The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 56,57,58 (Patreon)

Chapter 56

Private Army

It was always a pleasure watching Ziz’s team get to work. They had created so many weird structures, starting with the bridge and the harbor, that they were now a well-oiled machine. Instead of going with a tower design, which was required for the ocean dungeon, they did something different. First, they reinforced the edges of the river with stone walls. Theo helped them smooth the area out as they worked. Next, the created a stone base on the riverbed.

Watching how far the workers had come was amazing. Theo watched one half-ogre with a stack of marble stone blocks in one hand and his other hand free. He would place a brick down, passing his hand over it to apply magical mortar, and move on. Each block took about a second to lay, and there were twenty workers. The alchemist swept his will over the riverbed, helping to smooth it out as they worked. There were sections where the workers wanted to drive massive pillars, and it was another area the alchemist was helpful in.

“Sure you don’t want a job?” Ziz asked, laughing as Theo helped guide another support column.

“I just might,” Theo said, driving the pillar deep into the ground. He slapped the side of the marble structure. “This bad boy ain’t going nowhere.”

The supports were required because the entire river was going to be covered. This was a feat of engineering that would have been impossible back on Earth. The weight of the stones would have collapsed any logical support system. But this wasn’t earth. Ziz and his team could weld stone together, creating a near-perfect bond. That allowed him to create a lattice support structure. The point of the river’s stone ceiling was for the tube-like structure being constructed around the river. It gave them perfect control over the amount of water allowed to rush over the River Dungeon while still providing easy access for adventurers via a spiral staircase.

While he was at it, Ziz planned to take the covered river idea all the way to the harbor wall. “It might look awkward when we expand the wall,” Ziz said, admitting the plan’s shortcomings. “But we’ll sort that out later.”

This would have been at least a week-long job without Theo’s help. As the work went on, he saw how useful he could be in the construction business. The dam almost collapsed at one point, but the alchemist held it back with his Earth Sorcerer Core. That gave time for the stoneworkers to get down there and put in some reinforcements, tying it to the marble lattice. When he let go, the dam held.

Dusk came and left, giving way to twilight. The group still worked, and Tresk complained they weren’t in bed yet. The workers had lit lanterns, magical and mundane, to keep going until they were done. Theo refused to leave, fearing another dam incident.

“Just a few more things to get going,” Ziz said, dabbing his muddy brow with a cloth. “But I think this is pretty solid.”

Theo jumped up and down on the covered river, laughing as the stones supported his weight. “This is just wild.”

“The fisher folks are gonna yell at you, Ziz,” Tresk said.

“Yeah. They have the ocean now. They can deal with it.”

Sarisa and Rowan came parading to the work site with platters laden with food. Ziz groaned as the attention of all his workers was drawn away from the work, delaying the completion of the job by about an hour. Theo laughed at the half-ogre, helping himself to a plate of Karatan steak. Once everyone was well-fed, the river was ready to be opened once again.

Theo reached out with his core, finding it hard to hoist the entire dam up. He strained, getting it most of the way there before the rushing water put a stop to his plan. The workers had to attach ropes to the dam while the alchemist chugged Mana Potions, eventually pulling it free from the slurry of churning river water.

“That was a close one,” Theo said, wiping his brow. He reached out again, filling in the temporary river with the dirt he had extracted.

That was a massive advantage of using the Earth Sorcerer Core instead of the Tunneling Potion. While the potion removed the dirt completely, the core allowed him to use the dirt afterward. It took Theo longer than he would have liked to fill in enough of the offshoot river to keep the water from soaking in. By the time he was done, it was around midnight. Tresk was pissed, but that was nothing new. She was so focused on advancing that any change to their schedule was an affront. They returned to the manor, collapsing into their beds and drifting off into the Dreamwalk.

Theo came up with an idea to increase his willpower while working within the constraints of size. Human-sized skeletons wouldn’t fit within the Hallow Ground potion modified with Embolden. But skeletal hamsters? They absolutely would. The alchemist stood in a field of slavering hamster zombies, shoving as many as he could into that circle. His first attempt failed. The amount of hamsters that could fit within the circle was greater than he had expected. After resetting with a reasonable amount of hamsters, he found success.

“Before long, I’ll have an army of bugs to contend with,” Theo said, booting one zombie hamster into the distance. “Can bugs become zombies? Who cares?”

Theo’s Earth Sorcerer’s Core had advanced to Level 4, which might have been impressive in another core. Getting that core to a point where it would be useful was effortless compared to many others. He was once again reminded that he needed to make his free pick, but felt uninspired to do so. The alchemist wanted to wait until his newest core was higher, or when it evolved into something related to Drogramath. There were skills under the sorcerer category that weren’t tied to any specific school as well. While he only had access to a few, which added nothing he wanted, that meant he could get more as time went on.

