The Third Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  Formations reminded him more of a factory line than a picture. He had just been blindly copying out the formations he knew. They functioned, but their stats weren’t all that impressive. Rugrat knew that there must be a way to customize them toward the item that was engraved to increase its power and ability.

  He just didn’t know the secrets of it all and could only look on in frustration.

  The information in the two books he had read and the one he was reading were very similar and there were diagrams included.

  Rugrat went back and copied out the formations that looked like what he needed. None of them looked alike when comparing the stack of books, but in each book there were multiple formations that looked the same.

  Shouldn’t it just be like components? Like this is for power, here is a fuse to make sure if it blows up it doesn’t backfire, here is the motor. That kind of thing?

  Rugrat flipped through the books. Just looking at the inscriptions and forms used for power control in formation, he came up with several possible versions, but they all did the same thing.

  He picked one out and copied it out. It looked like a circle with a set of runes inside of it. Crystals could be placed in this circle to create power.

  He went through and found “the machine” as he was calling it, the functional part of the formation. It was similar to three other functional parts of other formations, which was why he picked it. He copied it out of the book as well.

  “Power, function, direction,” Rugrat said, remembering the talk he had with Erik. A hunch appeared.

  He found a directional formation. It was a larger circle than the powering circle formation with runes. It had three glyphs at two, six, and ten o’clock with lines that intersected the power controlling part of the formation at the twelve, four, and eight positions.

  He copied it out as well and lined up the three pieces of paper, fitting them over one another.

  Julilah, who had seen him working, looked at the pieces of paper. “I think that might actually work.” She sounded confused.

  “Huh?” Rugrat looked at her as he still held up the paper, using the light from a light-emitting crystal to see through the pieces of paper.

  “I don’t know how you did it but I think that formation would work, though you pulled them from totally seperate formations. How were you able to do that?”

  “Well, I was thinking of it as components. In spells and formations, there are three parts that make a spell or a formation succeed: power, function, and direction. I was wondering if I could try to make each of them into components and fit them together if it would work,” Rugrat said.

  “Components?” Julilah asked.

  “Like parts in a machine,” Rugrat said. Seeing she still wasn’t getting it, Rugrat pulled out a bow and a crossbow.

  “So the two components of the bow is the wood section with the grip arrow shelf and sight window with the upper and lower limb and then the arrow and string, bow arrow, and string, right?” Rugrat said.

  Julilah nodded.

  “Now the crossbow is essentially the same. There is the bow section.” Rugrat tapped on the limbs of the crossbow. “The arrow.” He pulled out a bolt and put it to the side. “And the string.” He tapped on the string. “It’s just that the components are used differently. A body has been added to the crossbow. It has a latch that grabs onto the string when you pull it back. Say that the power came from the person at first; now the power comes from the person still, but it is held there by the latch, instead of creating a greater power drain on the person. Both of them serve the same purpose but have a certain grade of components making them up. These formations might have the same purpose but they have all different components, so instead of the wood on the bow being made from one kind of tree, it’s made from a different kind. Might help the bow, might not—but if you were to break down everything to its base components and then rebuild it, well, it would be like say you have this crossbow: the power and direction is all there, but the function isn’t. We’ll make the bolt the function part of this. If we are able to put in a poison bolt, or an exploding bolt, the function of the entire crossbow changes.”

  Rugrat watched Julilah to see whether she got it.

  Her eyes went back and forth, coming to terms with the information, understanding it, and connecting it to the information she had already built up.

  “Components—if we were able to break down the formations into parts, then rebuild them? Create a template? Then wouldn’t we just be able to plug in a formation to go from ranged to touch, or area of effect just by altering the power output, a moderating formation? A series of specific reactions that occur to create one final product,” she said to herself before looking at Rugrat.

  “Please tell me more about these components. How do we know if they work? How do we know what is best for which formation?” she asked.

  Rugrat grinned, taking his time before he said anything else. “That’s the fun part..Testing!”

  Chapter: Changes Come to Alva Dungeon

  Erik and Rugrat joined the rest of the council in the dungeon headquarters building. Elise presented her idea for a change in the running of Alva. Everyone understood and agreed to it. They had only been given their positions due to Erik and Rugrat, so having them taken away—they knew that it was bound to happen. Instead of looking down, they were excited to see whether they could regain their positions and seeing just how the rest of the people in their respective areas would react to the exciting change.

  Then it came time for Erik and Rugrat to step up. They passed off the basic knowledge and Erik pulled out the dungeon core from the Temple of Earth’s Divinity.

  They also told them about the building they had bought in the Division Headquarters in the Third Realm. This greatly interested the traders and crafters in the room. Access to the heart of the Alchemist Association in the Third Realm was a brilliant move and yes, they would need to build a place but it wasn’t anything terribly difficult. The building project was placed with Taran, who would give it to the blueprint office before being confirmed. And a group of more than twenty people would head to the Third Realm to establish the outpost there.

