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

by Michael Chatfield

  Runes across the bridge lit up, reaching out to the twin formation circles on the floor and the roof. Like a dam opening its locks, brown element-heavy mana shot out from the twin formations and met in the middle of the air. Gregor and the guards were jostled with the rush of power.

  The pillars of power struck the dungeon core, sending out a clear pillar behind the bridge into a third formation on the wall behind the commander’s chair. Runes along the frigate lit up and power ran through the phoenix before it descended through the walls and wrapped around her chair.

  She so wanted to jump back in and start cultivating, but many captains had lost a ship focused on cultivation over safety.

  “Conversion at eighty percent,” one cultivator said.

  Stassov checked the projections. “Increase our speed and keep up the sweep. We don’t want to remain in one place for too long.”

  The ship shuddered as boulders dropped from the skies, striking the barriers. The majority of the dungeon’s purified mana was sent into mana-storing formations, creating mana stones that the crew then harvested.

  “Eighty-seven percent and holding. This area hasn’t been harvested in a long time. The element density is incredibly high,” a seer reported.

  “That will be good for the dungeon core to expand. Continue our course,” Stassov said.

  “Bela, Ranko, go to standby. I’ll use my dungeon sense to make sure that there are no other airships,” Gregor said.

  “Understood,” Ranko said.

  “I was hoping there’d be more Sha around,” Bela grumbled. “I was looking forward to trashing a few of their ships.”

  “You’ll get your opportunity. The war with the Sha isn’t going anywhere,” Gregor said.

  “I hope so.”

  Stassov had a grim look on her face she turned toward the forward windows.

  A messenger bowed deeply. “I am sorry for overstepping, Captain. A large fight has happened in the lower realms. A group using weapons similar to the Sha have appeared. A boy there discovered a dungeon core. A Sky grade dungeon core.”

  “Is he sure?” Stassov opened the scroll, reading it.

  With a Sky grade dungeon core, they could create another frigate and grow the fleet. The contribution to the Clan would be immense.

  “Has this information been passed to the other families?” she asked in a low voice.

  “No, Captain. Only through our family.”

  Stassov’s eyes flicked to the dungeon core suspended in the phoenix’s talons. It was only of the Earth grade. With a sky grade dungeon core, one could build a destroyer around it. “Prepare for realm transit. I want that dungeon core.” Her mana infused voice reached everyone on the bridge. “Gregor, make sure that the ground and air leaders are ready.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “What is the city called?”

  Gregor looked to the messenger who bowed as deep as possible.

  “Vuzgal, Captain.”

  “Seems that we are the first to discover the Sha’s hidden base. We must act before they have time to retreat.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  Esther Leblanc’s boots rang out on the marble floors. Old Jia whistled a joyful ditty behind her. He held his hands behind his back and took the time to look at the different paintings, suits of armor and weapons that were displayed along the walls of her uncle’s manor.

  “Old Jia,” she said, seeing he had fallen behind again, staring at a painting of two ships on water with sails. Billowing clouds of gun smoke rolled from their decks.

  “So many interesting trinkets.” Jia laughed and caught up with her as they reached a finely carved door with golden accents.

  “The admirals are in a meeting,” the guard said.

  “It is an emergency.”

  They looked at one another and opened the doors, revealing a room of men and women in red and blue uniforms. Those with less gold on their uniforms stood off to the side; those with more gold and with medals on their chests were closer to the table.

  They all turned to look at the doorway as Esther walked in. Eccentric Old Jia trailed after her with a wide, simple smile, peering at the map table.

  Her uncle was wearing his uniform of blues, reds and golds, a golden sash across his chest and a sword at his side.

  “Miss Leblanc?” he said, every part the Marshall. She could see the twinkle in his eye as she caught the eye of her father standing nearby.

  “Lord Marshall.” She bowed. “I come with news. A group of scouts in the Earth Cloud Valley were keeping tabs on the frigate Eternus when its realm transferred.”

