The Newt and Demon - Book 7 Chapters 64,65,66 (Patreon)

Chapter 64

Restricted Access

“Under no circumstances is Balkor allowed to use the bridge,” Theo said, placing his hands on his hips as he glared at Uz’Xulven.

The Queen of the Bridge of Shadows looked at Theo with a nasty glare. “What if I don’t wanna?”

“Then I’ll ask the gods to replace you,” Theo said. “If I’m in charge of travel between worlds, I need certain people restricted from using the bridge. I didn’t think you like Balkor.”

“I hate him. But I also don’t like you.”

Theo had spent some time getting the recipe for the destruction of Balkor’s phylacteries. It was simultaneously easier and harder than he had expected. The method would be obscure, requiring him to dissolve the objects in a specific mixture. There was also a step in the process that required him to bleed off a significant amount of energy. At least he had a way to do that with the shards back on the mortal plane, but now he faced one of the most challenging parts of the process: keeping Balkor where he was. This required the cooperation of the Bridge of Shadows.

"I'm not interested in arguments today," Theo said. "I know we like to take jabs at each other, but now is not the time."

“Oh, you're no fun,” Uz’Xulven said, crossing her arms. “Do you know how boring it’s been in here since my power has diminished? I can't even look into the other realms to see what’s going on.”

Theo stared at her blankly. Sometimes he wondered if all the old ascendants were absolute morons or if they were so set in their ways that it only appeared that way. He shook the thoughts away. "You can leave the bridge," he said. "You're no longer an ascendant, so there's no restriction on you traveling through the metal realms. Hell, you're welcome to come to my planet and hang out as much as you want."

Theo didn't see any sign of revelation passing across her face. Instead, Uz’Xulven’s expression shifted to one of concern. She looked around the shadowy bridge and clicked her tongue. "Maybe," she said, sounding more nervous.

"You've been here for so long that you don't want to leave, huh?" Theo asked.

"When you put it like that, you make me sound like an idiot," Uz’Xulven said. "You don't understand how many thousands of years this has been my home. It's a part of me, and I'm a part of it. Leaving seems... wrong."

The Ascendants had a very strange life before the first change. She was one of the few Ascendants who survived with their realm, and that was only because it was integrated directly into the Alchemist's own realm. But she was right. Before the most recent change, the time scale was 20 to 1, meaning that since the last Ascendant War occurred some 30,000 years ago, you only needed to multiply 30 by 20.

“I find it easy to forget,” Theo said. “That you manned the bridge for 600,000 years.”

“Exactly! I’ve fallen into a routine,” Uz’Xulven said.

“The invitation is open,” Theo said. “I suggest stepping out of the bridge for short times to start, then you can practice going for longer without being in here.”

Uz’Xulven went silent, giving Theo a chance to inspect the magical energies of the area. Unlike the other realms, the bridge was allowed to keep some of its influence, but it was now completely self-contained. None of the energy inside could leak out, meaning there was no risk to the mortal plane. However, that also meant that when she finally stepped outside, it would be alien to her. Every other Ascendant had an acclimation period where they were forced to quit their energy cold turkey. But here she was, languishing on an endless bridge. It was kind of sad.

"Just remember that Benton and Belgar are more than happy to help you if you reach out," Theo said. "You're connected to a bigger world than ever before, and you need to realize that."

"I know," Uz’Xulven said, seeming bashful about her own inadequacies. "I just need to get used to it."

The only places she couldn't travel to were the mortal plane and the heavenly realms. However, other than that, she had quite a few people she could interact with. Both Tero’gal and Khahak were densely populated, and it would only be a matter of time before the other locations in the middle realms were filled with interesting folk. Before leaving, he made sure she was feeling well enough to be left alone. Then he blinked from the bridge with Alex, cascading through the void and soon landing back where he started in Broken Tusk. The people he had left behind were gone, long since bored with waiting.

Theo should have expected it, but Fenian and his crew had retreated to the Marsh Wolf Tavern for drinks. Of course, the most popular drink around had become the watered down zee liquor, but the elegant elf sipped on a large glass of mead. He still had a taste for the sweet stuff produced in Rivers and Daub. Of course, Fenian had stolen the alchemist’s private booth.

"What?" Fenian asked, holding his arms wide, "you weren't using it."

