Everyone was captured by her words.
“The cylinders could be changed, but they would take more time as you need to pull out the power core to change the plates. They are about a fifth as powerful as these larger plates. Their issue is with power consumption. Though we have created power cores where you can tear the dead one out and slot in a new one, much like a magazine on a rifle. If staying in one place, then you can hook up a mana-gathering formation and dump in mana stones.”
The group watching shifted, their brows pinching together, absorbing every word.
“So, linking our formations together, we get overall buffs, increasing the effect of our base stats. An all-around buff to every attribute?”
Julilah and Qin glanced at each other and then at Yui with smiles on their faces.
“Yes,” they said at the same time.
“That won’t be a simple doubling of power. It will increase our fighting capability massively.” Stephen was floored.
“Yes,” Qin repeated.
“Power consumption?” Domonos asked.
“High, really damn high,” Julilah said. “At maximum consumption, the portable formations will burn through an Earth-grade mana stone every ten minutes. The larger emplaced formation will go through a hundred Earth-grade mana stones every ten minutes. The linking formation is the power hog.”
“The armor will not consume much power. It can operate at maximum capability for thirteen hours. It is one of the reasons we put in formations that are the lowest energy consumers,” Qin said.
“If you were to put in the strongest formation sockets, they could hold?” Rugrat asked.
“About two hours. It would take twenty Earth mana stones to recharge the armor.” Qin anticipated the next question.
“Sergeant, what are your thoughts, soldier-to-soldier?” Erik asked.
Bai Ping seemed a little stunned. Qin hid her smile. Erik and Rugrat didn’t act like sect heads who seemed to know everything. They asked questions and didn’t see themselves higher than anyone else.
Bai Ping was caught off guard by the question. He paused before finding his voice. Leading men and women and turning them into soldiers was one thing—talking to a legendary figure in person, who was asking him a question…?
He cleared his mind and pulled off his helmet out of respect. “The armor is useful. Overall, the defenses of the rear plate decreased, so more materials were needed to increase its strength. With our current strength, the armor is not an issue. The formations are accessed easily. It allows us to change for different circumstances. There will be a learning curve, and I am not talking about just deploying the armor.” Bai Ping grimaced.
Erik indicated for him to continue.
His expression was solemn. “When we cultivate the body, our Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Stamina Regeneration increase. That jump, though powerful and allows us to do a lot more, takes time to get used to. It can take up to a week to get used to those changes.”
A spark appeared in Erik’s eyes, and he nodded. “If your attributes increase by two or three times the original, then instead of helping, it could be a massive hinderance.”
Bai Ping nodded.
“It’s the first time I have heard of a buff being too powerful.” Rugrat laughed.
“We could balance it out,” Qin said.
Everyone looked over.
“Increasing a single stat can create a massive imbalance. If you have a high Strength, then won’t you need Agility to employ it correctly?” Qin said.
Bai Ping cleared his throat. “With shooting the bow, I could pull back farther and launch the arrow more, but when trying to run or do complex movements, the extra Strength can be more of a hindrance than an aid.”
“If all the stats were boosted, then people could adjust for it easier,” Glosil said. “Instead of worrying about a single change, they could take their overall abilities and multiply it.”
“Would there be a way for the user to adjust their formation? They could train for three stages—basic, moderate, advanced—and could adjust through all three. That way, they could train for three different levels of power,” Rugrat said.
Qin glanced at Julilah. “That should be possible, but why would we want to limit it?”
“Erik, do you want to do a demonstration?”
“You just want people to punch me,” Erik muttered, but he stepped forward.
“Erik will be your enemy sergeant. And you lot”—Rugrat glanced at the people behind Sergeant Bai—“will be my targets. As I ‘kill’ you, you will switch off your formations, change up the variables.”
Everyone looked forward eagerly. They all wanted to see how strong Lord West was.
How can they want me to fight him? Damn, just how powerful is he? What if I hurt him?
“Uh, sir.” Bai Ping cleared his throat, not sure what to say to save Erik’s face and not have to fight him.
“Don’t worry. If you beat me up, I get beaten up. Won’t take me long to recover. Just try and not hit me in the face, all right? Airways suck to fix.” Erik flared power through his body, ready for combat.
Everyone watched closely. Rugrat had a wide grin on his face.
“Right now, all of the linking formations are active. Have you trained at this power level before, Sergeant?”
“Yes, I have, Lord Rodriguez.”
“Good, then you should have an advantage. Though I would suggest you get ready. Erik’s a fucking ass if he gets you on the ground.”
“That sounds weird, man,” Erik muttered.
“You know all those holds and wraps and crap—it freaking hurts! Anyway, get ready. Three, two, one. Beat him up, Bai!”
Erik summoned power from the realms. It flowed through his mana channels, into his muscles. Bai Ping drew in power as well, but it didn’t have the same effect as he charged Erik.
Erik was in a boxer’s stance. He covered up as Bai threw a punch. Erik was pushed back and took a few steps to stabilize.
Erik nodded when Bai Ping peeked at him with wide eyes.
