The Newt and Demon - Book 8 Chapters 43,44,45 (Patreon)

Chapter 43

Send an Email or Something

“Wait until you take a sip of that bad boy,” Tresk said, rubbing her hands together.

Theo had been forced to do something he had wanted to avoid. Increasing his potential meant dipping his toes into a wacky form of progression that was outside of their current system. It involved turning his own system off, collecting some weird energy, and then doing stuff with that energy. The entire affair was uncomfortable. It made him feel weak, and Tresk was quick to remind him.

“Not so badass without your fancy stats, huh?” she taunted.

In the time-dilation paper realm, they had spent months working on the skill. Theo would’ve objected, but he needed to exploit this place before it wasn’t available. With a sigh, he got back to work on both his potions and his training. Time fell away, drifting into the energies of the world. It was the one saving grace of this place. But time drifted, his potential increased, and time was up.

Despite the extreme level of dilation, Theo had unfortunate responsibilities back in the real world. He snapped out of the torpor, blinking away the tiredness and turning to his companions. By the day, Alex was looking more like a dragon. The goose-like features were fading, resulting in a stunted, dragonoid form. She had almost no feathers by this point, and her bill was almost gone. The alchemist wasn’t sure what he thought about it, but whatever.

If Alex wanted to be a dragon, she could be a dragon. Why the hell not?

“Come on, sleepy,” Tresk said. “You can keep practicing in the real world.”

“Do I gotta?”

“Yes.”

Slipping into the void, Theo felt a shiver run up his spine. He only passed through it for a moment as he folded space, but something was going on. After arriving on the mortal realm, he turned his eyes skyward and peered through the veil. “Huh. My special little stars are gone.”

“You okay, grandpa?” Tresk asked. “Having a stroke?”

“Not yet…”

“Do you require medical attention?” Alex asked. “I’m getting kinda good at nature magic.”

“No, you’re not,” Tresk said. “Remember that half-ogre you tried to heal?”

“He survived, didn’t he?”

“Barely.”

“I’m fine, thanks for the offer,” Theo said. “Elrin is doing something, though. He’s… Wait, hold on.”

Theo released his willpower aura, covering them both. “That’s much better. I think Elrin mobilized a force against the gods. Didn’t think he’d actually do it. And the way the heavens feel from here… I think he won.”

“What? Ponytail defeated the gods? What the hell?”

“He has a topknot, not a ponytail,” Alex corrected.

“Who cares? The gods use a different power scaling than us,” Tresk said. “How could he beat them with mortal power?”

Theo scratched his chin, unsure what this meant. He was certain the gods weren’t doing good, based on the confusing wash of energy coming from the heavens. “Best to stay out of this,” he said, eventually settling on abstaining from this conflict. “We can’t take a side, one way or another. If we side with Elrin, we’re betraying the trust the Throne Holders have with the gods. If we side with the gods, we’re betraying the confidence the system has in us as middle-grounders.”

“Doing nothing is the solution?” Tresk asked, dusting her hands off. “My favorite solution to all life’s problems?”

“Seems that way,” Theo said. “We should have a meeting about this.”

Tresk groaned. “God, just send an email or something. No one wants another meeting!”

“Sure they do,” Theo said. “The holders of the thrones want to be informed.”

“We really don’t,” Fenian said, appearing from behind a nearby barrel.

“Is Khahar hiding behind a nearby crate?” Theo asked, looking around. “What’s the point of a silenced bubble if the weird elf just sneaks into it?”

“Here’s the meeting: We don’t need to get involved in Elrin’s schemes, because he’s sanctioned by the system,” Fenian explained. “Send a letter to Khahar if you want, but this doesn’t concern us.”

“Killing a bunch of gods sounds like our concern,” Theo said.

“He isn’t killing them,” Fenian corrected. “He’s reforming them. Elrin activated the Warriors of the Shard to teach the gods how to defend themselves, so we don’t have to worry. Once they figure out he’s not there to kill them, each will happily accept his instructions.”

