“What about Jasper’s stipulation to not let the other sects communicate with others?”
“We’ll take some flack, but with the forces the sects brought, it is clear they are token forces, wanting to see how things play out.”
“They shouldn’t blame us for being cold.” Gudriksson lifted his battle axe and rested it on his shoulder.
“Send word to Jasper. I agree with his plan,” she said to an aide.
Time went slowly as the Willful Institute rolled across the plains. Their troops marched on ingredient-growing beds, and their wheels left divots in the ground, crushing anything that had once been there.
“They are in the range of the outer walls,” Gudriksson reported.
“Hold steady. I want the middle walls to get in range first.”
“The commanders of the middle walls are in range.”
“Send the command.”
“Fire all weapons!” Gudriksson yelled into his sound transmission device.
The walls rumbled as the heavy siege weapons fired.
They hurled magical payloads from the walls. Enchanted stones and mana cannons left trails of light before they crashed into the mana barriers. The interconnected lightning arcs took the impact of the attacks that went off like grenades, exploding and creating shockwaves that bounced off the flashing barriers.
The younger members of the Willful Institute paused as the attacks landed just tens of meters above them. Massive boulders the size of a man turned to dust. The Willful Institute trudged forward under the shadows of the attacks.
“Inner walls are in range,” Gudriksson said. A catapult near them was released, with the sound of wood shooting back and slamming into a stop and the whir of the arm flipping forward; the catapult’s payload released, arcing over the middle and inner walls.
The walls were all over the place, but with them at different heights going out, they could fire three times the amount of weapons compared to having a regular defensive castle.
Another catapult fired down the line, and then the next, jumping as the arms reached their full extension. Teams of beasts were hooked up to the catapults and trebuchets, pulling them back into place while mages cast spells on the payloads.
“Mages are in range,” Gudriksson said.
Casting formations under the mages lit up, multiplying the spell’s effects.. Area of attack spells: lightning, ice, and rain descended from the heavens. Meteors leaving burning trails through the low-lying cloud cover.
Plant, earth, and stone golems rose from the ground and charged the Willful Institute.
Some of them were cut down by friendly fire. Storgaard was unmoved as the golems closed in on the mana barriers. Willful Institute members unleashed their attacks, cutting the golems down with ranged weapons such as bows, arrows, spells, and spell scrolls.
As expected of a force that had been able to reach into the Fifth Realm, they worked well together and weren’t moved by the attacks falling upon them.
Storgaard frowned. “We heard they were getting reinforcements from other groups in the Third Realm, right?”
“Yes, Branch Head.”
“Where did that information come from? Because those soldiers look too steady for a group from the Third Realm. They look more like a veteran troop from the Fourth Realm.”
Hidden behind Reynir’s city walls, the Adventurer’s Guild’s siege weaponry remained silent, covered in protective tarps, waiting and ready. Most of the guild waited beneath the walls so the defenders looked sparse across the city.
It’ll be one hell of a shock when they join in. Domonos looked out at the defenders, attacking, recovering and preparing, aiming and attacking again.
Crews worked together seamlessly, cranking back catapults and trebuchets, loading massive boulders enhanced with quick spells and formations. Mana cannons were recharged and rolled forward before being fired again, sending out lances of destructive power.
Trebuchets and catapults creaked and groaned, releasing their massive payloads into the heavens, passing over Reynir and dropping on the Willful Institute’s mana barriers, creating ripples like a god smashing their fist into a calm pond. Those that missed hit the ground, throwing up great waves of dirt as they exploded and released their destructive magic.
With the height advantage, they could hit them earlier. It wouldn’t be long until they were in range. I wonder what they’ll do, Domonos thought.
“So, what are we waiting for?” Jasper looked at the silent reserves of people and weapons behind the walls.
“We’re waiting for them to commit,” Domonos said. “If we keep our numbers and ranged abilities hidden, they will assume that what has hit them already is all we have. They’re probing right now and looking for openings. Once they are comfortable and commit to an attack to enter the city, we can show our hand. Use it to shock them. They’re using their veteran units in the vanguard to show the younger and less experienced members how it is done. They’ll have more confidence, and even if they’re scared shitless, because others did it, they’ll push themselves to do it as well. We want their morale to be high and bring it crashing down.”
“What if we hit them now?” Jasper asked out of curiosity.
“Then they can pull back in an orderly retreat, say there are too many people here, and get reinforcements. Or they pull back to Meokar, securing their rear as they do so.”
“How long will it take?”
“However long it needs. Looks like they’re in range of the gates.”
The Institute stopped their advance. Their soldiers deployed siege weapons, securing them to the ground, manipulating it to create hardened surfaces. Walls grew from the ground to create an ad-hoc camp.
Formations deployed to cover the camp. Mages set up amplification formations.
A mana barrier failed, and debris tore apart a newly formed wall and the people working on it. A new mana barrier was thrown out, and soldiers kept working.
