Sixth Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  "Family ran a farm, bandits came in, cut down her family and the people in the village, plundered them, there was a group of our traders in the area. They went to their aid, killed the bandits but there were few people left in the village, broken people."

  "Shit, she's a wild card, not sure if she'll handle it well or hold it in until it all falls apart," Yao Meng sighed and picked up another domino.

  "Foster and Jurumba?" Storbon put down a domino and tapped his remaining domino.

  "Jurumba is solid, he's laying quiet right now, same as Foster, we're evaluating them they're evaluating us. He's got a great understanding of artillery, guiding fire in from distance. He knows how to control the battlefield that way and work with different resources at the same time. Mean bastard in a fight. He uses two damn hammers and he's pushing to be the most body tempered bastard out there. Catching up to Erik. Foster is a tech nut, loves his guns, his formations and machines. Through and through engineer, loves taking things apart and putting them back together. Great for demolitions, traps, decent shot." Yao put down a domino and Storbon hissed, picking up a new one as Yao Meng followed up with another domino down.

  "Can you stop making me pick up damn pieces," Storbon muttered as he got another.

  "Just repaying the favor," Yao Meng slowly put down another domino piece gently.

  Storbon kept the expression on his face as he felt someone calling him.

  He tapped twice on the crate and pointed his thumb at his head, Yao Meng nodded and glanced around the color in his eyes changing several times as he used different sensing spells before making eye contact again.

  “Go,” Storbon said.

  “They’re in position ahead of time. We need to move up the schedule,” the agent on the other side of the sound transmission said.

  Storbon circled his finger and raised his eyebrows to Yao Meng who mouthed. “Now?”

  Storbon nodded and Yao Meng grimaced.

  “Ah, I think you won,” he sighed and shifted the dominos. “I’ve got to take a piss, another game later?”

  “Sure,” Storbon said.

  He stood up and headed into the warehouse and raised his hand circling it in the air.

  “What are your positions?” Storbon asked the agent as he pulled out a map and put it on a shelf.

  “Grid square one-two, eight, by four three seven.”

  “Okay, I’ll need another twenty minutes to make a clean exfil,” Storbon said.

  “They’re all hyped up here, a lot of unstable factors in one I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold them back from taking action,” the agent replied.

  “Do your best and be ready with those spells on my mark."

  "Understood."

  Storbon cut the channel looking to Jamie, one of the new members of his Special team.

  "Contact the traders things have been moved up."

  "Understood," Jamie activated his sound transmission device as Storbon opened his team channel and relayed everything to them. Everyone got alert and Yuli went on a walk with another new member to patrol the area. Yao Meng and Tian Cui wandered off to go and meet with the different traders, using some excuses they could pull them back to the warehouse with minimal problems.

  We need to get a move on.

  Storbon pulled out his rifle and checked the grenade launcher and made sure it was loaded. He tightened the silencer and the screws on the sight.

  He reached to the Conqueror's armor and the screw formation that he would need to twist to activate it.

  After all of his checks only a few minutes had passed.

  This is going to fucking suck. I hate waiting.

  Storbon found a ladder and climbed up it, getting into the walkways above the warehouse, there were small windows to look out and watch the surrounding warehouses and they could see part of the wall as well.

  He took a knee, shifting his cloak out of the way so that he could see the street leading up to the warehouse. He could see people moving supplies to and from carriages. To head out of the city or to take them to the markets.

  Quiet, already most of the traders have left, they all could sense that there is something going to happen.

  The minutes crawled by as people started to return to the warehouse in twos and threes, some looked to be in high spirits, others seemed grumpy to return to work after only just getting free for a few hours.

  Storbon shifted to sit on a crate and shifted his armor around that was pressing in on him.

  Once they entered the depths of the warehouse their expressions all turned solemn as they changed into gear from Alva.

  They are all real traders and intelligence agents but they had no hesitation carrying out this plan. Even our laborers can be the greatest weapon. One shouldn't look down on the small people.

  Thirteen minutes passed when Storbon got a message.

  "We've been spotted!"

  "Shit, alright, send up your loudest and flashiest spell attack!" Storbon said as he then smacked his foot on the catwalk.

  Everyone looked up at him as he switched to the general channel.

  "The attacking force has been made, everyone get your asses back to the warehouse as soon as the attack spells start going off!"

  Moments later spell scrolls were activated around the wall. The city's mana barrier snapped into existence as a notification appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

  ==========

  Event

  ==========

  The city of Swadu is under attack! Pick a side!

  Defend Swadu

  Attack Swadu

  ==========

  "Move it now!"

  Across the city people were in a panic as the attack was announced.

  The mana barrier was lit up with all kinds of attacks as the once hidden force emerged and started their attack.

  The gates were all sealed shut as the guards from the Willful Institute manned their defensive weapons.

  Storbon switched to a private channel.

  "Meng, talk to me!"

  "We have less than half of our people back, I am rounding up the last few, should be there in a few minutes.

