Second Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  “Three thousand!”

  “Three Mana stones, four hundred gold!”

  “Thirty-eight hundred!”

  The bidding paused as the last bid was thrown out by Wen Xuegang.

  “Four Mana stones,” a man with a hawk on his shoulder said.

  “Landar Kree from the Thunder Talon sect!”

  “The Thunder Talon sect is a group that focuses on fighting with beasts by their side, taming them and using them to bolster their own strength. If they’re able to get the corpse, wouldn’t the location be as good as known?” someone asked.

  Erik and Rugrat could only look on at this point. Their meager remaining wealth wasn’t enough to even compete.

  Wen Xuegang looked at the people in his booth with a deep look.

  All of them had forced smiles as they handed over the wealth that they had to improve their chances of winning the bid.

  “Four thousand one hundred,” Wen Xuegang said.

  “Two hundred.” Landar Kree frowned slightly.

  “Three hundred.”

  “Four hundred.”

  “Six hundred!” Wen Xuegang declared, his voice rolling through the hall.

  Landar Kree forced his face into a smile as Lu Chiao looked at them both.

  “If there are no more bids?” He looked about. “Sold to the leader of the Kerose Institute Wen Xuegang!” He offered up his applause; a few other people and those affiliated with the Kerose Institute joined in as well.

  “All items and proceeds from the auction will be available for pick up from the collection booths. Thank you for honoring the Blue Lotus with your presence.” He bowed to everyone before the lights turned on and people started to talk about the crazy bids that they had seen or ran off to get the different items they had bought or the gold that they had sold the items for.

  “Well, let’s go and see what we’ve earned.” Erik stood and headed for the door of the booth.

  He heard a clanging behind him. He looked back to see the food and drink disappearing into Rugrat’s storage ring.

  “What? It’s complimentary,” Rugrat said, not stopping from cleaning away everything that was left.

  Erik opened the door to find a woman from the Blue Lotus there.

  “If you would like to follow me, Manager Su Wei has organized a private room for you to go over your items,” the woman said.

  “Lead on!” Rugrat pushed past Erik with an almost fanatic smile on his face.

  Chapter: Embarrassing Alchemist Nguyen

  The woman from the Blue Lotus led Erik and Rugrat through to a guarded room. Two guards opened the door before Erik and Rugrat, allowing them access to the private room. Inside, Juko and Su Wei had a number of subordinates waiting on them. They were watching a large wall that showed the inside of the Blue Lotus.

  Looks like a bunch of security cameras.

  “Leave us,” Su Wei said. The people in the room bowed and left the room quickly. In moments, it was just Erik, Rugrat, Juko, and Su Wei.

  Su Wei’s face bloomed into a smile as he pulled out storage rings from his robes. “I took the liberty of changing two thousand of the gold into two Mana stones and then the remaining gold. Your purchases are all inside the rings as well.”

  Rugrat and Erik took their rings.

  Erik made to speak as Su Wei continued talking.

  “For the Age Rejuvenation potions, they are a high-quality good, but they would not be able to get the price that they deserve in my little Blue Lotus. If you want, I can give them back to you. Otherwise, I can pass you a token and they will be sold through the Blue Lotus locations that would be able to sell them for a higher price. Once they’re sold, then you will be able to collect your money from any Blue Lotus location with your token,” Su Wei said.

  Erik took some time before he nodded. “I’ll trust the Blue Lotus to sell them on for me. Is there a place that we might be able to read the journal?”

  “Certainly. There are private viewing rooms that you can use to look over your goods.” Su Wei sent a sound transmission as the woman who had brought them to his office returned once again, bowing to them.

  “Ella, would you show Mister Erik to one of the viewing rooms?” Su Wei asked.

  “Certainly, Assistant Head. This way.” Ella waved her hand for Erik and Rugrat to follow her.

  “I have already reported higher up the Blue Lotus about the Age Rejuvenation potions and the different smithed goods. If you have any more of them in the future, then please keep the Blue Lotus in mind,” Su Wei said.

