The Newt and Demon - Book 8 Chapters 46,47,48 (Patreon)

Chapter 46

I Can Handle Myself

Elrin’s technique for cultivating the energy was to partially disable his system. But he hadn’t figured out how to block it out entirely. The lady who figured it out to begin with, Meya, didn’t start with a system. She had never entirely figured out how to pass her technique down, meaning that she was somehow even stronger than Elrin.

“I don’t think I’m going to get this in an afternoon,” Elrin said, frowning as he looked down at a chocolate pastry. It was his third. “Perhaps we need to do more sessions.”

Theo shrugged. “You can come into the paper dimension with me.”

“I’d rather die.”

Belgar chuckled nervously. “I’m just happy to be here.”

Theo turned to the leader of his world, folding his arms. “Well, you’re doing a hell of a job here. You have a lot to be proud of, Belgar.”

“Thanks. I’m doing my best,” Belgar said. “Mostly, my job is about talking with the planet.”

“Talking with a planet,” Elrin said. “Sounds weird.”

“Says the guy who talks to crystals for fun,” Theo said, poking an accusatory finger at the elf. “We’re all doing weird stuff around here.”

As much as Theo wanted to spend more time on his own planet, there were mortal affairs to tend to. Worst of all, now that Elrin’s master plan had been enacted, there was some bad news. The system wasn’t hold up very well, and wanted to reset the world as soon as possible. That meant they needed to transport the remaining shards as quickly as they could, rushing the games to a conclusion and transporting all the mortals to their respective planets.

It was a big pain in the ass. But most of all, it made Theo fall into a state of nostalgia for his new home. He hadn’t been on Iardein for long. But in that time, it had become more of a home than Earth ever was. Instead of a place doomed since his birth, he was on a planet of limitless potential. He and the town had risen from nothing, to some of the most important people around. All this was little comfort when it came to thinking about what would happen next.

Another wave of destruction. But perhaps the last wave of destruction for some time. At least Death was fully onboard now, even if it took a little force to get him there. The mortal- and god-side of things had never been closer, and it was a blessing the alchemist wasn’t quick to overlook.

“Ready?” Elrin asked, looking thoughtfully at Theo. “We need to move a few crystals today if we want to hit the deadline.”

Theo nodded, taking one last bite of the cream-filled chocolate treat he had been snacking on. “Yeah. You got the tab, right?”

Belgar looked around, blinking in confusion. “No.”

“Well, I don’t have any space money,” Theo said, withdrawing a few coins from his inventory. “Do they accept this stuff?”

“I’m sure they won’t mind,” Belgar said. “You own the planet, after all.”

“Good point.”

Moving the shards was pretty easy by this point. Elrin had placed all the beacons on the planet, and all they needed to do was guide them through the void. Theo and Elrin worked together, spending a few hours shunting them from one realm to another. When they moved the last shard, they found themselves in a wide, rocky area on Iardein. It was a hostile landscape once marked by almost nothing, and now notable only for the massive stone tower that had appeared out of nowhere.

“That’s all I can handle for the day,” Elrin said, slapping the side of the tower. “I’ll need to add my own authority to these before they’ll work properly. Now that I don’t have anything else to do, it should be easy.”

“Well, if you need a hand… Ask someone else. I don’t know how this crap works.”

“Fair enough,” Elrin said, reaching out a hand.

Theo shook it, giving him a curt nod. “You know where to find me if you need anything. Let’s not make this weird. We’re both looking out for the interests of the sector.”

“Agreed,” Elrin said.

With that, Theo departed from the strange landscape. He met up, as planned, with Alex on the far edges of Broken Tusk. Even with all their caution, people in the distance shouted with fear. The alchemist shook his head, patting the dragon on the side and leading her along the northeastern border. They picked a track outside of the wall to avoid frightening too many people and it mostly worked. The problem came with Alex’s new size.

She had gone from ten, to thirty, to fifty-some feet in a matter of hours. Not only had she grown in size, but her appearance was now that of a true dragon. Theo didn’t truly understand what a true dragon was, but he guessed it had something to do with the physical appearance and size. Perhaps there was some demarcation of strength with that title, but it was hard to say.

“Is that a dragon?” A familiar voice called from behind Theo.

The alchemist turned, spotting Miana jogging down the footpath with a wide smile on her face. “This is Alex. But I guess… yeah. She’s a dragon now.”

