The Newt and Demon - Book 8 Chapters 7,8,9 (Patreon)

Chapter 7

Cast the Spell

The seaside town Balkor wanted to settle in was quaint. Few places on Theo's planet were built up, so all the houses were low and relatively shabby. However, the people there all had smiles on their faces as they went about their business. They waved at the duo as they settled into an open-air cafe along a primary thoroughfare. Bordered by palm trees and with the bright sun overhead, the alchemists could see why this chain of islands was so attractive.

Thanks to his coat, the heat didn't bother him much. However, with the humidity settling into the air, the drinks that were brought out shortly after ordering were welcome. They were slightly alcoholic and sweeter than Theo liked. The little umbrella in each was a delightful touch.

“The seal is pretty simple,” Theo said. “The gods use it as a way to prime the system for future change. So they’re anticipating a shuffle in the attributes.”

“Do you know what this seal looks like?” Balkor asked, taking a sip of his drink and humming a pleasant tune. “This is fantastic.”

Theo had to take a moment to consider how strange this current situation was. He was having a conversation with Balkor, a person he would have once considered an enemy. Now they were enjoying tropical-themed drinks by the beach. Stranger things had happened, though. A bubble of darkness appeared around them, at first garnering yelps of surprise from the other patrons. However, after they recognized the owner of this world, they settled down. The alchemist ensured nobody was eavesdropping on them. Not even the gods.

"I don't entirely trust you. I hope you don't mind," Theo said with a shrug. "For whatever reason, you and the other dronon are tricky people. You're very good at slipping between the cracks."

“That’s a shared trait from our homeworld,” Balkor said. “How about this: I’ll lay out my motives for you.”

“Go ahead,” Theo said, shrugging slightly. He was interested to see where this was going.

“You might be surprised to learn how many details spread through the middle realms when you helped that man escape from the hidden realm. I am very interested in studying how that happened and where he went,” Balkor said.

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. That’s a recent event for me. Something I don’t have enough information on yet.”

“Of course. But you’re talking to one of those tricky dronon,” Balkor said with a wink. “There are few in the demonic pantheon who pushed the limits of magic. I spent much of my time in my realm both experimenting and searching for answers. Perhaps we can share information to gain a better understanding.”

“Wouldn’t Toru’aun be a better candidate?” Theo asked.

“If you enjoy riddles,” Balkor said, taking another sip of his drink. “Think of it this way. Toru’aun studied deep, but I studied wide.”

Although Theo didn't want to agree with anything this man said, it made sense. The Queen of Mysteries set her sights on deepening her knowledge of the existing system, while the Demon God of Undeath set his sights wider. Necromancy was a topic of his study, but that didn't mean it was all he was interested in. The alchemist decided to hear him out, although for now he would offer no information, especially not about the seal.

"While I offer nothing, I'll hear out any theories you might have. Perhaps I can narrow down the topic of study you want to discuss," Theo said, trying to keep it all business for the time being.

"That's fine. I'll start with the topic of heavenly seals. This wasn't a feature we had available to us when we had the Ascendant Realms. Everything was set in place, and we reached a point where we could change nothing." Balkor took a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts as he sipped on his drink once again. Beads of moisture tracked the path down the edge of his glass, finally settling in a pool at the base. "From what I could study during my time in those realms, there have been seals since the beginning. These seals direct the flow of magic or determine a person's growth. There were seals for everything. It was the system's way of keeping everything in check."

“So, seals are normal,” Theo said. “Like a person’s genetics or something.”

“Maybe,” Balkor said with a shrug. “Using the genetics example, the seals are additions. They’re not natural.”

"So, this is the system's way of trying to rebalance nature," Theo said with a shrug. "What does that even matter?"

"Because it suggests a natural order outside of the system, which, if you're thinking about it, doesn't make sense. When we were dragged from our world, we suspected we were absorbed or perhaps layered on top of another reality. But I have an entirely different theory now. I think our world still exists out there somewhere. Perhaps it is destroyed, and that seems more likely than anything else. But the physical space it once occupied is still there. Tell me, how far along was your world in inspecting the cosmos?"

“We had space travel, although it was crude. My people never got to that point before we blew ourselves up,” Theo said.

