5.9 - A Trip to the Realm

5.9 - A Trip to the Realm

Belgar and Zarali hugged each other endlessly. They cried, laughed, and had a good time in each others company. The souls in Terogal were happy to see more mortals in their realm, giving them a sense of energy they hadnt felt since their mortal lives. UzXulven and Khahar had departed after arguing over petty things, but that was to be expected. The Queen didnt get what she wanted in his takeover and felt jilted.

Do I have to go back? Zarali asked, turning to give Theo those puppy-dog eyes.

If you stay, youll be here for almost a year. Were also not sure how well mortals do in Terogal.

Sarisa raised her hand. I dont wanna stay.

Me either, Tresk said, swaying on the spot.

UzXulven is warming up to Theo, Belgar said, hugging his sister again. She might let you visit more often.

Heh. Ill be able to overpower her soon enough. Tresk rubbed her hands together.

Theo didnt care either way. Zarali could stay, or she could go, but his time in the realm was limited. At least he understood what that shooting pain in his head was. He couldnt help but consider letting Uharis and Sulvan into his realm. They had wronged him, but if they took Glantheirs cores, the world would be a better place. The Elven God of Healing was the only patron who had cores effective against the undead. If you didnt count the tangential effect Drogramaths cores had on them.

The group lingered in the realm for some time. They had twenty-four hours to kill, so Theo took Sarisa on a tour of the realm. She was struck by how massive it was. The hills and valleys stretched on forever, and he brought her to the sea he had created. Swimming in the shallow places near the sandy shore were little fish that darted around. The latest upgrade, [Simulated Reality], had introduced animals to the realm.

This is an entire world, isnt it? Sarisa asked, marveling at the fish.

Almost. Its not as large as a real planet, but were getting there. One soul at a time.

You pluck souls from the void, then give them a home? Reminds me of something.

Theo nodded. This was the same thing he was doing with Broken Tusk. In his town, he harbored those that didnt have another place to go. Refugees from the elven wars, mostly. Here in Terogal, the spread of races was vast. They were mostly dronon, but not exclusively. Sarisa had a lot of questions about the realm. It was one thing to hear about it, but to experience it was altogether different. The passage of time was something that caught people off guard. Even Fenian had trouble keeping a handle on the way time moved in here.

As time went on, both Zarali and Sarisa seemed less eager to stay in the realm. It wore on them strangely, completely dissimilar to the way it wore down spirits. They werent just uninvited, they didnt belong. Tresk had recovered enough to stand, and had gained enough of her energy to face the monster wave that waited for them. Theo grabbed both women as he prepared to depart, not willing to put the strain on his companion.

UzXulven should be more eager to send us through this time, Theo said, holding on tight. She showed me her face, after all.

The realms parted, allowing the group easy passage back to the mortal plane. Theo targeted the place where he had departed on the wall, spotting the scenes of battle from a distance. Only a few minutes had passed since they left. Xolsa was tapping his foot impatiently as they appeared.

What was that about?The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

Realm was under attack. Theo leaned over the wall, checking the battle. It hadnt moved much. Uharis was trying to break in, so we slapped him on the wrist. I thought I would need Zarali and Sarisa, but I didnt.

So you interdicted them? Seems risky.

That was true, but Theo wasnt thinking when he did it. He had just snatched the two closest people that could have made a difference in a fight. While he was confident in his throwing abilities, he could only do so much. But what he learned was that he could drag along mortals into his realm, so long as he stayed on UzXulvens good side. She seemed to like him. Perhaps she would make for a keen poker player in the future. That shadowy face could come in handy when bluffing.

Zarali was excited to be reunited with Xolsa. They hugged and kissed before the Drogramathi Priestess went over the story of her adventure. There was a look of jealousy on the wizards face. But the more excited Zarali got, the less he seemed to mind that she had gone without him. The adventurers fought below as the pair warmed up to each other again.

Alex circled overhead, feeding information to Tresk who then fed it to Aarok. The monsters were well contained near the river at first, but they were getting the upper hand. Each monster outleveled the adventurers by at least ten, and they were gaining momentum. The front-liner shield bangers were performing a fighting retreat, coming under the protective gaze of the towers. The rail gun hadnt fired yet, reserving its deadly ice-based rounds for the boss.

They sure looked practiced, Theo said, chuckling as he looked down on the fighters. The back-liners covered them as they retreated while the towers did the heavy lifting.

