Sixth Realm Part 2: A litRPG Fantasy series (The Ten Realms Book 7)

by Michael Chatfield

  Requirements:

  Strength: 21

  Agility: 32

  ==========

  “The higher the charge, the more Metal element it will release into the body,” Erik muttered. “That way, if you figure out the amount of charge that correlates to your tempering, then you can use a remote charging device to maintain the needle at that charge. If one needle isn’t enough, you can use more. Simple—utilizing multiple Journeyman equipment together to create a desired effect.”

  Instead of having to ascend the entire mountain, Erik found the entrance to the training facility built into the side

  “Go and play if you want,” Erik said.

  Gilly headed off to do her own thing. On the Metal floor, not even the beavers were a threat to her.

  He passed through the guards and entered the facility beyond. There was a researcher reviewing their notes at the reception. Erik walked up and cleared his throat.

  “What is it, Duncan?” The man at the desk sighed as he kept looking over the files.

  “I’m looking to rent out a training room,” Erik said.

  “What?” The man looked up, frowning, as if trying to place Erik. “You need to complete Earth training first.”

  “Yes, I did it. Melissa Bouchard gave me this needle.” Erik held it out.

  “But the only person who has reached that stage is Lord Erik... West.” Things seemed to snap together for the man. “Sorry, sir! We have just been manning the facility and running our own tests. We haven’t had anyone visit us yet!”

  “No worries. I wanted to start in the lowest-density rooms. Test them out, see how effective they are, and go through rooms with greater density.”

  “Are you looking for any training aids? We have a number of pills and concoctions that are reported to help in tempering the Metal element,” the man said.

  “I didn’t know you sold aids as well. What do you have?”

  The man took out a list and passed it to Erik.

  Erik looked over the various concoctions. There were recommendations on the sheet; detailed information was listed underneath each concoction.

  Some were more relaxed while others were much more aggressive in tempering the body.

  “These have been tested out?”

  “Trials on different beasts were carried out, and they were researched in the outside world. If there are any complications, then the health monitor in your training room will alert us and we will send in medics right away to assist you.”

  “I’ll take the ones from here to here.” Erik picked out most of the concoctions from the first page.

  Using Reverse Alchemist, Organic Scan, and his tougher body, he could test out what the concoctions did. They could modify and enhance them later on.

  “Are you sure, sir?”

  “It should be fine. I won’t take them all at once.”

  The man seemed to be debating it before he took the list back. “I’ll prepare those for you right away.” He went into another room, only to return shortly with a large box. It was subdivided with different potions, powders, and pills.

  “Your room is ready—number one in block A.”

  “Thank you.” Erik took the key and headed into the training facility.

  It was laid out like the exact design as the Mana Cultivation facility. Just instead of mana, it was pumping out elemental power.

  Erik reached his room and put the key into the door.

  It unlocked, and he stepped inside. A simple room appeared in front of him. Erik laid out the different concoctions on the table.

  “It’s like a damn motel.” Erik took out the health monitor that was packed with formations to check on his health. He stuck it to his chest, feeling a cold ripple as the formations scanned his body.

  The coppery smell of metal filled his nose. It reminded him of the times he had smelled that coppery tang; it was so close to blood. He saw the men and women he was working on. Their pale skin in contrast with the bright red seeping from them. Their eyes as wide as saucers as they mumbled or yelled or screamed. Erik yelled back to them, covered in their blood, doing all he could for them. Tourniquets, gauze, iodine, painkillers, and IVs. There were wrappers and shit everywhere as he worked.

  Erik gripped his hand and closed his eyes. Mentally, he reviewed how to load and unload his rifle. A shiver ran through his body as he centered himself and thought of operating different weapon systems.

  “Shit.” Erik surveyed the room quickly and headed back to the individual training room.

  Instead of releasing the Earth element, Erik took out the needle he had been given by Melissa. “Time to see how this works.” Erik pulled his pants out of his boots and pushed the needle into his leg.

