Sixth Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  “Yeah, that has to be one hell of a headache,” Erik said.

  “Why does it matter all of the councils?” Storbon asked.

  Erik and Rugrat looked at one another.

  “Councils can come to a decision once and a while, but it is fucking painful. Everyone wants to be heard. They go and negotiate behind closed doors, but in the end whatever the damn thing they were supposed to be looking at might be the last thing on their minds. With so many councils doing that and then overlapping one another, nothing gets done.”

  “Sometimes you just need to act and do something. If you’re in a fight and you have to get all the sergeants together, have them talk about the plan of attack, then pass that through all of the ranks up to Major and when the people higher don’t agree, then it returns to the people that are at the bottom,” Erik grimaced.

  “Everyone fucking dies,” Storbon shrugged.

  “Right,” Rugrat sighed. “Well, I guess we now know why it is so stable. Everything is a damn mess and connected to one another so it’s hard to piece things together so everything kind of just keeps on rolling.”

  “As long as it’s stable people aren’t going to care, and it won’t really matter to us, we just have to remember to not piss off anyone that’s in a high position or has a high standing. Keep it low-key.”

  Storbon smirked.

  “What?” Rugrat asked.

  “You two, low-key? Right,” Yao Meng said from behind, they had all been listening.

  “Hey! I’m super low-key!” Rugrat said.

  “In your short shorts and cowboy hat?” Yuli said.

  “That is called style Miss Yuli!”

  “I’m really low-key,” Erik argued.

  “Yeah, until you go around and start teaching arrogant scions and masters and start beating the hell out of them. Didn’t you get chased across the entire Third Realm, a peaceful realm by someone that wanted to kill you?” Storbon asked.

  “That was one time!”

  “What about how we are all now Honorary Elders of the Blue Lotus, and the Crafter’s Association? We own a city?” Lucinda asked.

  “Don’t forget how you farted the other day and ripped your pants because of your new Body like Diamond,” Rugrat chimed in.

  “And wasn’t it flammable in your room after you had Jia Feng’s super spicy chilly?”

  “That was George!”

  George howled, not wanting to be involved in this, a look of pure puppy innocence on his face.

  “It was not George. Poor guy couldn’t breath or else he might ignite it and turn your room into a methane powered fuel air bomb!”

  “Kinda funny though wasn’t it,” Rugrat grinned.

  The others on the special team were working to try and not laugh as Erik pressed his lips against his teeth seeing Rugrat looking around for agreement.

  “Let’s just get to the outpost, and low-key!” Erik said.

  “Yes boss!” Yao Meng said and turned to Tian Cui.

  “So, should I go with my glow in the dark, pink suit or my lightning trousers and flashing t-shirt? I think that would let me blend in.”

  Tian Cui snorted as they rode on to the gates.

  Once inside Erik finally took the time to look at his notifications.

  Chapter: Vuzgal Fighters Competition Begins

  Roska looked at the applicants for the special teams. They were inside one of the tier three training rooms located under the Battle Arena.

  There were medics on hand to put people back together. Broken bones and bruises were par for the course, they sucked but the applicants got used to it.

  Knowing the limits of their body and meeting up against it allowed them to know what would happen in a fight if they took a certain action. Applying all of their power into their actions meant they could push past their mental limits.

  “They’re looking good,” Gong Jin, her second-in-command said as they looked over the recruits.

  “They’ve been quick to learn fighting techniques. The competition begins tomorrow, it will be a good way for them to deal with life and death situations,” Roska said.

  “We only just started to learn fighting techniques too,” Gong Jin said.

  “Yes, it is interesting, when you know what fighting techniques are creating and using them is as easy as crossing a creek. If you don’t then it is like you are facing an ocean. Combining spells and mana with actions, simple, but complex.” Roska said.

  “Once you start then you’re always looking at ways to increase the effect. Reduce spell cast times. Change the angle of your attack for greater effect. If we take all of the fighting techniques, study them, break them down and build them back up, remove the imperfections through study and testing. How strong would they be? Even the recruits have come up with some surprising applications. Like recruit 14, they got the wind spell like everyone else but instead of using it to just increase the speed of their body, they used it to remove air resistance. Then using their attacks they were able to launch attacks that were hard to detect with one’s normal senses as its speed increased rapidly.

  “And then they needed to temper their body further to take the force that they were subjecting their arm to and used fire and air spells together, compressing the air behind their arm and igniting it with their flames, increasing the speed and power of their attack further,” Roska shook her head. “There are so many paths that one can take. I understand why there are groups that create a path for others to follow, they know for sure that people following that path will meet the criteria that they need and become powerful people. Then they miss out on the other ways that they might learn if they went off of that path.”

  “In the past we would have given anything to go on that path, now we look at it more as a guideline than a law set in stone,” Gong Jin cracked a smile.

