Second Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  Everyone in the room nodded. Quests were rare and for most people, the fourteen gates quest was one that they would see for the entirety of their lives, a painful reminder of what they were not able to do.

  “Mana gates are part of the body. The Mana system, as you know, is an internal structure. There are ways, both alchemically and medically, that one can open up those Mana gates.

  “Though if you combine those two practices, the chances of someone opening a Mana gate shoot up. Healers and alchemists in the Ten Realms are said to be revered because they can only open a few Mana gates. Today, I’ll tell you the different ways that Rugrat and I have used to open our Mana gates and the Mana gates of others. Then I will talk over how one can temper their body, from the bones, the ligaments, and tendons, through the muscle, Mana system, and skin. Both processes are not easy, but listen up.”

  Everyone in the room was focused entirely on him.

  Delilah sat there, not blinking for fear that she might miss something.

  ***

  Elise was at the barracks, sitting on one of the walls, watching Special Team One. Yao Meng, Tian Cui, and Yuli were in the training squares; each of them were separated, teaching different groups.

  Those who had been in the Beast Mountain Range or had been training in the barracks and the academy had a variety of questions. They had tried out a number of things but in the First Realm, it had been a long time since their lives had been threatened.

  The three from Special Team One happily fielded their questions, taking time to think on them as it might lead to an increase in their own fighting power. Their combat experience served as a good meter to strike down bad ideas and open up pathways for good ones.

  Elise leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.

  “You don’t come around here often.” Glosil moved up to sit beside her.

  “Just thinking on everything. You know, trying to make plans for the future and all that. But I simply don’t know how things will go. The haul of items that Special Team One brought with them was nothing to laugh at. Then Rugrat and Erik, well, I don’t know what they brought with them, but they’ve absconded off to the hospital and smithy while Egbert, who has all of the books, is scanning through them and passing them out to the departments that are coming by, hungry for more information. It’s like when we first arrived in Alva Dungeon all over again.

  “People are excited. With the threat of being pushed out of Alva Dungeon gone, more people want to stay. With the information and supplies, it would be hard to find anything like them in the First Realm. Though I don’t want to force people to stay here. We need more people and we need our people to go and try out the world. It’s why I want not only parties made of military personnel, but those with crafters and traders to head to the Second Realm.

  “Look at the gains that the first team have made. Erik and Rugrat’s Strength has surged, and from what we know by Tan Xue, Rugrat’s ability might be the second highest in all of Alva, only to Tan Xue. Erik—we don’t know how strong he is and how he can grow the people of Alva.” Elise let out a rush of breath, falling into silence. “I liked when it was simple and I ran a shop,” she complained, resting her chin on her knee again.

  “Nothing is ever easy and I have to think that Erik and Rugrat have a plan. Even if they escaped you before, neither of them have willingly missed a meal.” Glosil smiled.

  Elise felt reassured seeing that smile as she let out a light laugh. “Just like the days back in the village, meetings at dinner?”

  “I think we might just have to do that for some time with everyone so busy.” Glosil grinned.

  “Ugh, more paperwork.” Elise rested her forehead on her knee as Glosil simply looked at the people in the barracks as the three members of Special Team One ran through drills, answered questions, and showed what tricks they had learned.

  Growing stronger together.

  Chapter: Path to the Realms

  Erik held nothing back as he told those listening about Mana gates, the ways he had found to open them, and how one could temper the body. He talked about the medical methods and the alchemical ways.

  Then he had picked Jen and an alchemist called Lang Hua. He was a big lad but while Erik was talking, his eyes lit up with interest, taking in every word. He was the kind of person you could just tell was on the edge of a laugh or a joke, but he was so focused Erik couldn’t help but admire his interest.

  He could also see that people were asking him questions. Instead of telling them to be quiet, he would whisper answers to their questions. Erik had spent time in all kinds of units and groups. Lang Hua might not look like it but he had become the unofficial leader of the alchemists.

  He had seen it before where noncommissioned members all looked up to one or two people who could rally them in any direction.

  The biggest problem with these people was they were good in a fight but they were hell when they didn’t have anything to do.

  Erik had called Jen and Lang Hua forward. Then, using them as examples, he used a needle with Mana to pierce Jen’s Mana gate and then used a needle covered in Mana Regeneration powder on Lang Hua.

  It was only a small perforation on each, but now Mana could move through this small gap and was starting to wear down their Mana gates.

  Erik had also taken the opportunity to look at the other Mana gates in their bodies. Even piercing the Mana gate, he could see that the others had hardened.

  He’d hoped that he had found a new way to open all of the Mana gates at once without them hardening and becoming increasingly difficult.

  The two were swarmed over by the alchemists and the medics as they looked at the changes that had gone on in their bodies.

  Erik was surprised how many of them had taken up training in both skills.

  Once everyone had looked them over, Erik had gone on to talk about acupoints and the Mana system in greater depth. It was a part of every person’s body in the Ten Realms and he treated it just like the circulatory system.

