The Newt and Demon - Book 7 Chapters 40,41,42 (Patreon)

Chapter 40

Unique Magic

Of the many flavors of magic in the world, divine magic held the highest possibility of wide-area effects. Taking Zarali’s buffing powers as an example, she drew on Drogramath’s power to increase the effectiveness of potions for everyone within a town. While she no longer had access to those powers, Theo viewed them as something awaiting him in the system. Perhaps it was arrogance that made him feel as though he could unlock it, but he held onto that hope.

Tero’gal had gone into a pleasant form of stagnation in recent times. There had been several cold wars fought along imagined borders, but the realm wasn’t having it. Even after it had been upgraded to a Throneworld, it was unwilling to allow its denizens to fight. While that might have changed in the future, for now there was peace.

Belgar came jogging over when Theo landed, waving and smiling as he ran. “Been a while,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Anything interesting in the mortal world?”

Theo waved the question away, heading over to the meeting area they had built so long ago. “Not really. Everything is developing as it should… Is it me, or does Tero’gal feel more like a place? I can’t find a better way to describe it.”

Belgar shrugged. “Hard to say. If there’s a change, it's slow enough for me not to notice. How is my sister?”

“She’s busy. Sorry for not bringing her along,” Theo said. “She’s one of few healers in a time where we need healers.”

“Oh, that’s quite fine,” Belgar said. He cleared his throat, giving a thorough update on the various towns within the throneworld. Although Theo hadn’t asked for such an extensive update, he focused.

More than the cessation of wars, the people within Tero’gal were happy because they had been reunited with lost family members. Or they had established new families. It wasn’t Theo’s wish, but the first proto-nations were rising. It was much slower now with the time dilation no longer so intense, but it was there.

Theo slid a cup of tea across to Belgar, taking his seat with a sigh. “The true reason I came was to discover the nature of Tero’gal’s magic.”

“I’m afraid that’s too advanced for me,” Belgar said. “I wasn’t even decent with his alchemy.”

The tea Theo had made was nothing compared to what Benton could make. The bear-man had a hidden tea-making core or something. He would ignore Belgar’s remark about Drogramath for now. There was no need to dig at old wounds. Instead, he sat with the company of the former mortal and felt the magic of the world around him. The alchemist might not have discovered any secrets of magic, but he was pretty good. And Belgar was always good company. He had fallen into the role of leader easily and was managing the region with little effort.

"Well, I need to go check on a few things," Theo said, standing and excusing himself from the table. "I'll try to visit more often, if I can remember."

"Don't worry about it," Belgar said, meeting him at the door and waving. "I know you're busy.”

Theo smiled as he focused on a region to the south. He could still feel most of the world, as though it was an extension of himself. While that power might one day fade, right now he could still teleport anywhere he wanted. In a blink, he was standing in the swampy region to the south. The platformed town Drogramath had created sprawl before him. They had expanded some in recent days, but not by much. The alchemist walked through the town and found the ex-god's home.

“I sense you're searching for something,” Drogramath said. He was sitting at a large wooden table. The stump of his missing horn caught the light of a burning lantern.

"I'm actually looking for Toru’aun," Theo said with a chuckle, "although I don't mind checking in on you and your people.”

"Oh, don't worry about us," Drogramath said, waving a dismissive hand. "She took the Bridge of Shadows a few days ago, headed towards the marshling’s world. I think she intends to live there, rather than my fair town."

"Well, I won't keep you from whatever the hell it is you do with your time," Theo said. "If you need anything from me, just send a message to the north."

He said nothing as the alchemist turned away, intending to leave. Theo stood there for a few long moments before he released a scion, dropping into the void. It was slightly more difficult to move around on Tresk's world, let alone sense what was there. But he borrowed from his partner's power, sensing all the lives in the world. It was probably the second least populated world in the new cosmos. But there were still a few hundred people here. It didn't take him long to find the person he was looking for.

Theo appeared in a swamp. The entire planet was a swamp. But whoever inhabited this area had mounded dirt in one section and flattened it out. A single log cabin rested there, with wisps of smoke rising from a brick chimney on the top. Although it was dark outside, the windows glowed with faint firelight. The alchemist approached the door and knocked. It swung open a few beats later.

