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

by Michael Chatfield

  “Target is pre-set Charlie!” Second Lieutenant Couto yelled out.

  “Target is pre-set Charlie!” The mortar squad leaders called back. “Deflection change!”

  The squad leaders called out changes to the mortar teams who adjusted according to their pre-sets.

  The guns turned in line, their sights adjusted and checked onto their markers before setting the guns again and adjusting the elevation.

  “Mortar One-One ready!”

  “Mortar Two-Three ready!”

  Mortar teams finished positioning their mortars. They operated in teams of four. The gunner on the gun checked the sight. Ammunition bearer one stood on the other side, ready. The second ammunition bearer was checking on the mortar rounds in his storage ring to make sure they had the right amount of additional charges.

  Two mages stood at the rear with the squad leader, a Staff Sergeant or Sergeant. The formations they were positioned on glowed with power, linked to the mortar.

  “Mortar Team One-One, Illumination round. Fire when ready!” Couto yelled.

  “Illumination round!” the Staff Sergeant called out. The first ammunition bearer took out a tracer round.

  “Hang it!”

  They held the top of the round.

  “Fire!”

  They released and ducked.

  The formations flashed, and the mortar fired, illuminating the dark hill.

  Everyone waited in silence as Couto waited on his sound transmission device.

  “Shift one-five-zero, drop one hundred!”

  “Shift one-five-zero, drop one hundred!” The squad repeated as the squad leader turned that into changes, the gunner inputting them as the first ammunition bearer readied his next round.

  “Looks like a real military now. Shit,” Rugrat said.

  The other mortars adjusted their point of aim off the changes happening with Mortar One-One.

  “Ready!” the squad leader yelled.

  “Fire when ready!”

  “Hang!” the Staff Sergeant ordered.

  The ammunition bearer loaded.

  “Fire!”

  The mortar fired once again.

  They waited, looking at one another.

  “Good shot! All guns load T-D rounds! Twenty rounds each. Increase deflection two turns after each round. Fire when ready!”

  Ammunition bearers dropped their rounds and ducked out of range of the blast of hot gas. Gunners changed the deflection before the next round was placed in the mortar's mouth.

  The six mortars fired off of one another. The waves of constant air hit those standing on the hill as they worked methodically.

  “Rounds complete, rounds complete! Change to new target!” Couto yelled as they finished coating their target area with three hundred and twenty artillery shells.

  In the silence as guns were cleaned and repositioned, Rugrat heard the rumblings of the other artillery platoons nearby.

  He checked his rifle and looked out into the darkness.

  “If everything goes well, I won't have to use you.” He tapped his forefinger against his rifle's body. I have a feeling that I'll have to, though.

  “Been a day since we spotted them, but they're all finally in range,” Zukal said.

  New yellow zones appeared on the map, marking out where trap formations and shells covered the ground.

  Domonos’ eyes focused on the crooked red lines that weaved through the mountain paths into Vuzgal Valley. “What time is it?”

  “Around seventeen hundred hours.”

  “They should be settling down in a few hours to camp. Do we hit them as they’re going to ground or as they wake up and start moving? If it’s when they set up camp, they'll be spread out. In the morning, they'll be packed together again.” Domonos looked at the trap fields.

  “They will be deeper in our range and they shouldn't hit the trap formations seeded over the area.”

  “I vote for morning,” Zukal said. “Our people can set their ambushes, pre-set their impact zones, and they’ll be more alert. They will also see the enemy situation clearly. At night they have spells, but it isn’t the same.”

  “Director, what time do they break camp in the morning?”

  “Oh-seven-hundred hours. The Willful Institute dictates when they move.” Elan was standing off to the side.

  “Do we have any information on where their leadership is?”

  “No. We know where their units are, but Marco Tolentino doesn't want to be found, apparently.”

  Domonos grimaced.

  “We would do the same thing. Hell, we did with the Adventurer’s Guild's assaults,” Zukal said.

  Domonos looked at the lines in the rear, the supply lines and camp followers. “That's where I would be if I were him. They're well back from the artillery, though. Kanoa, you think your people could hit their supply lines?”

  “The sparrow flights have the maneuverability to hit them multiple times. The kestrels are too slow.”

  “Our artillery will prioritize forces moving along the mountain passes. The air force can target the supply lines. The camp followers aren't under the same restrictions as the fighters. If they collapse to the rear, the forward forces will lose their support and luxuries,” Domonos said.

  “Most of the fighters are pampered,” Elan explained for Kanoa's benefit. “Their every need is sorted out by someone else so they're in the best condition when they fight. Without having those luxuries taken care of, it'll impact their morale,”

  “Sorry, it’s still hard to get my head around. Won't we be hitting, you know, civilians?”

  “Would you consider our quartermasters and supply lines to be civilians?” Domonos asked.

  Kanoa frowned. “Well…”

  “The traders? They've been conscripted into the military. The camp followers are actively supporting the fighting forces. They came out here knowing the risks. They want to gain from our corpses. I don't like it, but, they’re vultures while the army is the tiger. The difference, in the Ten Realms, between fighter and civilian is a thin one. Most have experienced death, and the majority have killed to survive. Whether they killed beasts or humans, it’s a degree of difference.”