Banking a skill for so long was something Theo had never done. He had always grabbed new skills impulsively, snatching up whatever he could to enhance his life and abilities. But with so many moving parts, it was hard to justify that behavior. Silent observation was required as he attempted to push himself in one direction, rather than barreling toward every new thing all at once. It might have been time to do more core swapping, using his newest slot to bring in other cores that relied on willpower.

“Research is required,” Theo said, growing bored of the endless parade of hamsters. He banished them with a thought, heading off to see what Tresk was up to.

Tresk was finally done fighting the giant horned snake. But the thing she had summoned wasn’t much better. Theo watched as she and Alex battled with a massive skeletal dragon. The alchemist sensed her thought pattern, understanding that she wanted to be prepared for the worst case. Pogo, in the underground below, turning into a skele-dragon would have been that case. It wasn’t logical to assume that she would turn undead, but he didn’t blame the marshling for being prepared.

“I like the dragon,” Theo said, watching as Tresk wove an agile pattern through the attacks of the dragon.

“Gotta be ready for anything!” she said, grunting as she took a tail-swipe to the face. “Ow.”

Theo joined in, offering his warded daggers to the fight. He didn’t train enough for combat, although he knew it was a worthwhile investment. There were just so many layers of defense around him it was hard to care. Although this was in the Dreamwalk, and not the real world, the exercise was still nice. It didn’t hurt that his warded daggers were devastating in combat. The group fought until the dream ended, which was far shorter than normal.

Theo made his way downstairs to have breakfast, trailing behind Tresk as always. She was excited about something she didn’t want to share. Instead of eating the breakfast that Sarisa and Rowan had made, she shoved it into the Tara’hek inventory and dashed out of the door. Alex found a place to sit by the table and enjoyed whatever bugs, grains, and other scraps she enjoyed.

The breakfast today was more of the deep-fried meat flattened with a mallet. Rowan had thought to spice things up by adding some of Whisper’s sausages and a side of mashed zee kernels that seemed close to grits. Each item was cooked to perfection, especially the zee grits. They were served with a fat piece of karatan butter on top. The heat from the food had partially melted, oozing over the side and soaking into the other items on his plate. The alchemist ate more than normal that morning, although he felt none of the side-effects of the Stamina Potion he drank the previous day.

After checking the administration interface to ensure there wasn’t anything that required his attention, Theo sauntered over to the lab. Zarali wasn’t in her enchanting lab, but that wasn’t a surprise. She didn’t care for the upgrade bonuses, and did most of her enchanting on-site, or in Xol’sa’s tower. The alchemist had felt her drifting further away from him, but he couldn’t be mad. She could see her brother again so it only made sense.

Theo could smell that Salire was already working on something before even entering the building. He knocked his knuckles against the metal sign outside, smiling as he remembered the time when it was made. On the second floor landing, he identified what the budding alchemist was working on. The unmistakable scent of Moss Nettle, Spiny Swamp Thistle Roots, and Manashrooms hung in the air. She was working on some second tier restoration potions, which the shop always needed.

“Good morning,” Theo said, counting the stills in use. Salire was usually kind enough to leave at least three stills open, but five were free today.

“Hey! I saw that weird road you guys made yesterday. What the hell is that about?”

“An entrance to the River Dungeon. It does kinda look like a road, doesn’t it?” Theo asked, immediately distracted from the reason he came here. 

“It does.”

He produced his last puffy piece of Khahari Cotton. The golems were working hard to fill the new fields in the Small Farm with the cotton plants, but it would take a bit for those to grow. Especially since they were uncultivated. The alchemist allowed mana to pool into his hand, soaking into the cotton and setting it on fire with purple flames. The second property was revealed to be Flutter, which the alchemist couldn’t imagine the effects of. He would need to wait until the crop sprouted to find out.

Theo sent his mind through the nearby lodestone network, checking on his golems. With the expansion of his willpower, he felt the ability to control more than ever. There were enough Plant Golems within town to do most jobs, but there was an area of golemancy that he hadn’t exploited enough. With his current willpower, the alchemist estimated that he could control anywhere from twenty to thirty second tier golems. Those were the ones without the ‘lesser’ prefix. That number was up from about eight, maybe ten. So why not create a small army?

“I’ll be back,” Theo said, pausing at the door. “Maybe. I get distracted.”

“Yeah, you do.”

All the ore being produced from the mine belonged to Theo. As did the ingots produced by the twin smelters. Nira kept her stock of Drogramathi Iron bars, Tworgnothi Bars, and… Azrugium alloy bars at the smelter. The alchemist made his way there, claiming as much as he could without making anyone mad. He then headed to Throk’s place, happy to find piles of Tworgnothi Copper Batteries and Tworgnothi Copper Siphon Artifices available for purchase. He bought twenty of each, draining most of his funds.

Back at the lab, Theo assembled Fire Constructs to both construct and keep the golems working. The second tier versions of the Metal Golems didn’t have the same problem as the first tier. He assembled pile after pile of the ingots, placing containment cores, artifice batteries, and siphons inside of the completed creatures. Several hours of work later, and a few wildfires that spread from the constant flow of molten metal, the alchemist looked upon his new army.

