The Newt and Demon - Book 6 Chapters 4,5,6 (Patreon)

Chapter 4

Purge

Qavell was a massive city. Even after losing half of its area, the city sprawled in every direction. Theo and his newly formed strike team stalked the halls of the palace, the king following closely behind. He had only stopped stammering about the monsters within his inner circle after exhausting himself. The alchemist watched as Sulvan Flametouched walked through the inner halls of the palace with practiced precision. It was hard not to wince when he kicked down a door, purging another abomination from the world.

Sulvan’s eagerness to purge an entire city of the monstrous entities was too similar to what he had done for the Burning Eye. Theo could only hope that Glantheir’s banner had driven those old impulses away. He found it more productive to think about this purge as a repurposing of the man’s talents for good. And there was no mark of the ex-paladin’s zealotry. Only practice precision and efficient mana usage.

Aarok and his men had missed the monsters in the city. Sulvan had explained it as a glamor spell that Glantheir was happy to lift. It didn’t change a person’s form, but made others view them as different. It didn’t affect the Priest of Glantheir, allowing him to see them as they truly were. The Southlands Alliance’s army of adventurers wasn’t so skilled, but at least there weren’t casualties. The adventurers now scoured the city itself, focusing on going door-to-door with a blessing from Sulvan.

Theo’s team was focused on scouring the palace with Hanan. If the city outside was large, the webwork of tunnels and rooms beneath was double its size. The first level held enough twisted creatures to send everyone’s stomach churning. The second level was worse.

“How deep does this go?” Theo asked, nudging Hanan. The king was on edge, almost unable to form words unless prodded.

“Deep. I wasn’t allowed down here when my father was alive.”

Sulvan was clearing another room with Sarisa and Rowan, leaving Theo, Xol’sa, and Zarali to inspect another body. The creatures had leathery skin of a brown-black hue. Their faces were a twisted mass of flesh, never having the same pattern between them. Each monster’s limbs were similarly twisted, hands often mounds of flesh rather than a hand with discernable digits.

“These were elves,” Xol’sa said, cutting open a creature without hesitation. “I’m almost certain they were. And I don’t recognize the magic that has infused them.”

“This isn’t demonic magic,” Zarali confirmed. She ran her finger along the surface of one monster’s face, shaking her head. “What is the current theory?”

Was there even a theory? Theo was at a loss. He wasn’t a native to this world, but had seen more of the strange things it offered than most. His experience delving into the void and visiting other realms didn’t help him here. Even his willpower-fueled aura offered nothing. But there was something interesting about the creatures. The alchemist produced an alchemically neutral knife and prodded at the figure. He could find nothing alchemically significant.

“They’re not monsters. They would have generated at least one reagent.”

A series of runes drew themselves on the ground under the creature. Xol’sa channeled a spell, doing his best to figure out what was going on. As they discussed possibilities, a faint light flooded the room. When Theo looked up from the runes, he spotted Fenian at the door. With a stunted pair of glowing wings growing out of his back.

“What’s with the wings?” Theo asked.

Fenian did a twirl, posing at the end. “I was wondering the same thing!”

The Herald waltzed to the creature, placing his hand on the thing’s head. The wings on his back flashed in recognition, growing slightly larger. Fenian flexed his hand, chuckling when the thing beneath it burst into flames. Everyone stumbled back, but the thing was gone in moments.

“And what does that mean?” Xol’sa asked, his spell fizzling to nothing.

“These are people that have been corrupted by that entity. They don’t belong here, which gives me absolute authority over them. Which is why I have the wings, I guess. I couldn’t get up here without leaving a crater, so it gave me wings.”

“I’d like some wings,” Zarali said wistfully.

“I bet you would.” Fenian stood, dusting his hands off. The ever-present smile on his face beamed at the group. “Sulvan will need me for the next step, I think. Oh, what a lovely man.”

Fenian departed without explaining himself. He joined with Sulvan in the next room, helping purge the city of these monsters. Theo flipped through reports on his administration screen. Things were going well on the surface. Aarok and his people were searching for more creatures—a task likely better suited to Fenian—and had found a few more corrupted entities. If the undead weren’t bad enough, they were now dealing with a kind of befoulment that potions couldn’t solve.

It was clear after a while that only Sulvan and Fenian had to purge the area underneath Qavell. Theo and the others took the hint, leaving to focus their efforts on the surface. While he didn’t completely trust Sulvan to do the job, he knew Fenian would enforce anything that would put the world in danger. It was his job, after all.

