The Newt and Demon - Book 8 Chapters 22,23,24 (Patreon)

Chapter 22

This Place Sucks

The mountain range east of Boar Hollow stretched far. It snaked its way through regions, bordering the sea at one point but holding one important facet of Tero’gal. The Throne of the Dreamwalker was the planet’s source of power. It held a combination of energies between the planet itself, the Dreamwalk, Theo’s own will, and the Realm of the Dreamwalker. Theo and Tresk approached the large temple resting atop the range of mountains, looking up at its majesty. They didn’t need to come as a pair, but the marshling was feeling needy.

“I’m gonna go sledding,” Tresk said, producing a pot lid from their shared inventory. “But I’ll be close. Just in case you blow yourself up.”

Theo grunted a noncommittal response and entered the massive temple. Interested, he noticed that there were sometimes people here, but now it was entirely empty. As he strode through the absurdly spacious foyer and wove his way between the columns, he finally settled in a quiet corner that had a window facing the light. He placed three items before him on the ground. Two of which were worth an incalculable price.

The Soul Bloom was absurdly rare, and tricky to work with. Combined with the fragments of Balkor’s Throne, he planned to make something interesting. If they weren’t facing the end of the world, he wouldn’t consider brewing something so life-altering. But with the reset looming, and his desire to test something for himself bubbling, the alchemist couldn’t help himself.

The idea here was very simple. Theo was going to use the concepts of a Suffuse Potion to bind the properties of the Soul Bloom and a Lightning Poppy together. He would deviate from the normal recipe by using a piece of the throne to bind it all together. The difference here should be massive if his instincts were correct. Normally, this combination would create the intelligence of the soul potion, which would eliminate the barrier created by the system. It was something the system called the "meta-barrier," which had already been removed. Instead, he expected something else entirely to happen. His hope was that he could force his willpower on the potion until the expected result became reality.

But first, he needed to render each reagent into its untamed essence form.

The Lightning Poppy was easy enough to bring into its essence form. It felt much like the others he had worked on and dissolved with a combination of his mana in a flask. The resulting solution was a crackling liquid that seemed to jump as though it wanted to reach the top of the flask. The alchemist put a stopper in the top and set it to the side before regarding the Soul Bloom.

Even before starting with the second reagent, Theo could feel this one would be trouble. Reaching out with his senses, he felt it pushing back even before he began. After introducing his mana to the glittering flower, he felt something slam into his chest. With nothing and nobody nearby, he had to assume it was the conceptual weight of the flower itself, resisting being transformed into something that went against the will of the system. Although he tried, the alchemist backed off for now.

There was an interesting concept with alchemy. After Theo had unlocked his willpower and gained a few classes that took advantage of that hidden attribute, he found a recursive way of doing things. From his inventory, he withdrew a plant that had been quite useful in the past. Throk’s weed was a combination of the corn-like zee, grown in Broken Tusk, and Earth's wheat. The plant made decent bread and was indeed considered a weed among the farmers. However, its third property was the Aura property.

When brewed with normal alchemical means, it produced the Aura Potion. The description was simple. It increased the power of the imbiber’s aura. For a normal person, that meant a handsome increase. For Theo, that meant he could move the heavens.

Unlike the Soul Bloom, Throk's Weed dissolved with little effort, melting into the flask after he infused it with his mana. The liquid boiled in the flask as it became an unrecognizable version of the aura potion; however, the alchemist had followed all the same steps. He was certain he had created a new version of that potion. Pressing his senses into it confirmed that to some extent, but a lot of this new form of potion making was experience and instinct.

Holding the flask to his nose, Theo took a sniff. It had the same metallic fragrance as the normal version of the potion. With no hesitation, he downed it.

The ground beneath Theo's feet rumbled without his command. His aura sprang out. He felt it cover part of the mountain range, and then it pushed further. It felt like an entire river pouring from his chest, overwhelming his senses and sending his danger sense tingling. His aura continued to spread and diluted, encompassing the region and then the continent. Before long, he felt it crest over the curvature of the planet until Theo's aura encompassed all of Tero’gal. The planet pushed back with uncomfortable recognition, unsure what it should do.

“Come on.” Theo strained, clenching his teeth as he reigned in his aura. He pulled it back, clawing every bit of his out-of-control aura back into his chest. When it rushed over the landscape outside of the temple, it came with a hurricane-strength wind. The alchemist’s aura was now the size of a pea, nestled in his chest but bursting with potential.