“Guess we’re trusting the shady guy. Again,” Tresk said.

“Agreed,” Theo said. “I’m satisfied that this is being handled. Or something. Whatever, we got a few games to commentate on, right?”

“More than a few,” Fenian said, withdrawing a roll of parchment from nowhere. “We have a few baby fights to get through, but all the other fights are heavy hitters.”

“That’s fine. Gives me time to go through my energy-system-thing.”

“Oh, Celestial Cultivation?” Fenian asked. “Unlike the other members of Elrin’s cadre, I never learned it.”

“It has a name?” Tresk asked. “No one tells me nothing.”

“And, changing topics,” Theo said, eager to get away from the problems with the gods. “Should we head to the booth?”

“Of course,” Fenian said, bowing slightly. “Perhaps you can get me started on the technique while we’re at it.”

“Sure,” Theo said, jabbing a thumb at Tresk. “She’s apparently the expert, though.”

“Why not join us?” Fenian asked. “We can use another lively voice in the booth!”

“Hell yeah!” Tresk shouted.

The energy within the arena today was different. As Theo walked along the hidden path, he shared a laugh with Tresk. Somewhere overhead, Alex fed them images of the people shuffling into their seats. They were already cheering or otherwise chanting impromptu slogans. The alchemist had no opinion on who should narrate the games, feeling as though his flat tone wouldn’t bring much to the table. Tresk would be a far better commentator.

“We’ve got a few random games before the main event today,” Fenian explained.

“More team fights?” Tresk asked with excitement. “Man, those are awesome.”

“And a cooking competition.”

Theo perked up, turning away from the random scatter of furniture in the room. He had been considering taking a nap on the sofa. “Is Xam participating?”

“Oh, yes,” Fenian said, nodding. “She’ll win, of course.”

“Not so sure about that,” Theo said, walking to the window and looking down to the arena below. They were preparing it for the first team fight of the day. “I know she’s good, but we’re talking about all the cooks in the world. I’d assume there are a lot of people with high-level cores for cooking.”

“Are you doubting our Xam?” Tresk asked, shaking her head in disappointment.

“I’m asking you to look at the reality of it,” Theo said. “Consider our people going into a combat competition. They’re not going to win, because we’re too low.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Fenian put on a more arrogant tone than normal, which should’ve been impossible. “There’s only so much a core can do for you. At a point, we only have the genius of a chef to consider.”

“Okay,” Theo said, turning away and flopping onto the sofa. “Wake me if something interesting happens with the team fight.”

“You’re abandoning your post? Just like that?” Fenian asked.

Theo waved him off, unwilling to give a response. He had spent too much time brewing potions and raising his potential that day to do commentary. With a steadying breath, he drew on the knowledge Tresk had accumulated to start the Celestial Cultivation process. It truly was too much work for such a comfortable couch, but he pressed on.

The first part of the process was the least enjoyable. Theo grimaced as his connection with his system faded. Tresk had discovered this technique because she was bored, which was a frightening thought. The energies provided by the local system faded, and he felt his body become heavy. According to his always-slightly-wet companion, he could do this part without cutting himself off entirely, but it would take a lot longer. A chill ran up the alchemist’s back as he felt himself exposed to the raw energies of the world.

Theo closed his eyes, placing his arm over his head to block out both the sound and light coming from the large window. He felt the celestial power, resting just under the surface of everything. It was like a thread that ran through all of existence, just waiting for someone to pluck it. And pluck he did. Using Tresk’s knowledge, he grasped the thread gently, allowing some of that energy to flow into himself. He then went down the checklist, moving the power, infusing it in his soul, muscles, bones, organs, and so on.

