The Newt and Demon - Book 6 Chapters 73,74,75 (Patreon)

Chapter 73

Iaredin Before

“Should be easy, right?” Fenian asked.

“Yeah, Ivaran,” Theo mocked. “Super easy.”

“Not like you ever formed a planet,” Fenian grumbled.

“I have!” Tresk said, bouncing with excitement.

“So have I,” Khahar said.

After meeting with the system, it only seemed right to form Fenian’s planet. Theo wanted to get it out of the way, ensuring nothing would change before they had the chance. Putting the task off only opened them up to a situation where the system or the gods took that feature away. Khahar’s world had been formed alongside a throne, making him the expert in this matter. But the world Fenian planned to create would draw strictly from his throne, instead of relying on an existing realm. One could draw parallels between the two, but not enough to follow the instructions step-by-step.

Theo’s theory was that it would only require the throne in the void and the system would handle the rest. Fenian might have to work his willpower over the throne, or invoke some command they weren’t aware of. But it seemed possible based on the information he had gathered.

“So, do you have anything in mind for your world?” Theo asked.

Fenian turned, smiling. “Indeed. A copy of Iaredin before… this. The place I remember, rather than what it has become.”

“You’re going to mirror your home?” Khahar asked with a chuckle. “Well, at least we’ll have a world that isn’t just a swamp.”

“You talking smack about swamp-world?” Tresk asked.

“I would never.”

Fenian shifted uncomfortably. Like most people, he didn’t like the void. Although he could technically travel the void to reach his throne, he had to rely on the Bridge to get to Tero’gal. His hesitation was understandable, but even if he waited a while he wouldn’t be more ready in the future.

“Sounds good to me,” Theo said, clapping his hands. “Wanna grab your throne and head out?”

“We’ll need some guards, won’t we?” Fenian asked, shifting nervously. “Perhaps a gigantic cannon and an army of angry sheep.”

“You’ll be fine for now,” Theo said, grabbing Fenian by the arm. They snapped to the underground place where the Throne of the Herald was stored, appearing back near the welcome center with both the throne and a chunk of the remaining realm. “This is good. We have a decent chunk of the Realm of the Herald’s energy here. All bottled up near the throne.”

“Yes, but you got it dirty,” Fenian said, scrutinizing his magical seat.

“We left it in a cave,” Theo said with a shrug. “You just can’t keep things clean in a cave.”

“Shall we come with you?” Khahar asked. “Perhaps I can provide guidance.”

“Why not?” Theo asked, wrapping his will around everyone gathered. “Party in the void.”

Theo dropped them into the void, getting some distance from the other ‘planets.’ While they were arranged in the system as though they should orbit around the central ‘sun,’ they didn’t. Each planet remained where it was, including Tero’gal and Tol’bak. Any orbit observed from the planet and moon was simulated.

“Here?” Fenian asked, looking around. “I like it better over there.”

“It shouldn’t matter where,” Khahar said. “You’re just establishing your authority.”

Fenian grumbled, looking over to his throne. “How did you do it, Tresk?”

“Sat on my throne and thought about it real, real, real hard.”

“Of course,” he said with a sigh. He climbed onto his throne and sat, looking around with an unsettled gaze. “I’ll just sit here and… This chair isn’t very comfortable. You know, I think we should get a cushion before I make my world.”

“I’ll just leave you here,” Theo warned. “That should help you figure it out.”

“No, no… I’ll get it,” Fenian said. He closed his eyes letting out a steady breath.

It took Fenian a long time to get over whatever hangup he had. Theo felt the energies of the Throne of the Herald creeping up around him. The elf’s face gained a look of absolute concentration as he worked on the new planet. It hadn’t taken Tresk long to make the moon, so he assumed this would be no different. But about a half-hour later, nothing had happened.

“Tea?” Tresk asked, withdrawing steaming mugs of tea from the shared inventory.

Theo accepted his cup, as did Khahar.

“Lovely. Thanks, Tresk,” Theo said.

“He’s controlling the energy at least,” Khahar said, sipping his tea and nodding with approval. “Good tea… Seems like he’s bullying the throne more than anything.”

“Do you think he’ll listen to the system?” Theo asked. “Stop all his weird schemes.”

“I doubt it,” Khahar said. “He’d rather be censured than give up on his dreams. Instead, he’ll prioritize which person he wants dead the most.”

“Why would the system even block that?” Tresk asked. “Does it care about what happens to the mortals?”