As much as Theo wanted to return to his lab for some hardcore alchemy, the city was in a state. It wasn’t tipping over anymore, but there was just too much to do. Aarok and his people cleared everyone on the surface on the first day. Anyone who could lend a hand spent the second day performing repairs on any buildings that weren’t created with a seed core. By the third day, the citizens had stopped being so fearful. They helped the people of the Southlands Alliance repair their city, finally finding the will to put their backs into it.

During these three days of hard work, Sulvan and Fenian cleansed the underground area. They didn’t give reports, and they didn’t rest. They went between rooms, destroying any sign left by the malicious entity. Theo was using his Earth Sorcerer Core to piece a stone building back together when the pair finally emerged. Sulvan looked as serious as ever, but Fenian was in the middle of a joke. The punchline didn’t land with the priest.

“We have something fun to show you, my dear alchemist,” Fenian said.

Theo dropped the stone he was holding, swapping his core for the Zaul Shadowspirit Core. “Let’s go. This kinda sucks.”

Fenian’s wings hadn’t gone away, and it was weird. Theo didn’t remember seeing them when he fought for the fate of Qavell, but there they were. As they marched into the palace, he got a better look at them. The wings were made of feather-like things, but seemed to be constructed with light. That light shimmered between gold and silver, seeming to change with the direction the wind blew. It was unclear as to if he could control them.

“It would have been better to destroy the town.” Sulvan swallowed hard, as though that would take back the harsh words he had uttered.

“Oh, don’t be so glum. You just need rest,” Fenian said, patting the man on the shoulder.

The old Sulvan would have punched Fenian in the face. Theo doubted that even the old version of that paladin could have done more than annoying the Herald. As expected, the complex beneath Qavell was extensive. It didn’t take long to reach a section that had been carved into natural stones. The stairs were worn smooth in the middle, but tool marks could still be seen on the walls.

Theo didn’t know how long they descended those stairs. He was almost certain they had gone deeper than the landmass was tall, but they kept going. Each time the stairs leveled out, there were halls with rooms shooting off in either direction. Those stairs leveled out one last time, revealing a much larger passageway than the ones before. It led to a massive metal door, which was inscribed in the Axpashi language.

“Guess who broke those wards? It was me!” Fenian said proudly.

Sulvan didn’t wait for Fenian to gloat more, and approached the door. He pushed it open with the slightest touch, revealing a sight within. A massive room appeared before them, hewn from the same stone as the rest of the underground area. Four pillars, topped with glowing crystals of various hues, rested in the four corners of the room. In the center was a twisted pillar of stone and wood. Roots wrapped in on themselves, forming the center of both the Kingdom Core and the Town Core.

“Dark coresmith magic,” Sulvan said, gesturing to the corpses still present in the room.

“Dark coresmiths aren’t a thing. These are more corrupt folks. Likely coresmiths in life. Which is funny, because Qavell didn’t have any.” Fenian preened at that comment.

Theo knew Fenian had a problem with King Karasan. But he had only recently learned that the elf would have brought the city down without the undead if he needed to. It was some old revenge story that the Herald wasn’t willing to share.

“Well, they’re dead now.” Theo kicked at one body. It rolled over, revealing the familiar face of a twisted creature.

Fenian approached the strange pillar, slapping it. “This is the problem. I can destroy this thing, but I can’t purge it.”

“Neither can I. The magic is too strong.” Sulva shifted uncomfortably. It was as though that failure fell on his shoulders, rather than the ones who had created the magic.

“But of course, we’re talking about magic that goes against the system. Left behind by the Worldbreaker as a foul sore. My powers only go so far, alchemist.”

Theo extended his aura, fueled by his willpower. He smiled to himself when even Fenian winced in response. Xol’sa had given him instructions on how to work with his aura. The only time he had to read the book had been at night, when he was in the Dreamwalk. Most of that time he spent looking over his shoulder, waiting for the old Dreamer to come back and claim the throne. But it never happened.

The core felt strange in Theo’s aura, but he wasn’t certain he could do anything about it. He probed it with his willpower, drawing on everything he had. While he only got a faint glimpse as to the thing’s power, he realized what had happened. Someone had twisted the two energies together, mixing otherworldly energy from the Worldbreaker with the magic generated by the system. They had hijacked something the system created, repurposing it for their own needs.

The entity he knew as the Worldbreaker was an interdimensional being. Passing through realms was easy enough, if one had the right tools. But this creature could pass into the greater universe… multiverse? Whatever. He went to places that were dying to scoop people up like the Harbinger did. The entity had tangled some of that power into this Kingdom Core. But why? All Theo could see was evidence of an act, but no clear sign of motive. Even the most basic beast did things with a purpose.