Theo took a seat in the booth next to Jan, getting comfortable but feeling out of place. "I just had a chat with Balkor, who told me how to destroy his phylacteries. Unfortunately, it's a multi-step process, and we'll need to use the bridge to get some rare reagents."

"You're telling me we're going on another adventure?" Fenian said, practically vibrating with excitement. “I never thought I would hear the day when my stuffy alchemist was ready to leave the confines of his comfortable city.”

"This is true. I rarely see him leave," Twist said.

"My status as a homebody isn't in question here," Theo said. "But Balkor said you would know where to find the volcano we're looking for."

“Ah, Slagrot,” Fenian said, wincing. “Of course we need to go there. I hate that place.”

Of course, Theo had heard of the home of the ogres, which was supposed to be a dreadful place filled with giant ogres and perpetual war. However, if it had the volcano they needed, that was where they had to go, and there was no choice. The alchemist considered the best approach, but there was a first step that needed to happen before they could proceed. He cleared his throat. "We need to drain the phylacteries of their realm-aligned energy before we do anything else."

“Then we throw them in lava?” Jan asked.

“No, I’ll need to brew a potion that can break the items down. Balkor thinks I might need to make an even more powerful version of my potions. Perhaps even Tier 5.”

“You must understand we don’t know what that means in relation to what you can do now,” Fenian said. “But I’m guessing it is difficult.”

“Yeah. I can use a trick to brew potions above what I can normally do, but this one might be out of my range,” Theo said. “And it isn’t as though levels are coming quickly for me anymore. I’d have to push for Level 40 if my idea doesn’t work.”

“Which means what for us?” Fenian asked.

“I’ll have to grind a lot of experience, then we can see.”

“So, we’re facing a roadblock because you’re lazy,” Fenian said, taking a long sip of his mead. “Interesting.”

“Getting from Level 30 to 40 is really hard, okay?” Theo asked. “Give me a break, I have a nation to run.”

“Not that he really runs it,” Sarisa said from somewhere nearby.

Theo heard the woman scamper off when he turned to glare at the place she was hiding. “Look, we’ll worry about that part when we get there. You’ve got all the pieces of Balkor in a sack, right?”

“Yup,” Fenian said, hoisting one of many burlap sacks for Theo to see. “The size of the pieces ranges from tiny to arm-length.”

“Okay. Get off your asses. We need to take the pieces to the shard,” Theo said.

“But we’re waiting on our food,” Fenian said.

Theo glared at Fenian for a while, but eventually, he simply reached across the table and snatched the burlap sack from his hands. "Then I'll do it," he said with a huff as he left the Marsh Wolf tavern. The problem with these pieces of Balkor was that they wouldn't enter his inventory. Theo was fairly sure Fenian had carried the original piece within his inventory, but these ones were different somehow. Perhaps it had something to do with the system change, but he hardly had time to think about that and made his way to the farmer's rise to the north.

Somewhere along the way, Tresk joined him. She didn't bother asking for the story and must have simply plucked through his memories to figure out what had happened. She had doubts about whether this would work and had voiced her concerns about it carelessly. Perhaps they should ask Elrin first, but he had recently vanished from the city and was likely somewhere underground searching for more dungeons.

Even before they approached the tower housing the shard, the light within grew in intensity. Thiel stopped his march and cast a concerned look at his companion. "Better to be safe," he said, handing the sack to her and withdrawing a small piece of bone from its contents. “Just stay here for a second while I test this.”

When Theo brought the first fragment to the shard, it barely responded. The glow intensified slightly but remained at a steady, humming glow. He then brought another fragment and another after that. After bringing about a quarter of the contents of the sack into the tower, the stability of the shard faltered. He removed a handful of them, returning them to the sack and contemplating the best way to store them.

"I think the best place for them is in Fenian's hands," Theo said, smiling to himself as he saw a procession of three people moving up the road. "Speak of the elven devil."

"You guys want a job?" Tresk shouted, laughing to herself.

"Not particularly," the Fenian said, flashing his trademark smile. "You need me to guard the fragments, don't you?"

"If you don't mind keeping an eye on both the sack and the ones I put by the shard, it seems to have a limit on how many it can process at the same time. We'll know when the energy dissipates completely."

"We have adventures to go on," Twist objected. "We can't sit here and watch this all day."

"We can and we will," Fenian said, placing his hands on his hips and thrusting his chest out. "It is our duty to help the world."

