Chapter 2 Part 1 of 4 (Patreon)

Chapter: Paying Old Debts

Erik watched the vertical train lock into its platforms leading up into the sky. “Welcome to the Water floor,” the train operator said as it slowed down, coming to stop at the station with a hiss of steam.

The doors opened, releasing the passengers. They wandered into the town, the sounds of voices, the smell of food and joy of laughter filled the air.

Erik and Rugrat hunched in their coats, two members of the military among dozens heading home, waiting for the arriving passengers to clear the train.

“Boarding for Alva floor.”

The gates opened and the waiting crowd boarded the vertical train.

“Friggin cold. If I wanted to be cold, I would have lived in Alaska,” Erik muttered.

“I dunno, kind of nice not having all that swamp humidity and heat, and no sand,” Rugrat said as they grabbed onto handholds.

Whistles rang out as the last boarders hustled onto the train.

“All aboard!”

The doors closed and the train shuddered before heading upward.

“Massive freaking elevator,” Rugrat said as they cleared the tower-like station, gaining a clear view of the water floor.

Mana lights shone off the largest floor, catching icebergs and the grand mountain in the middle of the landscape. A city had grown out of the mountain, with several fishing hamlets around the edge of the stony outcroppings surrounding the large lake.

Boats moved through the water and under the bridges that connected the stony and icy lands. Homes of rough timber stood against the chill of the floor, with walls around the growing districts of the town to protect against the cutting wind.

It was harsh but beautiful, like the fire floor. With growing fields for water attribute plants, key in healing and stamina potions.

The train quickly picked up speed.

“I haven’t been able to shake what happened at Kushan.” Erik looked out of the windows as they kept rising.

“I thought those Dragons were strong in the Violet Sky Realm. They were on another level in the ten realms.”

“If not for those people from the higher realms we would have died. It took three of their people to kill Aziri. We couldn’t kill him with a fleet and dozens of our strongest fighters, and just when I thought we were finally strong enough to defend ourselves.” Erik sucked in a breath through his nose and let it drain between his teeth.

“With the new weapons, the new fleet we’re getting there. Once our people can use the dungeon cores and the warships without our help, we can go to the ninth in search of answers.”

Erik ran his tongue along the inside of his teeth. “Tell me honestly, when you sensed them, did you sense they were stronger than us in cultivation?”

“Well yeah, but they weren’t that much stronger than us. Their gear was really strong, though our gear is as well.”

“Which means we’re missing something. If we can figure that out, then Alva won’t have to worry about her security anymore.”

Darkness was broken by light again.

The wood floor was covered in trees of all kinds, arranged into coordinated sections. Birds moved among the treetops with their masters upon their backs, inspecting and checking the trees.

Each home on the Wood floor was a tree itself, magically grown and tended into form, peeking over their fellow trees. One could only note the towns by the raised trees and increased birds around them.

Erik clicked his tongue. “Problem is our lack of dungeon core controllers.”

“We can use the Sha commanders that came with Edmond.” Rugrat leaned against the pole behind him.

“If we do that, our warships will be controlled by the Sha. We want to integrate the two forces and break the Sha out of their old way of thinking. We’ve already got people saying that the Sha bought their position in Alva.”

Rugrat grimaced. “Gah, like, well, dungeon cores are expensive. Its not like we could just take them from them, that’d be stealing.”

“I know that, you know that but people see them getting high positions and we get dungeon cores in return. Its hard to tell them that we’re not being bought out. If we then go and turn our advanced warships over to them.” Erik turned his head to the side and slowly raised his shoulders. “Doesn’t look all that good. We need to bring them into Alva’s military, train them with our people, make them Alvans not Sha buying their positions. No only would people look at it badly, it could create a rift in our military.”

Light flooded in as they entered the Earth floor. There were fields of crops everywhere; growing floors, stacked one upon another rose from the ground with towers along their edges, houses for the farmers, with a robust train system to transport their goods.

Erik cast a spell on his eyes, seeing Edmond’s mansion in the distance, complete with its gardens. The home had been lifted from his warship, that now stood guard over Alva’s gate, and supplanted here.

Lakes and rivers weaved between farms of stacked greenhouses, barges plied the waterways, docking at the base of the tower homes.

“Frickin’ politics.” Rugrat looked like he wanted to spit.

“Agreed, but we have treaties and alliances across the realms, everything we now do is political.”

“And why we’re getting tapped to command the warships?”

“For now.” Erik shrugged. “Few more weeks and we’ll have people trained up for it. We knew how to use dungeon cores and basic knowledge of ten realms airships and Earth planes. It has been a jump for the crews, but breaking down operations instead of having just one person controlling the ship, they’ve been quick to learn.”

“I’m not complaining, it ain’t all that bad, but I’ll be happy to hand it over to someone else and go back to kicking ass on water and the ground instead of hanging my ass out in the wind.”

Erik rolled his eyes. “You have such a way with words.”

“I know right,” Rugrat waggled his eyebrows, still grinning he looked out of the window as light streamed in from the Metal floor. It shone faintly under the mana light. Big mines lay open upon the ground. Formations lay engraved across different areas, infusing mana into the metals to increase their grade for harvesting. Large smelters toiled constantly to create iron.

Spindly, regal homes spiralled up the main pillars that connected the different floors and supported them, intermixed with blocky iron homes.

Machinery being worked on, made, or operating was everywhere, feeding the Alvan smithing machine.

They rose through the city, and into the compressed stone floor that separated it from the floor above.

“Arriving at Tanaka Station,” the train driver informed them. People shuffled to the doors.

Whistles called out and the train shuddered, rising up to a station and locking in place.

Erik and Rugrat moved with the press of people, they spread out, heading for stairs, exiting the station or finding connections. Erik followed a familiar route, signs for the inter-city-floor express lines.

“Come on,” He picked up his pace, seeing their train waiting at its platform. A cargo carriage was being loaded with crates. They jumped onto the train, finding seats.

“Time marches on.” Erik snorted.

“What you mean?”

“Mean how we have a train system across all of Alva like New York or London or something.” Erik tilted his chin to their fellow riders. “Look, they’re already used to it, just a normality now.”

A whistle blew out, people picking up their pace to make it to the train.

The doors closed and the train rocked as it moved away from the platform.

No one was scared or confused by the jolting anymore. A father was trying to coral his two youngest into their seats.

“Been six months since we made it back from the Violet Sky Realm.”

“Momma got elected as Mayor, we took out every base that the Black Phoenix Clan operated out of and eliminated any remaining groups that attacked Vuzgal or Alva.” Rugrat said.

“But we haven’t tracked down their main fleet—yet.” Erik ground his jaw. “Eternus, the ship that attacked us at Vuzgal, is still out there. Until we take out that ship and the fleet it’ll hang over our heads.”

The train slowed to a stop with a jolt the doors opened.

They stepped off, taking the stairs up to the city floor. Alva city spread around them.

Erik walked briskly down the sidewalk, weaving between merchants, workers and the people of Alva. The living floor buzzed with an energy that he had only felt in some of the largest cities on Earth. People smiled and nodded, but kept on their path, determination in every step.

“You know we could just teleport down there?” Rugrat muttered as they slowed for a carriage and moved on with the press of people after it.

“Need to get my steps in, and we teleport all the time. When do we actually get to see Alva?” Erik kept his voice low as they weaved through people. With just some different clothing and a little stealth spell no one paid the two Emperors any more attention than any other person on the sidewalk.

“Drive the truck not the body.”

“It’s walking, not like we’re going on a ruck march.” Erik rolled his eyes as the road ahead opened up.