The magical energy, which Theo understood only through years of Tresk’s memories, soaked into him. The chill was gone, replaced instead with a different kind of warmth. It wasn’t a comforting heat like that of the local system, but something that burned. The energy created a need for more, every part of him drinking hungrily and only asking for more. He was happy to provide, eventually opening his eyes and checking on the games once he fell into the rhythm.

Theo edged toward the window, listening as Tresk screamed about something. He blinked a few times, waiting for his sight to adjust to the sun coming through the window. “Is that…”

“And pop goes the weasel!” Tresk shouted, slamming her fist on the table as she cackled. “Another one bites the dust! Hope you guys have some binoculars, or maybe a microscope!”

“I’ve never seen anything like this!” Fenian said. “Seriously, the zoom feature on my window only goes so far. Can anyone in the audience actually see what’s going on?”

“Oh, god,” Theo said, looking at the zoomed section of the window Fenian had summoned. “This is a PR nightmare, guys.”

“There’s nothing wrong with this, Theo,” Tresk said. “This is so right.”

Below, skittering on the arena floor, was a collection of diminutive races. They were split into teams and were currently fighting it out. Theo shook his head, not approving of the situation at all. He turned around, getting back to his work as broglings fought it out below. It was hard not to think about the tiny hamster-like people. Could they increase their attributes enough to stand toe-to-toe with the larger races of the world? He had never seen a powerful brogling, so it was hard to say.

Although Tresk was busy, Theo had questions to ask about how this new form of advancement worked. Instead, he searched her memories. She might’ve been borderline goblin-mode all the time, but she had formed some decently intelligent ideas in her mind. Manipulating the celestial energy was the manual way to get stronger. Theo had his own theories about how they could use that energy to develop domains, but their understanding of that was still quite far away.

If only Elrin would share whatever secrets he knew…

“And that’s it, folks!” Tresk shouted. “I think the red team won, but we’re gonna have some people get down there and check.”

“Wow. I can hardly believe my eyes,” Fenian said. “Who knew those little guys had such spirit?”

“Never underestimate rabid hamsters, Fenian,” Tresk said. “Now, looking forward to our next battle… We’re going to have a battle in the kitchen! After a short break, we’re diving right into a flurry of knives… but they won’t be cutting sapient beings.”

“Hah! That’s right. They’ll be cutting into delicious food, instead,” Fenian said. He pushed away from the table, stretching out. “Now, that was something worth watching.”

“I see you’ve made progress with your potential,” Tresk said, jumping from her chair. “Hows that feel?”

“I feel mysteriously stronger,” Theo said, cracking a smile. “Might almost be time to drink those potions.”

“Gotta wait,” Tresk tutted. “Wait until you’re super buff, so you can be even super buffer.”

Chapter 44

I’ll Burn Them To Ash

The brogling fight was something else, but it was hardly something the audience was hungering for. It was the fight between people who were quite strong they were sitting on the edge of their seats for. For his part, Theo planned to do exactly no commentary, instead taking up his post on the sofa and relaxing while infusing his body with potent energies.

“Sure you don’t want to watch this?” Tresk asked. She had a bucket of some fried food on her lap, and was taking bites when she felt like it. “This next match is gonna be a doozy.”

“Just give me the highlights,” Theo said, waving the question away. “I might actually take Alex to the no-go-zone and do some dilation training.”

Tresk turned in her chair, shooting Theo a concerned look. “Think she can handle it?”

“If we can’t trust Alex, what are we doing?” Theo asked. “She’s smart and capable. Every day, she’s getting more competent.”

“And powerful,” Fenian added. “I’d trust that monstrosity with my life.”

“Bah. Fine. You win,” Tresk grumbled, popping another grease-covered bit of fried food in her mouth. “But if you get lost in paper hell, that’s on you.”

Truth was, Theo had a lot of catching up to do. Tresk had discovered the technique while they were within the paper world thanks to the many years they had spent working on potions. She was ahead of him by quite a lot, meaning he had ground to make up if he wanted to get as strong as possible before the next reset. Compared to traditional attributes, infusing one’s self with celestial energy was far more effective for getting stronger. Although the alchemist couldn’t express the exact rate, he knew that for every 1 attribute he got through the system, five minutes of infusing himself with the special energy would produce a similar result.