"Don't be so dramatic about it," Theo said. "I don't imagine it would take long. Just make sure to save the bits of useful bone when you're done. I have no doubt an ascendant's bones would make some decent potions."

"Ew, you're going to keep Balkor’s bones and brew them into a potion?" Tresk asked, her wet little brows knitting together.

"Isn't that cannibalism or something?" Jan asked.

"Waste not, want not," Theo said, smiling to himself. "Seriously, just keep a good eye on this stuff and make sure nothing weird happens. If things get too strange, make a call to Elrin. He knows more about these shards than anybody else."

"Well, anyway, is everybody ready for the games?" Fenian said, clapping his hands together. "I'm particularly interested in the duel they're planning. Are you participating, Theo?"

"Why would I squander the chance to beat your ass?" Theo said, grinning at Fenian. "Isn't there also supposed to be a crafting portion?"

“Yeah! And I’m a judge in the cooking competition,” Tresk said, her tail wagging from side to side much more rapidly than normal.

“You don’t even taste when you eat. You’re like a duck,” Theo said.

“Yeah, but presentation goes a long way with food. Taste isn’t everything, ya know.”

Theo shook his head. “Let’s go get some dinner. I’ve got some stuff to test in the Dreamwalk, and a bunch of deep sea junk to brew tomorrow.”

“Nighty nighty,” Fenian said with a wink.

Chapter 65

I’m Gonna Puke

Something Theo had learned about other people in his new world was that they didn’t know what they were talking about most of the time. Balkor’s suggestion for him to gain levels to meet that required by this novel potion was useless. Theo was half-way through the night, grinding away random potions for some experience. Thanks to his Shadow Core, he could juice up any random potion to make it more powerful based on his willpower. He was certain that was enough for him to overcome whatever difference in level between the potion he produced and the level required to destroy the pieces of the ascendant.

Tresk practiced her aggressive stealth-based combat style in preparation for the games. Theo wasn’t sure how well she would do as a judge, but he knew she would go far in the combat portion. If they didn’t limit her ability to draw on the alchemist’s power, she would dominate everything. Otherwise, there were people like Fenian who would give her trouble.

“I’m not so sure about me participating,” Theo said, watching as Tresk fought between three smaller dragons. “Wouldn’t that look bad if I won?”

“How about an exhibition match, instead?” Tresk asked. “Don’t give anyone prizes, just hold some fights for the entertainment of the masses.”

“Not a bad idea,” Theo said, watching as Tresk did a pretty cool backflip before stabbing a mini-dragon.

Theo simply watched as his companion trained for the fights. His mind was occupied, as it often was, by the spinning plates he had to keep going. He couldn’t decide if Balkor was a problem or not. While he spoke words of admiration to the dronon about what he had done for the world, he wasn’t so sure anyone could be that selfless. It might’ve all been an act, but the alchemist couldn’t be sure. For now, he was locked down on Tero’gal, which would limit the harm he could inflict.

At least the middle realms were segmented, if only thanks to the bridge. If Uz’Xulven kept her word, there wouldn’t be a single problem. But if she let someone slip through, Theo could see problems cropping up in the future. All he could do to keep the realms in order was to keep an eye on everyone, ensuring nothing got out of hand. Then again, Tero’gal itself was a balancing force, and likely wouldn’t let Balkor get away with anything while on the world.

Of the Middle Realms, Khahak was the most developed. But that world also provided less autonomy than Tero’gal. On Khahar’s world, everything seemed about order. Theo didn’t remember Yuri as a guy obsessed with the rules. The opposite was boundaries until they no longer existed. But now he followed everything to the letter. If someone like Balkor could flee to Fenian’s world, there might be some troublemakers on Tresk’s moon.

When dawn finally came in the real world, Theo was all too eager to get back to it. But of course, Sarisa and Rowan threw a curveball. Theo, Tresk, Sarisa, Rowan, and Fenian’s gang had dinner at the Marsh Wolf tavern rather than making food at the manor. Xam’s food was amazing as always, but that left them free to focus on some breakfast foods for once. Along with their regular moss tea, an impressive spread had been placed out on the table.

Theo still couldn’t identify a lot of the produce that came from abroad. The spread of food included scrambled pozwa eggs, some diced and spiced potato-like tubers fried in oil, fried greens, roasted sausages, and flatbread. While the alchemist didn’t feel as though he was hungry enough to justify such a meal, he still dug in, taking a little bit of everything.

