The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 40,41,42 (Patreon)

Chapter 40

Blessing the Temple

Comforting breezes didn’t roll through Broken Tusk during the Season of Fire. Theo had abandoned all hope of being sweat-free outside of the air-conditioned buildings in town. As with all alchemical experimentations, a cracked window was vital. The alchemist stood with Salire, looking over their batch of spirits from the previous day. They had created enough to run the three major restoration potions, but no more.

“Always take it one step at a time.” Theo transferred their newest creation, the [Bound Enchanted Dilution], to holding containers. “When you create too many changes, you’re bound for failure.”

Salire nodded, watching as the alchemist moved the liquid around. He poured it into a clean still, leaning over the edge to inspect it.

[Bound Enchanted Dilution]

[Alchemy Component]

Rare

Alcohol that has been infused and bound with Drogramath’s energy.

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Property:

[Healing]

“Question,” Salire said, reading over the description of the item. “Your bond has been at ‘middling’ for some time. Why?”

That was a question Theo couldn’t answer. He suspected it had to do with the way Khahar had changed the rules for gods. But that could be wrong. When he met with Drogramath, the Demon Lord seemed intent on forcing Theo to select him as a patron. Assuming that strange god only had his best interest at heart, the alchemist could extrapolate the information.

“Perhaps a temple is needed to go above middling. Maybe Khahar messed up the system. I’m not sure. Prepare the [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root], please.”

Salire nodded, running off to search through their storage crates. She had bought several dresses from the traders from Partopour. Most were in floral patterns, but all of them looked supremely comfortable. “Alignment bonds increase the effectiveness of potions and can be increased by making daily offerings.”

She did that often enough that it wasn’t weird. As a hopeful alchemist, Salire often repeated information so it would stick in her head. Perhaps she could invest more points into Wisdom.

“We’re doing one standard for the [Healing] property. My bet is that the system tags the new essences with ‘bound’ as a property. Refined Bound Healing Essence. Something like that.”

“Wish I had that kind of intuition.” Salire fed gnarled roots into the grinder, adjusting the dial on the side to get a better mash. The machine whirred, crunching the soft root with little effort.

“I’ve been thinking about that.” Theo withdrew his new [Wisdom of the Soul] potion from his inventory, holding it in his hand while Salire worked. “Belgar told me what this potion does. It removes my intuition. Moves all those intrusive thoughts into a system message.”

“Really? Is that useful?”

It was incredibly useful. Immeasurably so. Theo’s intuition often impeded his thought processes. Intelligence was just as bad with that, but Tero’gal had fixed some of that. But the Wisdom attribute was etched too firmly in his mind to be dislodged that way. Even in his personal realm it pecked at his thoughts like a hungry crow, often more a distraction than anything. It made him feel distant. Removed from the real world, sending him spiraling down “what if” scenarios.

“I think so. Belgar agrees.”

“Cause it’s always good to trust the soul of the guy whose body you stole.”

“Fair point.” Theo approached the still, turning knobs on the side to set the temperature. He couldn’t get away with single-temperature runs for much longer. “We’ll set this for about an hour. Maybe less, depending on how hard Zarali’s enchantments work. What’s that sound?”

Like a magpie finding a new treasure, Theo surged for the front window. When he opened it, he saw Sledge’s carpentry crew working on the temple’s roof. The stoneworkers had some trouble getting the foundation of the building together, but not the carpenters. Half the roof was already done and they were slapping boards down like old professionals.

“They’ll be done with that today.” Salire edged closer to Theo, pushing her body against him to peer outside. Like most Half-Ogres in town, she had the strength to toss him around. The pair gazed at the new building for some time, appreciating how it loomed ominously in the distance.

“What do you think I should do with the town, Salire?” Theo asked.

She looked the alchemist in the eyes, face twisting in confusion for a few moments. “What?”

“I own half the businesses in town. More than half, actually. Should one person own so much stuff?”

The pale orange on her cheeks flushed a darker shade when she realized he was asking her such a serious question. He often saw everyone in town as a peer. Not lower or higher than anyone else.

“Uh, well… I don’t know.”

“Good answer.”

“Most businesses you own already have a good payment structure. Based on production, right? You just kinda let me take whatever I want from the store, which is a poor business model.” In classic fashion, Salire got her feet under herself in the conversation in an instant. “You’re afraid of losing the ability to control where your resources go, aren’t you?”

“If I need some stone, I want it when I need it. Same with wood and metal.”

Salire let out a long sigh. She settled in on the windowsill, pushing Theo mostly out of the way. “Hard to say. I’d change the way you’re doing it if I was in charge.”

“How?”

“This is a problem of ownership. Take your deal with Dead Dog Mine. They split up ten percent of the value of every nugget mined. But they don’t own their ability to make money. You do.”

“What’s the alternative?”

“Well, I wouldn’t give the mine to Gridgen. I’d give the mine to the workers. Change the ownership of the mine to Broken Tusk, then strike a new floating contract. Anyone who wants to work the mine can work it. They can organize themselves however they like.”

“That only works because we know the people of Broken Tusk are good.”

“Yeah, so what’s the problem?” Salire cast him a penetrating look.

