Gilly came over to him, giving him a strange look.
“Got a little excited there,” Erik patted her as he opened his notifications that had been screaming at him for the past couple of minutes.
==========
You have created a new Expert level technique. What do you wish to call it?
==========
==========
???
==========
Expert
==========
Rapidly increase your speed through utilization of fire and wind spells.
==========
Cast: 40 Mana/second
==========
“Lets call it the quick step,” Erik said.
==========
The ‘Quick Step’ has already been taken. Here are some suggestions.
Fiery Tornado Step
Wind Hell Sprint
Inferno Steps of the Heavens
==========
“Is this why there are so many damn crazy names for simple techniques? It’s because all the simple names were taken?”
Of course the Ten Realms failed to answer him.
“What about Mana enhanced sprint version one?” Erik asked.
==========
Mana Enhanced Sprint Version One is available.
==========
==========
Mana Enhanced Sprint Version One
==========
Expert
==========
Rapidly increase your speed through utilization of fire and wind spells.
==========
Cast: 40 Mana/second
==========
==========
For teaching yourself an Expert-ranked spell, you gain: 5,000,000 EXP
==========
==========
You gain 50 Ten Realms Contribution points.
==========
“Ten Realms Contribution points, what the hell are these?” Erik said.
==========
You are not a high enough level for that answer. Strive to become stronger.
==========
“What? How strong do I need to become?” Erik yelled to the ceiling, but there was no reply.
“Ten Realms Contribution points, I hope they’re useful,” Erik muttered as he felt the flow of experience enter his body.
He grinned as the power filled him increasing his experience bar.
“Wait till I get some more wind spells that have a greater effect then I can create a faster version two.”
Erik was pleased with his gains, albeit tired from the dead sprint across the floor.
He got onto Gilly’s back and she headed for the teleportation array.
They crossed through to the Metal floor. Smithies and refineries could be seen everywhere as people refined the natural materials into items for the smithies on the living floors. Others were heading out across the floor placing down plants that naturally refined the metals around them, or turned into metals with enough exposure to the metal element.
“We have to look to the future not just now. If we just took everything from the floors, then in a few years there would be nothing left. Creating a balance will assure our ability to move forwards without cutting off our life-line.”
Erik and Gilly rode toward the center of the floor where the metal mountain stood with its constant rain of lightning falling day after day.
Erik pulled out the needle that Melissa had given him.
==========
Metal Tempering needle
==========
Attack: 65
Weight: 0.4 kg
Health: 100/100
Charge: 100/100
Innate Effect:
Increase damage by 5%
Enchantment:
Metal Corruption—Inflict Metal damage on target. Varies on overall charge.
Requirements:
Strength 21
Agility 32
==========
“The higher the charge, the more metal element it will release into the body, that way if you figure out the amount of charge correlates to your tempering, then you can use a remote charging device to maintain the needle at that charge. If one needle isn’t enough then you can use more. Simple, utilizing multiple journeyman equipment together to create a desired effect.”
Instead of having to ascend the entire mountain Erik found the entrance to the training facility built into the side of the mountain.
“Go and play if you want,” Erik said.
Gilly headed off to do her own thing, in the Metal floor not even the beavers were a threat to her.
He passed through the guards and entered the facility beyond.
There was a researcher reviewing their notes at the reception. Erik walked up and cleared his throat.
“What is it, Duncan?” The man at the desk sighed as he kept looking over the files.
“I’m looking to rent out a training room,” Erik said.
“What?” the man looked up frowning as if trying to place Erik.
“You need to complete Earth training before Metal training.”
“Yes, I did it, Melissa Bouchard gave me this needle,” Erik held it out.
“But the only person that has reached that stage is Lord Erik... West,” things seemed to snap together for the man.
“Sorry, sir! We have just been manning the facility and running our own tests. We haven’t had anyone visit us yet!”
“No worries, I wanted to start in the lowest density rooms,” Erik said. “Test them out, see how effective they are and go through rooms with a greater density.”
“Are you looking for any training aids? We have a number of pills and concoctions that are reported to help in assisting one in tempering their body with the metal element,” The man asked.
“I didn’t know you sold aids as well, what do you have?”
The man took out a list and passed it to Erik.
Erik looked over the various concoctions. There were recommendations on the sheet, detailed information was listed underneath each of the concoctions.
Some were more relaxed while others were much more aggressive in tempering the body.
“These have been tested out?”
“Trials on different beasts were carried out and they were researched in the outside world. If there are any complications, then the health monitor in your training room will alert us and we will send in medics right away to assist you.”
“I’ll take the ones from here to here,” Erik said picking out most of the concoctions from the first page.
Using Reverse Alchemist, organic scan and my tougher body I can test out just what these concoctions do. Then we can modify and enhance them later on.