  Storbongot off of the crate and took a knee, moving to make sure he was free to engage as he saw a group of Willful Institute members running through the warehouse district.

  "Ready! Incoming Institute!" Storbon barked.

  Everyone in the team shifted, the dull bored look and hunched backs disappeared as they straightened and they grabbed onto their cloaks and handles tighter, ready to pull their cloak to the side and raise their rifle at a moment's notice.

  The group didn't pause as they kept running towards the walls.

  "Stand down, just running through. Jamie, Yuli, Foster, take North, South and East. Get the secondaries down into the tunnels now. Lucinda, you're my eyes and ears."

  They acknowledged their roles and got to work.

  More people were streaming into the warehouse, and pushed down into the secret underground chamber where they got changed into their new gear.

  Attacks continued to shake the mana barrier, the light of impacts flashed overhead in the late afternoon light.

  Storbon was scanning his sector, keeping an eye on the wall, there were more people moving through the area to the wall, congregating from across the city.

  Mana cannons roared along the walls, the defenders, quickly pouring in more power and resetting the massive weapons to fire them again.

  Mages stepped upon formations and unleashed their spells, working individually or as groups to bring out the greatest power.

  Spell formations colored the wall before unleashing their devastating power.

  Storbon saw Yao Meng and Tian Cui rushing past a group of guards.

  "Get the hell out of the way!" The guard leader yelled angrily as the two got out of the group's path.

  The guards sneered at them and kept running, they had greater worries.

  Yao Meng and Tian Cui made it in.

  "That's all of them,"
Yao Meng said in the team chat.

  "Alright, about time we were moving. All elements into the tunnel. Then outer security will move down!"

  "Yes boss!" The team replied as the remaining members moved down into the hidden entrance.

  "Yao Meng get in touch with our observer, relay everything to them and keep them and me updated!"

  "On it!" Yao Meng said before he could finish.

  "Outer security pull back!" Lucinda yelled a few moments later.

  Storbon turned and ran, the outer security collapsed as they ran down the walkways. Storbon jumped over the railing, his cloak shifted, revealing his armor and his weapon at the ready. He slammed into the ground taking the impact easily as he ran past Lucinda and Rajkovic who were covering the entrance of the underground tunnels.

  The others filed down into the room, it was packed now with all of the personnel in the room.

  Storbon reached out his hand to the dungeon core, with a command a section of wall opened, revealing a passage.

  "Get moving, Jamie, Sang So-Hyon you're on point!"

  Lucinda and Rajkovic moved down the stairs and with Tian Cui and Yao Meng helping them to pull the crate back over top.

  People flowed through the tunnel everyone passed through until there was only Storbon and Yao Meng in the room, they'd both removed their cloaks and put on their helmets.

  "Relay to our contact, time for them to pull out the big guns we're ready to drop the wall," Storbon said.

  Yao Meng added him into the channel.

  "We're ready on our end," Yao Meng said.

  "Understood, activating the spell scrolls now," The message was distorted with the spells and mana that was being tossed around by the two groups in conflict.

  Storbon and Yao Meng waited, tense and blind as they felt the ground shaking and dirt falling from the ceiling.

  "Spell f-formations, are a-ac-tive!"

  Yao Meng looked at Storbon who was looking at the dungeon menu.

  ==========

  You have come into contact with a dungeon core. With your title: Dungeon Hunter, new options are revealed.

  ==========

  Do you wish to:

  Take command of the Dungeon

  Remodel Dungeon

  Destroy the Dungeon

  ==========

  He selected the second option. The ground started to shake angrily as Storbon grabbed the dungeon core, putting it into his storage ring, materials appeared in his storage ring already. The ceiling was starting to come down and the pedestal disappeared with the runes along the walls.

  He and Yao Meng sprinted out of the dirt tunnels. They heard the sound of running water, Storbon didn't have time to shiver in disgust as they left the dirt tunnels and exited a broken stone wall, they were inside the city's sewers. They ran to meet up with the rest of the group. Everyone was wearing fully covering suits, so not even the smell could get into their noses.

  They ran through the tunnels. Tian Cui guided them as Lucinda's beasts made sure that there was no one else in their way. They ran across the city, passing through grates and metal bars with a few slashes of mana blades.

  Along the way, special team members tossed formation plates into the sewers or stuck them to walls and ceilings.

  Finally they pushed through a large door revealing a larger room ahead.

  "Jump!" Tian Cui yelled.

  She jumped into a large water pool that was thirty meters wide and with unknown depths.

  "Wooh!" Rajkovic stored his rifle and jumped, Foster a half step behind him. The traders and agents gritted their teeth and followed afterwards.

  Storbon jumped into the water, his spear appeared in his hand as he hit the water and started to sink. His clothes had fused with one another, not allowing any water in or his air out.

  He used dark vision seeing through the murky depths as his boots touched the ground.

  Tian Cui pulled out a light and turned it on.

  "Follow my light."