As was tradition, Tresk got her own plate piled with everything Sarisa and Rowan knew she would eat. That’s when she tipped the plate back and ate as much as she could. Only this time, she couldn’t fit it all in her mouth at once, causing the frustrated marshling to make several attempts at the effort. When she finally got it all down, her belly was bulging out from under her armor. Only undoing her belt helped.

“I hope you’re not planning to do anything today,” Theo said, slapping her belly.

“Ugh! Don’t do that. I’m gonna puke.”

“How can something so small and filled with so much hate have any room for food?” Sarisa asked.

“She has a second stomach dedicated to hate,” Rowan said.

“Laugh it up. You guys overfilled my plate on purpose,” Tresk said, her eyes rolling back. “I’m coming, Marshy. Save a seat in your hallowed realm for me.”

“Funny, there’s a small part of her that realizes it's her fault,” Theo said, patting Tresk on the shoulder. “And she’s going to be better in the future.”

“A very small part,” Tresk objected. “I can’t help it when the food is so good.”

While Tresk’s skin was normally a pale pink color, it had now taken on a faintly green hue. She shambled from the dinner table, heading out to walk off her meal before starting the day. Theo hadn’t put much thought into what he’d do today. Aside from checking on the pieces of Balkor, he had to brew a few potions from the new reagents he had collected. A quick check on those chunks of ascendant revealed everything was going as well as it could. Nothing strange had happened, anyway.

Theo’s next stop was the lab, where he found Salire working hard. As always, the half-ogre woman took her job seriously. But as the alchemist stepped into his own lab, he paused. Something was amiss. There was another person within the lab. A shy-looking woman with raven-black hair cut short stood near his apprentice, looking over her shoulder as she brewed some potions. When the woman turned to see who had entered the lab, red flushed over her mousy features.

“Theo!” Salire shouted, turning and bouncing with excitement. “Look what I found!”

“A half-elven woman?” Theo asked, raising a single brow. “I’m not here to judge the company you keep.”

“No, this is my new apprentice, Eleanor,” Salire said, placing her hands on the woman’s shoulders and shoving her forward. “She’s a genius-level alchemist. Well, she will be.”

“Hi… uh… Archduke Theo,” the woman said.

Theo wasn’t sure if the woman’s features could take on a darker shade of red, but it appeared she was doing her best to achieve the goal. When the alchemist shared a look with Salire, she gave an encouraging nod. “Nice to meet you,” Theo said, holding a hand out for Eleanor to shake. She took it reluctantly and averted her gaze to the ground.

“Thanks,” she managed.

“Yeah, she’s a bit shy. She barely made it here from Veosta and had been hiding out in Rivers for a while. One chance encounter later and bam! Now she works here,” Salire said.

“If Salire says you’re good with potions, you’re good with potions,” Theo said. “You’re running her through all the safety stuff, right?”

“Don’t get all mother hen on me now, Theo,” Salire warned. “I’m making sure she’s going through all the proper stuff. She’s only shadowing me for now. Also you need to align her cores.”

“Alchemy and Herbalist?” Theo asked.

“And Loremaster, but that’s unrelated. Still, she wants to get them all aligned with Tero’gal.”

Theo turned, watching as the mousy girl kept her gaze to the ground. Someone could be unconfident socially while still being confident with their alchemy. He just hoped this wasn’t a reflection of her performance in the lab. He passed his senses over her, getting the impression she wasn’t that high. Perhaps as low as Level 20 with her personal level, and lower than 10 in the relevant cores. Before she spent too much more time in the lab, he needed to make sure her cores were aligned so she wouldn’t blow anything up.

“Shouldn’t take long,” Theo said, holding his hand out and focusing. His aura spread out over the room, filling it with both the energy of Tero’gal and the shadowy mix provided by Shadow. He focused on infusing her cores with that familiar energy, then watched as they blossomed. It was a process he had performed many times before, leaving him feeling confident in his ability to get it done fast. Ten minutes later, and she had all her cores aligned with Tero’gal. “There ya go.”

“Thank you,” Eleanor said, bowing her head.

“This place really is getting cramped, isn’t it?” Theo asked, looking around with a frown. “I’m just going to sit in this corner and observe, if you don’t mind.”