“Has anyone figured out why the Worldbreaker is doing what he’s doing?” Theo asked.

“Assuming he is a ‘he,’” Fenian said, chuckling. “That’s a good question, though.”

“The city will continue to function, but we need to seal this room,” Sulvan said. “Until we can figure out how to purge this magic, it must remain sealed.”

Theo could see why. He held his aura out, sensing the magic coming from the core. It came in steady waves, releasing more energy than should have been possible. But the magic wasn’t unfamiliar to him at this point. This was the power plant of the city. It allowed it to fly. It might have required fuel to stay afloat, but the base level of power it generated was staggering. He could use his Spirit Weaving and Shadow Wrap skills to create a ward that shielded the entire area. It would need to be refreshed every week or so, but he could do it.

“I guess that falls to me, huh?” Theo asked.

“We were hoping so,” Fenian said.

Theo nodded, opening his Toru’aun spellbook and going through his wards. The Anti-Mage property was once again his best friend. A few poems and some modification later, and the alchemist had something he could work with. “This may affect some functions of the city, but we don’t have a choice.”

“Go for it,” Fenian said, shrugging. “If we don’t suppress this energy, everyone will turn into those things.”

Theo’s brow knit tightly. “Uh… should we be standing so close?”

“I’m sure it’s fine. Maybe. Probably. Just make the ward, magic demon.”

Theo followed his instincts most of the time. When those failed, his high Wisdom took over with the Wisdom of the Soul messages. It rarely told him exactly what to do, but this time it was forthcoming. He combined anti-magic elements with imbue to forge a new ward. Sulvan’s eyes went wide for a moment as the alchemist approached the pillar itself. He pressed his hand against the warm surface and started his demonic chant. His willpower flashed out, infusing it with both the Spirit Weaving and Shadow Wrap skill. Shadow Wrap was a stretch, since the description claimed it only enhanced items. But the system relented, accepting a ward as an item.

A ripple of combating powers radiated from the monolith for a few moments. The dark powers within the cores fought against Theo’s ward, but were battered down with sheer willpower. The four crystals in the room’s corners went dim. He inspected the resulting ward.

[Subdue Magic]

[Advanced Ward] [Linked Ward] [Shadow Wrapped Ward] [Spiritwoven Ward]

Anti-magic, Infuse

Creates a suppressive field that nullifies all magic within the bubble.

Shadow Wrapped Bonus:

Increases the duration of this ward by 10 days.

Spiritwoven Bonus:

The power of this ward is linked directly to the caster’s willpower. Effectiveness of this ward is increased depending on the caster’s willpower.

Trigger:

Detect Adverse Magic

Duration:

20 Days

“Just try not to cast anything in here,” Theo said, withdrawing his hand from the core. He looked at his palm, raising an eyebrow when he saw a mark left by the effort. A patch of skin had been burned from the effort.

“When did you start that willpower exploit?” Fenian asked, wrapping his arm around Theo. He couldn’t quite reach his shoulder. “Come. We can have a drink while you tell me all about it. You coming, Sulvan?”

“I need to rest,” Sulvan grunted.

“So, just the two of us! Onward!”

Chapter 5

It Won’t Explode. I Promise.

Fenian didn’t care so much about Theo’s journey. They sat down for drinks and food in the alchemist’s manor, but the elf only seemed interested in telling his own story. As always, it was more about the aspects of adventure than anything of substance. He left out everything about his plot to kill the king and the reason behind it. But the alchemist had to admit it was nice to have his friend back.

Theo now sat in the Dreamwalk, looking over the flat area outside of Broken Tusk and wondering what he should do next. Progress had been slow over the past few days. Despite that, he had made strides in his newest cores. His Zaul core was already at Level 9, while his sorcerer core was at Level 8. Nothing had changed with his newest mage core, though. He expected the effects of the Drogramath Dedication skill to take over by now, but nothing had happened. It didn’t evolve into something more interesting.

During his time helping with the city, he didn’t have enough time to work on his other cores. And his other cores were capped to the level of his Drogramath Alchemy Core. Except for the Tara’hek core, of course. That core had rocketed to Level 33 in the past few days. Once he and Tresk started working on the city project, they had seen a massive increase in experience. But now was a time to focus on alchemy and herbalism, cores that had become more difficult to level in recent times.

“Where do we go from here?” Theo asked, sighing as he reclined on the soft grass.

Alchemy had become more important as time went on. He had gone from brewing powerful potions to brewing even more powerful potions. And he was now on the forefront of what a Drogramathi Alchemist could do. He was certain there was no one at this level alive, and it was unlikely any alchemist in history could rival his production. Except for one man. Drogramath himself. This is where Theo decided what the next frontier of alchemy would be. Tier 4 potions should have been within his grasp, so he started there.

