The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 37,38,39 (Patreon)

Chapter 37

Commanding the Realm

“This is the most awkward thing I’ve ever been a part of.” Tresk folded her arms, staring at the floating purple spirit.

Theo had suspected that Belgar’s soul would come back in one form or another. He had been entertaining the idea that the Dronon never truly died, and had only been snatched up by a god when he fell off that cliff. Now the picture was clear. When he died, his soul went to ascend to Drogramath’s realm. But he refused. People on Earth often thought ghosts would linger if they had unfinished business.

“And you have a lot of unfinished business,” Theo said.

The floating purple spirit flickered, then issued a sound like pain. It was melodic, echoing over the open fields of Tero’gal like a sad song.

“So, you’ll want to decide swiftly,” Benton said, fidgeting. “He’s trespassing in your realm, so his soul will break down.”

“Please. My sister,” Belgar begged.

“Well, damn I don’t know how to accept a soul into Tero’gal.” Theo looked over to Tresk and Alex. “Do you?”

“No idea. This is all new to me.”

Don’t look at me, I’m a goose.

“Just click ‘accept’ in your god interface. Look! He’s fading by the second.” Benton seemed the most concerned out of everyone.

The darkest response would have been to do nothing. To let Belgar fade into non-existence right there in Tero’gal. But that man was a treasure trove of information. He had a different way of thinking about alchemy than Theo, meaning he’d know interesting techniques. Perhaps the secret to pushing past the third tier barrier. As with most things in their strange realm, it was just a matter of pushing to figure things out.

Theo wrapped his will around the realm with an iron grip and squeezed. The island under their feet shook. Tresk let out a scared yelp as the alchemist pushed harder against the realm. His authority was law here. Why wouldn’t it obey? Then Alex’s will joined the fight, crashing against the realm with goose-like vigor. It took the Marshling a long while to pick up on what they were doing, but soon her power joined theirs. Tero’gal’s will crumpled against theirs.

A thin veil had been wrapped around the realm, like pond scum on the surface of water. As Tresk, Theo, and Alex crashed through that barricade, a torrent of information flooded through their minds. The authority of the realm to govern itself was eroded in moments, siphoning from Tero’gal to the collective Tara’hek cores of those gathered. The alchemist took in a sharp breath, wrapping that authority around himself and his companions.

A system message appeared.

[Tero’Gal]

Mortal Dreamrealm

Owners: Theo Spencer, Tresk

Faction: Unaffiliated

Level: 0

Souls: 0

Expansions:

None

Pending Requests: 1

“Holy hell. Its seed cores all the way down, isn’t it?” Tresk laughed.

Theo ignored that comment, navigating to the pending requests to accept Belgar into the realm. Twisting light wrapped around the ghost’s form, reinforcing its fading shape with a multicolored shine. The dead Dronon drew himself up, mimicking the motion of taking deep breaths. He held his arms wide, the sense of a smile exuding from the figure.

“At last. At gods damned last!” Belgar flexed his reinforced form, looking around the realm. “I never thought I’d make it this far.”

“Now you have some explaining to do,” Theo said, crossing his arms and staring at the ghostly form.

Benton chuckled nervously. “Let’s have some tea, alright? I brought scones. Your favorite, Theo.”

The bear god knew how to bribe Theo. While the alchemist doubted it was true lemons in the lemon poppy scones, it was close enough for him. The party entered the cramped cabin, sitting at the crowded table to brew tea and snack on confections. Tresk ate hers in one bite, the way she always did. Alex picked at hers while Belgar stood in the corner. Brooding.

The ghost couldn’t drink the tea. He just stood there, taking a deep breath before moving on to his story. “When I died… When I was killed, I saw the look on Zarali’s face. I knew that would break her. I put her in a position where she needed her brother to survive. Because I was a horrible sibling and a worse friend.”

“Great way to start introductions,” Tresk said, snatching another scone.

Belgar nodded his ghostly head. “It’s the truth. Now that I’ve pledged myself to your realm, outworlder, I’m bound to your service.”

“Go on,” Theo said, his eyes lingering on the pot of tea. Benton made some great tea.

“Lord Drogramath pulled me back home. I lingered on the Bridge for some time. Then something interesting happened. Someone snatched up my body—I could feel it. My body. My cores. All my hard work to be given to some damned outworlder. I didn’t know at the time it would be an outworlder. But I refused Drogramath’s call. I lingered in the space between spaces until I could make a move.”

“Until I found him,” Benton said, offering a weak shrug. He sloshed the teapot, cracking the lid to sniff the contents. After an approving nod, he poured tea for everyone. “He had answers to your alchemy questions, Theo.”

“I decided my soul was worthless,” Belgar said. “Not worth giving to my Lord, and not worth sending into the void. If I could offer it up to deliver a single message, I could live an eternity in torment. Under the thumb of an undeserving outworlder.”

“Keep going hard on Theo. He deserves it, the dirty outworlder.” Tresk gave Theo a mock-sneer. “Coming into our universe! Stealing our demon bodies!”

“You mock me?” Belgar asked, drawing himself up.

Tresk jumped on the table, reaching her hand out and squeezing. “Kneel, worm!”

Belgar’s ghostly form knelt, letting out a pained grunt. Tresk had authority over Tero’gal and all its souls. Including the wayward soul. She pointed an accusatory finger at the spirit. “Don’t act like Theo asked for any of this crap! He never wanted to be part of someone’s plan. He never wanted to leave his planet, even though it was getting eaten by the sun. Do you know what he wanted, you freaking idiot? He wanted to die! To leave all that pain and suffering behind, but some wizard-bird threw him into this mess! Now he just wants to be happy.”