“We can’t know,” Khahar said. “The people he wants to kill might be important. Or protected for some other reason.”

“Think I got it,” Fenian said, smiling to himself. His eyes were still closed as he worked on his planet. “This interface takes an immense amount of details, but I figured out how to feed it my memories. That sped up the process, but it still took a moment. Care to see the birth of a planet?”

“Sometime today would be nice,” Tresk sighed.

“Shut it, toad.”

Tresk made a shocked face that faded quickly. Something glowed in the distance. A shimmer of light appeared in the void, born from nothing and creating glittering mist after a few moments. That mist shone as it collected, filled with bolts of electricity that struck at flakes of prismatic essence, turning them into something more solid. Pieces joined, forming something more solid.

“Is that what happened with the moon?” Theo asked.

“Nope. It just winked into existence,” Tresk said with a shrug. “This is new for me, too.”

The group watched as Fenian’s planet formed. He seemed very pleased with himself for the entire formation of the new planet. When it was finally done, the throne vanished from under his butt, likely appearing on the planet itself. From the planet’s orbit, it was impossible to make out details. The floating orbs appeared more like general representations of what was inside, not the actual landmasses.

“Let’s go. Land us wherever you want,” Fenian said, jumping up and down with excitement. “I’ve placed the throne in my place of birth.”

Theo shrugged and took them in for a landing. He wanted to ask what the throneworld would be called, but that would come later. Steering them into the planet, he felt the familiar blink—a sensation like heading through a portal. A moment later, they were standing on a barren landscape. Fenian turned, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder.

“I’ve got it from here,” he said, turning northward.

The alchemist felt himself being pulled with the elf as he stepped forward. It didn’t take someone with otherworldly senses to know they were heading for the place he had set his throne down. Another instant passed and they were standing in a city. Gray stone marked the place with wide avenues bordered on either side by timber buildings. The roofs were a uniform shade of gray, marked by wooden slats stained or painted. Market stalls, stone planters, and other signs of life were littered around the area.

“Wow,” Tresk said, looking around. “You were born here?”

“I took a page out of your book, dear Dreamer,” Fenian said. “I’ve imagined it just before everything happened back then.”

“Perisart,” Khahar said, smiling as he looked around.

“A name you shouldn’t know,” Fenian said with a sigh. “I sometimes forget about your information gathering abilities.”

“Ruled by King Leon back in your day. Before his betrayal and ascension to the Realm of Death,” Khahar said. “Is that the palace?”

Khahar had gestured to spires in the distance, looming through a sheet of fog. Those towers dominated the landscape, rising high above the already considerable walls. Theo couldn’t help but think about what a city would do with such massive walls. It indicated an enemy that could threaten the mighty city. A concerning fact.

“And… Zorp!” Fenian said, dragging the group along to the palace. It was situated in a circular clearing, bordered on all sides by tall buildings. Something that looked like a cathedral sat next to the building with all the spires. Both struck an impressive image. “The palace. I visited it when I was a boy, but this area was normally restricted. Oh… Care to see something interesting?”

“That’s why we’re here, right?” Theo asked, clapping a hand on Fenian’s shoulder.

“Of course! This concerns you… Hmmm, it isn’t quite right. My version is only decorative…” Fenian scrunched his nose, then shrugged. “Oh, well.”

Fenian transported the group to another place in the world, likely hundreds—if not thousands—of miles away. The landscape around them was notable for the rocky hills, rolling all the way to the horizon. They stood on the battlements of a stone keep, cloistering a white tower that had seen better days. A faint blue light radiated from within, and Theo knew what the elf had brought them here for.

“The shards,” Fenian said, descending the battlements. “This tower was built during the war. To defend the shard.”

Theo followed behind, getting a better look at the massive floating crystal. He had a feeling it didn’t compare to the real one in any way, other than looks. “Is this the true location of it?”

“That’s right. We’re standing on the Tarantham continent, if you equate this to the authentic version of Iaredin. There was another one back in the city, but I had never seen it.”

“These are some sturdy walls!” Tresk shouted, slapping the wall. “Was this place run by a seed core?”

“No. We didn’t have those. This wall was built by hand… By cultists, actually. They worshiped the shards.”

“The next location?” Khahar asked. “I have a feeling you’re saving something for last.”

“There are a few locations of note. My memories are mostly of the Tarantham continent. Although we didn’t call it that, most would’ve called it Pera’tal. Anyway, this is Vesta.”

