Sixth Realm Part 2: A litRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 7)

by Michael Chatfield

The referee was right there, and a mana barrier spell separated them both.

  Kaya was announced the winner. She showed an arrogant sneer and walked off the stage, not sparing the spear wielder a second glance.

  Cai Bo didn’t feel a sense of victory; she felt a thrill. It feels suddenly as if I know nothing about what is happening around me. There were too many shadows and mysteries. She had been playing political battles within the sect, controlling her own useless clan and several others to reach the position of high elder.

  “The forces at Meokar are heading out tonight to attack the Grey Peak sect as a warning to the surrounding sects,” Kostic said. “Should we say anything?”

  “Will it help? We must learn more and see if there is anything we can do. Although they are a small power in Vuzgal, it remains to be seen how powerful they are in the lower realms. If we can make it clear they will lose more than they will gain, they might back off with less effort on our side.”

  38

  Cooperation? Aren’t We Cooperating Already?

  Grand Elder Mendes’s fine robes had been replaced with armor as he watched the Willful Institute’s disciples marching past on their mounts.

  On the fringes, guards and the disciplinary elders watched for scouts and sentries. They were nearly at the Grey Peak sect’s territory. Once they entered, with their dense alarm formations, they wouldn’t be able to hide their presence anymore.

  “Elder Mendes,” said a voice that came from behind.

  “Elder Xiao.”

  Mendes’s guards moved to the side as Xiao and his guards approached.

  “Once we enter the Grey Peak sect’s territory, it will take us several hours to attack their main city,” Mendes said.

  “You are wondering if in that time they will get reinforcements from the higher realms?”

  Mendes nodded.

  “We have only leaked that we got reinforcements. It makes sense after the attack. They wouldn’t imagine that we would attack them first. Even if they did, their higher ranks will think this is something for the lower realms to deal with. If it were not for the recent issues we ran into, we wouldn’t be here. If they are willing to sign a nonaggression contract and give us back our resources—with interest—then we can end this all. If they don’t…” Xiao’s eyes turned deep and cold as he seemed to look through the dark forest and at the Grey Peak sect’s city.

  The silence stretched before Elder Xiao patted Elder Mendes on the shoulder.

  “They can only call on a few allies in the surrounding area. They have their own interests as well. If we can show our power here, those other powers will retreat. No one wants to fight a tiger, but they will pick over the corpse of a weak deer.”

  Heidi Storgaard didn’t need much sleep with her advanced levels. She had been tempering her body in the heart of her Grey Peak sect branch when she was interrupted.

  “So, the Willful Institute dares to cross our borders. They are bolder than I thought,” she said as she entered the war room.

  Konal Gudriksson snapped to attention. He was a large man with a braided beard and an armored vest that revealed his large arms. He looked as solid as the war bear he rode on.

  “They have come in force. They must have had more reinforcements than we thought. They are making good time, but they aren’t hiding their presence. It is a clear provocation.”

  “Well, we’ll just have to answer them. Send out word to our allies and ask them to reinforce us. We will break the Willful Institute’s attack and chase them back to Meokar.”

  Lieutenant Colonel Zukal entered the room of four people.

  “They will reach the Grey Peak sect in a few hours,” Mister Yi said to a tired-looking Jasper and the fierce Zukal.

  Jasper took a breath and pulled out a small Stamina potion. He took a swig and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

  “They’re really going to kick things off? This isn’t a ploy?” Zukal asked.

  “They are hoping to warn the Grey Peak and surrounding sects that they are not to be messed with. If the Grey Peak has the numbers and the power on their side, they now have a clear provocation. We can tilt things in favor of pushing back the Institute.”

  Energy filled Jasper’s body, and he half turned his head toward his aide. “Send word to the guild. Those who wish to participate in the battle should get ready.”

  The aide bowed her head and left the room.

  “Well, let’s see what happens. How are things on your side, Lieutenant Colonel?”

  “All of the Adventurer’s Guild members have trained for large operations. We’ve integrated smoothly. No issues on our side. We’ll be ready.”

  “Good. Then I’ll leave command in your capable hands.” Jasper patted him on the shoulder.

  There was a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” Jasper said.

  The door opened. Niemm walked in and closed the door behind him. He passed Jasper a scroll with a seal on it. “We checked it. No traps. From the Grey Peak sect.”

  Jasper opened the scroll. “The Grey Peak sect is officially requesting our support.” He passed the scroll to Mister Yi.

  “I have received word from my five special team operatives. With the help of Mister Yi’s operatives, they were able to gain access to the city. Once we lead the attack on the city, they will be able to act. The whole place is locked down right now, and there is little they can do. Communication is hard, so they will be waiting for your signals.”

  “It used to be that battles were just people fighting one another,” Jasper said.

  “This is still a battle. We’re just stacking the odds in our favor,” Zukal said.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Branch Head Storgaard hissed as she looked through a formation screen. Groups of fighters walked out of the totem.

  “Seems like token forces. Now the Willful Institute has moved, the other sects want to see what will happen and are holding back their strength,” Gudriksson said.