Theo had been feeling more like an oligarch by the day. Like a dictator who wanted to hold on to everything within the town. No one had brought it up so far. Well, Tresk had. But she liked to poke fun at him, so that didn’t count. Exports were going to be a massive money-maker in the town. Once more traders showed up, it would be a flood of coins. That’s when he had to think about changing the structure. When their coffers were so full they couldn’t spend it, the citizens should get the excess.

“There’s a lot to think about.”

Theo and Salire continued to chat. He practiced his magic and bone carvings while they waited for the essence to run, remembering the words of Xol’sa. If he remembered to keep a steady pace of practice, he could have his [Toru’aun Mage’s Core] up to 10 within a week. That would unlock access to a new skill.

Once the first flask was filled with pale pink liquid, Theo took it to the side for inspection. He’d wanted to wait for the run to complete at first, but Sledge’s distraction proved only temporary.

“Huh,” Theo grunted, inspecting the essence. “That’s weird.”

[Refined Bound Healing Essence]

[Essence] [Refined Essence] [Bound Essence]

Uncommon

Created by: Theo Spencer

Grade: Poor Quality

Purity: 75%

200 units (liquid)

Concentrated, refined, bound essence of healing. Used to create healing potions.

“Hah! Why is that weird? You called the name.”

“Look who created it.”

“Oh. Why does that feel ominous?”

Theo searched his intuition for something, but was left with no answers. This had something to do with Belgar aligning himself to Tero’gal. The system must have registered that the dead Dronon had a new life, even if it was just in the heavenly realms.

“Pile it on the curiosities of the day. So, how should we brew this?”

Salire stood ram-rod straight, her eyes going wide. She was often confident, but could be caught off-guard like this. Stammering, she withdrew a notebook to consult. Theo snatched it, holding it behind his back. She groaned.

“I know how to make the low-tier potions. But I’m worried about the higher ones.”

“Exactly. What would we normally do?”

Salire explained the process step-by-step. Theo agreed with her on the worries she laid out. Their standard catalyst might not work for this reaction. What he wouldn’t tell her was that he was confident using enchanted [Drogramathi Iron Shavings]. There were other catalysts within the lab she could pick that would work. They were things the alchemist never touched, since he had access to the rare iron. Both [Grave Dust] and [Ice Quartz] might work to stabilize the reaction. But [Iron Shavings], [Flaky Agate], and [Copper Shavings] would not work.

“Are [Drogramathi Iron Shavings] third or second tier?” Salire asked.

Theo’s mind shifted away from the lab. A lance of momentary pain drove through his mind and he was distracted. After a few confusing moments, he cast his mind over the lodestone network, finding that one of his [Lesser Plant Golems] in the fields outside of Broken Tusk had been slain. He held up a hand for Salire to wait, consulting the network. Other golems were moving in to investigate, but then the warning bell rang outside.

“Just a moment.”

After a few confusing minutes of lining up golem reports with information in the administration screen, Theo determined the problem. “There was a small monster attack on my little farm. Looks like the adventurers sorted it.”

“Oh. Alright. So, the iron?”

“It should work. What’s the only way we can know?”

“Experimentation?”

“Exactly.”

Theo was out of enchanted [Drogramathi Iron Shavings], forcing him to create a new pile in his lab. The process was simple enough, but he was left with the next step of potion-making. He quizzed Salire on the right way to experiment, but she got the answer without effort. The alchemist assumed he needed to use the same water he used to create the essence to brew the potion.

“Always do a small reaction first,” Theo said, setting up a flat-bottomed vial. He dropped the [Drogramathi Iron Shavings] in the bottom, then added the water and the essence. As the reaction kicked off as a flurry of bubbles and steam, he felt the power of the lab flex around him. It contained the violent reaction, making it little more than a display of frothing potion. When the reaction was complete, they were left with their first third tier potion.

“Wow. This is the least impressive vial I’ve ever seen,” Salire said, inspecting the potion.

Theo grunted. “This is practical. No need for a fancy vial.”

“Really? Do you really think so? Have you inspected the potion?”

He inspected the new potion.

[Greater Healing Potion]

[Potion]

Rare

Created by: Theo Spencer

Grade: Good Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

A healing potion. Drink to restore health.

Effect:

Instantly restores 175 health points.

“There’s that name again.” Theo never expected to be concerned about seeing his name on potions. “You’re right. The bottle isn’t good enough. Let’s design a new one.”

The problem with creating a new vial was that Theo liked the old one. It was simple. Easy for a person to withdraw and drink. But the pair went into a design phase for the new vial. Salire sketched ideas out in her journal while they set the other stills to brew stamina and mana potions. The alchemist rejected any idea with extra stuff on the side. She eventually sketched something that would work.

The regular vials were cylinders. Nothing more. Flat on the bottom with rounded edges and an open top. The only fancy thing about them was the glass stopper on the top. Thanks to the [Glassware Artifice], producing fancy vials was a simple matter. Theo approached the machine, which had already been loaded with motes, and imagined the vial. Instead of a round bottom, it would be a triangle. Each point would swoop up toward the stop, creating a fancy angle that was still easy to hold. It wouldn’t be too narrow at the top, but would still taper off to create a pleasing angle.