With a thought, Theo summoned an arrangement of alchemy equipment. He had faked a fourth tier potion before. Using a suffuse potion meant he could bind two properties together to create a new one. If he brewed that potion as a third tier—using the bound dilution method with Zee alcohol—he could combine those things to make a fourth tier potion. It did not gain the fourth tier prefix, but was as powerful as one.

Theo started by imagining the things he would need to brew his standard third tier potion, settling on a simple Greater Healing Potion. The process was simple enough. Binding it with a dilution meant that he used the alcohol to remove almost all impurities. If he considered that fact, third tier potions were as pure as they could get. They were at a percentage of purity approaching one-hundred, but not quite. He studied the resulting potion, probing the Greater Healing Potion with his senses to find some flaw. Visual inspection revealed a perfect sample. No cloudy sediment with a perfect color. Even the reaction had gone off perfectly, producing almost no smoke.

So that was the question. How could Theo take a potion that was perfect and push it a step further? He started by considering other potions he had created, and the interlinked nature of his herbalism and alchemy skills. One thing that had been vital to creating potions at a higher tier was better reagents. Low-quality reagents were unstable, making it difficult to extract. Theo took an example of the Spiny Swamp Thistle Root, imagined from the garden he had back in the mortal realm.

This had been a question resting on the alchemist’s mind for a long time. “Are all reagents created equal?”

If one were to take two samples of wild reagents and compare them, they could have unique attributes. The system would claim that they had the same properties, but that wasn’t accurate. The quality of those properties was different. Theo had blasted past this problem by cultivating his reagents, forcing them to be better than they were in the wild. Taking that into account, perhaps his approach to plant care had been wrong.

It was time to study the reagents he used every day to gain a better understanding of how they worked.

Theo found Tresk and Alex training. As always. He joined them, practicing his throwing with unenchanted daggers. The marshling didn’t like when he dropped in on them, tossing daggers imbued with Toru’aun’s power. That made things unfair, according to her. The alchemist let his mind go silent as they fought, finding it easier to battle the armies of horned serpents that she brought forth. When dawn finally came, he ate breakfast as quickly as he could and headed out. While Sarisa and Rowan had created some delicious food, he could only think about reagents.

Salire was already in the Newt and Demon by the time he got there. She was always working on a side-project. She was working on more Cleansing Scrub for the city.

“Want to go on a field trip?” Theo asked.

“Of course!” Salire said, looking around the lab. She pointed at things, muttering something. “Yeah. They need to cook for a while.”

Salire joined him, heading out from the lab. But they didn’t go to visit the greenhouses behind the lab. Theo didn’t want to use cultivated reagents as his example. He needed wild samples that hadn’t been steered down a path.

“So, what are we doing?” Salire asked, following close behind as they headed for the western gate.

Theo explained his theory about reagents. Salire got excited, withdrawing her notebook and jotting things down. She always got excited when they pushed into uncharted territory.

“Have you harvested Spiny Swamp Thistle Root from the wild?” Theo asked, nodding to a guard as they pressed into the swamp.

“I’ve seen it. Haven’t put much stock into wild reagents, though.”

“That might be my fatal mistake.” Theo let out a breath, but he couldn’t blame himself. The man with all the answers had tea with him just yesterday, and had chosen not to say anything. The alchemist thought back to the trip he took to Drogramath’s realm. Was he trying to tell him something about reagents?

Drogramath’s realm was a confusing sprawl of glass worlds floating in a void. Thinking back on it, Theo didn’t remember seeing large farms to produce reagents. If that was a hint, it wasn’t a very good one. The pair trudged through the swamp. Sarisa appeared from nowhere after a while, glowering at Theo as her clothes and armor got muddy. While he could have taken the portal to Xol’sa’s tower, Theo wanted to scan the area for reagents as they walked. As expected, the area close to town had little to offer.

The swamp was worse near the town. The waters were deeper, and more snappers spawned. Theo had understood this as a feature of the river, which leeched water into the soil. But it could have been magically generated water—he couldn’t tell. But the area closer to the dungeon had a lot more islands. Even that wasn’t his target, though. Theo forced his group to push even deeper, until the mountains to the west were visible in the distance. This area was dotted with muddy islands and Ogre Cypress trees. The monsters were dense here, but it seemed like the perfect place.

“Let’s inspect the reagents that grow here,” Theo ordered, gesturing to the clumps of plants growing everywhere.

