The Third Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  Before, it had only been a few gold; now, with a few Mana stones on the line, it wasn’t a simple thing.

  They were quickly brought down the pillar and passed off to a group of people employed by the Alchemist Association to look after miscellaneous matters. The Alchemist Association was a massive group. Although at their core there were many alchemists, there were other people needed to tend to the myriad issues that any large group would run into.

  Each of the participants were led to a compound with a series of small houses, each with their own courtyard.

  No one dared to complain about their accommodations. In the Resam Regional city, getting a house of even this size would cost a fortune.

  “Please rest here. There are still three more groups to join you before challenging the Path of Alchemy trial. The contest should begin in just eight weeks,” the assistant said.

  “Is there anywhere you know that might have information on Mana Gathering and Body Cultivation?” Erik asked.

  “If you’re able to clear the path, then you will be allowed to access the libraries of the headquarters. I do not know anything specific for the Body Cultivation, but for Mana Gathering I have some knowledge.” The man smiled.

  “I have a friend who has wounded their Mana channels. Is there something I might be able to find to help him?” Erik asked.

  The man pursed his lips. “The Mana system in one’s body is one of the mysteries of the Ten Realms. Though I have merely learned a little bit about it. Concoctions to increase one’s Mana cultivation are hard to find and should be tailored for the person or else they will not be that potent and might harm instead of aid. Injuries when looking to improve one’s Mana Gathering Cultivation is not abnormal. Thankfully, the different concoctions do not need to be tailored to the person. While it would help out more, it’s not necessary. There are three concoctions I have heard of that might help repair one’s Mana system.” The man’s voice slowed as he looked to Erik, rubbing his fingers.

  Erik caught on and passed him a Mana stone. The man smiled as it disappeared into his storage ring.

  “There is the Mana System Repairing solution. It is a powder that one must add into a morning and night bath, drawing it slowly through their Mana gates to repair themselves, though it leaves behind poisons that will take time to remove. Over a long period of time, they will repair the injuries to one’s Mana channels. Then there is the Five Mana Channel pill. This pill is meant to heal one’s Mana gates to make it easier for them to open. It has also helped those who have had great pains when casting spells. There is a third concoction I have heard of, though it is not something simple.” The man’s face turned excited but solemn.

  “The Mana Channel Revitalization pill. It is an Expert-level pill. Once consumed, it will seep into one’s Mana channels, revitalizing them. I have heard that it is possible for them to improve one’s Mana channels, but such a thing, although there is a pill formula for it, one must be an Expert alchemist to find it. And the ingredients are neither cheap nor easy to find. Also, each pill contains such a powerful energy that if not properly sealed or if it does not reach the Inscribed level of pill formation, then it will start to lose its effect in just a week.”

  Erik’s eyes lit up at the man’s words.

  He laughed and smiled. “If you wish to get the formula, you will need to get the formula from the Alchemist Association, and to do that you will need to have enough contributions to the association and be an Expert-level alchemist. I think it’s a mid-Expert-leveled pill, after all.”

  “Thank you for the information. Here is a Stamina potion that I was able to make. I hope that it serves you well.” Erik pulled out a Stamina potion and passed it to the man.

  He opened the top and smelled it, a hint of surprise on his features before he smiled, putting it away. “I hope that your stay is fruitful and that you will be welcomed into the Alchemist Association quickly!” The other man cupped his hands. Erik returned the gesture and the man left.

  Erik turned and went into the residence quickly.

  Domonos and Matt were talking to each other, looking over a map.

  Rugrat was putting his smithy right and placing Mana Calming and Gathering formations around the courtyard.

  He told Rugrat everything that he had just learned.

  “I’ll start growing ingredients and the like to raise the money needed for the pill’s ingredients and I’ll go and find out about the alchemist contribution points—” Erik started before Rugrat clapped him on the shoulder.

  “You focus on clearing this test. I can smith up items that Matt found out are good on the market, make money that way. We’ll need you to be a member of the Alchemist Association if we want to get our hands on that pill formula, after all,” Rugrat said.

  Erik wanted to take more of the burden. He felt that he was to blame. He had been the one watching over Rugrat and had allowed this to happen; he didn’t know that it would have torn apart his Mana channels this badly.

  “All right.” Erik set up the dungeon core and his Alchemy station as Matt and Domonos headed off into the city. The two of them acted as gofers as they brought back materials for Erik and Rugrat, selling off their products.

  Determination filled their minds as they worked tirelessly.

  Rugrat made simple items until the pain was too much. Then he’d head off to his room, drinking by himself, hiding it from the others.

  ***

  Old Hei stood on the top of the riding house. Captain Khasar nearly had a fit as the old man stood there, steady as a statue in the cutting winds and a look of joy on his face.

  “Come, I feel the need to practice again! That boy will be working his ass off. I have to make sure that his advancement is no less than mine!” Old Hei’s appearance was younger as he had time to use more concoctions to slow the aging and reverse it to some extent.

  Still, none of the concoctions had as much effect on him as when he had heard that Erik had appeared.