"Oh, it's you," Toru'aun said, leaving the door open as she vanished into our house. "I figured it was only a matter of time before you came here to ruin my solitude."

Her hair was looking more white than it had when she was a god. Toru'aun was the Queen of Mysteries before all the gods fell from grace. For quite a while, Theo held one of her cores in his chest, but had since converted it to one belonging to his own realm. Now he came as an awkward aspirant of a nonexistent form of magic. If anyone would know how to help him, it was her.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Theo said. Entering the cramped quarters of her cabin awkwardly, she found a seat on a plain sofa before the fire. She went back to what she was doing after he entered, scooping up two knitting needles and getting back to work on whatever it was. To him, it appeared to be a blanket, but he could never visualize how these things came together.

"You've already intruded," Toru'aun said with a scoff. "No need to apologize. What do you need, Theo?"

Without an invitation to sit, Theo didn't want to be presumptuous. Instead, he stood like an incredibly awkward person near the threshold of the door and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat.

"I'm working on creating my own form of magic." Theo said. When he said it out loud, it certainly seemed stupid. “Not that I think the magic you created was inferior, I just think a different approach would better serve me."

"You're not going to offend me here, Theo," she said sadly, gesturing to her simple living arrangements. "I've cast off all mantles of godhood and have embraced the simple life. I don't miss being a God at all. In fact, I was forced into it from the start. I hated it."

"Really?" Theo asked. "I couldn't tell."

Toru'aun looked up, offering the alchemist a sly smile. "You always were hard to pin down, Mr. Archduke," she said. "Fine, I'll tell you everything I know about creating your own magic system. But you’ll need to have a seat.”

"Right," Theo said, crossing the room awkwardly and having a seat beside her. Sadly‌, of all the gods and the old pantheons, she was probably the one he liked the most. Unlike those other gods, she never tried to get involved in things. She kept to herself, keeping quiet on almost all matters and avoiding interactions at all costs. The alchemist had a theory that the only reason she got involved was a special request from her sister. From what he understood, Uz’Xulven was her blood sister, but he wasn't brave enough to ask.

"Unfortunately, I think I know you well, Theo. Perhaps a little too well," Toru'aun said. She never looked up from her knitting, still working the needles at impossible speeds, to create something he still couldn't conceptualize. “You like forcing things into their place. I get it. Just look at this place. Anyway, the magic systems we made through the system were based partly on our nature. But we designed some of it by hand.”

"That's good news," Theo said. "Can you tell me how exactly to do it?"

"It might be different in your case since you'll be working through the realm, but I suggest coming up with a plan and proposing it to your world. Then it's possible it will work with you to make your preferred magic system."

"So you're telling me my realm doesn't want to make the new magic system since I don't have a plan?" Theo asked. "I guess I am being kind of vague with what I want out of it."

"That's just my guess, of course," Toru'aun said. "Your realm could be completely opposed to whatever you have in mind and is simply refusing to help you. Since these worlds seem to be more sapient than most realms, you might run into further roadblocks."

Well, that would be a kick in the pants. I feel he wasn't exactly sure what he wanted from his magic system. Perhaps if he let go of any future ideas and simply proposed the idea of wide-area magic to his realm, it would be more willing to work with him. At least he had some perspective on how tenuous his grasp on the situation was. That, at least, gave him a direction.

"I figured out a way to weave spell arrays into potions," Theo said with a shrug. "I thought you might be interested in something like that."

"I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that," Toru'aun said, shaking her head. "Do you have an example I could see?"

Theo pulled an imbued potion from his inventory and handed it over. Toru'aun set her knitting stuff down and took the potion, rolling it over in her hands and humming to herself.

"Now, that is very interesting," Toru'aun said, squinting as she looked into the murky liquid within the vial. "You've taken the fundamental magic of the potion and bound it with a spell so expertly, I really have never seen anything like it."

“Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool too, but nobody else in my city shares my enthusiasm for it.”

"Well, let me be the first to say I am extremely enthusiastic about it," Toru'aun said in a flat tone. She certainly didn't sound enthused.

Before departing from Tresk's world, Theo chatted with Toru'aun for a bit about what she had been doing and what she expected from this new life. Once he got her to open up a bit, she revealed that this was the ideal life for her. She was self-sufficient out here in the swamp and had minimal contact with other people. Somehow, she had already contacted Tresk, cordoning off a hundred square mile radius around her lone cabin that would prevent anybody else from building here. It was a strangely thoughtful thing coming from the marshaling.