“Excessive, isn’t it?” Rowan asked, leaning against a greenhouse. Theo had selected this field because it was the least likely to catch fire.

Theo looked back at his twenty Azrugium golems and shook his head. It wasn’t excessive. He was controlling the golems with his mind, not even tapping into Tero’gal. They barely drew on his mind, only tugging at the edges. If he connected this group of golem soldiers to a lodestone network, he could double their number without issue. The alchemist issued a command for the golems to form loose ranks. They were easily twice his height, each a hulking figure of lumpy purple-bronze colors.

“Now I’m kinda scared,” Rowan said, chuckling nervously.

Theo laughed. Yeah, they were pretty scary. He tapped into the lodestone nearest the greenhouse, judging that its range had increased since he cheated his willpower up. The alchemist segmented the commands for the Plant Golems and the Metal Golems. He issued a command to the Metal Golems to patrol the walls and area around the town and pursue enemies until they reached the edge of their range. They were to fight to the death, targeting enemies of the town. The golems understood that, breaking into squads and heading off.

“Should I report this to Aarok?” Rowan asked.

“Please, do. He’s going to freak out,” Theo said, jogging to catch up to one golem. He tapped it on the side, inspecting the creature before it left.

[Metal Golem]

[Alchemy Construct]

Level 28

Metal Golems are excellent at combat. They serve almost no use elsewhere, and require new [Fire Constructs] to repair themselves. Metal Golems without an installed [Fire Construct] will become more useless the longer they operate.

Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Drogramathi Iron Cage]

Monster Core: [Goblin Skirmisher] (Level 28)

Medium: [Azrugium]

Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]

Power System: [Tworgnothi Copper Battery]

Siphon System: [Tworgnothi Copper Siphon Artifice]

Additional Modifications: [Fire Construct]

It didn’t take long for Aarok to come check in on Theo. The alchemist was following one group of the battle golems, making sure they were following orders correctly. Since their orders were so simple, and their cores high enough for them to solve problems, it shouldn’t have been a problem.

“Summoning an army? Without my permission?” Aarok said, shoving Theo playfully.

Theo alchemist sent a mental command. Four golem heads turned, locking onto the half-ogre. Aarok held his hands up, a nervous smile spreading across his face.

“I’m revolting,” Theo said.

“Against yourself?” Aarok laughed.

With a wave of his will, the alchemist sent his golems off to do their work. “What’s up?” Theo asked.

“Just a request,” Aarok said, visibly relaxing. “Allow our commanders to issue orders to your private army.”

“Then it wouldn’t be private, would it?” Theo asked, adding the command to the lodestone near the greenhouses. “Done. It won’t override my commands, but you can assemble them. In an emergency, they’ll do whatever you say. So long as the person is recognized by the town as a commander.”

“Thanks, Theo.”

Chapter 57

Children of the Shard

The uncomfortable warmth in Xol’sa’s tower almost penetrated Theo’s Coat of Rake. Why the wizard had gone beyond what normal Broken Tuskers considered normal was beyond him. The alchemist lingered on the first floor for some time, looking out over the swamp outside. Magical sigils flared in the distance, drawing power to protect the tower. If the alchemist was a wizard, he would have placed his tower anywhere else. The hills. Perhaps on a mountain somewhere. Even underwater would have been more favorable than the bug-infested swamp.

“I thought I heard someone,” Xol’sa said. Theo turned to see a gentle smile on the wizard’s face. “Won’t you come up for tea?”

Theo agreed, ascending the stairs. Xol’sa had gone through a few changes lately, and was still adjusting. The cold logic that came with a high Intelligence attribute had been scoured by the Intelligence of the Soul potion. It left behind a man closer to what he should have been, although there were still lingering effects from his core. Not everyone could have the benefit of a spirit bond. Perhaps they should.

Zarali waved as Theo found a spot in the sitting area on the second floor. This room was hotter than the downstairs area, somehow challenging both the humidity outside and the smoky heat normally found in homes within the town. Xol’sa busied himself with the tea, placing a copper pot on a Fire Artifice and arranging a wooden box filled with loose tea leaves.

“How can I help you today?” Xol’sa asked.

“I’m here to talk to Zarali, actually,” Theo chuckled. “But I’m sure you’re excited about the cage around the River Dungeon.”

“Ziz outdid himself on that one,” Xol’sa said, nodding in agreement. “He even incorporated the running water, as I requested.”

Zarali giggled, tossing some bauble at the wizard’s back. “Theo was a part of that effort, love.”

“Was he?” Xol’sa said, turning and tilting his head. Theo felt a wave of something flow over him. It probed uncomfortably at his cores. “Oh, right! The new core.”

“Has it worked to increase your willpower?” Zarali asked.

Theo swallowed a lump in his throat, pretending that the missing suffix of ‘brother’ to all her statements didn’t wound him. “It has helped slightly. But I’ve found another method that increased my willpower a hundred-fold.”