  Everyone marched across the bottom of the pool, Tian Cui slashed through a grate and they dropped to their knees, crawling for several meters.

  The tunnel opened up and they could stand again. The Special team members pulled out formation plates and put them down. Each plate was big enough to fit five people.

  "Ready to board!" Tian Cui said as she finished checking her formation plate. People started to board the different formation plates.

  "Plate is good to go boss," Yuli said, on her formation plate there were only members of the special team.

  "Let's go up then," Storbon said, stepping onto the formation plate. He and the others all took a knee and secured harnesses to the formation plate. They put their melee weapons away and pulled out their rifles.

  Yuli activated the formation plate by turning a metal dial in the middle.

  The runes activated and the plate started to rise slowly.

  It was painful as they rose higher and higher, they were looking up, readying their mana and bodies to fight as they kept their barrels pointed low.

  Storbon used a detect life scroll as they rose.

  Green light only visible to him and the rest of the special team spread out, highlighting fish and other animals in the area. No large signatures or humans appeared in their vision.

  Without a noise they broke the surface of the water, finding themselves in a large well with several grates that light shone through. They came out of the water, tilting their rifles to drain them before they scanned the area.

  The formation plate accelerated its ascent slightly now it didn't have to deal with the pressure of the water.

  "Rise up," Storbon called to the rest of the team.

  Yuli threw out grapples to the ceiling she and Jurumba used them to pull the formation plate over and under one of the holes in the ceiling. The other platforms started to appear from the depths of the water one by one as they ascended the tunnel. Yuli shot out mana blades, cutting the grate apart and taking the parts into her storage ring. The formation plate squeezed by the opening and they were inside an icy cave.

  Jurumba threw out a grapple and pulled them to the side as the others scanned.

  "Dropping!" Yuli said as she deactivated the formation plate.

  They braced and dropped to the ground. hitting the quick release on their harnesses Storbon, Foster and Rajkovic moved off the formation plate, pushing out to establish an all around defense.

  One by one the rest of the formation plates appeared in the cave.

  "All here," Yao Meng reported.

  "Okay, let's find our rides," Storbon said as he opened a new channel.

  "Eagles, looking for pick up at the rally point."

  "Understood, we are holding ready, moving to the rally point, it appears to be clear."

  "Alright, be there in a moment." Storbon paused the channel.

  "Yuli, Tian Cui! Clear out the alarm formations, our ride is nearly here."

  Tian Cui and Yuli pulled out their own formations, using them to break the alarms and traps, leading the way out of the cave.

  As they got to the entrance Storbon pulled out a formation himself, it looked like a clacker from Earth. He pulled the trigger three times, the ground rumbled as water shot out of the holes.

  Lucinda pulled out a formation block and rotated it into place, activating it.

  Storbon got a message.

  "We see your beacon, ready to land, confirm LZ is clear?"

  "Lz is clear, your free to land," Storbon replied.

  "Our ride is coming in, stay alert," Storbon said, looking over the icy world. The outside of their clothes were starting to form ice where the water remained.

  "Alright you Fifteen, you follow Yao Meng," Storbon slapped fifteen people on the shoulders and Yao Meng came over to them, organizing them to be ready to board the craft.

  "You seventeen are with me," Storbon hit others on the shoulder and then pulled them out, creating a line.

  "When we board, continue all the way inside, don't star
t sitting down at the entrance! Just as we practiced! First person will take a seat to the right, the second a seat to the left, third to the right and fourth left. I'll number you out, odd numbers right, even numbers left!" Storbon got them organized as the rest of the special team covered him and Yao Meng organizing them.

  Storbon heard a cry from above, he looked over to see two Kestrels flapping their wings, sending snow outwards as they landed.

  The wooden backpack cabins rolled down their tail, creating a ramp, the twin gunners on either side were covering the landing area as two sparrows flew around, scanning and looking for threats.

  "Move it!" Storbon yelled, grabbing the first person in his line.

  The crew chief was at the base of the ramp, ready for them.

  Strobon pushed them up the ramp and to the left or right slightly and used a clean spell on them, removing the water and gunk from their suits from their adventure through the sewers. One gunner was there, making sure that they were in the right seat and rough handing them into it if they got all fucked up.

  “Collapse in!” Storbon yelled through the channel to the rest of the team. They rushed towards the bird, they used clean spells on themselves as they rushed up the ramp. Storbon checked the area and cleaned himself. Before running up the ramp.

  He took a seat mid way up the bench, grabbing onto a hand-hold and storing his rifle in his storage ring.

  The Crew chief tapped ‘button’s’ on the branches his weapon system and the ramp closed up and fused into a new position. He looked to the other bird and held out a thumb.

  Their Kestrel shifted and unlimbered its wings which rested underneath the cabin moved out and the cabin cinched around her body tighter.

  Storbon was forced into his seat as they rose up into the sky. He looked through the portholes as a spell flashed over the ground, removing any signs of them being there.