  “Well, it’ll light a fire under the traders to try to reach over level twenty,” Jasper joked.

  “We also need to prepare for the future and strengthen our own abilities.” Erik’s serious tone cut the celebrations short.

  “We have grown in many ways: in our ability to craft fine items, to increasing our knowledge, to increasing the abilities of our bodies, our levels, our combat ability. Now although we have grown in our combat ability, we have modeled ourselves after the people in the Ten Realms. The strongest are kings and the weaker are followers. This is not how Alva will evolve. The special teams and the platoon led by Chen showed us how we can work together as a group and how just small group actions can have a massive impact. We have focused on the small groups but we need to focus on larger group tactics.

  “So, Rugrat and I will be personally looking to train with the military forces of Alva. We have had just two or three weeks’ worth training them. Now it’s time we trained them to the limit. Create a military that is not only strong in their groups, but when they come together they reinforce and increase one another’s strength. The training will not be kind nor will it be short-lived. We expect it to last at least three months. All of the people in Alva’s military will have their bodies tempered and Mana gates opened. They will face battles in the battlefield dungeon. We will go over many proven tactics on how to fight other humans. Every single member will be raised up to level thirty. Alva will be our academy; the Fourth Realm will be our testing ground.

  “Those who pass will be coming with Rugrat and me into the Fourth Realm. This will be the first battle that Alva will head into where we are the aggressors. To have a truly powerful military, they must fight, to become bloodied, to pass their stories, ready the others for what is going to come. The Fourth Realm is filled with dungeons. If we want to
take them over and survive in the Fourth Realm, we can only go in groups. Once we create a foothold or know the situation better, we can move forward. Once we have completed the Fourth Realm, then we will have a force ready to enter the Fifth Realm and capable of dealing with not only the battlefield dungeon but progressing deeper into Alva Dungeon to challenge more of the floors below,” Erik said.

  There were different looks on the faces in the room.

  They could tell that the training would not be easy, that they would be training people for war. After those battles, as they moved across the Fourth Realm, who knew how many would be left in the bloodstained grounds of the Fourth Realm?

  Chapter: A Step Forward, A Step Stronger

  As the meeting came to an end, Erik and Rugrat headed to the dungeon core. The others watched on as Rugrat pulled out the dungeon core. The door opened for him and he walked to the dungeon core that floated in mid-air. The Mana density was high enough to create a slight mist. Around the dungeon core, the Mana turned into almost vapor before it was captured by the formations, powering Alva Dungeon or being stored in the formation above.

  Rugrat raised up the dungeon core. It floated up and it became level with Alva Dungeon’s core.

  The new core started to collapse. It was like seeing a planet being consumed by a black hole. A thread of the dungeon core entered the Alva core; the Alva core grew brighter and stronger. The thread of material became larger and larger as the dungeon core was consumed, growing the Alva core.

  The power within the room and the city beyond was stirred up. As the dungeon core increased in grade, its reach increased, gathering more Affinity Mana, increasing the Mana density and its purity in the dungeon.

  The power heading to the formation above increased in size as the last of the second dungeon core was absorbed.

  Alva’s dungeon core had increased in size, nearly doubling. Its surface was brighter; the blue crystal of the core turned a shade darker, appearing to have a slight purple coloration on it.

  A screen appeared before Rugrat and Erik.

  ==========

  Quest: Dungeon Reborn

  ==========

  Upgrade the dungeon core, returning it to its peak condition.

  ==========

  Requirements:

  Dungeon core recovers partially [7/12]

  ==========

  Rewards:

  +10,000,000 EXP

  ==========

  ==========

  Title: Dungeon Master II

  ==========

  Control over the Dungeon building interface.

  Grade: Grand Mortal (Can be upgraded)

  Ability: Dungeon Sense, 5km radius.

  Cooldown: 1 day

  Increase all stats by +1

  Able to bestow title, Dungeon Hunter (0 remaining)

  ==========

  They had already made Roska and Storbon dungeon hunters; they needed to upgrade their title again and then they could pass the title to Niemm as well.

  “All right, well, let’s get to work,” Erik said.

  ***

  The week after, there was a rush of Erik and Rugrat passing out everything that they had learned to the dungeons many disciplines. Egbert listened in and recorded down snippets from them both to add to the library.

  Erik and Rugrat got an idea of the large-scale changes to the dungeon while they had been gone. The plan put forward by Elise to revamp the leadership of the dungeon was put into action and changes were made seamlessly.

  Jia Feng took the position of the academy principal. Tan Xue took over as the smithy’s department head; Taran became the deputy head. He had gained his position through the trust of Rugrat, but he was happy to give up running the academy. He passed on everything to Jia Feng. Egbert and Elise had been training up secretaries that Jia Feng selected from to assist in the running of the academy and other official matters so she would not see a reduction in her skill growth.

