The Third Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  “Hrmm,” Tully said sleepily, her eyes closing as her breathing slowed down.

  Roska smiled as Tully fell asleep.

  Their time in the Second Realm was coming to an end. There had been some close calls but they were all okay and ready to go back to Alva Dungeon. She wondered whether Erik and Rugrat had made it back and what had happened to Alva Dungeon.

  It weighed on all of their minds, as they left before the two were meant to come back.

  ***

  Lucy was looking over the manifests and the route from Campbellville to Ausaln city when Boros walked in.

  He was a middle-aged man. His bare skin was covered in scars and his nose was three times too big from being broken multiple times. He had put on some weight and the last few years of running security on caravans and being paid by them showed.

  He had a big face and a wide grin that seemed to be permanently affixed as he walked around with his thumbs in his belt, resting on his twin small axes.

  “How are we looking for guards?” Lucy asked. They kept a certain number of them on retainer, but most of them switched on and off for jobs, needing to go their own way and using it as a way that paid them and made the trip safer. It cut down the cost and could get her a number of decent fighters for a short period of time.

  “We have all we need. Most of them are from other areas, few ties to here, though I hired one group without seeing them all,” Boros said.

  Lucy looked up from her papers with a frown. “That’s not like you. Why would you do that?”

  “The man is much stronger than me, got the smell of battle on him and the eyes of a veteran. The Mana moves with him as well. Even if he’s just running around with two useless people, he’s plenty strong,” Boros said.

  “Where are they going to?”

  “Heading to Khusai, looking if they can try to get a wealthy patron there, I guess.”

  “Good place to make money.” Lucy nodded. She was going there for similar reasons. People would come from all over to the city, turning it not only into a hub of Alchemy but a hub of trade.

  Alchemists were known for their power in concoctions and the amount of money that they were willing to spend on their profession.

  “Fine. I trust your judgement.” Lucy looked back at the map.

  “You still not happy with the news on the road from Ausaln to Mediev?” Boros asked.

  “Jilest from the Ground Hog Trading Company told me that the banditry in the area has picked up. It looks like the two bordering sects, Flowing Wind Blade sect and Golden Orchard sect, are targeting each other. In the process, they’re targeting goods passing through the area for fear that they might aid their enemies.” Lucy shook her head and let out a heavy sigh.

  Boros chuckled and patted the axe on his belt. “We’ve got silver status with the trading guild. Few people want to mess with that.”

  Lucy nodded, but her frown didn’t go away. “We might but there are always idiots. The trading guild will move on our behalf if we’re attacked and report it. They’ll only investigate if we go missing,” Lucy said.

  “You think that it will be that bad?” Boros asked.

  “It’s my job to worry about the small things. We’ll see how things are once we’re on the road. Make sure that you have those spell scrolls close and distribute them out to our guards.”

  “That’ll be expensive,” Boros warned.

  “I’d rather burn money than our people’s bodies.” Lucy might be the younger of the two and her gear looked more polished, but there was true respect in Boros’s eyes. Few would know that he was not the strongest in the caravan but the second strongest and Lucy had saved his life multiple times. It was why he didn’t work for any other caravan anymore.

  “Understood,” Boros said with a grim look on his face.

  ***

  Erik, Rugrat, and Matt found an inn with baths. After removing the swamp stink, Erik pulled out his gear, cleaning and repairing it as best he could before sending it over to Rugrat to hammer out some of the spots he couldn’t fix.

  Then he turned to the formulas that he had purchased.

  He jotted down a list of ingredients, checking it against his own stash before he pulled on clean clothes and headed out into the city.

  He went to the nearby Alchemy stores, purchasing multiple sets of ingredients as well as seedlings and saplings of the listed ingredients where he could.

  Having the formula is good, but if we don’t have the ingredients in Alva to create it, then it’s going to be rather annoying.

  Erik made strides to make it hard to find out his identity and changed his wardrobe more than a catwalk model as he went from place to place.

  He burned through twelve hundred gold, but with that he was able to get nearly forty sets of ingredients for each of the new healing, Stamina, and Mana Regeneration concoctions.

  It was an astronomical amount of money.

  The costs have gone from about three silvers an ingredient set to ten gold, but then the effects are much stronger and the price has increased if I chose to sell. If I grew the ingredients, then it will drop from ten gold to just a few silver to pay for the alchemist gardener’s time.

  He wondered how the Alchemy lab and garden was doing while he was away from Alva as he wandered back to his inn. He ate in his room and pulled out the formula for the healing potion.

  A solution with powder mixed with water worked rather well, but about ten to twenty percent of the powder’s strength disappeared straight away. And if the solution was stored in the open for just a few hours, the medicinal effects of the solution would be so slim to the point that they didn’t do anything.

  With the potions, they were already in liquid form and didn’t reduce in medicinal efficacy. They were actually stronger than the powders of the same grade. They could be stored normally and as long as the container was well made, they would keep their medical efficacy for years or decades, depending on its strength.