Zarali laughed, stopping to knit her brow when she saw Theo was serious. “Surely not.”

“I just raised twenty Metal Golems, and I could do twenty more with ease. Without a lodestone.”

“That was quick,” Xol’sa said, leaving the tea to brew while he took a seat.

“I think your willpower dwarfs even mine…” Zarali trailed off.

Theo didn’t know what to say to that. He was taking advantage of something that was entirely unfair, diminishing the effort of another. The alchemist shook those thoughts away. There was too much to do with too little time. He needed all the cheats he could get.

“And this is just the start,” Theo said. “If I draw on my realm, I gain a temporary boost. Enough to bend the mortal realm and travel great distances.”

“Talk is fine, Theo,” Xol’sa said, chuckling. “But if it isn’t defined by the system, it cannot be measured. If it cannot be measured, none of us knows how to help you.”

Theo had to think about that one for a moment. It was a good point. The power he was talking about was all within the Tero’gal Dreampassage skill. That was his connection to his realm, and the source of the realm-bending ability. There were no time limits, mana costs, cooldowns, or other system-related pieces of information. In the way he always used, Xol’sa had dropped a hint as to the fundamental problem with the ability. Without practice, it was useless.

“We could start small,” Theo said.

Xol’sa and Zarali said something, but Theo was already focused. He used the practice he had with his Earth Sorcerer’s Core to wrap his willpower around himself and the two lovebirds. He remembered the meta method he had used to transport himself through the realms and onto Antalis, the dark moon. The alchemist used his willpower to draw in a piece of Tero’gal. A bubble of shimmering, prismatic energy formed around the trio. Plush gras rested beneath their feet.

“I think it is prudent that we find a different place to test this ability,” Xol’sa said, panic bleeding into his voice. “I’m not eager to see a piece of my tower torn asunder!”

Theo threw the bubble through space, tracing one of the many threads that connected him with others in the world. In a snap, the tower vanished. Xol’sa, Zarali, and Theo were still seated on the uncomfortable chairs from the tower. But Aarok sat, scribbling something at a wide wooden desk. The commander looked up with an annoyed look.

“Can I help you?” Aarok asked.

“Just testing something,” Theo said, refocusing his willpower. He targeted Grot from Gronro-Dir. That was a distance worth checking. Xol’sa was sputtering something. “Can we bring him along?”

The scene shifted again. Grot was guzzling a beer, one in each hand. He looked around in confusion, kicking at the grass beneath his feet. While Xol’sa and Zarali had come along for the ride, Aarok had not.

“Theo! When did you get into town?” Grot asked, offering the alchemist a beer. “And you brought… a sofa? And grass?”

“This is interesting,” Theo said, swiping at the beer. His hand passed through. “See ya later, Grot.”

“Alright? Sure?” Grot said, looking more confused than before.

“Time for my last trick,” Theo said, sending his willpower even more distant. There was one thread of fate that was connected to him stronger than the others. In a flash, the group was sitting on the darkened deck of a ship. Fenian Feintleaf looked over the edge, staring at the starry sky above. He spun around, a mixture of anger and shock on his face.

“Theo?” Fenian asked. “What in the name of Emperor Kuzan’s balls are you doing here?”

“Seems familiar doesn’t it?” Theo asked, winking at Xol’sa. The alchemist had put together what this reminded him of. “Shall we return to the tower for discussion?”

“Yes, please!” Xol’sa shouted. “I do not do well on ships.”

Theo gestured as though he intended to poke Fenian in the forehead. The elf swatted at his hand, catching only air. “Later,” the alchemist said, releasing his hold on the bubble.

The group was back in the tower in an instant. The teakettle was whistling, and all members of the party were seated. Theo had learned something important, thanks to Xol’sa’s encouragement.

“I would appreciate if you never did that again,” Xol’sa said, grumbling as he went to make the tea.

“That was fascinating,” Zarali breathed. “You figured out the mechanism, didn’t you?”

Theo’s mind went back to a time when he communicated with Qavell through a special crystal. Unlike most communication crystals, this one sent him into a shadowy realm where he could talk face-to-face with someone. Mostly. No details were visible, but the concept was the same. Using the crystals, the two holders’ minds were dropped into a realm, but their bodies remained on the mortal plane.

“Tero’gal differs from most realms. It is a Mortal Dreamrealm. What I can do is take a chunk of it, and move our souls around the planet.”

There were more implications beyond that, but Theo wasn’t sure. The structure of the universe was hard to understand. Was the mortal realm just another realm within an endless void, or was it something more? Answering that question wouldn’t even tell him where Tero’gal sat within that scheme. The alchemist figured it must have been beyond the void, resting with the other realms but now he had his doubts.

“Do you think I could travel directly to Tero’gal? Without using the Bridge of Shadows?” Theo asked.

