The Fourth Realm (The Ten Realms Book 4)

by Michael Chatfield

  Another letter was passed to Jia Feng with all of the different items that the Alva Army needed help with, making formations, different tools, replacing broken weapons and armor. Another batch of letters went to her secretary to be sent out to the family members of the Alva Army serving in the Fourth realm.

  She felt numb as she wrote down names, the successive hits making her feel weak. With each name, it was as if she were putting them to death herself. It was like admitting that they were dead. Writing the names made it so permanent, seemingly unable to take it back. She felt a wave of nausea as she gritted her teeth.

  She was the council leader for Alva, but she was still just a young woman. Dealing with this kind of loss was hard for her to bear, but she also knew it was her duty.

  She stood and read the first name on the list.

  “What are the names for?” Fehim asked.

  Delilah’s hands trembled as a soft smile appeared on her face and her vision blurred. “They’re Alva’s heroes.” She sniffed; then she cracked, letting out a few tears, quickly trying to hold back the flood.

  Fehim was shaken by her words. His eyes widened and a pain could be seen in his eyes. He reached out and pulled her into a hug, patting her on the back as she took a few moments to pull herself together.

  She backed up and wiped her eyes, setting her face and pushing the emotions away. Now I have to be there for the families; it is their loss. She ground her teeth and tamped down her emotions.

  “What are you going to do with the list?” Fehim asked.

  “Rugrat and Teacher taught me how to tell people about their loss. I’ll go and tell the families.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Fehim said.

  She was about to deny him, but instead nodded. She needed someone there to help her.

  She read the first name again and then they headed out of the Alchemy lab. It wasn’t long until they reached the farms. They asked around before they found a man working in the fields, using a spell to increase the speed that they grew at.

  He saw Delilah and Fehim approaching. He smiled and nodded and tilted his hat to them in greeting. His expression turned strange as he saw that they were headed for him. He took off his hat, a confused smile on his face.

  “Mister Ershman.” Delilah stopped in front of him.

  “Miss Council Leader Delilah, what brings you to my corner of the farming fields?” he asked with a hearty and kind smile.

  “I wish I brought better news today, but I have been informed that your daughter, Lily Ershman, fell in battle in the Fourth Realm.” Her words were more brutal than any bullet.

  Ershman’s kind features dissolved. His face turned as white as a sheet. He dropped his hat, forgetting it as he gripped his shirt, brought to his knees. He shook his head, trying to deny it, but tears appeared in his eyes.

  “She will be returning as a hero in two days.” Delilah moved to try to comfort him.

  Others in the fields heard what she had said and moved to come over, helping Ershman.

  “Lily—no, baby girl. Not my Lily.” Ershman’s words tore the breath out of Delilah’s lungs and turned her throat into sandpaper.

  That day, Delilah met with people and watched as their worlds were shattered.

  A somber air filled Alva as Jia Feng found Delilah and Fehim in Delilah’s office with pale faces and tear streaks on their faces. Jia Feng took them back to her homestead, feeding them and helping them. The two of them emotionally spent.

  Chapter: Changes in the East

  General Ulalas stood on top of a sand dune, looking in the direction of Tareng. She couldn’t see it through the tall sand dunes but she knew it was there; prey just waiting for the jaws of her army to bite into.

  “Targeting Tareng was a move of brilliance. Once we kill the people in the city, we can blame the actions on the Hang-Nim Alliance. Allowing us to take the riches of the city, and destroy the alliance through the Crafter’s association and Blue Lotus’ retribution. Returning strength to the Blood Demon sect,” one of her top commanders, Minor General Damel, said.

  “Now is not the time to get complacent, how are the communication disrupting formations?”

  “They’re still trying to send out messages regularly to see if there is any weakness but none of the messages have been able to get through. Even though they weaken with the transformation concoction in their veins, they’re sending out their people to try and sneak through our lines so they can get far enough to send a message or reach another city.”

  “I agreed with your suggestion to extend our forces out to make sure that there was no space between the camps,” Ulalas said.

  “Thank you General,” Damel beamed and saluted.

  “What about direct visual observation?”

  Damel grimaced. “If we have anything that can see them, they have spells that they can drop on us. Still can’t get within that envelope without them knowing.”

  “We have time on our side, they reported the plague two weeks ago. We have another six weeks before their headquarters will even send someone out to check on Tareng. We want the transformation concoction to drive them to madness and then we have our spies open the gates and we kill them all,” Ulalas said, her voice calm and composed.

  “Ready the army. In one week, we will move.” Ulalas turned from the sand dune.

  Damel bowed as she left. As soon as she had, he started to send the orders as the camp readied for the coming battle.

  A total of fifty thousand soldiers in several camps sharpened their blades and checked their armor. They were dealing with the people of the Blue Lotus and the Crafter’s Association, so they had brought an overwhelming amount of fighting power, including those from the higher realms. The Blue Lotus and Crafter’s Association guards were strong, the kind that could be a general within any army that they went to, best not to take chances.

  ***

  Qiu Jun waited as the patrol was passing him. He had been waiting three days for them to come back again just for this moment.