Theo and Salire cataloged every reagent they could find. They used an island in the swamp to deposit their collected Spiny Swamp Thistle Root, spending hours finding them and arranging each by size. That didn’t represent quality, but was the best way. When the collection was done, they gathered to inspect the results.

“This is already concerning.” Theo looked over the fifty-some samples they had retrieved. His plan was to decompose each for inspection, but it hardly seemed necessary.

“The rarity on each is the same.” Salire walked to the end of the line, turning her head to watch Sarisa and Rowan dismantle a turtle. “But I feel something from this end.”

The pair had collected the reagents by pulling them up, leaving the top portion visible. The samples Salire had gestured to were the same on the top. Only the roots underneath appeared different. Theo felt his cores draw him to those samples. Sure enough, they were still Common rarity.

“No one without an herbalist core would notice this,” Theo said, kneeling to inspect the larger roots. “You have Rare Material Handling, right?”

Salire nodded.

“Rowan,” Theo called, beckoning the adventurer over. “Hold this for me.”

Theo shoved a root into the half-ogre’s hand, standing back to observe. Rowan took the root and stood there, awkwardly looking around. “Is something supposed to happen.”

“Note the sizzling,” Theo said, pointing at the root. It had begun to steam in his hands. “And now…”

Rowan was propelled back by the force of the blast. Salire yelped in surprise and Sarisa rushed over to help her brother. A common rarity reagent wouldn’t have packed much power, but the half-ogre wasn’t expecting the blast. Theo tossed a Greater Healing Potion over to cure whatever minor wounds he received.

“Now hold this one,” Theo said, offering Rowan another root.

“Uh... No.”

“It won’t explode. I promise.”

Sarisa snatched the root from Theo’s hands, glowering. She held it out, right near the alchemist’s face. But nothing happened. He had given her the smaller root. One that a person didn’t need Rare Material Handling to touch. It was far less reactive than the last one. Theo could kick himself for not noticing this sooner. He had given the people of Broken Tusk a quest long ago. They harvested Spiny Swamp Thistle Root from the swamp. But back then, people didn’t venture that far. They never had a chance to get blown up, which would have shown him something important.

“I’ve been too focused on cultivating reagents. I never considered that the magic out here would do a better job,” Theo said. He saw Salire take notes on that.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

Theo wasn’t sure at all. The difference between the roots was clear. He didn’t need a system message to tell him that. But without the system, he needed to categorize these reagents and determine their impact on potion crafting. It had been an oversight, but the alchemist wouldn’t have discovered this by accident. Behind this discovery was skill, core influence, and luck.

“Let’s grab some samples,” Theo said. “Whole plants, of course.”

“As long as you don’t blow me up again…” Rowan was clearly wounded.

Theo and Salire collected more samples, only stowing the largest samples into his inventory. It was his inventory, because he had another plan for his return to Broken Tusk.

“I’m off to test these. I’ll meet you guys back in town,” Theo said, feeling himself fade into the void.

“You’re gonna make us walk!” Sarisa shouted. “You son of a—”

Theo fell through the void, using his Tero’gal Dreampassage skill. He felt a flash of anger from the Bridge of Shadows, but Uz’Xulven still let him pass. The grasses in his realm bent under his feet. Another day in the mortal realm meant another passing of fads within this realm. Things had looped back to cross-country racing, which was exciting to see. The alchemist had created a series of trails for the spirits here for that very purpose.

Most times he came to the realm, there wasn’t much that needed his attention. But today, there was a procession of souls that needed his attention. Perhaps there was a delay from when a soul entered the void to when they could find a realm to settle in. The alchemist felt the brush of senses against his aura. Eager spirits wanted to know when they could join Tero’gal. Those extended senses came with a familiar signature.

Half-elves were a weird race within the world. Theo didn’t know the full story, but they weren’t really humans. A more accurate description was proto-elves. Except the flow of evolution had gone in the other way, elves serving as the base to create something more human-like. But these were the people that called Veosta home.

“If everyone could just form a line,” Theo said, gesturing vaguely toward the road. “Try not to block that. I think there’s a race going on.”

There were 292 souls as permanent residents in Tero’gal. The line that stretched far into the distance held an uncountable number of souls. Theo couldn’t count them, anyway. The line wound in a way that didn’t make sense to him, so counting wasn’t possible. Instead, he started the interviews.

Most souls that found their way to Tero’gal were innocent. It was hard to hide one’s intentions when one was boiled down to their base parts. Cloud passed over the fake sun overhead. The Simulated Reality upgrade was supposed to add a day and night cycle, but the alchemist had blocked that part of it. He allowed his grasp on that slip and the world slipped into night.

