The Fourth Realm (The Ten Realms Book 4)

by Michael Chatfield

Gilga, Old Xern, Dromm—Erik felt that something had gone wrong. In the earlier levels, the beasts were just beasts. By the way he looked and the way he talked about humans, Dromm wasn’t one. He was powerful but he must still be a creature of the dungeon.

  “An accidental evolution. My name is Elder Fred. Please take a seat.” Roots appeared from the ground, weaving together to create seats. “I swear with my life on the Ten Realms that no one in the fifth floor of the dungeon will attack you or your comrades unless provoked.”

  Erik and Rugrat lowered their weapons as the oath settled over them.

  “Fred, huh? Never thought I would…what are you?” Rugrat asked.

  “That is a bit complicated. Anyway, I want to ask what your plans are?” Fred asked.

  Dromm moved to the side, eyeing them all. George stood next to Rugrat, who was petting him absentmindedly.

  “We want to take control over the dungeon. Then, we can assure its safety and use it in the future,” Erik said.

  “Would you be able to free us from this place?” Fred asked. Dromm perked up and looked over.

  Erik thought on it for a bit before answering. Egbert was a creation of the dungeon but he could technically leave it. He was a creature that relied on magical power, so he needed Mana stones to sustain himself and cast his spells apart from the dungeon.

  On the other hand, Fred and Dromm were beasts. They consumed Mana to stay alive, yes, but they could also eat other items, like Old Xern with his metal. They could just consume other monster cores or Mana stones to increase their Strength. Either way, it should be possible.

  “I believe so.” Erik nodded.

  “Would you?” Fred asked, his eyes holding a greater weight to them.

  “I would.” Erik confirmed. He didn’t know how long they had been down here but it seemed that they had gained the ability to reason. To be stuck in this dungeon for centuries—he couldn’t imagine it.

  “So what are you—tree, beast, human?” Rugrat asked.

  Dromm huffed at the last word.

  “I was once the tree that this dungeon is built under but with the power of the dungeon core, I was able to create an avatar. That avatar is currently in the main boss room. This is just one of my apparitions. With the laws of the dungeon, the bosses can’t leave their rooms and the creatures can’t leave their floor. Dromm is a water-tusked boar but has turned into a demi-human. The majority of the creatures on this floor have as well. With the power on this floor, the creatures here have increased their level, attaining sentience and the ability to have a humanoid form and speak the human tongue. I was the first to gain sentience at level sixty. Then, I taught the others. They have reached level seventy or so. Most beasts only attain a humanoid form when they’re level eighty. Some might get it earlier or later—it depends on the beast’s bloodline, how they are taught, and the resources that they consume.”

  Erik looked at the tree that was talking calmly. Level sixty—he could enter the Seventh Realm!

  From the two entrances behind Dromm and Fred, four more people appeared.

  There was a woman with gray skin and blue eyes. Her brown hair fell down her back, her body flexible and dextrous as she moved toward them, a playfulness in her eyes.

  There was a thin man with a brown robe and long hair that fell over half of his face, revealing brown eyes so dark they looked black.

  Next to him was a pale man floating above the ground with a trident in one hand. He looked like the god of the seas. His blue hair danced in the wind as he stroked the back of a tanned woman with long brown hair, her arm around the man’s shoulders. Her body was highly toned her muscles were like corded wood.

  He aura seemed solid and powerful as her deep brown eyes looked at them with the same timeless quality as the man. As if she was seeing through them.

  Being in their presence was like being in the presence of a god and goddess.

  Who also didn’t seem to care about what others thought of their PDA, and treated it as if it was completely normal.

  “Racquel, Reaper, William, and Elizabeth. Snake, treeling, Water spirit, and Earth spirit,” Fred said with a proud but also caring voice, like a grandparent talking about their grandchildren.

  They all looked at Erik and Rugrat.

  Erik was stunned, looking at them. They looked at Erik and Rugrat casually but he wasn’t able to gauge their levels. Their strength was beyond his guess.