Xol’sa was grumbling, but he finally let out a sigh as he poured tea. “Maybe. It depends on where your realm rests in the membrane of reality.”

Theo sensed a long-winded explanation of how the universe worked coming on. Xol’sa did not disappoint, and there was no better man to ask about the problem. The wizard suspected that the mortal realm was within the same metaphysical space as all the other realms. Like pearls on a black sheet. A membrane separated them, guarded by the Bridge of Shadows.

“Depending on your authority, you could bypass the Bridge. Assuming Khahar set it so the rules don’t apply to your realm,” Xol’sa said with a tired sigh. He paused, biting his cheek. “Which might mean…”

“Darling, don’t go down that road,” Zarali said, shooting up to comfort Xol’sa.

“If he practices enough, he could pierce the veil,” Xol’sa said with a shrug. “He could contact my people.”

That was a wrinkle Theo didn’t expect. Xol’sa was from a group of people called the Bara’thier. Hilariously distinct elves from another dimension. But they were related to the elves from this world, although no one knew how. The wizard had been flung to this realm by his people at birth, sending him over with a damaged soul and a unique core.

“Of course I can do it,” Theo said, puffing his chest out. “I have more cheat codes than anyone else on the planet, so why not?”

“Don’t give him hope, Theo,” Zarali said, narrowing her gaze at the alchemist.

There was no need to seed hope. Theo was certain he could do it. With enough time and practice, he imagined that nowhere would be safe from him. As he considered what he would do next, he was slightly vulnerable with the pair.

“After I ascend the throne, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Theo said.

Xol’sa was the one to narrow his gaze this time. “How certain are you that this throne is for you? And not another?”

Theo laughed. “Just look at the name. The Dreamwalker’s Throne is mine, because no one else can get to it. I’ve… I’ve seen things. I know how this ends.”

“How boring,” Zarali said, sinking into her chair.

Theo took his cup of tea and sipped it. He remembered why he came here in the first place. “I almost forgot. I need another Lodestone.”

Zarali barked a laugh. “All that for a Lodestone? Certainly, Theo. I’m confident your willpower is strong enough.”

Both Zarali and Xol’sa were good at dropping uncomfortable topics. They shifted the conversation straight to their wedding date, and the traditions they intended to adopt. Following the alchemist’s advice, they were going to mix everything together. Dronon didn’t have any wedding traditions, so they would draw from elven, Broken Tusk, and Qavelli ceremonies. When the conversation was dying down, the alchemist departed from the tower with a new lodestone. Zarali had already prepared it for him, anticipating the day where he would raise his willpower to an acceptable level.

“Time to piss off Uz.”

Theo stepped out from the portal and paused. Just as he had projected a piece of his realm into the mortal realm to shoot his soul around the globe, he pulled another piece in for another reason. The bubble rose around the alchemist and he allowed himself to slip through the realms. Instead of piercing that veil, he drilled through it, aiming directly for Tero’gal. The bubble popped when it rejoined with itself. He only had to wait a few beats for Uz’Xulven’s shadowy portal to appear.

“Excuse me?” Uz’Xulven said, stomping out of her portal. Her dress of shadows flowed behind her as she approached the alchemist, slapping him across the face.

Theo smiled back, feeling nothing from the slap. “Just testing something out.”

“What’s the point of the bridge if you don’t take the damn bridge!?” Uz’Xulven stomped her foot.

It might have been fun to bypass secure parts of the system, but that just presented a problem that needed to be fixed. “You should thank me. I found a flaw in the system.”

Uz’Xulven spat on the ground. “Are you gonna fix it? No! Of course not. You are so annoying, Theo. I hate you.”

Benton’s icy portal rose in the distance. “Wanna get some tea?” Theo asked.

Uz’Xulven rolled her eyes. “Duh. Come on.”

Soon enough, all the gods that visited the domain were there. Even Khahar stopped in, clearly sensing the rule-breaking that the alchemist had done. Uz’Xulven, Benton, Theo, Drogramath, Spit, Khahar, and Glantheir assembled in the cottage. They sat at a massive table built by the souls within the realm, and waited for the bear god’s delicious tea.

“He didn’t violate the rules,” Khahar said with a shrug.

“But what if more dreamrealms sprout up?” Uz’Xulven said, tapping the side of her head. “Think, Khahar! Think! You remember the twins?”

“I remember them.”

“It could happen again!”

Khahar held up a silencing hand, his whiskers twitching. Theo watched with interest. “You may petition to have the powers of the Bridge extended to prevent such interdiction actions.”

“I wanna do that,” Uz’Xulven said, jabbing a finger at Khahar. “I’m here to keep the riff raff out, aren’t I?”

“You are.”

“So let me do it,” Uz’Xulven said, glaring at Theo. “You disgust me.”

Theo could only smile through Uz’Xulven’s hatred. He understood why she was so mad, but he wouldn’t have done what he did unless he knew it was necessary. Khahar wasn’t a slouch, though. He picked up on what the alchemist was trying to do.