“Wanna go for a trip?” Theo asked, sending his thoughts into Alex’s mind.

“Where?” the eager dragon-goose asked.

Theo smiled to himself, falling through the cracks in reality, interdicting Alex at the same time. He punched through the weak seal on the paper world, soon landing in something that was quickly becoming a village. Tresk got bored when they were here, and often spent her years building random stuff out of the paper-like material.

“What are we doing here?” Alex asked, spreading her wings wide.

Theo took a good look at his companion before he answered. In some ways, he felt like a father watching his child growing up. Alex had been a gosling not long enough, her downy feathers feeling like soft clouds. Now she was made of mostly scales and claws, but the glint of recognition in her eyes had never faded. Sure, it was much more appealing to have a companion that was soft to pet and honked on occasion, but she wanted to be a dragon. So, a dragon she was.

“I need to siphon more energy from the universe,” Theo said. “So we’ll do a few tests to see if you can run along beside me, so to speak.”

“More like flying,” Alex said with a puff of fire.

Theo’s smile widened as he looked up at the dragon. “Indeed. I’ll be doing Tresk’s meditation technique, focusing on the areas reflecting my attributes, and you make sure we don’t go crazy. Easy enough, right?”

“Sounds pretty boring,” Alex complained. “Is there anything else I can do?”

Theo cupped his chin in his hand, having a good think for a moment. “You want to become a true dragon, right?” he asked. Alex nodded eagerly. The alchemist shrugged in response. “Why not do the same thing we’re doing, but for dragon energy?”

“Explain.”

“The technique you’re using to take on a more draconic form is simple. You’re eating dragon parts and assimilating the energy into your body. Just like you were able to change your affinity from fire to nature, you’ve altered your body by accepting foreign energy and making it a part of yourself.” Theo withdrew the bones of a near-god dragon from his inventory, placing it on the ground. Somewhere distant, the eyes of many monsters swiveled to lock onto this new signature. “Use the technique Tresk invented, except don’t target the universe. Target the bone, instead.”

Alex lumbered over, her massive form hovering over the bone as she got down on her knees. She gave it a tentative sniff, looking up to Theo expectantly. “I’ll just look into your mind, then… I guess.”

“I’ll guide you, if you need it,” Theo said. “No need to go into this blind.”

Alex nodded, turning her entire focus to the bone. She wasn’t as talented as Theo or Tresk at extracting magical energies. Even the alchemist’s techniques were crude before his partner revealed the way. Much like them, Alex pulled the information from their bond, assimilating it into her own mind to turn it from an idea to fact. She nodded as her very being parsed the information.

Theo realized in that moment the true strength of the Tara’hek. It made them powerful in a lot of ways. They got access to more attributes, extremely overpowered skills, and a bond that always boosted their mind. Sharing information would be strong enough, but they could transmit more than just data. They could send experience through the connection, meaning that only one member had to be good at something for them all to be good at it.

Alex used the bond to master the technique in minutes.

“Okie dokie. There’s a lot of dragon energy in here,” Alex said. “Feels like a lot more than what I get from eating it.”

“Yeah, because we don’t have a refined technique for drawing power by digestion,” Theo said. “Tresk developed this ability to siphon power from somewhere into your body, so that makes sense. Just focus, and you’ll get access to far more power than before. Mix some celestial energy into that while you’re working and I think you’ll have some amazing effects.”

Alex nodded, getting to work right away. Theo felt the image she had in her mind. When she ate the dragon bones, she was doing more than just accepting the latent energy within. She was reshaping herself to meet an ideal image she had in her mind. The image she currently conjured was frightening. It combined aesthetics from both marshling and Drogramath Dronon physiology, with swooping horns, thick scales, and a long whippy tail. She wanted to be bipedal, with massive webbed wings and a ridge of spines along her back.