“Hey, what was that?” Tresk asked, sticking her head around a column. “You dead?”

“Not yet,” Theo said, straining to keep his aura inside. “Accidentally made a powerful potion. Think I found an exploit the system is gonna hate.”

“Oh, cool. As if the system wasn’t mad enough at us.”

“We should be good,” Theo said, taking another steadying breath. “I’ll need to focus on this next part, though. It might take a while.”

“Should I go back home?” Tresk asked. “Are we talking a few hours or days?”

“I’m not sure,” Theo said. When he considered how long it would take to get the two pieces of his potion to work together, he had a stupid idea. “Actually… I think I have a better idea. If you don’t mind spending time away from the mortal plane.”

“Time dilation?” Tresk asked.

“Yeah,” Theo said, grinning to himself. “Time dilation.”

***

Theo didn't think he would ever return to the paper world, but the more he considered how difficult it would be to combine the two parts of his potion, the more he needed the time dilation. Since he couldn't take advantage of that in his own world to a great extent, he needed to go elsewhere. Tresk stood sentry as the alchemists sat upon a rock, staring off into the desolate landscape and shaking their heads in disappointment. His aura shimmered around them, protecting them from the mentally damaging effects of the world.

“Wow, this place sucks a lot,” Tresk said.

“It sucks more when you’re not in my overpowered aura,” Theo said.

“And you’re sure we can get out?”

“Yes, it won’t be a problem this time. Now I just need to focus.”

“Okay, okay,” Tresk said. “I won’t be weird. I promise.”

Although Tresk was weird immediately after the statement, Theo had expected it. This wasn’t a sprint, though. It would take a long time of focus, and the occasional distraction wasn’t unwanted.

Turning the Lightning Poppy into a raw essence rich with the Increase Intelligence property was easy enough. But extracting the Soul property from the Soul Bloom was a nightmare. Theo fell into practiced focus, and time fell away. It was only a matter of pressing his increased willpower into the reagent, adding his mana, and holding firm. He would come back to his senses occasionally, and Tresk was keeping time. But she didn’t share how many minutes had passed.

When the Soul essence was finally distilled, he didn’t break his stride. Instead, the alchemist made more of his bootleg Aura Potion and got back to it. This was the tricky part. Theo placed a fragment of Balkor’s Throne at the bottom of the flask, adding the Lightning Poppy’s essence first. As expected, there was no reaction. When he then added the Soul Bloom’s essence, he watched as the two acted as oil and water. They didn’t want to mix, but it was his job to force them.

“Good luck,” Tresk said, patting Theo on the back.

Theo probed the mixture. Locked within the fragment was unimaginable power. The two essences wanted nothing to do with each other, but the fragment would act as the bridge. He forced his considerable willpower into the mix, finding that combining the entire thing at once would be too hard. Instead, he picked small segments of the whole, trying different approaches until he finally had success. Three fragments, one from each essence and a tiny chunk of the throne, slammed together. They created a fourth thing in the mix that floated away from the others, rising to the top and bobbing there.

“That wasn’t so hard,” Theo said, wiping sweat from his brow. “How long has it been?”

Tresk nodded to a nearby paper log she had etched time into. “You don’t wanna know.”

There were at least 50 marks, and Theo didn’t want to know what they represented. Instead, he turned his focus back to his work. Breaking out of the paper realm had been difficult the first time. The alchemist had feared the realm would be destroyed during his breakout. But as he felt the world around him, he realized it was more stable than it should have been. There must have been some object of power holding it together.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, the alchemist put his entire focus into creating this new potion. Every drop he smashed together was arduous. It felt like fusing two rocks together by rubbing them together as hard as he could. But more of the potion combined as time slipped by. The resulting potion shrunk in size as more of the throne’s chunk vanished. Just as Tresk was getting to work on marking her third log, the alchemist was done.

“Two vials,” Theo said, blinking away the stupor. “Two potions. One for me to test, and the other for the winner of the combat games.”

“What is it?” Tresk said, pulling one vial up and holding it to the light.

The contents were a swirling mix of blue and purple. Visible bolts of lightning rushed through the mixture. When the marshling unstoppered the top, the scent of ozone and sweet flowers filled the air.