  “Well, isn’t that the way of Alva? We teach people the basics, then let them find out what their path is, figure out things on their own and meet back up to exchange what we’ve learned.”

  Gong Jin’s eyes flashed as his smile deepened.

  “Even now, I feel my blood boiling in excitement thinking of what our people might be able to do in the future, just how powerful we might become.”

  Roska looked at him.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not interested in using that power to push others down or to step on others. I’m just excited to progress. It is its own drug. To stand taller, we don’t need to stand on the necks of others.”

  “There are limited resources in the Ten Realms and everyone is fighting over them. Who knows, maybe in the future we will need to enter into the fight to continue to grow. We already need to fight to increase our levels, our combat power and skills. We must fight to protect what is ours. There is a reason that we have never revealed half of our true strength, if people were to learn of Alva Dungeon then other powers stronger than us might tear it away from us out of desire for our resources.”

  “We cannot ever be confident that we are strong enough, there is always someone that is stronger.” Gong Jin agreed.

  They continued to look over the special team recruits they had worked up to fighting with their full armor and weapons. The area was broken up into fighting squares, their eyes were clear as the dense mana kept them alert and energetic.

  The location was hooked up to the mana storing formation under Vuzgal, they were practically burning mana stones as they trained. Still the mana density wasn’t as high as the general sparring areas in Alva.

  As they fought, the recruit’s fighting styles underwent massive changes in just a few hours of sparring. They only stopped when they were injured, closing their eyes and drinking helaing and stamina potions. Concentrating on what they had learned before they clashed again.

  The members of the special team jumped into the training as well, going up against the recruits, taking the opportunity to learn and point out issues or weaknesses that they saw in the recruits’ fighting styles.

  All of them are battle c
razy. Wounds don’t matter to them as long as they can get stronger.

  Seeing them fighting day in and out, by working with them Roska was able to see through to the person and understand just who they were and what motivated them, from their strengths to their weaknesses.

  Each of them had transformed. While fighting they were focused, cool, calm and collected which was terrifying when going up against them. Their reactions were honed and they stopped being a person and became an operator, leaving their personal lives and everything else behind; all that mattered was the mission.

  They had lost seven people already through different trials and she fully expected that they might lose more as time went on.

  She got a message from Domonos.

  “Hey Roska, I wanted to let you know that I’ve entered your people into the competition as you asked.”

  “Thanks.”

  “How is it going?”

  “Good, they’re doing well,” Roska said.

  “Alright, don’t be a stranger,” Domonos cut the channel.

  Roska smiled a little. Since I became the leader of the Special Team Two I haven’t really done anything other than practice, train and go on missions to increase my strength or deal with issues.

  She wasn’t upset with how her life had gone, but a part of her wondered what it would ‘ve been like if she had followed another path. She mentally shook her head. This is what my life is, and well, it’s not bad at all.

  She hid the smile that threatened to appear on her face. As the leader of the Special Team Two, she didn’t want to be anywhere else. Memories appeared in her mind, Erik with the look of concentration on his face, the tears that appeared on her face back then, not from the pain as he helped to heal her, but the ones filled with thanks for this powerful man that took the time to care for her. Not caring about his position, but caring about her.

  I’d follow those two idiots to the Tenth Realm and watch their backs. Someone needs to keep them out of trouble, or save them when they fall into it.

  ***

  Blaze stepped out of the totem’s pad, behind him there were nearly forty people who wore their weapons and armor openly. At the front were the six branch heads and behind them were their personal selection of fighters to represent the guild. They were an eccentric looking bunch from all different kinds of classes. They had visited Alva, trained against the beasts in the battlefield dungeon and endless dungeons. Attended classes held by the military and by the academy. Some had picked up skills in crafting, others had joined the army. No matter what their path, they had all grown. They had proved their loyalty, their drive and changed from simple mercenaries to members of the Adventurer’s guild.

  Blaze was wearing his armor of peak journeyman grade with a cloak covering most of it.

  He reached the guard.

  “Ah, a good group of fighters you have there sir,” the guard said.

  Blaze worked his jaw as he looked at the Alvan guard feeling the rising smile fighting his cheek muscles.

  Never would I have thought that we would have made it this far. Seeing the Alvan sitting there with a smile on his face, Blaze felt his back straightening in pride at being part of something that was greater than himself with the joy of being on the inside of the joke.

  He paid the fee sharing a nod with the Alvan before heading into Vuzgal. They left the defensive works around the totem, entering the city proper. Towering Sky Reaching Restaurants dotted the city. One could see the tower that stood over the castle from across the city. The streets were wide to move people through quickly. Carts moved in the center where there was enough room for eight of them to move down the main streets, but the stalls, store fronts and pedestrians took up the sides.

  Mounts could be seen everywhere moving along the carriage roads.

  Even with all of that space, people were pressed in tight with one another. There were people wearing all kinds of weapons and armor with crests that showed which power they were from. Guards of the associations were patrolling the streets, the Vuzgal defense force was out in strength with police officers, maintaining the peace.

