Ledell turned, but the waiter had already left.
Shrugging, he left the talking to others as he dove into his meal.
Erik and Rugrat watched the matches, distracted by the reports they were getting. Domonos had left Vuzgal two days ago, while Elan and Glosil continued to work in the dark to affect the Willful Institute across the Ten Realms.
Thankfully, they were kind enough to send one of their elders over to Vuzgal. With the answering statue, they had been picking up parts of different reports and getting up-to-date and accurate information—without needing to put an agent’s life in danger.
The fight at Reynir and Meokar would be their opening blow. If it went well, it would show that their military was on the right path. It would raise their morale. With the Adventurer’s Guild and the people from the Dragon Battalion remaining hidden, people were starting to get anxious, including Erik and Rugrat.
“Looks like Kim Cheol is heading up on stage. After his soul-stirring fight last year, I was determined to bring him to the Fighter’s Association. You know, he turned me down? I guess that only makes sense for someone who would go to extremes to win a simple competition.” Klaus, the leader of the Vuzgal Fighter’s Association, sounded more excited than upset.
“He is a powerful fighter,” Erik agreed.
“If he wants to make it into the top one hundred, it won’t be easy. He is up against Tilly, the trainer. She’s a ranger, and she has three trained Iron wolves under her command. It is said they reached a level of compatibility that allows them to work together seamlessly. She can buff them and support them with her own attacks.”
A young-looking lady wearing gray-and-white armor stepped onto the stage with three wolves that reached her chest height. The four of them moved together as if a single entity.
Kim Cheol walked up to the stage with his massive shield and a large hammer that rested on his hip. His boar helmet showed scars, and one horn was broken, no longer as clean and perfect as it had been last year.
They marched across the stage and reached the referee. The wolves snarled at Cheol as he reached out his hand. Tilly shook it, and they returned to their sides of the stage.
Cheol dropped the visor of his helmet and pulled the hammer from his side while Tilly pulled the bow from her shoulder.
The referee started the match.
Tilly fired arrows as she cast spells.
“She’s dual-casting buffing spells on herself and on her beasts,” Rugrat said.
Cheol moved out of the corner and along the side of the rectangular stage. His shield rang out with impacts, his eyes focused on Tilly.
“He’s using the side of the stage to protect himself; he’s outnumbered,” Klaus said.
Tilly had him on the defensive, holding him back. She sent out her wolves, glowing with buffing spells. They advanced and spread out. Cheol slipped on the ground, and the wolves charged at Cheol’s open side. Tilly anticipated where he would land and fired. The arrow looked as if it would strike his helmet, but went right past.
He faked the fall!
Cheol used the fall to gain momentum. He jumped up and ran to meet the wolves. They came from his right, left, and straight on.
He made to bash the first wolf and fell, sliding. The wolf jumped above Cheol. He used a Wind spell. It was badly placed, but it pushed the wolf high enough so that it came down outside of the fighting stage. Cheol dug in his foot, coming to his feet at a run as he shot out a blast of air at the woman. She took the hit head-on and released an arrow. Cheol knocked it to the side with a yell. The half-pause was what the wolves needed; they jumped up and clamped on his arms, dragging his shield down. Tilly held an arrow ready, aimed directly at Cheol’s head.
“I lose!” Cheol declared.
The referee came out, and Tilly lowered her bow and her wolves released Kim Cheol’s arms. He opened his visor, a smile on his face. He bowed his head to Tilly, who returned the gesture, and they walked off the stage.
“That is a shame. Even Kim Cheol wasn’t able to make it into the top one hundred.” Klaus sighed.
“Are you jinxing my guild, Mister Klaus?” Blaze complained.
“Jinxing you? You have sixteen people in the top one hundred. I have four!” Gu Chen, one of the Silver Dragon managers said.
“With that, the top one hundred are decided. Come on, you should be able to have some people reach the top fifty, right?” Blaze joked.
“Don’t start jinxing me too!”
41
Beware the Unseen Enemy
Darkness fell over the city. A group of men walked through an alleyway, stumbling slightly from drink.
“The elders are working together now, using us to protect these cities. We should be in the higher realms, cultivating and getting stronger. So what if we lose some lower branches!”
“Right! The other factions are losing more than us. They are just bad at managing their cities!”
Roska stood on a roof, watching them, unmoving. She tilted her head toward another shadow. It moved and rose slightly. Other shadows shifted unseen behind the group.
“In position.” Imani’s voice was a soft whisper in her ear.
“Nothing in the surrounding area. You’re clear,” Tully followed up.
Roska dropped to the ground. Her cloak covered all but the bottom of her face. She walked out of an alleyway, turning in the middle of the street. “Disciplinary Elders Oskar, Alan, and Ren Yu?”
The men looked up at her in surprise.
“Ah, perfect. You brought some friends.”
“Who are you?” Elder Oskar squinted and put his hand on his blade.
“And you’re wearing your armor. That will make things easier.” Roska didn’t stop her steps and whistled.
“I asked who you are!” Oskar demanded.
“I’m your killer.”