  There was a stir in the room.

  “Did other ships transfer?” the Marshall asked, his dark eyes unwavering.

  “No, we have no reports of any other Black Phoenix Clan ships transferring. The power signature was so strong, it could only be to another realm.”

  “Do we know where they might have gone?”

  “The lower realms, specifically the Fourth Realm,” Esther said.

  “The Fourth Realm? We have some cities down there, but nothing to interest the Black Phoenix Clan. They only care about making more ships, harvesting mana stones, and increasing their cultivation.” The Marshal frowned. “Wouldn’t it be better for them to send raiders and corvettes? They require less mana. A frigate will burn through mana stones at a precipitous rate in such a low mana density realm.”

  “We should tell our people in the Fourth Realm to be on high alert,” an admiral suggested.

  “Already done,” Esther said. “What is even stranger is that the frigate was harvesting the mana of the Earth Valley when it disappeared.”

  “How much did they draw?” another admiral asked.

  “Not much; they only spent a few hours in the valley.”

  “I say that we take this opportunity and send our ships into the valley,” one admiral suggested.

  “It could be a trap,” another said.

  “It could be, but there have only been corvettes and smaller craft patrolling that area in the past. Without anything in the skies, how will they know we’re there? This is a chance to deplete one of their tightly held areas. Could your scouts set up a transfer beacon?” The admiral looked at Esther.

  “They have the equipment.”

  “Lord Marshall, we should not let this opportunity go. If we move the Third Fleet, into the Earth Cloud Valley, we can suck the valley dry. If they return or send someone else to the valley, we can ambush them.”

  The Lord Marshall studied the maps, the different regions that butted up against one another, and the known fleets and ships across the lands.

  “Head back to your ships. First Fleet will head to the Earth Cloud Valley and empty it of power so the Black Phoenix Sect has no way to mine mana stones there for the next five years. Esther, find out where that frigate went and what they are doing in the Fourth Realm. I feel that something is wrong.”

  “Yes, Lord Marshall.”

  Esther turned and left the room as the admirals exited the war room.

  She looked out of the windows of the Marshall’s manor, over the manicured gardens that shifted in the light breeze. Clouds extended to the horizon as the manor started to lower, sinking into the airship.

  “Ah, once again to battle,” Old Jia said. He’d stopped at a window, looking up as metal extended above the manor, cocooning it.

  “Old Jia, come on. We have work to do. Why did the Black Phoenix Sect go to the Fourth Realm? They must know something to take an airship down there. They're just burning mana stones otherwise. Not even the Associations would do so; at least not without a reason, a damn good one at that.”

  “Well, what else is interesting in the Fourth Realm other than our cities?”

  Jia looked over, his expression placid.

  “You think?” Esther paused and frowned.

  “Vuzgal?”

  Jia shrugged.

  “They have weapons similar to our own. I will give them that. But they are not on the same l
evel as ours.”

  “Yet, they might be in the future. And they have a great number of secrets.” Jia released his hands from his back, holding his elbow and chin with opposite hands.

  “You think they will attack them to make sure that another force like ours will not be able to rise? They are years away from achieving that.”

  “Didn’t we say that they should come and find us when they reached the Seventh Realm?”

  “That will take them decades.”

  “What if it doesn’t?” Jia asked.

  “They are a Fourth Realm group.” Esther fell quiet before shaking her head.

  “They are up against a Black Phoenix frigate with thousands of aerial and ground forces on it. Just one squad of fighters would be enough to bring a city in the Fourth Realm to its knees.”

  Esther dismissed the thoughts with a wave. “Come, we have work to do.”

  58

  Turning the Tables

  “Did you order a complete retreat?” Marco demanded. The command center’s people were clearing out every piece of information, stripping it away before his eyes. The camps were being dismantled. Tents and supplies had been tossed into storage devices as supply wagons were hitched to mounts and loaded with supplies.

