Seventh Realm Part 1: A LitRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 8)

by Michael Chatfield

  “Redeployment, shift your forces and the battle in moments. Some of you might ask about the range issues.” Qin threw out two more formation plates. “I just doubled their range, going from four hundred meters to eight hundred meters. The range is your biggest limiting factor, which is why we need formation combat masters to get into the middle of the fight and call in the reinforcements needed. Bolster the squads on the front line whether that means close-range high-level spells, defensive spells, healing spells, summoning golems, buffing your allies, and debuffing the enemy.” Qin took out another formation plate and tossed it down.

  The golems grew stronger.

  “I just increased the power of Earth spells, which work with the Earth golems to increase their overall power.”

  She threw out another formation plate. It locked into place, passing light back into the dimming formations.

  The golems grew once again, the winds and dirt shifting around them as runes appeared on their bodies that took on a more refined look.

  “The first rule of formations: keep them powered. If you run out of power, everything comes apart. Dump in mana stones, add in secondary power formations to distribute the load. Having them all focused on one main formation will burn it out, drain it of power, and collapse.”

  Qin pressed a button on the main formations with her foot. “Releases on the formations will disconnect them so you can rapidly store and re-deploy them. You can deploy them in groups if needed, though it would be better to create a formation stack and use it as required. Interlocking formations are used in fluid situations. Stacks are best prepared, pre-planned, and used for specific missions. Julilah will talk on that more.”

  Qin deactivated the formation and stepped away, giving the floor to Julilah. She pulled out the formation stacks. It looked like an accordion made of metal.

  “Stacks. Pre-made, ready-to-use, complex formations. My friend Qin’s interlocking formations are great, but they are much larger. Stacks have been optimized to be compact while giving the same power as larger-scale traditional flat formations.”

  Julilah turned and locked the top formation in the stack. A mana barrier covered her, and the surrounding mana stirred as the runes on the stack glowed powerfully.

  “With interlocking formations, there are many factors. They’re great in stable applications, just not in military ones. Stacks are better. Just charge them up, lock them in and you’re good to go. With this stack, I have just created a double-skinned mana barrier, activated a clean spell within the space, as well as stamina recovery and a healing spell. Right now, it is a mobile casualty collection point.

  Julilah turned it off and put it into her storage ring, pulling out a formation plate and another stack.

  Qin sighed and shifted in her seat. “Show off,” she muttered.

  Julilah turned on the formation. Ten summoned golems appeared.

  “My golems are weaker than my friend Qin’s, though I have two more. This is an enhancing formation plate.” Julilah held up the formation plate and put it on the ground. “It is very similar to the formation plate that Miss Qin put down.” Julilah put the stack into the recess in the middle of the formation plate.

  The formation plate’s glow increased as runes along the sides of the stack lit up.

  The golems doubled in size, each as strong as the golems Qin’s formations had created.

  “As Miss Qin said, the stacks are built for a situation. In this situation, we needed golem back up. Though with Miss Qin, she needed to increase her own spell attack power, created a defensive barrier, and she summoned golems.”

  Julilah returned to her seat and Tan Xue went up to talk about the melee weapons they were using, spells that would enhance the weapons, ones that would give them greater power at the cost of weakening the weapon, or ones to increase the durability. She talked about the conqueror's armor that was being issued to everyone, as well as the arm and leg armor.

  A CPD leader went up. He had been on the training staff for a long time and spent his time talking about the benefits of using the different repeaters, bows, and firearms. He went over the new belt-fed ammunition system versus the magazines. He explained how bows, if the user was strong enough, could be stronger than the railgun.

  Roska went up next, talking about small spells that could be of use: clean spell on your eyes if you got dirt in them, using dirt or sand spells to blast the enemy in the face and get an opening, how to use time debuffing on the enemy moments before they clashed so they had no time to get used to their new state. She advised them to train with the different settings on the conqueror’s armor, and if possible, train with that power in flux so they could be ready for the chaos.

