Sixth Realm

by Michael Chatfield

  The wall and tension between them when she had first appeared was largely gone, the two of them closer like co-workers just she was working on a project she couldn’t tell him all the details about.

  “You want to hide?” Aditya said.

  “I know it’s Lord Quan and if we want him to come to our side, he’s going to learn some secrets,” Evernight said.

  “Are you a guard, a maid or a secretary?” Aditya muttered as he stood up.

  “A secretary for now, but an agent first and foremost,” Evernight said absently as she kept on working.

  Aditya opened the door and found Lord Quan standing there. The old mercenary still had his fierce scars but his eyes were brighter as if he had returned to the time of his youth looking at the path of advancement ahead.

  “Lord Quan,” Aditya said respectfully as he waved for the other man to enter.

  “There is no need to call me Lord Quan anymore, don’t I work for you now? Just call me Old Quan,” the other man said as he stepped inside.

  His eyes landed on Evernight and then looked to Aditya in question.

  “Don’t worry she is reliable,” Aditya said as he closed the door.

  They took their seats and Aditya looked at Lord Quan.

  He remembered what Evernight had told him a few weeks ago as he had been complaining about ways to unite the people of the Beast Mountain Range.

  “People love opportunities and belonging to something. The outposts have always been separate entities, if you make another outpost and rule over them, they won’t care but they won’t be tied to you. Why don’t you just make a sect? That way you can give people a way to advance, they are bound to you and it will create a greater connection between all of the outposts.”

  Aditya opened his mouth as Old Quan raised a hand.

  “I am an old man and not so good at these games, unlike you young ones,” Lord Quan said. “It’s easier if you are to speak plainly with me.”

  “I am thinking of creating a sect, with you at the head of it. The sect will comprise of a fighting arm, taking in people with good fighting potential and turning them into warriors that can create mercenary bands, join the army and increase our military might. A Crafting arm, to promote more crafters coming to the area, and create weapons and equipment that we can use instead of relying on outside sources. We have some crafters here, but we aren’t able to raise any ourselves,” Aditya said without a pause.

  Old Quan sat forward, his relaxed air from before falling away.

  “I don’t know anything about crafting?”

  “I can find people that do, and I can find someone that will run it all, I need someone that can inspire faith in the people of the Beast Mountain Range. You controlled an outpost in a bare sense, your outpost was more of a base of operations for your mercenaries. Many of which have elected to join the military, you have a lot of energy and not much to do with it. With the position of sect head, you would have access to materials, information and more that many people would only dream of. Other than operating the sect, you would be free to train yourself and others as you saw fit,” Aditya said.

  “Who could join the sect? Would they have to be from the range?”

  “No, they could be from other places, as long as they show ability and loyalty,” Aditya said.

  “What about slots for the Beast Mountain Range Trial?”

  “If it continues, then the sect would get a certain number of spots that the students could compete for. I want you to bring out the fighting spirit of our people,” Aditya said.

  “It will also conveniently take people’s eyes off of you. Unite the people in the outposts, get them to look past their outposts and the beast mountain range as a whole. Have people from outside sending their young to train. Impressive way to divert attention.” Old Quan said.

  Aditya laughed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

  “Your eyes have only grown sharper with your age Old Quan,” Aditya said.

  Old Quan smiled at the compliment, he rubbed his chin with a rough hand, his smile growing larger as the brightness in his eyes increased.

  “A sect leader, I always cursed those old stuck-in-their-way bastards, caring more about the profits and numbers, I cannot say that the sect will make you any money, but I will give you the finest crafters and fighters I can,” he smiled as Aditya pulled out a contract.

  Old Quan looked over the information and raised an eyebrow to Aditya.

  “Seems that you have some secrets you want to keep,” Old Quan nodded, checking the contract once more. He cut his finger and pressed the blood to the contract. The contract shone, the words seemed to lift from the page and wrap together forming a black chain before it floated over Old Quan’s wrist and sunk into his flesh.

  It disappeared as if it had never been there.

  Old Quan’s smile was a little nervous as he held up his arm to Aditya.

  “Well, it looks like you have me for another five years,” he laughed.

  Aditya smiled and nodded.

  “Yes, I guess we do Mister Quan, it is good to officially meet,” Evernight said as she stood up from her desk and grinned.

  Quan looked at her in surprise and then to Aditya.

  “Vermire, King’s Hill, I’m just merely the manager, the power and the force behind it, they’re more powerful than any nation in the First Realm. Evernight is my confidant and the passage through which my orders come from.”

  “So uniting the outposts?” Old Quan’s smile turned serious.

  “That was his idea, most of this is his idea, we have just been supporting him from the shadows. Pretty impressive really,” Evernight said.

  “What do you want with the Beast Mountain Range?” Old Quan said seriously, his candid attitude was gone.

  “Not much really, we need a way to operate in the First Realm without being seen. For a long time now, we have been ago we have been recruiting people from the First Realm, from Vermire, now throughout the Beast Mountain Range and beyond. We just want good people, people who are loyal above capable. Just think of us like a big mercenary group, we want to entice people to join us.”