When he was done chatting, Theo headed back to his own world. Instead of landing in the town run by Belgar, he navigated toward the tallest peaks where the Dreamwalker's Throne was held. Within the ornate building, it was nice and warm, though outside it was inhospitable, with flurries of snow and ice. He sat upon the throne, propping his head up by placing his elbow on the arm of the chair and his fist on his chin.

A spike of ice ran up his spine as an unfamiliar voice echoed through the hall.

"Heavy is the head," the voice said, bearing a tone of familiar amusement.

“You can say that again,” Theo said, searching around the area with both his senses and his aura, but he found nothing. “And who am I speaking to?”

"You're very close," the voice said. "Very close to fixing everything. Meticulous plans are coming together after so many years."

Theo just couldn't shake the familiarity of this voice, but his near-perfect memory failed him. Normally, he could recall these things if he thought hard enough, but this one just wouldn't bubble to the surface like he wanted. Instead, he stared at the gilded halls of his opulent castle in befuddlement. No one should have been able to breach into his realm, and fewer still could penetrate into the sanctum of the throne room.

There is only one being he could think of that could get this far without detection.

“I suppose it's been a while, hasn't it?" Theo asked, allowing the faintest of smiles to play across his face. “I didn't think you really cared.”

"This world and your old world were my responsibility. My policy of... no interaction has not served me well here. It has taken far longer than expected to get things working as they should, but we are close."

"You're saying you could have intervened at any time, but you simply chose not to?" Theo asked, shaking his head. "That didn't work out very well, did it?"

"It was a unique situation," the voice said. "The first I, or any of my kind, has encountered. It is simply regrettable that my other half chose the path he did. All has been corrected, and we are nearing the end of the road."

“Some quests along the way would have been nice,” Theo said with a shrug, “Maybe you could have told me I was doing well, or told me what you had planned.”

“And yet, you found yourself at the end of the road anyway,” The voice responded with a strange clicking sound. “Alas, I am spread too thin and must go.”

Theo clicked his tongue as he listened to the fluttering of feathers somewhere in the distance. He shook his head. "Damned bird people," he grumbled.

Chapter 41

Custom Mythril Still

As Theo did with a lot of the insane crap that happened in his life, he put the message from the random voice to the back of his thoughts. Instead of worrying about it, he took it as a big thumbs-up and moved on. He then shifted his focus to Tero’gal, closing his eyes as he sat upon the throne and considered the words Toru’aun had said to him.

“The power was inside you the whole time, Theo!” he said, trying not to mock the words of an ex-god too much. Still, it was frustrating.

The alchemist lamented for a bit, but soon took a deep breath to release the tension. As he did, he felt something from the realm push back. It was a kind of recognition of his plight which brought a satisfying sense of comfort. If only the world could speak. But Theo felt as though it heard his request. Even if it didn’t want to act on that right now.

But Theo planned to take the encouragement he had received from Toru’aun seriously. He hadn’t seen his infused potions as anything but a side-step from his standard potion crafting. Yet she had seemed genuinely amazed by the way they worked. Since it took a lot to impress the woman, he took this as a good sign.

The only conclusion he could draw was that he needed to craft more infused potions. No matter how stupid the combination seemed, one could turn out to be amazing. That was the fun of combining effects.

“And I think we might have some infusion stills…”

Reserving himself to the idea of finding no solution today, Theo fell through the space between places into the void. Although he felt a slight urge to visit the system, he resisted. Conversations with it were often one-sided on their part, and it seemed eager to act with little consideration. It was best to let it continue uninterrupted for now.

A strained yelp filled Theo’s ears as he reappeared in the lab.

“You really need to teleport outside and use the door,” Salire said, clutching her chest. “What if I was doing a sensitive experiment?”

“My bad,” Theo said. “Are these the newest infusion artifices?”

Salire glared at him for a few moments before releasing a sigh. “Yes. Version 10 or something. I can’t remember.”