“Can I touch her?” Miana asked, fidgeting with her hands as though she could barely contain herself.

“You may touch me,” Alex said, turning her slender neck and bowing her head so it rested on the ground.

Miana jumped back in fright. “She used to just honk! Now she talks!”

“Indeed I do,” Alex confirmed, blowing a ring of smoke from her nostrils. “Now, scratch my chin, mortal.”

“Oh, and no shortage of confidence,” Miana said, a broad smile on her face as she skipped over. She reached out a tentative hand, running her fingers along the dragon’s scales. Making a delighted sound, she scratched as hard as she could under Alex’s chin. “These scales are thick. I’ve never seen a live dragon up close, but I’ve seen dragon hides. You must be really powerful, because I’ve never seen anything like this. And she’s so friendly.”

“She’s still Alex,” Theo said, folding his arms. “Her form changed, not her personality. Well, not entirely. She’s acting all mysterious and stuff, but that’s because she’s putting on an act.”

“I am a mighty dragon,” Alex rumbled.

“Yes, you are!” Miana said.

“You’re welcome to walk with us,” Theo said. “I’m parading her around so people don’t freak out.”

“Too late for that. Word of a dragon came to me right away,” Miana said. “The guard will be here soon enough.”

It didn’t take long for Aarok’s people to arrive. Theo had to explain what was happening, but at least they didn’t attack before thinking. They were smart enough to know that Alex had been evolving, so a friendly dragon showing up in town was enough to tip them off. As expected, those adventurers with the guard wanted to pet her, scratching different spots on her scales to the point where they got her to kick. The sound of her rear limb thundering against the ground made the excitable half-ogres giggle with delight.

Eventually, Miana, Theo, and Alex removed themselves from the tangle of guards and worked their way to the causeway. The alchemist hadn’t seen the problem of moving a massive dragon across the narrow pathway, forcing her to fly from one end to the other. If the goal was to stay under the radar, they failed entirely. It wasn’t the reaction he had expected, though.

Instead of the running and screaming Theo had become used to, people rushed over to scratch the dragon. Alex’s half-dragon, half-goose form was pretty horrifying. The dragon form she now assumed was frightening, but now she had a majesty that was undeniable. Before long, the crowd was around her, getting her to slam her foot into the ground yet again. That got ‌extremely excited laughs from both locals and the outsiders here for the games.

“Are you guys fine here if I go to the announcer’s booth?” Theo asked.

“I can handle myself,” Alex said, drawing herself up to her full height and blasting multicolored fire into the air. That got a cheer and claps from the crowd.

“She’s loving this,” Miana said with a laugh. “I’ll keep a good eye on her. Don’t you worry, I’m not letting a real dragon out of my sight.”

Theo nodded. He didn’t remember Miana getting so excited when they had their very own dragon under the town. Then again, that dragon wasn’t very friendly. When Pogo had assumed her position in the underground town, she was there as a guardian. From what he understood, she was also extremely old and not willing to entertain something so degrading as getting her scales scratched. Alex was all too willing to accept the attention.

“Did I miss anything?” Theo asked, poking his head into the booth.

“Yeah, most of the games,” Tresk said, popping another fried treat into her mouth. “Where have you been?”

Theo waved his hand through the air. “Oh, here and there. Looks like we’re on good terms with Elrin.”

Fenian swiveled in his chair, tilting his head to one side. “I wasn’t aware we were on bad terms with him.”

“Maybe not you, double-agent,” Theo said, pulling up a chair to the table. The scene of the arena below was a mess. Most of the ground floor had been destroyed, large chunks of stone scattered through the area. Even the stands had a bit of damage, a line of damage tracking up the south-facing side. “What happened down there?”

“Just the most amazing fight of the century,” Fenian said. “Also, you wound me alchemist.”

“Oh, come on ya stinker,” Tresk said. “Everyone knows you’re playing at least two sides.”

Fenian rubbed his chin. “Perhaps as many as four sides.”

“The face of a guilty man!” Tresk shouted, jabbing her index finger into Fenian’s face. “Admit it! You’re a bad boy!”

“Yes, I’m super bad,” Fenian said. He looked as though he had more to say, but whatever thoughts bubbled to the surface faded as he turned to look out the window. “Is Elrin here? That’s a big dragon.”