“I poured everything I had into those,” Theo said. “And I’m not completely sure what it’ll do. I have an idea, but there’s only one way to find out. How long did it take?”

Tresk counted her markings on the various logs. “Just under a year,” she said.

“You sat there for a year?” Theo asked, mouth hanging open.

“No. I left your bubble,” Tresk said. “Which made the days feel like seconds. According to what happened last time, only a few minutes should’ve passed outside.”

“And yet, this place is only so useful,” Theo said. “I didn’t get a single point of experience.”

“Yeah, I was trying to get me some exp points. But nope. Just stood around like a zombie… wait, am I a year older?”

“I don’t know,” Theo said. “Our attributes make that hard to judge.”

“Well, hot diggity dog,” Tresk said. “Go on and drink that potion. I wanna see what happens.”

Theo smiled, wrapping them both tightly in his aura. With a better understanding of the way this place worked, he folded the void on itself and appeared in the manor back in Broken Tusk. With the system out of reach in the paper world, he didn’t want to risk the potion not working.

“To your health,” Theo said, holding the vial up and winking at the marshling.

Tresk watched with anticipation. Theo downed the vial in one big gulp, feeling the lightning race down his throat. It burned all the way down, jumping around his insides. He gritted his teeth as the potion went to work. The burning started in his stomach, but worked its way up. Before long his mind was on fire, every synapse of his brain firing simultaneously. Right before he blacked out, a system message appeared.

[Unknown Potion Consumed]

Calculating effects… Unknown effects… Finding nearest…

Intelligence attribute increased by 250.

You may not consume another of these potions until the cycle resets.

This permanent effect can only be granted once. 4 more Celestial Potions of Intelligence may be consumed in this sector. Reset in 20 cycles.

Chapter 23

No One Dies Today

The world was a swirl of confusing emotions. Although Theo had lost consciousness, he felt the familiar pull of an interdiction event after he went under. The angry entity dragging him through the void didn’t care that he had fallen, smashing his head on a table. It also didn’t care about the dagger-wielding marshling clinging to his unconscious form. When he finally came to, he watched the events that had unfurled while he was out.

“I’ll kill ya!” Tresk shouted, daggers flashing out.

Tresk stood over Theo’s body, her daggers seething with deadly poison. She wasn’t sure if the venom was potent enough to kill a god. But she was willing to give it a shot.

“Calm yourself, marshling,” Hallow said, his soothing voice rumbling through the icy landscape.

“No, I think she should try her luck,” Silver said, her laugh echoing like a bell. “Go for Death first.”

Tresk looked between the members of the godly council, sizing them up. She was certain she could get a hit on one of them. But which one would she pick? Yeah, Death was a dick, but he had been kinda chill lately. Shadow was awesome and so was Hallow. She settled on the weakest one she could find.

“You!” Tresk shouted, pointing a finger at Omen. The young elven boy’s face went ashen. “Time to die!”

“I didn’t do a thing!” Omen shouted back, looking to his sister for support.

Tresk’s dagger flew through the air, cutting to Omen’s heart. It stopped right before impacting his chest, hovering there and vibrating with a keening tune.

“That’s enough,” the system said, appearing in the center of the formation and hovering there. “No one dies today.”

Omen swallowed hard, looking down at the dagger near his heart. “Do something about this, system. I have enough stress as it is.”

Tresk’s eyes darted between the young elf and the system, calculating the best way to make her move. Horns sprouted from her forehead as she gained a few feet in height. Her tail thinned out as an impossibly powerful aura washed over the area. Omen and silver took a knee while the other gods maintained dignified, if not strained, stances. The marshling pushed against the will of the gods, finding it easy enough to overcome. But the system was another matter. She was driven to her knees, growling as she draped herself over Theo.

“That’s enough of that,” the system said. “Not everything is an attempt on your life, Tresk.”

“Ya sure about that!?” Tresk strained to even speak, drawing on every last drop of power she could get from Theo. But even then, it wasn’t enough.

“I’m certain,” the system said, forcing her will onto Tresk, rendering her helpless. She released a heavy sigh. “Whatever Theo did, it set off more alarms in the sector than I thought possible.”

“I don’t even know what the potion does!” Tresk objected.

“Yeah you do,” Death said with a laugh. “You can view his memories.”

“Okay. Maybe I can. But what’s the problem with 250 Intelligence? He’s just really smart.”