  “We need to evacuate now,” Marino said.

  “The Black Phoenix Clan is coming. It is not the end.”

  “Marco!” Marino yelled, rising to her full height. “The Black Phoenix Clan holds an unwavering position in the Eighth Realm. The Associations have to show them respect. This is no longer our battle. We can only get our people out of here. I have never heard of the Black Phoenix coming down to a realm lower than the Sixth. When one of their clan was slighted, they destroyed an entire city. They are a small group, but the power they wield is massive.”

  Marco ground his teeth.

  Marino ignored him and turned to her guards. “Send word for all the camps to evacuate.”

  “New target!” Acosta yelled as she moved her periscope and looked at the main camp. The artillery cannon shifted with her aim, elevating itself.

  Across Vuzgal, weapons adjusted their aim.

  “Load high explosive!”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Neumann sounded only too pleased to do so. He dropped the round into the cradle as it tilted back with the artillery cannon. The gears clicked before its final adjustments were complete.

  “Load!”

  Neumann hit the rammer formation as the shell was pushed up into the cannon and the breach sealed.

  “Ready!” Acosta waited and listened to her sound transmission device, putting her hand to the side.

  Bai Ping crouched, holding his fist up. The rest of the squad crouched with him. He heard the rustle of plants on either side settle down. The skirmish line was hidden in the forest, at the edge of the trees, looking at the camps.

  He checked the time. Just three minutes to go.

  “Hold, hold, hold,” Colonel Yui’s voice rang in his ears.

  “Hold, hold, hold,” Bai Ping passed to his squad, they gave him a questioning look.

  Bai shrugged and tapped the side of his helmet.

  “Gunny, you won’t believe this. The camp, they’re running, just leaving their shit and leaving through the teleportation formations.” Baines used his sound transmission device.

  “They broke?”

  “I don’t know, maybe. I thought they’d have put up more of a fight.”

  ==========

  Event

  ==========

  You have successfully defended Vuzgal.

  ==========

  Rewards:

  801,200,000EXP

  +10% defensive bonus to Vuzgal defenders.

  ==========

  Blaze swatted the notifications away. Being outside the walls of Vuzgal, the bonuses wouldn’t affect him or his people.

  “I don’t like this,” Blaze said to Yui, Domonos, Elan, Erik and Rugrat through his sound transmission device.

  “That group is still hanging out in the sky. They showed up and the sects started running. They’re not even taking all their shit. I think they’re scared,” Rugrat said.

  “Do we attack them or hold and wait?” Domonos asked.

  “They’re running like the Devil is chasing them. I’m getting teleportation pads laid down for immediate transfer. I say we regroup and see what the hell is going on,” Yui said. “Else we’ll stick our foot into something we don’t have the slightest idea about.”

  “The teleportation formations are a mangled mess. Extend the barrier back out, recover our dead and wounded,” Erik said.

  “Nothing to do but shut up and wait.”

  “Move the damn skeleton up here. We might need him,” Rugrat said.

  “Egbert?” Domonos asked.

  “If this shit scares the sects, then I’d like to have some extra firepower on our side.”

  “Doesn’t hurt,” Erik agreed.

  “Our spies heard people saying something about the Black Phoenix Clan showing up. That’s why they’re all running. That’s who that group is.”

  “That one group of people broke the United Sect Alliance?” Blaze asked.

  “They’re from the Seventh Realm. To them we’re nothing but annoying bugs,” Elan said, bouncing between sound transmission devices.

  “Contact Glosil. I want him and Egbert up here now,” Rugrat said.

  “I think that we should consolidate our forces, get them all into Vuzgal,” Yui said.

  “Makes sense to me,” Domonos agreed.

  “I don’t like the idea of sitting out here in the forest all afternoon,” Blaze agreed.

  Erik badly wanted to hit the rear of the United Sect Alliance, but something felt wrong. There were too many unknowns.