  “And what do you do with them?”

  “We give them a place to expand their horizons and have opportunities they never thought about,” Evernight seemed to release a seal as Aditya could feel her power swelling, reaching higher and higher.

  Old Quan was shaken as he tried to sense just what level she was.

  “You’re more than four times stronger than me at least,” Old Quan said.

  “I swear on the Ten Realms with my life that the power I work for only wants to give the people who we recruit and opportunity to join us and increase their power and abilities,” Evernight said. The power of the Ten Realms descended upon her and nothing happened as it faded away.

  “Bit extreme,” Aditya said, his heart in his chest as he started to calm down.

  Evernight rolled her eyes at him as Aditya snorted.

  Old Quan was looking at them both at a loss.

  “I have to borrow Old Quan here for a few days, will that be okay?” Evernight said.

  “What for?”

  “Well, if he’s going to run the sect he should know what he is teaching people and see some proof no?” Evernight said.

  “I haven’t ever seen these schools or people other than the fighters and healers from the power behind you, but he gets to see it by just signing a contract?” Aditya complained.

  “Don’t worry, when the rulers are back from their adventure then they will want to meet with you,” Evernight smiled and then looked to Old Quan.

  He seemed to have recovered a little bit.

  “No wonder you were able to raise yourself up so quickly. While you had greater resources you’re still the man I have come to know and I can see how much trust you’re putting in me. Alright, let’s take a look at this power of yours miss.”

  “I like him, up for an adventure,” Evernight smiled and moved to a bookcase. A format
ion activated and the bookcase opened, showing a ladder down below.

  “See you soon,” Aditya said.

  They disappeared and the bookcase closed.

  Aditya opened his door.

  “Have Pan Kun come and see me please,” he told his guards.

  “Yes, my lord,” they bowed and one ran off.

  Pan Kun arrived shortly afterward, taking a seat opposite Aditya. After his training he was less rowdy and seemed to have channeled his energy, creating a hyper-focused fighter.

  “I saw your report on banditry and the beasts in the area, what is happening with that?” Aditya asked.

  “The bandits come from various different groups, there are some that are people who ran from the outposts. Others that are groups with plots on Vermire. More are just criminals that came to the Beast Mountain Range due to the ability to hide in the mountains and forests.”

  “I heard that you led out an attack personally yesterday?” Aditya asked.

  “We have been following a group of bandits that have been attacking different caravans. Using trackers we were able to find their base. We took down the camp, those that survived were pulled back in chains to be workers or put to death depending upon their crimes.”

  “What about the victims?”

  “None of the groups that were under our protection were attacked, but ten percent of the value of materials recovered will be passed to the victims of the group and also paid to people that were able to give us information on the bandits,” Pan Kun said.

  “Kill those that have to be killed and bind the ones that become our laborers with oaths. I do not want to give them any chances of getting away. They will be our examples to others. Bandits are only seeking their own downfall in the Beast Mountain Ranges. Though we will not question one’s background if they want to join a group of mercenaries. Clearing the Beast Mountain Range is good honest work,” Aditya said.

  “I have made sure that the message is passed along. I am sure our masters have pushed out the information themselves.”

  “What do you think of these new beasts appearing?” Aditya asked.

  “They’re tougher, not hard for the army to deal with, but they’ll challenge the mercenaries. The materials, and resources one can get from them are impressive. New danger zones have needed to be created as there are different animals moving around. Was it on the part of our masters?”

  “Evernight said that they did put out some items that would increase the growth rate of the beasts. With the low population over the last few years, with so much space the beasts are making a large comeback. I think that their new average power will be higher than previously,” Aditya shrugged.

  “What if we were to tame some of them?”

  “Tame some of them?” Aditya said.

  “If we have some beasts to move through the forests, we can deploy the army faster, have better supply lines and they can even assist us in battle,” Pan Kun said.

  “Not even the powerful armies surrounding us are able to field their own legions with beasts,” Aditya said.

  “Their biggest issue is supplies. There are elite troops that have beasts under their command, but housing and feeding them costs a lot. They are in cities and towns, while we are in the Beast Mountain Range, we can buy supplies for beasts a lot cheaper, or gather them easily enough. Finding and raising the beasts, then taming them is the hardest part.”

  “When is your next handoff?” Aditya said.

  “We are sending the next batch of advanced trainees over in a week,” Pan Kun said with a smile.

  “Don’t look so damn eager,” Aditya complained with a smile.

  Pan Kun’s scowl turned into a grin, his serious air dissipating somewhat. “We’re all in the same boat. You know, I think you offended the right people.”

  Aditya rolled his eyes and let out a pained groan, lead to Pan Kun chuckling.

  “Well, Evernight should be back before then, I’ll ask her about it. Giving me more work to do!”

  “You always seem to survive somehow,” Pan Kun smiled.

  “I have heard that you are seeing a lady?” Aditya asked.

  “News travels fast around here, I had her looked into.”

  “Come on and you didn’t tell me?” Aditya hit Pan Kun’s shoulder.