Theo watched as Salire regained her composure. She got back to work, but still gave him an untrusting look. The still in question wasn’t made from the normal Drogramathi Iron. Apparently, Throk was conserving the stock he had of the metal. This new still was made from mythril. The silver-white metal had been alchemically treated, giving it a faintly purple hue. The alchemist pressed his hand onto the surface, summoning the system interface.

[Custom Mythril Artifice Infusion Still]

[Alchemy Equipment]

Epic

Created By: Throk

A 50 unit capacity mythril still with two holding tanks and attached infusion chamber, protective plating, overpressure valves, and infusion pressurizer.

Effects:

Distillation time reduced.

Occasionally produces more essence.

Reduces the chance of explosive reactions.

Attachments:

[Custom Alchemically Treated Mythril Infusion Chamber]

[Custom Alchemically Treated Mythril Plating]

[Custom Alchemically Treated Mythril Infusion Pressurizer]

[Custom Mythril Heater]

“At least we’re putting this new metal to work,” Theo said, getting closer to inspect the still.

It wasn’t just that Throk had innovated on each step of the mana infuser’s design. He had made improvements all around. From the form to the function, the man was a genius with artifices. Theo foresaw that this new version of the still would be incredibly easy to work with, and Salire seemed to agree.

“I haven't worked with it yet,” she said. Salire was still working on potions of her own. “But I was impressed when he delivered it. It seemed like a point of pride for him.”

“I can see why,” Theo said, standing up after giving the still a good look over, “How about we make some test potions just for fun?"

"Did you have any potion in mind?" Salire asked. “Has your knowledge of magical things grown as expected?”

"Not really. That entire trip was a bit of a fiasco. I made little progress on getting access to new magic," Theo said.

"Ah, so as always, we're winging it," Salire said with a nod. "Sounds about right."

Theo smiled to himself as he got to work. Of course, although he didn't accomplish what he had wanted to get done, he still had access to many spells he could infuse his mana with. Base-level support magic gave buffs that varied from spells such as haste, protective spells, and all other manner of cool things. The problem was finding which one was compatible with which potion.

Rolling through his mental list of potions, Theo thought about which one would go best with the spell he had in mind. In this, he was limited to potions that he had on hand. Something he had not experimented with, in terms of infusion, were poisons. So, why not try those? Using Poison Essence to start the infusion process, he infused his mana with a spell he hoped would generate interesting results.

Since the poison was an offensive creation, Theo had thought about all the spells he had read that had debuffing qualities. Since he had already tested the haste spell, he saw a parallel in the Slow spell. He worked the infusion still, filling the mana side with his mana laced with the essence of the spell.To the other side, he put the poison essence and started the machine.

Even the operation of this version of the still was smoother than the last one. It apparently made a sound as it heated, mixed, and condensed the two sides, creating a slow drip of essence that fell into a glass flask at the end of the line. Salire watched with moderate interest as the process rolled on. It filled the air with a strange scent that was almost like hot tar, but with a hint of disconcerting sweetness.

"If you take a simple mage's core, I'm sure you can do this part," Theo said, keeping a close watch on both sides as they worked. "The spell is incredibly easy to form, and I think you're at a point where you can do it too."

"I fear confidence in me is misplaced," Salire said with a weak shrug.

"Nonsense. The spell's so simple. It's only got like two parts. Maybe if we were doing something more complicated you'd have reason to be concerned, but you can handle this one," Theo said. "What we need to worry about now is expanding the lab. I can't believe we're already out of space, even considering the stills on the second floor."

"Well, since you're in charge of the building, I'll rely on you to expand it."

"You know what's funny?" Theo asked. "Although I check the markets very often, I have never seen an alchemy lab seed core. They just don't sell them."

"I know you're not entirely aware of this," Salire said, flashing a smile, "but alchemists are rarer than you believe. At least in Old Qavell."

Theo had heard plenty of stories about the ineptitude of those alchemists. He had always chalked it up to the inefficient guild system, but it was hard to say. They had a long road to walk since they could only do poultices at the start of their alchemical journey. The demon alchemists, on the other hand, had access to distillation from level 1. That was an incredible boon that put them at least 50 levels ahead of their competition.

And yet, those same demon alchemists weren't likely to have access to a building such as this. They were nomadic people who rarely stayed in the same place for more than a few days, let alone long enough to plant a seed core and actually grow the building. No, they were at as much of a disadvantage as the regular alchemists. Only this strange combination of events had produced alchemy, the likes of which this world hadn't seen since Drogramath’s time.