Theo blinked a few times, eyes locked on Tresk. The Marshling was excitable most of the time, but when she defended her friends she was vicious. The alchemist held up a hand. A request for her to let the spirit go. Belgar breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure released. Benton looked like he was about to bolt for his portal.

“You need me to deliver a message to your sister.” Theo took on an authoritative tone, trying not to sound as annoyed as he was. “What is it?”

“She must have found you by now.” Belgar was still kneeling on the ground. His transparent head looked up, searching Theo’s face. “She would never have given up. Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her to move on with her life.”

Theo let out a sharp laugh. It escaped him without his command. “Move on? Belgar, she’s getting married. Yeah, she’s kinda obsessed with me because I have your body, but she moved on a long time ago.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, damn! I don’t care if you don’t believe me.” Theo slammed his fist on the table, nearly spilling the precious tea. “You wanna skulk in the shadows to throw a pity party, go ahead. I don’t care. We’re trying to enjoy some fine tea provided by Benton. This is a place of relaxation, so if you don’t want to party, then your ass has gotta go.”

Yeah! Alex shouted, shooting a small ball of fire through Belgar’s form.

Belgar looked crestfallen, if a ghost could show that emotion. He floated over, then through the wall of the cottage. Theo took a steady breath, releasing it slowly. The alchemist brought the cup of tea to his lips and sipped. It was as delicious as ever—somehow better than Xam’s version. That was saying a lot, as the cook was getting better by the day.

“So, uh,” Benton said. “How about that weather?”

“Don’t worry about him,” Theo said, waving the bear god off. “He needs time to sulk. I’ve known people like him in the past. Thinks the word revolves around him. Now, could you pass the scones?”

Benton seemed reluctant to let the topic go, but did so eventually. The conversation shifted to the state of the Realm of Winter and Death. They were developing new things by the day, leveling up the realm by adding fresh Toora souls. Some were lost in the void, while others were dying in the war with the undead. Theo was just happy that the souls of the dead weren’t being trapped on the mortal plane by Balkor’s power.

“So I says to Aarok, I says,” Tresk started, “Fald? Looks like a Hald to me!”

Theo didn’t get the joke, but Benton laughed.

“Hald are another kind of creature,” Benton explained, noticing Theo’s lack of response. “Why did all of you drop into the realm, though? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“There’s a lot going on in the town.” Theo sipped his tea, pushing Belgar far out of his thoughts. “We were in a meeting, and I needed time to think.”

“Ah. Then I dropped a bomb on you.” Benton fidgeted some more. “Sorry about that.”

“Bah, he was gonna show up, eventually.” Tresk dumped another scone in her mouth, not allowing her tastebuds enough time to enjoy the delicious treat. “Guys like him never give up. I’m sure once he gets over himself, he’ll be super helpful.”

“Speaking of,” Theo said, rising from his chair. “I have some potions to check on. Now that I’m thinking about it, what do you do when you come to the realm, Tresk?”

“Oh, I just hang out and talk with old Benton here.”

“Huh.”

Theo left the cottage, making his way over to the spread of tables and stills near the bubbling creek. Belgar lingered nearby, inspecting the stills. The alchemist ignored him, looking over the suffuse potions that were still brewing. His intuition told him they would be done tomorrow. Roughly a year of time would have passed in the realm, but only a few days outside. These were mostly powerful variations of the [Hallow Ground] potions. Something to be used sparingly. A [Wisdom of the Soul] potion also brewed among them. Something that the dead Dronon seemed to take an interest in.

“I almost brewed that one,” Belgar said, gesturing with wispy fingers. “The recipe was a gift from Lord Drogramath.”

Theo smiled. “I figured that one out on my own.”

“Almost. I told you where to find the [Soul Bloom].”

“Fair enough. I’m not even completely sure what it does.”

“It removes the pesky intuition you’re constantly experiencing.”

“Why would I want to be rid of that?”

“Because it unlocks a new screen in your interface where you can read the intuitive thoughts. Your thoughts become more your own.”

That interested Theo greatly. But he found himself unable to trust Belgar’s opinion completely. He didn’t feel as much pride as the Dronon for alchemy. It felt more like a situation than a gift he was truly good at, although that might have just been imposter syndrome. But at that moment, looking at the spirit floating near the stills, he felt the need to test the Dronon’s methods.

“Come,” Theo said, reaching his hand out and forcing his will onto the ghost. He wasn’t commanding him, he was commanding the realm. Belgar would need a more solid form if he wanted to help do a few runs. “Let’s brew some potions.”

Belgar’s form became slightly more solid. He looked down at his ghostly body, flexing fingers that had more substance than before. The Dronon reached out, grasping a flat-bottomed vile and picking it up. He let out a surprised chuckle of delight. “By all means, lead the way.”

Theo didn’t really need to do any runs while he was here. But his inventory was constantly cluttered with reagents, and he wouldn’t waste the 12 hours he had in Tero’gal by sitting around. He produced everything he had on hand, laying it in tight bundles on the ground for Belgar to inspect.

“I see you’re cultivating your own reagents,” Belgar said, picking through a pile of [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. “Something I never achieved. Not with our nomadic lifestyle.”

Belgar held a single root up to the sunless sky, nodding with approval. “This is the most perfect example of a healing root I’ve ever seen.”

“Please, be my guest. We can do a run of [Healing Potions] if you want.”

“You’re over level 20, my good man. You should be running [Greater Healing Potions],” Belgar said, shaking his head.

“Ah, I haven’t figured that problem out. Not yet.”

Belgar tilted his head, putting off the sense of a sly smile yet again. “Then tell me your thought process.”