Theo had a few reagents he wanted to test, but this was important. Salire thought Eleanor was a good fit, and he wouldn’t doubt her say on the matter, but he wanted to see for himself. He had already observed her hands, and determined they were steady enough to brew potions. Back on Earth, he always had shaky hands and would’ve been horrible at this job. But Eleanor was pretty good. The next thing he checked was the look in her eyes. When the social anxiety faded away, she had that peerless look he wanted to see in prospective alchemists. Like she listened to what he said, but had thoughts of her own.

No one should attempt alchemy without a mind to question.

Fortunately, Salire was working on a few very simple potions today. Theo figured out she had designed the day around teaching a new student. She had a bunch of notes for the poor woman to go over and a list of rules. The tier 1 potions wouldn’t be a challenge for anyone with a Tero’gal Alchemy Core, so he didn’t foresee any problems. If only he had his future sight…

Salire had Eleanor perform some simple brewing tasks. Theo expected her to screw those up. Measuring exact quantities of an essence was hard without the right ability, and he was pretty sure she didn’t have it. But when adding a Lesser Healing Essence to a vial and mixing it with some Enchanted Water, she did so without adding too much of either thing. There was a margin of error she stuck to, resulting in a potion with a 70% purity.

“That was your first attempt?” Theo asked, butting in like some old master. He had to draw on some pride sometimes, after all. “Seventy percent…”

“Is that bad?” Eleanor asked.

“If it was bad, the potion would have exploded,” Theo said, swirling the contents and giving it a sniff. “How did you measure it by eye?”

“I worked for an alchemist back home,” Eleanor said, brimming with confidence out of nowhere. Theo was almost taken aback by the shift in her personality. “He specialized in transmutation, which meant I had to measure a lot of things. I just got used to eyeballing the liquid ingredients by the unit… uh… sir.”

“Just call me Theo. That’s a valuable skill to have,” Theo said. “But there’s a lot more to alchemy than just measuring things.”

“Get your own apprentice!” Salire said, hip-checking Theo and sending him stumbling across the room. Somehow, he didn’t spill the potion.

Eleanor flinched out of the way, finding a safe place behind a table. Theo often forgot how big he was. Since dronon and half-ogre were about seven-feet-tall, compared to the five-foot-something of humans and elves, both he and Salire towered over the poor girl.

“Try not to scare your apprentice off before her first full day is done,” Theo warned, straightening his coat. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some potions to brew on the second floor. Even though this is my lab, and I should get the third floor.”

“Dream on, Theo. Our unspoken agreement is that I do all the dirty work, so I get the better lab,” Salire said, striking a powerful pose.

Theo sighed dramatically, but stopped himself from joking around. He didn’t want to scare Eleanor off, even if she had to get used to half-ogre banter if she wanted to work here. “Listen to Salire,” he said, nodding to his own apprentice. “No one on the planet understands the fine details of Tero’gal’s alchemy quite like her. And I know she’ll be a wonderful teacher if she puts her mind to it.”

It was Salire’s turn to flush. She turned away. “Thanks. Now get outta here,” she muttered.

Chapter 66

Marshling Bites

Normally, Theo wouldn’t mind occupying the same space as Salire while doing his alchemy work. But with a new apprentice in the mix, he wanted to ensure she had a good time on her first day. Especially with how shy she seemed. Most half-ogres didn’t have confidence problems, and elves were typically as arrogant as could be, but the woman seemed to have a hard time with her move from the destroyed nation of Veosta, so he wouldn’t push it.

Instead, I’ll just find something else to do, Theo thought, heading out into the streets of Broken Tusk.

The temperature wasn’t bad today, and the vibe throughout the city was one of lively activity. Theo worked his way through the center of Broken Tusk, ambling past the market stalls and inspecting the ships under construction in the harbor. He remembered a time when Khahar had helped with the construction of the harbor, and looked upon the arena far in the distance.

The alchemist wasn’t certain how hard Ziz and his gang had worked on it, but it looked done. Theo went into his administration interface, checking on the progress of the project. Although there had been no update, he was certain the project was completed. WIth nothing better to do for now, he left the harbor, following the path toward Qavell that eventually split onto the causeway. This gave him a chance to inspect the quality of his work while snooping around to check the arena.