Theo and Salire chatted about whatever. Mostly, they talked about the various traders that were coming to town. It was hard to estimate how long it would take a person to get from Tarantham to Broken Tusk, and they were perpetually confused about supply chains. Those sailors had magically enchanted boats, not dissimilar to the ones crafted in the harbor here, but with a legacy of seafaring. The elves would have had secrets they could only imagine. Perhaps it only took them a few days to make the trip, which made up thousands of miles.

"I think you've got enough of the essence to make a potion." Salire pointed to the string attached to the flask at the end of the chain.

Theo had been so lost in his own thoughts he wasn't even paying attention. He turned, smiling to himself as he looked at the resulting liquid. It was a sickening mix of hues, something like purple-green that looked more brown than anything. He picked it up and gave it a sniff, finding the aroma to be equal parts horrifying and pleasant.

“Smells like death,” Theo said, heading to one worktable to craft the potion.

"Ah yes, death, the perfect smell for a potion," Salire mocked.

Of course, she wasn't wrong. Working with poison-style potions was never fun, and Theo had never enjoyed it. He had only done it to make Tresk happy. The resulting infused potion seemed stable enough. Aside from the smell, the alchemist was proud to have produced something of such high purity. Infusion might’ve been a new art in the lab, but he felt a certain affinity with it. Perhaps that was his experience having touched magecraft before, since the two arts were so closely linked.

He inspected the potion to confirm his thougths.

[Infused Basic Poison]

[Poison]

Rare

Created by: Theo Spencer

Purity: 90%

Coat your weapon to deal additional damage over time to an enemy and significantly reduce their speed.

Infusion Array:

[Slow]

Effect:

Poison damage over time based on purity of this poison.

Target’s movement is reduced based on the quality of this poison

"That might be the most straightforward infusion I've ever done," Theo said, holding the potion up. "It might not be wise to let Tresk see it, but I'm quite proud of it."

"Yeah, the second she walks into the shop demanding more of them, that's the second I have to figure out how to do it," Salire said, folding her arms.

Theo smiled to himself as a thought crossed his mind. He had one more idea for a potion in mind, but this new plan seemed too tempting. When Salire went back to work, he waited for the infusion still to finish its work before clearing it out and starting another run. Then, without a word to his lab partner, he rushed out the door, heading directly for the market. The item he sought was available for fairly cheap. It was a basic-level item that would require a combination or evolution to become useful, but for his purposes, it was perfect.

With a big, stupid smile on his face, he rushed back to the lab, heading up to the third-floor work area. Salire picked up on his excited mood right away.

"Oh, gods, what have you done?" she asked, slapping her face.

"I don't think that's the appropriate thing to say when I come bearing gifts," Theo said, withdrawing an item from his inventory. "Well, I suppose it's just the one gift, but still. Happy birthday."

Salire winced as she took the item from the alchemist, shaking her head. "I know you think I'm going to magically figure out how to use one of these, but I've already got one," she said.

"Yeah, but now you have no excuse but to learn how to cast spells," Theo said, tapping his temple twice. "I've given you a Mage Core, which means you must now become a mage."

"That's not how that works at all," Salire said, placing her hands on her hips. But eventually she sighed and shrugged. "Well, if you're offering to teach me, I'm happy to learn."

Of course, that was the hard part. Theo's schedule was tight enough as it was, but he was committed to this. He thought about it before he said anything, though. The way Xol’sa taught him wasn't entirely efficient. The man had more of an academic mind than a practical one, meaning that he wanted the alchemists to learn absolutely everything before they got started on practical things. That had initially dissuaded him from learning magic entirely.

The alchemist withdrew a piece of parchment from his inventory, laid it flat on a work table, and scrawled three symbols. He pointed at each‌. "Decrease, Binding, and Flow," he explained. "These are the three concepts that make up the Slow spell."

“Okay,” Salire said, seeming more confused than before.

Theo had to go into the nuts and bolts of it a bit, but a spell this simple for her purposes was going to be very easy to learn. She didn't need to learn how to cast it, which was the hard part of casting spells, and instead, she only needed to create this spell in her soul and imprint it on her mana. Since she had been training with that concept for quite some time, it should have come naturally to her.

