Chapter 7 Part 7 of 7 (Patreon)

“Transition in ten, nine, eight..,”

The bridge had retracted down into Le Glaive’s protection and everyone was wearing their weapons and armor. The drinks and food had been cleared away as the elders and leaders kept out of the Sha’s path.

Ships disappeared from the sky formation by formation.

A massive formation that looked to have been pressed into the middle of the mountain range-flattening it glowed with a dull white-silver light.

“Transition!”

The sky changed, filled with a violet tint.

Looking up one could see bands of metal, like ribs covering the sky, some with mana lights, others without, or flickering randomly.

“Stars,” Erik said, looking up at the night sky.

He stood up, feeling heavy elemental mana press against his skin. His armor stopped the elements from entering his mana gates as predicted.

“The elements here are so thick,” Egbert said, moving his hands around, his runes lighting up as he gathered a ball of purple gas that started to revolve quickly, emitting heat and lightning before turning to rain and then a stone, then a piece of metal, shifting between before Egbert released his hand.

“When compressed or in high densities,” Egbert shook his head. “That would be unpleasant. It would be best to not stir up the elements in this place.”

The rest of the ship was in action as Adamus and Marshal talked to their people.

Erik felt the ship shifting.

“Ah, very smart, the ship is drawing in the elements of the sub-realm, it will rapidly increase the level of the dungeon core. That is why it is best to bring one’s strongest ships here.”

I miss my domain

“The density of mana here is minimal, the elements are so thick,” Rugrat added. “I can see why elemental poisoning is a possibility.”

Marshal turned to his allies.

“Welcome to the Violet Sky Realm, we’re coordinating with our other ships, we’ll,” A siren interrupted him as cannons on the main deck fired into the sky, illuminating the sky above, revealing black and purple tinged darts that dropped from the sky. They hit the deck of the warship, piercing it and the black and purple covering folded down, like a sheet, revealing a grey backing and several dozen eyes.

Their bodies contorted like an octopus’, trying to get through the points they’d hammered themselves into, gaining access to gun turrets and mounts. Others pulled themselves out, they looked like grey squids with four thin tentacles over a grey apron that hid their penetrator undersides.

Their ‘aprons’ wiggled allowing them to move across the ground freely.

They gathered the purple mist within their tentacles, releasing lighting bolts to strike the protrustions on the ship. Others worked together, hammering their dart-like undersides into the deck to try and breakthrough.

More of the creatures dropped from the sky above, greeted with cannon fire and spells.

Erik looked at the command staff and took his thumb off of his storage ring.

Cannon teams pulled together and illumination spells of light revealed the dropping squids.

“Seems we have run into one of the first races that call this place home. They are called Piercers or droppers by some, they can be found in caverns. They drop from above, drive their piercers into their targets, inject a poison to liquify, they swallow their prey and fly back to their perches to wait for the next victim.” Egbert said.

“Where do you get this all from?” Rugrat asked.

Egbert looked at him. “Books.”

Erik schooled his features stretching his shoulders from the tightness in his chest, trying to not slouch to ease his discomfort.

“They’re leaving,” One of the sect leaders said.

“If they cannot kill their foe rapidly, then they will leave them alone. The blood and scents from the piercers will ward off others,” Marshal said.

The ship’s formations activated as the warship headed into the violet Sky Realm.

Below was a thick forest of different colors, here and there buildings jutted out of the ground, the forest slowly subsuming them.

The warship gradually grew silent and shutters opened as crews moved to clean up the Piercer bodies.

“With airships we can bypass most of the creatures in the realm, otherwise we would have to fight through the forests and buried cities, down there, there’s little light and creatures of all kinds jump out,” Marshal said.

The cannons and spells slowed and then died off, the last of the Piercers dying or fleeing.

“Those Piercers, they were able to use lightning spells, they didn’t look to be higher than level seventy.”

“Every beast in the Violet Sky Realm has a variant beast core, attuning them with an element.” Marshal had to raise his voice over the excited elders and leaders. “Most of them have a few elemental attacks. They don’t use mana in their attacks. Did you see how their dart undersides shone as they reached the ship, they were using the elements to harden their penetrator.”

The mana density aboard the ship decreased suddenly, causing the leaders to mutter.

“Do not worry, we are decreasing the ambient mana around the ship so as to not attract more beasts. They love consuming mana and their elemental attacks, in an environment with mana can increase their attacks power many times over.” Captain Adamus said.

It’s as Delilah was saying in her lecture, mix elements together, and add in mana to enhance and stabilize the effects.

“Well, I feel safer already,” Rugrat said.

Erik looked at the Special team and their grim expressions.

Whoops. The piercer’s blood was cleared away, the creatures would be dissected and stored.

“Refined by the metal elements their piercers could be forged into weapons and armor, their lower apron appendages could be turned into robes and tentacles into lightning attribute staves and wands.They’ll make a nice profit,” Egbert said, using a sound cancelling spell.

“I wonder what they taste like,” Davin said. George raised his head in interest.

“You’d both…, well I guess you’d be fine now to cultivate other elements now George. Davin you’d need to partition your elemental core.”

“Urggh, I should have just gone to the eighth realm as well.”

Erik set his jaw and shifted in his chair while Rugrat rubbed his knuckles down his arm.

Marshal Edmond and Captain Adamus checked the map tables, adjusting their heading and coordinating with the other ships.

A few minutes later the cannons light up the sky again, killing piercers as they dropped.

“I thought that others wouldn’t drop?” An Elder asked.

“Yes, if we left the blood on the decks they wouldn’t attack. Attacks on this level, it is like mana stones falling form the heavens,” Marshal smiled.