  “They want us to weaken one another and take the benefits afterward.” Storgaard gritted her teeth in anger.

  “The Institute is strong and brutal. Crossing them is not something to do lightly. I don’t agree with the other sects’ actions, but I can understand it. At least they sent some people. The smaller forces that came to your meeting haven’t even showed their faces. That Adventurer’s Guild said that they would send some support, but it has been a couple of hours already.”

  Storgaard hit her fist on the banister, displacing snow as the totem lit up.

  Through the formation screen, she heard feet moving before the light dimmed. As it did, fifty people were revealed, marching away from the totem. In the fore, they held a flag that snapped against the cold, bitter wind.

  They stood in ranks. Their gear was various, but they wore heavy armors, large weapons, and shields. Each wore an Adventurer’s Guild emblem on their chest. They were spread out because they didn’t know how to march well, but they all listened to the commands of a woman in the lead.

  “Seems I was wrong about the Adventurer’s Guild. It looks like they scraped together some fighters.” Gudriksson snorted as the totem lit up again.

  Another force, as big as the first, marched out. This one had fighters with bows.

  Storgaard frowned. They wore the same emblems as the force before. Already the number of people that the guild had sent was more than some of the major sects she had talked to.

  Another group walked out; the third group had Jasper among their ranks. He wore light armor and sported a spear.

  Units kept coming out. They were roughly put together, but they worked well in their individual units.

  How many people did they bring?

  “What do you think now, Gudriksson?”

  “Either they have brought their entire guild, or the Willful Institute pissed off someone who shouldn’t be pissed off. Look at their gear; look at the way they move. They’re mercenaries through and through. But their gear is some of the best to be foun
d in the Fourth Realm. The way they work together. They are individuals, but it is clear they have trained together and have a deep connection to their guild. They’re loyal and angry.”

  Coming up from the lowest rungs of society, Gudriksson wasn’t as blind or arrogant as many of the older sects had become. It was the reason she took him to be the head of her armed forces. He was too blunt to care about plans in the background but smart enough to understand them.

  “We should greet them. I think things just changed.”

  Blaze returned to his office in the Fourth Realm.

  “You’re still working? I haven’t seen you in weeks.” Elise pouted.

  “There is always more to be done, especially in these times.”

  “The fighting has you worried.”

  “We sent ten thousand people over to the Grey Peak sect. In the next few hours, our guild will, officially, be at war with the Willful Institute.”

  “We have been for a while, though,” Elise said.

  “Yes, though it was in secret. Now, we will become one of their targets. Even if they never learn of everything else we’ve done.”

  “We can’t regret what is going to happen now. We can just deal with the results.” Elise rubbed his shoulders.

  He patted her hands and she leaned forward, draping her arms over him and hugging him from behind.

  There was a knock at the door.

  Elise stood up and moved to the side.

  “Come in,” Blaze said.

  The door opened, revealing Emilia.

  “There is someone here from the Grey Peak sect who wants to talk to you about cooperation.”

  “Looks like they figured it out already,” Blaze said.

  “I have a meeting over at the academy. I’ll see you later,” Elise said.

  Blaze stood and kissed her. “All right, see you for dinner. Emilia, bring the representative up to see me.” Blaze sat and read some of the reports, trying to get some extra work done.

  Three information books later, he was nursing a headache and there was a knock at the door.

  “Come in.” Blaze stood, showing no signs of fatigue.

  A man with a braided beard with metal rings in it stood at the door. He wore a heavy-armored vest, and braided hair hung down his back.

  “Guildmaster Blaze, thank you for meeting with me!” The man laughed and walked over to Blaze and shook his hand. “My name is Ragnar Haddsson. I wanted to talk to you about cooperating together.”

  “Ah, so you are here about the Third Realm?” Blaze said.

  “Third Realm?” Ragnar frowned.

  “Your Grey Peak sect and my Adventurer’s Guild are working together in the Third Realm. My guild is sending people to help your branch deal with the Willful Institute and Meokar city.”

  “Ah, news travels slowly through the realms,” Haddsson said with an awkward laugh.

  Seems I was wrong. They didn’t connect the dots. Oh well, they will now. Be hard not to.

  “Forgive my ignorance,” Haddsson said. “And let me thank you on behalf of the Grey Peak sect for assisting us.”

  “It is a small matter. We have an issue with the Willful Institute. Staring at the other sects in the area, I believe it would be best if the Grey Peak sect took over the control of Meokar.”

  “You have no interest in the city?”

  “No. We will take some treasures, but they killed some of our people. We will be happy when there is no Willful Institute presence remaining in the city.”

  “The Willful Institute is arrogant in their ways, killing grand elites of the Adventurer’s Guild!”

  “They weren’t elites. They were regular adventurers, but if you attack one of our members, you attack us all. I am glad that we were able to find an ally like the Grey Peak sect.”

  “Thank you, Guildmaster Blaze.”

  “Did you have some other matters to discuss?”

