“Team one fourteen looks like they’re reaching their end,” Egbert said as a man using a simple-looking staff was being pushed back by a vine creature that used its vines as whips, cutting off his movement and wrapping up his staff.
He had been fighting valiantly for some time, but he was exhausted from fighting for so long.
“He might be a decent fighter, but he’s arrogant and he’s got ties to royalty. When we looked into his background, it looks like he is part of the Xuanyuan empire and is looking to increase his combat capabilities to challenge the position of emperor,” Blaze said.
“Pass,” Blaze said.
“Pass,” Niemm said.
“Pass,” Glosil agreed.
“How much power will we make from this?” Glosil asked Egbert.
“At the end of this all, we will lose more power than we have gained. But the dungeon core will have increased in size from consuming and purifying so much Mana. And we will gain strength in people,” Egbert said.
“We mustn’t forget that the money for this trial comes from the military budget,” Blaze said.
“The military is generally a money sink, putting in a ton of money so that your forces might be strong when they’re needed,” Glosil said.
“Well, for others maybe, but with our parties and the special teams, you supported Alva in its starting days with meat, furs, and resources. Now with the battlefield, you’re still one of the greatest ways to improve the strength of the Alva Dungeon overall,” Egbert said.
Chapter: Start of One Journey, End of Another
Erik looked to his side. For three days, he had done nothing but work on concoctions. He failed to concoct the healing potion eight times and succeeded twelve times. He found it easier to work with the Stamina Regeneration potion and was able to turn seventeen of the twenty sets of ingredients into potions. Then he had focused on the Mana Regeneration pill.
He had spent the last day studying it and was just about to start working on it as there was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?” Erik asked.
“Come on, dude. We need to go!” Rugrat yelled.
“What is it?”
“The caravan is leaving in thirty minutes!” Rugrat yelled.
Erik had closed the windows and he didn’t have a working watch, so he had to guess the time by looking at the sky. With the windows covered, he had no idea what the time was. He had thought that he spent only a day working on the concoctions!
“Fuck!” Erik waved his hand, taking everything into his storage ring. He checked the room and went to the door.
“Come on! Matt is waiting for us!” Rugrat said.
Erik was stunned for a second as he looked at George across Rugrat’s shoulders, scratching at the collar around his neck before lazily settling down for a nap.
Rugrat shoved Erik’s body armor at him that he had fixed up yet again.
Erik attempted to pull on the armor as they rushed down the stairs and then out into the street.
With their speed, they flew through the streets. People looked at them in alarm as Erik continued to pull on his body armor. Rugrat passed him arm guards and he put those on as well. He was halfway done putting on his left armband when they made it to the caravan. It was thirty wagons long, with four powerful beasts harnessed to each wagon.
There were plenty of people looking at the caravan as a number of mercenaries who were part of the caravan’s guards were seated on the caravans.
Rugrat led them over to a large man as Erik finished doing up his arm guard.
“Sorry for being late,” Rugrat said as they looked at the big man with two axes on his belt.
His eyes flickered from Erik’s half armored state and then to Rugrat and the firewolf lazing across his shoulders. “Make sure it doesn’t happen again. You’re in the eighth and ninth wagons.” The man frowned.
Erik winced. Missing schedules was like a black mark on his personal record.
Erik and Rugrat nodded and headed to the caravans they would be guarding.
“Take these.” Erik took out some healing and Stamina potions, passing them to Rugrat.
“Dude, how many did you make?” Rugrat asked, excited as he looked around to make sure no one was watching or listening in.
“Enough. I’ll give some to Matt as well. I don’t have anything but the regular Mana Regeneration powder, though,” Erik said.
“That’s a lot of potions. I’m surprised you got so many done,” Rugrat said in a low voice.
“It’s thanks to the tools that you gave me. Once I knew the right way to prepare the ingredients, I just prepared them all in one shot. Then I just had to repeat the formation stage again and again, allowing me to improve the efficacy.” Erik took out a stronger healing potion with an A written on it.
“This is one of the three strongest,” Erik said.
Rugrat took it into his storage ring.
“I wasn’t able to find anything on healing your Mana channels but the Alchemist Association has to have something,” Erik said.
“Thanks, man.” Rugrat slapped him on the shoulder.
“No worries, man.” Erik moved to Matt, who was talking up a storm with his caravan driver.
He pulled him aside and passed him some potions.
“How much you need for this?” Matt asked.
“No cost, man, but some ingredients in the next town wouldn’t be bad.” Erik smiled.
“Some ingredients? Do you know how much these would go for? Most of them would be sent to the Fourth Realm for auction to get better prices. For you to make these in three days… Can I lock you in a basement and get you to make me potions?” Matt joked.
“Couldn’t afford me!” Erik laughed. “How much would these be worth, though?”
“The healing potions, base a hundred gold—anything to heal has a high price. Stamina, sixty or seventy,” Matt guessed.