Right now, Alex was what Theo would consider a proto-dragon. Her form was stunted. It was far too short in the body, with short legs and too many feathers. If she could achieve her goal, she would look more like a proper dragon. Her new form wouldn’t look exactly like Pogo, but it would be close. He was certain there was some amount of dragon lore in this world, but hadn’t run into it. Perhaps he could find a dragon and ask. If only they didn’t have a habit of running at the first sign of danger.

Instead of falling into the deep trance that Tresk had developed, Theo instead observed Alex for a few days. He took naps here and there as she siphoned the energy from the bone, switching between his shallow meditations, napping, and digging into his food stock. The most interesting thing was how much energy the single bone had within it. It was about the length of the alchemist’s arm, and would normally only have lasted her a few hours if ingested. Instead, the bone was a trove of power that she wove with celestial energy.

In a matter of a week, Alex’s form had changed. She had less feathers, more scales, and a distinctly draconic appearance. Almost everything about her goose form was gone, even her cute little honk. This struck Theo as tragic, at first. He wrestled with the image he had in his mind of his familiar, but eventually squashed it entirely. This was what Alex wanted to be, not the image he projected of her. She’d always be that cute little goose to him, but he had to recognize her new form.

Because after a month of absorbing the same bone, Alex was now a dragon. There was no other way to put it. Her scales had taken on a purple-green color, and the last of her feathers had vanished. Her body was long and low to the ground and her powerful wings spread out in either direction. Theo winced as he realized she would no longer fit in the barn. Instead of her ten-foot-long body, she was now at least thirty-feet, not including the tail which was about the same length. Her snout was blocky with teeth visible no matter how she held her face.

Alex turned, regarding Theo and seeming to recognize her own changes. From underneath her scales, a wave of glowing light rippled over her form. It was a mixture of that same green and purple color that marked her form, eventually coming to a head at her throat. The dragon pulled her head back, releasing a gout of the same color flames into the air. Theo had to shield his face from the intensity of the heat. He probed his face, finding his eyebrows still there.

“Much more effective, isn’t it?”

“Indeed,” Alex said. She said it. With her vocal cords, which Theo was certain she didn’t have before. Her voice was throaty, rumbling over the paper landscape like an avalanche. “That’s new.”

“You’re horrific,” Theo said, walking around to get a better look at her. He patted her side, feeling warmth from underneath the impossibly thick scales. “Looks like you wove celestial energy directly into the draconic energy… Well, that’s some ascendant-level dragon god energy, so we shouldn’t be surprised.”

“And what of your progress?” Alex asked, blowing another ball of fire.

“Slow. But we have as much time as we need here,” Theo said, closing his eyes and reaching out to the dragon’s mind. “Looks like you’re smarter, too. And really cunning. Is that a dragon thing?”

“Perhaps,” Alex said, sounding far more mysterious than she ever had before. “I don’t see how I could get more draconic than this, though.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Theo said with a shrug. “Instead, you should focus on getting yourself stronger in general. The amount of celestial energy in the paper dimension is vast, but I wonder if you wouldn’t mind if I worked on myself for a while.”

“Oh, right. I forgot why we came here,” Alex said. She produced a laugh-like sound that was more horrifying than it was amusing.

Theo laughed nervously. “Yeah. Use the low-effort technique to siphon celestial energy while I go into the meditative trance. Oh, just keep an eye out for the monsters. They’ve been attacking over the last month, and they’re getting more annoying by the day.”

Alex blew a plume of smoke from her nostrils, head swiveling as she looked out over the horizon. “I’ll burn them all to ash.”

Before Theo could object, the dragon was off. He sighed, taking a seated position in their paper town and closing his eyes. He could feel her intent to keep him safe for the entire time he was collecting his own energy. Before slipping into focus, he considered the changes she had undergone. It was best to introduce her slowly to the town. People didn’t really like dragons back home, so they very well might freak out if the see a dragon flying above.