Theo explained how the mash of reagents bound to the liquid medium in the still. Belgar nodded along as he went on about impurities, extraction, and pressurization of vapors. There were several techniques in there that the spirit didn’t know about, but that was only for lack of equipment. There was raw skill there that the alchemist was jealous of. An intuition that went beyond attributes.

“You’re on the right track,” Belgar said, floating over to a still. He hoisted a grinder atop the lid, and fed it roots. “This took me a decade to figure out, so it’s good to see Lord Drogramath’s good graces haven’t been wasted on you. Tell me more about how reagent properties bind to your [Enchanted Water].”

Theo explained what he knew. More in-depth this time while Belgar processed the reagents. It was hard not to wonder if the Dronon still had his cores, so the alchemist asked.

“They’re echoes of my old cores. I won’t be able to do what you do, but I can mirror it to an extent. You’ll have to start the process—but you’re changing the subject. If you can’t stop the system from adding junk properties to your essence with intent, what could you do?”

Theo smiled at the spirit. This information was valuable, but he was happy to see that he had judged Belgar correctly. He was a fiery person with a passion for his craft. Even in death, he retained all those skills. Instead of going to their corners like children, they’d work out their differences over a still. Brewing potions.

“A secondary process?”

“There it is. The fire of our Lord in your eyes. I’ve never met another Drogramathi Alchemist, so I don’t know if this is the way forward.” Belgar dragged a bucket over near the stills. It took him more effort than it should have. “We’re going to do what I called a dilute enchantment. Do you have any [Refined Healing Essence] on hand?”

Theo had a lot of that on hand. He produced a 100 unit flask from his inventory, handing it over. Belgar nodded with approval. “This is a fine essence, Theo. All this equipment is doing you good. When I brewed, it was done in a copper cauldron with a cobbled-together condenser slapped on top. I’ve never seen stills this advanced. Anyway…”

Belgar scooped water from the creek, then dripped a tenth of a unit of essence into the bucket. Theo’s eye told him the rate was one part essence per one thousand parts water.

“Enchant this water, please,” Belgar said, gesturing to the bucket.

Theo held his hand out, focusing on drawing mana out from his core. Purple fire dripped from his fingertips, sizzling over the surface of the water. A puff of red smoke rose from the bucket. The alchemist leaned in, sensing that this was an item to be inspected. He inspected it.

[Unbound Enchanted Dilution]

[Alchemy Component]

Rare

Water that has been infused with Drogramath’s energy.

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Property:

[Healing]

Theo’s brows knit tightly. The water carried the property over. Everything Belgar had been saying clicked together in an instant. The diluted essence in the enchanted water would make the separation of the properties almost absolute.

“There it is. One more process for that, though. We still have to distill the water with hard liquor to make it bind. That gives you an alcohol base, which completes the third realm process.”

“Realm?” Theo asked, laughing. He tried to slap Belgar on the shoulder, but his hand passed through. “I call them tiers.”

“Thus is the way of Drogramathi alchemy. I believe we all come up with our own terms.”

“I’m writing a book on the topic.”

“Really? I’d love to read it when it’s done. Now, let me show you how to make hard liquor. Got any Zee?”

Tresk scratched her head, watching Theo and Belgar by the stills. Minutes ago, it seemed as though they were going to rip each other’s heads off. Now they were best friends, brewing stuff in a magical realm. The more she tried to understand it, the more distant the meaning felt.

“What the hells, man?” Tresk asked, shaking her head at Benton. “I thought Theo was gonna bite that guy’s head off.”

“Theo isn’t unreasonable,” Benton said. “He sees the value in having another alchemical expert in his realm. Belgar has been through a lot. I tried to nurse him back to sanity in my realm, but it was difficult.”

“Bah. I was hoping for a slugfest.”

Be grateful, Tresk.

“What? Why?”

This helps us more than you know. But it also helps Zarali. When we leave Tero’gal, we’ll tell her that Belgar is safe in our warm embrace.

“Yeah, that’s true. Wait,” Tresk sniffed the air. “Are they making booze?”

Chapter 38

Dynamic Incorporation

Theo would be lying if he said he was not uncomfortable with Belgar’s arrival. That possibility had lingered in his mind for quite some time. And why shouldn’t it? His understanding of the afterlife in this world was minimal. Even as he graced the heavenly realms, he couldn’t put his finger on those mechanisms. But those fanciful thoughts fell by the wayside when he considered what to do next.

No progress was made at the meeting after he arrived back at the town hall. His mind had twisted itself into knots, leaving him unable to make a decision on anything. That responsibility would fall to the administrators. It was their job.

Zarali needed to know. It was unfair to hide the facts from her. Cruel, even.

Tresk and Alex had already rushed downstairs to eat their breakfast, leaving Theo alone with his thoughts. He sat on his bed’s edge, waiting for his mind to gather.

“Anything I can help with?” Sarisa asked. She stepped into the room with a pained expression on her face.

“Is it that obvious? I met Zarali’s dead brother in my realm.”

“Oh. That’s awkward.”

“Indeed. What’s the best way to tell her?”

“Quickly.”

That was easy enough to say. But delivering the message was more complex than that. Her mind was already a swirl of conflicting emotions from Xol’sa’s partial recovery. But that came with its own worries. It was a temporary fix that didn’t cure the problem. Perhaps it would help him make a full recovery, but that wasn’t a guarantee. Now her dead brother’s soul lived in the realm of the person who stole his body. A confusing wash of emotions flooded through Theo.

“Bring her here, please.”

“Would you like me to bring you a cup of tea?”

“I would, thank you.”