Although the initial excitement for the causeway had faded, people still walked its length as a leisure activity. As Theo made his way across, he was reminded of the way the spirits in Tero’gal had responded when first arriving. Leisure time like this was important, and the alchemist had to ensure he remembered that. Instead of rushing straight to the arena, he appreciated it from afar. The way it was set on the chain of islands was beautiful in its own way. Ziz had created a marvel that seemed to dance over the waves at a distance.

When he finally made his way to the artificial section of the small islands, Theo mingled around the area for a while. People had taken his idea of creating a small town on the islands seriously. He spotted several food stalls, vendors selling seashells, and other pop-up businesses that sprung from nowhere. That was concerning, especially considering the area wasn’t done. The alchemist would need to work on breaks for the waves, and other measures to ensure the entire area wasn’t wiped out to sea with one rogue wave.

When he was done lingering around the area, Theo made his way to the arena grounds. They were massive, with seating enough for just about everyone in the alliance. When he stood at the base of the structure, looking up to the flared walls, he got dizzy by the height. He must’ve been standing there long enough to look like a lost lamb, because a familiar voice eventually came booming.

“Thought that was you!” Ziz shouted, jogging over. He doubled over, catching his breath before continuing. “Come to inspect the good work?”

“Exactly,” Theo said, still dazzled by the height of the area. “How the hell do you guys work so quickly?”

“Already told ya. Lots of Stamina Potions.”

“So, drugs,” Theo said, nodding along. “Wanna give me a tour?”

“Of course!” Ziz shouted, slapping Theo hard enough on the shoulder to send him pitching forward.

Ziz then led the way, following a path that wrapped around the area. He explained all the areas and what they were meant for. The largest concern he has was for traffic. Coming into or getting out of the arena was an act designed to be easy. He had created the exterior to have many entrances, which would bring those attending to their respective seats. That meant the entire exterior of the arena was dedicated to moving people.

“You might need to widen the causeway,” Ziz said, nodding back toward the mainland. “But we can also do crowd control on the far side. We’ve got plenty of time before the games.”

Theo followed Ziz inside of the concourses. It seemed like a maze at first, until he realized the simplicity of the system. One only needed to follow the signs painted on the walls to reach their destination. The halls were wide, and the stone below foot was textured to provide even footing. They ascended several switchback staircases, finding themselves on the highest stand in one of many private boxes.

“This one is yours,” Ziz said, coming to the front of the room, and gesturing out to the arena below.

Theo felt a pulling sensation at his navel as he looked over the edge. The wind whipped from the open ocean beyond the area, howling over the top and stinging his eyes. “The arena is as big as Broken Tusk was when I first got here.”

“Maybe bigger,” Ziz said with a shrug. “Right now, we have the ‘stage’ setup for the arena.”

“What’s that?” Theo asked.

“Just a standard wooden floor. But we can swap the floor out for whatever we need. We built the arena on a platform, so there’s room underneath for people to work. And since we’re right on the bay, we have a bunch of artifice pumps to remove any excess water.” Ziz paused for a moment as though consulting a mental checklist. “We can also pump water in, filling the ‘stage’ with a good amount of water. Deep enough for the Cork to bob in.”

Theo tore his eyes from the stage below, offering Ziz only a flat look. “The ocean is right out there. What’s the point of flooding the arena?”

“Because the ocean doesn’t have stadium seating,” Ziz said, shaking his head. “On that thought, we’ll need to get a good amount of services ready outside the arena. Alise is working with me to design a small city out there, just to ensure everyone has what they need.”

“Bathrooms, food, lodging…” Theo trailed off. “I guess people can stay back on the mainland, huh?”

“Right. Toilets and food, that’s just about all we’re concerned with. And she’s planning emergency measures in case anything falls through.”

“What would I do without her?” Theo asked.

“Probably die,” Ziz said with a shrug. “Anyway, I’ve got half my team working on houses back on the mainland, and the other half is here. I’ll move them around as I need them, but I think we’re well ahead of schedule.”

Theo was aware they had a schedule, but it shifted daily. Which meant there was no schedule, so why bother checking it?

“On the west and south side of the island I have some concerns,” Theo said. “If we don’t break the waves before they hit, I’m worried about flooding.”

“Already working on that,” Ziz said, waving the question away. “We’ve got some seawalls and breaks coming in, but my boys are short on stone.”

“And we’re sorting that problem out?” Theo asked.