“Thus is life,” Theo sighed, reaching out to the universe. “Now, let’s see if we can’t pluck some power from thin air.”

Theo fell into his meditative trance, accepting as much energy as he could find. When the switch finally happened, they wouldn’t have access to such drastic time-dilated spaces. He would need to get as much power as he could before that happened, because he could only guess what would fall on them after the change. The throne holders had a duty to protect the mortals and he didn’t plan to fail in that regard.

Chapter 45

Tresk, the Genius

“Why must we use caution, demon-father?” Alex asked, flapping her wings hard enough to stir the paper world itself.

“Because everyone is gonna freak out when we get back,” Theo said, patting her on the side. “We need to parade down the causeway together, so they see you’re with me. That normally dispels most issues we have in town.”

“Fine. But I do this under protest,” Alex said.

Theo couldn’t accurately estimate how much time had passed on the mortal realm, but he figured only a few hours should’ve gone by. They had spent nearly a year in the strange realm, both of them cultivating more strength. The alchemist was at a point where he could confidently drink all the potions, but was now at a point where he wondered how helpful they would be. Unlike the system-based attributes, celestial energy was potent. The fact that Alex had grown even more was a testament to that.

“Just stay close,” Theo said. “We’re going to appear near the edge of town, and walk all the way to the arena.”

“Fine. But I would rather fly in like the glorious dragon I am.”

Theo nodded, dropping them into the void. He wanted to arrive at an exact location, so instead of piercing through the void, he’d travel. It was slower, but more accurate. As the do lingered in the darkness, the alchemist couldn’t help but look toward the heavens. He felt even more turmoil there, and tried to avert his gaze. But it was impossible.

Which was a mistake.

A light shone from Fenian’s world. At first, Theo thought it was someone trying to perform an interdiction event. But of course, that would be completely useless against his massive willpower. Eventually, he accepted it for what it was. An invitation. While the signature of energy was too vague for him to assume a culprit, he had a feeling as to who it was.

“Short stop at Erradon,” Theo said. “Get ready with that fire. You never know.”

“Oh, hells yeah.”

Theo shook his head, angling them toward Fenian’s planet. The pale blue marble appeared moments later, and he directed them toward the shining light on the surface. A moment later, they pierced through the veil between the void and the planet and arrived onto a rolling rocky field. In the distance, there was a tower that shone with blue light. It took the alchemist a moment to put things together. Going between worlds, where each place had their own distinct regions, was often disorientating.

Theo eventually snapped his fingers. “This is Strelon,” he said. “A rocky region in old Iaredin, south of the old Kingdom of Perisart. Elrin wants to meet with us for some reason.”

“How can you tell?” Alex asked, her steps thundering alongside him as they walked.

“This place was important to Elrin. He made contact with the first Shard here, if his story is to be believed,” Theo said. “They also rallied for the first big fight against Kuzan to the north, just on the border of the Perisart Forest. That’s about all I know of the war, though… Other than the fact that the shade’s forces assembled even more north still, in a region called Calet.”

“Wow. Neat history lesson,” Alex said, blowing an impressive fireball into the air. “So, am I torching this guy right away? Or should I let him run.”

“Hold the fire for now,” Theo said, working his way to the border of the shard-town. A crumbling stone wall segmented the area, worn and broken from some battle that never actually happened. Erradon was a reflection of the old version of Iaredin, not the real thing. “Elrin? You in there?”

“Just near the tower,” the elf’s voice called back. “We need to talk.”

Theo shrugged, nodding to Alex. The dragon took to the air, wings spreading wide and creating a hurricane of wind below her. The alchemist shielded his eyes, eventually passing under an archway and finding his place inside the cloistered area. It might’ve just been a reflection of the real thing, but he could feel the history here. It was, without a doubt, extremely important.