It’s like punching a fucking shield!
“Come on, Sergeant. If your enemy has an opening, you take it!” Erik yelled.
Bai Ping punched out again, putting all his power into the attacks but making sure to not leave openings to exploit.
Erik moved to the side and smacked out with the back of his hand. He struck Bai’s forearm, pushing the punch wide.
Bai Ping punched out again and again. The shock of the punches shifted Erik’s hair with the breeze.
Erik’s eyes never wavered. They seemed unfocused, as if he were focusing on another sense.
Bai kicked out at Erik’s knee.
Erik raised his leg; he took the hit and tilted.
Bai advanced to take advantage, ready to punch as Erik was tilting.
Erik pushed off the ground with his foot and threw himself away. Bai Ping lunged forward and punched.
Erik shifted away. The attack missed, striking the ground. Bai left a crater, shattering the ground.
Erik put his hand to the ground. Fire appeared underneath, and the small explosion gave Erik the force he needed to get back on his feet. The mana in his veins seemed to dim, and his skin hardened; black veins traced his skin, and he seemed to expel heat.
Shit, he wasn’t using all his power.
“Bang!” Rugrat said.
Bai Ping lost connection to one of his people. Erik advanced in a blur and struck out at Bai.
Bai lost his momentum, turning to the defensive.
“Come on, Sergeant! You should know some combat techniques. If you don’t pull them out, it’s going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me.” Erik still had the time to talk as he jabbed at Bai.
Blades of mana appeared in Bai’s hands, and he jumped backward, using a gliding technique. He threw the blades at Erik.
“Bang, bang.” Another two people were disconnected.
Bai struggled to maintain the spells as he drew out more power from himsel
f to sustain it. He couldn’t rely on the formations now.
It halted him for a half second, and Erik punched out; two fireballs hit the mana blades. Bai Ping had to fight to get used to the power fluctuations and the fireballs aimed at him.
Rugrat “killed” three more people. Having to adjust to the new power balance and having different stats boosted at different amounts made it confusing for Bai Ping.
He threw out mana blades and sent out trapping spells, imbuing the Fire attribute into his attacks.
The flames didn’t affect Erik in the slightest. He took the hits, showing red marks from the point of impact one second and then returning to normal the next.
Bai Ping forgot about Erik being a lord as they fought it out. If he stopped for even a minute, Erik would kick his ass.
Shit!
Erik kicked him, sending him backward. Bai hit the ground and rolled, coming back up. He punched out, sending mana blasts. Erik had been advancing; now Bai had to throw out a mana barrier to cover himself. Spears shot out from the ground, and Bai Ping cut them down with mana blades. He kicked out, and the stone spears exploded and melted.
More people “died” until there was just a squad left.
Bai Ping was trying to adjust when Erik’s Earth spell trapped his feet while he was trying to back up. He staggered. Erik punched him three times in the vest, and each strike rattled Bai.
It felt as if he were being shot.
He was holding back in his punches? Shit!
Bai dropped to the ground, and Erik backed up.
“Thank you for going easy on me, Lord.” Bai cupped his fists, fighting for breath.
“None of that. Get your breath back,” Erik said. “Not bad, Sergeant. Training is going well.”
“On one side, we see that Sergeant Bai Ping was getting fucked up with the power changes. On the other, Erik was adjusting his power throughout. Going from seventy-five percent to twenty-five percent power and then back up to fifty percent to finish off Sergeant Bai. Right?” Rugrat said.
“Yeah, about.” Erik nodded.
That was only seventy-five percent of his power? Bai Ping coughed as he got his breathing back under control and his body recovered from the injuries he’d sustained.
Those watching talked with their eyes before staring at the unassuming Erik.
Shit—he wasn’t even using armor or formations. It had felt like he was punching an armor plate. Body Cultivation was hell to go through. Just how much had he cultivated his body already?
“Say that we start losing people. As they die, their armor goes offline. Think of how they will now need to adjust for every person we lose. Massive boost one second, no boost the next.” Glosil’s words were hard and brutal.
Bai Ping stood straighter. It was the role of the Alva army to defend the people of Alva, by defeating the enemy or laying down their lives if it was called for.
It was the reality all soldiers dealt with.
“With the settings, we could adjust them, so at basic, it adjusts for a squad’s worth of buffing, moderate for a combat company, advanced for a battalion. Even make higher stages, if needed. As time goes on, the basic buff will increase from a squad buffing power to a combat company and so on,” Rugrat said.
“We could do it,” Julilah said. Her voice was quieter than it had been. The two women seemed to shut off as Glosil presented them with the cold truths of what their formations would be used for.
“Sergeant Bai?” Erik asked.
“Sir?” Bai said, confused.
“Do you think the different levels of power would make it easier to manage?”
“I think it would. We can train to work on the higher levels of power,” he said after a moment’s thought.
“It might be harder for others to adjust to the changes, but it shouldn’t be too hard for us,” a woman’s voice called out.
Erik grinned.
Bai Ping saw members of the special teams walking over.