  “Get everything out of Vuzgal we don’t need and anyone that is not military or vitally important. Pull the dungeon cores in the crafting and training dungeons. Leave just the dungeon core for the under-city. Rugrat, and I will talk to the Associations. They might know more.”

  “You do not know what it took for me to get these,” Elise said as Egbert inspected the four sky grade mana cornerstones.

  Egbert waved his hand, pulling them from their boxes and rotating them. They glistened, drawing in the surrounding mana. “Very good! These will help finish off my preparations!”

  He shot up into the air, appearing among the mana stones that grew across the Alva dungeon ceiling. He moved toward the pillar of power that struck the mana storing formation and spread out through to the mana cornerstones.

  Egbert reached out, plucking cornerstones from their fittings. The threads of power diverted to cornerstones farther away.

  He pushed the sky grade cornerstones into place, fittings molding to them. As they connected, the further reaches the formations died down. All the power was being consumed by just one of the sky grade cornerstones.

  The mana would be sucked up by the sky grade cornerstones before reaching the hundreds of earth grade cornerstones that filled in the other fittings across the roof of the dungeon.

  Egbert dropped down to Elise.

  “That should double the amount of mana Alva can handle.”

  “I heard you added mana storing formations to every floor and mana dispersion formations?”

  “Yes, the storing formations will gather as much power as possible and bleed it off. The dispersion is if we cannot hold all the mana released. Then it will spread it out over a larger area, so we don’t have a spike. The mana gathering formations will draw that power back in, creating a cycle. We can choose to release some, increasing the mana density of the Beast Mountain Range slowly. It is a massive area so it will suffice.”

  “When do we kick off the drill?”

  “We can start it anytime we want now. I’d like more sky grade cornerstones.” Egbert shrugged.

  “Egbert, I need you to go to Vuzgal,” Glosil’s voice rang through Egbert’s head.

  “Right now? When we are ready to start the drill?”

/>   “Right now. Something is happening and no one likes it. A sect, the Black Phoenix Clan, has shown up. They might have dungeon hunters or dungeon lords in their ranks. You and I are heading up there.”

  “Great, I was hoping we wouldn’t need to use the box,” Egbert muttered.

  “What’s that?” Elise asked.

  “Going to the Fourth Realm. See you in a bit.” Egbert took off, flying toward the totem.

  He checked the formations and the dungeon quickly, calling out to Davin and Delilah.

  “Delilah, I am heading to Vuzgal. You have control over the drill now. I am starting it.”

  The dungeon dimmed as formations switched and altered. The power that had been rising to the mana storing formation reversed as the power was drawn down through the floors. The dungeon brightened again, running off the cornerstones without there ever being a spike in power as the energy pouring into the mana drill increased in power slowly.

  “You’re going?”

  “Yes, I’m needed. Look after yourself and I’ll be back soon!”

  “Good luck, Egbert.”

  “Thank you, little Delilah.”

  Egbert sensed Glosil riding up to the totem with his staff. People appeared and disappeared around the totem at an increased rate.

  The teleportation formation flashed as he brought Davin from the Fire Floor.

  He zipped over to the totem and was waiting there as Egbert landed and Glosil rode in.

  “Where’re we going? Will there be treats?” Davin asked.

  “Vuzgal.”

  “They have so many treats!”

  “Well, maybe not for much longer. A clan from the seventh realm has shown up to attack it.”

  “They want to destroy my treat city?” Davin’s power lashed out as Egbert created a barrier around him so he wouldn’t melt the ground.

  He pulled out two square boxes covered in runes glowing with power.

  “Ready?” Glosil asked, not dismounting.

  “Yes. Davin.” Egbert indicated to a box and threw in a pie.

  Davin zipped into the box that closed on him.

  Egbert handed him to Glosil, who passed him to a member of his staff and tossed the other box up. Egbert collapsed his bones, piling himself into the box.