Elrin stood, back against the wall of the stone tower. He nodded casually, pointing to the sky. “Nice dragon. When did your proto-dragon turn into a real one?”

“A few minutes ago,” Theo said, trying to strike an equally casual pose and failing entirely. It just wasn’t him. “What do you need? Didn’t expect anyone to summon me from the void.”

“Just an update,” Elrin said. “I don’t feel like talking to the other holders of thrones. They’re all very annoying.”

“Including Fenian?”

“Especially him. We successfully assaulted the heavens,” Elrin said, as casually as he would share the story of utter mundanity. “The only realm that evaded us was the Twin Realm. Fate and Omen are slippery, but… I’m not so concerned.”

Theo’s mind took a second to process the information. His mouth fell open as his brow creased. “You took over the heavens?”

“In about five hours,” Elrin said with a shrug. A devious smile spread across his face. “Even Death fell before us. You should’ve been there. It was hilarious.”

“Cool. Killing all the gods is a weird move, but okay,” Theo said, scratching his chin. His mind flashed to one side, trying to figure out how to beat Elrin in a fight. Even just considering it sent a shiver up his spine, activating his danger sense. “What does this accomplish?”

Elrin laughed, a genuine smile of joy spreading across his features. All the dark parts of his personality retreated in an instant. “We didn’t kill any of them. I brought you here because I felt a flash of familiar energy. You figured out the primordial system, didn’t you?”

“Tresk did,” Theo said, feeling no need to hide anything. Right now, he was doing his best not to retreat inward, or flee from the spot. Even with Alex, he doubted he was a match for the elf before him. “We exploited some time-dilation realms, and she figured it out on her own.”

“Then she’s a once-in-a-generation genius,” Elrin said. “You know, that saves me a lot of time. After I taught the gods how to use it, you four were my next target. When the temporal barrier falls around the local sector, we’re going to be attacked. I need everyone in a position of importance at their best, including you guys.”

“So, we did a good thing?” Theo asked, looking skyward to spot Alex doing her thing. “Hooray?”

“Hooray indeed. I could’ve left it where it was, having you think I did something horrible to the gods. I hate Kuzan. I hate Leon.” Elrin paused for a long moment, that dark mood returning. “But they’re important. Once the barrier falls, I’m leaving. For good.”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “By choice?”

Elrin chuckled, shaking his head. “Nope. When the sector gets integrated into the Grand System, anyone who is too strong will be ejected unless they’re on Leon’s world. Even then, they’ll have extreme restrictions placed on them if they’re not working with the system. So, me and my warriors are being proactive. We’ll beat back the mortal invaders, then take the fight to them. At the same time, the heavens will be assaulted by another force. But they’ll be ready.”

Theo released a sigh, leaning against a wall. He was happy to see he was more prepared than the others, but this meant he had to teach Fenian and Khahar how to do the celestial thing. Well, Khahar likely already knew how to do it, but just wasn’t sharing the information for whatever reason. Khahar, Fenian, and Elrin were working together in some capacity, but how far that joint venture went was anyone’s guess.

“Seems like you’ve got it all planned out,” Theo said.

“There are many things we cannot predict,” Elrin said. “This plan is Meya’s own. She’s one of my companions and the first one to cultivate celestial energy back on Earth. Leon’s planet acts as the first line of defense, but after that it falls to you and the other throne holders. Can you defend this place?”

Theo gestured skyward. “I have a dragon.”

Elrin looked up, narrowing his eyes at Alex. “And an extremely powerful one. You taught her the technique?”

“Yeah, and we made up a new one just for her,” Theo said. “She’s braiding the celestial stuff with dragon energy to become, as she puts it, ‘the most dragon dragon around.’”

Elrin let out a labored breath, awestruck by her. “She’s almost at the level of a true dragon. You need to explain this technique to me.”