  “A simple ice spell under a powerful opponent’s foot could make all the difference. If they go down, they’re at your mercy. Metal conducts cold and lightning, while leathers are susceptible to heat. In close range fighting, it is the small quick spells that will have the greatest effect, so listen to Tanya. With her pure magic, your larger spells and smaller spells will be stronger and not cost nearly as much mana.”

  Tanya stepped on stage next.

  “Pure magic takes mana and its attributes and uses them together directly. Spells are a way to control the immense power of mana and the attributes easily, though spells are not formations. Formations outline specific instructions, taking in mana and releasing a result. We are adding in the attributes of our own mana and the environment. All the factors change. A formation burns out, you replace it. If a spell burns out, then the caster will have a violent backlash. While you can use less mana and get better results, remember you’re taking off the training wheels. The risk of spell backlash is immense. That is why pure magic is best suited for small effects.”

  Tanya shrugged and looked at Rugrat.

  “Unless you have advanced your mana gathering cultivations and have an incredible mana sense. With a higher mana sense, you can understand the elements around you and within your body more. Most pure magic only reaches the first three stages of spells: power, function, and direction. With a strong mana sense, you can tap into the elements and enhance your spell with the external mana surrounding you. How?”

  Tanya cleared her throat.

  “Mana sense. Mana sense is an understanding of the world of magic. You can sense the densities of different attributes around you, notice pockets where there is more or less mana. You could reduce the amount of Earth attribute mana you are using in your casting because you notice that the area has a greater ambient Earth attribute, thus using less mana for the same spell effect.”

  Tanya saw people raising their hands.

  “Please wait until the end for questions, though I can think of what one of them might be. Will I run out of the attributes to cast with? The short version is possibly.” Tanya shrugged. “If you are, say, on the water floor and are casting fire spells all the time. In an environment without the fire attribute, you will need to use more mana to make up for the lack of fire attribute in your surroundings and from within your body. We all know how, in different environments, spells can be weaker. There is always some of every attribute around us, or within us, but at different levels. There are ways to counteract this, like using more mana in your cast or tempering your body. As you temper your body, your body naturally refines and holds different attributes. It means that your spells won’t be as weak. It also means that your sense and control over the attribute you tempered your body with will be much higher.”

  After all the presentations were complete and questions answered, some people left, but most headed to the different arenas. Rugrat split off from everyone, walking with Julilah to their assigned arena.

  “Do you think these public lectures are helping?” Rugrat asked.

  “I think so. A lot of the people who want to join the military are taking this time to get some skills. We have people from all stages joining in. Most want to learn more so they can defend themselves. The majority are military. They come down here to test out wha
t they’ve learned.”

  “How have things been for you?” Rugrat asked.

  “Good. I only do this three times a week now. The rest of the time I’m in the classroom or working on the factories.”

  “I meant how have you been personally?” Rugrat asked.

  They reached the entrance to the arena grounds. People had arrived ahead of them and were setting up. Military members and medics were spread around to supervise.

  Julilah sighed and leaned against the wall. “Tired. There is so much to do, and only so much time to do it in. I only see Qin at these training sessions. Same with Tan Xue.

  “Everyone is driven to improve themselves as much as possible. I just formed my mana core and I’m looking to start tempering my body. I-I’m not suited to joining the military; I’m not a fighter.” Julilah dropped her head in defeat.

  Rugrat put his hands on her shoulders. “And there is no need for you to be.”

  “But so many people are signing up!”

  “We need fighters, yes, but we can’t fight a war if there aren’t people keeping things running here. If we don’t have you here keeping everything going, then what are we fighting for? We need your stacks. We need formations. We need armor, food, all of it, and more. The military is a ravenous beast. Just being a fighter is not everything. If we were in a sect, it might be!”

  Julilah nodded. Rugrat squeezed her small shoulders. She wasn’t even twenty and had all these worries on her shoulders, but she had come a long way since he had first met her.