“The problem isn’t the amount of attributes he gained. I don’t care about that,” the system said. “Any person’s potential with attributes is finite. If he wasn’t able to gain them, he wouldn’t get them. The issue is that he is creating a new system of progression before I’m ready.”

“Oh. Really?” Tresk asked. “So wait, why the violent interdiction?”

Another sigh from the system. “It wasn’t violent. You’re violent. I only need to place a seal on his soul to prevent his system from developing further.”

“So, why all the gods?” Tresk asked.

The system looked between all the gathered gods.

Death shrugged. “We were already gathered here for a meeting. Just normal god things.”

“Yeah, I don’t even want to be here,” Hallow said.

“Cool. So… Do the thing, maybe?” Tresk asked. “And let us leave before I kill you all.”

The system sighed. “I’ll awaken him. But you need to work on that attitude.”

Tresk stuck her tongue out as the system revived Theo.

***

A sudden jump in attributes was never fun. This had been a problem going way back to the first batch of powerful attribute potions. Going up 10 points wasn’t so bad. But 20 to 50 got sketchy. Jumping up 250 at once had resulted in a feeling like being hit by a truck. Truth was, Theo hadn’t expected to wake up after taking the potion. He might’ve done everything that lined up with his experience and intuition, but that was rough.

Theo awoke to the sound of a heated conversation. Tresk was screaming, and a few other familiar voices were arguing against her shrill noises.

“Silence, lizard,” Theo grumbled, pushing himself to a seated position. His head still swam with the power of his new attributes. Viewing the events of the past few minutes in a blink was even more dizzying, but at least he was up to speed.

“My precious baby!” Tresk shouted, cradling Theo’s head. “Do you feel weird? Does it feel like someone put an iron brand on your soul and held it there for a little too long?”

“No… why?” Theo asked.

“Because that’s what I did,” the system said.

Theo looked up to see the crystal-lady looking down at him. He wasn’t sure of the expression on her face. If he looked too long, it appeared to be concern, rather than anger. Death opened his mouth to say something and a moment later, he was silenced. Then the system’s face changed and she waved her hands. All the gods vanished.

“Mom is mad,” Tresk said.

“Furious,” the system said. “Yet oddly, not at you two. I’m angry at the immature behavior of the gods. They’re beyond disappointing.”

“Agreed,” Theo said, not knowing what he thought about it. Gaining the Intelligence attribute in such great quantities at once had disorientated him. Perhaps the gods wanted to see his downfall, but it was more likely that they were simply trying to gain more advantages over their peers. Or they were bored and wanted to participate in gossip. “What’s the deal, though?”

“I know you know. There’s a unique system forming within you.”

“But what does that mean?” Tresk asked. “I understand the words, but put them together and I need details.”

“There is more to the universe than you know,” the system said. “Yet this isn’t the time to talk about that. Just know that I’ve blocked something from happening. It will happen on its own when the reset happens. You’ll understand that what we’ve done here is for the betterment of the sector.”

“That’s ominously vague,” Tresk said.

“And yet, that’s all I can tell you,” the system said. “Be content with this information for now, and know that you’re on the front line when we switch. As fun as this visit has been, you may now leave.”

Theo couldn’t resist the command, no matter how much he wanted to. Both he and Tresk were sent sailing back toward the mortal plane, slamming with force into the ground somewhere near Broken Tusk. The alchemist groaned, pushing himself to his feet and wincing in pain.

“I broke something,” he said, fishing in his inventory for a healing potion. After drinking it to relieve his pain, he turned to spot Tresk face-first in the dirt. He pulled her out and dusted the poor marshling off. “You good?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Tresk said, coughing to clear some dirt from her lungs. “We’re alive! That’s a win.”

“Right?” Theo asked. “Hold on, let me check my attributes to see if that stuck.”

The alchemist opened his attribute screen, smiling to himself as he read it over.

Theo Spencer

Drogramath Dronon

Level 38

Alchemist

Core Slots: 7

Stats:

Health: 625

Mana: 2730

Stamina: 635

Strength: 21 (+11)

Dexterity: 132 (+8)

Vigor: 124 (+8)

Intelligence: 280 (+9)

Wisdom: 342 (+7)

Points: 0

The plan was now fairly simple. Theo considered the text of the message he saw when he drank the potion… right before he blacked out. Four more of the potions could be consumed within the ‘sector’ and he couldn’t be the one to drink it. Thanks to the specific wording, he suspected he could drink potions for the other attributes. Combined with the time dilation effect from Kuzan’s realm, the alchemist planned to make a potion for each attribute, drinking one for himself and giving another to Tresk.