  He grimaced as the Metal element entered his body and started to attack him from the inside. He twisted his head, grunting as he worked to focus his mind on something other than the pain. “Fuck! This sucks!”

  His Organic Scan showed the Metal element corrupting his body. Cells were dying under the power of the Metal element. His body fought back. The Fire element ignited the power of the cells, and the Earth element fought to recover his cells. Three warriors fought within his body: Earth and Fire were being suppressed by the dominating power of the Metal element.

  Its attacks were new to Erik’s body; he hadn’t built up any defenses.

  Erik focused his mind and used a healing spell. It was like reinforcement for the Fire and Earth element warriors.

  The cells were still being cut down, but some recovered. They lasted for a half-second longer than the ones previous. More would reform, stronger than before, but their defense was futile as it collapsed again and again. The Metal element spread to Erik’s upper leg.

  Black lines ran through his skin. It cracked and bled. Silver peeked through the cracks, and flashes of light shot through Erik as lightning tore up his body.

  Erik slumped on the bed and waited there. The power of the needle decreased over time. The spread slowed to a crawl and then halted.

  Erik gathered himself as the charge of the needle continued to drop.

  He pulled out the charging device and activated it.

  The Metal element still infiltrated his body, but it was at a stalemate with the other elements within his body. The area from his leg up to his stomach was covered in silver veins; his skin looked black and burnt as if made of charcoal.

  “That fucking sucked.” Erik winced at how his leg looked. He put weight on it and felt the weakness within. “Looks like I won’t be running for a while.”

  He headed into the gym and tried training. His legs were about twenty-five percent weaker and hadn’t completely tempered. The Metal element had only gotten as far as the skin and muscles. The tendons, bones, and veins had only just started to be affected. “I’ll get weaker before I get stronger.”

  Erik pressed the button for help.

  In minutes, a medic arrived at the door with several others behind him. Gong Jin was there as well.

  “I’m not going to be able to shake you, am I?” Erik asked Gong Jin.

  “You haven’t yet.” Gong Jin smiled.

  “Help me put some IOs in.”

  Gong Jin sighed and moved past the medics. “I’ve got this.”

  The medics and the special team members moved away. The special team members took out seats and got comfortable.

  Erik took off his shirt, boots, and pants, leaving just his underwear. “Bit breezy. Should turn the heat up in this place,” Erik complained.

  “My boss is so fucking weird.” Gong Jin checked his supplies. He had an IV stand on wheels and had hooked up four healing and Stamina potion bags, and he pulled out his IO kit.

  Erik put Wraith’s Touch on his shoulders and below his knees. “You’ve done this before, right?”

  “Yeah. We even came up with this.” Gong Jin held out a strap attached to a formation plate with a cylinder sticking out of one side.

  “What’s that?”

  “Advanced IO.”
Gong Jin put it on Erik’s leg. The strap was sticky, clamping down on Erik’s lower leg, right under his knee. Gong Jin checked it and activated the formation. The cylinder turned and dug in, piercing Erik’s leg right into his bone.

  “Huh. Cool. I don’t feel shit.”

  Gong Jin grunted and placed an IO kit on Erik’s other leg and the other two on his shoulders. He ran the IV lines from the stand, hooking them up to the IO. “All right, I think you’re good to go.” Gong Jin admired his handiwork.

  “I look like an 80s B-movie alien.” Erik waved his IV tubes.

  “Happy temperings, boss.” Gong Jin left the room.

  Erik waved the tubes a few more times, laughing to himself before he hit the other button on the wall.

  Metal-attribute mana entered the room. Gas with shimmering silver sparks appeared within; electricity arced between the dust, giving the room an ethereal feeling.

  His body had already been weakened with the Metal element and continued to lose its war. Erik opened the friction locks on the IV lines slightly.