  Rugrat let go as he felt the box on his hip shift. “Well, let's get this class started.”

  A beep came from the box, informing him that it was out of mana stones. “I swore I charged that,” Rugrat muttered as he grabbed a mana stone and turned the box.

  “Ahh!” Rugrat’s scream was a mixture of surprise and terror, rising into a final screeching in oh-my-god-kill-it fashion. Fumbling with the box, he smacked it so hard it came free of his belt and hit the wall, coming apart.

  Julilah yelled and jumped back in surprise.

  Rugrat held his fist out, clenching a mana stone in it.

  The duct tape-covered skull moved. It looked like a pure pearl with blue runes running through its surface, wisps of blue smoke drifting from the runes.

  A grunting noise came from the skull that was face-first on the ground. Using its jaw, the head rolled to the side. Two bright blue flaming eyes glared at Rugrat before it fell on its cheek.

  “FRUECK!” the muffled voice came from the duct tape.

  “Egbert?” Julilah asked. Rugrat had a mana bolt ready to go as the skull jostled around, maintaining eye contact with Rugrat as he sheepishly released the spell and pocketed the mana stone.

  Another muffled yell came from the skull.

  Julilah looked at Rugrat.

  Rugrat let out a dry and nervous laugh, pulling out a blade. He moved to the skull and removed the duct tape.

  “What did you do with my body, you muscle-headed, tattoo-covered, cowboy hat-wearing, nudist redneck?”

  “Umm, well, it-it’s around.” Rugrat felt his stomach turning. He backed away, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “S-somewhere safe!” Rugrat quickly amended under Egbert’s glare.

  Egbert growled, his eyes dimming as he connected to the dungeon. “Oh, that’s not good. Ah, the gnome’s drill. I think I need to talk to everyone.”

  Rugrat nodded, slowly edging toward the door. If I can just get to the Earth floor before he checks it.

  “Egbert, what happened?” Julilah asked.

  “Bit of a complex question.” Egbert drew out the last word, opening his jaw wide. “So, the dungeon may or may not be one massive drill that the Gnomes were making to tap into the ley lines of the First Realm. They discovered that the First Realm had a complete set of ley lines that are interconnected and ran through the entire realm, unlike the higher realms where the mana is all over the place. When I went into standby mode, a bunch of my memories were blocked off. At one time, I might or might not have been well, uhh, a powerful wizard. Yeah, long history. The guy who ran this place, he was my brosef. We studied together. I died, he brought me back. Kind of. Dungeon magic. I got linked up to the dungeon core and helped out. Had a soft spot for others. That human boy I told you about turned against him and betrayed him.”

  Egbert sighed. “Area used to be nice a few hundred years ago. I had to make sure the dungeon didn’t fall apart after he stole part of the core. In the first battles, I focused on the dungeon core, keeping everything together. I shut down floors, cannibalized what I could. The Kanesh clan wasn’t a clan of fighters. They were crafters.” Sorrow lay heavy within Egbert’s words, his eyes distant, recalling a past long ago. “I… I tried to defend them. I used everything I had. The ground of the Beast Mountain Range was changed. Rivers that lead out to the ocean were diverted underground. Towns were destroyed, hills turned into mountains and plains into valleys. Not one of the people that attacked Kanesh survived, though the cost was high. So high.”

  “What about the Gnomes?” Julilah asked.

  Rugrat continued to listen, taking silent and slow steps. Just a few meters more.

  “The Dungeon was broken, disconnected from the other floors, formations broken, burnt out in the fighting. Some stayed, tried to rebuild. The area was quiet and desolate. Nature took its course. Creatures became powerful, and we had to seal the dungeon. They left if they could. Some of them remained, and we worked to create the Beast Mountain Trial. It was their last act. They sent excursions to the lower floors, but there was little that they could do. In the end, there was just me to carry on with the work. With time, like the dungeon, I came into disrepair. I cut off memories, sealed my power so that the dungeon might last longer.” Egbert’s eyes shone.