  “Strong.” Rugrat’s eyes glowed with his Mana sight as he looked at them.

  “We can make an agreement that you allow us access to the dungeon core to take over this dungeon and we will free you from the dungeon. I was wondering if you might want a job?” Erik asked.

  “A job? What does this mean?” Fred asked.

  “Prison!” Dromm rose from his seat.

  “Dromm.” Fred’s tone didn’t change but Dromm quickly sat back down. “Sorry about that. Please explain.”

  “We have control over another dungeon. We have built a city on the first floor but there are another five floors underneath it: Fire floor, Earth floor, Metal, Water, and Wood. The thing is, we’re not strong enough to clear these floors. With your help, we might be able to. You would be paid for your help and any materials you recover you can sell to us. You would have a place to live and do as you wanted, as long as you lived by the rules of all the people in Alva,” Erik said.

  The creatures of the fifth floor looked to Fred.

  “We would want to see this place before we were to make a decision,” Fred said apologetically.

  “Understood. It is not an easy decision to make.” Erik paused before continuing. “As you know, you all look different from regular humans. That isn’t a big deal to Rugrat and me but in the Ten Realms, unless you’re with other demi-humans, then you might be at risk of prejudice. Even if you decide to not come with us, I would warn you to alter your appearances or come up with a reason for your looks to explain to other humans.” Rugrat nodded in confirmation.

  “A fighter but one who also cares—you are interesting men.” Fred looked at them both.

  George let out a proud bark.

  The other creatures showed amusement at George’s actions but didn’t say anything.

  “Once we are freed, will we be able to procreate?” Elizabeth asked. William looked down at her with a smile.

  “If there is a restriction, I can remove it and you would be released from the dungeon’s control. Beyond that, I don’t know.” Erik shrugged. He hadn’t dealt with Water or Earth spirits procreating before.

  Elizabeth looked up at William. He smiled and squeezed her tighter. She had a pleased expression on her face as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tighter, rubbing her face against his chest.

  “I, Erik West, swear on the Ten Realms with my life that if you give me access to the dungeon core, then I will release you from this dungeon so long as you don’t attack anyone from Alva, unless they attack you,” Erik said.

  “Well, guess I should do the same.” Rugrat repeated Erik’s oath.

  “Bring them to my room.” Fred announced as his tree form seemed to reverse the growing process and disappear into the ground.

  “Come,” Dromm told them as he led them along with the rest of the creatures through the dungeon.

  They deactivated traps and opened doors on the way. After that, it felt like they were being guided through someone’s home rather than a dungeon.

  They reached a large room, one much larger than the previous rooms they had been in. There were three doors out of this room.

  Sunlight warmed the room, streaming down through holes in the ceiling. Water created a pool in the back right of the room, its turquoise waters looked refreshing and inviting.

  The room looked like the inside of a massive wooden hall and had roots growing throughout. They moved across the ground to roots that had created a throne. On it, sat an elf.

  He looked like a heavenly figure. His eyes were blue and seemed to dance with amusement. He had a s
trong body and as he stood up, there was a grace to his movements, as if he would never place a foot wrong even if he tried.

  Around his head, there was a wreath of golden tree branches. A green cloth grew from behind his shoulders, creating a cloak behind him.

  “It is good to meet you in person,” Fred said, his current voice easier to hear than the rough voice of the tree he had used before.

  “I didn’t think that elves were real,” Rugrat said in a slightly awed voice.

  “Elf?” Fred asked.

  “Or maybe they’re not,” Erik chuckled.

  “I remember something about elves and trees.” Rugrat shrugged and left it alone. “I think the dungeon core is under the throne.”

  “May I?” Erik asked.

  “Please,” Fred insisted. Although Fred looked calm, his emotions were easy to read as everyone in the room looked at Erik.

  He stepped forward towards the throne.

  The roots of the tree parted, coming to life once again as a bright blue glow was revealed from behind them. The Mana in the room was stirred up, collected into the dungeon core and refined, while pure Mana escaped the dungeon to change the rest of the world.