Roska was just some feet away as Oskar and Alan opened their mouths to cry out in pain, but they were struck by a Silence spell attached to the arrows that had pierced their backs.
Stun spells hit others as sword users who had been hiding in the shadows appeared. Their blades stabbed the remaining Willful Institute members.
Before they fell to the ground, Roska waved a storage ring.
Not even a drop of blood hit the ground, leaving several shadows to resolve themselves into the members of Special Team Two.
Each of them held weapons forged by the Willful Institute. They quickly split up and headed in different directions.
They had less than twenty-four hours to carry out the next part.
It was mid-morning in Vuzgal. High Elder Cai Bo had finished her reports and sent them back to Sect Head Foster. She included her speculations that Vuzgal and the Adventurer’s Guild were in close association, possibly even an alliance.
The fact that the Adventurer’s Guild was the same one that the Meokar branch had offended indicated some bond.
She looked out of her room at the grand buildings of Vuzgal.
The Ten Realms was not a merciful place. To get to her position, she had needed to silence and deal with others without a trace. She had always felt in control. There were guilds and sects from across the Ten Realms that had been suppressed to keep their position. They were not that strong apart, but working together, they could take a chunk out of the Willful Institute. If they were weakened, wouldn’t other large sects think about taking more? She would connect with some other sects in secret to bring her followers over if necessary. She did not intend to fall with the Willful Institute.
There was a knock at her door.
“Come in.”
“High Elder Cai Bo,” Low Elder Kostic said.
“Has your grandniece Mercy remembered anything more about Domonos?”
“I do not have great hope for it, but she is looking into her past and searching for information. I hope she can find something of use for us.”
“If we can find out anything about Vuzgal, we will have an advantage over the others. For a place with s
o many mysteries, those secrets will be their weakness.”
“As you say, High Elder.”
“Do you have the reports from Meokar?”
“Yes. The battle started three days ago. The Adventurer’s Guild is there. Supposedly, their vice guildmaster is leading them, a man by the name of Jasper. Based on the scouts’ observations, it looks like the guild and the other sects took a token force.”
“Good. If they aren’t devoted to the cause, there is room for negotiation. If they are, then it will be nearly impossible to deal with them.”
“Why is that, High Elder?”
Cai Bo’s brows pinched together. “There are two groups of people who survive in the Ten Realms. Those who are so strong that others don’t want to compete with them because it will cause more losses than gains. The second are mad dogs. Groups who, if they are slighted, will go all in to get retribution. They rarely last long. But the ones who do last become massive powers. No one wants to fight them. After a point, there is no going back because they will devote everything to protect and get retribution for their people.”
The third are people who can use those stronger and more stupid to their will, making them think it was their idea in the first place.
“What kind of sects could possibly live like that? Even we have lost people here and there from some kind of challenge. Sometimes we must give slight concessions to advance later.”
Cai Bo’s eyes shifted to a grand circle of buildings. “The associations are mad dogs. That is the true reason no one would want to deal with them. Think of what happened to the powers that were involved with the Tareng and Vuzgal battles. The Blood Demon sect fell apart and was absorbed by other sects that had close ties to the associations. Other sects were given concessions, but they didn’t try to fight. Why? Because the associations were behind everything.”
“I have heard of associations backing down in the past, though,” Low Elder Kostic said.
“It is rare, nearly never seen in the lower realms. In the Seventh and higher realms, the associations tend to be neutral. There are powers that can make even them think twice about taking action. Although the associations might back down from some things, if you attack one of them, they will do everything in their power to grind you down. If you attack a city they are in and make sure to not harm their people, then everything is fine. Do you understand?”
“They’re mad dogs if you attack them directly, but others, even friendly sects, it is rare for them to step out and protect. Even they have limits,” Low Elder Kostic said.
“Correct. Now, with so few people at Reynir, the Adventurer’s Guild doesn’t rate Meokar that highly. It must be a minor incident, but they have to show at least a token force to appease their people and their interests. Taking the resources from Meokar is about the limit of what they can do, unless they want to declare war on the entire Institute.” Cai Bo’s words hung in the air before she turned around.
“It has been too long since I last left the Willful Institute. So many new powers have risen. Our Institute has only got seven places in the top one hundred of this competition.”
“We will take the top ten spots,” Low Elder Kostic said.
“Yes, our people have finer heritages and combat skills. Though what was a small guild last year, dominating the top one hundred, becoming a famous black sheep—this year, still has sixteen members who are in the top one hundred.”
“They aren’t as strong as our people on a one-on-one basis.”
“In a fight, is it ever one-on-one?” Cai Bo’s eyes shone as she gazed into space, seeing something only known to her. “Guilds fight as groups, protecting merchants and carrying out different missions. Fighting by themselves is disadvantageous to them. In our Institute, one has to rely on their own power to advance. How else could we make a large group of Experts? Those who can’t be the best take spots in the guards or fighting forces. There they can hone their fighting skills and Strength, gaining contribution points to make a comeback and get greater backing of the Institute.”