The stopper is where Salire went nuts. She sketched a cartoonish version of Theo and Tresk’s face to be embedded on two sides of the three-sided stopper. On the last side, she sketched out a fancy version of the shop’s name. Abbreviated, of course. The machine whirred to life, spitting out a single vial at the alchemist’s command. He smiled as he looked upon the little ‘N&D’ embossed on the stopper.

“Alright. I like this,” Theo said, placing his hand on Salire’s shoulder. “It costs the same amount of motes. Just leave the sketches by the machine so we have a unified design.”

“Not that you need it.” Salire ran her fingers over the new vial. “With your memory and all that.”

They got back to work. Salire couldn’t do most of the brewing process, and she stared out the window a lot. Theo understood it was because she thought the temple would instantly give her access to an alchemy core. That might have been right, but he wanted her to temper her expectations. But once the essences were done brewing, they had something else to look at. The alchemist kicked off the reactions for the mana and stamina potions and set them both down for inspection.

“In your fancy vial, of course,” Theo said, pushing the [Greater Mana Potion] across the table for Salire to inspect.

[Greater Mana Potion]

[Potion]

Rare

Created by: Belgar

Grade: Good Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

A lesser mana potion. Drink to restore mana.

Effect:

Instantly restores 150 mana.

“I’m certain no one makes these.” She stared at the potion, running her fingers along the ornate vial.

“Don’t count on it. The Elves have a monopoly on cool stuff. Check out the other one.”

[Greater Stamina Potion]

[Potion]

Rare

Created by: Theo Spencer

Grade: Good Quality

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

A stamina potion. Drink to restore stamina.

Effect:

Instantly restores 115 stamina points.

There were parts of the process that needed improvement. The quality could be improved, which would squeeze a few more points out of all the potions. Then there was the combination of modifiers, which would really set the potions off. But today’s experimentations were over. A knock came at the door shortly after they had finished with the work. Zarali stepped in with a big smile on her face.

“I can feel him calling, Theo. Time to bless the temple.”

Theo poked his head out of the window. There was a mostly completed roof sitting atop the building. Even with the fading light of the day, everyone seemed eager to get the temple up and running. While it seemed like something that could wait for tomorrow, the alchemist agreed to attend the ceremony. His actual motive was to help Sledge use her [Fabricator’s Core]. She needed all the coaching she could get.

As with most things in town, the temple drew eyes. And crowds. Theo had to wade through the gathered throng, pushing his way to the front steps. It was imposing to look up at the massive building. Larger than every other building in town, and spanning to a height that would rival Xol’sa’s tower, Ziz’s people had created something special. Made of white stone and straight angles, they had captured the sinister vibe more than anything else.

The building was constructed with one concept in mind. Simplicity of design. At the front of the building, where the steps and entryway were located, there were two identical towers. The roof was peaked in the center, made of sturdy Ogre Cypress and stained a deep shade of blue. The rear of the building held a rounded section with open windows. Theo ascended the stairs to be the first to enter the mostly completed temple. Aside from the workers, of course.

It was entirely bare in the interior aside from a Marshling sitting cross-legged in the center. Open windows lined either side of the massive walls. Spiraling staircases sat in the turrets, allowing access to those high places in the temple. Theo approached Sledge, coming to sit down next to her. Zarali and Xol’sa were close behind.

“Got it?” Theo asked.

“Just about,” Sledge grunted, teeth gritted in concentration. “Just a few more minutes.”

Roots of unaligned magical energy slapped harmlessly against the temple’s walls. The sound of the magic played like chimes across the empty walls, echoing endlessly. Theo felt a deep connection with this place. It was reaching out, desperate to grasp onto something. Almost as though the building itself was begging for a patron. To fulfill its purpose.

The sun had dipped low by the time Sledge got a handle on her abilities. She needed an unending supply of [Mana Potions] to keep her going. Every lash of her root-like magic brought the temple closer to heel. Her eyes snapped open and she drew a quick breath.

“There!” Sledge shouted.

The roots latched on, grabbing the massive building and holding firm. Voices of surprise came from outside the building, then the scattering of feet over cobblestones. A sheen of magic rolled over the stones, sending the bright marble glowing even brighter. Once the lights settled down, Theo forced his will into the building for inspection.

[Temple]

Owner: [Broken Tusk]

Faction: [Southlands Alliance]

Level: 1(0%)

Rent Due: 7 Days

Expansions:

None

“My turn,” Zarali said, slamming the end of her staff down onto the stone floor. A wave of Drogramathi mana flowed from within her, washing over everything like a cleansing flame. She chanted a tale of blessings in the Drogramathi tongue This went on until the sun was below the horizon. One last wave of purifying mana later, and her eyes snapped open. “Done. It told me the owner of the town will see patron selections.”

A screen sprung up for Theo to view.

[Temple] has been blessed!

Please select three from the following realm-holders to be your town’s patrons.

Drogramath (Grodul’harak)

Glantheir (The Realm of Healing)

The Arbiter (Khahak)

Parantheir (Duelist’s Refuge)

…

…

…

The list was longer than Theo expected. He scrolled through the entire thing, the crowd around him waiting for his selection. As he neared the bottom of the list, his heart skipped a beat. His eyes went wide as he viewed the last selection on the list.