“Damn,” Erik said. The price might be high to get the ingredients and the formulas, but the profit was proportionally large.
“Load up!” Boros yelled as he jumped onto his carriage.
“See you in a bit.” Erik moved to his carriage.
Erik found his carriage and climbed up to sit next to the trader. “Erik.” He offered his hand.
“Svelt.” The man nodded and looked back to his beasts. He cracked the reins, getting them into motion as the caravan started to snake out of the trader’s district and head for the gates, not trying to say anything more.
As they exited the gate, the beasts started to pick up speed.
Svelt pulled down goggles over his eyes as a smile appeared on his face.
The beasts’ speed continued to climb. The thirty wagons met and then surpassed speeds one could find on a highway, passing other trader groups as they continued to gain speed. Erik’s body had gone through a number of temperings, but now his face and body was being smashed into the wind as if pasted to the front end of a sportscar as Svelt, the crazy Dutch bastard, looked like fucking Evel Knievel himself as he covered up his smile that threatened to reach his eyes.
I’ve got the equivalent of a Swedish Joker. This’ll be fun. I miss comics.
Even with their speed, the carriage ran smooth. Specially made wheels and suspension accommodated for the road, making it a smooth journey.
Erik pulled out his goggles he’d used in the deserts of the Second Realm and put them on his face to save his eyeballs from being blasted out the back of his skull and fought the gale of nature and beasts to put on his leg guards. They hit a bump and he scrambled to hold onto the carriage as he looked over to Svelt, whose face was covered in a cloth as he snapped his reins again and again.
Erik pulled out some rope and attached it to the seat, tying himself in, and then resumed trying to get dressed.
***
The different sects collected their people as they came out of the Beast Mountain trial, quickly escorting them to the side and covering them in a spell so no one else could hear as they looked at the loo
t that they had gained from the dungeon.
“It looks like none of the people from the First Realm have come out,” one of the Willful Institute elders said.
“They must have been killed in the dungeon,” another replied.
Elder Rei found it odd that they hadn’t appeared. He could understand a number of them being killed, but not all of them, and the people from the sect were coming out first.
While the Beast Mountain trial might be protecting the people from the First Realm around the platform, if they were to go further then it wouldn’t be able to protect them. At that time, the sects could kill them off and take the items that they got from the dungeon.
A day went passed as more people came out of the dungeon. Some of the sects left as their people had all arrived.
On the second day, the sects’ people continued to come out but the people from the First Realm didn’t.
“The dungeon must be sending the people from the First Realm somewhere else,” Elder Rei said to the elders with him.
Three of the Willful Institute’s people had already come out of the trial with varying goods. All of them had been able to get decent items to increase the strength of the sect. With their contributions, it paved the way to the Second Realm and could gain tutoring from teachers and masters that they wouldn’t be able to meet easily.
***
The people from the First Realm who interested Blaze, Glosil, Storbon, and Niemm were placed into a large room, where they recuperated. Egbert told them that they would get an additional opportunity once everyone was done with the dungeon.
Those they passed on were sent out to different locations outside of the Beast Mountain Range, to keep them from encountering the sects.
The group of five were still sitting in the dungeon core headquarters when a message came in.
“Well, it looks like Roska is back from the Second Realm. She made contact with our person in Chonglu. Tully seems to be hurt but stable. They’re resting in Chonglu and will head to Alva once the dungeon event is over,” Blaze said.
“It’s already been three months,” Storbon replied.
“Hard to think—a lot has happened.” Niemm looked out of the building and over to the academy made up of tier-two buildings and the ever expanding living quarters and trading markets.
Chapter: Mysterious Trio
Boros and Lucy sat around a fire. The caravan was pulled up into a circle. Each of the caravans had certain defensive capabilities, creating a moving fortress when they set up for the night. The different traders and mercenaries were talking with one another and eating. Others had turned in for the night already or were spending their free time as they felt fit.
Though the strangest group of them all was the three men and the firewolf that were lounging around.
“Seems like they’re not simple at all,” Lucy said as Boros turned back to her.
“The mage is the weakest of them but he’s also a trader. That beast must be a mid-Fourth Realm beast or stronger. It’s a rare breed with some special bloodline to have wings and that deep, firey fur,” Boros said.
“Their armor is also custom made for them and its rank isn’t low, either—high-Journeyman rank made out of Mortal-grade steel,” Lucy said, impressed.
“Seems like they hold themselves in high regard.” Boros shook his head, his face darkening.
“Hmm?” Lucy ate her dinner.
“Showed up late, aren’t mixing with the others—now they’re lazing around. They might have good gear but it’s freshly repaired. If they’re really close to the peak of the Third Realm, it doesn’t make sense that they would get hit so many times,” Boros said.
“What are you saying?”