"We suffered a similar fate," Balkor said, a look of sadness crossing his face. He soon corrected it, straightening his expression and posture as he sipped more of his drink. "As long as you're familiar with the concept of celestial motion, that should be enough for my example."

Theo picked up on what the dronon was putting down. He wasn’t sure what he thought of the implications, as it flew in the face of what he knew. Planetary motion was nonsense in this place and the void dominated. The void itself was a dimensional layer, allowing passage for those who could traverse it. But what exactly was out there in the place of regular space?

“We could go up into ‘space’ if you like,” Theo said. “I assure you, the place between the planets is just the void.”

“Yet even you realize that doesn’t make sense. You’re looking at this from the perspective a person sitting on a rock, floating in space. No matter how hard you try, you can’t see it any other way,” Balkor said. “Unless there was some seal in place, creating a pocket dimension, or some other form of containment.”

“For what purpose?” Theo asked with a sigh. “What motive would the system have for cloistering everyone for so many thousands of years.”

“You act as though time is linear so far as the system is concerned,” Balkor said. “Here. I’ll get to my proposal. The core of my theory is that we’re in prison. When you broke King Leon from his cell, it solidified my conviction.”

“Why would Leon have anything to do with your theory?” Theo asked. “Just because I sprung someone from their cell doesn't mean we're all in prison.”

A smile spread across the Balkor’s face. He pressed his hand into the table, smearing it around as though to remove some smudge. But when his hand came away, he had left behind green smears that formed a spell core. It was unlike anything the alchemist had seen before. He could understand parts of it, thanks to his training and magic, but the overall effect was lost on him.

“What am I looking at?” Theo asked. He felt the barrier around him rumble. “And why are the gods pissed?”

“They’re sensing ancient magic, so they’re responding,” Balkor said, waving a dismissive hand. “Back in our time, we agreed not to use powerful spells like this. I have a few that can bring entire continents back as undead thralls. Zagmon had one that would infuse entire armies with untold power. During our wars in the heavens, we only used them after approval. This isn’t mine. This one belongs to Uz’Xulven.”

“With a touch of Zaul,” Theo said, giving Balkor a flat look. “Are you up to something?”

"Yes, I am up to something," Balkor said with a shrug, "and I'm telling you what I'm up to. Well, this spell is a tracking spell at its core, but we can use it to do something far more interesting. You're certain Leon is alive, right?"

“That’s right. He was powerful. I doubt he would’ve been killed, and he evaded the gods,” Theo said. “So he knows how to go unnoticed.”

“He only evaded the gods because they’re still weak,” Balkor said. “Once the change happens, all that goes the way of the Haxoni. The spell is interesting. It has three potential responses. A location, yes, and no.”

“How is that useful?”

“If you get a ‘yes’ response, it means the target is alive but out of your range. But the ‘no’ response means they’re dead, or… Otherwise disconnected from the system. Thanks to the way the spell is constructed, we’re basically tapping into the registry of the system. Which means if you get a ‘no’ response, Leon is outside of the system. Since he cannot be dead, it means he broke out of prison.”

Balkor seemed quite pleased with his deduction. With a bit of instruction from him, Theo could see those parts of the spell. He didn’t fully understand them, but they were there.

“No way I’m casting this spell,” Theo said after a long pause. “I don’t understand all of it.”

“Then let me cast it,” Balkor said. “Add your willpower to the spell to encompass every realm, and I’ll prove my point.”

Theo let out a heavy sigh. Unfortunately, Balkor’s logic was sound. If the spell could tell him that Leon was outside of the bounds of the system, it would confirm the alchemist’s own theory. Both he and Balkor had reached a similar conclusion about Leon without first talking to each other. That was enough for the alchemist to gain some amount of trust in the spell. Should anything wacky happen, he would rely on his acute danger sense.

“Okay. How does this work?” Theo asked.

"The spell is simple enough. I'll create the ritual circle, and you add your willpower to it," Balkor said, a smile spreading across his face.

"And where does this exactly get us? Knowing he's outside of the system's bounds is interesting, but I'm uncertain if it helps us."

“We’ll know the truth of the system,” Balkor said. “At least, we’ll understand a hint. Once we have that knowledge, we can work from there. Perhaps we can’t do anything about it. That’s fine. But we’ll know.”