  Erik reviewed the formula and then started to pull out his Alchemy equipment. A Mana flame appeared in his hand as he looked at it.

  “Tempering through flames.” Erik was curious, confused and unsure as he said these words. He knew that the next step in cultivating his body was to use flames, but he didn’t know how. Would he simply set himself on fire? Would he need to step into a place filled with magma and brave the heat to increase his body’s abilities until he could swim in magma? Where could he even find a place to do that in this realm?

  He let out a sigh. He had looked for books on Body Cultivation but still, in the Third Realm, knowledge seemed to be limited.

  “Hopefully the Alchemist Association will have more information on the subject.” Erik closed his eyes, clearing his mind and thinking on the formula once again.

  He opened his eyes and his flames moved to the cauldron, wrapping around it as he began concocting his first Apprentice healing potion.

  Chapter: A New Kind of Trial

  Blaze and Glosil were sitting with Egbert, Niemm, and Storbon in the dungeon core building.

  “Damn, look at group four—good coordination,” Niemm said.

  “All melee and ranged but they mix it up well. Unorthodox but functional,” Blaze commented.

  “Group forty-nine is having a problem,” Storbon said. Their eyes turned to a lone melee fighter. He was using what looked to be a Journeyman-level blade, going all out on a fire salamander.

  “Good threat assessment, good fighter, loner, but I think that’s because of the sword. Don’t really want to advertise that you have a Journeyman sword,” Glosil said.

  They were watching screens linked to all of the battlefield dungeons. The second purpose of the Beast Mountain trial was to recruit new blood into the fighting parties and Alva.

  They were recruiting people through the healing houses, and the traders who they had sent out and through Lord Aditya. Few of these people joined the military arm of Alva, most of them heading into the supporting trades and learning crafting.<
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  A total of three groups with a total of thirty-three people were on their way to Alva or had joined Alva already.

  Right now they were still getting their bearings and learning so they weren’t able to easily contribute to the dungeon.

  Some people might complain about the resources that were given to them to increase their ability; this was only natural.

  The people who entered got loans for their education and the place that they lived. The loans were no different than the ones that the people of Alva Dungeon were offered when the academy opened and the first houses were created.

  “Shit, what are you doing? Break your medallion, you dumb bastard,” Egbert said as he watched one of the screens as a man crawled backward, firing out with a magical staff at a beast made of shadows.

  The beast’s size reduced with the attack and it screamed out in pain. But it kept going, seeing that its opponent was nearly dead.

  The man made to grab his medallion, patting his chest and pockets. In the battle, the medallion had fallen off.

  The shadow leaped forward, driving its twin claws into the man’s neck.

  He struggled a bit as the shadow covered the man, consuming him. Egbert closed the screen as the Mana in Alva Dungeon was disturbed, the Ten Realms fulfilling its part of the agreement. They were powerless to help the people in the dungeon. The most they could do was talk to them if they wanted to and pick where they were teleported to. When in the dungeon, it was up to the people inside.

  Death was normal in the Ten Realms and he had not been the first to die.

  The men in the room had ugly expressions as the Mana was collected by the gathering formations and power channeled into the dungeon core. A beam of pure Mana nearly half as thick as a man’s wrist shot up into the Mana storing formation, and the Mortal cornerstone had recovered from its previous drain and even started producing Mana stones that were growing across the ceiling of Alva Dungeon.

  As this happened, there was silence in the room.

  “Group forty-three is doing well,” Blaze said, pulling their attention away from the loss.

  “The sect’s fighters are good, but they rely on techniques and spells too much. There is no fluidity in their attacks. They have powerful attacks that they spam one after another until they kill their opponent. It makes them a pain in the ass to deal with in a duel, but if you’re actually fighting them, they’re spiking all over the place, really nasty attacks, with moments to assess and attack again instead of attacking, assessing, and fighting at the same time,” Niemm said.

  They weren’t cold men, but these people had made a decision to go to the dungeon. They had done all in their power to prepare them, to give them information beforehand. They didn’t want to see people dying, but they had all been in life-and-death fights.

  “It would be nice if we can get some fighting technique manuals, though.” Glosil looked at Blaze and Niemm.

  “Trying to get Special Team Three to use their prize hall for fighting techniques?” Blaze asked.

  “We’ve imparted our fighting techniques and fought one another. If we were able to add in a few techniques that increase one’s striking power, or their movement speed, then our strength would increase a lot.”

  “React, attack, and have the techniques as part of that; incorporate them into our fighting styles instead of having them as the basis of our fighting styles,” Storbon said.

  Glosil pointed to Storbon as he hit what he was thinking right on the head.

  “Group ninety-three is pulling out,” Egbert said. The group started to break their medallions, leaving the raging water beast that had turned the Water level into a true hell. The beast was two meters tall and three long, but it hid in the depths of the water, using its magic to control the water on the surface, attacking passing creatures; then it would surface to grab them and pull them down into the depths of the water.

  “That was one mean beast,” Niemm said with a serious expression.

