The Fifth Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  The beasts passed through the chain to attack her.

  She fell under one; they raised their hooves to stop and her beak shot forward, piercing their chest and neck as she backed up.

  She was hit in the back but she screeched at them and dug her claws in, savagely hitting them with her beak.

  The beasts were hitting one another with their bulk and horns.

  She stunned, clawed, and attacked. Her beak and talons were vicious tools.

  Three of the herd lay dead at her feet; half a dozen others were wounded.

  She tore open a beast and swallowed their beast core whole, covered in their blood.

  A larger member of the herd let out a roar. The others parted for the older and larger beast.

  There you are. Pan Kun looked at the leader of the herd.

  His bulk was impressive and there were a number of scars on his body. He raised his front, smashing on the ground.

  The bator let out a yell that struck the king head on. His eyes were rolling but he stayed on his feet. She jumped over and stuck her talons into his side, at the limit of her chain, and she pecked at the beast relentlessly. The king roared out in pain. Foam appeared from his mouth and his eyes were still focusing as he tossed his head back and forth but wasn’t able to get her.

  She left ragged wounds on him and he finally turned and ran. The herd, seeing their king leaving, ran after him. They ran across the hill and into the forest, fleeing the flying demon.

  The winged beast opened her wings, one of them not opening fully. It was clearly broken. Its scales had been torn off in places and it was heavily wounded.

  It pecked at the chain around its neck and strained, but it was too tired. It looked around and made to eat the fallen beasts.

  Pan Kun pulled out the second scroll. He activated the beast taming scroll. A spell circle fell around the beast. Stunned and tired by the change, she tried to escape once again. Red runes appeared on her body. Her actions became weaker as she calmed down.

  Pan Kun looked at the other members of the Vermire guards. He had told them about his complete plan and the second part to try to tame either the bator or the herd king.

  They moved out of the tree line, ready to attack as a second spell formation appeared opposite the bator.

  Pan Kun grabbed his war axe, the other hand holding onto the spell scroll.

  “Pan Kun,” Nasreen hissed.

  “One second.” Pan Kun walked up toward the beast and stepped into the second spell formation.

  He waited and runes appeared on his body.

  ==========

  Do you wish to bind this creature to you?

  ==========

  YES/NO

  ==========

  “Yes,” Pan Kun said.

  The beast looked at Pan Kun. Her eyes started to clear and a power flashed around them both. Pan Kun felt a connection to the bator.

  ==========

  Bond formed

  ==========

  The spell formation disappeared. The bator’s eyes cleared fully and it looked at Pan Kun and tilted her head, waiting for a command.

  Pan Kun looked at the bator, a little stunned. “That seemed easier than I thought it would be.” Pan Kun said, “Come here.”

  She waddled over on her talons and looked up at him.

  “Get me the monster cores,” Pan Kun said.

  She turned and hopped over to the beasts, using her half broken wing. She rooted around in the beasts and pulled out one beast core and handed it to him. She pulled out the other and passed it to him as well.

  Pan Kun held his axe tighter as she stared at him for new orders.

  He cancelled the first spell scroll. It dissipated into motes of light and the chain disappeared from around her.

  She stretched out fully. She was nearly a meter tall and had a four-meter wingspan.

  “Eat your fill.” Pan Kun indicated to the beasts.

  She happily went over and started to eat.

  He picked up the monster cores, shaking his head as he looked at her.

  He took the monster cores to Nasreen. “We should start to build the outpost,” he said.

  “Next time, tell me when you’re going to do something like that,” Nasreen said.

  The corner of Pan Kun’s mouth lifted. “Maybe.” He pulled out the interface and blueprint for the outpost. “Want to do the honors?”

  Nasreen seemed to think about it for a moment. “Sure.” She grinned and took them both. She went to the top of the flattened hill. Here they could just see over the large trees in the Beast Mountain Range. To the north, there was a pass between the two mountain ranges that curled down to the south like wings. King’s Hill was nearly in the middle of the pass between the mountains, giving it the most central and easiest path to the surrounding outposts.

  Nasreen put the interface on the ground. Pan Kun and the other guards watched as the interface activated. It was already linked to the different outposts so she couldn’t make it just Shadowridge’s outpost.

  The interface sunk into the ground, flush with the grass. She accessed it once again and the blueprint was added to the interface. She altered and moved it around before placing it.

  A skeleton blueprint flashed into existence atop King’s Hill.

  “Welcome to King’s Hill Outpost,” Nasreen said with a laugh.

  The other guards let out cheers and laughed. It had been a long week and a half, fighting across the Beast Mountain Range.

  “Let’s get that road finished and start laying down the foundations,” Pan Kun said.

  “Team one, you protect the outpost location. Team two, construction. Team three, help with the road. We’ve got a lot of work to be done.” Nasreen quickly organized them and they got to work.

  ***

  Nasreen wiped her face as she looked at the tree that she had cut into shape. A pit marked the border of the outpost. With everyone’s strength, it hadn’t taken them long to create the wall’s foundations. They moved to creating the outpost’s headquarters’ foundations.