  “Though now I know what is happening and why. Rugrat, the council will need to hear…” He frowned as if recalling something. “Wha-he, why did you use my skeleton as a scarecrow?!”

  Rugrat’s eyes widened as he hurled open the door and started running, yelling as he went. “I agree. You round up the council! Have some important business!”

  “Rug-rat!” Egbert’s runes flared with power as he rocketed across the room and through the opening in the door.

  “What? Ah shit! Why is your skull flying?”

  “All of me flies!”

  “That’s cheating! Move!” Rugrat yelled.

  People turned to see Rugrat sprinting through the halls with a glowing skull berating him.

  “George!” Rugrat ran out into a courtyard. George swept down from where he had been circling the academy.

  Rugrat jumped up. Egbert's skull charged across the courtyard.

  Rugrat’s stomach twisted as George saw Egbert and flapped his wings rapidly, rising into the air, making Rugrat miss his handhold.

  George gave him a meek glance and rocketed away as Rugrat landed on the ground, leaving him to his fate.

  “Ah!” Rugrat screamed at the rapidly closing skull.

  “There aren’t any birds on the Earth floor, you jackass!” Egbert yelled.

  “This is all a misunderstanding! I just thought it might be a good idea to air out your skeleton!”

  Rugrat ran into the other side of the courtyard.

  “Air out my skeleton! Did you think I was your dirty underwear?”

  “Move it! Skeleton head coming through!” Rugrat yelled, sprinting through the corridors. That day, the story of the lord and the flying skull was born.

  Erik glanced over as Glosil entered the council office, the refined power of the dungeon channeling down below just meters away.

  “Elise and Blaze will take too long to arrive,” Delilah said.

  “Very well.” Egbert’s body was transforming as his skull had. He wore a robe, hiding most of the changes.

  “The Kanesh clan was a bold one—a crazy one, some might say. They were lovers of formations and creations. When we escaped to the First Realm, we just survived at first. We found an un
derground cavern filled with water. Using the dungeon core, we created a floor to live on. It is part of the reason why the water floor is so large, though it didn’t have as much water at the time. We built it up, creating a multi-layered city. It was brilliant with the power of the dungeon core. Then, we started to build out that first floor. Druvan had this idea to separate out the affinities, a floor for each one. It gave the gnomes a goal. We rose through the mountain, creating floors. It was incredible. There were lots of trials and failures. We had to switch some floors around. Wood and earth were around the other way when we planned things out first. With the floors started, we put in formations to move the mana upward, have them support one another, creating an interlinked system. The dungeon core was essential to maintain the balance between them all. While we created the living floor, most of the Gnomes lived between floors. Only the water floor connected to the outside world. It was how the boy got in.” Egbert’s runes flared, distorting the air around him and making his robe flicker. The power was contained, not reaching anyone else.

  Complete control over his domain, Erik noted.

  “Druvan took him in, cared for him. The boy took the kindness. He said he wanted to be the bridge between their people. He went to his family, which he had been chased away from. Wanting their acceptance, he sold out the Gnomes and everything they had built. The family was fairly powerful. They convinced the boy to prove what he said was true. He took them a piece of the dungeon core. I fought to keep the dungeon operating. With only one dungeon core and so much attributed mana built up, I needed to drain it. So, I came up with an idea. Use that mana to power a drill. I built a massive energy-consuming drill before the attribute mana poisoned us all. We didn’t know about the coming army.”

  “So, you reversed the direction of the attribute mana and drilled into the ground,” Rugrat said.

  “Yes, biggest drill in the Ten Realms. We got the notification from the Ten Realms, though we were just fighting to survive. Then the armies came. They used magic to attack the dungeon. The Gnomes fought back. In the last part of the war, I had them carve runes into my body to contain the power. Then I stopped the drill and used the power of the dungeon. I killed off the plants, the creatures, nearly everything on the other floors. I consumed it in the battle against the attackers, altering the Beast Mountain range into what it is today.”