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

by Michael Chatfield

  Spells were hurled back and forth between riders and mounts.

  “Get some, mother fuckers!” Rugrat yelled. Formations for the win, baby!

  Soldiers in the towers resumed firing.

  “Coming into range!” Rugrat barked. The enemy was banking away, having lost a third of their force already. Their barriers had been smashed apart in the crossfire.

  All the repeater gunners were watching. Rugrat’s repeater mount squeaked as he adjusted his aim, sighted on the aerial force.

  “Follow my trace!”

  Rugrat’s dual repeater bucked, sending out twin streams of air shot-enhanced bolts.

  The tower’s gunners joined him. He was firing well ahead of the aerial forces. The air shots were like a swarm of flies through a fan, but the fan was the thing getting torn up.

  Aerial beasts plummeted as their riders used every trick they had to get away from their impending doom.

  The enemy cut out of the barrier, diving and running back toward their bases.

  “Reload! Must’ve been a test.”

  “I’m not so sure. They’re opening their gates.

  “Fuckers. Tell higher! Go linked!”

  Rugrat reached to the ground, grabbing a bolt feeder. He pulled the magazine off, hooked the bolt feeder on, secured it with latches, and moved to the other side.

  “Aerial forces are mobilizing!” Niemm yelled.

  “This is not our fucking day,” Rugrat grumbled as the camps came to life. Formations of fighters marched out. Mounted forces rushed out of secondary camps four, six, and the main camp.

  “Well, now we know why those mages were fucking about on the damn road!”

  Rugrat turned his repeater from side to side, making sure that the belt feeders wouldn’t get fucked up.

  He cast spells on his eyes and his sight zoomed in as if he had flown through the air. He saw streaks in his vision as the cannons opened up. Seven hundred mana cannons fired straight into the mana barriers of those pushing into Scarecrow’s fields.

  The rolling thunder reached Rugrat as the enemy barriers fell in the dozens.

  “Looks like they’ve been working on their aim,” Rugrat yelled to Niemm.

  “Target destroyed. Leave it to the repeater crew!” Sergeant Cao Jing yelled as the cannons started recharging.

  Nicholas was looking through his own periscope, watching their cannon fire rake those under the barrier. Repeater bolts, glowing red with explosive shot, tore up the ground traversing side-to-side while also cutting deeper, the impacts throwing up mud and stone.

  “New target! Drop fifty, minus forty degrees!”

  Nicholas and his fellow scouts moved the gears next to the firing panel. The cannons shifted along the firing slit.

  He could feel the other cannons firing across the defensive bunkers.

  Sergeant Cao was watching the timer.

  “Fire!”

  The cannons bellowed again. Their grouping was tight. As it smashed into the barrier, it was struck by two other batteries before Nicholas’.

  “Same target! Repeat!”

  The timer ran out and they fired again. The cannon rocked the floor as it came back with a hot rush of air before pulleys and gears moved it back into place.

  “Repeat!”

  The barrier was taking a pounding.

  More cannons focused onto it. Nicholas watched the barrier break under the attacks. The cannon’s spells landed on the forces pushing into Scarecrow and in Deadman.

  “Add one hundred, minus thirty! Landrith!”

  “Sorry, Sarge!” Landrith pulled his eyes from the periscope, altering his point of aim.

  The barrier around the bunker lit up with impacts.

  Sergeant Cao looked through his periscope.

  “Just the air force beating the piss out of their parrots! On task!” Sergeant Cao glanced at the timer.

  “Fire!”

  “Here comes their second wave. Rake them, break away, and maintain height. Whoever has the height and the speed wins! The kestrels will pick off anything that gets past us! There isn’t anyone in the city to get hurt,” Captain Wazny ordered as he banked hard, pushed into his harness. He leveled out, checking the rest of his wing right behind him. Not a feather was out of place.

  “As long as we don’t have to pay for damages!” Second Lieutenant Santos quipped.