“Hey! We’re trying to race here! Turn the light back on!”

Theo sent the world back to daytime, laughing when he spotted a tangle of mostly-formed spirits in what looked like sweatpants on the road. The nearby souls looked on with interest, but didn’t form thoughts enough to express what they were feeling. The alchemist went through each soul, a process which took a while. He couldn’t define the amount of time it took, though.

Of the souls that the alchemist interviewed, he only rejected five. Tero’gal leveled to 34, but missed the 35 mark. There would be no upgrade available this time. The alchemist picked himself up from the bench he had been sitting on, rolling his shoulders to work out a kink. The other gods had already arrived within his realm, and were sitting around the table in the cottage. He planned to join them, but would be happy to let his mind wander. The puzzle of powerful reagents might be easier to solve in the presence of Drogramath.

Chapter 6

Epic Plus

Theo didn’t think he would ever get used to Drogramath’s realm. It was confusing enough to stand on verdant ground, looking over a forest of trees and reagents that towered up to the glass dome. But he could see the other domes in the distance, floating like massive, round vials in the distance. The lord of the realm had invited him to discuss this latest discovery. To the alchemist’s surprise, it wasn’t an invitation to chide him.

“You’ve grown up seeing reagents in a different light.” Drogramath almost seemed lazy in his own realm. When Theo saw the spectral projection of him, the figure on the other end was always angry. Not here, though. Not within the heart of the potioneer’s power. “You’re not born from a true brood. That much is true. Dronon are wanderers by nature.”

“What’s the highest level any other Drogramathi brood has gotten?”

Drogramath turned. His strong features turned sour, but he nodded. “Not far past Level 30. Did you know that some of your feelings bleed through the realms? Especially after taking Drogramath Dedication.”

“I was… moderately aware.”

Drogramath paused for long moments. “If you doubt the course you’ve been set on, remember this. The only time a dronon—no matter what brood—made it past Level 30 was before the Second Ascension War.”

There were factors that Theo understood about that problem. Things got rough after that level, depending on how a person had built themselves. Something about gaining more power set folks on a path of self-destruction. Sulvan was an excellent example of one that had maintained most of their senses. Although he was a zealot, he kept it together. Most others that had retained their mind had done so thanks to strong convictions. Fenian’s plot of revenge kept him going for all those years, pushing for the death of King Karasan.

Theo owed his sanity to three factors. The Tara’hek, his Wisdom potion, and Drogramath. The higher an attribute that affected the mind got, the more a person fell away from their true self. What the god was trying to say was simple enough. It echoed through the minds of most people. Especially those who had ascended to the higher planes of existence. The system was broken. Every facet set in the intricate setting of reality was designed for a cycle. Construction and destruction happened as a fact of life. Cities could be built in days. People could ascend to unspeakable realms of power within a month. Putting aside the psychological effects, this resulted in absolute destruction.

“Zalaban is a good example,” Drogramath said, taking Theo’s silence for contemplation. “The mortals got it in their minds to change the system themselves. To remove that cycle of destruction. Zalab City was on the coast of what is now Gardreth.”

“The dead kingdom Gardreth?” Theo asked, laughing to himself. “There’s a joke in there somewhere.”

“A portent, more like. Yes, they gained some mastery over seed cores. But the price was absolute. When the kingdom became an island, Balkor sprung into action.”

Theo hesitated. He didn’t know what the opinion of the Demonic Pantheon was on Balkor. He knew everyone hated the red dronon, Zagmon, as he embodied bloodshed. But Balkor’s powers weren’t nefarious on their own. Undeath was an element. Just like wind, water, holy, and so on. It was a piece of reality that couldn’t be denied.

“And what was Balkor’s plan?”

“To end it all. Purge the entire planet so that something could start again. He did it the wrong way, but tilted the heavens enough to give Khahar a start.”

“His plan would have never worked. Because we’re missing pieces, right?”

Drogramath laughed, clapping a powerful hand over Theo’s shoulder. “Don’t mewl at me like some sniveling boy. You know there are missing pieces. You’re the one that’s going to get them back.”

Theo cleared his throat. He had never been shy about getting his hands dirty. He had never shirked whatever duty was thrust on his shoulders, even when he wasn’t given enough information. But this was a step far in a direction. Even Drogramath was confident he could do it.

“I’m just surprised Khahar hasn’t come to shut us up,” Theo said.

“Might have something to do with that,” Drogramath said, gesturing to the shimmering field of black aura around them. “Or he’s feeling nice today.”

“I choose the second option. Was I right about the reagents?”

Drogramath shrugged. “Maybe.”