From the shadows behind the main group, the special team in charge of protecting Erik and Rugrat stepped out.
The cold expressions turned into grins as people greeted one another, smacking shoulders.
The special teams were a level beyond many others, but seeing them, he felt as if they were beasts in human skin. There was a deadliness around them that chilled the air. Even when completely relaxed, they were a spring, ready to act and react in a moment.
“What did you mean, Roska?” Erik asked.
“The special teams train on separate floors, dealing with all kinds of variables. There is no knowing if we will be working in the middle of an ocean, forest, jungle, mountain range, or burning desert. We have to accommodate for all those factors. Having training where our power is increasing and decreasing randomly would be good. De-buffs are a common weapon.”
“You and the members of your special team are training maniacs,” Erik said.
“You’re not?” Rugrat spoke in a quiet voice, but everyone heard him.
The two men chuckled.
“Yeah, well, fuck it!” Erik said. “Okay, anyone have any other points?”
The questions moved from the leaders to the captains.
As the questions died down, the leader of the Adventurer’s Guild raised his hand. “Will this gear be issued to the Adventurer’s Guild?”
Glosil stepped forward. “No, it will not.”
“Why?” Blaze didn’t seem to be worried in the slightest, and there was a smile on his lips.
“The army works in groupings of units. There are strict rules, and our tactics are based on working together as a single force. To armor everyone would be a great expense, and although an overall buff would work for the army, most of our people are at the same level of power, so there won’t be too many changes. You have people from the First to the Fourth Realm in your organization and all kinds of different fighting styles…” Glosil trailed off.
“Naturally, when fighting in large battles, we would follow the examples of the sects and others, creating separate armies for people of different levels and capabilities. It makes it much harder to organize.” Blaze nodded, and the other guild members seemed at greater ease.
“The war against the Willful Institute is coming closer every day. The army and the guild will work together in the coming fights. The guild will be the vanguard, and the army will support you—information, weapons, gear, supplies. There are some people who have not only our trust but position to act.” Erik walked forward, his eyes looking to the men and women behind Blaze and Jasper.
“Blaze and Jasper can’t do everything. They might be the head and shoulders of the guild, but you are the blades. You will be the ones in the field leading the guild forces,” Rugrat said.
Blaze turned around to the group. “So, for the next week, you better open up your ears. You will be training and working alongside the army and have the attention of the special teams. We will continue our operations against the Institute, but you will learn how to properly train and command our guild into a fighting force. The guild and the army are two sides of the same blade. Do not forget that.”
Bai Ping was caught by the image: Blaze and Glosil stood shoulder to shoulder, while Erik and Rugrat stood behind them and to the side.
“Captain, it will be an honor to fight beside you,” Glosil said.
“Hah! The last time we had a real fight, I was a village head, and you were the leader of the town guard.” Blaze let out a raucous laugh. The two men shook hands and hugged each other.
They turned and glanced at Erik and Rugrat.
“Sergeants Storbon and Gong Jin, front and center!” Rugrat barked out, making all the military members unconsciously straighten, pulled back to their days of basic training.
Storbon and Gong Jin walked out from the special team members. They stopped in front of Erik and Rugrat and saluted. “Sirs!”
Erik and Rugrat came to attention and saluted them back. Their arms fell to their sides, and their smiles appeared again.
“It’s overdue, but I’d like to congratulate you two on becoming captains. Both of you will lead your own sixteen-person squad of special team members.” Erik and Rugrat pulled out rank tabs and handed them over to the two new captains.
“Do us, Alva, yourselves, and your fellow soldiers proud,” Erik said.
“The lives of your men and women lie heavy on your shoulders, though you will bear that weight and succeed. In the hottest fires, the strongest metal is forged,” Rugrat said.
“Return to your teams,” Erik said. They exchanged salutes again, and the two men went back as the others ribbed them, laughed, and demanded to see their medals.
“Sorry, needed to attend to a few things,” Erik said to everyone. “Please take a look at the gear. Examine it for as long as you need. This gear will be key in the oncoming war.” Erik turned to the crafters. “Masters Qin, Julilah, Taran, and Tan Xue, thank you.”
Erik clasped his fist to them in the traditional Ten Realms salute.
All of them looked surprised and bowed to Erik.
“We ain’t much, but when we work together, nothing in the Ten Realms can stop us,” Rugrat said. His voice was sober, but it created powerful ripples in everyone’s hearts.
14
Military Actions
While Yui had been focused on preparing for capturing the Water floor, Domonos had formulated plans and continued to gather intelligence against the Willful Institute.
Glosil had supervised but had turned it into a test of the brothers’ abilities.
The group sat in one of the barrack’s planning rooms.
Domonos cleared his throat, and people’s conversations came to a halt. He looked out at the members of the Adventurer’s Guild, the leadership of the Dragon and Tiger Battalions, Glosil, Erik, Rugrat, his father Elan, and his trusted subordinates in the Second and Third Realms.
Sixth Realm Part 2: A litRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 7) Page 15