“Oh, that’s Alex,” Theo said, wincing as he looked through the window. “Alex, who is currently being ridden by Miana. I didn’t think she’d do something so reckless.”

“Snap! Alex got her ideal form!” Tresk shouted, pressing her face against the window. “When did that happen!?”

Theo patted his hand on Tresk’s back, lowering his head to press his forehead against hers. The flow of information was free, and the marshling nodding with approval when the transfer was complete.

“That’ll do it,” she said. “She got that technique down, huh?”

“Yup. So, when are the next games? We gotta make a trip after these are over,” Theo said.

Tresk shook her head, gesturing down toward the damage. “We need to clear away the debris before we start again. The damage is too great for the building to repair, so we need to do it the old fashioned way.”

Theo gestured between Tresk and Fenian. “Two of the most powerful mortals alive. Sitting around while the good people of Broken Tusk clean up a mess! What an absolute shame.”

Fenian and Tresk shared a look.

“Well, I didn’t really think about it,” Fenian said.

“You’ll need to put on your thinking cap,” Theo said. “Elrin wants me to teach you and Khahar how to turn your systems off and accept the energies of the universe or whatever. But first, we gotta get down there and fix the rubble. Don’t worry, I’ll use my Earth Sorcerer’s Core.”

“Thank the gods,” Fenian said, breathing a sigh of relief. He held his hands up, flashing his nails. “I just got these done.”

Theo offered Fenian a flat look, blinking a few times. “Cool. You’re extremely pretty. Let’s get to work.”

Fenian preened. “I am pretty, aren’t I?”

“Painfully so,” Tresk said, punching him in the arm. “Get moving, ya idiot.”

Chapter 47

Training Fenian

Theo stood with his arms folded, looking with a frown down at Fenian. He hadn’t wanted to admit it when he had seen Elrin struggle with the same technique, but now it was more clear than ever. The group, calling themselves the Warriors of the Shard, had taken their form of the cultivation technique from an Earth woman named Meya. Although they couldn’t fully adapt it, they had done well to use their time hiding in the void, popping out only every so often to gather more energy. But they didn’t have thousands of years to increase Fenian’s potential.

Standing in the paper dimension, Theo looked up to spot Tresk flying on Alex. She had been overjoyed seeing her bestie assume a form closer to an impressive true dragon. They hadn’t stopped flying since the group had arrived. “I hate to admit it, but I think Tresk might be an idiot savant.”

“How long did you say this took her?” Fenian asked, gasping as he came out from another month-long meditative session.

“She mastered it in a few years,” Theo said. “That’s not even the impressive part. Not only did the little pink psychopath figure out how to shut off her system, but she went further after achieving that. She then siphoned the energy, even if she had never done anything like that before.”

“Truly, she is a terror.” Fenian’s breaths came in shallow gasps. He rose to his feet, stretching out his back and rolling his shoulders to produce an audible pop. “I hate to see both of you ascending beyond my power. You know, my original mission was to kill you.”

“That’s not even remotely surprising.” Theo shrugged. It truly was the least shocking thing he had heard from the elf. “What’s the story on that?”

“Bit of a mix-up is all. Khahar had been sowing the concept of the Tara’hek for ages, but he never thought it’d work. He had only one success in all his time in Iaredin, so we didn’t have faith you could be turned.” Fenian sighed dramatically. “How unfortunate. I was looking forward to our final battle.”

“Turned?” Theo asked.

“Your arrival was foretold a long time ago. You were supposed to destroy the world.”

Theo shrugged. “I am destroying the world. Not me personally, but you get my meaning.”

Fenian tilted his head to the side. “I suppose you’re right. Well, you’re remaking it afterward so it doesn’t count.”

Sometimes it was hard to tell if Fenian was a genius or an idiot. Theo decided to land on ‘genius acting like an idiot’ and move on with his life. He had heard whispers about what the Ascendants were doing before his arrival, and he knew he had some skin in that game. The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. For once, he decided not to drop the subject.

“What are the specifics?” Theo asked. “The souls in the void are typically in a queue, so if you could reverse engineer that math, you could figure out when and where they arrive. You knew I was coming, and someone gave a prophecy? What was it exactly?”

Fenian offered a blank stare for a few moments, eventually shaking his head. “Sorry, this realm must be messing with my mind. Does Theo Spencer want to drill further than the surface?”

“This one time.”