  With his words, the different groups who had been apprehensive of dealing with it before and potentially messing it up calmed down. It was no longer something that was out of reach; with Erik’s words, they came to understand it in greater depth.

  ***

  Delilah listened to Erik’s lecture with the other medics and alchemists. At the sight of so many Apprentice-level healers and alchemists, she was in a bit of shock, but she didn’t let that distract her from Erik’s lesson.

  He spoke in simple terms, working to make the content as easy as possible to understand.

  He delved into the theories and ideas behind Alchemy and the effects that they have on the body, both those that could assist and those that could harm.

  He talked on pill poisons that could build up in the body, like what had happened to Qiang Xen. He went over diagnosing people. What they thought their ailment might be could be completely wrong. It was the work of the alchemist and the healer to deal with the root of the issue if possible, not just the symptoms.

  “We are quickly reaching the limit of what we can do with our current formulas. Look to change up your techniques, to make tools that aid you—work smarter, not harder. If it becomes too easy, try to increase the efficacy of the different concoctions. Then, look to make your own concoctions. One doesn’t just need to use Alchemy ingredients. You can use ingredients from the farmers’ market. It will take a longer preparation period, but you can still make concoctions from them. For the healers, working with one another, use your spells constantly until you have an innate understanding of them. Train with the beast corpses; look to open people’s Mana gates and temper their bodies. With the temperings, people’s bodies are broken down and then repaired. Seeing and understanding the process will increase your understanding of healing magic and how to use it.” Erik looked at the people in the room. “Your skill level is only held back by your own mind. There are plenty of ways to increase it. Don’t just heal all t
he time or make the same concoction: do the hard work, research, and look into new ways to do your tasks. Yes, you can use your skills again and again and earn a small increase, but if you use new techniques and don’t just use the easiest method, but use the most economical, the one with the least amount of aids, then your skill level will increase in leaps and bounds. Now, here are a few techniques that I have come up with that have allowed me to increase my skill level quickly.”

  Erik held nothing back, sharing everything that he had learned. He fielded questions, answering them to the best of his ability. Finally, the lecture came to an end.

  Few people were talking. Most of them seemed to be stuck in deep thought as they understood what Erik had told them and had come up with a few ideas on how to increase their skill level.

  Erik looked to Delilah and gestured for her to follow him. He left the hospital and waited for her, looking out on the village around them. He turned to Delilah.

  “The path I travel on isn’t a safe one. Alva Dungeon is the best place I know of for you to put theory into practice. There are ingredients, an Alchemy lab, and other peers for you to talk to. With your knowledge of the Second Realm, you’ll be a great resource to Alva Dungeon and it might lead to you having more breakthroughs in your Alchemy skill. You will have to make an oath to not reveal any information about Alva Dungeon to anyone. Though if you want to leave at any time, you can, as long as you have settled your debts.”

  ***

  Delilah felt touched at his consideration.

  She fell into silence for a few more moments. “I will do as Teacher suggests.” She bowed to Erik.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty more teachers in your life. Go and register with the council. Give your oath and then you can join the Alchemy department,” Erik said.

  “I will do as you say, Teacher,” Delilah said, feeling a mix of loss and excitement. Loss at knowing her teacher wouldn’t be able to give her individual lessons anymore, but excitement at the opportunity she had been given.

  ***

  Erik left the hospital and headed for the growing areas.

  I still have a bunch of items that I should add to the warehouse. Before I do that, I want to check out the gardens.

  He had passed on information and his thoughts through Tan Xue and Julilah, though he wasn’t sure what they would do with it. After all, it was only an idea to him.

  He walked around the residences and toward the growing area.

  “Looks a bit bigger now.” Erik looked at the growing area, which seemed to have more than doubled in size. There were all manner of different plants within its borders now.

  The farmland area had been cut up into different plots. People were walking around, checking on different things. There had been talk of making tester plots when he was leaving but he was in a rush to go find a second dungeon core to stabilize Alva Dungeon, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.

  Now it looked like all of the fields had been converted into testers. There were all kinds of different crops and plants within the growing areas.

  Erik watched them with interest before he felt a change in the currents of Mana.

  He looked over to a whole growing area that had been given over to what looked like a forest. Erik took in a deep breath. At the medicinal scent of the plants, he could easily tell that they were not ordinary.

  Erik stepped into the overgrown growing area. Although it looked wild, one could see that the plots were actually worked into overlapping circles.

  “Ingenious! I thought it might be a good idea, but they’ve expanded upon it further than I ever thought possible.” Erik looked around in wonder.

  The different plants fell in with the natural elements that one could find within Mana and through the entire Ten Realms.

  Earth, Metal, Fire, Wood, and Water: the different circles represented these different attributes. In the center of the circle, there were plants that only had one attribute. Moving to the fringes, there were other plants with different attributes and needs—some that were mostly in tune with the Metal attribute, but they also looked for Fire and Wood attribute energy.