  Just who is this person? Why would he push Old Hei to try to improve his skills and make him want to show off?

  When Khasar had been assigned to Old Hei, he was a simple old man, taking his time to talk to others and going through life peacefully. His ability with Alchemy had grown since he had been gone, allowing him to make powerful concoctions that could compete with the two other Expert pill heads of the Third Realm.

  He had broken his calm exterior as he had sped away from the Division Headquarters to pass down to the Regional Headquarters with a company of guards and three of the strongest flying beasts to undertake the long journey.

  Khasar liked the more energetic Old Hei, but he was guarded against this Erik. Anyone who had this kind of influence over an Expert alchemist—just who was he?

  Chapter: Path of the Alchemist

  Erik had spent all of his time working on the concoctions he had. He had run out of ingredients and bought more. He’d spent nearly all of his wealth, some one hundred and thirty Mana stones, on new ingredients. Earning money wasn’t their biggest obstacle, but getting to become an Expert-leveled alchemist was.

  After hearing Rugrat, Erik felt he was foolish and poured out everything into Alchemy. He felt as though he had done nothing but grind Alchemy.

  Even as he improved, the rate he improved at slowed down considerably.

  He couldn’t help but frown at his latest notification.

  ==========

  Skill: Alchemy

  ==========

  Level: 59 (Journeyman)

  ==========

  Able to identify 1 effect of the ingredient.

  Ingredients are 5% more potent.

  ==========

  ==========

  737,943/1,055,000 EXP till you reach Level 31

  ==========

  It’s like I wasn’t able to increase in anything!

  Erik took a deep breath, calming his mind. Everyone from the region had been gathered now and an order had come down from the leader of the headquarters: they wo
uld begin the testing the next day.

  Erik sat on the roof of the house, looking out over Resam—well, to the walls of the compound. But still, with some four hundred people, there was plenty going on.

  There was a grunt and swearing as Rugrat fell into a bush as he tried to climb the wall.

  George let out an annoyed huff. Turning to his full size, he grabbed Rugrat and put him on the roof before he returned to his smaller size and settled onto the roof.

  “So...ready?” Rugrat asked.

  “Never graceful, are you?” Erik asked.

  “Maybe one day?” Rugrat shrugged.

  They fell quiet for some time before Rugrat broke the silence.

  “You know, the Mana Channel Revitalization pill—you don’t need to go through all of this for me,” Rugrat said.

  “Shut up, man.”

  “Seriously, I know how hard you’ve been working. We’ve charged across the Third Realm to get here and you’ve spent every minute working to increase your Alchemy, not taking any time to see the Third Realm. I just want you to know that if we can’t get a way to heal me here, we’ll figure out another way somewhere else,” Rugrat said.

  “Like I said, you can shut up. You were the one who came back for me when I got fucked up by that IED. You got caught up in the Two-Week Curse with me. You followed me back to the States and looked after me even as I was looking at the nasty side of shit.

  “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here, so shut the hell up. Suck it up. And I’m getting you that damn pill, if only to get some good support,” Erik said.

  Rugrat opened and closed his mouth, not sure what to say. “Thanks, brother.” Rugrat offered a fist.

  “Anytime.” Erik tapped Rugrat’s fist.

  “After all, Momma Rodriguez would cross the multi-versal divide and break through her own damn portal to kick my ass if I didn’t look after you.” Erik grinned. He could feel his progress slowing and felt as if he were reaching his limit. He was just so tired from constantly working on his Alchemy. But for his brother—he’d take bullets for him—what were a few trials?

  Rugrat let out a laugh and leaned back on his arms, looking up at the sky. “Well, not the life I thought that I’d have.”

  “But pretty badass,” Erik said.

  “Badass as fuck,” Rugrat agreed.

  Erik laughed before Rugrat joined in, looking out over the compound as people were meeting up, or going to sleep, readying themselves for the alchemist’s path, the last test that would decide whether they would join the Alchemist Association and what rank they would be.

  ***

  It took nearly two months for Old Hei’s group to reach the Regional Headquarters. They had used the totems to reach Khusai, but Old Hei chose to use beasts on the way back so that he and Erik would have more time to catch up before he had to go back to his duties as the pill head of the third realm. Before they arrived, Old Hei said that he didn’t want a big greeting, that he wanted his arrival to be as quiet as possible.

  So they had arrived on a private platform, with the Regional Headquarters’ leader meeting with them. Although he administered the Alchemist Association’s Resam city and all of the cities that were in its region, he was just a peak-Journeyman-grade alchemist. Although Old Hei technically dealt with a division of the Alchemist Association, which was comprised of thirty regions, he left most of it to his secretary, who was a low-grade Expert alchemist. The pill heads were all mid-grade Experts; once they made it to the high-Expert level, they would be raised up to the higher realms through various means such as Experience pills so that they could become teaching staff at one of the alchemist schools.

  Others could make it into the Alchemist Association schools but they needed to do so through various means, like contests or impressing the higher-ups.