“I see. It isn’t much of a story. I came here with instructions from Elrin to destabilize whatever threats were here when I arrived. When I was reincarnated, I found the biggest threat imaginable: fake gods. That’s when I linked up with Khahar, who was happy to help in my quest. The Burning Eye took special interest in you. His realm was unassailable for such a long time, we never thought we could get his hooks out of you.” Fenian gestured skyward, to the shrieking form of Tresk riding atop Alex. “But the Tara’hek took, blocking the influence of all pretenders. You would’ve served the old Prime Pantheon if not for that connection, meaning the world would be destroyed. Not by fire, but by the same cycle that had prevented us from moving on.”

“That would’ve ruined Elrin’s plan, too,” Theo said. “Maybe.”

“You would’ve at least delayed his plans. But look at us now!” Fenian shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “Everything went perfectly, and we couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.”

“I don’t think you guys estimated the danger of the Tara’hek correctly,” Theo said. “It isn’t just one thing that makes it absolutely powerful. If it was just the two of us, maybe that would’ve been kinda scary. But with Alex, that changes things.”

The alchemist held his hand out, drawing on his connection with the Tara’hek. Scales spread over his body, the thrumming energy present in Alex’s body soaking down into his bones. A ball of purple-green fire appeared in his hand.

“Turns out, draconic magic is powerful,” Theo said. “And we can infuse it into ourselves, just like she did.”

“Oh, are you going to become a dragon?” Fenian asked.

Theo drew more deeply on the connection, pushing past the limits of what it wanted to give him access to. A pair of wings burst through his coat, the leathery things unfurling behind him. “If we wanted to, I guess. But it just seems like a way to ruin some good shirts.”

“By the light of… Can you fly!?” Fenian shouted, rushing over and wrapping his arms around the alchemist. “Please accept me into your Tara’hek. We’ll be the most powerful thruple around.”

“Wouldn’t that be a quaduple?” Theo asked, releasing Alex’s power. His wings vanished and his skin went back to normal. The dancing ball of fire in his hands dissipated with a hiss.

“Details hardly matter. I am yours~”

“No offense, but ew.”

Fenian cast his eyes back to the sky. “A man can dream.”

The idea of steering his own evolution had been on his mind since he watched Alex change herself. Theo looked down at his own hands, making note of the various shades of purple that made up his skin. It would be easy enough to change the way he looked permanently, but he wasn’t sure it was the right move. On the one hand, he had grown attached to Belgar’s old body. But on the other, it was never truly his body to begin with. It was something borrowed; something that would never truly be his.

Tresk was a different story. That had been her body since birth, meaning that she had a lot more of an attachment to it. Theo knew she wouldn’t hesitate at the chance to turn herself into a dragon-person, but he had to consider the point of all this. Why change at all, when things were going just fine the way they were. The answer was simple: because things weren’t going to stay the same. It was going to get harder, and they would have to face enemies they couldn’t even hope to be prepared for.

Taking on the power of a true dragon might also give them different paths to power. And in the coming world, one could never have too much power.

“Get back to it,” Theo said, shooting Fenian a sharp look. “A month isn’t enough time for you to understand Tresk’s technique. No, don’t whine. Stop being such a baby about it.”

“Yes, master,” Fenian grumbled, falling back into a seated position with a dramatic sigh. “The things I do for power…”

***

Pogo enjoyed her new name. She hated the rock-people she had been charged with watching, abandoning them as soon as she could, but at least she had a new name. Floating in the clouds above the continent the locals called Slagrot, she felt content. Her people had never called it that. They had the same name since the world was young, when the elves barely poked their heads out of the forests, and the humans mingled with vulbet in the great southern deserts. Now there were two deserts, and both were unpleasant to fly anywhere near.

During her many years watching the world, she had seen the birth of a few true dragons. The last she had seen had taken mortal form, assuming a post in Vesta as Archduke Ta’nak’at. Or whatever the mortal peoples ended up calling him, she couldn’t remember. When the telltale energy of three more true dragons entered the world, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Banking hard to the left, she dove to scare the ogres below. They fled, screaming like they always did while hurling magic at her.

It tickled against her scales.

“Why did I agree to help that stupid cat?” Pogo asked herself, releasing another dramatic sigh.

The dragon tracked a path along the coast for a while, following a lazy trail toward the new world. She had to shake that thought loose. No one had called it that since the old times. And most of that place had been completely destroyed by some damned elf. Why was it always the elves?