It still took a bit of effort, but by the time his next infused potion was done brewing, she had it down. Not even conceptually. She was producing mana that was perfectly aligned with the spell. Even she was surprised.

"I've already tried doing this a few times," Salire said, looking at the puddle of goo in her hand in surprise. "Why did the books make it sound so hard?"

"Well, there's an idea for our book," Theo said. "The revised edition that has a simplified alchemist-only version of spellcrafting."

Salire marveled at her new ability to infuse the simple spell into her mana, doing it a few more times to build her confidence. That was her way, though. She was always timid to approach a project, but once she got started, she took off in a sprint. The alchemist had no doubt she would now pursue it with fervor on her own. But he knew how she would move forward. Salire would take over the mass-production side of the infused potions.

“So, do you want to see what I’m cooking up?” Theo asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I can already smell it,” Salire said with a heavy sigh. “Let’s see what kind of nightmare you’ve cooked up.”

Chapter 42

Infused Hurricanes and Tales

“I really don’t like it,” Salire said, folding her arms as she looked at the resulting essence.

“Come on,” Theo said. “Live a little.”

Theo smiled to himself as he brewed the potion. He put the essence in an empty vial and mixed in the enchanted water. When he added the catalyst, he could have sworn he heard the sound of a storm outside, but the light spilling through the cracked window told him otherwise. The reaction was just as violent as expected. It sputtered and spat until it settled down to a bubbling effervescence.

"What do you think about that potion?" Theo asked.

Salire shook her head. "Looks just as dangerous as the original."

He laughed as he inspected the potion.

[Infused Hurricane Potion]

[Potion]

Epic

Created by: Theo Spencer

Purity: 85%

Imbibing this potion creates a fast-moving cyclone of air. The effect sweeps over the drinker in a random direction. Entities caught in the storm will be granted the [Storm’s Haste] effect, granting them increased speed and reaction time.

Infusion Array:

[Haste]

Effect:

Summon a hasted hurricane.

"I'm not sure if it would ever be useful," Theo said with a shrug, "but it certainly is interesting."

"Got any more big brain ideas?" Salire asks.

This was about as far as Theo had thought. He had made no progress with creating his own magic, so he just wanted to make some silly things. There wasn't really enough time left in the day to tackle anything else, but the alchemist's schedule was mostly clear. Thankfully, he didn't need to be involved in the clearing of the current dungeons. The adventurers and the city’s wizard would handle that.

This all meant he didn't have to wake the next morning and feel as though he was rushed to experiment more with his alchemy. That was the most exciting part of getting all this stuff under control. He could actually work on the things he wanted to work on. Instead of calling it early though, he allowed the infusion to finish its work. He put a cork in the flask and placed it in the building's storage. He then helped Salire with the projects she had going. As expected, it was a bunch of restoration and attribute enhancement potions.

Those were the backbone of the town's consumption. So, they were the most important potions to brew. It was funny how it had worked. Salire had taken over the serious side of the potion business, while Theo spent his day experimenting to create weird things. Once they finished up, he bid her farewell and helped close the shop down. Excitingly, Tresk was bringing dinner guests tonight. It was going to be an auspicious collection of weird people.

Theo stepped into the manor, finding both Sarisa and Rowan scattering around to get dinner ready. The table was already set, but there were no guests. The manor was filled with the smell of pungent herbs and savory meats. Smoke wafted from the kitchen area, so the alchemist opened a few windows and watched as the pair conducted a frenzy of work.

At first, it was hard to tell what kind of meal they were making, but the more nosy he got, the more he put together the dish. It was effectively grilled cheese and a soup to dip it in. But of course, this was Broken Tusk, so it wasn't normal grilled cheese. They took two pieces of flatbread, stuffed it with cheese and shredded meat, and then fried it on both sides before plating it. The soup was a dark brown color and smelled like a mix between French onion soup and tomato soup. The alchemist got distracted when the guests arrived.

Tresk wasn't the first to arrive, Fenian was. He strode in, giving a hearty wave and taking a seat at the table. "Something smells absolutely delectable," he said, rubbing his hands together.