Theo waited on his bed. When Sarisa returned, she handed the alchemist a teacup on a saucer. Zarali followed closely behind her, looking more worried than he’d anticipated.

“Zarali, there’s no way to put this gently. Belgar’s soul is in Tero’gal, under my protection.” Theo sipped his tea, waiting for a response.

Zarali stood as though frozen in place. Her mouth hung open as she processed the information. She stammered, messed with her hair, then let out a frustrated breath. “Really? Shouldn’t his soul have gone to Drogramath?”

That was a long story to tell. Sarisa lingered in the room’s corner while Theo went over all the information he knew. Belgar had been hiding between the realms. If that wasn’t dangerous enough, he ducked between the realm of dead gods and the spaces between, always trying to find a way back to the mortal plane. When his old body was occupied, it lit up like a beacon. When Tero’gal was formed, he hatched a plan.

“He sounds happy,” Zarali said, closing her eyes. Her hands were shaking.

Theo set his tea down, pulling his adoptive sister into a hug. “I thought about keeping the information from you. This is too much for one person to endure.”

The Priestess of Drogramath sobbed into Theo’s chest. Sarisa gave him an awkward look for only a moment, trying to avert her gaze from the moment. But Zarali needed to get it out of her system. Too much in too short a period had worn her down. After a while of crying, she started laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“That’s Belgar. The stubborn asshole I remember.”

Theo wiped the wetness from her cheeks, shaking his head. “He’s pretty good at alchemy, too.”

“Damn. I wish there was a way to visit him. I know. Don’t get your undies in a twist. I know what happened to Xol’sa. We will not make that mistake again.”

“There might be a way. But I hope we can just set this aside for now. You can write him letters. Mortal objects persist in my realm.”

“Oh, that’s such a good idea. DId he have anything for me?” Zarali asked.

“Not really. He just wanted you to know he was there.”

The pair lingered in the bedroom for some time. Theo sipped his tea over the silence, Sarisa shifting uncomfortably in the corner. When they were done with their moment, the alchemist went downstairs to have breakfast. He wouldn’t share the information of Belgar to anyone else. That was up to Zarali to spill, not him. Instead, he enjoyed his meal as the group that lived in his house chatted.

“Theo,” Rowan said, leaning close to the alchemist to whisper. “We may need to talk with Ziz and his crews.”

Theo let out a heavy sigh. Rowan didn’t need to explain it to him. They were likely working themselves to death on the various projects. “I understand.”

The Dreamwalk last night was a time for reflection for Theo, but it was also a time to practice the brewing techniques taught by Belgar. Creating grain alcohol was easy enough. It followed many standard alchemical practices that made the process simple. Mash the Zee, use a standard fermentation process, then distill it down. The night was something of a breakthrough.

Theo’s cores experienced widespread level-ups. His [Drogramath Alchemy Core] hit level 24, while his [Drogramath Herbalist Core] hit 23. The [Governance Core] went to level 29, and his [Toru’aun Mage’s Core] was 7. When his personal level hit 23 from all the activity, he slapped a point into [Intelligence]. He felt aimless with his attribute distribution lately, spreading his selections out over the various stats. Generalization wasn’t a bad thing, though.

“Time to have a word with Ziz‌,” Theo said, excusing himself from the table.

“Don’t worry!” Tresk shouted after Theo. “I’ll watch the goose today!”

Theo made his way out of the manor, feeling Sarisa following closely behind him. He circled around the road in front of his house, spotting the mostly completed temple. Ziz and his boys were working like insane people, setting blocks into place even at this early hour. There were at least 20 people working on the project, all part of the man’s expanded projects groups.

“Ziz!” Theo shouted. The Half-Ogre was perched atop a wall, laying stones like his life depended on it. “Wanna come down here?”

“Not really!”

Theo scowled up at the stubborn man. The workers had erected temporary scaffolding on the temple’s side. The alchemist climbed them, refusing to let Ziz get away with this. They were going to burn themselves out before they even got to the other projects. He grumbled the entire way up, standing at the structure’s top and looking down at his town. He’d never seen it from this angle.

“You guys are going a little nuts with this, huh?” Theo asked, grabbing the side of the stone structure when the scaffold swayed in the wind.

“Theo, come on!” Ziz said, withdrawing a marble block from his inventory and setting it in place. A flash of light later, and the stone was set in place with expert precision. “Did your assistants rat me out? We’re resting! I swear!”

Ziz was tweaking like he’d just injected [Moss Nettle] directly into his heart. But he didn’t look that bad. Theo doubted he was taking [Stamina Potions] every day. The man would be dead on his feet if that was the case. There was just an underlying mania with the way he spoke. Like a man who had too much work and not enough time.

“Are you sure?” Theo asked.

“Yeah, Theo. I have a team of 60 workers now. We’re working in shifts.”

“What about you?”

“Yeah, I work more shifts than the other people, but I’m sleeping. Don’t come down on me for being a badass stoneworker.”

Theo glowered for a moment, but relented. Ziz was a focused guy. While the alchemist’s mind wandered from one thing to the other at break-neck speed, the Half-Ogre locked in a problem and never let go. But he also knew himself.

“Alright, are you sure?” Theo asked.

Ziz gave him a knowing smile. “Yes, dad.”

Theo rolled his shoulders. The Zarali thing had really gotten to him. This wasn’t the person he was trying to be. “Check this out.”

Theo withdrew a [Retreat Potion] from his inventory. One infused with the [Refined Elemental Wind] modifier. “Screw this, I’m out,” he said, downing the potion.

