “I will win or I will die in the attempt!”

  “Then go and get me another outpost,” Sumi said.

  Valter got up and bowed again, rushing out of her office.

  “Send out the letters to the other outpost leaders. It’s time we did something about this King’s Hill Outpost Alliance,” Lady Sumi spat.

  ***

  “These...” Aditya looked stunned at the two plates in front of him.

  “Are these not what you were looking for? One is to be used for Vermire. The second should be sent out to Pan Kun. I can have some of my people do it, but I wanted to make sure that you knew of it beforehand,” Evernight said, clearly pleased with his shocked look.

  I was only talking about these and in just a few days you have two spare outpost interfaces?

  Once again, he could only shake his head. Instead of trying to figure out how Evernight had been able to get the interfaces, he cleared his throat and put them down with some reluctance. “We will have to explain this to the other leaders.”

  “Tell them that you were able to get them through some shady deals. With this, the more people who are in King’s Hill Outpost, the greater the buffs. If they base their troops there, then they will all get a buff as well.”

  “If we reveal the interface now, as a halfway to completion prize and enjoying it with the others, then when the other outposts attack, we offer for them to base their people in King’s Hill Outpost, to gain a buff, allowing them to hold off the enemy easier,” Aditya said.

  “I didn’t think of that but that would be a good idea,” Evernight agreed.

  “Our scouts have reported that several outposts have started to send their people out of the city. The outpost lords have started to lock down the outpost to make sure that no information leaks. My people tell me that people are talking about how rich Vermire is recently.” Aditya looked to Evernight.

  “Well, a few good words here and there can sway the people. If they look at Vermire in a good light, it might make things easier later on.”

  “It will be a day or two until the attacks start,” Aditya said.

  “Well, I hope that the road is going well,” Evernight said.

  ***

  Emmanuel Fayad read the latest letter from Aditya. They had celebrated reaching the halfway mark yesterday.

  Aditya sent a private message to several other outpost lords, revealing one of his cards that he had kept close to his chest.

  “An outpost interface.” Emmanuel shook his head. “This will make defending and upgrading the outpost much easier. The more people we have within the walls, the greater buffs that we can receive. Most of the outpost leaders don’t have one of these interfaces. He has even volunteered for us to base our forces there in name and then they would gain passive bonuses to increase their strength.”

  Emmanuel put down his letter. “It is a smart move to bring us all closer together, show that he is with us by revealing something so powerful. Also sharing that power with the others. Though he makes it clear that he didn’t share it with everyone and he thinks that someone has leaked information on our operation to others.”

  He mentions who he has sent the letters to, which means he trusts all of us, creating an iron-like alliance within the alliance. He only misses out on two lords who are part of the agreement.

  Emmanuel tapped his hand on the table and wrote up a message to be passed to Nasreen.

  ***

  Pan Kun scouted deep into the forest as there was a bird call from one of the trees. He looked over as a man walked out. He wore the same armor and weapons as the people who had trained the guards of Vermire.

  Pan Kun tilted his head to them as they pulled out a covered square.

  “You know what this is?” the man asked.

  “Interface,” Pan Kun said.

  “Make sure that you protect it,” the man said.

  “I will.” Pan Kun glanced at the markings on the man’s arm. “Sergeant.”

  The man nodded and passed the interface over. “This is on you guys. We won’t assist—though, we did pick up tracks of a bator.”

  “A bator?” Pan Kun asked.

  �
��Flying beast. Able to carry off large beasts. Lives on top of a hill near King’s Hill. It isn’t strong enough to reach into the mountain range. It is, however, more than enough to kill a number of people on your trip.” The sergeant pulled out a spell scroll and passed it to Pan Kun. “This will restrict their ability to fly for a few minutes. This will tame a beast.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant,” Pan Kun said.

  “Don’t worry, I don’t think it will be long until you’re one of us.” The sergeant smiled and waved his hand. A panther appeared and he headed off.

  Pan Kun heard others moving in the distance but he couldn’t see them.

