Chapter 8 Part 4 of 5 (Patreon)

A ripple of power shuddered out of the formation and spread out.

An unholy cry came from the depths of the dungeon. A dead devourer laid upon the ground, shuddered and shifted, it rose up, missing half its face and one leg. The Dinosaur Devourer gathered its power and charged its old allies, tearing through Ravagers.

“Undead formation?” Cayleigh asked.

“It’ll cover our retreat and be a pain in the Shattered’s asses. With all this elemental energy the core can grow rapidly and should spawn dungeon beasts to defend this place.”

Units ran up the ramps and across the ground into the admission hall, pulling back.

Weebla talked to the officers inside the admission hall as the golems around the hall ran out to engage the enemy.

The

Units flooded back through the admission hall, the undead increasing their ranks as the golems crashed into the Shattered ranks, element and claw meeting metal and blade, locked in combat.

The warships pulled back behind the last of the ground troops, linking up with the fleet around the island.

“Come” Weebla led them downstairs, the admission hall defenders ran back through the teleportation pads Rekha’s group were the last through.

The wind was fierce upon the island. Rekha looked over the side, the warships that had plowed into the ground exploded, tearing open holes in the ground and collapsing the dungeon below.

The island and the surrounding fleet accelerated away from the academy on a new heading, ships teleported to the lower realms, thinning the sky.

Rekha saw buildings burning, sections of the ground lay open like bloody gouges, showing the dungeons. Ships exploded as a last measure to deny the Shattered their mana stones.

Spells of mana and elements flashed among buildings, sparse isolated battles in streets and fields.

“What do we do now?” Rekha asked against the wind.

“We head back to the seventh and plan a real attack, not this mess. Hopefully we haven’t lost our only chance.” Weebla led the way to the totem.

Rekha grabbed her sword, impotent rage running through her she wanted to punch to hit and hurt something, she hadn’t been able to do anything.

And what the hell was everyone else doing?

***

The war room was silent, it had been ever since the orders to retreat had been passed on.

Eli’keen was working sound transmission devices trying to link groups together so that they could pull back in order.

He kept a eye on the forces in the admission hall but they didn’t need his help.

The map changed as the teleportation islands that had been dotted around the ninth realm were hunted down by the Shatterd and destroyed.

Totems and teleportation arrays that had been left alone were broken in the Shattered attacks, taking out most access points into the realm.

“Dammit,” He hissed, the force at the admission hall had all retreated, the fleet guiding away the teleportation island, getting free of the Shattered.

Groups across the ninth realm were surrounded and killed, without any support or way out. He could only watch and listen to their calls asking for support and help.

The doors to the War Room slammed open as Clive walked in, fresh from the battlefield, he tore off his helmet, scarred in the fighting.

“Those damn Shattered, they were ready for us!” He pulled off his helmet and shoved it into his storage device, leaning on the war table. “Get me Weebla, now!”

He looked at the maps and went through the information, talking to his advisors as the ninth realm information slowly stopped updating.

Weebla walked into the war room with a grim expression.

“Head Clive,” She said in a grave tone.

This is not going to go well. Eli’keen could feel the tension in the air.

“Come with me. Eli’keen you too.” Clive walked to a corridor, going into a side room and flinging the double doors open.

Eli’keen trailed after Weebla.

Something was different about her, something older, something familiar to him.

Eli’keen closed the doors behind him.

“I know that you don’t like me, but what the hell was that?”

“The mission was to enter and clear the ninth realm. That was what I set out to do.”

“Set out to do!” Clive’s laugh was short and ugly as he smacked the high backed chair around the room’s conference table.

“You pulled the Elves and Gnomes together into units, like you were the head.”

“You could’ve ordered us to do it,” Weebla’s words contained an undeniable edge, an unwavering steel.

Eli’keen stood straighter, studying her.

Clive snorted.

“You think that I haven’t heard the rumors that you’re brewing, have Rekha take my position? A woman that sacrificed her entire family to the tenth realm to gain her power.”

“You know that’s not true!” Eli’keen yelled.

“What is true, the Elves and the Gnomes are working together again, what next, are you going to purge the lower realms?”

“Purge the lower realms? You say it as if we were the ones that led the fighting in the ten realms. You humans and your short memories,” Weebla shook her head.

“We all know that she killed her family, cleared house and the clans that took in her sisters, then she went to the tenth realm, returned several months later and she rose to the peak of Avegaaren. She used her request to trade for power. Maybe she used her family as the price, maybe it was something else, but she killed her family who would trust such a person?” Clive sneered.

“You went against my orders, are you tried to lead a revolt against the Imperium. Tried to take my position!” Clive roared, towering over Weebla, the veins in his neck popping out.

“Look boy, I’ve been doing this a spell longer than you. Us Gnomes and his Elves have seen what the shattered will do to a planet. We drove them out of the ten realms, nearly all of our people died in the act. Eli’keen has been the advisor to seven Imperium heads I’ve led fifteen campaigns against the shattered.”

“Are you the head of the Imperium, you might have got the power back from Xun Liang, but you didn’t get his office. A waste to give that much power to some broken old Gnome!”

“Clive,” Eli’keen raised his voice.

“You fucking elves and Gnomes, think that you are better than the rest of the realm, you think that this Imperium is your own nation? It’s not and it hasn’t been for two millenia! Get that through your skulls. I will lead us to victory I will create the Imperium anew, better, stronger, respected. Your undermining of myself, of the Imperium that’s what led to today’s loss. There is no unity together, you only work with one another! You are stripped of your offices and your positions! If I ever see you again I-I’ll,” Clive gnashed his teeth slapping his scabbard walked to the door, unable to give words to his rage.

“The higher realms are for the fighters, the warriors among us, not the crafters.” He looked back sneering at them, he tore open the doors and left the duo.