“Are you sure, sir?”
“It should be fine. I won’t take them all at once.”
The man seemed to be debating it before he received the list back.
“I’ll prepare those for you right away,” the man went into another room only to return shortly with a large box.
Erik looked inside; it was sub divided with different potions, powders and pills within.
“Your room is ready, it is number one in block A.”
“Thank you,” Erik took the key and headed into the training facility.
It is laid out in the exact same design as the mana cultivation facility, just instead of mana, this is pumping out elemental power.
Erik reached the first room and put the key into the door.
It unlocked and he stepped inside. A simple room appeared in front of him, Erik laid out the different concoctions on the table.
“It's like a damn motel,” Erik said as he took out the health monitor, packed with formations to check on his health. He stuck it to his chest, feeling a cold ripple as the formations scanned his body.
Erik was the only person here.
The coppery smell of metal filled his nose, Erik’s mind reminded him of the times he had smelt that coppery tang, it was so close to blood. He saw the m
en and women he was working on. Their pale skin in contrast with the bright red. Their eyes as wide as saucers as they mumbled or yelled, or screamed. Erik yelled back to them, covered in their blood doing all he could for them. Tourniquets, gauze Iodine, pain killers and IV’s. There were wrappers and shit everywhere as he worked.
Erik gripped his hand and closed his eyes, mentally he reviewed how to load and unload his rifle, he felt a shiver run through his body as he centered himself as he thought of operating different weapon systems.
“Shit,” Erik surveyed the room quickly and headed back to the individual training room.
Instead of releasing the Earth element Erik took out the needle he had been given by Melissa.
“Time to see how this works,” Erik pulled his pants out of his boots and pushed the needle into his leg.
He grimaced as the metal element entered his body and started to attack him from the inside.
He twisted his head, grunting as he worked to focus his mind on something other than the pain.
“Fuck this sucks!”
His Organic Scan showed that the Metal element was infiltrating his body like a poison, it was corrupting his body. Cells were dying under the power of the metal element. His body was fighting back, the Fire Element ignited the power of the cells and the Earth element fought to recover his cells. Three warriors fought within his body, the Earth and Fire were being suppressed by the dominating power of the Metal element.
Its attacks were new to Erik’s body, he still hadn’t built up any defenses.
Erik focused his mind and used a healing spell. It was like reinforcement for the Fire and Earth Element warriors.
The cells were still being cut down, but some were recovering. They lasted for a half second longer than the ones previous. More would reform, stronger than before but their defense was futile, collapsing again and again. The metal element spread to Erik’s upper leg.
Black lines ran through his skin. It cracked and bled; silver could be seen through the cracks and flashes of light shot through Erik’s body as lightning tore up his body.
Erik slumped to the bed. He waited there, the power of the needle decreased over time. The spread slowed down to a crawl and then halted.
Erik gathered himself as the charge of the needle continued to drop.
He pulled out the charging device, and activated it.
The Metal element still infiltrated his body but it was now at a stalemate with the other forces within his body. His leg up to his stomach was covered in silver veins, his skin had turned black and there were flashes of light that seemed to appear under the skin.
“That fucking sucked,” Erik looked at his leg. Wincing at how it looked, putting weight on it he could feel the weakness within.
“Looks like I won’t be running that fast for a while.”
He headed into the gym and tried training.
“My legs is about twenty five percent weaker and it hasn’t been completely tempered, the metal element has only gotten into the skin and muscles. The tendons, bones and veins have only just started to be affected. I’ll get weaker before I get stronger.”
Erik pressed the button for help.
In minutes a medic arrived at the door with several others behind him. Gong Jin was there as well.
“I’m not going to be able to shake you, am I?” Erik asked Gong Jin.
“You haven’t yet,” Gong Jin smiled.
“Help me put some IO’s in.”
Gong Jin sighed and moved past the medics.
“I’ve got this.”
The medics and the Special team members moved away, the special team members taking out seats and getting comfortable.
Erik took off his shirt, boots and pants, leaving him in his underwear.
“Bit breezy, should turn the heat up in this place,” Erik complained.
“My boss is such a weirdo,” Gong Jin checked his supplies, he had an IV stand on wheels and had hooked up four healing and stamina potion bags and pulled out his IO kit.
Erik put Wraith’s Touch on his shoulders and below his knees.
“You’ve done this before right?” Erik asked.
“Yeah, we even came up with this,” Gong Jin held out a strap attached to a formation plate with a cylinder sticking out of it on one side.
“What’s that?”
“Advanced IO,” Gong Jin put it on Erik’s leg the strap was sticky clamping down on Erik’s lower leg, right under his knee. Gong Jin checked it and activated the formation. The cylinder turned and dug in, piercing Erik’s leg and right into his bone.
“Huh, cool, I don’t feel shit.”