  They dropped off their food supplies and building materials inside the walls, tents creating their current shelter from the elements. The carts and beasts were used to gather the trees that they had felled along the path to use them.

  “Looks like you’re about done with that log,” Pan Kun said, offering her a canteen of water.

  “This blueprint makes things easier, but building still isn’t easy.” Nasreen gulped down the water.

  “That doesn’t sound confusing, and the blueprint only makes it easier to see where everything should go and speed up putting it together. Hopefully we can get some more crafters to help with shaping the wood, working with the stone. Earth mages are great at this kind of thing.” Pan Kun looked over to Kai, who had fallen asleep on a cot. She had been using her magic to pull stone from the earth, bonding it together to create foundations in the dug holes. She had passed out from mana fatigue.

  “With the stone that we’ve collected from down the side of the hill, we should be able to make the walls. Wish we could make the doors with them,” Nasreen said, staring at the planks she had created.

  “At least someone had the foresight to send us smithed hinges or else we wouldn’t have anything to hold them up with.” Pan Kun snorted. “Once Kai is awake, it should be easier for her to just fuse the stone together into the walls we need. We’ll still need to make the wooden roof for the village headquarters.” Pan Kun looked at the simple hall in the middle of the outpost that had been dug out.

  “How does being a bator dad feel?”

  “Umm...” Pan Kun gave her an odd look before he shrugged. “Well, she’s hurt pretty bad. She needs plenty of food and rest to recover. Hoping that the Alva Healing House can heal her up properly.”

  “Everything takes time,” Nasreen said. She heard hooves approaching and she looked down toward where the road would be. We need to grade out the ground still so that carts aren’t just shooting down there.

 
Two guards from Shadowridge climbed the hill, looking at the outline of King’s Hill Outpost. Nasreen waved them over.

  They arrived in front of her. “The alliance is under attack. A number of outposts that weren’t part of the alliance found out about it and are attacking different outposts or locking them down so that people can’t enter or leave.”

  “Crap,” Nasreen said. We just broke ground on King’s Hill Outpost. With their outposts being attacked, would the outpost lords care about an outpost in the middle of the Beast Mountain Range, or about trying to keep their own outpost?

  “Vermire?” Pan Kun asked.

  “Lady Sumi’s people arrived yesterday. She has sent out nearly all of her Twilight guards and mercenary bands. It looks like most of them have the backing of different kingdoms and empires. They have siege weapons.”

  Pan Kun snorted but didn’t seem worried.

  “This is from your father.” One of the riders passed Nasreen a message.

  She scanned through it quickly.

  The alliance is on the precipice of falling apart. With everyone pinned down, they cannot support one another. They are employing a lot of mercenaries and have numbers as well as weapons on their side. Outposts are demanding their guards to return. Others are asking for us to retaliate. It has created chaos. Notify me immediately as soon as the outpost interface is completed. We can send out word to the other outposts and bind their troops to it to increase their strength with passive bonuses. With the force that is located at King’s Hill Outpost, remain there and send the other guards back. You will work on the outpost, then we will send out the guards with our own to reinforce and support our allies.

  “Did you come with the supplies?” Pan Kun asked.

  “We have brought crafters and people to assist in building the road,” the guard said.

  “Okay, well then, time we got to work.” Pan Kun headed down the hill.

  “Aren’t you afraid?” Nasreen asked.

  Pan Kun looked to her. A smile spread across his face that didn’t reach his eyes. “My lord won’t fall with a few mercenaries and war weapons pointed his way.”

  Nasreen felt that he was hiding his true thoughts, but he just turned and kept walking down the hill toward the supplies to organize them.

  Nasreen whistled and drew the attention of the other guards. They all came over in high spirits.

  “A group of outpost lords have attacked outposts of the alliance. The Shadowridge guards will hold this position and continue to work on King’s Hill Outpost. The rest of you will return to Shadowridge to meet up with our guards to support the members of the alliance,” Nasreen said.

  The atmosphere plummeted.

  Their outposts were their homes, where their families lived. If they fell, then their families would be in the midst of it all.

  “Collect your gear and move to the road. You’ll ride back in the supply carts,” Nasreen said.

  They started to disperse, quickly gathering their weapons, armor, and gear.

  Chapter: War in Beast Mountain Range

  Leo looked at the small army gathered outside his gates. Their camp lay out of arrow range and his strongest mages could only send spells that would be mildly annoying to the attackers.

  They had been waiting for three days. Neither of the two sides sent messages or communicated with one another. They prepared their weapons, readying for war.

  Leo looked at the enemy with a dark expression.

  “Well, at least my cousin’s army came prepared. Looks like they allied themselves with the Dapan empire and hired out every mercenary in their outpost,” Leo muttered.

  They’re well prepared and ready for a fight. We have supplies for a fight if we need it, but that is an empire’s army. Although the outpost guards are good at dealing with powerful mercenaries and beasts that cause trouble, they aren’t trained to siege.

  An empire’s army is completely different. They are trained to siege. Just looking at their formations and their weapons, it’s clear that they are well prepared to take down my Sea Castle Outpost.

  Leo gritted his teeth and his hand tightened around his sword.