A blink later, Theo felt a chill bite through his Coat of Rake. He stood on a tower, overlooking a rolling landscape as though observing the world from a skyscraper. He looked down, feeling his stomach turn as he saw the distance to the ground below. The wind whipped with such fury, he couldn’t hear what the others were saying—if anything. Fenian was kind enough to take them down to street-level. One thing was clear, the city of Vesta was absolutely massive. The alchemist had never seen the larger cities on Iaredin, but he couldn’t imagine them being bigger than this. Even the city they were just shown wasn’t this big.

“This is where it all happened,” Fenian said with a sigh. “Where the guild was formed. Where we assembled. This is the place where I cut my teeth as a trader and a duelist.”

“That’s an odd combination of professions,” Theo said. “So, you didn’t have seed cores? How different was the system?”

“Very different,” Fenian said. “I’m not sure why it changed so much with the most recent change, but it did. Even before then it was different. Everyone had to learn how the new system worked, and it was sometimes annoying. Compared to what we have now, it was fairly unforgiving. Lots of choices you could make that you couldn’t unmake. I knew a man who had access to some interesting traits, though. He soared above us all before long. Always flaunting his power… That’s how I got so good at fighting. The constant sparring with him.”

Fenian had fallen back into his memories. His eyes seemed unfocused, locked on something in the middle-distance only he could see. After a long silence, tears pooled in the corners of his eyes and he did nothing to wipe them away.

“My wife made it through the war. She was a crafter like you, Theo,” Fenian said, taking a deep breath. It might have been the first time the alchemist saw him showing his genuine emotions. Or perhaps this was another mask. “I thought once I had my revenge I could find her.”

“Find her?” Tresk asked, wincing as she tried to pull her goblin nature back. “Sorry. Thought she died.”

“Is death the end?” Fenian asked with a shrug. “Sometimes. But not always.”

“She wouldn’t last long in the void,” Khahar said. “Not after so much time.”

“But maybe,” Fenian said with a shrug. “I’ve avenged her. Mostly. Maybe only my pride is left to avenge. Or maybe I can give it up and dedicate myself to finding her soul.”

“You won’t want to hear it, but if she was left in the void…” Theo trailed off.

“Then Death will have her,” Fenian said. “Which means I need to cozy up to an enemy I’ve sworn to kill. Well, he’s unkillable now, isn’t he?”

Khahar got a look in his eyes.

“We can’t kill a god,” Fenian said, narrowing his eyes at Khahar. “Don’t you dare pretend like we can kill a god.”

“Gods can be dethroned,” Khahar said. “Literally. They hold thrones just like us. Glantheir passed the information on to me. Wanted me to fight Zaul for his spot as Shadow. He defeated the old Hallow without throwing a spell.”

“Old Franz Nosske,” Fenian said with a sad chuckle. “Now there was a spineless man… So, you’re serious.”

Khahar shrugged. “I never wanted Kuzan on the Throne of Death. Perhaps they call it something different now. Glantheir didn’t say. But they have to fight to keep their spots. Just like us.”

“Okay,” Theo said with a heavy sigh. For dramatic effect, he withdrew a sheet of parchment from his inventory. After touching a fountain pen to his tongue, he held the parchment at arm’s length. “Let me just add an item to my list here… kill… death… Yeah, that should be easy enough.”

“Oh, hell yeah!” Tresk shouted. “Finally! A plan that involves me stabbing something!”

“The plan doesn’t involve you stabbing anything,” Theo said, shaking his head at the marshling.

“Actually…” Khakar bit his lip, revealing his long canines. “It might.”

Chapter 74

Just Chilling

Killing Death seemed like a goofy plan. Theo wasn’t onboard with it, but he wouldn’t vote against it if the others wanted to go through with the plan. The logistics of such a plan were bad enough. If one were to consider the implications and how this might put them out with the gods, things got even worse. But as always, Khahar had a plan that went too deep to have been thought up on the spot. The alchemist didn’t believe Death was the target of this plan originally, but it was a contingency. Then there was the vote of the gods he needed to bring along his landmass.

The group met for a few hours on Fenian’s new planet, which he had named Erradon—although he wouldn’t explain where he had come up with the name or why he settled on that one. Theo was happy to dismiss the god business. Thankfully, there were steps Khahar had to take to make the plan work. After reassurances that nothing they were doing was against the rules, the alchemist departed, depositing the various groups where they wanted to go.