“Theo thinks he can contact the lost realms in the void,” Khahar said with a smile. “Perhaps he wants to bring them to the mortal realm.”

“Good luck,” Uz’Xulven said, shaking her head. “I never made it happen.”

“I despise the void,” Spit said, growling.

“You hate almost everything,” Benton said, chuckling.

“The lost tribes always have a home in the Realm of Healing,” Glantheir put in.

“It would take a being of immense power to bring them back,” Khahar said, stretching uncharacteristically. “Who knew a group of wizards could splinter a piece of the mortal realm and send it adrift.”

Theo stared at Khahar. He hadn’t given free information in a while, but that was a big hint. If a chunk of the mortal realm was floating in the void, it was outside of every god’s ability to bring it back. The rules stated that gods couldn’t interfere with the mortal realm. The alchemist suspected that chunk was included. And it wasn’t likely that the piece was a tangible part, like a landmass. It was a meta piece of the world, which seemed messed up.

“What part of the world was broken off?” Theo asked.

Uz’Xulven looked at Khahar with an annoyed expression. Khahar nodded. “An old piece of the system. We used to have these big hunks of crystal that regulated aspects of the world. They made sure the world was balanced, but those damned wizards took the whole system with them.”

“The First War of Ascension was glorious!” Spit shouted. “I ate many elves. I do miss the shiny rocks, though.”

“We all miss the shiny rocks, Spit,” Glantheir said, patting the ogre’s shoulder.

“If only there were someone that could bring it back,” Khahar said with a dramatic sigh.

“I get it. You brought me here to be your errand boy, Yuri,” Theo said, swapping to Russian for dramatic effect. “Lift this rock, Theo. Cultivate this nation, Theo. Travel through the void and bring some shiny rocks back, Theo.”

Khahar laughed.

“What is the little demon saying?” Spit asked, slamming his fist on the table. “Why does he speak the language of the Arbiter?”

The conversation rolled on as everyone enjoyed Benton’s delicious tea and food. Khahar was in a better mood than ever, often smiling at the table. Things must have been going well in the heavens. Part-way through the tea party, the Arbiter leaned in and dropped one more nugget for the alchemist.

“You know what Bara’tier means?” Khahar asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m guessing I don’t know the real meaning.”

“Children of the Shard.”

Chapter 58

Eyes on Qavell

A spread of sausages, pozwa eggs, tea, and whole roasted zee sat on the table in Theo’s manor. He had spent last night’s Dreamwalk working on his willpower, but the effects of his potion were dwindling. What he gained from that training was a massive boost in willpower that made any core based on that concept powerful, even at Level 1.  But there was another aspect to this power he needed to consider. It was a gift, given to him by Yuri who had poked the cogs of fate into motion a long time ago. The alchemist now found himself as one of those cogs. Not as a drone to do someone’s bidding, but a man with a job. A task that needed completion.

“What’s the problem, babe? You’ve barely touched your giant demon-goat-bird eggs,” Tresk said, poking Theo in the cheek.

Theo removed himself from his thoughts, looking down at his cold plate of food. The marshling must have sensed his thoughtfulness, or read his mind, because she normally was already off on some adventure. “I’m good,” he said, turning instead to his administrator interface and picking at his food. “Anything interesting going on with you today?”

“Test flight with Alex,” Tresk said, jabbing her thumb back at the goose. Alex looked up from her plate of bugs, grain, and random pieces of vegetation and honked weakly. “We’re hoping to scout for Qavell.”

Theo hoped Fenian would arrive before Qavell got to the alliance. He had leaned on the Herald in the past, and would do so again. The mortal realm was his domain, after all. If there was a god in that flying city—whatever form it might take—he could make a difference. Just like Khahar could snap his fingers in the heavens, changing the way the system worked up there.

“You?” Tresk asked, stealing a sausage from Theo’s plate.

“Potions or landscaping. I have a request from Grot to do some mountain-moving up in Gronro.”

“That sounds ever so boring,” Tresk sighed. “If you need me, I’ll be riding a goose into battle. Farewell.”

Tresk swooned on the spot, placing the back of her hand over her moist forehead. She stumbled around the table, then through the front door, sighing the entire way. Alex waddled behind her, almost unable to shove her bulk through the threshold.

“What’s gotten into her?” Sarisa asked, stealing another of Theo’s sausage.

“Oh, you don’t speak crazy marshling?” Theo asked, jabbing a fork into his last sausage before someone swooped from nowhere to steal it. “She’s excited to see the city fall.”

“Are you?”

“Excited? Not really. We have to juggle the matter carefully. We need to disable the city, then banish whatever god attached itself there.”

Theo reflexively sent his willpower out, searching for anything that felt like a damn floating city approaching his town. Xol’sa had yelled at him about that before. Most magic users had a magical sense that they could send out, probing things. Someone who was good enough could sense distant magical things. But the alchemist had leaned on his willpower, never developing a sense for magical things. He tried. But the only success he found was his Earth Sorcerer’s Core and its ability to sense the Earth element.