  Those who were new to Alchemy but were able to get a high position quickly were promoted the fastest to increase the speed that they grew.

  They had arrived two weeks ago, with Old Hei spending most of his time locked away working on different concoctions, to increase his ability.

  Khasar was reminded of a student cramming before a big examination. He hadn’t seen any of the other pill heads like this before.

  Admittedly, Old Hei was different from them, taking his own path to increase his abilities, but still, he was supposed to uphold the pride of the Alchemist Association. But he didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

  When word came that the contest was about to start, Old Hei had only taken five guards including Khasar with him as they headed to the testing grounds. The testing grounds was a large semi-circle seating area that faced the Path of the Alchemist. In the middle of the area, there was a large stone table with three large boxes stacked on one another.

  Underneath it there was a gate, the start to the Path of Alchemy trial. It was at the base of the small hill Erik had seen when arriving in Resam. It was covered in a haze that made it impossible to see more than blurs of what was happening inside.

  The regional leader moved to one of the secondary boxes as Old Hei sat in the top box, overlooking the square.

  “Well then, this should be a good seat.” Old Hei pulled a few snacks onto his plate before sitting down as the guards checked the room.

  “Come on, grab some food. These things are usually take forever,” Old Hei said.

  The guards thanked him and moved to the table, only to feel Khasar’s eyes on them.

  “Now, now, Khasar, play nice,” Old Hei said.

  Khasar moved his lips but only nodded.

  The guards, not knowing what to do, backed away from the table.

  Old Hei only shrugged as he pulled out a bone from his mouth, all of the meat gone from it. “Your loss. I hope you packed lunch.”

  The doors into the viewing area opened as the people who had completed the first trials exited.

  In the stands, the people who had followed them sat, as well as the people from Resam, from alchemists to the various powerful houses.

  Khasar looked through the people but he couldn’t pick out anyone who looked special.

  “Hmm, looks like he’s been working on his Mana Gathering system. Established his Body Cultivation foundation. Oh, that is interesting. I thought that he might have been doing that. That must’ve been pretty nasty,” Old Hei said cryptically.

  Khasar left him to his mutterings as he tried to pick out the one that Old Hei had come for.

  He looked where Old Hei was looking. There were a few people there; none of them looked to be interesting. There was even a middle-aged man wearing rough clothing.

  As Khasar looked at him, he could tell that the man had seen combat and was a fighter.

  Spending his life fighting, maybe he’ll become like me, Khasar thought. Someone who was fighting wouldn’t be able to give their all to Alchemy. To make it this far was already a surprise, but to make it further? Khasar doubted he could do so.

  He continued to look through the people. There was a younger girl who made him frown. There was something different about her.

  Though he kept on saying “he” and said his name was Erik?

  ***

  Erik looked around the viewing area and then stopped. Those entering the trial all seemed to puff up proudly as they stood in front of some of the most powerful figures in the region.

  Erik looked at the scoreboard-looking sign above the gate and at the Path of Alchemy beyond.

  He looked back to the viewing boxes. There were several levels at the peak. Instead of the regional leader, there was a darkened booth.

  Erik frowned as he felt as though someone was looking at him. He looked away. Such thoughts didn’t make sense.

  Di and Wu had made their reports and left for their missions and returned to Khusai; Di had headed off to the different cities that would begin their first trials.

  Erik only knew Matt, Rugrat, and Domonos in the seats.

  Rugrat and Matt had beers and were hanging out, while Domonos was surprised by it a
ll and was gawking like every other tourist ever born.

  Erik was relaxed as the Resam Regional leader welcomed the guests.

  “Today we welcome the four hundred challengers to the Path of Alchemy. There are four stages that encompass all parts of Alchemy: growing, harvesting, preparation, and formation. Those of you who pass the trial will be made applicants to the Alchemist Association. If your results are good, you can directly join the association and have a standing above applicant. This test will also serve to form your Alchemist Association medallion. This medallion will show the skill level you truly have, based upon all areas of Alchemy.”

  The crowds looked at the contestants, talking in low voices, appraising them.

  Erik didn’t care about their thoughts or their plans as he looked over at the gate.

  “Give it your all. Show us all of your skills. Technique is not enough. Ability and knowledge displayed will increase your standing. In Alchemy, nothing is worse than rushing and failing. For this trial, there will be no time limit! There will be monitors who will make sure that there is no fighting between the four trials. If you have reached your limit, break your medallion and a monitor will escort you out of the trial. You will need these medallions to access the next trial. You can skip trials but we will know if you have. Now, show us your ability!”

  With that, he raised his hand. Mana was drawn into the gates as they shook and then started to open. The mist beyond cleared, showing a garden on the other side.

  People rushed forward, trying to show off; others walked in.

  Erik walked forward, looking over the gate and what was beyond it.

  As people rushed through the gate, their names appeared on a board above the gate at the lowest board.

  Erik looked back to his friends and Rugrat before he stepped forward. He was not just fighting to join the Alchemist Association; he had a much higher goal.