  “The lords have you covered. Come on. We’ve been sitting in the back for several weeks now. Let’s show them that they shouldn’t just fear us on the ground.”

  “For Nilsen,” Lieutenant Lovren said.

  “For Nilsen,” Wazny agreed. “Follow me in and break on my command.”

  Wazny looked out to the other sparrows. Seeing the wings flying behind one another, he felt like the dominator of the skies.

  “All sparrow wings, dive!”

  The sparrows dropped, passing through the low-lying clouds that were being pulled into the massive lightning storm over the battlefield, picking up speed. They came from behind Vuzgal, crossing the aerial mounts that were flying from Bird City up over the mountains that butted up against Vuzgals’ eastern flank. The bunkers, which were unleashing hell, provided cover while mounted forces rushed up the cleared path of what had been the main road.

  The infantry was pushing into the soup, forging their own paths to Vuzgal’s front.

  This is it; it has to be. Get your fucking head in the game, Wazny.

  He shook himself and studied his targets. Formations of different aerial beasts were doing everything they could to get over Vuzgal.

  He blinked against the flash of a spell scroll being used in Vuzgal. It struck a tower’s barrier that returned fire through lances of golden light.

  Kestrel’s door gunners banked their repeaters unleashing hell down on the aerial forces.

  Hits appeared on the barrier around the heavy birds like moving fortresses. They were getting smashed but succeeding in drawing their attention away from the main fight and doing the most damage.

  Wazny checked his aim as the wings separated.

  “Shoot when you’ve got a target.”

  They spread out to keep from hitting one another on their gun run.

  Shit.

  The riders of the aerial mounts cast powerful spells. They must be strong to cast spells that powerful with all of our mana gathering formations pumping that shit away.

  The wings opened and fired on the unsuspecting aerial mounts below.

  Wazny’s sparrow shook with the repeater’s fire, the air shot creating clouds of expanding flack ahead of the sparrows.

  “Break!” Wazny yelled.

  They pulled up and broke apart. Mages from Bird House on their right fired at them, but they were too far away for the spells to do any damage.

  Wazny’s group reformed on him as they banked back and above the enemy formation that raked the defenses.

  “Follow me down!”

  Sparrow wings dove after the aerial mounts. The mages hurled spells into the sky. One attack made three sparrows’ barriers flare alarmingly ahead of Wazny.

  They tried to break off. Spells tracked them through the sky, breaking one barrier then another. The beasts and pilots were torn apart in a spray of wood and red mist.

  “Wingman, wingman, wingman!”

  They broke apart into their pairs. Santos stuck to Wazny like glue.

  “Going heavy!” Wazny pulled on a spell scroll tab. A spell formation appeared under and in front of his sparrow’s chest.

  Mana was drawn in and fired out in mana blasts.

  Wazny guided the mana blast over the mage that had killed the sparrows ahead of him. His shots struck the ground, tearing up buildings as the mage dodged and flung spells back. They were wild and wide. Wazny unleashed a stream of mana bolts breaking the mage’s mana barrier sending him careening into the side of the building in a spray of debris.

  Wazny shifted his aim and targeted the other riders with his mana blasts. Santos rained down air shot onto them, covering him as
they tore up the rear of their group.

  “Break! Break! Break!”

  Wazny and Santos turned away, heading deeper into Vuzgal. Kestrels flew overhead, laying down heavy fire into the aerial mounts. Wazny fought to push higher and gain altitude.

  “Captain, I think they’re dropping off things at the edges of the city,” Santos said.

  “What things?”

  “Yeah, I think they might be formations.”

  “You take lead, show me where. I want to confirm if they’re dropping teleportation formations. This just got a lot more fucked.”

  He followed Santos. They were lower than he liked. If someone dived at them, they were fucked. But we need to know.

  They were quiet against the fight that raged on their left flank as the front of Vuzgal unleashed her rage.