  “I understand, sir. I have my orders.”

  “Good. Hit the supply lines and camp follower trains in time with the artillery barrages.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Make sure that everyone rests as much as possible tonight. Tomorrow it begins.”

  Bai Ping was with the rest of the training staff watching their charges’ training exercise. Bai Ping’s face screwed up into a frown, looking through the different formation screens showing the training area.

  “Tommins focused too much on getting the formation pad down,” Staff Sergeant Baines said.

  “Xi is sitting in the rear, focusing on healing. Hasn’t moved since the start,” Staff Sergeant Yi Do-Hyun pointed.

  The two Staff Sergeants grumbled as they stood in the observation tower. Gunnery Sergeant Bai Ping had his arms crossed, watching the battlefield below.

  The village looked like it had been shelled out. The walls were in disrepair, and the stone walls had been collapsed in several positions. Buildings were half-intact from battle damage.

  Spells flashed between buildings.

  Skeletons were on one side, and Bai Ping’s reservists were on the other. They were wearing sparring barriers, so once they took enough damage, the amulets that the barriers were carved into would sap the user of stamina.

  The skeletons had special instructions. Once they took a certain amount of damage, they would allow themselves to collapse as if dead.

  “They’ve stopped watching their flanks,” Bai Ping said.

  Yi Do-Hyun let out something between a growl and a sigh.

  “And here they come.” Baines pointed at the group of skeletons that had peeled off from the fighting and flanking through the buildings.

  The reservists didn’t move, holding in position as they fought. They should have put out
flank security, trap spells, or warning spells at the least. There are si—five of them left. A skeleton’s arrow reduced the number of mages.

  Two fell before they realized that they were being attacked from a different direction.

  “All right, call it. We’ll do an AAR,” Bai said as the last of his mages slumped.

  Baines pulled out a medallion and talked into it. “Return to your ready positions.”

  The skeletons reformed and went back to their side of the village.

  Yi Do-Hyun canceled the stamina draining factor of the amulets. The mages let out a collective groan as they picked themselves up.

  “Form up outside the village for an AAR.” Baines projected his voice over the training village as the squad congealed together, relaxing and forming a semi-circle to wait for the instructors.

  The two staff sergeants looked at Bai.

  “Well, at least we’ve got another week to get them into fighting shape.”

  “Sure, Gunny. Their casting speed has increased dramatically, and it’s stronger. The cultivation work is having an effect,” Baines said.

  “They're using more than just one spell in a panic. They’re breaking into groups based on spell use. They should spread out those different spell-wielders instead of bunching up. In our full-time squads, everyone is supposed to do everything, but we have nearly a year of training, and who knows how long we’ve spent in the field. Not expecting this behavior at that level.” Yi Do-Hyun derided.

  “But tactics are a problem,” Bai explained.

  “Yeah, they’re a bit of a mess. They’re tunnelling. They get some kills and focus on getting more,” Yi agreed.

  “Kill hunger. They treat it like a game. Once they have a few kills, they try to get more to show off and get a higher score.”

  Bai chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Change the settings on the amulet and give them a shock. That should wake them up.” Bai saw flashes off to the side. He looked over to another training village where reservists were being put through their paces, putting what they had learned to the test.

  Bai felt the weight on his shoulders. He would be fighting side by side with these reservists in the future. More importantly, his brothers and sisters from the other units would be fighting next to them. He didn’t want them to fuck up and get asked who taught them.

  “We have three days in training village eight. Let’s use it to our advantage. Get them to siege the village, put down a camp. The whole nine yards. Then get them to defend. Switch it up so they can’t get into a rhythm. I want them to see what both sides are thinking. If they know how to attack, then if they use their heads, they can counter what their own actions would be on the defense and vice versa,” Bai directed.

  “Nice bit of sleep deprivation training. Shouldn’t be so bad with their cultivation,” Baines chuckled.

  Bai led them toward the stairs of the observation tower, one of a dozen that surveyed their own training villages on the metal floor.

  “How many are there now?” Commander Glosil lowered his hand, returning Colonel Yui’s salute.

  They stood upon the walls of Alva’s main camp.

  “Reservists, thirty thousand altogether. Enough to form two divisions. Reg force, they should have another four thousand by the time they are fit to move. Another one hundred and fifty thousand have signed up so far.”

  Glosil shifted his head from side to side. “Thankfully, we had the reserve program in place. It will only take a two-week refresher for the reservists we already had, and a slimmed-down month and a half for those that we didn’t.”

  “Having the self-defence classes for everyone really helps. We don’t need to teach the basics of fighting; just get right into the tactics and the stuff that’s linked to their task. Not as mobile as the regular army, but on the defensive? Much easier to train and deal with than leading a complicated attack.”

  “If Domonos can get us two weeks, we can get him the first reserve division. Another month and we can deliver him two more.” Glosil tapped on the camp’s stone wall and turned, walking over to the other side, looking into the camp and its nine different training squares.