“Confidence levels are low?”

Theo found that question the hardest to answer. He was confident in his potions and his people. But the new power he was cultivating wasn’t solid like those things. It was mercurial, and unknowable without a status screen. How strong was his realm compared to a piece of a god in the mortal realm? Then another thought. What if even Khahar was wrong? Before he left to become the Arbiter, Khahar was technically a mortal. With a sneeze, he could have destroyed the planet. What if there was another. One from those old days the gods loved to wax on about.

“Uncertainty is high,” Theo said. The difference mattered.

“I know what will cheer you up,” Sarisa said, clapping a hand on Theo’s shoulder. “Let’s go poke some turtles with sticks. See who can get the closest.”

For a moment, no longer than a single breath, Theo considered wading into the swamp to poke turtles. Although he tried to dismiss it, the thought lingered. Working all day, every day, wasn’t healthy. “Alright. Let’s go poke some turtles.”

“What?” Rowan said, looking out from the kitchen. “Really? You wanna play poky snappy?”

“Let’s go!” Sarisa shouted.

“But I need to check on the lab. And the deadly herb in the garden,” Theo said, sucking his breakfast into his inventory. He’d finish it while they poked turtles.

Theo checked in on Salire, discovering that she was running the low-level potions wing of their business well enough. This was a turning point for his alchemy. Something that he wanted to approach with caution. Fourth tier potions would not be easy to make, especially when he had been lazy about mastering the third tier ones. If he had learned one thing from alchemy, it was that each phase built on the next. The example that he thought of was the pressure treating process, which taught him about impurities. Alcohol distillation had shown him how to isolate properties to a high degree. Whatever came next would expand on the concept of reagent purity, and he had no desire to rush it.

Thanks to the settings in the Experimental Garden Plot, the Night’s End plant hadn’t grown, or wilted. It was suspended in time, flowerless in that square plot and unable to kill more scholars. Satisfied enough to take a day off in the swamp, he turned and left his buildings behind. Both Sarisa and Rowan were excited, singing a song about a man getting his hand eaten by an Ogre Snapper. It instilled low levels of confidence in the alchemist.

“The game is pretty simple,” Sarisa said, handing Theo a stick as they left through the western gate. HIs thoughts went to building projects. A pleasant road through the swamp was needed. “You poke the turtle with a stick. Whoever uses the shortest stick without being chomped wins. No magic.”

“Gotcha,” Theo said, pressing forward into the swamp. He was tempted to snap his stick as small as it would go, but remembered how quick those snappers were. Even at a low level, the swamp was their domain.

As they plowed through the swamp, Theo had time to think about which potions he wanted to work on. He had to grow enough Khahari Cotton to test the Flutter property, so that was out for now. The mental reports sent by his Plant Golems claimed it was going well. Spirit fruit potions were off the table for now, so he ignored them. That left bringing his standard potions to third tier, messing around with modifiers, and blending plants with his new building. It was prudent to have a stock of powerful potions ready for when Qavell arrived.

Theo made a list in his mind. First were the most important potions to anyone serving in an army or as an adventurer. Healing, Stamina, and Mana potions. The next-most important ones were attribute-enhancing potions, of course. Greater versions of those would turn the local defenders into monsters, allowing them to punch 10 Levels above their current level. Next were defensive potions. Barkskin, Carapace, and Limited Foresight. And finally escape potions. Return, Retreat, and Featherfall. The last potions on his mind were his secret weapons. Negative potions infused with the Holy modifier like Desperate Attack, and Berserk.

If Fenian wasn’t here by the time Qavell attacked, he would give Tresk a Holy Potion of Berserk, and a Potion of Desperate Attack with the same modifier. Theo would also distribute those to the commanders, especially Luras, Aarok, Sarisa, and Rowan. The alchemist would reserve a stock of Dragon’s Breath Potion, modified with Holy, for himself. Those would be in short supply. Each of these potions needed to be brewed at the third rank, making the task daunting. So long as he had enough time to prepare, Qavell would fall. He was confident.

“There’s one!” Sarisa shouted, getting low in the mud.

An Ogre Snapper thrashed in the murky waters ahead, sensing the group’s approach. Theo waited to see what the finer rules of the game was, watching as Rowan snapped his stick short. Perhaps a bit too short. He charged at the turtle, imposing his desire to be first. Theo and Sarisa watched as the man pressed the stick into the turtle’s face, had the stick eaten in one chomp, then had his arm pinched between the beast’s beaked mouth.

Rowan screamed, punching at the turtle’s head. He was released a moment later, vanishing into the shadows before returning near the group. After chugging a potion, his arm twisted itself back into position.

“You got too greedy!” Sarisa shouted with a laugh. Theo didn’t miss the concern on her face as she made sure her brother hadn’t sustained lasting injuries. “My turn!”