  Erik was a bit shocked by the Mana density around the dungeon core. He saw that there was a chip in the dungeon core as well. With time, it had been smoothed over. That must have been where the dungeon core in Vuzgal was hacked off.

  The dungeon core rested in mid-air. A mist of concentrated Mana appeared around it.

  Erik reached out and touched it.

  ==========

  Do you wish to:

  Take command of the Dungeon

  Remodel Dungeon

  Destroy the Dungeon

  ==========

  ==========

  Quest Completed: Re-open Bala Dungeon

  ==========

  Remove the barrier around Bala Dungeon (Completed)

  Clear Bala Dungeon at least once (Completed)

  ==========

  Rewards:

  55,000,000 EXP

  Bonus: 18,250,000 EXP

  ==========

  ==========

  You have reached Level 53

  ==========

  When you sleep next, you will be able to increase your attributes by: 10 points.

  ==========

  ==========

  18,657,376/30,600,000EXP till you reach Level 54

  ==========

  “Take command,” Erik said.

  Erik saw his dungeon controls update as his dungeon interface activated.

  He could see throughout the dungeon now, all of it his domain and under his complete control. “Creatures?” Erik moved to the Creatures Tab and went through the options there.

  Power started to seep from the dungeon to the sentient Beasts they had just met, increasing in speed as they absorbed it all.

  Erik felt the connection between them and the dungeon decreasing as more power entered their bodies. Finally, they separated from the dungeon, no longer listed on the Creatures Tab.

  Erik looked at them as the power in the room settled down. There didn’t seem to be anything different about them.

  “So?” Rugrat asked.

  “I don’t feel the floor restrictions anymore,” Fred marveled as he looked to the others.

  “I don’t feel the presence of the dungeon anymore, telling me where to go,” Racquel said with a hint of triumph in her voice.

  “Glosil, this is Erik. The dungeon is now under our control. Clear out the traps and meet us on the surface,” Erik relayed. All of the tension in Erik’s body fell away. He raised his rifle, pointing it to the ceiling. “Want to see outside world?”

  The demi-humans talked among themselves. Even the cold Reaper looked excited as they went to the platform at the back of Fred’s throne.

  The ceiling opened above them and they shot upward. The roots moved away as they accelerated faster.

  Light poured in, burning their eyes and forcing them to look away.

  Erik and Rugrat cancelled their night vision spells and blinked, rapidly adjusting to the sunlight.

  It took the demi-humans a bit longer to adjust to the light.

  They all looked out over the valley once they could see again.

  Dromm was the first to take a step forward, leaving the pad and stepping on the grass. He started to cry as he dropped to his knees.

  The others laughed or cried as they looked out over a world that they’d never seen before.

  Racquel grabbed Rugrat and kissed him. He barely kept his rifle up, stunned by her speed, strength, and technique. She pulled away and smiled, her tongue flickering before it disappeared.

  Fred looked at the tree standing over the dungeon. That tree was his old body and the structure of the dungeon. “Thank you, Erik.”

  Erik simply nodded as Rugrat laughed and clapped him on the back.

  “We’ve got to clean up a few more things in the dungeon, like Old Xern and Gilly,” Rugrat said.

  “There is a city named Vuzgal to the north. We control it right now. There is a man called Glosil controlling it; I’ll send him word. There are undead in the city but they’re under our control. Don’t break them, please,” Erik said.

  “We will take some time to adjust. We might stay in the valley for some time, if that is alright,” Fred said as he marveled at the world around him for the very first time.

  Chapter: Dungeon Trials

  Now that Erik and Rugrat controlled the dungeon completely, they didn’t have to worry about the remaining beasts and could directly use the different pads at the end of each level.

  First they went down to Old Xern, releasing him from the dungeon and sending him up to the valley above. He started sniffing around the valley, having agreed to not eat the metal from the city.

  Then they went to see Gilly.

  She looked at them both before she bowed her head to Erik.

  ==========

  Gilga has voluntarily created a bond with you, making you her master.