“Why didn’t you make a planet with buildings already on it?” Theo asked as he and Tresk landed back home. The ground rumbled as Alex took a few steps forward.

“I wanted a blank slate,” Tresk said, wiping her hands through the air as though revealing some pristine vision.

All Theo could see was the endless swamp of her planet. But Broken Tusk had been built from the same concept. Why not an entire world for a swamp. Screw it. With the end of the world in sight, there was no one to tell them how to make their planets. Tero’gal, Tol’bak, Khahak, and Erradon were now four Throneworlds strong. Their position with the system was cemented. And they were planning to kill a god. Well, unseat one. But still.

“Should we get some food?” Theo asked. “Maybe head over to the tavern for once?”

“Sure,” Tresk said, nodding down the street. Both Sarisa and Rowan were approaching. They had seen Tresk and Theo appear as they lingered by the manor. “Let’s bring those chuckleheads along. Just gotta feed Alex first.”

Theo nodded, meeting up with Sarisa and Rowan. They looked slightly bored, but otherwise content with the current arrangement. “Dinner?”

“If that means we don’t need to cook,” Sarisa said, clapping with excitement. “Then, yes!”

“Works for me,” Rowan said, rolling his shoulders.

“Is he still sleeping in the garden?” Theo asked.

“Sometimes. Depends on how sensitive he is,” Sarisa said, giving her brother a playful punch in the arm.

“Tresk visits me every single night if I use the baby version of the Dreamwalk,” Rowan said. He certainly looked tired.

After Tresk put Alex down in her stable for the night, the group headed for the Marsh Wolf Tavern. It was packed, as always. But Xam had done a few things to relieve the long wait times for tables. Leveling the building and creating expansions went a long way to help with that. Increasing the number of servers and even hiring another cook helped even more. It didn’t help that traders enjoyed using the tavern while they were in town to have a nice bed to sleep in. That only increased how packed the place was.

The group settled in at the private booth. Theo’s eyes lingered on the small nesting box Xam had built for Alex. The goose-dragon wouldn’t have a chance of fitting in there now. She wasn’t likely to fit into any part of the building, and it was only getting worse. Before long, she wouldn’t even fit in her own barn. A sad story, but that was the life of a dragon-goose.

Before long, a server came and set four plates on the table. It was a take on a Broken Tusk classic. The standard wolf meat stew had been reduced down from thick broth to a goopy gravy. That was poured over straight, flat noodles and garnished with green vegetation and shredded cheese. The entire pile was topped with a glob of white cream.

“Her dishes are getting more complex,” Theo said, mixing the food before him. Tresk did the same. When it was all mixed up, he watched in horror as she… ate like a normal person. “Are you okay?”

“Better than ever. Why?”

“You haven’t tipped the entire plate into your open gob,” Theo said. “Are you sure you don’t have a fever or something?”

“I’m fine.” Tresk slapped Theo’s hand away as he went to press it against her forehead. “Just trying some new things, ya know?”

“But why?”

Tresk shrugged. “Alex is evolving, isn’t she? Maybe I gotta evolve a little bit.”

“Just a bit though,” Sarisa said with a smile. “We don’t want you changing too much you little scamp.”

“I am pretty scampish, aren’t I?” Tresk asked with a giggle.

“How about this plan of ours?” Theo asked, trying not to grumble. It was hard. “Think it’ll work?”

“You saw Fenian’s eyes when Khahar mentioned it, right? He even promised to drop his assassination plan on Balkor’s Shadow. That guy wants Kuzan dead like no one else on the planet.” Tresk let out a heavy sigh, forking a few more noodles and hunks of wolf meat. “If we can direct his energy in a constructive way, we good.”

“Seems like a big change,” Rowan grumbled, eyes locked on Tresk.

“Our personalities bleed into each other,” Theo explained. “Tresk constantly fights it, but sometimes she slips.”

“It goes both ways,” Tresk said, narrowing her eyes at Theo. “I’ve seen you go full marshling mode before.”

“More like full goblin mode,” Sarisa muttered.

“Unseating Kuzan isn’t going to be easy, though. The plan is based on Khahar’s silly theory. Who wouldn’t want to be a god?” Tresk asked.

“We’ll see,” Theo said. “We have our part to play, and we need to stick to it. I’ve spread myself too thin in the past, and I’m looking to correct that. We’re all evolving.”