That left 3 potions of each attribute for the sector.

“Here’s the plan,” Theo said, detailing what they were going to do in detail. “Me, you, and Fenian. We’re all gonna be overpowered beasts.”

“5 times 250? That’s a thousand!” Tresk shouted. Imagine being Level 1000.”

“5 times 250 is 1250,” Theo said. “But, yeah. That’s a lot of levels. And I think I can get it even higher. I shouldn’t have consumed that Intelligence Potion, but whatever. We live, we learn.”

“We’re gonna be super strong, which I’m all for… But why?” Tresk asked. “Why the sudden grab for power?”

“Because we’re in charge of something big now. Maybe more as custodians, but it doesn’t hurt to have a big stick,” Theo said. “I’ll figure out what to do with the leftover potions. But a few will go to the people winning the arena games.”

“Ah, yeah. Dexterity for the athletics game and Strength or Vigor for the combat game. What about the crafting and cooking game?”

“I’m thinking about a similar potion.” Theo wasn’t sure exactly what he would make for those two. But there were a lot of properties he hadn’t tested the full extent of. “But let’s focus on the other potions first. And let’s keep it from Fenian for now. Last thing he needs to know is that he’ll be even more overpowered than he already is.”

“Okay, okay, cool.” Tresk rubbed her hands together and Theo could feel her thinking about their next move. “Make more potions. Watch the games. Get the shards back. Reset. Bingo, bango, bongo.”

“That’s just about it,” Theo said. “I’d also like to hit Level 40, but you know. Kinda busy.”

Tresk giggled, shaking her head in agreement. “Maybe mess around with some of those reagents you found in Drogramath’s realm. Those will give you some experience for sure.” The marshling paused for a few long moments as she smiled to herself. “I have a request, though.”

“What?”

“Let’s wait a day before we go back to the paper place. As fun as it was to spend a year counting my fingers and toes, I’d rather not,” Tresk said. “Doesn’t help that I can’t get any experience in there.”

“Noted. We’ll go tomorrow.”

“Thanks, tiger,” Tresk said with a wink. “I’m gonna go get up to some trouble. Smell ya later.”

Theo watched as the marshling went, realizing finally that they were on the outskirts of Broken Tusk, along the river and tram track. Tresk made a crow-like noise as Alex came to pick her up, and the both soared away into the sky. For the alchemist, this was a tipping point. A point in his time at Broken Tusk where he had to make a choice. Doing the bare minimum for the system and the reset was possible. But that same old feeling came rushing back.

From the time the first monster wave hit the town, Theo had fallen into a cycle of paranoid preparation. It wasn’t a negative memory in his mind, but one that stuck out. All his over-prepared nature had seen them through a lot of problems. And it wasn’t just his own tendency toward those behaviors that had brought success. Half-ogres were independent and skeptical on their own. Perhaps he had just fed off of their nature, but he found his foot on that path once again.

Theo could never beat the system. That was the true ‘god’ of this place. But he wouldn’t allow the gods of this sector to determine how he would save his people. Placing a foot firmly on that path, the alchemist moved forward, fully intent on making his dream a reality.

With or without the approval of the gods.

Chapter 24

Time is Irrelevant

Intelligence was now a strange attribute. Before the Seal of Intelligence had been placed, it increased a person’s processing power. They were ‘smarter,’ although Theo often found that difficult to define. But there was an aspect of the attribute he had spent little time exploring.

Theo watched as a tram zipped by, leaving behind a current of air that sent his hair flying. The speed reminded him of Sulvan Flametouched, who upon his first arrival in Broken Tusk ran from places unknown. That same speed reminded the alchemist of Xol’sa by way of Uharis, who had come through a much more reasonable method. Mages had a way of making entrances, and the lessons taught to him by the city’s resident wizard had been lost on him.

Xol’sa was an excellent teacher. Theo knew that. But the alchemist was a horrible student. Intelligence was a vital attribute for casting spells. Something about the way a person’s soul was attuned to magic went through that attribute. The affinity it provided made casting spells easier. That assumed the practitioner was learned enough to use it correctly.