A blast of wind shook the scaffolding as the alchemist was thrown back. Ziz let out a shout of surprise as Theo soared over the town. Once the [Retreat] effect expired, [Featherfall] took its place. All of his momentum was removed, allowing him to glide gracefully to the ground. After a few awkward moments of falling in slow-motion, his feet hit the ground somewhere behind the Newt and Demon. He dusted himself off and made his way to his lab.

Along the way he thought about the progress Ziz had made. They were working quickly on the project, and would likely be done in a few days. The only thing that seemed to be a problem was the roof, but Sledge would sort that out. That angry Marshling hadn’t come calling in a while, so she must have been happy with how things were going.

Salire was working with customers, so Theo made his way upstairs. Belgar had helped make some alcohol for third tier brewing, but there was a problem with that. Each run of the new medium needed to be specific to the property he was trying to extract. That added a layer of complication to the alchemical process. Now he needed to store vast amounts of liquids in his lab. For now, the rows of [Dimensional Storage Crates] would have to do.

Theo got working on creating a few [Unbound Enchanted Dilutions] to match his most popular potions. If the alcohol-making process was just a little different, he could save some time. Unfortunately, the property needed to be introduced before it was turned into a grain spirit. The alchemist dedicated three barrels for now, each destined to create about 200 units of the dilution. He introduced a single drop of [Refined Healing Essence], [Refined Stamina Essence], and [Refined Mana Essence] to each barrel, then prepared the mash.

“Making something with Zee?” Salire asked, entering the lab with a smile on her face.

“We’ve had a development,” Theo said, preparing the grinder. He prepared his mash as he explained the situation with Belgar. Salire nodded along as he told the story.

“That’s weird. Alchemy advice from a dead Dronon. The Dronon who used to be in that body. Too weird for me, man.”

“Right. Just take notes on the process, it’s pretty simple.”

Salire did as she was told, but this hardly applied to her. It would take her a while to work herself up to this level. That assumed Drogramath would even grant her a core. It was best not to worry about that. The worst case scenario had her leveling up a crappy un-aligned core, but they wouldn’t worry about that now. She was so excited about the idea that the alchemist wouldn’t stop her hopeful banter. Instead, they brewed potions.

There were a few orders that came in, and they were easy enough to make. As always, it was the standard fare. Fenian shouted from the first floor at one point, so Salire went to check it out. When she returned, she relayed the message. “He’s bored.”

“Tell him to wait, we’re almost done,” Theo said, kicking off their last reaction of the day. The alcohol would take time to ferment, even in the magically enchanted barrels. But he didn’t go down when the process was done. He waited an impolite amount of time to let the Elf stew.

Heading downstairs, Theo found Fenian inspecting the potions on the wall. “Finally,” he said, turning his wheelchair to greet the alchemist.

“Hey, Fenian,” Theo said, holding his hand out. “Give me some [Monster Cores].”

Fenian scoffed. “Excuse me? Just give them to you? What do you think this is, a charity?”

“Come on, man. I’ll pay for them.”

“What are you going to use them for?”

“I’m upgrading the town. Come on, I’m bored.”

“Am I boring?” Salire asked, looking slightly hurt.

“No, you’re not boring. I just have the mind of a magpie.”

Fenian and Salire nodded at the same time. “That’s true.”

The trader always had a good supply of high-level monster cores. With the town sitting at level 20, it wouldn’t take many cores to bring it up to 25. Despite recent expenses, both Theo and the town were flush with cash. Any time he had a little money, he burned it as fast as possible. With most of the town’s needs met, that had been a hard thing to do. They negotiated a price for more [Monster Cores] than the town needed, draining some of the alchemist’s gold away.

Theo checked the town’s finances as they walked to the monolith. Fenian rolled, of course, but the screen told a different story than one of high gold reserves. Ziz’s crew was expensive. While he provided the stone for almost nothing, it wasn’t free. Compared to the prices the stoneworker got from the northern stone traders, he was losing a lot of money. But he made up for it in the fees he charged to keep his crews working night and day.

The alchemist silently inserted 50 gold into the town’s treasury after they approached the monolith.

“The town is about ready to burst.” Fenian pressed his palm against the black stone and nodded. “You won’t be a town anymore.”

“Then we just need people.” Theo inserted cores into the stone like he was feeding a vending machine. “I have the sense that we can upgrade to 25 without more people, but 30 is off limits.”

“Good. Feed the town, my dear alchemist.”

Theo was already doing it. Fenian didn’t need to be weird about it, but here we was. Baby arm flapping in the wind like it wasn’t strange. “You know, I never realized how much spending thousands of years in a heavenly realm would mess with your mind.”

“Bah, that wasn’t the problem. Not really.”

[Broken Tusk] has advanced to level 21!

“Then what was the problem? Why are you acting so silly?”

Fenian let out a breath, then shrugged. Zarali wasn’t the only one in town struggling with their emotions. Tensions were running high. It was likely the calm that had settled in over Broken Tusk. “I saw a mirror image of myself in the king. We’re more alike than I previously thought. You have to understand that time doesn’t mean the same thing over there as it does here…”

Theo knew that all too well. He shoved another core into the monolith and nodded. Time could slip away from him in the realms. Hours could pass in a blink if one’s mind were to slip.

“Especially in someone else’s realm.” Fenian nodded his head at Theo.

[Broken Tusk] has advanced to level 22!

“We got to talking. Between our epic battles. I learned more about him and the other way around. Anyway, I decided to stop brooding so much!”

“Well, I’m glad,” Theo said.

[Broken Tusk] has advanced to level 23!

“Now help me shove cores into this town, I have an upgrade I want to take.”