A massive mana barrier covered the area, much brighter than the others. Impacts slammed against its solid, golden surface.
“They’re well-trained, which will make this harder. They are building four support camps and two forward camps. With that, they can retreat from their forward camps, having a clean line of retreat. We’ll have to take care of those.”
“How?”
“Kinetic penetrators. Three spell scrolls overlaying one another.”
“That sounds a little terrifying.”
“Yeah, it’s said to be a peak sixth-tier spell, touching on a seventh-tier spell formation.”
Jasper nodded, accepting it. “How long might it be before they commit?”
“Could be hours, could be days, with their actions. They’re not fools. They’ll take some hours to set up their camp. From there, they’ll start truly fighting.”
The Willful Institute’s siege weaponry attacked.
Jasper half-jumped while Domonos surveyed the different weapons.
Their pillars of mana from their spells, and mana cannons left burning lines of light across the watcher’s eyes and the gray mana barriers with red and yellow lines running through them.
==========
Event
==========
The city of Reynir is under attack! Pick a side!
Defend Reynir
Attack Reynir
==========
Defend
“They’re using Fire-based siege weapons, mainly mana cannons and spell scrolls. Standard tactics,” Domonos said to the side, ignoring Jasper’s reaction. He’ll get used to the sound of incoming fire all too quickly.
“Looks like they are serious. We must have rattled their cage. Those must be their dark birds.” Domonos pointed at some new siege weapons as they were pulled from storage rings. They rested on five wheels, two at the front and three at the rear; tubes were stacked one upon another in a square. Formations were carved along the weapon barrels, and there were ferocious bird heads on the end of the cannon’s mouths.
“What? Not impressed by their craftsmanship?”
“Why does it matter if they have eagle heads on them and fancy formations?”
“Traditionalist crafters instead of our more utilitarian ones.” Domonos patted his simple-looking armor. “Though they are pretty powerful. They use a Fire spell medium that looks like a bird and shoot it out of the tubes. Their damage is lower, but they’re more accurate and can shoot multiple attacks in a row. If you hit mana barriers in the same place again and again, then it can create a spotting effect, opening it up as the power needs to reach that area. If they punch a hole with their dark birds, they can flood through the barrier, and the dark bird projectiles can change their point of aim, raking targets inside the barrier. They might use different gear, but we would be fools to think of them as weak opponents.”
“I understand. I guess it is just part of being an Alvan.”
Heavy siege weapons of both sides hammered on the other’s mana barriers; projectiles were turned to dust with their impacts, and beam weapons left traces on one another. The heavens and the ground were transformed as golems turned into the main ground forces, looking to attack the other’s stronghold.
Where projectiles missed, they slammed into the mountain. Rock exploded, leading to landslides. The ground was turned into craters, and precious ingredients were ruined. Unlucky golems disappeared under the attacks, turning into spreading shrapnel that rained down on the ground, only to be re-summoned into other golems.
Domonos saw it all, but his eyes were focused on the mana stones being absorbed into the tube squares.
A mage activated the weapon. They were set four tubes across and four down. The top row of tubes ignited from the right side, ripple-firing across all eight tubes to the other side. The wheels rolled back, and a stream of red lights impacted the mana barrier, exploding with fiery results.
The upper tubes were recharged and were allowed to cool as the second row ignited, letting off an ear-splitting ripple-shot. A dozen of the dark birds fired, spitting out projectiles that looked like fiery phoenixes crashing into the Grey Peak sect’s mana barrier.
“Interesting. Looks like they’ve been drinking their own medicine,” Domonos muttered to himself.
“What do you mean?” Jasper asked. With all the fierce attacks around him, he was walking along the edge of fear and complacency.
If the attacks were to hit them head-on, like those golems, they would be torn apart and turned into rubble. The massive mana barriers of Reynir were keeping them at bay. The dark birds were terrifying weapons, capable of firing faster than the regular mana cannons repeatedly. Like a group of mortars strapped together.
“The weakness of most of the Institute’s mana barriers is Fire spells, right? Their siege weapons all tend toward the idea that they would be going up against lightning-based mana barriers. The crafters used Fire-based attacks to look better to the purchasers.”
“So, you’re saying that these attacks are good against Metal attribute mana barriers but not as strong against other barriers?”
“Exactly.”
“What is our process for attacking barriers?”
“Fire a volley with each type of element and figure out what the composition of the enemy barrier is. We can alter the formations in the artillery shells and the spells our mages use so they cause the most damage.”
“What about the kinetic penetrators?”
“Well, when that tactic takes too long, we overwhelm them with power.”
“Why does it sound simple when you say it but terrifying when you explain it?” Jasper wiped away the sweat, blinking, trying to understand what he was seeing.
“Best to take a walk. Don’t know how long this will take. The troops will feel better seeing familiar faces. I’ll rotate them on and off the wall; that way they can get used to the sights and sounds,” Domonos said.
Jasper nodded, breathing heavily. “I’m glad to have you here. I put my adventurers in your care.”