Theo didn’t want to talk about their plan much. Not because he was afraid someone would overhear. The Seal in place between the heavens and the mortal world was firmly in place. But he was serious about sticking to their roles. Too many times he had stretched himself over many projects, trying to be everything for everyone. If there was one thing he learned about his time in Broken Tusk, it was the importance of others. Even with his cheat powers, the town would crumble without the efforts of many people.

Dinner was nice. Theo was surprised with each bite Tresk took, showing her immense restraint. She was trying to calm herself down, taking things one step at a time rather than rushing through to her goal. Dinner gave way to light conversation and lingering footsteps toward the bathhouse. Instead of making their way straight to bed, the group instead went for a soak in the hot water. Lowering himself up to his nose, the alchemist watched as everyone relaxed. With a few conversations springing up here and there, the group enjoyed the refreshing waters. Once everyone was too tired to soak, they went to bed for the night. Even Rowan slept inside, although Tresk giggled ominously before they retired.

###

Breakfast the next morning was normal. What came after wasn’t. Tresk ran off like she normally did—although the way she ate breakfast was anything but normal. She once again ate like a normal person. After vanishing for only a few minutes, she returned to catch up to Theo making his way from the manor to the lab. Alex landed on the road, stomping along as they walked.

“So, what is this?” Theo asked, gesturing to Tresk.

“What?” Tresk asked, looking down at herself. “Do I have goose crap on me?”

“No, you’re just coming along… For what?”

“Just hanging out,” Tresk answered, waving him away.

“Just chilling,” Alex added.

Theo nodded, although he couldn’t sense either of their intentions. But it would only be a lie to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy their company. Any time a member of the Tara’hek was near, he felt a sense of calm. Even at a distance he could sense that comforting sensation, but when Tresk or Alex was near, the effect increased significantly. The alchemist could feel that she was hiding nothing. A genuine sense of wanting to be close to her soul bonded partner flooded through her, although she hid the source.

“So, what are you working on today?” Tresk asked.

Theo gestured to the equipment piled outside of the Newt and Demon, shaking his head. Throk never disappointed when it came to matters of whipping together artifices in such a short time. He suspected the artificer had repurposed some old stuff, but if it worked it worked. “Looks like we have some new equipment to test. Looks like the door is unlocked, so I’m gonna bet Salire is working on the new Reforge Mind potions.”

“Which means what?” Tresk asked. “Can I help?”

“You can run to the temple and check on how the resting space elf is doing,” Theo said. “Once he’s awake, we can work on the other guys.”

“I’m on it, boss,” Tresk said, saluting and spinning on the spot. She dashed away, followed closely behind by Alex.

“Huh,” Theo said, entering the lab as he watched the marshling depart. It was a strange but welcome turn of events. The alchemist made his way up the stairs. “Hey, Salire… Any progress?”

As expected, Salire was on the third floor working on some potions. From the aroma, Theo suspected she was working on the Reforge Mind potions. The ones she was working on smelled less offensive, holding almost a floral scent.

“Oh! I was just working on these,” Salire said, turning and holding a potion for Theo to see. “All by myself like a big girl. I faked the third tier using the Suffuse Potion. As you suspected, we had a few issues to work out. Mana infusion did well to suppress our problem with low quality.”

“Excellent,” Theo said, holding the potion in his hand. He gave it a swirl, nodding with approval.

[Greater Reforge Mind]

[Potion]

Epic

Created by: Salire Hogrush

Purity: 90%

Imbibing this potion reforges a mortal’s mind. The process is extremely painful, but all illness, damage, mental fatigue, etc are scoured clean.

“Look at that. An extremely important potion crafted by Salire Hogrush,” Theo said, holding it up to the light with a smile. “90% and you didn’t even break a sweat.”

Salire’s cheeks went redder than they normally were. “You did most of the work.”

Theo shrugged. Not really. If Salire wanted, she could do the entire process by herself. It would take a lot longer for her, though. Her mana control had come a long way, but it wasn’t fine enough to get the quality needed to brew third tier potions. He would try not to lie to her about it, discouraging her away from practicing, but the alchemist suspected it would take years without cheats to get where she needed to be.

“Since you started, we’ve always laid the groundwork together,” Theo said. “I can’t predict what Tero’gal will want from us when we finally live there permanently. No idea if it lets me keep all my cheated attributes. So I want to make sure I’m sharp on the skill-based portions of alchemy.”

“So, do you think the Greater Reforge Mind potion I crafted will work?” Salire asked.