  “Lord!” a woman said, running up.

  The guards around Leo all tensed, holding their weapons.

  Leo waved for them to calm down, recognizing the messenger. “What is it?” he asked in a clipped tone, at odds with his normal easy smile and relaxed manners.

  “A letter has arrived from Vermire,” she said.

  A guard took the letter and opened it. They checked inside and pulled out a bracelet as well as papers with magical runes on them. He checked it and then passed it to Leo.

  Leo looked them over. “This is one of those communication devices and sound transmission talismans.” Leo checked the device and put it on his wrist.

  The bracelet glowed slightly. A few seconds later, a voice came from the bracelet.

  “Ah, Outpost Lord Leo, it’s Aditya. I know you’re not one for small talk. King’s Hill Outpost has been established. I am informed that the forces there are moving to reinforce the outposts closest and band together with guards from those outposts to sweep around the Beast Mountain Range to assist our allies. Now, this might take some time. My forces have remained at King’s Hill Outpost. They are defending the crafters and have planted a true outpost interface there. I wanted it to be a surprise, and I guess now it is.” Aditya laughed.

  “How does that help?” Leo asked in a terse voice, feeling he was being played with.

  Aditya let out a dark laugh. “Well, it is simple, really. The outpost’s leadership will be the alliance leadership. Which makes you a leader of the outpost, which makes your population part of the outpost’s numbers. Have you heard of the passives that an army defending their home can gain if they are recognized as a village, or a city?”

  Leo’s eyes shook.

  With all of the outpost lords as the alliance leaders, that means that all of the people sworn to us will become the outpost’s citizens, boosting the population of the outpost interface, upgrading it to village or city grade, increasing the passives placed on the army. It should bolster our strength considerably, increasing the chance that we can defend against the other outpost lords’ attacks.

  “When will it take effect?” Leo asked.

  “Tonight. By that time, I should have reached out to all of the outpost lords and contacted them. The papers are sound transmission talismans. Inside the letter, I also gave you information on how to contact the other lords. With it, we can create a network, knowing where to strike and where to reserve our strength.”

  “That is a good plan. Communication is a powerful tool,” Leo said, hidden meanings within his words.

  “That it is, and information can be like a knife or a shield. Once this is resolved, I am planning to host another dinner to our victory and discuss King’s Hill Outpost,” Aditya said, as if the current predicament wasn’t anything to worry about.

  “Once this is all done, I hope that we can share a beer as allies,” Leo said.

  “I would like that, too—to the King’s Hill Outpost Alliance.” Aditya sounded amused before the bracelet dimmed.

  “Well, Lord Aditya doesn’t fail to surprise still.” Leo looked at the gathering forces, his mind turning over.

  Who is the real threat? Who is the one that is a greater problem? Does Aditya mean us good or are we simply jumping out of the fire into the tiger’s mouth?

  The attackers started to move, pushing their rolling siege towers, catapults, and wheeled trebuchets.

  “Ballistas?” Leo asked, not looking away from the enemy.

  “Ready, my lord!” a sub-commander said, standing nearby.

  Leo waited as the trebuchets got into place. He looked as the catapults paused. They had coverings on their front to protect their crews.

  The other groups halted, their shields ready as they waited for the order to charge, standing in their formations or hiding behind the siege towers.

  Still, they
were outside of effective bow range.

  “Light the ballistas,” Leo commanded.

  A bagpipe sounded off and the ballistas heads were lit.

  “They are all lit, my lord,” the sub-commander reported.

  “Fire!”

  The bagpipe sounded out, followed by the whoosh of released arrows and the deep wooden noises of the ballista arms’ tension being released.

  They shot out their nearly meter-long loads. They were tilted upward, creating a fiery rain that struck the catapults and the trebuchets. Some missed, hitting the ground, while others cut through the formations. It didn’t kill many but it sent the groups into disarray and they had to reform.

  The catapults were hit with multiple ballista arrows that stuck into their hides, trying to reach the wood and set it on fire.

  A few who were caught outside of the defenses were killed and a few started to smoke as the wood was catching on fire.

  The trebuchet crews were safer, due to their range. Ballista hit the ground around them, saturating the area around a trebuchet to kill the operators and strike the siege weapon.

  It only took out a fraction of the enemy’s ranged attack power.

  The trebuchets creaked as they released their payloads and the catapults joined in.

  Rocks struck the ground ahead of the wall, walking their fire up to the wall and landing beyond.

  The wall was rocked in places. The battlements exploded when hit straight on. A few unlucky people were killed in the attack. The defenders hid in stone-constructed huts along the wall while the ballista crews in their own stone towers rapidly reloaded and fired again.

  Leo watched this from his own tower, looking at the shield warriors and those around the siege towers.

  They really think highly of us. There must be close to two and a half thousand out there, while our normal guard force is reduced to four hundred and fifty. They’re confident that they have the time to wear us down as well. Their commander doesn’t seem impatient, ready to wear down our walls and our morale with constant bombardment.

  ***

  Valter stood outside of his command tent, looking at Vermire. The outpost stood there, its new walls standing uniform across the two rises it rested on.