Theo found his way to the table. Taking a seat and assessing the elf, Fenian was normally up to something, but he had seemed more placid as of late. He didn't have a chance to say anything, though, as both Jan and Twist entered. They strode awkwardly to the table, found their own seats, and sat down. While Jan was slightly more outgoing, Twist folded his hands and put them in his lap.

Tresk kicked the door in, sauntering over to her place at the table with a broad smile on her face. She pointed an accusatory finger at the masked elf and shouted, "How's he gonna even eat?!?”

"Like this," Twist said, tilting his mask up slightly. He returned it to his face and shrugged. "I'm not sure why everyone's so hung up on that."

“Twist only wears the mask because he's butt ugly,” Fenian declared. "Everyone knows that."

"That's true," Jan agreed. "Might be the ugliest self I've ever seen."

“The mask is magical,” Twist countered, “And it gives me an air of mystery.”

Theo listened as the group bickered. It was like watching an old group of friends reuniting after a long time apart. Twist, Fenian, and Jan all talked as though no time had passed since their previous life. They had their problems in that old world, but it didn't seem to be anything they couldn't overcome. Instead of plots of revenge, they seemed to have engaged in competition. Whatever perceived betrayal had fallen by the wayside. The alchemist was most interested when the topic came up properly.

"I've always been the odd one out," Twist said, fiddling with his fingers. "So it was hard to get a word in with the old guild."

"As if matters weren't confusing enough," Jan said, shaking his head. The conversation paused when the food was served.

Sarisa and Rowan delivered plates to each member at the table, setting a spot for themselves, of course. Now that the food was done, Theo got a good look at it. The Broken Tusk grilled cheese looked especially appetizing. Both sides were crispy, and gooey globules of cheese oozed from every side. The soup itself seemed like a meal on its own, and he was eager to try it.

When Theo took his first bite, it crunched, resulting in an explosion of flavor that melded the flatbread, cheese, and shredded meat together perfectly. It was something that was so entirely greasy that each bite required dabbing both his mouth and his hands. When dipped in the soup, those flavors in the sandwich took a back seat. The soup shone through with a pungent, oniony, garlic flavor that mixed with an earthy, meaty taste. Together, it was almost too overwhelming, but the alchemist still ate.

"You see, Twist's people weren't originally from our world," Fenian explained, daintily dabbing the corners of his mouth. "They were from another race altogether that somehow got caught up in the mix."

"I believe the phrase you meant to use is 'Advanced Scouting Team',” Jan corrected, having no such reservations about getting messy while eating.

“Yes, well, that didn't work, did it?” Twist said, seeming hurt by the statement. “You see, I'm from a different world with a system, and we intended to invade Earth just as the system integration occurred. But something went wrong, and well, you know the rest.”

"I'm not really sure I do know the rest," Theo said, tilting his head to one side.

Nobody really knows what happened. Fenian said, "On our end, the entire world reset. Everybody passed out and woke up in different states. Some of us were at level 1, others were at level 20, and so on. But everybody had something changed about themselves. Twist was the only one that came from that other world, although I believe I remember him saying there were more when he left."

“To the best of my knowledge, there were crossing streams between Earth and Iaredin. When I attempted the jump, I triggered something between those streams,” Twist said. “That’s why I think the worlds smashed together the way they did.”

"Of course, this is all conjecture," Jan said. “Even if he made the jump, Twist doesn't know exactly what happened. Elrin might be the best person to ask, but even so, he seemed like he was in the dark as much as the rest of us.”

The conversation rolled on like this for a while. It truly seemed like nobody knew what actually happened. As Jan had said, it was all conjecture. The conversation was entertaining, though. The group had been through some serious stuff. Perceived betrayals and vendettas which turned out to be mostly misunderstandings. They had even less information back then, so it was easier to point fingers.

But the meal was pleasant enough to shift the conversation away from such dreary topics, and they eventually landed on the upcoming reset of the world. That was a much more soothing topic to entertain, and it filled Theo with joy. They spoke about the way they hoped to reform the system into something that supported long-term growth, rather than the building up and destructive cycle they currently experienced. Jan and Twist weren't directly involved in this, but they seemed like men of means and action.