“We have raised many fine warriors, even powerhouses in the Seventh Realm. Our power in the Fourth Realm continues to grow.”
“I agree that our system is much better, but we can’t be blind to each other’s systems and methods.”
“High Elder is wise. Our system is the best, but we should not discount others for their own strengths.” Low Elder Kostic seemed to have been caught by an inspiration and cupped his hands, bowing.
“What about the relationships I had you look into?”
“Blaze, the leader of the Adventurer’s Guild, is in a relationship with Elise, the leader of the Trader’s Guild, which acts as the manager of all traders in Vuzgal. Although she is stated as independent and is neutral in all matters, she is from Vuzgal. Weapons and armor for the Adventurer’s Guild is purchased from Vuzgal Academy. So are their potions and their clothes. They have healers trained by the Vuzgal-controlled healing houses. Other than the relationship with the trade guild leader, these things may be coincidental. They are, after all, headquartered in Vuzgal. Playing nice with the landlord makes sense. Though, with everything…” Low Elder Kostic held back his words.
“What do you think?”
“What if the Adventurer’s Guild and Vuzgal are connected on a deeper level?”
“Then Vuzgal as we see it might only be the tip of the iceberg. It brings everything into question. Best case is that Vuzgal was settled by a group of mercenaries that switched to be the Vuzgal guards to look good for the associations. They had the connections to stabilize Vuzgal and invited other guilds they knew to help them out in creating a sect. Otherwise, I have no idea what it might be. If they have a backer, how strong must they be to do all of this and keep their hand hidden this long?”
The Tolentinos were seen as hot heads. She could get them to take action and test the waters.
Roska put the fruit down, not listening to the vendor as she turned, trailing behind a passing carriage.
Guards wearing the clothes of the Willful Institute flanked the carriage on their mounts watching the crowd with the bored derision born from repetition and numbers.
He never leaves with less than a hundred guards. Seems he has a high opinion of himself. I guess he should, being a high elder of the Willful Institute.
She heard two clear clicking noises through her sound transmission device.
Spells appeared around the carriage. Green smoke spread out from the spell formations, covering the people in the convoy and making them and their mounts cough.
Guards yelled out and civilians ran away.
“Ambush!” a guard yelled as special team members appeared on roofs, shooting arrows at the convoy, killing some and wounding others.
Defensive formations covered the carriage, protecting it.
A team member on the roof’s activated a spell scroll.
A spear of Fire evaporated the water on the street as people ran in every direction, screaming. Other spears shot down from the roof, making a whooshing noise as the first flaming spear seemed to suck in the air around the carriage, turning it into scathing heat. Noise, like a wall rolled away. The smoke had been a flammable gas, not a distraction.
Mounts and guards had been thrown clear, killing some, injuring others.
The mana barriers flared to life, and the impact tilted the carriage onto its side.
“Kill them!” The remaining guards jumped off mounts and into the fray.
Roska pulled out a spell scroll and tore it.
A spell formation appeared above the carriage mixing greens, browns, and pure white. A pillar shot down like doomsday. Instead of piercing the carriage, it turned into threads of power that raced out to the surrounding area, entering the beasts.
Their muscles bulged, and their eyes turned red as they roared. Their primordial, brutal bloodlines ignited as they charged at one another, not caring about their riders anymore. The team pulling the carriage broke free of their harnesses and turned on the dri
ver, who was trapped under the carriage. They attacked the carriage and one another, turning into pandemonium. The guards had to kill their own mounts as they created a protective barrier around the carriage. The dead and dying were strewn across the ground as the carriage lay broken on its side. Fire bolts shot through the air again, killing more guards and striking the carriage; smoke and flames spread.
Up—he sees me. Come on down!
An arrow shot past Roska; she turned and ran.
“Catch her!” the guards yelled.
Roska ran. Arrows shot out at her, hitting random items in the narrow alleyway.
“Arrow incoming,” Imani said.
Roska braced herself, ducking behind some crates at an intersection in the alleyway.
An arrow shot out from behind the group of guards pursuing her. None of them would have noticed where it came from, thinking it was one of their own that had hit the attacker in the back.
Roska went down with a blood-curdling scream. Hidden by the crates, she waved her storage ring. A body from the night before appeared with an arrow in the back. Fresh blood flowed from the wound.
She stared at the rat sniffing the ground near her feet. She touched the beast crate on its back and disappeared in a flash.
The rat scampered away, entering a sewer grate with its payload safe.
Moments later, armed guards turned the corner, staring at their “victim.” With a boot, they flipped over the dead attacker.
“Put the body in your storage ring. We’ll figure out who they are later. There are more attackers we need to capture!”
Glosil walked into the command center. Elan had become a permanent feature there, while Yui and Kanoa seemed to rotate in and out.
Kanoa stood off to the side, coordinating an air lift for several ongoing missions. Yui was checking incoming information.
Roska was there too. She was wearing her combat fatigues and war belt and looked almost peaceful compared to her complete body armor and weapons.
Yui and Elan looked up from what they were doing.
Sixth Realm Part 2: A litRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 7) Page 48