  Erik moved into the middle of the garden. The density there was high, but filled with impurities. The Mana was practically stained with the different attribute Mana.

  Although it would be bad for some to try to gather Mana in this area, the impurities were the best kind of fertilizer for the different plants and for the dungeon core.

  “It’s generating a constant field of Mana.” Erik laughed to himself, a wide smile on his face as he looked around. He saw a man approaching. As the two of them looked at each other, the other bowed.

  “I am sorry, Mister West! I was coming to tend to the garden. I will leave you in peace.”

  “Fehim, isn’t it?” Erik asked as the man tried to back away.

  “Yes, Mister West.” Fehim nodded.

  “Please, just call me West or Erik. I’m not used to all of that mister crap.” Erik smiled.

  “Ah, yes, Erik.” Fehim smiled.

  “Don’t let me disturb you. I was just taking this all in. It’s incredible what you’ve been able to do.”

  Fehim couldn’t hide his pride or his wide smile. “Thank you, Erik. It took a long time to get it all sorted out and I have plans to extend it once again, but it is getting large already and I’m not sure if it would be wise to do so,” Fehim said with a troubled expression.

  “Why would you want to expand it?”

  “Well, right now we’ve got plants that are focused in one or two, maybe three different attributes. It was incredibly hard to find plants that fit these conditions. Many of the plants that we get down here in the First Realm use all kinds of attributes,” Fehim said.

  “Oh?” Erik asked, interested in Fehim’s thoughts.

  “It’s my theory that because in the First Realm there is not a lot of Mana, most of these plants have adapted so that they can absorb all kinds of attribute-aligned energy in order to grow. It decreases their purity and the strength of their harvestable ingredients because they have to scrounge for any kind of Mana.

  “In the expansion, I want to make another set of areas that link to the first, allowing further intermixing of attributes. In the exterior of the garden, we would have plants that create and draw many kinds of attributed Mana to grow. Then, moving inward, we move into plants that have three attributes, then two and finally one,” Fehim said.

  Erik held his chin and looked around in thought at the massive variety of plants around. “It’s not a bad idea.” Erik nodded. “You’ve made a natural formation out of the plants and with the form of the garden. Honestly, I never thought that it would be at this stage by the time I got back.”

  Erik was standing in what looked like a wild forest. This was not some simple growth that could have taken just a few months. “How were they able to grow to this stage, though?”

  Fehim grinned, as if revealing a secret.

  “There was two parts. First were the plants that give off Mana. I took that information and I went looking through what we had in the way of seeds and cultivated them. I have a skill in Alchemy and farming, and I have been able to use Plant Cultivation and a few other growing-related spells. With the help of some of the other farmers, I was able to trial the different plants. Some had stages where they gave off Mana and others retracted it, like the forest fennel you sent me information about.

  “Different plants gave off different attributes: Mana, Fire, Wood, Metal—well, that one was the hardest. Water was the second worst. But in the end, I was able to piece together plants that were able to release attribute-concentrated Mana. I used those as the cornerstones of each of the regions, then built up plants around them. I checked their reactions and helped them grow. The farmers and the ingredient alchemists helped me in taking care of the plants, studying which plants worked where. It is still an ongoing process but we have been able to plant about sixty percent of the seeds,
cuttings, and other plants. With the attribute-concentrated Mana, the plants grew quickly in their ideal situations. I modified the Plant Cultivation spell. Not only did it help the plants grow, it used different attributes, allowing me to cleanse my system of the impure Mana and use it to feed the plants. The spell’s effects had at least a thirty percent increase. With this, I helped the farmers understand the attributes of their plants and modify their spells as well, allowing us to make more food than ever before. And they’ve kind of caught on with the testing bug, as they’re constantly looking to improve their crops. The higher quality crops have even made Jia Feng come out and learn more about the different plants.”

  “The better the ingredients, the higher grade the final product—you’ve got to build from the ground up.” Erik laughed. “Damn, Fehim, this is impressive as hell.” Erik patted the man on the shoulder.

  He seemed to think for a minute before looking around and pulling out three books. “Return these to Egbert when you’re done with them. Also, I’ll see if I can get a Mana tap in the middle of the garden to allow some of the pure Mana from the dungeon core to help you out. I’ll have a talk with Elise and see if we can’t expand the growing area and put in some Mana gathering formation plates that can be adjustable so you can control the Mana, isolate the different attributes, or combine them as needed. The excess attribute Mana can be collected and consumed by the dungeon core, allowing it to grow faster. Damn, Fehim!” As Erik’s mind worked over the possibilities that came with the garden and how it would affect the dungeon, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

  Fehim held onto the books as if they were his long-lost children and looked up at Erik with a look of worship in his eyes.

  “Keep on working hard, Fehim. You’ve done well.” Erik moved into the garden, pulling out clippers and a jade box as he started to prune down a few of the plants for ingredients.