…

…

…

The Dreamwalker’s Tara’hek (Tero’gal)

Chapter 41

Patrons

Theo found it hard to keep his emotions in check. It took everything he had not to react to the sight of his own realm on a list. This was something he should have expected, yet there it was. A decision reared in the moment, batting away any good senses with surprise. Tresk picked up on it immediately, clearing the excited crowd away. She grabbed Zarali and Theo by the arm and dragged them away from the citizens.

“Problem!” the Marshling’s voice was hushed, filled with concern. “Big dang problem!”

Zarali’s face was painted with a mixture of confusion and pride. She was happy with what she had done—that much was obvious. “I don’t understand.”

Theo looked around, ensuring they had a wide enough berth from prying ears. “Tero’gal showed up in the list of realms.”

“Really?”

What does that mean? Alex injected herself into the conversation, even if Zarali couldn’t hear her.

“I don’t know what it means.” Theo’s mind reeled, grasping at the implications. He poured his intuition into the thought, but found no resolution.

“Tero’gal shouldn’t be strong enough to show up on the list.”

Xol’sa cleared his throat, approaching from the crowd’s edge. “Not to be ‘that guy’, but this is entirely possible. We’ve been feeding your realm pure heavenly energy for a while. Hard to predict the outcome of that.”

Theo tapped his foot. He didn’t like being placed in situations like these. When his back was against the wall, he did irrational things. Mentally, he rolled his senses over the [Wisdom of the Soul] potion. Tresk punched him in the arm, feeling his intentions through their shared cores. While the alchemist had dragged the system prompt to the edge of his vision, it remained the focus of his attention.

While realms existed on another plane, there was a proximity to them. Not in the same way that physical places had distance, but with influence exerted on the mortal plan. They were like endless disks of reality all stacked in a neat pile. Some overlapped with others. How vain would it have been to pick himself as his worshiped deity?

“What do we know about this process?” Theo turned to Xol’sa, searching the Elf’s face with his intuition. At full strength, no longer waylaid by his illness, the wizard gave nothing away.

But Zarali was the first to answer. “This should unlock boons based on the god we pick. We can’t predict what that means for your realm, but for Drogramath? I’ll have a closer link with him—so will you.”

“Does that mean we can talk to him? Directly?”

“Not directly,” Xol’sa answered. “Which is a guess. We’re assuming Khahar changed the rules.”

Us, Drogy, Catboy, Tresk spoke into Theo’s mind.

The only other option on the list that appealed to Theo was Parantheir. Tresk was developing her duelist core by the day, but that seemed like a waste. Her suggestion was the best, but it never hurt to take counsel.

“Suggestions?” Theo asked.

Zarali and Xol’sa shared a look, but it only lasted a moment. “Your realm, Drogramath, and Khahar. Those are the only logical choices.”

Selecting those options in the menu felt like pulling a bandage off quickly. Theo clicked them, then accepted before he could change his mind. Consequences be damned.

While he expected something to happen, there was nothing but the faint shimmer of energy over the white stones. The crowd behind them voiced their approval, noting the subtle change.

“Well?” Theo asked. “That’s it, I guess.”

You did the right thing, Alex said, honking with approval.

Theo felt Sarisa and Rowan lurking somewhere nearby. They reacted to the tense situation the way they always did. Preparing for battle. But nothing came. The only action in the temple was the voices of people. Happy chats that did a disservice to the seriousness of the situation. With a final shrug, the group moved off. Onto the manor for some dinner before bed. Along the way, Xol’sa and Zarali shared their theories on what would happen. The alchemist interjected with his knowledge, sharing that it could take three days for the temple to finish integration.

To Theo’s surprise, Laedria was waiting at the manor. She had a devilish grin on her face and invited herself into the alchemist’s home for evening tea. Instead, he asked his assistants to bring them some beer in his study. Only the light from homes and those carrying lanterns shone from outside. Torches and candles held high to inspect the new temple, despite the late hour.

Sitting in a plush chair, Theo looked outside. He sipped his beer, waiting for the shipwright of House Wavecrest to ask whatever it was she wanted. But she came with good tidings. It was a pleasant change.

“We’re gearing up for our trip, Mister Archduke. The Wavecrest is heading to the lizard islands, and we’re fitting two boats for the Tarantham rescue mission.”

“With a boat in reserve, I hope.”

“Of course. We’ll wrap everything up sometime tomorrow. Depending on the tide, they might head out as early as midday.”

Theo’s mind let go of the temple. It moved on with practice forgetfulness, refocusing on the boats. This was the end of an era in his mind. Something they were building to since House Wavecrest arrived through the damned portal. Now the house would reclaim more of their people, no doubt bringing them to town.

“I hope Zarali enchanted the boats. As she said she’d do.”

Laedria nodded, sipping her beer. Theo gazed at his empty library, wanting to kick himself every time he remembered his book. A promise made to Salire, and a promise broken. He still didn’t have enough written for her to start. Just a few scribbles to himself—nothing approaching an instructional book.

“She did well. Provided us with everything we need to skip across the waves like a thrown stone.”