  He activated his movement technique, flitting across the top of the sand dune, passing behind the patrol without any of them noticing as they walked across the peak of the sand dune. He threw himself forward, landing further down the sand dune, allowing himself to tumble down without making a noise.

  He slammed into a rock ledge, he held in his cries of pain, his arm and leg broken as he flew off the edge, landing some thirty meters down on the sand again, the pain almost making him black out as he continued to roll.

  He opened his eyes at the bottom of the sand dune. He could feel the madness coming closer, the new wounds on his body and his exhausted state was nearly too much.

  Using a detection spell he searched for new observers and alarm traps.

  He didn’t detect any as he pulled out his mount. The reptilian creature looked around with red rimmed eyes, looking dangerous and fast.

  Qiu Jun got onto the mount and took off towards the forest.

  I’ll cut to the west and see if I can send a message to the Crafter’s association, or head north to Aasoir city. If I can just stop this concoction from taking over my body in time.

  He clenched his teeth, rushing off into the night as he kept on using his detection spell. It truly looked like he had left the scouts behind as the desert started to turn into forest with some fog hanging over it ominously.

  ***

  Storbon was with Yao Meng, using Earth moving spells to clear out a square area inset into a hill underneath a large boulder. Yuli was transforming the dirt and materials, making them stronger to support the boulder and the hidden structure underneath.

  Lucinda was standing nearby using her beasts to scout the area in greater detail.

  They were hidden from the road but there was a break in the canopy below the hill, allowing them a perfect overwatch of the main road that ran all the way to Vuzgal.

  Yawen had his rifle ready as he scanned the area.

  “Looks like we have a visitor,” Lucinda said.


  “Who is it?” Storbon said, still working.

  “Unknown, coming from the East. Quick mount, looks banged up.”

  “Not ours?” “Not ours.”

  Storbon sent a sound transmission to alert headquarters.“Niemm this is Storbon, we’ve got a contact.”

  “A man and a fast mount, possibly wounded,” Lucinda supplied. Storbon repeated it to Niemm.

  “Understood and reporting higher. Forward me waypoint with real-time updates,” Niemm said.

  Lucinda added a waypoint, moving it as the man moved on the map.

  Everyone gathered their gear and called their mounts back who had been patrolling the area, investigating their zone and catching other animals that were worth their effort.

  ***

  Qiu Jun was suddenly awake.

  He didn’t know when he had closed his eyes, it felt like it was just a moment ago but from the position of the sun it had to be a few hours ago. He was feeling delirious, the madness was fighting for control over his body. He had escaped into the forest and his injuries were healing with his high body cultivation but his body was now weaker from the extended abuse, allowing the concoction to take over and change him faster.

  His bones were itching as they were changing. He opened his eyes forcefully, looking up into the sky as he saw a beast circling above.

  “Shit,” He cursed as he pushed his mount to move faster, dodging through the trees.

  He checked his sound transmission device and activated it, gritting his teeth as he saw the sound transmission formation consuming the scroll.

  The message was sent with Qiu Jun looking at the device, making sure that it was operating properly. A wave of relief rushed over him as a pressure lifted from his shoulders.He took out another sound transmission scroll and used it with the device, sending the pre-recorded message three more times.

  His mount moved to the side, his grip had relaxed and he barely held on as his mount changed directions again, tossing him free.

  He slammed into a tree and dropped to the ground.

  He lay there, the fight draining from him as he felt relaxed, his duty was done. His mount came back for him but he was too tired to get back on. He took out a Stamina potion and drank it down, waking him up some.

  There were noises in the bushes around him as people appeared on panthers.

  “State your name and your purpose,” A man asked, wearing a helmet as he aimed a strange device at Qiu Jun.

  Qiu Jun had been preparing to detonate his mana core and kill as many as he could when he saw the weapon.

  “Are you Sha?” He asked, they were the only people with similarly strange weapons.

  “It doesn’t matter, who are you?” The man asked.

  “You Blood Demon Sect dogs can all die! Know that the Crafter’s association will come for you!” He threw open his cloak and showed off his crafter’s association guard badge proudly.

  “Never heard of the Blood Demon Sect. What is a Crafter’s association guard doing out here?” The man asked, moving his weapon so it wasn’t pointed at Qiu Jun but it would only take him a moment to change that.

  “Lies!” Qiu Jun shouted.

  “I, Storbon, swear on the Ten Realms that I am not of the Blood Demons Sect, nor are any of my people. We do not wish you harm but if you attack us we will kill you. If you answer our questions truthfully, we will answer yours. I so swear on the Ten Realms and on my life,” Storbon said.

  Qiu Jun blinked, taking a moment to recognize the oath wasn’t fake as he saw a screen in front of him, giving him the terms for accepting Storbon’s oath.

  “I am Qiu Jun, guard of the Tareng Crafter’s association, who are you?”

  “Specialist Storbon. What are you doing here?”

  “Sending a message to the headquarters,” Qiu Jun coughed.

  “Why?”

  “Blood Demon Sect poisoned our city, made it look like a plague.hen they blocked us from communicating or fleeing. We’re too weak to fight them. Need help,” Qiu Jun said.

  “Which city?”