Theo closed his eyes, sitting on a rock as he felt around in his chest. The first thing that drew his attention was the iron band around his soul. Tresk wasn’t kidding, it felt like someone had installed a foreign object in his chest. Although it restricted something, he couldn’t understand the specifics. System-level magic was beyond him, so he focused instead on the kind of magic he could approach.

“So much for making my own magic system,” Theo said, sighing as he probed around in his soul. For now, he went over how Drononi magic functioned.

When he learned how to use the spells provided by the Queen of Mysteries, Theo had trouble taking it seriously. Her magic was in the form of poems. They were often retelling old tales. Each word was a sigil set in place pieces of the spell. When told as a whole, the sentences created layered arrays that formed in a person’s soul. That was where her form of magic intersected with normal arcane-based magic.

Back when he had 30 Intelligence, the sensation of forming any spell in his soul was vague. Theo formed his custom array for the Mass Bind spell he had created within his soul and was overwhelmed by the sensation. Each circle and sigil within the spell was drawn into focus. He could feel every curve and dot of the spell, immediately finding flaws and places where he could empower the spell.

“Looks like a child drew this with crayons,” Theo said, realizing at that moment that the only reason the spell worked was his immense willpower. He doubted anyone else could cast such an unwieldy spell without the support of so much willpower.

Although he had no targets for the spell, he formed it anyway. The way it laced through his soul was clumsy. It was an unrefined act that he should’ve seen before. His new Intelligence came as a feeling, showing him the errors of the spell’s formation. Theo moved to a favorite spell property of his, the Haste spell. This was one he took from a book gifted by Xol’sa. Compared to his home-grown spell, this one was refined. He formed it in his soul, feeling the arcane magic of the spell weaving into his body. The shapes were perfect, and the lines felt good abutting the vague cloud in his chest.

“Oh, yeah. That’s a good spell,” Theo said, nodding with approval. He sucked in a deep breath, moving onto the next part of his experimentation.

Creating a spell on his own would be better with more Intelligence. Which meant the attribute influenced his ability to feel the subtle details of a spell. But how would it affect his casting ability? He allowed the spell to form, targeting himself and allowing it to fulminate. His Intelligence told him he could add more mana to the spell, so he did. He filled the array up until it was bursting, then targeted himself and let the spell go.

Speed flooded through his body. Theo looked northward, his eyes tracking the path the tram took toward Gronro-Dir. He assumed a runner’s stance, waiting only a heartbeat before taking off. His attributes combined with the effects of the potent spell. The ground beneath his feet cracked as a plume of dust shot up. The alchemist squinted against the rush of wind as he sailed across the landscape. Although he wasn’t moving quite as quickly as the tram, he was still zipping across the hills.

Theo pivoted, rushing back toward the city’s gates only a few moments later. When he finally paused to gaze at the people walking around, he realized they were all moving in slow-motion. One woman was bringing her hands to her mouth in a dramatic gesture, while another man dropped a basket of bread. The alchemist smiled to himself, zipped through the city. He found his target outside of Xam’s tavern, milling around with a group of pretty elven women.

Theo cleared his throat, slapping Fenian in the back of the head. He watched the elf turn, shock on his face as he rubbed the back of his head.

“You… sneaky…”

The words came out just as slow as the elf’s motions. Theo dropped his spell for now, grinning to himself like an idiot as time resumed its normal pace.

“...little dronon. What are you doing slapping me around?” Fenian asked.”Is this a challenge? Would you like to fight? Or perhaps this is a proclamation of your love~”

“You’re quick, right?” Theo asked. “As a duelist, I assume you have a lot of Dexterity.”

Fenian was still rubbing the back of his head, his expression a mixture of surprise and excitement. “I’m quite fast. So, we’re fighting?”

“I just want you to try and hit me,” Theo said. “I’m messing around with—”

Fenian’s fist impacted Theo’s face before the alchemist could even latch onto the feeling of danger. His danger sense had failed him, and he went tumbling to the ground.

“That was easy,” Fenian said.

“You were supposed to wait for my mark,” Theo said, groaning as he rubbed his face.

“Should’ve said that,” Fenian said. The nearby elven women giggled.