“Well, damn. If we’re gonna waggle chins all afternoon, let’s at least get some decent food,” Theo said. He blew a sharp whistle, drawing the attention of Alex above. “They’ve got a few good places on Tero’gal, if you’re interested.”

Elrin nodded. “Actually, that sounds nice.”

Theo smiled, wrapping each of them in his aura. An instant later, they were standing in Boar Hollow. Alex didn’t even wait to take to the skies, gaining a few frightened screams from the residents there.

“Oh!” Belgar shouted. “Just you. Should’ve figured… Why did she change so much?”

“That’s a long story,” Theo said, slapping the poor dronon on the back. “We’re gonna get some lunch. Wanna come?”

“Sure,” Belgar said with a shrug.

Elrin shot Theo a glare.

“He’s the leader of this world,” Theo said, shaking his head. “Cut the guy some slack.”

“I suppose that’s fine, then,” Elrin said.

The group worked their way through town. Boar Hollow wasn’t growing as quickly as it had in the early days, but it was doing really well. Most of the streets were paved, and a majority of the buildings had been updated. The amount of shops had easily doubled, and there were several attractive cafes dotting the main street. Belgar had a taste for a coffee-like liquor, so they went to a place curiously named Barrow and Elm. It seemed like a grim name for such a cozy place, but the alchemist shrugged it off.

Finding a seat near the back, Theo breathed in the strange scent lingering in the air. It wasn’t exactly like the coffee substitute he was used to back on Earth, but it was close. This version held sweet notes that overpowered the bitter dark coffee he was used to. Of course, Belgar ordered for them and three tall glasses of light brown liquid were served. Cubes of ice bobbed in the glasses, clinking against the edges.

Theo was the first to take a tentative sip, finding it to be a decent mixture of coffee and milk. He could taste none of the alcohol.

“Alex has a unique ability,” Theo said, continuing their previous conversation.

“This is good,” Elrin said, holding the glass up and nodding to Belgar. “We never had demons back in the day, but you guys are fine in my book.”

Belgar nodded, his cheeks going a deeper shade of violet. “Thanks.”

“Anyway, what’s her technique?” Elrin asked.

“She can consume energies and make them a part of herself,” Theo said. “I suspect that’s why we’re so good at assimilating celestial energy. Everyone in the bond shares knowledge, including experience. I think Tresk just stole the technique from Alex, trying it on herself in an attempt to become a dragon.”

“I can’t imagine Tresk as a dragon,” Belgar said, shaking his head.

“Well, good thing it failed.” Theo took another long sip of his drink, smacking his lips. The more he drank, the more the underlying sweetness of sugar or honey came through. “Instead, she came up with a technique to empower one’s self by disabling the system.”

Elrin’s brows rose in unison. “She can disable her system?”

Theo shrugged. “Each of us can. It cuts you off from the local system’s energy and makes way for all the energy. Wait, how are you guys doing it?”

Elrin grumbled, slouching. “The hard way, apparently. Think you can teach me?”

“Maybe. Tresk spent a few years working on it, and even then… I don’t want to say this to her face, but she’s a genius at figuring this stuff out. I learned it by just copying her, which is effortless thanks to the bond.”

“Still, we should try,” Elrin said. “That’s been our biggest blocker since the start. My people have been… Could you do the bubble?”

Theo waved his hand and his aura spread out. He reinforced it with every bit of his willpower.

“My people have been secretly training for thousands of years,” Elrin finished. “This would’ve been much quicker if we had your technique.”

“Well, let’s get started. I’m already missing the games… Well, I guess the last four fights will be the most interesting,” Theo said. “Oh, and the exhibition fights. Those are going to be peak entertainment.”

“Dispense with the knowledge, demon.”

Theo sighed. “Okay. You ever have a moment of realization that everyone else in the world is their own person, living their own lives. Maybe a sensation like you’re just an actor on a stage and the world isn’t real?”

“Not really.”

Theo shook his head. “Okay. This is gonna be hard.”