  The trader representative was Elise; Glosil took the position as the head of Alva military. The Adventurer’s Guild leader was left untouched.

  Egbert took his time assessing the people of Alva to find the council leader. Finally, he decided on a choice no one was expecting. Fehim became the department head of the Alchemy department, while Delilah became the leader of Alva for the next two years.

  Erik had asked Egbert why he had picked the young woman.

  “She might be young, but she is hard-working. Any task given to her she will complete to the best of her ability. She doesn’t take shit from anyone, but she will listen to people’s concerns, evaluate them and come back with an answer. She is not from Alva, but she is a skilled crafter recognized by many from Alva. This shows the people that we do not care about background but ability. She has a high enough level and yes, being your apprentice does give her a layer of protection, but I think she will grow into the position. She, too, came from a small village like the people of Alva; she can relate to them,” Egbert said, his voice level and serious as he calmly listed off the different points.

  “Okay, but first we’ll head to the Second Realm to see if we can find her family,” Erik said.

  “I understand. Then, until her position is revealed?”

  “You will take over the position. While Rugrat and I are gone, you will be our voice to look after the dungeon and the people within it and make sure that progress continues instead of being halted.” Erik knew how councils and groups could get bogged down with indecision.

  “I understand.” Egbert bowed to Erik.

  ***

  Matt spent his time in the blueprint office. With his knowledge from Earth, he gave a number of lectures, showing the techniques and tools one could use in drawing out and creating blueprints. His information on structural design, building techniques—all of it was invaluable for the blueprint office.

  A second week passed and a third arrived when Matt went to visit Rugrat.

  Rugrat wiped his brow as he put the half-formed ingot back into the flames. “Are you sure about this?”

  “More than sure. I can take the people skilled in construction as well as alchemists and traders to the Third Realm. My main focus will be on building the compound, the second on trading. There are a number of items that Alva makes already that would sell for a high price in the Third Realm.” Matt grinned.

  “Trader through and through. Have a talk to the department heads and council members. If they agree, then go for it. Also, talk to the adventurers if you need guards. I bet you can get some money from Egbert toward security,” Rugrat said.

  “I will!” Matt said.

  At the end of the third week, Matt headed off with a group to one of the larger cities to use their totem to travel to the Third Realm.

  He wasn’t the only one. Erik prepared for a trip to the Second Realm. Special Team One was assigned to protect him; he was the leader of the dungeon and Delilah the to-be Alva council leader.

  Rugrat also joined in and Erik sent an invitation to Blaze.

  ***

  Erik walked through the city. It was covered in an early morning fog, making it hard to see five feet in front of them.

  Behind him, a group of nine followed. All of them wore cloaks that covered their features. Their eyes scanned the area and armor could be seen under their cloaks.

  They made it to the totem without issue.

  ==========

  You have reached Level 30, meeting the requirements to ascend to the Fourth Realm.

  ==========

  Do you wish to ascend?

  ==========

  YES/NO

  ==========

  “No,” Erik said. The screen changed as he selected the Second Realm and then Taeman city.

  He paid the ten Mortal-grade Mana stones.

  A sudden light enveloped them all, flashing through the fog, leaving people to think it was just silent lightning.

  Erik and the party appeared in Taeman city. The chilly fog had disappeared, being replaced by the b
rutal heat of the Second Realm sun.

  They moved to the guards, paying their fee to enter the city.

  “I’m going to check with the Blue Lotus. Rugrat, organize some transport. The rest of you, take a look around and relax,” Erik said.

  “Mind if I tag along?” Blaze asked.

  “Certainly,” Erik said.

  Rugrat knew the city and headed off for the stables to see whether he could get them some beasts to ride. They had beasts raised in Alva, but their panther mounts weren’t well suited for the desert.

  He told the party and Delilah to find a place to eat as Erik and Blaze headed off toward the Blue Lotus.

  “Feels familiar, but also completely different,” Erik said.

  Blaze was looking around in interest. This was the first time that he had headed to another realm. He hadn’t even left the continent he was born on. The green and lush wilderness was complete opposites to the hustle and bustle of the massive city that housed millions, planted in the middle of the desert.

  “So, Blaze, I heard that you purposely gave command of the military over to Glosil,” Erik said.

  Blaze’s wandering eyes stopped as he took a heavy breath. “I am a military man, always will be, but my heart isn’t in it anymore. I guess I got soft being the leader of the village—well, even before that. I have been fighting for some thirty-five years. It tires a man.”

  Even though he looked to be only middle-aged, with his cultivation, access to training techniques, and now with his increased levels, he was actually reaching into his sixties.

  “I understand.” Erik hadn’t sought out to climb the ranks in the military, just to have a single role and do it really well. Dealing with all of the shit, people treating him like a child, having jumped up and inexperienced “leaders” telling him what to do when they had no clue themselves: it had made his decision to leave all the easier.