  “My Grey Peak sect has run into an issue with a mine in the Fourth Realm. We found a new vein in one of our territories, but it is far from our cities. Traders and workers need to travel far before reaching the mining town. We are expanding the mine rapidly and need to position more people there, which gives us fewer forces to protect the convoys. Bandits have appeared in the area. We could deal with it, but it would pull strength away from our cities. We are not sure if the attacks are truly bandits or other forces. We would like to contract out the protection of the convoys to the Adventurer’s Guild.”

  “I think we will be able to assist with this and get information on the bandits so you can decide what you want done with them,” Blaze said. “We might need to bring in some people from other allied guilds to meet your needs. Would that work?”

  “If they have your recommendation, we would be only too happy to hire them.”

  “Very well. I will need some more information, but I look forward to our continued cooperation.” Blaze reached out his hand.

  “To our continued cooperation!” Haddsson smiled and shook Blaze’s hand.

  Jasper and Niemm walked into the war room with two other special team members. Mister Yi and Zukal should be setting up their own command center shortly.

  “Vice Guildmaster Jasper.” Branch Head Storgaard excused herself from the conversation to greeted him personally.

  The other group leaders had awkward expressions on their faces. They sneered and showed disdain toward the guildmaster. He had shown them up, bringing his entire guild to fight.

  “Your support is as welcome as coal in a snowstorm.” Storgaard’s attitude had changed since she had first met Jasper.

  “We made promises, and the Adventurer’s Guild places our entire reputation on those promises.” Jasper’s smile widened.

  The other leaders’ faces darkened.

  “Well said.” Storgaard laughed lightly. “I’d like to discuss tactics with you, if possible. There are still people coming through the totem. It seems you have endless warriors at your command.” She guided him over to the large planning table, where a large formation connected to the alarm arrays. The Willful Institute’s moves were clearly outlined on the table.

  “We asked the guild members who wanted to participate in the attack to gather in the Third Realm. We were surprised by the number of volunteers. We had to limit it to just ten thousand.”

  If they hadn’t held those idiots back, they would have had ten times that number. Do they want the guild to go broke from paying their transportation fees?!

  “Just ten thousand.” Storgaard coughed and blinked.

  “More than that, and it is harder to maintain command and control. We brought the strongest members to make sure younger members who overestimate their strength don’t make a deadly decision.”

  “That makes sense. With your forces and that of the Grey Peak sect, we’ll be able to beat the Willful Institute back easily.”

  “You only want to beat them back?” Jasper asked.

  “Once we do that, we can regroup our forces.” Storgaard shot a look at the different elders in the room. “And we can lead an attack on the Institute and make them listen to our demands.”

  “Oh, well, we’re here to eliminate the Willful Institute from Meokar completely.”

  “That won’t be a simple task. They have close to thirty thousand people in their vanguard and another five thousand guarding their city.”

  “We know. How about this? We will work together to defend your city and bleed the Willful Institute. Then, if you wish to join us or not, we will attack Meokar.”

  A bearded man flicked his sleeves. “You think too much of yourselves! You are just a guild from the Third Realm! You want to take down a sect city! Impossible!”

  “Who said our headquarters are in the Third Realm?”

  “You don’t even have a headquarters here!” another elder added in a huff. “You made a lot of noise about bringing ten thousand people over. Will we find your branches empty when we knock on their doors?”

  Did you get annoyed with a “
smaller” power showing off in front of you? Why were these sects always thinking of how great they were? Jasper shook his head and sighed.

  “Can you even face our great sects, a simple guild like yours?” the bearded elder said. The other elders showed the same looks of disdain.

  “You—” Storgaard made to step forward, but Jasper reached out and stopped her.

  “I guess I should re-introduce my guild.” Jasper’s voice tapped into the power of his body and his mana. His aura was deep and heavy while formations made it impossible for one to understand his power. They could all feel as if the scholar-like man had turned into some powerful demon in front of them.

  “The Adventurer’s Guild has branches from the First Realm to the Fourth Realm, with over seven hundred thousand members. We are headquartered in Vuzgal, in the Fourth Realm. We are part of the Seven Shields and Two Swords Fighter’s Alliance. We are a subsidiary guild of the Fighter’s Association. In the army I brought, a third could enter the Sixth Realm, another third the Fifth Realm, and the remaining members are from the Fourth Realm.”

  “Vuzgal? That is the holy land of fighters and crafters!”

  “What is the Seven Shields and Two Sword Alliance?”

  “It’s an alliance between fighter guilds that are subordinates of the Fighter’s Association. They came to an agreement to support one another, so that their people wouldn’t join the Fighter’s Association with anger in their hearts. Some people call them the roots of the Fighter’s Association.”

  “So many Experts! I thought they were from the Third Realm. Even for a group from the Fourth Realm, isn’t that excessive?”

  “Never mind a city in the Third Realm—couldn’t they attack a city in the Fourth Realm?”

  “I wondered why their guildmaster isn’t here! The Vuzgal fighter’s competition is going on!”

  “What are you talking about? Do you think their guildmaster would come down to the Third Realm to deal with something like this? Having the vice guildmaster here shows their determination.”

  Jasper’s aura withdrew, and he appeared like a simple scholarly man once again as he turned to Storgaard.