  A fight broke out as fire came from a store, people screamed and scattered as two people were fighting against one another.

  An undead beast dropped from the sky, depositing guards and a police officer after a few moments.

  A spell scroll was used, isolating the two and pressing them flat to the ground. A medic went around, healing those that were injured while the police officer talked to the people in the store and then to the two that were fighting.

  “What did they expect? This is Vuzgal, nothing is missed by the guards and police here,” one of the merchants said proudly.

  “Too right, I could leave my wares out all night without fear of them being stolen. Thieves and pickpockets are banned from the city in quick order!”

  “That has to be a lie,” someone said.

  “Dear customer, this is Vuzgal, it’s not like other cities. The only fighting that happens here is in the arena, the barracks and the dungeons. Anywhere else and the guards will arrest them, then the guards will fine them and they’ll be tossed out unless they have a good reason!”

  “Come on, there have to be loopholes, the powerful can get out of everything,” someone scoffed.

  “Everyone is equal here, didn’t you hear that the City Lord didn’t even hesitate to throw out those Expert level crafters for raising hell?”

  “I should look at getting housing in Vuzgal,” another person who had overheard the conversation said.

  “Good luck, I heard that only large traders, sects and high level crafters were able to afford the last houses that were put up for auction. Best bet is to get a room at a Wandering Inn.”

  The two that were fighting had their weapons stripped and armor taken off to be sold. The funds would be used to fix the damage they had caused and pay those that were wounded or affected.

  Then the guards and police officer banned the two from Vuzgal. Enforced with the power of the City Lord, the Ten Realms forced them to run for the totem to leave as fast as possible.

  Blaze led his guild members forward, he checked the map he had been given and the marker on it.

  They left the busier streets around the totem and headed up toward the areas where the guild residences were located. These were larger multi-story buildings. Very few of the buildings had been sold off as they went for astronomical prices and while there was a great demand for them, most people didn’t have the funds.

  Blaze reached a gated area and they entered seeing a full beast stables to one side and a large seven story building. They entered the building finding a tavern taking up most of the first floor, there was a courtyard in the middle of the building. In the back left there were mission boards and a counter where guild members could talk to administrators. The back left had a storefront, and crafting workshops so that people could get items made, altered and repaired in the guild. There were sparring and training rooms in the basement. On the floors above there were living quarters, apartments for people to stay in.

  Formations had been laid down across the guild-hall. The mana density was nearly two times as dense as the mana across Vuzgal.

  “This is really ours?” Emilia asked.

  “Yeah I guess so,” Blaze said as they were back in the tavern, Kim Cheol was pouring out beers for them as they sat there.

  “The beast stables will not only help our mounts recover from any injuries that they have sustained, but they’ll also be well-rested and they can passively increase in strength the longer they remain there. If one pays the mana stones then the stall that their mount is in can have its mana density increased,” Joan said.

  “Did you see the sparring rooms below? There are combat puppets that one can fight against that reach up to level Fifty and you can also pay mana stones to increase the mana density in there,” Derrick said his hand opening and closing next to his rapier.

  Mana stones are useful to increase one’s mana cultivation
when using them to increase the density of an area, although some of it will be lost. Though the increased concentration and how their bodies will naturally draw in the mana, they will be able to train on a higher level for longer which will leave them constantly looking to increase their fighting skills to meet that level.

  “Have you seen those smithing facilities? Even a peak Journeyman smith would be interested. If we can hire on a smith like that, well damn.”

  “You’re forgetting a few key things,” Stephan said. “Look at our location. We are in Vuzgal, a city that a lot of people are trying to enter but only a few are able to do so. If we are able to make a name for ourselves in the fights and then advertise that we are recruiting freelance fighters, there will be people that want to join up just for the location and benefits. As long as we vet them well, we could get a number of Fourth and Fifth Realm experts.”

  “First we need to register for the fight. Stephan is right, we need to prove ourselves there first and show the power of our guild. We are among the heavy hitters now, we need to show that we’re worthy of staying here.”

  ***

  Chonglu rubbed his face feeling tired, he didn’t remember when he had last been this excited, nervous and tired all at once.

  “Dad, are you okay?” Feng asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine, just a lot of work,” Chonglu said, smiling at his boy as his eyes slid over to Felicity. She stopped her chewing, she had noodles in her chopsticks and her cheeks were puffed out.

  “Eat slowly or you’ll get indigestion and you don’t need to stuff it all into your cheeks,” he said.

  She dropped her head as she had to chew to even be able to speak.

  I thought I raised her up to be a lady! He complained internally while he hid his smile behind his bowl as he drank some soup.

  The door opened as Mira stood there, a hesitant look on her face, at odds with the icy demeanor that she usually displayed when around others.

  Chonglu stopped what he was doing, smiling up at her.