Theo leaned over the table, looking at the potion. It seemed fine to him. A higher grade was good enough, but this one was also of a higher purity than the first one they made. Normally, when a potion jumped a tier it lost quality. The alchemist didn’t have much data to back that up, but he observed it once so that’s what he was going with.

“It should work. We know it’ll work better than the other one we threw together, anyway.”

“Right. So, how many should I make? I’ve already got about fifty of them, because… Well, they’re hard to work with.” Salire looked slightly ashamed at that. “Feels like I should have more.”

“Just do another run,” Theo said, thinking about the new equipment Throk had delivered. “I don’t think we can handle many space elves, anyway. There’s no reason to be worried about only creating fifty of the strongest potions I’ve ever seen. That’s a lot of potions.”

Salire clicked her tongue. “I guess you’re right. I need to stop comparing our new output with our old output.”

“Especially with potions like this. When you have this many steps to go through, you have to accept some loss along the way. Speaking of, where did you lose most of the essence?”

“Some while distilling the essence itself, and some during the mixing process.”

Theo nodded. The reagents he provided her were infused with his mana, meaning they should have been almost perfect for the task. “Well, we’re still happy.”

Tresk burst through the door, skidding to a stop. “Elf is awake!” she shouted. “Gotta come see the elf!”

Theo smiled at Salire. “Guess we’re going to see the elf. Perfect timing, Tresk.”

“I always have perfect timing.”

Chapter 75

Xol’sa, Your Name is Sa

Sulvan’s dungeon—hospital—wasn’t any more inviting compared to the last time Theo had visited it. The place was damp, dark, and far colder than it should have been. Ziz and his boys had done well to expand the space available for patients. The alchemist still wouldn’t question how they accomplished the feat. It should have flooded from the swamp, or the groundwater deposited by the river. But it was only slightly damp, showing no sights of standing water. Magic or something.

Zarali, Bilgrob, and Sulvan were all standing at the end of the hall. They nodded as Theo approached, but had looks on their faces that said it wasn’t all good news.

“How is he?” Theo said, approaching with Tresk and Salire close behind. Alex had wanted to come, but she didn’t even fit inside the temple.

“Better than dead,” Bilgrob said. “Tiny elf isn’t dead, so we did a good job. Right?”

As simplistic and ogre-like as the statement was, he wasn’t wrong. “Can I see him?”

“There’s not much to see,” Salire said, smiling. “But, yes. He’s talking and he even drank some water.”

“Be gentle, Theo,” Sulvan said, dabbing his forehead. “My Lord is concerned about this one.”

Theo nodded, poking his head into the door. The space elf was awake, taking shallow breaths as he stared at the ceiling. Theo was thankful he hadn’t brought Xol’sa along to see the elf’s progress. He was alive, but that’s all that could be said about him. The vacancy in his eyes was concerning.

“My name is Theo Spencer,” he said, approaching the bed’s edge. “I’m an alchemist. Do you know where you are?”

The elf sucked in shallow gasps, his gaze locked on the ceiling. Theo got closer, looking into the man’s eyes as though to discern some message written on his irises. The slight vibrations of his pupils showed he was doing something. Perhaps freaking out thanks to his imprisonment in the chunk of land floating in the void. Tresk poked her head out from behind the alchemist, poking the man with a stick.

“I’ll be back,” Theo said, wrapping his will around himself, Tresk, and the elf.

The moment the bubble of Shadow’s magic encased the group, the elf’s breathing grew steady. By the time they appeared in the void, his eyes were searching around.

“He’s a void junky,” Theo said, shaking his head. The elf rested on the bottom of the bubble, looking around and clawing at nothing. “Perhaps we need to reforge their bodies…”

“Maybe. Can you wean him off of his void addiction?” Tresk asked, being helpful for once.

“That could work. I want some answers first. Can you hear me?” Theo snapped his fingers in the air, gaining the elf’s attention. “My name is Theo Spencer. What’s yours?”

“Don’t remember,” the man said, his voice sounding as though it clawed at his throat.

“Your people moved a chunk of land into the void. You tried to power it with the Great Shards, but the power faded. The protective bubble collapsed and your race was driven insane.” Theo let those words hang in the air. Yeah, he was slightly bitter about what the elves had done. But this wasn’t the first time he cleaned up someone else’s mess. And it wouldn’t be the last. “Do you remember?”

“Water.”

Tresk produced a skin of watered wine from the shared inventory, handing it over. The man drank deeply, draining the entire skin before coming up for air. He gasped, wine dribbling down his chin and onto his ‘hospital’ clothes. Leaning forward, the elf rubbed his temples and muttered something.