At this rate, well see the boss, Sarisa said.

Theos assistant remained close, although there seemed to be little danger. But she took her job seriously, and remained on her guard. The only problem was that her visit to Terogal had placed a haze over her eyes. It was as though she was back in that realm, frolicking in those fields and playing in that water. The alchemist just smiled, remembering his initial shock when he visited the Dreamwalk for the first time.

There she is, Sarisa said, gesturing toward the river.

Theo had fallen into his own thoughts and hadnt noticed the swirling waters of the river. He narrowed his eyes, waiting for the boss to spawn. Sure enough, the moment the bosss head poked out of the water, he got a notification.

[Boss Monster] spotted! River Lady Zara has been sighted. This monster is stronger than regular monsters, use caution.

The boss removed itself from the river, sloughing over the edge and sending waves of herself crashing forth. Theo rubbed his hands together, salivating at the chance to get more [Living River Water]. He had made sure his people were stocked with ice-based attacks this time. Between the towers, bombs, and the rail gun, there was enough ice to freeze the entire boss solid. The alchemist flinched as the sound of the rail gun firing sounded throughout the town. Most everyone else gathered there also felt the shock of the round.

Before River Lady Zara had even removed herself from the river, a sizable chunk of water had been removed from her head. The area surrounding the hole had frozen over and was spreading quickly. As with most things involving monster waves, things went slightly sour. The monsters rushed forward, assaulting both the eastern gate, and the harbor gate. Several creatures pushed through and the defenders within the town swooped in to support the retreating adventurers.

A strange creature has spawned high in the sky. This creature will continue to descend, destroying everything if it touches the ground. Inflict enough damage on the creature to avoid being crushed!

Effects:

1 Borotal has spawned high in the sky. It will descend at a constant rate until it hits the ground.

Increased reward for completing the monster wave.

Thats a new one! Aarok shouted. All eyes in the town turned skyward.

A mountain had appeared in the sky. It blocked out the sun, casting a massive shadow over Broken Tusk. If it wasnt bad enough that a mountain was falling on the town, the monsters from the wave still lingered around, fighting in the streets of Broken Tusk. Theo saw Zankir run, shouting orders to his gunnery teams. Within only a few moments, explosions issued from the mountain above. Large sections of rock fell, impacting the ground. Theo winced from the blast wave of his improvised explosive bombs, barely holding on to his barrier.

Zarali! Dont cast it! Aarok shouted.

But Zarali was already chanting a spell. She couldnt hear Aarok over the sound of a falling mountain. The [Blessing of Drogramath] spell fulminated, filling every defender with increased power. Theos heart skipped a beat as he referenced his memory of the effect.

[Blessing of Drogramath]

Spiritual Effect

Duration: 24 hours

A priest or priestess of Drogramath has blessed you with power. You will receive a series of buffs based on the casters willpower.

Effect:

Increased effectiveness of combat (increased Strength, Dexterity, Vigor by +10).

Double the effectiveness of all potions used while under this effect.

Oh, crap, Theo muttered. If Zankir shoots another potion, hell

The Borotal overhead shattered. Massive sections of stone fell off, careening down toward the town. Theo spread his will as far as it would go, extending his barrier to a breaking point. He watched as a town-sized chunk of mountain hurtled toward him. In an instant, the mountain vanished. A system message appeared.

[Monster Wave] complete!

1,080 Monsters Destroyed!

30 gold bonus (paid to the Leader of Broken Tusk).

Bonus for defeat both wave bosses:

Obtained: [Tulwar of the Stalker].

Obtained: 5 gold, 1 silver, 82 copper.

[Broken Tusk] gained new effect: [Defensive Effects].

Theos ears rang from the effect of the enhanced bomb annihilated the creature. He was glad that the thing vanished when the wave completed. Even if they won, that would have been a disaster for the town. Looking around, the damage didnt seem that bad. Some buildings took hits, but the walls earned the bulk of the attack.

Why did it give me a sword? Theo asked, holding up the massive weapon the system granted him.

Well, that didnt go as planned. Aarok laughed it off, but there was an edge of nervousness in his voice. I was expecting a normal boss.

And Zankir just had to take it into his own hands.

Could have ended much worse.

All Theo could do was shrug. The adventurers had done well to use as many freezing bombs as they could. Piles of frozen [Living River Water] were strewn throughout the town. This was going to be a hell of a cleanup effort.