Pogo was too high for anyone to see her. She was shrouded in enough magic to turn the eyes of the system. Not even her kin, who were currently waiting for their time in secret places, could find her. That was the point. When the continent came into view, she narrowed her gaze through the clouds below and locked onto the energy signatures. Of course, it was the demon and his companions. The goose he had back when she knew him was gone, replaced by a dragon.

Tutting to herself, Pogo absorbed as much information as she could. The creature had a knack for accepting foreign energies into herself, and has assimilated a large amount from a dead ascendant dragon. Her scaly face contorted in a series of emotions she couldn’t quite place. This should’ve been a one-off situation, but the others connected to the goose had unintentionally absorbed some draconic energy. 

Was this worth calling a council over? Would she stir the sleeping giants to object to this? A new dragon wasn’t a bad thing, especially if it had the exact energy of a true dragon. Three of them were even better, so long as they could be brought into the fold. Pogo made up her mind then, diving down toward the town she had lived under for a few thousand years, assuming her mortal form somewhere in a bank of clouds, and landing with grace by a rushing river.

Broken Tusk was bustling, especially compared to when she had been living under it. People were streaming along the river, walking over the bridge, and otherwise just milling around the way mortals did. It didn’t take her long to figure out there was something more going on here than just daily life. Through conversation, eavesdropping, and some investigatory magic, she learned there was a tournament going on.

“Although I’m sure most men in town won’t complain…” A voice came from Pogo’s left, sending a chill up her spine. Had she already been discovered. “But you’ll want to wear a little more if you want to avoid unwanted attention.”

Pogo turned, spotting a well-built man wearing a white and silver robe. He had square features and a discerning eye. She looked down at herself, realizing that the sheer fabric she wore stood out among the simple tunics and dresses of the locals. “Where might one acquire clothes?”

“The market,” the man said, jerking his head to one side. He came alongside her, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her that way. “I may not be as strong as I once was. But once you taste ascendancy, you have an eye for glamors. And this is one of the best I’ve seen in my many years.”

“Oh! So, you did find me out,” Pogo said, shaking her head. “Was it the hair?”

“Red hair is rare,” the man confirmed. “But the clawed feet are what give you away as a dragon.”

“Drat. Another town to burn, I suppose.”

The man held his hands up defensively. “Let’s not. I’m sure Theo will be thrilled to see you, Pogo. But first, we’ll grab some clothes. I’m guessing this has something to do with Alex becoming a dragon.”

“My goodness,” Pogo said, looking the man up and down. She didn’t recognize him. Not even a little. “You do have a good eye. What did you say your name was?”

“Sulvan Flametouched… Although I’m thinking of taking a new surname.”

Pogo squeezed his bicep. “Silvain Buffman. Strongboy?

The servant of Hallow sighed, leading the half-naked dragon along through the streets of Broken Tusk.

Chapter 48

Don’t Faint

Theo watched as a Frozen Tear melted in his hand. Fenian had spent about a year working on the cultivation technique, and was coming close to using the perfect form Tresk had developed. But he wasn’t quite there. He could block out about 90% of his system, but getting it to go all the way was still out of his range. The alchemist watched as the reagent melted into essence in his hands, stopping and floating in mid-air.

So much time being bored had resulted in a few more tricks.

The last property on the flower, labeled only as ‘#$1123’ was tricky to understand. The first property produced ice immunity, while the second turned a person into a piece of the Shard Network. But this one just didn’t want to budge. No matter how many ways the alchemist approached it, it didn’t relent with its secrets. The entire time he had been forced into babysitter mode, he had considered only two things. The flower, and becoming a demon-dragon. Or was it dragon-demon? Which side of him would express itself more was beyond him, and none in the Tara’hek had reached a conclusion.

“Should be about morning back in the real world,” Theo announced. “Maybe. I can’t do math.”

“We’re so close to a breakthrough. I can feel it!” Fenian shouted.

Alex landed and Tresk dismounted with a pretty neat flip. “Gotta get to the real world, dude,” the marshling said. “Once you feel the celestial energy in full, you’ll get a better sense for how to shut your system off.”

“Is that true?” Theo asked.

“Maybe. Anyway, did we decide on dragon mode or not?” Tresk asked.