  “We will,” Rugrat said, enthusiastically slapping Erik on the back. “See you later!” Rugrat said, half helping, half pushing Erik out of the room, he was so eager to check out his new items.

  “You’re worse than when we went to a Black Friday sale!” Erik complained as Ella quickly composed herself and led them back out of Su Wei’s office and to the private viewing rooms.

  “Once you’re inside, then the formations will activate, making it so that no one will be able to listen in or spy on whatever you are doing inside,” she quickly explained.

  “Thank you,” Erik said to her. Rugrat had already walked into the large room with a conference table in its center.

  Ella nodded with a small smile as Erik entered the room too. Ella shut the door behind him. Magical circles appeared on the walls, isolating Erik and Rugrat from the outside world.

  Erik quickly pulled out the different powders, pills, and potions. With swift movements, he opened up a powder box. The powder was essentially useless. There was no sense of medicinal efficacy coming from it; there was little difference between it and dust.

  Erik pulled out a jade spoon, scooped a tiny amount of the powder up and tossed it into his mouth. He swallowed it down, waiting a few moments before information seemed to bloom in his mind.

  “Powder, ugh.” Erik shivered at the taste and the pop in his stomach that threatened to make him throw up. “Effects, creates an explosion when ignited.” Erik took a few moments to recover.

  “Did you just…eat an Alchemy powder?” Rugrat asked slowly.

  “Yeah. I got a new title, the Reverse Alchemist. Basically, when I consume things, then I build up a memory of the concoctions and the ingredients. It’s kind of like a puzzle: if I know the ingredients and I know the reaction of the different concoctions, I can think of a way to make it. Or if I know some of the ingredients and the concoctions, then I can figure out some of the ingredients that are in it that I don’t know, or think up new combinations of ingredients to replace them,” Erik said.

  “So, you took something cool, made it nerdy as hell and now it’s kind of a math equation. If you know the different numbers or ingredients, you chuck them together—multiplication, division, subtraction—and it craps out a final product. When people ask me, I just say I hit shit with a hammer.” Rugrat went back to his forge snow globe.

  Erik scratched his head before he shrugged. “Well, that stuff was better than the other propellants I’ve been working with. Bit stronger—could use it to make grenades.”

  “Grenades from eating some vial fluff! Shit, we should have bought you some more!” Rugrat moved closer.

  “What are you doing?” Erik backed away.

  “Come on, eat a few more! I need better propellant for my rounds! Mortal-grade iron deserves better powder!”

  Erik sighed and pulled out another container. He felt that if he didn’t take them all himself that Rugrat would force them down his neck at this point.

  “Well, this should be a ride. If I finish these fast enough, then I can sell the containers to that Nguyen alchemist. I don’t know what person would be interested in spending so much in just getting old empty vials.”

  “Fucking weirdos.” Rugrat studied his snow globe.

  Erik flipped him the bird and put the next vial to his lips. Erik had genuinely thought that Nguyen felt bad about his words, making everyone not interested in the potions.


  He felt interest toward the contents of the pill bottles and potions. He would remove the contents; then he would be more than fine with selling them to Alchemist Nguyen if he was interested in them.

  Erik held his head as he drank one of the potions. “Fuck me! Tastes like gasoline and reaper peppers mixed with bad decisions.” Erik pulled out some mint leaves, trying to dull the taste in his mouth.

  “Come on, you’ve got like another ten to go,” Rugrat said.

  “What does it matter to you?” Erik chewed on the leaves rapidly.

  “Well, maybe you can come up with more enhancers that I can use with the different metals that I have to bring out greater innate effects! Also, gunpowder and poison? You know how deadly my rounds are going to be now! Though I’ll need to figure out how to make a barrel out of Mortal steel and rifle it.” Rugrat sunk into thought, giving Erik some more time to recover from the concoction’s awful taste.

  Erik quickly and efficiently downed the different concoctions, storing away their information for later. He didn’t have time to think on them all but his ability to recollect information had increased with time. He was only able to identify a few ingredients used in the concoctions.