  Pan Kun put the scroll away and put the interface under his armor. Although we have to move carefully through the Beast Mountain Range, it isn’t much of a threat to them.

  Pan Kun grinned, excited at the thought that he might become one of them in the future. He turned and headed back to where the caravan was stopped for the night.

  Chapter: Strength Reserved, Strength Displayed

  Rugrat finished his lecture on Mana Gathering as the class came to an end and the bell sounded, telling people to head to their next class.

  Rugrat left with them but was surrounded by Storbon and his half section.

  “Erik still on the Earth floor?”

  “Yup, he’s been down there for three weeks now,” Storbon said.

  “Don’t worry. He’s a hard bastard to kill, and a determined one.” Rugrat grinned. There was pride in his voice. They didn’t give up easily.

  People looked over at Rugrat, feeling the unconscious pressure he released with his domain. He retracted his power.

  I want to see how strong he is the next time he comes out.

  “Davin should have the formations complete today,” Rugrat said.

  “The Fire floor?” Setsuko said.

  “Well, at least it should be warm,” Rugrat joked.

  They opened up the other floors for training for the military, to passively temper their bodies and make it faster for people to adapt to different environments.

  “You going to complete your Earth tempering to get Body Like Iron?”

  “I’m not like Major West—I don’t have that high of a pain tolerance!”

  ***

  Old Hei and Delilah watched as an Expert from one of the sects was presented with a box. It was opened to reveal a brown-looking pill that looked like dirt that had been turned into a packed ball. An earthy smell like that of freshly made mud pervaded the room, making it feel damp.

  The young man held the pill. He calmed himself, focusing on his breathing. He took the pill and swallowed it.

  He lay back as brown lines traced through his body. Popping noises came from within his body. He let out a hiss of pain as alchemists waited, ready with healing potions.

  The boy cried out as his bones started to snap and then reform. It went on for a few minutes before the man collapsed from the pain. His bones stopped cracking. A golden power surrounded him, signaling his body tempering had reached the Body Like Diamond stage.

  “His bones were tempered a total of ten times! Pill Head Zen Hei is unparalleled in the Third Realm!” The sect head bowed to Old Hei.

  “It is not much.” Old Hei waved his hand and stood, leaving the room.

  It wasn’t until they reached Old Hei’s rooms that Delilah opened her mouth.

  “Why did you not tell Erik that you had a formula to reach Body Like Diamond?”

  “I could see you wanting to ask that the entire time.” Old Hei smiled. “There are two reasons. One, he hasn’t been spending that much time working on his Alchemy recently. Giving him a challenge is the fastest way to get him to dive into Alchemy completely. Second, the concoction I know allows one to increase their Body Cultivation, but there are stages of Body Cultivation. One can reach the next level of cultivation and they will be fine but they will only have a small amount of Earth mana in their bones; they have not infused their body with Earth mana, tempering themselves throughout. Tempering is torture. The more you subject yourself to it, the stronger you will become afterward. Your teacher has the strongest foundation I have seen in a long time. He not only tempered his body with poison, he gained Poison Body. He didn’t just temper his body with Fire mana, he gained Fire Body.” Old Hei’s words hung in the room.

  “So you were doing it to motivate him and devote himself to his task more.” Delilah nodded, falling into deeper thought.

  Old Hei had come to admire the young woman. She was a worthy student and hardworking. He knew that there was a lot on her shoulders, not only her Alchemy. Still, when she was working on Alchemy, she put everything into it.

  “So when are you going to tell him that his student is just a half step away from reaching Expert?” Old Hei asked after a few minutes.

  Delilah coughed a little, hiding her smile behind her hand.

  “Make sure that you take the time to practice in between work.” Old Hei waved his finger at her with a severe expression, even as his eyes shone with pride.

  “Yes, Grand Teacher.” Delilah smiled and bowed to Old Hei.

  “You rascal,” Old Hei said, hearing the teasing tone of Delilah. He let out a hearty laugh, shaking his head.