  “Tareng,” Qiu Jun said as his sound transmission device flashed.

  He quickly accessed it and listened to the message.

  “You will have to wait until someone can be sent from the Blue Lotus or the Crafter’s association. We are sending your message higher but there are protocols to be followed. If this report is inaccurate, it will be reflected on your personal file. You will get a response within a week,” a secretary at the crafter’s association said.

  “You mother fuckers!” Qiu Jun wanted to slam his sound transmission device against the ground. They’re still following the protocols in case we really have a plague. They get one message from us weeks ago saying that we’re locking down the city and then another saying that we’re under attack but not from the main sound transmission arrays in the city but from me.

  “Why are you here?” Qiu Jun asked, his eyes latching onto Storbon and the others.

  “Working,” Storbon said.

  “On what?”

  “Can’t answer that.” “Can you take me to the nearest city?” Qiu Jun gritted his teeth. He didn’t care about his own life now but he needed to get help for Tareng.

  Storbon talked into his sound transmission device.

  Qiu Jun could tell that there were more people in the forest watching them. Qiu Jun started to look at them closer, they didn’t mean him harm it looked like.

  Qiu Jun was level forty eight, sensing their auras he could tell that none of them were lower than level forty seven.

  Why are they hiding in the forest? To have this many late level forties in the fifth realm, who are they?

  Qiu Jun didn’t know what to do.

  Storbon relaxed on his mount.

  “My boss wants to know everything before we do anything.”

  Qiu Jun looked back to Storbon, “Everything?”

  “Everything that happened to Tareng. He is a member of the Alchemist Association and has an agreement with the Blue Lotus.”

  Qiu Jun felt himself relax some more.

  Chapter: Sending Aid

  “Grenade launcher,” Tan Xue said, looking at the bastardized blueprints.

  Matt couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head as if he was in on the joke.

  “Something you care to share?” Fehim asked.

  “Rugrat loves his explosions, never knew how this thing worked, he must’ve takena few of them apart.”

  “So, what are we looking at?” Taran asked.

  “Firepower,” Matt said and then cleared his throat with the looks from the different academy department heads.

  “Okay so basically there are three parts to the weapon system, the barrel, the rotating chamber and then the buttstock and trigger assembly. Rugrat has said that it can all be made out of metal, we’re not trying to reduce weight, with everyone’s strength in the Army, they should be able to use these without strain. If we can make a plastic chamber and shrouding then it will reduce the weight and save people from burning their hands,” Matt looked at Fehim.

  “We have been able to extract tree sap and other ingredients to create plastics to support the Alva healers and the military medics. This would not be a flexible plastic, we will need more time to figure out the formula and then a way to set it,” Fehim said.

  “Taran can proabably help you with injection molding,” Matt said.

  “Huh?” Taran asked.

  “Cast weapons and armor,” Matt said.

  “Oh,” Taran went quiet. “I didn’t think of that but yeah I guess anything that can be poured as a liquid and then solidifies could be cast, right?”

  “Right, for this we can cast most of the parts, the ammunition will be cast as well. Breaking it down, Qin and Julilah, it will be up to you to create and streamline the process to make ammunition for the weapon system, then either have a rotating formation for the chamber, or we will have to use a spring mechanism that wue will need to create and will take longer.”

>   “Should be able to make the formation but it depends on the materials. If we make the chamber with gears inside it will be easier to control. How does it work?” Qin asked.

  “Well he sent an example,” Matt grinned as he pulled out a complete version. He’d spent the night playing..err.. Studying it.

  “Okay so, if you press this release here, the chamber comed to the right, you can handload the rounds in here, but then Rugrat wants to make a speed loader which will take the plastics from the alchemy department and the smiths,”: He looked at Fehim and then Tan Xue.

  “You load the rounds in here, then you close it up.”

  He followed his words with actions and pressed the buttstock with his shoulder, “then you take it off of safety, which Rugrat went simple with, it’s a level with a metal block that stops the firing pin from hitting the base of the round. The trigger system is simple but effective, you have to let the trigger go all the way forward, then when you pull on it the sear will engage the geared firing pin assembly.”

  Matt pulled on the trigger lightly, taking it under tension, “Then when the sear disengages”

  Click

  “Okay so then when it fires then the cylinder rotates, through spring or through formation you just pull the trigger again and it fires?” Julilah asked.

  “Correct,” Matt said.

  “Okay seems like a mainly geared system,” Tan Xue said. “Need high tolerances on the interior workings so that they stand up to wear and tear, probably best to have the formation trained smiths work on sheet metal.”

  She saw the looks of others.

  “We can cast the barrell as well as the buttstock. Our ability to make reliable springs has improved though for small parts it is better to make a sheet of enhanced meta and then use mana blades and cutting tools to keep them uniform. The parts will all have similar tolerances and they can easily be replaced if necessary,” She looked at Taran.

  “Rugrat and Erik told me that the biggest thing with weapon systems is the ability to repair them and the fact that the parts from one should be interchangeable completely with another. We don’t need to make specific parts for each weapon system. That way they can replace the parts in their weapons and keep them functional without needing a crafter on hand,” Taran said.