  He’d gone through most of the powders, potions, and pills he’d acquired, leaving a pile of them on the counter in the room.

  His haul hadn’t been small. Most of the items had lost their medicinal effects long ago, but to Erik it didn’t matter as he gained new insights and even more questions.

  “Might be better than reading a damn technique book, but feels like I licked a sewer in Kandahar.” Erik shook his head and chewed on some mint leaves.

  Erik left the other items in his ring to look over them later. He collected the pill bottles together and stepped out of the private room. Ella was waiting for him as he left.

  “Have you seen Alchemist Nguyen?”

  “He is entertaining a number of people in the main hall,” Ella said.

  “Do we want to meet him? We made a bit of a stir. If we show ourselves, then others might be interested in us,” Rugrat muttered into Erik’s ear.

  “Well, we don’t need to show our faces.” Erik pulled on a doupeng. He took out another and put it on Rugrat’s head.

  “Who turned out the lights?” Rugrat looked around. He looked pretty comical in the wide-brimmed hat.

  “You look like a damn budget Dalek.” Erik led the way into the main lobby.

  “Thank you, Miss Ella,” Erik said.

  Rugrat bowed to her as well; she bowed back to them before they separated.

  Erik and Rugrat headed out into the main hall. Erik looked around the room and saw Alchemist Nguyen, who was talking to a group of people and seeing them off. It was the same people who had agreed to let him win the potion, gaining a favor in return.

  “Alchemist Nguyen, you said that you were interested in the Alchemy containers?” Erik said.

  “Ah! I have been looking for you!” Alchemist Nguyen opened his arms wide, as if meeting a good friend as he moved up to Erik.

  Erik had been expecting Alchemist Nguyen to be arrogant and overpowering but it seemed that he was willing to meet Erik on a level ground.

  “Alchemist Nguyen, it is good to meet you in the flesh,” Erik said respectfully. “I have the different pill bottles and potion containers. If you wish to have them, I can gift them to you.” Erik pulled them out.

  “I couldn’t simply accept this kind of gift.” Nguyen laughed. He pulled out a pill of his own. “This is the Mind Revitalizing pill. My skill is not great, but I hope you can accept this as thanks.”

  Those nearby started to talk to one another in an agitated manner.

  “The Mind Revitalizing pill? Isn’t that the pill that will allow one to focus totally on their studies, making it easier to break through and removing distractions of the world for a number of hours?”

  “Yes! It’s a mid-Journeyman pill!”

  “So humble to give this kind of pill to the person he lost a bid against, just for his interest in pill and potion containers.”

  “I thought that alchemists were aloof figures. I didn’t realize that they could be so humble and generous!”

  “What a lucky person to buy those containers. I would have spent three thousand gold to get a pill from Alchemist Nguyen himself and his recognition,” another person said in regret.

  “Thank you.” Erik passed the containers to Alchemist Nguyen and took the pill with a smile. His opinion of Nguyen rose with his straightforward actions. “I have other business to attend to but have a good day.” Erik clasped his hands.

  “And you as well.” Nguyen smiled.

  Chapter: Celebration Turned Sour

  Erik and Rugrat met up at a bar they had checked out earlier.

  “What’s the plan?” Rugrat asked.

  “First we go over the journal, then we figure out a plan of how to get to the dungeon.” Erik looked around before he pulled out the journal.

  Now that it wasn’t on the auction block, it looked to be nothing more than a simple bound book.

  There was a half-written word on the cover of the book. Time and wear had taken the rest of the word away.

  Erik opened up the first page. Inside, there was a sheaf of notes that the researchers and evaluators from the Blue Lotus had added to the book. It listed out pages of interest and possible locations that they had figured out.

  Erik quickly flipped to the listed pages and started reading.

  The journal was, thankfully, simple.

  “I think we need a map.” Erik turned the journal around and passed it over to Rugrat.

  Rugrat took the book and started reading the part Erik pointed to. “Daejo Trading Post?” Rugrat said.