  He saw a street. One of the building’s roofs had caved in and rocks littered the street, half covering a big metal plate that lay upside down in the street.

  “Ah, fuck.”

  “Sparrow Wing Alpha Three reports that the aerial forces could be dropping teleportation formation plates in the city.”

  “Activate the undead legion. Prepare to deal with attackers inside the city. Activate conqueror's armor. Company leaders have freedom to increase buff as needed.” Domonos checked the map.

  “The mounted forces have reached Deadman’s field and are pushing on foot to Scarecrow,” Hall reported.

  “Traps activated in Deadman’s?”

  “Yes, sir. They’re having a hell of a time, but they have people across into Scarecrow.”

  Domonos looked at a communications aide. “Have the undead focus on putting spell traps in Deadman’s and Scarecrow. Give up on the soup.”

  “Sir!”

  “What’s happening with our cannons and mortars?”

  “They’re tearing up mana barriers, but they’ve been playing this game with us for weeks now. They’re well spread out to reduce casualties. The mortars and cannons are focused on breaking the barriers. The repeaters are online and hitting the enemy that are not in cover.”

  “How are we doing in the air?” Domonos asked.

  “We’re tearing them a new one, but they have strong mages and a seemingly unending supply of spell scrolls. We just don’t have the weight in numbers. My people are getting cut up by their massed fire. Not even the stack mana barriers can take that much punishment,” Kanoa said.

  “Release the undead aerial mages to assist.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “I want the towers reporting any formations that drop in Vuzgal. Have the Undead Legion go investigate and destroy any formations they find. If we start losing contact, send in the QRF primary.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  53

  Feed the Beast of War

  “Looks like they were hiding more than a few cannons,” Eva Marino said from beside Marco.

  “They have to have more than seven thousand inside the city. There are more than that in those repeaters alone. If we have teleportation formations, why shouldn’t they? They’ve been getting support and reinforcements, but from who?”

  “Something to figure out at the end of this all?” Marino asked.

  “Yes, yes.” Marco peered through the viewing glasses again.

  Eva Marino received a report from a nearby aide. “The metal obstacles explode or burn randomly. A group dumped out the metal of a storage ring to understand it and it exploded, killing the crafters just minutes ago.”

  “More tricks,” Marco growled, flashes illuminating his vision along his force’s path. “They have forces jumping from the mana barrier towers. Must be the Undead. They used them in the fight against the Blood Demon Sect.” Marco watched as they exchanged spells with his aerial forces. A few collapsed here and there, but they drove headfirst through the formation, flinging spells that made Marco feel a chill. “What?”

  “Looks like they got some high-level undead,” Marino muttered.

  “Their aerial riders are well-trained and using all the same mounts.”

  “We have three teleportation formations live at the front.”

  “Push people through them as fast as possible. Have the aerial mounts focus their attacks on the crafter workshops!” Marco turned back to the battle. He had to win this. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have the mana stones to teleport people forward. Damn their mana gathering formations. They must have been buried too deeply for their sensing scrolls to pick up.

  “Our ground forces are making progress. If we win in the air, around the teleportation formations, or reach their gates with the armies, we’ll change this battle.” Marino said.

  Spells and spellbound weapons flashed across the skies and ground. Barriers weathered the storm and pushed forward, sometimes failing as smaller barriers snapped up into existence, continuing forward.

  Mounted riders teleported from the other camps to the main camp, charged out of the main gate, and down the cleared road, giving a clear path forward.

  They pushed into the metal forest and spread out so that a single whistling attack or mana cannon blast didn’t take them all out.

  Spell traps flashed, taking out bridges, dropping people into the large trenches or killing those trying to clear the metal forest.

  “Have the dismounted go through the teleportation pad. Have the mounted charge out of the bases to attack directly. We have them now; we just need to keep up the pressure.” Marco smacked the table.

  “Yes, lord!”