Ziz looked around, squinting as the wind whipped him in the face. “Well, that’s where you come in…”

Theo had other plans for the day, but Ziz led him back to town and onto the tram. Less than an hour later, they were walking over the bridge leading north out of Gronro-Dir. The area had completely changed compared to when the undead were a problem. Of course the stonemason was a hound for stone. Before long they were standing over a chasm, looking down at an angry sea below. Nestled in the wall of that cliff was a face of decent-quality stone. It wasn’t the perfect-quality marble they normally harvested from Broken Tusk, but Ziz claimed it would do.

“Can ya get it?” Ziz asked, peering over the edge. A gust almost pushed him over the edge, forcing him to hit the ground before pitching over the edge.

With his Earth Sorcerer’s Core slotted, Theo reached out. Joining with his first core, his Shadow Core added to the effort. Although he tried to act tough, removing the entire section at once, he couldn’t. Instead, he cut it into sections and lifted it through great effort. Each time he placed a slab on the ground, the earth shook. Ziz revealed how little he enjoyed heights, eventually finding a safe place to hang out while the alchemist did his work.

“Decent quality,” Ziz said, crawling over to inspect the stone. “I think we can work with this.”

Theo then watched as Ziz sucked in the massive slabs. As they were all twenty-by-ten feet with a thickness of a few feet, the alchemist watched with his mouth hanging open. “How does that fit in your inventory?”

Ziz laughed, sucking another slab into his inventory. “Just gotta take the right skills!”

Apparently, today was Theo’s day to pal around with Ziz. They hit a few more deposits of stone, all of which the stonemason was happy with. When they were done, it was the alchemist’s turn to invite Ziz to do something interesting. After dropping the slabs off at the quarry, they made their way back to the arena. He had sent Tresk on a secret mission…

“I’ve got this fancy upgrade for the city,” Theo said, double-checking his interface to ensure he had bought the area the arena occupied. “Been a while since I used Dynamic Incorporation, and… Well, this isn’t gonna be pretty.”

Standing at the base of the arena, Theo felt what Tresk was doing more than he saw it. The many bites she received would be worth it. With a pop, she appeared nearby, wrapped in a hateful embrace by a furious marshling mother.

“I’ll kill you!” Sledge shouted, biting Tresk on the face.

“I need you for like five seconds,” Theo said.

“I need you to die!” Sledge roared, punching and kicking Tresk with everything she had.

Theo had kinda planned for this. He focused on his Tero’gal Mage’s Core, pulling in the pieces of the Hopeless spell together. He kneaded it into something different, though. Focusing the energies of his spell on Sledge, he allowed it to fulminate. Ribbons of magical energy wrapped around the angry marshling. A moment later, her face softened and a system message appeared.

[Target Pacified]

Your spell [Pacify] has taken hold. The target’s mind has been temporarily calmed.

Sledge went slack, falling from Tresk with a hooded gaze. “Hey guys, what’s going on?” she asked.

“There’s something morally wrong about this,” Ziz said with a grimace.

“I’ve got someone watching her babies,” Tresk said, waving his concerns away. “She seriously needed a break, anyway.”

“I just need your help for a second,” Theo said, pointing at the arena. “Can you use your Fabricator’s Core to incorporate this building?”

“This one?” Sledge asked, dragging her gaze to the arena. It seemed as though she’d fall asleep at any moment. “That’s a big boy.”

Theo smiled, patting her on the shoulder. He tried not to laugh when Tresk chugged a Healing Potion, removing the many wounds inflicted by the angry mother. His will joined with the confused marshling, bolstering her enough to incorporate the entire structure. It wasn’t easy, but she focused her mind long enough to make it happen.

The ground beneath their feet rumbled as magical energy spread across the structure. It started at the ground itself, radiating out like a tidal wave. Theo shielded his eyes from the light, wincing back as the system did its work. Sledge had her hands held out the entire time, clearly in a state of extreme focus. When it was finally done, Theo ignored the message that appeared and turned his attention to Sledge. But Tresk had already scooped her up.

“Gotta get this mama back,” Tresk said, taking a deep breath. “Marshlings get their teeth very early. Good thing I’ve got a few hundred Healing Potions…”

Theo watched as Tresk drew on his authority to pass through the void, abusing it to travel back to Mudball Fundamental. Only when the alchemist was sure Sledge was safe did he turn his attention to the arena.

“Okay. Let’s see what kind of upgrades we can get for this thing,” Theo said, rubbing his hands together.