That was good enough for Theo. He had reached a point where the system wasn't something he implicitly trusted. It had, after all, been the reason why the world had become what it was. It didn't step in and flex its power enough to influence the world. Perhaps it was restricted by those seals, but it hardly seemed to matter. Yet the alchemist had to take everything Balkor had said in this conversation into account. More than likely, he was interested in probing those seals. This was just the first step to gaining his trust.

"Cast the spell," Theo said with a wave of his hand.

Rubbing his hands together, Balkor gathered energy in his body. Theo watched in anticipation, noting every swirl of magic. The man shouldn't have been able to cast spells without a system, but there he was, piecing together each fragment of magic manually within his soul. It was nothing short of impressive to witness and gave the alchemist something to reflect on. Perhaps those who were once ascendants were worthy of recognition, if only for their raw talent.

The spell spread out from Balkor, encompassing a large swathe of Tero’gal. Theo watched in amazement until he was given the signal to add his will to the spell. He felt it draining out of him like an open dam, flooding into the spell and empowering it beyond anything that should be possible. As quickly as the spell had been formed, it faded. The magic dissipated into the air.

A smile spread across Balkor’s face.

“The spell claims he is dead,” he said.

“King Leon broke the bounds of the system,” Theo said, turning his eyes to the sky. “What the hell is that guy up to?”

Chapter 8

Unranked Tournament

Having a theory about King Leon was one thing, but this was proof. He now had proof that the once-king of an elven empire had not only broken free from his bonds in that hill dimension, but had also left the system's governable area. What exactly that meant, the alchemist couldn't say, but the rest of his conversation with Balkor was interesting. Instead of departing from the site right away, they remained, ordering another round of drinks and discussing what exactly had happened.

Neither man could concoct an entire picture for the scenario, but they had many theories. The best they could figure was that the entire world they knew was currently confined for some reason. They could hope that once the change occurred, they would be placed back into the wider universe, but that was no guarantee.

“We need to bring this to Toru’aun,” Theo said, rubbing his chin. “Wait, was this whole island getaway a ruse? Are there any necromancers here?”

“There are,” Balkor said. “I wasn’t lying about that.”

“There’s no way I can convince Toru’aun to move here,” Theo said. “The chances that Uz’Xulven leaves the bridge again are slim… This is tricky.”

“Or you could leave it to me,” Balkor said. “As long as this planet allows me to weave my spells, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Theo narrowed his eyes at Balkor. “I still don’t trust you.”

“I wouldn’t,” Balkor said with a shrug.

This entire affair left Theo in an awkward position. It was unfortunate that Balkor was the only one who had seen the same truth that he had. Now they had to work together to figure out what to do about it. But what exactly would they do? It wasn't as though they could defy the system. There was nothing he could do to keep the system from prying into his affairs at the same time. As long as he operated within the rules of that system, it shouldn't have been a problem. And he had more authority than most, thanks to his position as a throne holder.

“This might work,” Theo said, going back and forth on the problem in his mind. “Yet I’m still concerned.”

“Leave it to me,” Balkor said.

Theo nodded, giving the man a few parting words before heading out. He didn’t return to the mortal world right away. Instead, he headed to Tresk’s moon to talk to Toru’aun. The woman was in her swap hut, doing whatever weird swamp witch stuff she did. As always, she didn’t appreciate the company. But she still answered his questions about celestial-rank magic. She even got a spark in her eye as they got into the details of it.

This was the last bit of information Theo needed to believe what Balkor had claimed. Despite what the Demon God of Undeath said, Toru’aun had a good amount of knowledge on the subject. She confirmed the spell he had witnessed and its function. She also agreed that it was entirely possible that King Leon had vacated the local area, although she was less forthcoming about what she thought was on the other side. Still, it was all the alchemists needed to consider the theory mostly true.

It had been a whirlwind of activity within the Middle Realms, and Theo grew tired of it. When he was done with his chat, he folded the space in on himself and teleported back to the mortal plane. He found himself among the familiar streets of Broken Tusk, the crowds there seeming to grow thicker by the moment. Throngs of people from different nations were crossing the sea to take part in the games in the arena before getting into anything else in town. The Alchemist made his way to the area outside of town to ensure the path he had created was sturdy enough to handle so many people.