Tresk had some of her lizard wisdom to bestow upon the group, but it was mostly threats of stabbings and poison. Yet that was her way, and Theo wasn’t there to stop her. The alchemist was just shocked at how pleasant of an evening it was. The group even retired to the study after their meal, chatting far later than he would’ve normally stayed up. Yet the thrill of the Dreamwalk still called him, and they eventually parted company.

“Might be the best thing you guys have made,” Theo said, patting Rowan on the shoulder.

“Just doing my job, ma’am,” Rowan said, stumbling to the side. He had cracked open a jug of the rotgut zee liquor earlier in the night.

The alchemist watched as the half-ogre tripped, falling to the ground. A few moments later, the sound of his rhythmic snores filled the sitting room.

“Boy can’t hold his zee!” Tresk said, cackling with glee. “Let’s go. I’m sleepy.”

###

Most of the time, Theo was happy to do just about nothing in the Dreamwalk. His experience gains had become minimal, which meant grinding levels wasn’t efficient. Experimenting with things he hadn’t discovered yet was mostly closed off. That just left combat training and testing the things he was familiar with. He wouldn’t complain, though. Some downtime was just what he needed…

Right after he tested the Hurricane Potion.

“Hurricane in a bottle, huh?” Tresk asked. “Nothing will go wrong, I’m sure of it.”

A potion like this was mostly nonsense. When it came to potions that operated in an overly magical way, the concept of consuming something to summon a hurricane was pretty normal. He quaffed the un-infused version first, allowing the liquid to slide down his throat. His tongue buzzed after the potion slid over it, feeling as though tiny bolts of lightning struck it.

“Spicy,” Theo said, belching.

“How long does it take?” Tresk asked.

The description was vague about that, but it didn’t take long for the sky to darken. Above them, dark clouds formed. Lightning struck somewhere in the distance. Tresk and Theo watched as the eye of a hurricane formed. They could see the clouds part, forming on the edges of the horizon. And then it spun, heading off to the north of the imagined version of Broken Tusk.

The wind it whipped up was absolutely brutal.

“Hang onto your hats!” Tresk shouted, imagining a hat like Fenian wore to hold onto.

Theo imagined his own hat, holding onto it and grabbing onto the nearest solid thing… Which was the statue of Xol’sa and Zarali. Houses were torn from their foundations, spinning into the air and crumbling to pieces when they impacted others. The wind was loud enough to deafen Theo. Although he knew they were in an imagined reality, he couldn’t help but fear the level of destruction the potion wrought.

At one point, both Tresk and Theo’s grip on the statue faltered. They were both sucked into the sky, sent careening through floating fields of debris. Both were knocked around and ‘killed’ a few times during the absurd storm. When they were both cast to the ground, Tresk came scampering over with a smile on her face.

“Again!”

“Actually,” Theo said, withdrawing the second potion from his inventory. “We have the infused version to check next.”

“What does this one do?” Tresk asked.

“Gives us a special version of haste. Also the storm is supposed to be faster,” Theo said. “Although I don’t really know how fast it will be.”

“Only one way to find out,” Tresk said, snatching the potion from him. She blinked, and the town was reimagined. “Bottoms up!”

The formation of the storm’s eye was much quicker this time around. The dark clouds formed above and split in under a minute. When the center spun, it whipped up a wind that rivaled the other at full strength. The alchemist had no chance to grab onto something. He was sent into the air right away. The city didn’t do better. Buildings were shredded in an instant, nothing left of them before they even left the ground. Even the mighty stone walls were torn down as though some giant had sneezed on a house of cards.

Tresk shouted with joy as she was knocked through the air. This storm moved much faster, covering the distance between Broken Tusk and Rivers and Daub in what seemed like a blink. It tore everything up, leaving nothing behind on the landscape aside from large boulders and strips of undisturbed earth. The storm ran out of steam near Gronro-Dir, finally petering out and depositing them in the mountains.

“At least the haste effect is good,” Tresk said, zipping around the area with unnatural speed.

“Somehow I don’t think that’ll be useful,” Theo said, shaking his head.

“Yes, but think of the potion’s application as a weapon,” Alex said, landing softly nearby.

“Did the storm not affect you?” Theo asked.

“No. I was hiding in the caves,” Alex said. “The caves flooded, though.”

“I’ve always wanted a weapon of mass destruction in my pocket,” Tresk said. “Can I have a few?”

“Absolutely not.”