Theo nodded back, taking another long sip of his beer. Like all the beer they imported from Rivers and Daub, it was more of a mead. He wasn’t certain if they used honey to sweeten it, and he didn’t care. Sarisa and Rowan entered the room shortly after, carrying with them a small table and tonight’s dinner.

“Black moon tonight, Theo,” Sarisa said as she set the small table. “Stay safe.”

Tonight’s dinner, as always provided by Xam, was a Broken Tusk classic. Wolf meat stew. Unlike the original version of the dish, this one had flavor.

“So, Laedria,” Theo started, sipping the broth from the stew. “Are you enjoying Broken Tusk?”

Laedria stammered for a moment. Her brow knit and she drained the rest of her beer. After wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she met the alchemist’s gaze. “I like it. Been kinda weird, to be honest. But I’m settling in. Trying to find a strong Half-Ogre husband.”

“People have babies on the mind. Not sure what’s causing that. You’d think people would want to be distant with the heat.”

Laedria leaned in over the table. “More heat is better.”

Theo chuckled, shaking his head. “That seems to be the case.”

“How about you?” Laedria asked. “You’re an outworlder, right? How do you like it here?”

A jolt shot through Theo’s chest. He furrowed his brow, leaning back in his comfortable chair. “That might have been the first time someone asked me that.”

The question lingered in the air. “Well?”

“I’m still not sure if I’m someone’s pawn. My mind has changed more over the past seasons than any other time in my life. The attributes, my Tara’hek… Yeah, everything is weird.”

“Didn’t ask,” Laedria said, offering a sly smile. “I asked how you liked Broken Tusk.”

Theo felt his cheeks get hot, violet spreading across his face. As much as he fancied himself cool under pressure, Laedria had a way of stripping people bare of their ego. “I like it here. The people are nice, and we’re making a difference. Aren’t we?”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Laedria took a big scoop of stew into her mouth, mumbling something around the bite. After a moment she swallowed, smiling with bits of food in her teeth. “Even if a god is helping, you’re wielding the power well.”

Having a private meal in the study was a strange feeling for Theo, but he enjoyed his time away from the chaos downstairs. Occasionally, the conversation in the dining room would drift upstairs. Raucous laughter and the crashing of dishes carried all the same. Laedria wasn’t much of a conversationalist. She was more like a Broken Tusker than the alchemist could ever hope to be. Always straight to the point, talking about business until she was out of breath.

The shipwright had big plans for their navy. Not just a mercantile group of boats, but warships. She claimed those were far off, and they should focus on getting trade ships rolling. The problem there was her access to designs for larger ships. She’d have to wing it, which Theo was confident she could do. He joined with the group downstairs when things had calmed down, making small talk but eager to get to bed. The excitement for the new temple had everyone too energized to get to sleep.

Theo and Tresk suffered from no such problems. Even with their stamina bars above half, they would have no problem getting to sleep. The Dreamwalk was a powerful ability for a lot of reasons, but that was a massive advantage. They made their way to their room, falling into the Dreamwalk within moments. Sarisa and Rowan could handle the rabble back in the real world.

Tresk stretched, then rolled her shoulders. “Alright. What do we think about the whole temple thing?”

Alex waddled through the tall grasses outside of Broken Tusk. She jabbed her head into the distance, as though gesturing. But nothing happened. The goose muttered something into their minds, then tried again.

“I think Drogramath and Khahar expected that to happen. Did you see the title it gave us? ‘The Dreamwalker’s Tara’hek’ is oddly specific.”

“This is the Dreamwalk, right? We’re Dreamwalking. I’m the Dreamwalker. You’re the Dreamwalker.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Is your alchemist's senses tingling?”

“Just my sense that this has a connection we can’t see yet.”

No matter how much they went back-and-forth on the topic, they would never find the answer. Not within the Dreamwalk, without access to those responsible for whatever plot was unfolding. Instead, they went off to work on their own things. Theo stayed with Alex, watching as she did the weird neck-pointing thing. While he wanted to ask what she was doing, it was always better to watch the silly goose try things out.

The alchemist was intent on working on the book. His administrator interface was filled with notes, but they were all loose. He started by bringing them together into stages. At the start, the book should describe the tiers of potions. It should stress the skills Theo thought were best for a Drogramathi Alchemist, and the order they should be taken. While he went for constructs first, [Reagent Deconstruction] was the best pick for the second tier. While he fiddled with the formatting and the flow of information, he practiced his spells. The Dreamwalk allowed him an endless supply of mana, making experimentation easy.

“Why am I so worried about safety?” Theo asked, place a ward on a small piece of bone. He felt the trickle of experience flow through his core.

Because alchemy go boom! Alex said, shooting a fireball into the air. Fire is easy, but this nature thing is weird.

Theo closed his administrator interface, setting his notes aside for a time. He sat near the goose, watching as she tried to summon something related to nature. While she was working toward a nature aspect, her connection with fire was already developed. Every time she tried to cast a nature-aspected spell, there was a flicker of something. It wasn’t the same intensity of magic he felt when she used her fire abilities, but something was there.

“There’s a long road ahead of you with this. Just keep practicing.”