As he walked the path, Theo ran over the events that had just happened in his mind, splitting his concentration between the two. After widening the causeway a bit, which gained quite a lot of attention from passersby, he realized that he was now free to allocate points into the intelligence attribute if he wanted to. It might not be of much use since he now relied mostly on his willpower to enhance his spells, but why not?

To Theo’s surprise, there was a buzz of activity around the arena on the artificial island. Vendors had set up in the space around there, and the area had generally been cleaned up. There were scattered planters here and there, covered areas for people to sit, and even interior spaces designed to give everyone a break from the heat with air conditioning. It might have been the season of death, but it was still hot.

The closer he drew to the arena itself, the more he heard the roar of the crowd within as he made his way through the vomitorium. He ascended to the first-floor seating, where he saw a scattering of people attending some impromptu event. Below, on the arena floor, people were engaging in mock battles. Two armies of about twenty people each clashed in the center, smacking each other with wooden swords and shouting their battle cries. When one elven man took a nasty hit to the head—tumbling to the ground—the crowd voiced their excitement. A ripple of cheers worked its way through the stands, the echo carrying far outside of the arena’s grounds.

“You have a seat, you know.” Ziz’s voice came from behind Theo.

The alchemist spun, finding the half-ogre standing there with a big stupid smile on his face. “I’m aware,” Theo said. “Just got back from the middle realms. I didn’t think we had games planned yet.”

“We don’t. But everyone was itching for something to happen, so Alise started the unranked stuff early,” Ziz said. “We’ve been having some fun today.”

“I can see that,” Theo said, turning his gaze back to the arena floor. “Small team fights, huh? How are these going?”

“Very well. No live weapons. If you get bonked three times, you’re out. Everything is on the honor system, so they’re just having fun.”

Watching the people below smack one another in the head with wooden sticks was fairly entertaining. The one thing Theo appreciated most was that everyone fighting was within a certain power range. And they were all playing fair. He watched as a half-ogre took one too many bonks. The man performed a dramatic mock-death, writhing on the ground and gaining cheers and laughter from the audience. Perhaps this was exactly what the city needed to take their mind off the coming events of the world.

"Do they have a schedule for when the real games are going to start?" Theo asked, looking around to assess the occupancy of the stadium.

"Not that I know of," Ziz said with a shrug.

"I don't know about the stability of the causeway leading here. I added some more stones to it, but it might not be enough if there's a big rush."

"You don't have to worry about that," Ziz said, waving the concerns away. "We'll do a stability test on it to ensure everything is just right. I'm sure you have bigger things to worry about."

“More than you know,” Theo said, shaking his head. “But the arena project has been a very welcome distraction.”

Ziz saw the smaller arena games as the perfect opportunity to test the capacity and stability of the structure, along with the adjoining roads. Theo headed off with him to carry out some maintenance and planning efforts to ensure nobody was injured, more than anything. The many entrances of the arena would help with that, but the pair worked on staking off open areas outside of the north and east exits that could use some more designated roads.

The builders of Broken Tusk had spent the last few days fixing up a few issues that had been discovered with the temporary houses. As with all things, they never knew the stress people would put on those structures until they were occupied. Reinforcement and expansion were both needed to ensure everything went well. For now, it appeared everyone would run smoother. But Ziz was always on the case, ready to jump in at a moment’s notice.

After checking out his administration interface and finding that Alise was organizing just about everything related to the games, Theo found himself with some time. He was waiting on Elrin to call him to move some more shards, and Fenian to join him to Slagrot. The two jobs were connected, and the alchemist wasn’t eager to destroy Balkor’s phylacteries until a few more shards were placed to absorb the released energy. Even with Leon on his mind, the alchemist settled in at a seat in the arena and worked on his new alchemy.

The new system still held many mysteries, but Theo could make some statements about how it worked at a base level. The skill allowed him to break the reagents into pure essence, similar to the way the Reagent Deconstruction skill worked, and generate ultra-potent essences. Mixing those essences was easy as all produced essence appeared to be of the highest purity. The only problem was that the goop he created was too pure. It had to be cut with Enchanted Water, otherwise it messed with whoever drank it.