  “Maybe use some meat or something to lure it to the surface, hold it there, use ice magic and then just hit it again and again. Wouldn’t be an easy battle.” Storbon shook his head. The battles served to increase their knowledge on the beasts in the depths of the dungeon.

  “There are some nasty things downstairs,” Blaze said.

  “I feel like we aren’t even scratching the surface. We saw creatures that were level forty plus and we’ve only seen ones ranging to level nineteen so far,” Storbon said.

  “They’re likely killing off the younger creatures and the weakest ones,” Egbert said.

  “Won’t be running out of opponents any time soon,” Niemm said.

  “That’s for sure.” Glosil cleared his throat and sat forward. “Okay, now team ninety-three, do we want to give them an offer?” He pulled out a file of information on them that had been sent back by the trading group that had picked them out and dropped them medallions to join the dungeon.

  “Three girls and one boy; one of the girls is the older sister of the boy. They were part of a raid on their town. They survived; everyone else was killed. They escaped the killing but afterward they couldn’t find work and they trained up to become fighters for the people, stood in front of raids and the like. They’re still pretty young, about fifteen is the average age—oldest is seventeen,” Glosil said.

  “Minimum age is seventeen to join,” Blaze said.

  “Why don’t we give them the opportunity to learn? If we give them a base, a way to improve their Strength, that should be enough. Not everyone is going to join the military side of things,” Storbon said.

  “We luckily had Erik and Rugrat to help us out with the beasts. They’ve only had each other, with everything they knew getting destroyed. They’ve got skills. Their gear isn’t the best but they’re determined.” Niemm looked to the others.

  “Equipment can be upgraded and skills learned, but having the determination and mindset to push forward isn’t something that can be learned,” Blaze said.

  “I believe we’re in agreement then?” Glosil said. The others nodded and he looked over to Egbert.

  “Once they finish with the prize hall, I’ll put the question to them, then have them move into a holding room before being teleported here,” Egbert said.

  The others nodded. This is what they had agreed upon.

  “Hmm, look at that. It’s the fourth person from the Burning Man sect to use that technique.” Blaze frowned.

  “Are they a bunch of masochists?” Niemm frowned.

  The man’s body look on a red light as it grew by ten percent. His entire body brimmed with power as he charged ahead, attacking a wood leopard—a beast made from what looked like branches weaved together in the form of a leopard. Once in a forest, if it laid down it would be hard to see.

  They would shoot out and attack their enemy. Their lateral movement was poor but their initial rush had already gravely wounded one of the sect’s people. They cracked their medallion and disappeared but another from the sect turned red and attacked.

  Now he was using a massive war hammer, hitting the leopard in the side and sending it flying.

  Two others moved to get better viewpoints, using their bows to rain hell down upon the beast.

  It was badly wounded from the hammer blow and the arrows laced with poison. It dropped to the ground, dying.

  “It must be some kind of secret art to increase one’s Strength. None of them use magic spells other than to augment their bodies and their attacks,” Storbon said.

  “But afterward they’re weakened by a large degree. If they don’t use healing spells or concoctions, then it might leave behind hidden wounds,” Niemm said.

  “They’re young men and women looking to try to impress their sect. They would put anything on the line to do so, including their lives.

  “If they’re able to get a great contribution from the prize hall, then it is possible for them to become an elder of their sect and live out a comfortable life or to get high-grade medicines. I
f they don’t get to a high enough level and don’t get anything that interests their sect, then they will have to find a way to deal with their wounds or purchase medicines or get healing spells cast on them,” Blaze said in a grave voice as the sect team cleared the level.

  The man who had used the secret art charged into the next room, keen to use his art as much as possible to clear more levels to get more points.

  Storbon looked to Niemm. “You’re forgetting just how rare the items we have in Alva Dungeon are. Most sects in the first three realms focus on just one single path: fighting with a sword, fighting with an axe, a spear, or casting lightning spells, Fire spells, Earth manipulation spells and the background of Body and Mana Cultivation. These sects might have people who make armor and weapons, but it is rare for them to have healers they’ve groomed themselves. Alchemists? Even harder. They’re simply too expensive to raise themselves, so they rely on hiring outsiders or establishing ties with other sects that specialize in crafting—just blacksmiths, just healing houses, just leather armor. This creates a complicated overlap of sects helping and using one another to make up for weaknesses.

  “In the Third Realm, the fighting sects and crafting sects send their people up to the Fourth Realm in massive recruitments. The sects in the Fourth Realm can’t be compared to those in the Third. They’ll be led by the fighting force, but the sect will also have crafters of all kinds. They are fighting everyone up there. Sects can only rely on themselves, so they have to be massive in order to support their own needs, taking over massive areas and fighting to expand and grow in power.

  “Kingdoms and nations no longer exist, only the sects and their battlefield,” Storbon said.

  The others in the room had grim looks on their faces.

  “A sect with the lowest person being a higher level than anyone in Alva Dungeon, numbering in the millions,” Glosil said.