Alex nodded, going back to her work. Tresk was fighting more sensible monsters tonight. While she was amazing with her daggers, something about Parantheir’s preferred weapon threw her off. That Elven god designed the cores his followers got around using rapiers. They used quick strikes, just like a rogue, but focused on dueling. Fenian had described an ability that locks a person into a one-on-one duel. The Marshling struggled to fit this into her kit, but she was getting there. Slowly.

Theo couldn’t really say what he was building his cores out to be. He didn’t fit in any adventuring party, and that was fine with him. Grinding Toru’aun experience was boring, but there was a lot to learn about the way wards were formed. The more practice he had casting those spells, the easier they were to chant. Any change in the way he said the words affected the spell.

Focusing only on his [Toru’aun Mage’s Core] that night brought it to level 9. One level away from getting his next skill with the core. That would also send it into the next tier of power, which he was eager to explore. Alex had made some progress with her nature aspect. She was convinced she made some grass jiggle during the night, but the alchemist wasn’t sure. It could have been the phantom wind that washed over the landscape.

Tresk reported her progress with her rapier. Fenian had given her some pointers on how to use it better in her kit. “It functions best as a backup. I mean, the idea makes sense. What happens when I break out of stealth and can’t defend myself?”

“Makes sense. Is it working out?”

“Kinda? I’m still working on it. I can still coat my rapier in poison, so I have synergy there. Fenian said my footwork sucks and I don’t understand the first thing about swordsmanship. What does he know? He’s missing an arm and a leg.”

“True.”

“Dawn is coming,” Tresk said, looking up at the sky. It looked the same to Theo. “Maybe we could relax today. You know, take a day off?”

Theo stared at Tresk for a long moment before crossing the distance. He pinched her wet little cheek, shaking his head. “I thought you were a dream-Tresk for a moment. My Tresk would never say that.”

“Oh, come on. We’re always busting our butts. Why can’t we have a… A beach day or something?”

Because the beach is filled with monsters, Alex said.

“Well, dang. Screw me for trying to get Theo to stop working for five minutes.”

“No, I like the idea. Maybe we can just roam around. Checking up on all our people.”

“That kinda sounds like work.”

“We can do it casually.”

“Alright. That’s a good enough compromise.”

With a snap, Tresk ended the Dreamwalk. Theo rose from his bed, finding that the Marshling was already heading downstairs for breakfast. The alchemist’s administrative panel was thankfully short on updates. He withdrew a notebook and pen, working on the start of his alchemy manual in physical form. While there was a lot to do, getting those first few words on a page in logical format was a relief. The group around him talked, joking about this and that while he worked.

Tresk accepted that working on the book wasn’t the same as his normal work and gave him a pass long enough for him to write the first few pages. His hand hurt by the time breakfast was done, although he’d barely touched his food. Pozwa eggs were too large to eat in one sitting, anyway. He took a few bites, gulped down his tea, and fought back his desire to get back to work.

Theo, Tresk, and Alex stopped by the Newt and Demon before heading off for their planned day of relaxation. No one in the group could resist the urge to check up on the harbor. They spotted Zarali aboard one boat, weaving Drogramathi magic into the very planks that held it together. Three boats sat proudly in the harbor, bobbing with the waves. Laedria was happy to show the new boats off, but still hadn’t named them.

After finishing up at the harbor, they went for a walk along the battlements of the town. Passing by the small farm outside of the walls, Theo saw that some of his crops were destroyed. The remaining [Lesser Plant Golems] had fixed things up well enough, but Tresk gave him permission to create new golems to tend the farm. The wheat was growing well enough, Even with an entire plot being destroyed. That was the point of the throw-away farm, wasn’t it?

Satisfied enough with the farm, the group moved on. Alex practiced her new magic along the way. This time, Theo could see that she stirred the crops below with her magic. Nothing as impressive as her fire magic, but it was growing. As they traveled along the way, a strange energy hovered in the air. A tingle like Drogramath’s magic, but different. The alchemist couldn’t understand it, and dismissed it.

Reaching Ziz’s stoneworker’s shop revealed a strange sight. No one was working the quarry today. Upon closer inspection, Theo found the man himself sleeping inside the shack. He might not admit it, but the stoneworkers had been chugging [Stamina Potions] to get their work done. They needed to take a break.

Theo jumped in surprise. So did Ziz. The frantic clang of bells sounded down below in the town. Tresk’s weapons were already in her hands. As she melted into a shadow, Sarisa and Rowan sprung from shadows of their own. Their massive pole-axes were in hand, leveled and ready for anything. The alchemist’s eyes rolled over the town below, toward the fields outside the eastern gate. There seemed to be nothing. The administrators were scrambling to figure out what was spotted in the town’s interface.

Tense moments passed until the administrators sorted things out. The adventurers ranged through the town while Theo sat on that hill. Ziz asked questions, but Theo had no answer. Until a few words flashed into the ongoing discussion in the interface.

“Ah,” Theo let out a steady breath. “The Ogres are here.”

Chapter 42

Bilgrob

There was a strange sense of comfort that came from the mad scramble. While it was a time of danger, Theo enjoyed watching the army assemble themselves in the harbor. They were an army now. If the adventurers wanted to call themselves something else, that was fine. But as they arrayed in their practiced formations, they looked like an army to the alchemist. He made his way to the harbor, checking in with Aarok and Luras at their command post to get an update.