  ==========

  Erik immediately felt closer to her; he could understand her thoughts and translate her actions into words. He patted her head, scratching at her armored scales. He used Simple Organic Scan on her body, finding only minor issues.

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” Erik said. The special teams had already packed up their gear and were headed to the surface.

  They headed to the travel pad as Gilga stepped out of the pool. She stood at ten meters long from head to tail.

  George, who was on his shoulders, scratched at his cheek.

  “Ow!” Rugrat yelped.

  “Now everyone else is a higher level,” Erik pouted to himself. He was one of the strongest in Alva but he was now weaker than his own beast, Rugrat, and George.

  They found the special teams ready and waiting at the surface. The meandering creatures of the valley were studying them. Dromm was eating some beast he had hunted, raw. Racquel was with him, enjoying in the feast as well. Fred, Reaper, Elizabeth, and William were nowhere to be seen. There were holes in the valley floor were Old Xern had burrowed his way into the ground to find metals below.

  A Fred tree appeared from the ground. “If you need us, at any time, just call my name. I am able to sense anything within Vuzgal and the valley beyond,” Fred said.

  “If you want to, come and visit us in the capital,” Erik said.

  “We might do that with time. It has been a long while since we have talked to others and it might take us some time to get used to it,” Fred said. His tree reversed its growth.

  “All right, let’s head to Vuzgal,” Erik said. The special teams set off as Erik and Rugrat talked with Roska, Gong Jin, Niemm, and Storbon, letting them know what had happened and telling them to pass word to the rest.

  Erik and Rugrat went to the debriefing with the rest of the leadership before they grabbed some food in a remote corner of their new base.

  Gilly was off somewhere, hunting creatures with George. B
oth of them were strong and smart, so there wasn’t much risk of them getting into trouble that they couldn’t handle.

  Erik had been able to sense the powerful bloodline within Gilly during his scan and he hoped that with his help, she’d be able to awaken her bloodline faster.

  “Well, that was one hell of a day,” Rugrat stated as he got comfortable on his cot, taking his rifle apart to clean it.

  “Thought it might take us months to clear the dungeon,” Erik commented.

  “Don’t always need to kill our way through. Plus, you finally got a companion, too,” Rugrat said.

  “Now, we can focus on putting people through the dungeon to increase their Strength and build a sixth hidden floor underneath the valley for the people of Alva to use. I only just realized that we should get a few more store interfaces set up in our various dungeons. I wonder if they work in the other realms. If we can put one in the Sky Reaching Restaurant, our traders could trade all across the Third Realm—same with our Adventurer League locations in the Second Realm’s Kaeju. Need to know if trading on the store interfaces could lead back to us. But if it doesn’t, we’ve got a new fat revenue stream.”

  “Look at you, thinking like an empire builder.” Rugrat laughed.

  Erik threw a dirty rag at Rugrat as he pulled apart his own rifle as well to clean it.

  Rugrat kept laughing and working.

  “CLP?” He asked, offering a bottle of liquid.

  “You do know it’s not CLP right?” Erik said.

  “Ten Realms gun lube sir yes sir? You want some CLP or not?”

  “Yeah, I’ll take some,” Erik put some on the rag he was working with and stuffed it into the magazine well with his pinky finger.

  “Though I have been thinking about making something new,” Erik said as he worked.

  “Oh?” Rugrat asked while putting down one freshly cleaned part and moving to the next.

  “Crafter trial dungeons,” Erik said.

  “Which are?” Rugrat wondered as he glanced up from what he was working on.

  “So, dungeon cores work to pull in impure mana and then pump out pure mana. They can also exert control over impure mana, turning it into things like items, dungeons and dungeon monsters. They kind of contain all that impure mana so it doesn’t mess up the area more. Also it acts as a way for the Ten Realms to increase people’s power and reward them while doing it. Though sometimes a dungeon core doesn’t make monsters. Sometimes, dungeons can create resources. Or sometimes if there isn’t enough impure mana around, they’re just kind of there, slowly growing and purifying whatever it can get around them.”