“You don’t know, do you?”

“Nope. I only designed the first stage of alchemy by hand. I let the system figure out the rest.”

“But you could reference it somehow. Pull up a screen. Flip through the pages to give me a hint.”

Drogramath smiled. Then shrugged. “Don’t disappoint me now, Theo. Not when things are just getting interesting.”

The demon god seemed more interested in history than alchemy today. Which was weird, considering the endless sprawl of reagents in those glass orbs. Theo decided to ask him about the history of the southlands. But that history was much like the other parts of the continent. With some interesting twists. Zalaban was considered the last great empire by some people. The truth was Tarantham, the home of the elves, had endured since the First Ascension War. Scholars disagreed if they were one continuous nation, considering their cannibalistic nature. Drogramath didn’t have an opinion.

The unique culture created by the half-ogres and the marshlings was weird. Ogre settlers came from Slagrot after the empire was destroyed. Glantheir restored the continent, making it easy enough for them to adapt to the swamps. A storm of coincidences flooded the area. Marshlings came from the lizard islands. Hearty humans migrated from Bantein. Although it wasn’t Bantein at the time.

“They’re not even really humans, though,” Drogramath scoffed. “Proto-humans. Elves that have been changed over time. Some Earthling’s attempt to bring the race to this world. Anyway…”

It only took the ogres and humans two generations to forget where they had come from. Ogres were war-like enough to get themselves killed in those two generations. The humans held too much wanderlust to stay where they were. The result was what was left. After that great exodus, either through death or departure, only the marshlings and half-ogres were left. Without a culture of their own, they built one based on life in the swamp. A few more generations passed before Qavell swept across the nation, only finding resistance in the western reaches of the continent. The people of Veosta—wrapped in pacts and protections from Tarantham—didn’t go with the promises of the kingdom.

“Another series of empty promises by a kingdom that couldn’t provide it,” Drogramath said, laughing to himself. “Who would fall for that again?”

This was information that Theo had mostly pieced together. Others had admitted many of these facts, but the specifics had eluded him. The alchemist considered how Azrug was now a Loremaster. Once things went ass-up, that young man would be the one who carried on Broken Tusk culture. No matter what happened, Theo didn’t want that aspect to fade.

The reason for Theo’s visit to Drogramath’s realm was to get information about the next phase of alchemy. Those who didn’t know the way the gods worked would have thought he was leaving with nothing. But the vanity of someone who had lived for so long was absolute. Theo was the god’s champion. An investment that cost celestial resources. If he was on the wrong track, the demon god would have been at least a little upset. Instead, he told stories about the mortal realm and the workings of the gods. That was good enough for the alchemist.

After some more chatting, Theo left the realm. He touched down in Tero’gal only briefly, and only to make sure Uz’Xulven wasn’t annoyed that he had another way around the Bridge. He would bring that exploit to Khahar’s attention one day, but had a feeling he would need it later. The exploit was extremely simple and only required a spell or skill that removed someone from the gods perception and enough willpower to force themselves through. That should have been an easy patch, right?

Theo directed himself to Tresk, who was walking down the streets of Broken Tusk. He appeared next to her, smiling down at the little marshling.

“What’s up with the grin?” she asked, punching him in the arm. Alex honked, shooting a marshling-sized ball of fire into the air.

“I left everyone else in the swamp. Didn’t feel like walking back.”

Tresk laughed, nodding to herself. “That’s a good one. Classic Theo!”

While their day might have ended, Sarisa and Rowan weren’t there to make dinner. They instead went to the Marsh Wolf Tavern, where Xam was happy to sell them prepared food. Tresk helped set the dinner table up, and the pair left a few bottles of Cleansing Scrub by the door for them to use. While Theo waited for the group to return, he inspected his administration screen to get updates about Qavell.

As expected, things were moving forward now that Sulvan and Fenian had scoured the place clean. The Priest of Glantheir was still doing patrols, focusing on the areas underneath the city, but things were stable enough. After the creatures were removed, a haze was lifted from the eyes of the citizens. It didn’t pass the alchemist’s notice that the king himself seemed unaffected. He might have seen bumbling as a newly crowned king, but Hanan had hidden strength. It might have been cause for concern, but the city itself was more concerning.

Once Qavell was stable within the bay, things would be better. Theo had a fear the city would tilt over at any time, regardless of what Ziz said about its stability. More supports were required, and the alchemist was convinced it would take a mountain’s worth of dirt and stone to hold it there. Which might not have been inaccurate, considering how large the section underneath the city was.