“All this for a single ship?” Theo asked, letting out a disappointed sigh. “See, if my guns were operational, we could just sink it.”

From his perch on the wall, Theo could see the approaching boat clearly. Even calling it a ‘boat’ was generous. Logs were lashed together with strips of leather, a single man standing aboard and rowing. The figure was massive. At least twice as tall as a Half-Ogre, holding similar enough characteristics for the alchemist to figure it out. A lone Ogre rowed a raft for thousands of miles.

“Slagrot is far, right?” Theo asked. “Did this guy row that dinky raft all the way from Slagrot? Am I missing something?”

Aarok grunted. “Best to be careful. Right?”

“Yeah, I guess. Let’s see how he gets up the canal.”

Sarisa left with Tresk to join the stealther unit of the army. They ranged down the canal, heading off to gather intelligence on the approaching Ogre. Since it was a day meant for relaxation, Theo withdrew a chair from his inventory and sat down. Reports flooded in through the administration screen as he worked on his book. Compared to Basic Drogramath Alchemy—a book that he’d long-since abandoned—his approach was practical. Instead of hiding information in poems about dead Drogramathi warriors, he presented all the information in readable Qavelli.

“Rowan, do you know if there’s something like a printing press we can buy?” Theo asked, knowing that the man was always lurking nearby.

“Something to make books? Yeah.”

“Keep an eye out for one. I need to make at least one copy for Salire when I’m finished.”

Aarok cleared his throat. “The Ogre approaches. Want to talk to him, or should I just drop a large stone on his head?”

“He’s a fast one, huh?” Theo asked, standing to look over the wall. The Ogre was waving up at them, a stupid expression on his tusked face. The alchemist cleared his throat, shouting, so his voice carried. “Hello there! Who the hell are you?”

“An emissary! From Slagrot, come to parlay with the leader of the lost tribe!”

“He’s talking about you,” Luras chuckled, digging his elbow into Theo’s ribs.

“I never got the hang of it—does anyone know what level he is?”

“50.”

Theo could only shrug. The Ogre below bobbed in the turgid canal, only held where he was by the upgrade effect from the harbor. The alchemist turned to Aarok. “Your call.”

“Open the gate!” Aarok shouted, looking down at the Ogre below. “We’ll meet you in the harbor.”

That seemed to satisfy those gathered. While Aarok assembled his army in a defensive formation in the harbor, the approaching Ogre didn’t care. He paddled his way through the wide span of water, wrapping a leather rope around a piling. When he dismounted the raft, the dock flexed under his weight. Theo moved in for closer inspection, descending the battlements and joining the crowds on the dock. The Ogre was massive, as expected. His skin was a far darker shade than the Half-Ogres of the town, close to the edge of dark red-brown than ocher. He wore robes of puke-green that did nothing to hide his massive gut.

“You must be the leader!” The Ogre shouted, gesturing at Luras. “I can feel the power of Baelthar flowing through you.”

Luras shuffled awkwardly on the deck, gesturing to Theo.

“You’re led by a Demon? Oh, that’s what my Patron meant…” the Ogre trailed off, approaching Theo with reverent steps. He knelt at the alchemist’s feet, bowing his head. Even on his knees, the Ogre was as tall as him. “The Ogre Empire sends its regards, mighty Demon. My patron has urged me to make introductions for our two peoples. To reunite our lost tribe.”

Theo cleared his throat. “Uh… Rise, Mister… What’s your name?”

“Bilgrob,” the Ogre said, rising to his full height. “Worshiper of Spit.”

“Huh. Spit, eh? Alright. Rowan, could you please fetch us beer and bring it to my garden.”

Rowan bowed.

“Several kegs, if you don’t mind,” Bilgrob said. Rowan nodded, then vanished.

“Come with me, Bilgrob. I’ll be honest. I don’t know if I have a chair large enough for you.”

“I’m content sitting on the floor, mister… Well, I didn’t get your name, did I?”

“Theo. Archduke of the Southlands Alliance.”

“Oh, and a mighty alliance it must be.”

Bilgrob seemed interested in gawking at everything as they passed by. Whatever thoughts stirred in that massive head of his were kept there, only coming out as interested hums. True to his word, the Ogre sat on the ground as Rowan produced several kegs of Rivers and Daub mead.

“I brought my own cup,” Bilgrob said, holding out a barrel with a handle.

“Certainly,” Rowan said, emptying an entire cask of mead into the ‘mug’. “I’ll be near.”

“As will two others, apparently,” Bilgrob said with a chuckle. With a wave of his hand, the garden shook with magical power. Sarisa and Tresk were revealed lurking in the bushes. They shared an awkward look, then removed themselves from the tangle of growth.

Theo nodded, sipping on his mead. “Where do we start? You said you worshiped Spit?”

“My Lord Spit, yes. Ogre Patron of Curing Things Most of the Time.”

“That’s a mouthful. Why exactly did he send you here?”