Fenian and Salire helped jam cores into the town until it hit level 25. There were a few interesting upgrades he could pick from, but there was one that had lingered in the alchemist’s mind for some time. Now that Ziz and his crew were building hand-built things it seemed to be the perfect time. He inspected the upgrade before selecting it.

[Dynamic Incorporation]

Using a [Fabricator], you can incorporate hand-made buildings into your town. These buildings will act as seed core buildings, but they function at a much lower level.

“Oh, that’s a nice one.”

If Fenian was pleased, Theo was pleased. But there was no way of knowing what they needed to do with Sledge to get the buildings to work properly. This would result in some experimentation with an angry Marshling. Notably, the town hadn’t become something other than a ‘Massive Town’, even after hitting level 25. The alchemist inspected the town before moving on for the day.

[Massive Town]

Name: Broken Tusk

Owner: Theo Spencer

Leader: Archduke Theo Spencer

Faction: [Southlands Alliance]

Level: 25 (1.83%)

Core Buildings:

Alchemy Lab

Greenhouses (x6)

Mycology Cave (x2)

Blacksmith

Artificer’s Workshop

Large Farm

Small Farm

Windmill

Quarry

Stonecutter

House (x398)

Manor

Tannery

Tavern

Adventurer’s Guild

Hotsprings

Sawmill

Mine

Smelter

Enchanter

Ranch

Townhall

Butcher

Weaver

Defensive Emplacements:

Chain Lightning (x12)

Frost Cone (x7)

Fireball (x10)

Firebolt (x25)

Upgrades:

[Stone Walls and Gates]

[Stone Roads]

[Defensive Emplacements]

[Synergistics]

[Dynamic Incorporation]

Effects:

[Troll Slaying]

[Coordinated Fire]

Current Resources:

Timber: 50,243

Stone Blocks: 10,011

Metal: 9,123

Motes: 15,500

The window that popped up was unwieldy. At this point it had several pages that Theo had to tab through, making it a horrible experience. The group discussed the new upgrade there by the monolith. It was nice seeing people walk past them, going about their lives without fanfare. Things were settling down into a comfortable pace. Fenian went off after a time, wheeling himself along the cobbled path. Salire had the shop to attend to. Potions to sell and all that. She’d also check the fermentation barrels while the alchemist faced down the dragon.

Sledge’s people seemed to be just as busy as Ziz and his crew. The only difference was that they didn’t need to be this busy. Lumber production was crucial to the town’s success, but she took her job too seriously. When she wasn’t working on [Fabricator] jobs, she was cracking the whip at the sawmill.

“Hide!” Sledge shouted after spotting Theo coming down the road.

“Someone else has to say ‘hide’, Sledge,” Theo shouted back. “Otherwise I know you’re there. I have something fun for you to do.”

Theo approached the sawmill, spotting the Marshling hiding behind a stack of logs. “How fun?” she asked, not removing herself from her hiding spot.

“Well, you’re going to turn a normal building into a seed core building.”

Sledge popped up. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Chapter 39

Therapy

“Well, how am I supposed to do the thing if it isn’t done?”

Sledge gazed up at the unfinished temple. Ziz’s crews were working on it constantly, but it was far from finished. The blocky exterior didn’t look evil. Magnificent? Maybe. At that moment, it looked incomplete, and Theo had not considered what they’d do when they arrived. He snapped himself out of it in a moment, though. There was a reason for them to be there.

“I brought you here to get a feel for your core. How it interacts with the town’s upgrade.”

“Alright, keep your shoes on. Let me see.” Sledge closed her eyes, her wet face twitching occasionally. Vague pulses of mana came from her chest, uncontrolled and unmeasured.

Even the alchemist could feel how unpracticed she was in the [Fabricator’s Core]. After long moments of magical groping, she wrapped her will around the building. It was like a kitten wrapping its paws around prey. “Yeah, I got the system to recognize my connection to the building. It feels like a weaker version of a seed core building to me.”

“Excellent.” Theo clapped his hands together. “Let’s go practice on something that’s completed.”

Within the walls of the town, there were a few buildings that had been built by hand. Theo and Sledge made their way to the shacks that housed the water boilers. There they sat down on the muddy ground, giving the Marshling time to wrap her core’s power around the building again. Unlike the unfinished temple, this one took her a while. The alchemist coached her in the best way he could, helping her feel her way around the magical energies. It reminded him of when he first started understanding his Drogramathi mana, and how he applied it to alchemy.

“I don’t think the system is happy about this building.” Sledge’s eyes were closed, face twisted in a pained grimace. “I’m not getting a message like I normally do with seed core buildings.”

Theo was certain that she had the right skills. Sledge had not been training as hard as she should have, although he wouldn’t blame her. It was hard to expect everyone to be as fervent as him about development. A good leader wouldn’t yell at her for being lazy, they would work with her. So, the alchemist sat down and walked her through the steps of manipulating her mana.

“You have the basics.” Theo sat with her, cross-legged and focusing on his own cores. His intuition said that her technique was wrong. The way he used his mana was one of infusion, or decomposition. She needed to focus on wrapping that mana around the building, then pushing her will into it. “Think of it like a fight. You’re trying to restrain the building.”

This might have been the most troubling building they could have picked. Theo doubted it had a parallel with any seed core buildings. It was a shack that housed boilers, nothing more. Core buildings normally came in flavors of shops, production chain buildings, and so on. But Sledge was relentless with her efforts. Bantari Marshlings had an innate willpower that the other races of the world lacked. More than the Elves, Dronon, Half-Ogres, they were known for their stubborn willpower.