  Now it is just a matter of bodies. Do we spend too many lives or bleed theirs?

  “Report in from Vuzgal!” The command center went silent as Glosil looked up from the desk he was working at. “They are under attack by the enemy. They have employed aerial beasts to attack the city. Ground forces are pushing up into area three. Reports indicate that they’re using teleportation formations dropped inside the city and new ones have been placed in area three.”

  Glosil stood and walked toward the map table, which showed Vuzgal. “Get me Colonel Yui and Guild Leader Blaze. I want all our people, including the Second Reserve Division, ready to move. I need situation reports and maps for what is happening along the entire valley. Inform Colonel Domonos that we intend to support.”

  The room turned to action.

  It wasn’t ten minutes later when Colonel Yui ran into the command center. “Sir!”

  Glosil returned the salute. “Seems that they finally committed. Now it is our job to make sure that they regret it. How is the Second Division in your mind?”

  “They’re so new that they squeak, but they know how to use their weapons. I would count on them for simple maneuvers, nothing crazy.”

  “Then we’ll have to rely on Tiger Regiment and the Adventurer’s Guild. Get me Blaze now!”

  “What are you thinking, sir?”

  “I’m thinking that the enemy isn’t the only ones with teleportation formations in the Vuzgal Valley. We need to move people through every damn route we have into the Fourth Realm yesterday.”

  Blaze read the summons and passed it to the rest of his branch heads. The message was short as they quickly passed it on to one another. Kim Cheol was the only other one sitting.

  They walked right into our trap, and it’s up to us to close it around them.

  “Sir?” the messenger asked as he looked at the people in the room.

  Blaze cleared his throat. “As Alva has trained us, supported us, and protected our families, the Adventurer’s guild will heed the call. We will head to Vuzgal to support the Alva military in defeating the combined Sects. The Willful Institute committed, we’ll close the trap.”

  “Yes, sir.” The messenger took out his sound transmission device and started talking into it.

  “Then we go to war,” Kim said.

  Blaze grimaced and opened his mouth. Kim raised his hand with a smile. “I might not make it for this battle. If I can help from the rear?” Kim’s eyes shifted to Jasper.

  “I could certainly use the h
elp and you know more of our military capabilities than me.” Jasper said.

  Blaze nodded.

  “Kim, you will be our liaison with the Alva military. The rest of you, begin mustering your people for the fight ahead. There is much to do.”

  “Undead have run into problems here. There are three suspected teleportation formations.” Roska circled a section of the city on her map, showing her Special Team Two, Special Team Four and Erik.

  They were on one of the side movers, a moving platform that rushed through the under city sideways instead of up and down.

  “This will be our first target, but not the last. The aerial forces are dropping plates all over the place. We will move in, engage the enemy, figure out their displacement, and take momentum of the fight with suppressing fire. The team with the best cover and vantage will become the fire base. The other team will flank and drive through their flanks. Special Team Two will take the ground. Team Four, you’re high and mighty. Erik?”

  “I’ll be with Team Four in support. Need to work on my tan and parkour.”

  “Yes, sir.” Roska had a note of question in her voice.

  Erik smiled. “And yes, I am allowed to use my complete power. We just have to make sure none of them can report about it.”

  The special teams glanced at one another and then Erik.

  “Looking forward to it. Conqueror’s armor is not buffing right now. If this shit goes sideways, I’ll take us to one hundred percent. We’re inserting east of the target. We’ll be on foot to give us more mobility. Clear as mud?”

  “Good to go,” Storbon said as the others nodded and checked their gear.

  They pulled their face-covering helmets down and secured them.

  Erik buddy-checked Storbon. “Good to go. Comms check.”

  “You’re loud and clear. Me?” Storbon said, turning Erik and checking his gear.

  “Loud and clear.”

  Storbon ran his gloved hands over Erik’s carrier, hitting his pouches and pulling on them before turning him around and repeating the process.