“They’ve got nice gear and items, but I doubt that their combat capability is high. You know how it is: everyone has to prove their strength in order to get the best rewards. They’re just sitting over there, not caring about any of the competition. Also, I haven’t seen any of their weapons. I’d say it would be good not to rely on them for any support.” Boros looked to the other mercenaries who were checking their gear and talking to one another, creating stronger bonds with one another if they got into a fight. “The good fighters talk of their abilities, try to get a position where they can lead. No warrior wants to be told how to fight,” Boros said.
Lucy looked over to the group, seeing one working with a piece of metal and a blue tool.
The two others were talking in low voices, the one wearing heavy armor listening to the mage.
“What kind of fighters are they?” Lucy asked.
“Melee, ranged, and summoner.”
“Summoner?” Lucy looked over at Boros.
“He’s also a trader, probably to try to get more summoning beasts,” Boros added.
“As long as they do their job, it’s no problem.” Lucy bent her head down to eat when there was a whistle off to the side of the camp.
“Roaming group of beasts!” someone called out from their watch position. “Level twenty-three to twenty-six!”
Boros stood up as Lucy began to eat.
“I’ll go deal with it!” one of the fighters who was around the large fire said proudly as he rushed forward.
Two others quickly followed. “Don’t think that we’ll let you have all of the glory!”
Boros nodded to himself. This was how warriors were supposed to be.
The three around the fire checked their gear as the warriors ran into battle.
He shook his head at their actions. He jumped up onto one of the carriages and looked at the beasts. They were rushing toward the carriages as the person on watch fired arrows into them, killing one and leaving five more.
The warriors jumped on the carriages, looked at the situation and then jumped into the battle. The other fighters all moved on top of the carriages to see the fight.
The man who had arrived half-dressed jumped onto the carriages to look at the fight as the other’s firewolf expanded to its full size as he sat on it. The third, on a different carriage, looked in the opposite direction.
Boros couldn’t help frown. It looked as if they were ready to run for it at just a small party of beasts roaming around in the night!
The value of the three dropped as he looked to watch the fight.
The first warrior used a technique; his blade turned blue as it cut through the air, sending a Wind Blade at a beast, cutting it and pushing it back. He jumped forward, his sword clashing and cutting at the confused and pained beast.
Another’s spear turned green as it howled through the sky, piercing through a wolf and burying itself into the ground.
The third fired an arrow, combining it with a spell form to buff the arrow, turning it into a lightning bolt. It flashed through the sky, paralyzing another beast.
The other warriors came in, displaying their fighting arts and techniques and releasing their powerful auras and destructive strikes.
With the aid of their techniques, they were able to easily tear the beasts apart.
“Come! I have some good White Cloud tea for us to drink! My body feels alive, fighting with you all!” the strongest of the mercenaries—the one who had displayed his cutting wind sword art—yelled out boisterously.
The others laughed and agreed as they headed back into the camp, taking in the corpses of the beasts and talking about how to split them up.
Looks like the leader of the mercenaries has been made. It will be easier to control them now.
The latecomer jumped off the carriage roof, a look of disappointment on his face as the others returned to their fire.
Boros ground his teeth together.
Looking down on others who did the hard work and all you did was prepare yourself to run! Boros’s opinion of the three-man group reached new lows as he pulled out the night watch schedule and changed it around. It was a small thing but it would serve to annoy them and make sure that they had less sleep.
As the others were doing shows of strength, the three were loo
king at different books, playing with metal and sleeping! How were they true warriors!
Boros had lived as a mercenary all of his life, going through many battles and being around hot-blooded fighters. They were the people he felt the most comfortable with. This group was nothing but snake charmers, showing high levels but no ability!
***
Rugrat returned to working on the metal in his hands. He was trying to carve some simple formation designs that he had learned. The control over the blade needed to be absolute. With his limited access to Mana, every second he summoned the Mana blade was precious. As Rugrat increased his Agility, he had gained a greater control over his body, allowing him to create precise cuts at accurate depths and permitting him to make the most use of his time with the Mana blade.
With time, he felt he would increase in his precision and ability.
Erik described what he had seen and told Matt.
“Those must be fighting techniques. People can use Mana in their body to create spells through their actions to amplify their attacks. As you use Mana to increase the power of your punches, it’s a pretty blunt way, but you could use techniques to increase the power you display, taking all of that energy and refining it into a focused attack. It can take a lot of energy to carry out but they’re some of the most powerful attacks,” Matt said.
“Techniques—are there any for bows?” Rugrat asked.
“Sure, there are spells one can cast, like One Hundred Arrow Rain. One would fire an arrow up into the sky and it would create a spell of hundreds of the same arrow shooting down toward the ground underneath. Or there is a Thousand Fist art that increases the speed that one can deliver their punches, unleashing one thousand punches in a minute!” Matt said excitedly.
Rugrat looked over to Erik and sighed. “Looks like another thing to buy.”
“Of course. Never believed in having any savings,” Erik said as someone walked over.
“The night watch has changed. You’re up in two hours.” The man passed them a new schedule.
The Third Realm Page 20