  “Do you know where you will be staying in the Sixth Realm?” Delilah asked.

  “Seems that you figured it out,” Old Hei said.

  “Watching you perform Alchemy... and talking to some of the people in the headquarters helped,” She admitted with a smile.

  She might be young but she is wise beyond her years, with the meetings she is constantly attending Erik has laid a heavy burden on her shoulders.

  “What level are you, Grand Teacher?”

  “I am a few levels away from Master. Expert is combining knowledge together to perform the necessary actions of your craft; Master is using those combined techniques to prove your theories of Alchemy. Levels and Experience are different when advancing at the Master level.” Old Hei looked over to Delilah, seeing her rapt attention. He felt his own excitement build. There were not many he could share his passion with.

  “At Master, levels are called concepts. You can make a concoction that is a level-one concept. This then advances to a level-ten concept and then the Star system. Every Master-level concoction gives a massive amount of Experience. One gains a higher level based on the higher level concept they have interpreted. Some stop at a certain point and cannot advance, so one needs to go back, correct their theory, and push forward again, hoping to have a higher level concept the next time.

  “As you know, it is possible for an Apprentice to make a Journeyman-level concoction and higher level concoctions. The Star system concoctions are concoctions that touch upon the theories that govern the Ten Realms and one’s body. The difference between Master and the Star level is a Master-level concoction is much weaker than the Star level. A Star level changes a truth of the Ten Realms. Gives people a complete beast bloodline. Can turn beasts into complete humans. Temper the body completely, opening the seventy-two acupoints to make one as strong as Divine Iron. It is breaking not only the normal limits upon the body, but the limits that one has within the Ten Realms. With these concoctions, the Ten Realms are affected.”

  Delilah was lost in imagination, picturing it.

  “Those who are able to reach the Star system are rare. One in ten, maybe twenty billion becomes a person who even touches upon making an item of the Star system level—in any skill. So there are only a few hundred people in the Ten Realms who are capable of making even the first Star system level concoction.”

  Delilah let out a sigh. “The path ahead is not simple nor clear.”

  “No, but its challenges are their own joy to overcome.” Old Hei smiled. “I will be heading to the Sixth Realm in two weeks to take up a teaching position there. If I am able to break through to Master, then the Alchemist Association might even take me to the Eighth Realm.”

  “What are the Sixth and Eighth Realm like?” Delilah asked.

/>   “Well, I have never been there, but from what I was able to learn, the Sixth Realm is largely tame. There are a lot of schools and academies, and competitions are held all the time. Dungeons are operated by the dungeon clans that control the higher realms. That way, everyone can access the dungeons as long as they pay a fee instead of fighting over them as they do in the Fourth Realm.”

  “Dungeon clans?” Delilah asked.

  “As there are city lords, there are dungeon lords—people who can create, modify, and destroy dungeons. They are one of the greatest powers in the Ten Realms. Not even the associations would want to anger them. They control the dungeons in the Sixth Realm and some in the Seventh.”

  “Why not at the higher levels?” Delilah asked.

  “In the Seventh and higher, dungeons undergo a qualitative change. Well, that’s not completely true. They are called holy lands in the higher realms. They are places of high mana concentration. They draw in the surrounding mana, purify it, and make rare and powerful items and materials from the gathered mana. Dungeons can have their own races living inside them—orcs and goblins—that are creatures unable to speak human tongue and they’re able to use magics, weapons and armor.

  “People go to the dungeons in large organized parties like down here. They gather a massive amount of materials and increase their strength. If they can get to the core of the dungeon, then they can absorb the purified mana, increasing one’s Mana Gathering Cultivation, healing hidden wounds, and increasing the strength of their bodies. Also, dungeons can have restrictions, like it might only open once every few years and then allow only twenty people inside. They can be halls that were created by ancient Masters looking for people to inherit their power, or increase the strength of the younger generations. Some sects have been able to remain in their positions just due to holding onto one of these locations.”