Gong Jin grunted and placed the other IO kits on Erik’s other leg, and his two shoulders.
He ran the IV lines from the IV stand hooking them up to the IO.
“Alright, I think you’re good to go,” Gong Jin admired his handy-work.
“I look like and eighty’s b class alien,” Erik said, waving his IV tubes.
“Happy temperings, boss.” Gong Jin left the room. Erik waved the tubes a few more times, laughing to himself before he hit the other button on the wall.
Metal attribute mana entered the room, gas with shimmering silver sparks appeared within the room, electricity arced between the dust, giving the room an ethereal feeling.
His body that had already been weakened with the Metal element continued to lose its war. Erik opened up the friction locks on the IV lines slightly.
The progress slowed slightly but the metal element was attacking him from all over, changing the color of his body causing his body to crack and lightning to flash through his body.
Erik focused on his body as it felt like lightning and metal shards were reaching into his very bones.
He used healing spells to stop the power from reaching his head, if it reached his head then he would no longer be able to control his healing spells of examine the state of his overall body, it wa the last and most critical stage. He used healing spells on his vital organs for the same reasons, to make sure that nothing could go wrong.
Riding the line between death and rebirth. It might be terrifying but fuck if I don’t feel alive!
Brilliance appeared in the depths of Erik’s eyes as he closed them, focusing on the situation inside his body. Time slipped by below his neck his body looked like it belonged to a demon instead of a human.
Any patch of skin that wasn’t altered before slowly changed, reaching his neck as if meeting an impassable barrier.
Erik shed his skin and red blood mixed that seemed to be mixed with mercury ran across his body, giving him a savage appearance.
Erik’s eyes snapped open. They were no longer blue but pure black with silver specks and lightning seemed to flash periodically. Purple and green smoke were mixed with red flames and yellow rocks in the depths.
He sat up slowly. His face shook with pain as the red stained mercury fell from his body. The drops ignited in a flash of lightning as they hit the ground, leaving burn marks.
Such reactions were happening constantly within Erik’s body as he gritted his teeth and sat there. Not being able to move, to take his mind off of the oain was worse than the pain itself.
You are a United States Army Medic, you served five tours, you survived being a mercenary for four years. You just going to give up? Come on one more!
Erik yelled at himself internally, that drive to show himself, to show others just what he was capable of pushed him on.
His body was covered in wounds that continued to open with every breath. Erik studied his body, seeing the metal element move deeper into his body while his body’s potential only increased as the changes within his body sped up.
His cells were sent into overdrive, heating up as they started to repair even faster, nursed with Erik’s healing spells and the healing IV’s.
Erik’s wounds started to recover and the color of Erik’s body began recovering in parts.
He sat down on a chair and pulled out the box of different trai
ning aids that he had purchased.
Erik took out a powder and sprinkled it on his leg. It went into his wounds as one could hear lightning. Erik’s leg was torn apart with lightning.
“Feisty,” Erik said through gritted teeth as he pulled out a notebook and started doing his own tests.
Chapter: By land, by air, by sea
Kanoa secured his carrier,
“Too high,” he muttered placing the Alvan rip-tape in the right place. He pushed down the forward flap that held a few magazines. He checked the medical pouch on his side with a casual touch as he grabbed his rifle.
“Who do you think they will give us for the Aerial Unit?” Badowska asked.
“What are you doing here? Wouldn’t you be better with the artillery units crawlers? More like your Russian tanks.” Kanoa moved in his carrier with the unloaded rifle, feeling the points of pressure and tightness or wear it was rubbing more.
Badowska grinned. “We make great army, tanks with every unit, Air force, Navy and helicopters that would make you shit your pants.”
Kanoa flipped him the bird. The Russian laughed as he moved his shoulders around and jumped, making sure everything was in the right place.
“Now there is no you and me, just us. There are many experts in the Army, but for the Air force, there are none. Why don’t I use what I know to make up for their weakness?”
“You two ready?” Rugrat asked as he walked into the room, he was wearing the standard multicam of the Alva Army it was all well worn and broken in, unlike Badowska and Kanoa’s.
“You won’t be needing that,” Rugrat pointed at Kanoa’s carrier.
“Just checking it out, was getting the pouches in the right place and sizing out the sides.
“The sides pinch like a bitch,” Rugrat agreed as Kanoa ripped the Alvan rip-tape open and slid out of the carrier, dropping it and his rifle into his storage ring.
“Lead on,” Kanoa said.
Rugrat led them out of the room. They put away their weapons in their storage rings. Rugrat led them out to a training square where men and women were lined up in formation.
“Atten-shun!” A woman officer yelled.
The group came to attention.
Kanoa looked over them all, hiding his shock. All of them were wearing the standard multi-cam uniforms of the Army.
Sixth Realm Page 77