“The Pilgrimage wasn’t the will of the Bara’their,” the elf said. “Just the insane plan of one.”

“Who?”

“Doesn’t matter. They’re dead.”

“Oh, spicy,” Tresk said.

The elf gained more of himself by the moment. The watered wine did a lot to bring him back. Or perhaps it was the void. Theo couldn’t say, but he wouldn’t complain.

“Of course, most of us expected it to go wrong. When it did, he was executed. But there was no way to return. The void itself seeped into us, sending one person after the other inside. Our prayers to the ascendants faltered before they traveled through the void. We were lost.”

“You sent one of your children to the mortal world,” Theo said. “Do you remember that.”

“Yes. We attempted to send people many times. It only worked for the children who hadn’t been corrupted by the void. Did any make it?”

“We know of one. His name is Xol’sa, and he is an accomplished wizard.”

A flash of pride raced across the elf’s face. “Accomplished? Interesting.”

“Unfortunately, you’re still tied to the void. We’ve cured your insanity, but that doesn’t help your current state.”

The elf looked around, gritting his teeth. “You can travel freely through the void?”

“I can,” Theo confirmed. “This is a very recent development, though. What year did your people leave the mortal world?”

“Around 10,000.”

“Wow. We’re almost at 60,” Tresk said.

“That long?” the elf asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And the rest of my people?”

“They’re all fine,” Theo said. “Each needs to endure the process you just went through. And we need to find a cure for this void sickness.”

Theo paused, waiting for Void to appear out of nowhere. But he didn’t. The gods had truly sealed themselves away. It was up to mortal hands to figure out how to make this happen.

“Bringing you back to the mortal place isn’t a good idea,” Tresk said. “And we’d break some rules bringing you to the ascendant worlds…”

“I don’t know what those are.”

“Don’t worry about it for now,” Theo said. “We need to focus on you. Figuring out the mechanism that’s making you get sick. I can’t stay in the void forever.”

“Bring me back to the mortal world. I want to see what will happen,” the elf said.

With a shrug, Theo angled them back to Iaredin. An instant later, they were standing back in that room. The healers were muttering to themselves outside of the room, turning when they group reappeared. When the alchemist let his bubble drop, the elf sagged but didn’t pass out.

“Did you take him to the gods?” Zarali asked.

“Just into the void.” Theo gave the elf a good look, determining if he was fit to stand on his own. “I’m not sure how long he can last down here.”

“Not long,” the elf said, taking a seat on the bed. “I can feel the void energy leaving my soul.”

Theo exchanged a concerned look with Tresk. She picked up on it as well as he did. “I’m not a healer, but I think I know what’s going on.”

“Your soul is messed up,” Tresk continued. “We saw the same thing with Xol’sa.”

“Xol’sa?” the elf asked, his eyes brightening. “I recognize that name…”

“Do you remember your name?” Theo asked.

“Tag’Kalan. Kalan for short. I remember the other mortals having trouble with our names. We normally use the second part,” the elf said.

“Nice to meet you, Kalan,” Theo said. “And now, you’ll go back into a deep slumber.”

“What? Why?” Kalan asked.

“Your soul is corrupted,” Tresk said with a shrug. “Messed up bad enough that the local system doesn’t know what to do with you. The only fix is a Reforge Soul potion.”

“Which are not in good supply,” Theo said. “I think we have a few left over, but the flower needed to make them is difficult to find.”

Kalan sighed, falling back onto the bed. “Can you save them, alchemist? My people, that is.”

“Just because something is hard, doesn’t mean we can’t do it. We’re already producing as many of the Reforge Mind potions as we can. Next up are the Reforge Soul Potions. We’ll make it happen.” Theo placed a comforting hand on the man’s shoulder before withdrawing a potion from his inventory. The alchemist loved nothing more than keeping a massive stock of potions ready at all times. Seeing this one go was painful, but there was no option. “Drink up.”

“You’re putting him to sleep again?” Zarali asked, poking her head through the threshold.

“I wanted to pretend like this wouldn’t be a problem. But Xol’sa had the same issue. We already have a history of soul corruption with the Bara’their…”

Once the vial was empty, Kalan passed out again. Theo clicked his tongue, disappointed there wasn’t a quick fix to his problem.

“I guess that’s done,” Sulvan said with a sigh. “We’ll do our best to make sure he stays alive.”