Sledge drank [Mana Potions] as they worked on dominating the boiler shack. It took hours to make progress, but her will seemed absolute. Once Theo presented the problem as a fight, she was all in. The ribbons of mana were now visible to the naked eye. Outside of any magical senses, they lashed against the building like strangling vines. Another hour of failed attempts and the exhausted Marshling screamed.

“You’re mine!” Sledge shot to her feet, holding her hand out with palms opened.

The tendrils of mana formed into solid roots. They wrapped around the building, buckling the shack. It creaked under the pressure of her command, the wood warping slightly. Sledge closed both of her hands and the roots dug deep into the ground. Shimmering with raw, unaligned mana, the building flexed then settled.

“You did it!” Theo shouted, holding his hand up for a high-five.

Sledge slapped his hand weakly, then fell back onto her butt to draw ragged breaths. “Yeah. Hooray for me.”

There was no better time to see if it had worked. Theo examined the new building while Sledge rested on the ground.

[Boiler Shack]

Owner: [Broken Tusk]

Faction: [Southlands Alliance]

Level: 1 (0%)

Rent Due: 7 Days

Expansions:

None

“The ownership defaulted to the town.” Theo probed the building with his senses, but found little there. It seemed somewhere between a hand-built building and a seed core building. He withdrew a [Monster Core] from his inventory and held it near to the building’s wall.

“Wait!” Sledge said, clutching her head. Her face was twisted into a pained expression. “Got a system message when you tried that. There’s a cooldown period for the new building. You need to wait two days before you can add upgrades. Something about the system recalculating for a new building type.”

Theo returned the core to his inventory, his brow knitting his as looked at the shack. “No one has built a [Boiler Shack] in 60,000 years?”

“Can’t wait to bang my head up against the backup shack.”

Theo nodded, his mind drifting off. He didn’t need his intuition to tell him Sledge was acting strangely. She was very easy to work with today. Too open to learning new things, meaning something was off. He joined her back in the mud, withdrawing a clump of [Moss Nettle] from his inventory. “Chew on this. Swallow the juice, not the moss.”

Sledge took it without complaint, shoving it in her mouth and chomping away.

“Anything going on that you want to talk about?”

She fidgeted with her clothes, picking at errant threads. “Growing up, I guess.”

“I don’t even know how old you are.”

“25. Not that bad looking for a 25-year-old Marshling, huh?”

Theo had no frame of reference for how a Marshling should look at that age. Throk had to be at least 50, but he looked just as young as his daughter. He had to search the Tara’hek to see that Tresk was around the same age as Sledge. “You look great. So, you’re maturing? That’s it?”

“Things were bad when you got here. There’s some people in town who say it’s your fault.”

“They’re not wrong.” Theo shrugged. That was a fact. Someone had manipulated the town to suit their needs. It was likely Khahar or Drogramath, but he had long suspected Fenian was involved. He was surprised that more people didn’t see him as the villain.

“Well, that’s not my point. Just taking a jab, you know?”

“I know.”

“Things are more stable here. We got money. We got food.” Sledge was poking around the edges of what she wanted to say.

Theo forced his intuition on her, the same way he bent reality in both Tero’gal and the Dreamwalk. She held something deep in her heart. A hope that she had never shared with anyone.

“What is it you want, Sledge?”

“Babies. Is that weird?” Sledge asked, looking up at Theo with a searching glance. “A clutch of crazy little kids running around town. Tossing mud. Getting stuck in hollowed out logs.”

Theo couldn’t hide his laugh. When she shot him an angry look, he pulled her into a hug. “Everything is stable, so you want kids. That’s totally normal. Who is the lucky Bantari dude?”

“Huh? Bantari can reproduce asexually, my guy. We all have at least once clutch in us. Even the guys.”

“So, how does that work? You just think really hard and you get eggs?”

“Something like that.”

“But you’re still worried about something, aren’t you?” He could feel it in her words. A silent fear for the future? Perhaps it was something else.

“We’re all so busy. Who is gonna raise them?”

Theo pulled her into a more firm hug. “Bob and his educators, for starters. Child care is free, remember? Even if you don’t want to send them off to school every day, you could just force your woodcutters to watch them.”

Sledge looked up with wet eyes. “Yeah? You think it’s a good idea?”

“Absolutely. Have you seen Marshling babies? I want to puke every time I see one—they’re so damned cute.”

A silence set in between the two. They sat on the damp ground, basking in the heat of the day, while they rolled it over in their heads. Perhaps this was always a point of selfish desire from Theo. Now that he knew Marshlings could have babies whenever they wanted, that opened possibilities. Tresk could do it, right? But that would put her out of action, removing her from a vital role. They needed more citizens, no matter the cost.

Sledge stood without warning, pushing away from the hug. “Alright. Come find me when the temple is done. I have a lot to think about.”

What she left behind after leaving was a void where Theo’s thoughts wouldn’t gather. He telepathically told Tresk he was ducking into Tero’gal, then fell through the realms on the spot. Passing over the Bridge of Shadows, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Even the nothingness that rushed by felt calm, as though the realms themselves were still.

Theo kicked his shoes off when his feet hit the soft ground of the realm. It was silent for a long moment before Belgar’s voice echoed from the other side of the island. Only then did he realize the landmass was bigger. Perhaps only a few paces on every side, but it was noticeable. The alchemist trudged across the floating island, finding his way to the shallow pool of water. There Belgar rested near the bank, his form more solid than ever.

“Good morning, Theo. Is it still morning?”

“Just about midday, actually.” Theo sat near the water, dangling his feet into the pool. “How has the realm been?”

“My thoughts are still forming on the matter.”