  The progress slowed slightly, but the Metal element attacked him from all over, changing the color of his body and causing his body to crack. More lightning flashed through his body.

  Erik focused. It felt as though lightning and metal shards reached into his very bones.

  He used healing spells to stop the power from reaching his head. If it reached his head, he would no longer be able to control his healing spells or examine the state of his body during the last and most critical stage. He used healing spells on his vital organs for the same reason: to make sure nothing could go wrong.

  Riding the line between death and rebirth might be terrifying, but fuck if he didn’t feel alive!

  Brilliance appeared in the depths of Erik’s eyes and he closed them, focusing on the situation inside his body. Time slipped by. Below his neck, he looked like a demon rather than a human.

  Any patch of skin that wasn’t altered before slowly changed, reaching his neck as if meeting an impassable barrier.

  Erik shed his skin, and red blood mixed with what seemed to be mercury ran across his body, giving him a savage appearance.

  His eyes snapped open. They were no longer blue but pure black with silver specks. Lightning flashed periodically. Purple and green smoke mixed with red flames and yellow rocks in the depths.

  He sat up slowly. His face shook with pain as the red-stained mercury fell from his body. The drops hissed as they hit the ground, leaving scorch marks.

  Erik gritted his teeth as the reactions repeated within his body. Not being able to move to take his mind off the pain was worse than the pain itself.

  You are a United States Army medic. You served five tours. You survived being a mercenary for four years. You just going to give up? Come on, one more! That drive to show himself, to show others what he was capable of, pushed him on.

  His body was covered in wounds that continued to open with every breath. The Metal element moved deeper into his body while his potential only increased and the changes within his body sped up.

  His cells were sent into overdrive, heating up. They repaired faster, nursed with Erik’s healing spells and the IVs. Erik’s wounds started to close, and the color of Erik’s body began recovering in parts.

  He pulled out the box of training aids he had purchased, took out a powder, and sprinkled it on his leg. It entered his wounds, and he heard it crackle. Erik’s leg was torn apart with lightning.

  “Feisty,” Erik said through gritted teeth. He pulled out a notebook and started doing his own tests.

  24

  By Land, by Air

  Kanoa secured his carrier.

  “Too high,” he muttered, placing the Alvan rip-tape in the right place. He pushed down the forward flap that held some magazines and checked the medical pouch on his side with a casual touch as he grabbed his rifle.

  “Who do you think they will give us for the aerial unit?” Badowska asked.

  “What are you doing here? Wouldn’t you be better with the artillery unit’s crawlers? More like your Russian tanks.” Kanoa moved in his carrier with the unloaded rifle, feeling the points of pressure and tightness or where it was rubbing more.

  Badowska grinned speaking with his thick accent. “We make great army. Tanks with every unit, air force, and helicopters that would make you shit your pants.”

  Kanoa flipped him the bird. The Russian laughed as he rolled his shoulders around and jumped, making sure everything was in the right place.

  “Now there is no you and me, just us. There are many Experts in the army, but for the air force, there are none. Why don’t I use what I know to make up for their weakness?”

  “You two ready?” Rugrat walked into the room. He wore the standard multicam of the Alva army. It was well-worn and broken in, unlike Badowska and Kanoa’s.

  “You won’t be needing that.” Rugrat pointed at Kanoa’s carrier.

  “Just checking it out. Was getting the pouches in the right place and sizing out the sides.”

  “The sides pinch like a bitch,” Rugrat agreed.

  Kanoa ripped the Alvan rip-tape open and slid out of the carrier, dropping it and his rifle into his storage ring. “Lead on.”

  Rugrat led them out of the room, and they put away their weapons in their storage rings. Rugrat led them to a training square where men and women were lined up in formation.

  “Atten-shun!” a woman officer yelled.

  The group came to attention.

  Kanoa looked over them all, hiding his shock. All wore the standard multicam uniforms. On their shoulders, they wore various emblems, denoting which type of squad they currently served in.