“Why not? I’m growing to love this dungeon,” Bilgrob said.

“This is an infirmary. Not a dungeon,” Sulvan corrected.

“Could’ve fooled me.”

Theo jerked his head. Tresk came following him as he left the room. There was a lot to think about, and even more planning. They found Salire at the end of the hall.

“You didn’t want to see him?” Theo asked, pulling her along as he passed.

“This place is creepy. Would it kill them to add some lighting?”

Theo tried not to laugh. He explained the situation. They needed to search for an alternative to the Soul Bloom. Anything that had the Soul property would work, but they currently had no alternatives to the hidden property on spirit plants. The problem with the Soul Bloom itself was that it only bloomed when the shifting moon, Telbaris, was in its green phase. With eight phases, that meant they only had a shot at it once every eight days. Even then, the things were hard to find.

“We should go through our stock, and buy any reagents offered by the merchants,” Theo said. “Do you know how many more Reforge Soul potions we have at the lab?”

“One,” Salire answered. “And we need… a few hundred?”

“That’s right,” Theo said.

“I’ll head south right away,” Tresk offered. “Maybe I can find something in the lizard islands.”

“Sarisa? Rowan?” Theo asked. The pair appeared immediately. “I want you to head to the caves. Grab anything that looks like a reagent and bring it back. I told the golems to obey your commands, so you can push them out if you need to go deeper.”

“Got it,” the brother-sister duo said with salutes. They rushed off.

Alex flew in, landing roughly on the ground. Tresk winked as she ascended onto the familiar’s back before taking off. Theo couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. Broken Tuskers were good at jumping to action when something needed to be done. That’s what he loved about them. They would drop everything when someone needed help. They didn’t need a reason or an overwrought explanation. Just point them in a direction, give them a hammer, and they would go to work.

“Tear the lab apart,” Theo said. “Time to learn how to deconstruct reagents.”

“Okay,” Salire said, straightening up. “I’ll do it.”

Theo watched as the woman headed off. He turned his eyes to the sky, thinking about what he had to do. As much as he hated seeing the elves in the void, he had a suspicion. That would be some irony, wouldn’t it?

The alchemist headed to the town square, watching as people passed by, nodding as they went. He had neglected the town’s level for a while. Perhaps there would be time to do a sweep of upgrades after he sorted out the space elf problem. For now, he passed through Xol’sa’s portal. Since Zarali wasn’t there, he didn’t tip-toe as he ascended the steps. As expected, the wizard was studying one of the many devices he was working on.

“Good news and bad news,” Theo said.

Xol’sa turned, raising a brow.

“I should’ve told you. But time was limited. The man we brought back woke. Then he almost died, so I had to put him back under.” Theo waited for some amount of anger. But it didn’t come.

“Understandable,” Xol’sa said, nodding to himself. “Did he speak?”

“Briefly. His name is Tag’Kalan. But he didn’t tell us what he did for the space elves. Apparently, your name is supposed to be Sa,” Theo said.”

“What?”

“You take the last part of your name is your nickname.” Theo shrugged. He thought that would make the news easier to process.

“You had to use a Reforge Soul Potion, didn’t you?” Xol’sa asked with a labored sigh. “That makes the most sense. That also means you need something from me, don’t you?”

“I sent everyone off to find a reagent with the Soul property, but I had an idea,” Theo said. “A pretty bad idea, actually. Well, perhaps you could call it cruel, rather than bad…”

“What is it?”

“Imagine the reagent we need is with the elves. That’s a cruel sense of irony if ever I’ve heard it.”

“Are you confident you’ll find anything of use?” Xol’sa asked.

“Nope. Just a feeling.”

Xol’sa nodded, pushing away from his table and standing. “I’ll do what I must. What do you need me for?”

“Restraining the elves. I can beat them up, but that seems cruel. It might also be a chance for you to set eyes on the shards.”

“I do hate traveling through the void,” Xol’sa said with a sigh. “But if it needs to be done.”

The bit of land floating in the void was an area untouched by the gods and the ascendants. Theo saw it as an untamed wilderness. He could bring anyone he wanted to that place, although he was uncertain why he would want to. Aside from potential reagents, it only contained the shards and the insane elves. Well, the forests were beautiful, but one didn’t have to travel far in the Southlands Region to find a forest.

Theo expanded his aura, encompassing Xol’sa. “Ready?”

“No. Let’s go anyway. I’d rather get it over with quickly.”