Theo cupped his chin, watching as the essence floated before him. He felt close to figuring out what potion it could make, but no matter how hard he pushed against it, the stubborn flower’s essence wouldn’t relent. “Yeah, I think that’d be neat.”

“That’s how the two of you make life-altering decisions? Oh, perhaps I’ll be a dragon today! Might mess around and turn my legs into tentacles, hehe!”

“The key is to move the celestial energy with the draconic energy,” Alex said, her voice rumbling across the paper landscape.

Fenian jumped with fright. “I’ll never get used to that.”

“Agreed. You’re scary, Alex,” Theo said, patting the dragon on the snout.

“Come, father. Become a dragon with me. We’ll do cool dragon stuff.”

“We’ll work on the technique on the mortal plane,” Theo said. “I want to use caution this time, so we don’t become full dragons. I like my bipedal form.”

“Yeah. Thumbs are cool,” Tresk said.

When everyone was ready to depart, Theo surrounded them in his aura and dropped them through reality. A moment later, they all appeared in the field behind the Newt and Demon. There wasn’t enough space for Alex to land safely anywhere but the empty field, and she took off into the air the moment they arrived. The alchemist narrowed his eyes, feeling a strangely familiar power nearby. But it was a placid thing, promising protection and safety so he didn’t pay it much attention.

All the bad guys had a habit of putting of this nasty aura that anyone could sniff out from a mile away.

“How many games do we have today?” Theo asked.

“Quite a few,” Fenian said, straightening his shirt and adjusting his hat. “I’m feeling dizzy.”

“Don’t faint, that only makes it worse,” Theo said. “I put a barrier in your mind, but you still spent a year in another dimension. Your body and soul need time to adjust to the new flow of time.”

“You’re saying I’m weak,” Fenian said, swaying on the spot. “I’ll have you know…”

“Down he goes,” Tresk said, shaking her head. “Wanna flip for it?”

Theo nodded. Tresk produced a coin from nowhere, flipping it into the air.

“Heads,” Theo said.

“Tails,” Tresk announced, showing the coin for him to see. “Enjoy the infirmary.”

Theo looked down at Fenian’s prone body, then back at Tresk. She was already scampering off. “You need to get someone to cover for me!” he shouted at her. “Someone who isn’t an idiot!”

Theo bottled the essence he had been levitating and grumbled as he scooped Fenian up. He wasn’t that heavy, and smelled strongly of sweet flowers. The alchemist navigated the streets, finding his way to the temple. There were quite a few people giving offerings or praying within, but he ignored them and headed down to the dungeon. A few more healers were milling around than normal, and a nice dwarven healer helped him find a room for Fenian.

“Elves!” the dwarf shouted, spitting on the ground. “A slight breeze will knock them down.”

“Right? Absolute cowards,” Theo said.

The only thing Fenian needed was rest. They might give him some minor healing, but he just needed some time. For someone like him, it wouldn’t take long for his brain to adjust to the new flow of time. It would’ve been much worse without the barrier.

Just as Theo was rounding another dark corner, he spotted Sulvan in the distance. The once-grumpy paladin was walking down the hall with someone he didn’t recognize. The alchemist had to stop to stare for a moment, trying to figure out where she was from. She had the grace of an elf from Tarantham, with the poise of a local half-ogre. It took him far too long to put the pieces together, and by that time the pair had already approached him.

“New girlfriend?” Theo asked, tilting his head to one side. “Didn’t know you went for dragons.”

The dragon was beyond obvious to Theo. Perhaps that was only because he had been around Alex for so long, but the energy she put off was very distinct. She had shockingly red hair with sun-kissed skin and pouty lips. Compared to Sulvan’s ugly mug, she was way out of his league.

“Am I really that obvious?” she said, looking down at her human-like form and frowning. At least she was human-sized, compared to the alchemist’s seven-foot frame.

“It really is,” Theo said, folding his arms. “I didn’t know dragons could take a form like this. You’re here about Alex, right?”

“I’m really just that transparent, huh?” she asked.

Sulvan cleared his throat. “She would like a word with you, if that’s okay.”

“I don’t see why not,” Theo said, narrowing his eyes. “There’s something about you that seems familiar, though.”

The dragon scoffed. “Well, I’d hope so! I lived under your town for about a thousand years, defending it against the deep places of the world.”

Theo blinked, mouth falling open. “Pogo? Seriously? I don’t remember you being this… attractive.”