  Damn, there isn’t a regular soldier or sharpshooter among them. The lowest were from the artillery platoons and had completed mage and mortar crew training.

  Kanoa noticed movement on one of the upper balconies. Commander Glosil and his aides were headed away from the training square.

  “Captain Kanoa?” Rugrat introduced him.

  “Sir.” Kanoa saluted Rugrat, who returned it, and then faced the lined-up formation.

  “At ease!”

  Their movements were precise. Their eyes seemed to unlock as they stared at Kanoa and Badowska behind him.

  “Under the orders of Commander Glosil, there have been some recent changes in military organization. I have been ordered to create Eagle Legion. The purpose for such a legion is to operate in the air. To lead air assaults on our unsuspecting enemies, inserting and helping our allied forces in exfiltrating their mission and operational areas.”

  Kanoa let that sink in as he walked in front of the new recruits.

  “In the previous Tiger and Dragon Regiments, everything was built upon combat companies. Within the Eagles, our basic units will be air assault companies and will have the same breakdown as the combat companies, but instead of moving on panther mounts, you will be riding on eagle mounts!” Kanoa opened a beast crate on his hip. A massive three-meter-tall predatory bird appeared next to Kanoa.

  It stretched out its six-meter-long arms, and with a screech, whipping its wings, it created a powerful breeze that rushed over the alarmed recruits. Glorious white runes ran through the bird’s brown-and-black feathers.

  “You will learn how to use mortars, but you will also be taught how to fly gliders.” Kanoa opened another crate.

  A pitch-black creature made of scales and three times the size of the eagle turned her head before shifting around under its leathery wings.

  “And become bombers. Mages will not be solely based on the ground but will fly sparrows.” A smaller, hyper-looking beast appeared. “While you cast, your mount will move across the battlefield, making you a hard target to strike.”

  Kanoa looked at the men and women staring at the three beasts. “We will also be in charge of training crews to work with the kestrel.”

  He released the last beast. It was between the eagle and glider in terms of size. It moved its wings and shifted o
n its feet, calmer than the sparrow and not as dominating as the eagle or as cold as the glider.

  “The kestrel will serve as the workhorse for our aerial forces, holding two gunners, one pilot, and beast crates to hold people in and deploy as needed. Eagles will be your personal mounts, allowing each of you to enter and exit the operational space. Gliders will be strategic bombers. From these, their pilots will be able to call down supporting mortar fire and correct it; they will be able to drop bombs in close support of our operations. The sparrows will allow us to control the airspace with mage pilots stirring up trouble in the skies, keeping them clear and supporting operations on the ground as well. First Lieutenant Badowska, what is the purpose of the eagles?”

  “Arrive undetected at the enemy’s weakness and strike them directly and decisively!”

  “The army charges across the ground, and we blitz the enemy from the sky. Together, we will outflank, outmaneuver, and destroy any force that dares to challenge Alva.” Kanoa’s voice rose to a roar as he saw the fighting spirit swell within the men and women in front of him.

  “War is on the horizon, and we don’t have time to mess around. Officers and senior non-commissioned officers up to Briefing Room Charlie. Those remaining will be under First Lieutenant Badowska’s instruction! Attention!”

  They snapped to attention.

  “Officers and higher NCOs, fall out!”

  The units broke up, and he turned to Badowska and saluted him. “You have command.”

  “I have command,” Badowska repeated.

  Kanoa turned to go and meet with his new leadership. He took position at the front of the room and waved in the group.

  They quickly sat down. The woman who had called everyone to attention came to him and passed him a scroll.

  “Thank you.” The scroll detailed the people who had applied to join the Eagles.

  There were holes in the rank structure, but nothing major. Although it was not a full company, it was enough to create a badly under-strengthened company. They also had members from the close protection details in large numbers. Most of them were just waiting for their chance to enter the special teams or gain more experience in the field before they became officers.