Even understanding that, Theo had a lot of questions about how to create second and third tier potions. The games below shifted, the warriors who had fought swapping out for people running a race. He marveled for a moment as a team rearranged the arena itself, creating lanes along the outside of the oval arena floor. Before long, folks were racing along, all to the booming sound of an announcer’s voice.

Theo pulled another reagent apart, fusing it with his mana and will to create more goop. He repeated the process, getting a better sense for how these essences worked until reaching a conclusion. There was no difference between tiers 1, 2, and 3 with this new skill. Instead, he controlled that by diluting the resulting essence. Tier 4 was another matter he wasn’t sure of. Instead, he focused on the side-grades he was already familiar with.

Modifiers presented a way to take a potion and change the base function. Theo held a clump of Marshlight Spider Silk in his palm, pressing his senses into it to explore the magical makeup of the object. This was the reagent he used often to get the Web modifier. It was an excellent way to take a potion and add area effects, even if that modifier was unreliable. The alchemist sensed he could break it into regular essence, but his familiarity with it revealed something resting on the edge of his thoughts. He knew he could pull out the modifier version of the essence.

Nearby patrons of the arena watched as Theo held his hand over an open flask, light bathing anyone close enough. Those people scooted away, used to the alchemist’s nonsense enough not to panic, but not willing to be too close. When the reagent melted in with his mana, Theo could sense the modifying potential of the essence. He rose from his seat in the arena, leaving before mixing the modifier with anything else.

Mixing the Web modifier with a Healing Potion should result in a healing potion that linked multiple people. After Theo mixed the modifier with a Healing Potion, he ensured it didn’t explode before diluting it down and regarding the opaque liquid in the flask.

“Why not?” Theo asked, tipping the flask back and swallowing the potion. The effects were immediate. A rush of something flooded through him, the restorative qualities of the potion filling him with a sense of energy. It was standard for a restorative potion at first, until something else rushed out. Sticky webs formed on his skin, strands lashed out at anyone who stood nearby.

They yelled at first, but of course nothing happened. To Theo, it was the amount of strands that had appeared that gave him cause for concern. He would expect maybe two strands, but he counted about 50. Those with minor injuries were healed instantly, even if they were shouting in fear.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Theo said.

Chapter 9

The Greater Good

Excitement built around the arena games, putting Theo in an awkward position. As he waited for his other jobs to come calling, he grew more distant from the project. His first reaction was to gather all resources and take command of the project since he felt left out. It didn't sit well with him, but then he realized that with all the things he had going on, he couldn't spare the time to interact with the arena project. He had to let the city’s administrators handle their responsibilities, unless he wanted to be buried in more work than he had time for.

This left the alchemist with more free time than he cared to entertain. At least he could spend his days discovering the secrets of this new skill and learning how to push it far enough to create viable potions without harming those who consumed them. After a day of experimentation, Theo was making his way back to his manor for dinner when he was intercepted by Fenian. The elf was bright-eyed with the same expression he had when schemes were afoot.

"You're not going to invite me to dinner?" Fenian asked, pouting as he trotted alongside the alchemist. “I thought we were friends.”

"You have an open invitation to dinner," Theo said with a sigh. He could sense the unspoken tension in the elf's voice. It was as though he was eager to do something but was waiting for the right time to request it. “Why don't you just come out and say what you want?”

“Fine. If you’re going to be such a grouch about it,” Fenian said. “I’m gathering the troops to assail Slagrot. Are you free tomorrow?”

“Let me check my schedule,” Theo said, coming to a stop on the road. He just stood there for a few moments. “Yep. I’m good.”

“Excellent!” Fenian shouted, clapping as they resumed their pace. “Oh, I’m certain Balkor is going to be upset about this one.”

“Doubtful. Balkor is my new best friend.”

A dark mood passed over Fenian’s face. “Betrayer.”

“Yeah, a lot of people call him the Betrayer,” Theo said, nodding as he cupped his chin.

"You know I don't care for him," Fenian said, still glaring at Theo. "He's a big jerk, and I don't like him."

"I'm not sure it matters if you like him or not," Theo said. "What matters is that he’s helping me with a project. And I'll take as many allies as I can get, especially those who are stupid enough to fight against the gods and the system with me."