  “According to the notes that the Blue Lotus had, there was a trading post between cities. In a war, the trading post was destroyed. As the territories were rearranged, the location was left alone. It looks like Su Wei gave us a bit of help.” Erik pulled out a piece of paper that had been in the book.

  “This is a map of where Daejo was supposed to be. Lucky for us, it’s only a couple of days’ hike from here. Though we’ll need to get maps of the area to make sure we’re going to the right place.”

  “Shouldn’t be too hard,” Rugrat said.

  “The area is two hundred square kilometers. If we didn’t have the Dungeon Sense skill, then it could take months or years to try to find any sign of the dungeon. Also, this place doesn’t sound too pleasant.” Erik’s voice lowered.

  “What was it—the parts of screaming live sacrifices or people having their very life force drained from them?” Rugrat said with a grim look. “Scared the writer half to shit. He didn’t even go in—instead ran away from it and was plagued with nightmares. Did you read on?”

  Erik shook his head in the negative.

  “Yeah, looks like he had a poison or curse upon his body. He didn’t get more than a few days’ travel before he started wandering in the desert, lost all sense of direction, delirious—can’t even write here.” Rugrat flipped through the following pages as the writer’s handwriting deteriorated and his words made little to no sense.

  “So some torture hole filled with poison, screaming and curses,” Erik said.

  “What choice do we have?” Rugrat asked.

  “None. All right, let’s get some maps, see where this place is exactly.” Erik took a drink from the cup he had gotten when entering the tavern.

  “Another adventure, another map,” Rugrat said, as the journal disappeared into his storage ring.

  ***

  Old Man Hei finished off his letter and sealed it. He looked around the store with a heavy breath.

  “The auction will be over soon and I’ve stayed here too long.” He looked around at the counters and shelves that he had seen for decades. There was something calming and welcoming about them. It was exactly the thing he wanted to get away from.

  “Time to go back to
the Third Realm.” He let out a dry laugh. “Never thought that I would be going back because of someone from the younger generation!”

  He turned and went out the door.

  “Never been much of one for good-byes.” He glanced back at the Black Cauldron.

  “Well, I wonder how the Third Realm has changed.” Old Man Hei walked away from his store and headed for the center of the city, toward the Ten Realms totem.

  ***

  Erik and Rugrat had gone to three different stores that sold maps, getting a few different ones to increase their knowledge. Once they combined them with their original maps, they gained a much better idea of the terrain around Kaeju city and the desert it was located in.

  “Okay, top up on food and water, check. Sand goggles and gear?” Erik asked.

  “Check. And check this out!” Rugrat pulled out a robe that was meant to protect one against the winds and sand of the desert.

  “Then, the next part.” Erik’s voice lowered and became softer.

  “Saying good-bye,” Rugrat said.

  Erik clapped Rugrat on the shoulder. There wasn’t really anything else he could say.

  “Who knows, maybe they’ll come to Alva Dungeon,” Erik said, trying to put a positive spin on things.

  “Well, no need to sugarcoat it. Just something that needs to be done,” Rugrat said.

  ***

  It wasn’t hard for her to pay off the debt, but she hadn’t completely removed it for two reasons: she had never been anywhere other than Kaeju city and she didn’t know where she would go. The second was that Black Eye was not known for his mercy. If she had a debt to him, then he had control over her, which kept her safe based on the Ten Realms oath. If she paid it off, then the oath would be broken and she would have to flee Kaeju city to be safe; otherwise, his people would actively try to keep her down.

  The different small jobs she had taken on—from the outside, it looked as if she were frantically trying to pay off her debt.

  The reality was she was building up her savings, secretly selling off Mortal-grade iron ingots, weapons, and armors to the Blue Lotus and others. Although she kept Julilah at arm’s length, she relied on the little girl to act as a courier to the buyers. Hearing Rugrat’s stories about the other places in the realms had built up her confidence as he had pushed her toward leaving and starting up a new life somewhere else.