  “Well you know it’s early days,” Pan Kun said awkwardly.

  “If you went and got her checked out you’re hoping that it goes longer,” Aditya said.

  Pan Kun coughed, he didn’t look like the stern commander that had walked into Aditya’s office.

  “I was right! Come on tell me about her!”

  “Well she’s a healer, she was one of the people to help me with my eye.

  “A healer? From way back? You are playing the long game there, my friend!”

  “Well she was busy and I was busy, then one night I saw her and I asked her if she would like to go get a meal. She agreed and we went out. We talked for hours and then, well, we have kept seeing one another,” Pan Kun shrugged.

  Aditya laughed and pushed his friend’s shoulder again who was trying to hide his pleased smile.

  “Well I hope it all goes well, don’t mess up!” Aditya said.

  “Thanks, man,” Pan Kun said dryly as Aditya gave him a wide smile.

  ***

  “Fuck this place, fuck these realms fuck these people and fuck this goddamn swamp!” Campbell said, waving his hands to get the stinking swamp mud off of him.

  “Come on doc, we need to keep on moving,” Kanoa, a heavyset dark man said, his eyes moving across the forest.

  A bird whistle came from behind the group. Kanoa felt a spike of adrenaline as he left the others to assist Campbell out of the swamp. He checked his crossbow and knelt down, looking to the other vets and half-trained fighters he’d gathered together.

  They spread out, moving into the tree line. Kanoa kneeled in a ditch ignoring the water freezing his knees.

  The Ten Realms might suck balls, but at least I was able to heal up my knees.

  He let out a series of musical whistles once they were set.

  It wasn’t long till he heard pounding feet on the ground.

  Sung, a tired-looking man, rode down the road on a horse. He looked like a bag of shit and his horse looked drained, but there was determination in his eyes.

  He brought his horse to a halt as Kanoa got out of the ditch to greet him.

  “Looks like the mercenaries are coming, we need to get moving.”

  “How long do we have?” Kanoa asked, looking back down the road.

  “A day or two, maybe?”

  “If we can get to the outposts at the Beast Mountain Range, we can use the traders there to move around, confuse them. There are people coming in from all across the First Realm, be hard to track us in that,” Badowska said.

  Kanoa looked at his group, fifty-four people in total, they had wandered the First Realm finding other people from Earth. they’d banded together, common allies.

  King Ikku had found out about their group, their strange clothes, and spells. She sent her people to capture them.

  She wanted to own them, get them to tell her everything so she could use what they knew to grow her power. They were nothing but tools here, too low level to do anything but run.

  He had sixteen veterans, some of them had been currently serving, they were from all different branches and militaries. The civvies, all of them were skilled in one area or another, they had teachers, doctors, construction workers. Thirty-Eight more of them. If they joined another empire or group they would just be used by them, little more than slaves. Kanoa and the others wanted to get away from it, make something akin to what they had back on Earth. They had just been running, Kanoa started two years ago and he hadn’t stopped, he had reached level Eleven using a crossbow and his sword, killing people and beasts, it wasn’t enough to push him any higher.

  Chapter: sixth Realm Position

  Delilah arrived in the Third Realm, the Special team was all around her as
it guided her through the press of people.

  They diverged like a river meeting a rock around Captain Khasar, people looked over in awe seeing the carriage bearing the seal of the division leader.

  Delilah’s group headed over, all of them were wearing hoods and had different techniques and spells that altered their appearances. Delilah thought that Gong Jin was being paranoid, but she gave into the man. He had been the second-in-command of Special Team Two, but with the influx of trained special team members, he now controlled his own special team. He had matured quickly. Even though he was the same age as she, she felt that he was like a deep ocean, calm on the outside but with hidden deadly currents just below the surface, it was hard for anyone to become a Special team member and stay there.

  “Isn’t that Captain Khasar, isn’t he in charge of protecting the Division head? Just who is the VIP to get him to come down to the totem?” People asked.

  Delilah’s group reached Captain Khasar. He bowed deeply to her and opened a waiting carriage door. The group quickly got into the carriage. He followed Gong Jin and Delilah into the second carriage.

  “Just who are they to get this kind of treatment?” Someone asked as the door closed behind Captain Khasar.

  “Good to see you again Captain,” Delilah said, pulling down her hood and smiling.

  “And you too Miss Ryan,” Khasar said with a small smile and looked to Gong Jin.

  “Gong Jin, leader of her protection detail,” he said bluntly.

  “You have very capable protectors,” Khasar said, looking over Gong Jin.

  “I am Captain Khasar in charge of Master Alchemist Hei Zen. I know I speak for him and myself when I ask for you to keep Miss Ryan safe.”

  “Don’t worry, nothing will happen to her while I am alive,” Gong Jin said in a smile that wasn’t a smile, grasping Khasar’s hand and shaking it.

  “Old Hei is finally heading to the higher realms?” Delilah asked.

  “Yes, he got the news not long ago. You know how he is, he doesn’t want to make a big thing of it, he will quietly leave and let his replacement take his position.”