"Since when are we fighting the gods again?" Fenian asked, letting out an exasperated huff. "I thought we put that chapter to bed."

"Well, we're not exactly fighting them, so much as going under their noses. We're still mostly operating within the bounds of the system, but you never know who's going to get pissed off at us for no reason."

"And throughout all of this, you never thought to ask me," Fenian said. "It's an absolute shame, my dear alchemist, to know that I have slipped so far from your thoughts."

"You're always in my thoughts, baby. You're just too weak to keep up with this one." Theo might have said that as a joking jab, but it was true. Fenian didn't know enough about magic to get help, and that's really what he needed. If there was somebody who needed their head removed, who would be the first person he would contact?

"How are we finally using pet names?" Fenian asked, grabbing Theo's arm and pressing his cheek into the alchemist's shoulder. "I can't believe we're finally going steady. What will we tell Tresk?"

Theo hip-checked Fenian, sending him tumbling away. “I’m not starting a man-harem. Or a regular one for that matter. I think you’ve been spending too much time around Twist and Jan.”

“What’s the implication there?” Fenian asked, jogging to catch up. He had rested dramatically on the ground for a few moments, rising when the ploy didn’t work.

“Anyway,” Theo said, ignoring the statement completely. “We’re good to go tomorrow. I can teleport us there no problem.”

“Ah, yes. Your cheating teleport power that you shouldn’t have but the gods haven’t taken away for reasons I don’t understand. Those powers.”

Since both Rowan and Sarisa had recovered from their drug-addled delusions, they prepared a modest feast. Half of it had been catered by the Marsh Wolf Tavern, while the other half was created by the brother-sister duo. A spread of broken tusk staples, wolf meat stew, flat zee bread, and spicy omelets was scattered over the large dining room table in the manor. Fenian wasted no time finding a seat and piling his plate high with anything within his reach.

"Good to see the two of you have recovered," Theo said, finding his own seat and targeting the spicy omelets first, as they were his favorite.

“No thanks to you,” Sarisa said. She provided Theo with several rude gestures. Her brother was slow on the uptake, but also offered a few of his own. “I heard some interesting stories about what happened after taking your illegal drugs.”

“They weren’t illegal,” Theo said. “Just unsafe. But now I know they’re not safe.”

“Yet you fed some to my stupid brother,” Sarisa said.

“Hey!”

“And I learned something valuable,” Theo said. “You suffered for the greater good!”

“The greater good,” Tresk repeated, appearing and taking her seat.

“If you distribute those potions, we’re gonna be knee deep in wolf muck, thieving kids, and crusty jugglers,” Sarisa said.

“Crusty jugglers,” Tresk repeated.

Sarisa screamed.

Theo turned his attention back to his food as Sarisa chased Tresk around the dining room with a piece of wood. Of course, the omelet was delicious. It was a rich mixture of cheese, butter, and a hot sauce made from salamander eggs. He dug in, savoring every burning bite as he worked his way through the meal.

"So the plan is pretty simple," Fenian said, giggling with amusement as Sarisa almost got a hit on the lively marshaling. "We need to get into the volcano, steal a few things, and leave. It couldn't be easier on paper, could it?"

"The fact that you included the phrase 'on paper' makes me realize it's going to be a lot harder than that. Care to explain?"

"There are several potential complications with the plan. First, the volcano is active. There is lava just about everywhere. Another issue is that the volcano itself is guarded. You might not think so, but the ogres really enjoy that volcano. This means that, even as we descend into the interior, we will be dealing with ogre guards. I'm not sure if you have met an ogre, but they aren't exactly the most agreeable type."

“Hold on, the volcano has an interior?” Theo asked, placing his fork down on the table and turning to regard the giddy expression on Fenian's face. Of course, the elf already knew this, but that was no surprise.

"Of course, it's an incredibly complex series of tunnels that run along the side of the mountain itself. We'll have to enter there and avoid being sent down into a lava tube or being killed by noxious gases, all the while avoiding the detection of nearby ogres. It should be easy."

"Why do I have the feeling that this is the kind of nonsense you get up to when you leave town?"