Theo downed a Healing Potion and shook his arms out. The broken bones in his face fixed themselves. “Okay, hold on,” Theo said, forming the Haste spell once again. He held it. “Go!” Then released it.

Fenian’s fist came sailing for his face, moving far faster than it should have. Theo batted it to the side with little effort, his smile returning. The elf’s face shifted to one of shock, then determination. His speed increased significantly after that. But the combination of the alchemist’s empowered Haste spell, and his high Dexterity attribute, Fenian didn’t stand a chance.

From Fenian’s perspective, Theo was a blur. His feet shuffled as his arms shot through the air, slapping away each strike as though swatting a fly. It was the alchemist’s turn to return the favor, delivering an open-palmed slap across the elf’s face and sending him tumbling to the ground.

Theo dropped his Haste spell, reaching out a hand to help Fenian to his feet. “What do you think about that?” he asked.

“I think you’re about to die, my dear alchemist,” Fenian said, rubbing his red cheek. “Most of my strength comes from my weapons…”

“That’s not the point,” Theo said, wrapping them both in his shadowy aura and blocking all intrusion from the outside world. “I found something. Something we’re gonna need.”

Fenian raised a single brow. “I’m listening.”

Theo handed Fenian a Healing Potion and cleared his throat. “I can make potions that increase your attributes permanently. You can only take them once every 20 years—or cycles, whatever—but I’m gonna make one for each attribute for me, you, and Tresk.”

“You know, I always thought you were the smartest, most attractive, benevolent man I’ve ever met,” Fenian said, taking both of Theo’s hands into his own. “I always knew you were going to be my loyal companion until the end. How many attributes are we talking about here? 50?”

“250,” Theo said

Fenian’s mouth dropped open. “Gimmie.”

“I still need to make them,” Theo said. 

“Gimmie,” Fenian said, extending both hands. He opened and closed them, his eyes going watery. “Please. Gimmie.”

Theo pressed his hand into Fenian’s face, pushing him away. “I told you. It’ll take time.”

“Time is irrelevant,” Fenian said, his voice muffled by Theo’s palm. “Go to the time-dilation place and make me potions!”

Theo shoved Fenian, watching in disappointment as the elf fell on his butt. He still looked up with the same doe-eyed look. The alchemist let out a heavy sigh. “I thought you’d be reasonable about this,” Theo said, shaking his head. “I need you to be a sword, not some simpering beggar. I don’t want to be right about the things I’ve put together, but I know I am. When the change happens, we need your strength.”

Fenian remained where he was in the dirt for some time, looking up. He eventually blinked away whatever greed had taken hold of him. Theo felt a flash of something in his core, a burst of power from the Herald’s Core.

“Service?” Fenian asked, laughing wryly. “They couldn’t recruit me in Perisart. I dodged that for many years.”

“Yet you served with Elrin,” Theo said. “Doesn’t matter if you want to become a guardian. You need to become a guardian.”

Fenain sprung to his feet, thrusting his chest out. “How delightful!” he shouted, clapping Theo on the back. “But I won’t have you leading our defense. You’re too weak and inexperienced. Pump me full of those potions, and I’ll do it.”

“Just keep your head on straight,” Theo said, shoving Fenian by the shoulder. “I’ve convinced myself you’re not evil. Don’t disappoint me.”

“Ah, yes! I’m not evil,” Fenian said, his gaze shifting here and there. “Certainly I am a good boy. I promise to be a good boy. No, I swear!”

Theo shook his head, turning to walk away. His barrier dropped, the shadowy sphere giving way to the bright sunlight above. As much as he didn’t want to admit, the alchemist felt as though they were preparing for war. The only thing he could do was make sure they were as prepared as they could be. And that started with juicing him and the other throne holders with as many overpowered potions as he could. What had started as a way to give an interesting prize to the winners of the games had become a mission to ensure the safety of their sector.

Yet Theo felt that something within himself had been drained away from his time in the paper world. He’d rest for a bit before getting back there, and there was no better time to get his Herbalist core to Level 40. Although the attributes he gained from leveling were now useless, the skills were invaluable. If the skill he got from his newest level was anywhere as powerful as the last one, it would be worth the time.

“Time to study some plants,” Theo said, stretching out his back as he made his way to Herbalist’s Workshop. It had been a while since he had last visited, but the research-based expansions within would be his best bet to getting his level. With an inventory full of dangerous heavenly plants, he entered.