When Sairsa and Rowan arrived at the manor, they had scowls on their faces. They muttered curses while they cleaned themselves with Cleansing Scrub. Once the potion had cleared their nostrils out, allowing them to breathe in the scent of the food, they softened. Xam had a habit of outdoing herself every time she cooked. Today was no different. She had cooked cut wolf meat in a thick brown sauce. This was poured over a bed of mashed zee—the type that seemed like packaged grits to Theo—and slathered the sauce on with a heavy hand.

“This almost makes up for your betrayal,” Sarisa said, stuffing her face.

“At least you didn’t need to cook,” Theo said.

“You should know!” Tresk shouted. “When someone can teleport away, they will.”

“That’s fair enough.” Rowan’s face was smeared with the gravy. It dripped from his chin, falling in his lap.  He had taken less offense to the teleporting than his sister.

After the quiet dinner, the group remained at the table for a while. Theo had a few things to add to his administration screen before he retired. The elf from the underworld, Twist, had asked when he could head up north. The question was more complicated than it seemed and the alchemist would need to meet with the man before committing to anything.

With a few samples of wild Spiny Swamp Thistle Root in his mind, Theo, Tresk, and Alex fell into the Dreamwalk. Since the marshling had gained mastery over dreams, their descent was smoother than ever. She was understanding how dream realms worked, and what it meant to fall into one so easily. The result was a more powerful Dreamwalk. She could expand the area, create more realistic simulations, and even generate areas that she had never seen. It was almost like farseeing in that regard.

Tresk had deposited them into Tarantham’s capital city. She didn’t even know the name of the place, and some details were clearly wrong. White stone buildings spread as far as they could see. Orderly roads paved with stones that shimmered with every color. A single spire rose in the distance, dominating the area and making those smaller buildings look tiny in comparison. Theo suspected that she couldn’t really create places she couldn’t imagine. She had simply dropped into someone’s dream that lived in the city.

The expanded simulation was no joke, though. Theo found a workshop that was expansive enough for him to work at and got to it. He forced the Dreamwalk to accept that he was in an Herbalist’s Workshop and placed some imagined samples on the table. Both actions came easy enough. Since he was within a fake workshop, he applied the Research upgrade to the samples. Those that didn’t have a bad reaction back on the mortal plane provided no new information. But the one that had exploded when Rowan touched it was interesting.

[Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]

[Alchemy Ingredient]

Common

The root of a Spiny Swamp Thistle.

Research:

Infused with intense energy from Tero’gal and Drogramath

Fast Growth Cycle

Exceptionally pure sample

Properties:

[Healing] [Regeneration] [Flourish]

As expected, the Research upgrade revealed a bit of information. The sample he had before him was ‘exceptionally pure,’ which could only mean that each property would produce a high-quality sample. This wasn’t something Theo could check in the system unless he brought it to his workshop. But there were signs on the plant itself that would give it away. It was bigger than most other roots that he had collected. The gnarled sections of the root were straight and thick, while the smaller roots shooting out of the main body seemed hearty.

Theo tested between his two samples, pressing a mundane iron knife against each. When he touched the flat of the blade against the inferior sample, almost nothing happened. There was a slight sizzle, but nothing more. He only tapped the second sample with the blade for a moment, but got a series of small explosions that drove the knife away. The alchemist almost lost his grip on it. 

It was easy to push the Dreamwalk further than it wanted to go. With Tresk’s authority, Theo forced it to allow him further testing. In moments, he generated a sample of a potion that would have been created with the root. He felt the edges of the Dreamwalk object. But it ceded to him, as he had created many samples of the Greater Healing Potion. A decent sample of the Greater Healing Potion would restore 175 health. That was at ‘good’ quality. The one created with the new root was different.

[Greater Healing Potion]

[Potion]

Epic+

Created by: Theo Spencer

Grade: Good Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

A healing potion. Drink to restore health.

Effect:

Instantly restores 250 health points.

That was curious. Three things had changed with the potion. It went from Rare to Epic… With a plus after the ‘epic’ part. Theo had never seen that on a potion, and had to wonder what it meant. But the amount of health it restored increased by a staggering amount. To go from 175 to 250 was like jumping a tier in potions. He had never seen the grade of a potion increase the effectiveness that much, unless it was going from poor to perfect.

Theo was certain this potion would rival the next tier, all because he generated it with superior ingredients. That led to questions. Once again, he thought back to the way Drogramath organized his world. No farms, just wild reagents growing everywhere. It was nice having greenhouses with everything he needed. But something told him this plant couldn’t be replicated in those. The only way to create the best potions on the planet, he needed nature’s help.

“A most curious turn of events,” Theo said, pursing his lips and nodding.