"Oh, this is nothing," Fenian said. "I've gotten up to far more hijinks than this. Did I ever tell you about the time I single-handedly toppled the merchant caste of Qavell?"

"You might have mentioned it," Theo said, knowing full well he had been told the tale with sparse details before. “Cool. Just a standard Fenian adventure.”

“Yes. I plan to get as many adventures done as possible before the world ends. Then, I’m turning my entire planet into an adventure planet!” Fenian shouted, including jazz-hands into his proclamation. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Yes. You are a special boy,” Theo said. “Now eat your food.”

Dinner was fine. Once Tresk and Sarisa calmed down, everyone ate their meals in relative peace. Fenian had a few stories about his most recent adventures, but it was difficult to discern which facts were true and which were fabrications. Theo knew he would never figure that out unless he was present during the adventure, so he didn't bother. Instead, they retired after the meal and entered the Dreamwalk.

The dream realm still wasn't interested in allowing Theo to experiment with the new potions, so he gave up his hopes on that and instead worked on his herbalist core. Getting both it and his personal level to 40 would give him access to two new skills, and with his most recent skill changing the entire way his alchemy worked, he thought it would be worthwhile. Otherwise, his trip to the realm was uneventful, and Tresk and Alex spent their time simply fighting monsters the way they always did.

It was barely after breakfast by the time Fenian came calling the next morning.

“I got a new adventuring hat!” Fenian proclaimed from the threshold of the manor.

Theo cocked his head to the side, squinting his eyes in a desperate attempt to detect any difference between the hat Fenian had been wearing the day before and the one he wore now. The feather might have been slightly longer, or the brim might have been stiffer, but he couldn't tell. All of the adventuring elf's hats looked the same.

"That's just your old hat," Tresk complained, placing her hands on her hips and glaring up at Fenian.

“No, this is a new hat.” Fenian assured her. “My hat maker says it's perfect for adventuring, with a minor enchantment that makes it behave more like armor. You'll never find a more suitable hat for adventuring.”

"Well, there's one idiot," Theo said, pointing at Fenian. "Where are the other two?"

"Just down the road, they’re waiting for us to depart," Fenian said, jerking his head to one side.

Theo wanted to ensure the town wouldn't need him for a while, just in case something weird happened. He checked his administration interface and left a note for everybody to know where he had gone. Then he strode down the road with Fenian and met up with Jan and Twist, who were waiting impatiently by the monolith.

"There is a minor problem to consider," Theo said, reaching out with his aura and probing the world itself. "I don't know exactly where Slagrot is."

“Is that a requirement for your power?” Jan asked.

“You know where Tarantham is, right?” Twist asked. “Go to the southwestern most spot and we can hop islands from there.”

“An excellent idea,” Fenian said, clapping Twist on the shoulder.

“Don’t touch me, creep,” Twist said, glaring at Fenian.

“You wound me…”

Theo shrugged it off, casting his senses over the world. If he could imagine the spot, he could move them there. Probably. He was still getting used to the way his teleportation ability worked. Letting out a steady breath, he folded the void, creating a hole for them to fall through. One moment, they were standing in the streets of Broken Tusk, surrounded by the chatter of conversation and the sounds of commerce. The next, they found themselves in an empty field along a shoreline far to the south, where the ocean lay, and the smell of the sea hung in the air.

"See, why can't I get a power like that?" Fenian asked, folding his arms in disappointment. "It takes us at least a few hours to cross the Bridge. And yet you can interdict us in an instant. It's unfair."

“If you look that way,” Twist said, coming alongside Theo to gesture out to the sea. “There are a few islands. There’s a whole chain of islands that lead to Yoh’til.”

“He knows it as Slagrot,” Fenian corrected.

“How am I supposed to know what they call all this stuff? The old names were fine!”

“Yet the Tapu no longer live there, so their ancestral names make no sense,” Fenian said. “Listen to the masked elf, Theo. Take us that way.”

Theo shook his head. “I can feel the volcano from here,” he said. A sense of heat was coming from the distance, like a wash of fire-aligned magic was blazing right in front of his face. “I think we can make the jump from here. Just hold on.”

For the first time on Iaredin, both considering recorded and unrecorded history, a group teleported into an active volcano.