Theo wasn’t sure what he thought of Belgar, yet. The impression of the man he got before meeting him was one of a spoiled demon. Someone who had taken pride in his work with nothing to back it up. The reality was far different. Dronon were constantly on the move, typically serving their respective masters. They were the only race he was aware of that was tied specifically to a god. A singular god. Drogramathi Dronon were different from Zagmon Dronon. Drogramath gave the Drogramathi a clear set of instructions.

Run and hide.

That forced Belgar to work with simple tools to perform his alchemy. He never had a building with amazing upgrades. Never had access to artificers to make him new gear. The man didn’t have access to a community. All this struck Theo as a cruel twist by Drogramath. But as with most things involving the heavenly beings, they had plans that stretched on forever.

“Zarali was excited to hear you were alive.” Theo might have fumbled the delivery of that one. She hadn’t even written him a letter, yet.

“She was always the strong one from our brood.”

Theo shrugged. “Time to cheer up. Benton should be—yup. There he is.”

The frigid archway opened up near the pool of water. The bear god, Benton, stepped out with his arms wide. “Greetings!”

Theo sprung up from the pool, his wet feet slapping against the ground. “Good to see a friendly face. How is your realm doing?”

“Very well. We’re working on a few interesting projects. Little domed areas that fight off the constant cold. Not everyone loves eternal winter, no matter if they’re Toora souls or not.”

“Time for tea?”

“Of course!”

Benton and Theo made their way to the cramped cottage. Before long, it was filled with the scent of the potent Toora tea and confections. The alchemist shared the progress they had made in his mortal town. There were concerns about the coming Ogres, but it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Coastal defenses were still lacking, but that would come in time. For now, the alchemist’s mind was focused on building everyone up. That and defending the northern border.

“I’m also thinking of drinking the [Wisdom of the Soul] potion.” Theo dipped a scone in his tea, then took a bite. It was, as always, delicious. Benton required explanation on what the potion did, which the alchemist was happy to do.

“Sounds like you lean on your Wisdom more than anything.” Benton stirred the pot of tea, furry brows rising when Belgar stepped into the room. “Greetings, Belgar.”

“Hello, Benton.” Belgar took his place at the table. His form was corporeal enough to interact with objects at the table. He poured himself a cup of tea and took a scone. “Wisdom is your best bet for the Soul potions. But only because you have this realm.”

Theo nodded. He was happy to see Belgar’s thoughts aligning with his. “Did you experience the negative effects of a high Intelligence when you were on the mortal plane?”

“I did.” Belgar’s ghostly eyes lingered over the table, never locking onto the others’. “That might have been my downfall.”

“I never put many points into Wisdom or Intelligence. Always went for the physical attributes.”

“A wise choice.” Belgar sipped his tea. “You should always take [Intelligence of the Soul] if you don’t have a realm. That’s my thought. Otherwise, Wisdom is the way to go.”

“All my third tier suffuse potions are done brewing for now, Belgar. Should we do another run today?”

“Today?” Belgar asked, his eyes lingering on the middle distance for a while. He snapped out of it. “Ah, yeah. Good idea.”

Benton laughed, slapping his knee. “Hard to remember, Theo. The last time you came here was yesterday. Belgar has been here for quite a few days. A hundred-something days.”

“I let the time slip, Benton. Like you showed me. Otherwise, I would have gone insane with such solitude.” Belgar’s form flickered for a moment, then re-solidified.

Both Beton and Theo picked up on the soul’s troubled thoughts. They didn’t need high attributes or godly abilities to tell them the man was troubled. But they knew that confronting a troubled mind like his directly wasn’t the right way. He might have been holding on by a thread, but it was working. He was too stubborn to release control.

Instead, Theo invited Belgar to inspect his completed third tier potions. They were focused on killing the undead. But they were all test potions, never meant to win the war. Instead, mass-produced potions were the way to go.

“I don’t think an industrial crafting effort like yours has been done for our Lord’s alchemy.” Belgar inspected the completed suffuse potions, nodding with approval. “I would expand your efforts as far as possible.”

“I started working on making third tier potions with your method.” Theo nudged Belgar with his elbow, but the effort passed through the soul’s body. “Had some business to attend to before I started.”

“Well, let me run you through my knowledge. Again.”

Belgar seemed eager to be an instructor. He gave his rundown of how Drogramath made potions. Theo had learned almost everything about base-level potion-making by himself. Gaps were filled by high-level alchemists, but those people were guarded with their secrets. Instead, it was a constant slog through experimentation. But the instructions were more than welcome.

While they could have run third tier potions within Tero’gal, Belgar was more interested in displaying his aptitude of the basics. It was a ploy for him to mess with the custom stills. Theo had to wonder what the man was doing all this time. Sulking in the realm, no doubt. They split their attention between brewing second tier potions, like the [Healing Potions] that sold so well in the shop, and chatting with Benton.

It was a relaxing trip to the realm, but like all things it needed to end. Theo said his farewells after the 12 hours were up and jumped over the side of the island. When he left, Belgar was in much higher spirits. That was achieved in no small part by the alchemist’s constant reminder that Zarali was alive and well. Her thoughts were on her long-lost brother, and he even wrote a note to be carried to the mortal plane.

Theo appeared where he’d left, bumping into someone and falling to his butt.

“Sorry,” Sarisa said, holding a hand out for him to take.

Theo looked down and shook his head. He forgot his shoes again. “No worries.” She reached down, offering him a hand to get up. He accepted. “There has to be at least four pairs of shoes in my realm.”

“Anything interesting happen?”

That was harder to answer than it should have been. “I’m officially the therapist to a Dronon’s soul.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“It is. I’m off to brew some potions.”