  “It’s a race for time now,” Yui surmised as Glosil looked at ragtag groups under the yells of their sergeants. Other squads that were better put together were going over key equipment such as mortars, repeaters, and grenades along another wall, making sure that their hands and minds remembered their old drills.

  Teachers conducted lectures on how to improve spell casting, and what to look for in wear and tear of weapons and gear. Movement was constant. People headed to the cultivation centers to open their mana gates, and temper their bodies.

  “The cultivation centers are like a factory now. I never thought I would see anything like it. In less than a week, one can go from no cultivation at all to all their mana gates opening and form the foundation for their body cultivation. Fifty thousand.” Glosil shook his head.

  “I’d think it was madness just a few years ago.”

  “It still is madness.” Glosil looked at Yui. “I’m afraid we aren’t giving them enough training and are putting too much on our people. I’m thinking of sending the first reserve division to Vuzgal with the newly trained soldiers.”

  “Sir?”

  Glosil smiled at the question he heard in the word. “Your Tiger Regiment is stretched thin. We went from four instructors to three on the reg force riflemen that are coming out. Then we threw them and everyone at corporal and higher into training the reservists. We’re just hammering them into shape here. Vuzgal can temper them quickly, turn them into veterans, and give us a few thousand more fighting hands.”

  “What about the personnel drawn from the Dragon Regiment?”

  “It will weigh on the Dragon Regiment some, but they need people. They’ve got the basics down, at least.”

  “Which leaves thousands of soldiers in the rear with nothing to do,” Yui said.

  “Right, who can take in the reservists and new soldiers, pull them into shape, and get them ready for the defense, shoring up holes in their training quick-like?”

  “Shit, what do you think the Willful Institute would think if they knew that in just a few weeks our forces would shoot from seven thousand to forty thousand?”

  “I don’t think they’d care, but they’ve never engaged the Vuzgal army on the field of battle. We’ll have to teach them.”

  They stood in silence for some time.

  “What do you think about the actions of the kingdoms and the Institute in the First Realm?” Yui asked.

  Glosil frowned. “That, I can’t predict. It’s clear that they’re shaking the tree. I think they’re also using it as a means of recruitment. They lost a lot of people; quantity over quality has always been the motto of most sects. Let the lower-level people grind it out ‘til something appears.”

  “The kingdoms have said that the Institute will support them personally. Then we heard that there are mortal level armies preparing to move. They’re too weak to affect the battles that rage across their lower positions. I think they want to use this as an opportunity to sharpen their people.”

  “Mhmm.” Glosil indicated for him to continue.

  “We both know that sects don’t care about the number of casualties. Right now, they have a big problem. They have plenty of fights ahead of them, but no one is joining their sect. They need bodies to fill their ranks. Whoever survives this fight will have fewer people, but all of them will be stronger for it. Have a taste of fighting. Perfect for the Institute to use as cannon fodder in the higher realms. They’ll get some low-level training aids and gear in return for an army that can fight in the lower realms for them.”

  “I agree. It’s easier to hire in the First Realm and have the kingdoms fight it out. They confirm their rumors, or at the very least, they get people with higher levels who have been through a fight already.”

  “But it’s preferable for us. If we can take out the kingdoms, make them look weak and fight it
out without showing our true strength, the sect might get annoyed with the people in the lower realm and refuse to take the Beast Mountain Range because it would be too much of a problem.”

  “That is not to say they won’t send down powerful reinforcements.”

  “No, there isn’t, and there is a limit to what the Beast Mountain Range can do on its own. If it is anyone from the Third Realm or higher, we will have to have some people step up.”

  “What if they escalate?”

  “We will have to deal with it. Alva can’t and won’t abandon the Beast Mountain Range.”

  Yui went silent as he processed what Glosil had said.

  Glosil looked back over the training square. His gaze expanded to the other squares. The other bases were at full capacity, training and preparing. Smoke rose from the factories and workshops.

  The factories hadn’t ceased production once, only increasing their capacity. To see all of it mobilized... Do you realize what lurks in the dark, Willful Institute? Today you attack a snake, but tomorrow you might just find out that snake is the tail of a dragon.

  “If we’re found...” Yui said.

  “Colonel Yui.” Glosil held his hands behind his back. “We need not worry, if we are found out. It is our job and task to carry out the orders given to us. We stand to defend Alva. Focus on that and that alone. Other decisions do not matter. That is for the council and for the dungeon lords to decide.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Plan for the worst and hope for the best. We’ll need to work fast to get our reserves trained and ready to deploy. Come on, we’ll head to the command center.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  They walked along the wall, looking at the line of men and women that reached the recruitment offices and the constant flow of squads to and from the different camps.

  Alva moved with Vuzgal.

  30

  The Skies Whistle and the Ground Shakes Once More

  “Move it! Get those formations powered up already! The Willful Institute isn’t going to wait for your sorry asses!” Kanoa’s voice bellowed across the landing strip as casting enhancing formation plates were slotted into position in the Kestrel cabins.