“Sorry, I’m taken,” Pogo said, pressing herself against Sulvan.

“I didn’t agree to this,” Sulvan said, his cheeks going a dark shade of red. He mouthed, “Help me.”

Theo extended his hand for Pogo to take. “Come on. I got someone covering for me at the arena today. We can discuss whatever it is you need back at the manor.”

Pogo looked between Sulvan and Theo, eventually nodding and taking the alchemist’s hand. “This is a warmer welcome than I had expected.”

“Sulvan, can you take a look at Fenian?” Theo asked over his shoulder. “I took him to a time-dilation realm, and I think his brain is kinda fried.”

“So, the same old?” Sulvan asked, shaking his head. “Yeah, no problem.”

Theo led Pogo through the town, rolling the scenarios over in his head. The dragon had vanished at once, leaving her underground refuge for apparently no reason. The only reason she would be back is if she felt the draconic energy coming from Alex, which made sense. He guessed he had more questions than her, and led her to the manor.

“Sarisa, can you make some tea?” Theo asked as he entered the building. He waited a beat. “Rowan? Guess I’m making our own tea… Everyone is busy at the arena.”

“That’s fine,” Pogo said, finding her way to the massive dining table and having a seat. “I’m quite patient.”

Theo took his time with the tea, preparing the way he would approach the conversation. One thing was for certain: Pogo wasn’t here for pleasantries. She was a dragon, and as far as he knew a very powerful one. There could be other dragons in the world who had an interest in keeping random geese from becoming one of their kind. It was all conjecture, but he had to make sure he didn’t step on any tails.

The alchemist returned with a brewing pot of tea, setting it on the table and taking his own seat. He settled in, smelling the scent of the moss tea filling the air. Joining with the pleasant scent of tea was the heavy atmosphere brought by the dragon.

“I’ll get right to it,” Pogo said, drumming her fingers on the table. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe I’ve put it together from afar. I’d like for you to become a dragon, joining our little group.”

Theo blinked a few times. That wasn’t what he had expected her to say at all. Not even remotely so. He expected her to grill him about the technique he used to turn Alex into a dragon, or to question why the Tara’hek was filled with the same energy. Instead, she wanted him to become a dragon? Who would that serve? Unless… Unless dragons were in short supply, and they served some other purpose besides being big and blowing fire.

“Pardon if this is rude, but why?” Theo asked. “I was never able to figure out what you were doing in the underground city. All I know is that you were working with Khahar.”

“That annoying cat’s plan would’ve failed without us. We might not be the most influential, but we’re not dead. We make changes to the world with a nudge, rather than a shove.” Pogo poured her own tea, taking a tentative sip and nodding with approval. “This is rather good.”

“Thanks,” Theo said with a nod of his head.

“We haven’t seen a clutch of new dragons in a long time. We need a certain level of draconic energy in the world to make that happen,” Pogo said. She took a long time to continue, leaving Theo in suspense. “We’re very close to reaching that point. After we settle on a new world, once the reset happens, we’ll get to work on clutches again. But to make that happen, we’ll need more energy than ever.”

“You’re interested in using the Tara’hek as batteries,” Theo said, shrugging. “That’s not an awful request. But what do we get out of this?”

“Aside from amazing power and the ability to enforce your role as the Dreamwalker?” Pogo asked. “The appreciation of the dragons, and the knowledge that you saved a race.”

“One more thing. We’re weaving the draconic energy with celestial energy to make it purer,” Theo said. “My thought is that I’ll get to keep my humanoid form if we do it that way.”

“If you follow the path of your familiar, you’ll gain access to a humanoid form anyway,” Pogo said, shaking her head. “And you can pick the humanoid form as your default form. You weren’t born a dragon, so the rules are different.”

Theo wondered if he had to think about this. A giant dragon form, fire breathing, along with access to a new type of magic and a path of progression that would help him keep his people safe was good enough. But the support of a group of dragons was even better. If they had planned to stay in Iaredin, and the world wasn’t resetting, he wouldn’t accept the deal. But since the change was coming, he had to do everything in his power to ensure their future.

“Okay. Got any tips for me?” Theo asked. “We discovered the technique by accident.”

Pogo issued a soft, polite laugh. “You’ll be drawing from the energy of an ancient dragon this time,” she said. “The process will be far more potent. But I’m happy to guide you.”

“Welp. Time to be a dragon, I guess.”