Sarisa snapped her stick at half the original length. Theo saw where it was going before it happened. She was savaged, thrown to the side, and forced to crawl back to the group covered in mud.

“The key to the game,” Theo said, approaching the turtle with his full length stick. “Is to go last. That way, you’ll always have the longer stick.”

The next thing Theo remembered was being face-down in the mud, being dragged away by Rowan and Sarisa. He could almost hear their manic cackling through ears caked in swamp junk. After quaffing a potion, he stared up at the with a blank expression.

“No one wins this game, do they?” Theo asked. “This isn’t even a real game.”

“The turtles were smaller when we were kids,” Sarisa said, nodding at Rowan. “Right?”

“Oh, yeah. For sure.”

“Who won?” Theo asked. 

“Everyone got chomped so… no one. Let’s do it again!”

While Theo wanted to be annoyed with the game, it was actually fun. Only because they had an endless supply of potions that would heal their wounds in moments. Otherwise the game was deadly, even against low-leveled monsters. The alchemist took the chance to reduce some stress of the coming attack. Being eaten by giant turtles had a way of putting the world into perspective. He planned his distillation batches out, marking everything he needed to do in his mind. To produce so many potions, all of which were different aside from the Holy modified ones, would require a lot of liquor. All that booze had to be infused with different essences, meaning he would lean heavily on the Internal Liquid Storage feature of the place.

After half a day of messing around in the swamp, everyone was tired enough to take a Lesser Stamina Potion and return to the town. They applied Cleansing Scrub to themselves before entering again.

“See? I told you he could have fun,” Sarisa said, shoving Theo.

The alchemist moved the rock she was stepping on, sending her stumbling forward. Rowan roared with laughter, drawing the attention of nearby citizens.

“We got eyes on Qavell,” Tresk said, her thoughts bleeding into Theo’s mind. He saw flashes of the floating city, plodding along the cliffs near the coast. “They’re approaching Broken Tusk directly.”

Theo needed to take a breath to understand if that was good or bad. Qavell was always coming, but at least they were approaching from the best angle. He watched through Tresk’s eyes as a bolt of energy jumped from the hovering city. It lashed uselessly against the mountains, sending piles of rocks tumbling to the sea below. The whole thing seemed neutered, compared to the image he had conjured in his mind. Instead of a dark fortress, brimming with magical potential, he saw an impotent rock drifting on whatever wind would carry it.

“I’m slightly disappointed,” Theo said, watching as Tresk and Alex retreated.

“Looks like easy pickings. Bet I could solo it.”

“I doubt that,” Theo said. “We’re still talking about an entire city.”

“Meh. Agree to disagree. No worries, we’re heading back.”

Tresk made sure to add that last part so Theo wouldn’t worry. Rowan was trying to get his attention, but the alchemist imagined the angle of approach for the city. It traced the line of the coast perfectly, likely using the mountains for cover. Whoever had devised this plan was an idiot, though. Approaching Broken Tusk that way assumed they would have no response. King Hanan would know that, wouldn’t he? Theo only hoped whatever mad god was driving the city forward was so foolish, and the king would be open to negotiations.

“What was that?” Theo asked, turning to meet the confused gaze of Rowan. The alchemist withdrew his communication crystal, the one linked with Fenian, from his inventory.

“I was asking if you wanted to jump off a cliff and see who survives.”

“That’s one step too far,” Theo said, waving a dismissive hand. “Ah, Tresk is writing her report to Aarok. Good. Means I don’t have to. Anyone seen Zan’kir lately?”

“Prowling the wall like a hungry Marsh Wolf, no doubt,” Sarisa said.

Zan’kir had been given the honor of managing the wall-based defenses of the town. Every tower and artifice cannon in town was under his command, including their placement and operation. Theo headed to the walls, walking them for a bit before bumping into the khahri man. He still wore twin scimitars at his hips, sticking with the theme of his people.

“I need an operations report,” Theo said, clapping a hand on Zan’kir’s shoulder. “How many rail guns do we have and where are they?”

Zan’kir barked a laugh, a grin spreading across his face. He showed those sharp teeth, complete with long fangs. “Twenty rail guns. Enough firepower to annihilate Qavell. Positions are spread even along the wall, and two in the towers in the sea.”

“Qavell is coming from the east. Northeast,” Theo said, pointing out over the harbor. “I want all the batteries pointing that way. All of them.”

“How good is your information?”

“I just watched the city floating to the north, tracking the coast.”

“That’s pretty good info,” Zan’kir said, nodding with approval. “Do I have to wait a week for approval to get this rolling? And get my funds?”

Theo asked about the cost of the workers needed to get that done today, and withdrew a single gold coin from his inventory. “That’ll cover it. Get it done, Zan’kir.”

“And what are my firing orders?” Zan’kir asked.

“The anti-magical shots. I want Qavell saturated.”

“Excellent. I know I’m only working the walls here, but I had an idea.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“What if we shot them from here where they are now?”