“I’ll treat them as I would my own soldiers.”
Jasper clapped Domonos’s shoulder again and walked down the wall.
“Is something wrong, grandniece?” Low Elder Kostic asked Mercy as they reached the Wayside Inn where they were staying.
“I ran into the colonel.”
“Did you remember where you know him from?”
“I-I think I might, but it doesn’t make sense.”
He waved for her to continue.
“When I talked to him, he knew my name—my nickname. He called me Mistress Mercy without blinking. Not like he had to recall the name; he knew it. He made me think about this nobody I had seen in the Third Realm. He had a powerful piece of gear that he used to get there. I trained him with my whip and turned him into one of my attendants.”
His eyes narrowed. “Colonel Silaz is one of the strongest people in Vuzgal. Few people have seen how powerful he is, but through our sources, the soldiers say that he is like a demon in human skin. The referees on the stages—they are apparently three places weaker than him, and the places are supposed to be large gaps.”
“I know, which is why I am not sure. I beat that man halfway to death. I broke his body, and I wasted him. I sent him to the darker side of the city, though he never made it to the slaver. He was rescued by two people. That was why I remembered him. Knowing that there was one person who got away…he could be a possible threat. He wasn’t that strong. Even if he escaped, there wasn’t much he could do. What if...?”
“That is a dangerous thought.” Low Elder Kostic held his chin. “If he is that person, we have waded into deep waters.”
“What do you mean, granduncle?”
“Make sure that you cover your tracks. Is that slaver you sold him to still alive?”
”I am not sure.” She cowed under his gaze.
“This one time your inability to clean up loose ends might help. Ensure that he and others who know about that man are silenced. Remove any possible link to him. Research just who that man is, his name, and where he came from. If it matches up, then I can take it to Elder Cai Bo. If used right, you might get a reward from the sect.”
“Do you think that is possible?”
“I do not know anything until you find more information. Next time, make sure there are no witnesses or people with loose lips,” he growled, staring at Mercy.
“Yes, granduncle. I was too short-sighted.”
“In these turbulent times, if you can prove yourself, everything can change—for the faction, for our own clan.”
“I won’t let you down, granduncle.”
40
Breaking into the Top 100
Ledell looked around Vuzgal. After meeting Momma Rodriguez, he’d lost most of his piercings, and instead of hunching over, he stood straighter. He’d applied to different mercenary groups, and on his third application to the Adventurer’s Guild, either out of pity or something else, he had been accepted.
Since then, he’d made several friends within the guild.
“You want to get food?” a mage asked as Ledell led the party through Vuzgal.
“The fights are still going on. We can just have Stamina potions!” another said.
“Trust me, I got a recommendation!” Ledell waved his hands, dismissing their comments. He reached the entrance to the Sky Reaching Restaurant and looked up at the tall building.
“Really, Vuzgal is crazy! Those skyscrapers and towers that reach up into the sky are made of stone, filled with houses, rooms, stores, and several that are just restaurants.” One of his group clicked her tongue in disbelief, shifting her sword.
“We know!” the others said in unison.
Since going to Momma Rodriguez’s, Ledell had turned into something of a foodie. Every place he went, if there were restaurants, he would try them out. Few were able to beat Momma Rodriguez’s menu.
They waited in line, interested more by the building and mollified w
ith the powerful people entering ahead of them and in the queue behind them.
“Party of five, please come with me.” The man led them through the restaurant. On the lower floor, people sat around a large bar; people made drinks, and the customers watched the events in the fighter’s competition. People talked about their different crafts and mercenary companies to spread their presence.
They went in through a doorway to a platform. The host pressed a button, and they rose slowly and then quickly.
“What is this, a floating platform?”
“It is called a lift. There are multiple safety formations put in place. Please hold on to the railings,” the host said.
Ledell did so as the tube around the lift disappeared and they were in a glass tube.
“Ahh!”
A few of his party members freaked out as they looked out at the city tens of meters below them and separated by a few pieces of glass.
The host continued to smile.
The lift stopped, the doors opened, and they all quickly left.
Ledell took them to a booth and they sat down, enjoying the panoramic view. Several towers were dotted around the city. The towers weren’t crowded together, giving them an unobstructed view.
The fights continued on the screens. In the distance, they saw the famed Battle Arena where everything was happening.
The waiters came and went, and soon they arrived with food.
“I’m starving! Good call, brother Ledell!”
“I said I wouldn’t take you somewhere bad!”
“What did you get, big brother Ledell?” a younger-looking woman asked.
“Deep fried chicken!” Ledell grabbed the chicken and took a bite. He closed his eyes. The crunch, the perfectly cooked and flavored chicken. The spice set his mouth on fire. “So crunchy!”
“Ah, it’s the cornflakes.”
It is so damn good. It could almost compete with Momma Rodriguez’s chicken! Wait, did he say cornflakes?
Sixth Realm Part 2: A litRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 7) Page 47