“My patron wants to bring the Ogre Empire close to its lost children, including those in Broken Tusk. He sent me here as a peace offering. To cure your sick and mend your wounded, but… It appears the lost tribe has a powerful alchemist amongst them. Interesting.”

“I had assumed you were coming to establish trade relations. Does Spit want you to help with the tide of undead?”

“Ah, so you knew I was coming. A powerful alchemist indeed,” Bilgrob stopped speaking for a moment, looking up into the sky. His brow furrowed. “Does the wizard normally spy on you like this?”

“Huh?”

“A scrying spell,” Bilgrob said, reaching up as though plucking a thread from the air. He yanked hard, and the air shimmered with power, then fizzled out. “Hah! That’ll have that pesky wizard on his ass for an hour.”

Theo chuckled nervously. “The town wizard is just excited for a visitor. Especially one from Slagrot.”

It was impossible to read Bilgrob’s true intentions, but Theo felt no malice from the man. His faith in Spit was strong, but the Ogre patron didn’t seem evil. At least the mead was good.

“What do you think of my proposal, Archduke?”

“Ah, what was that exactly? Your proposal, that is.”

“I’d like to stay in your town. Provide healing where I can. In exchange, I want to act as a liaison for the Southlands Alliance and the Ogre Empire.”

Theo sipped his mead, thinking for a long time about this. The exchange seemed more generous than any he’d seen from the other nations. While his experience was minimal, this was a pleasant change. “That sounds agreeable to me. I have to ask if you’re willing to sign a contract.”

“A magically binding contract? Certainly!”

Theo and Bilgrob worked on the contract together. They chatted as they went through the sections of the writing. The alchemist left the section on the Ogre’s responsibilities loose. He focused on protections for the town and the alliance, wording it with grave intent. While he wasn’t sure if it would work, he hoped that the phrasing of the contract would provide a more brutal punishment.

When both parties were finished, signing the contract together, Bilgrob tilted his head to the side. He squinted, then dug some wax out of his ear. “My patron’s voice is muted here. There is a very strange confluence of energies here.”

“Hey, that’s a thousand gold word around here,” Theo chuckled. “Investigate, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t alter the flow of heavenly power.”

Bilgrob smacked his lips, as though he were tasting the air. “I don’t recognize this realm of power. A new realm, maybe? No, tastes too strange. Too weird. Hmmm…”

“We’ll just sweep that under the rug for now. Make introductions to the town. Meet with my administrative staff to get started.”

“Alright,” Bilgrob said, trailing off. He muttered to himself, standing up before jumping over the iron fence.

“That went well,” Tresk said, coming over.

Bilgrob was nice. Nicer than Theo expected him to be. The Ogre suspected the energies in the air were strange and it was hard to blame him. Anyone who was trained to detect godly realms would have noticed something was weird. Instead of focusing on how that would go wrong, he centered his mind on how it could go right. The more help they had with the unwieldy realms, the better.

“Right,” Theo said, reclining further into his chair. He withdrew his book and some scrimshaw to practice his magic.

“Aren’t we gonna follow him around? Make sure he’s cool?” Tresk asked, huffing.

“You said we were relaxing.” Theo took another sip of his beer. “Right now, I wanna hang out in the garden and write about alchemy.”

Tresk took a deep breath. She found a chair nearby and sat down, fidgeting with her leather armor. “I didn’t think you’d want to take it easy.”

“Well, I’m calling your bluff.”

While there were many ways to use wards, Theo felt his ability to wield them was still an infant’s grasp of the world. His current strategy was to attach the wards to objects and throw them. That was an alchemist’s thought process. His first brush with the true application of the wards was to apply them to a stone in front of town. The shielding effect was impressive, and there was no reason they couldn’t do that more often.

Theo sent mental commands to his golem network. He commanded his metal golems to find boulders and space them around the outside of the wall. Tresk seemed happy enough to sit around in the garden for a few minutes, but ‌she was too bored to stay there.

“Ugh, why don’t we go walk around or something?” Tresk asked. She had only lasted about 10 minutes.

“Sure,” Theo said, putting his notebook back into his inventory. The few [Lesser Hallow Ground] totems he’d created gave him a little experience. The real experience would be in enchanting the boulders the golems were collecting.

The group headed off. Tresk, Theo, and Alex led the way with Sarisa and Rowan lurking in the shadows behind them. Alise updated the notes for the day in the shared administrator interface. Bilgrob was a big hit within town, but that came with some drawbacks. Spit’s magic was a strange thing, and it was something the alchemist wanted to witness for himself. But there were citizens with sicknesses that the Ogre was happy to cure.

It wasn’t hard to convince Tresk to let him enchant the rocks the golems brought. It wasn’t like grinding other cores. Grinding the [Toru’aun Mage’s Core] was like chanting weird poetry while in a seated position. The Marshling qualified that as relaxation time, even if she was looking for ways out of her own promise. She was stubborn like that. The alchemist’s mage core rolled over to 10 sometime before dusk. With it came the task of searching through endless abilities.

“Still not sure I understand what it means to be a wizard,” Theo said, scrolling through that list.

“Don’t look at me. I’m a stabber. I stab.”

Theo nodded. There was one ability he was interested in taking. He inspected the description before going through with it.

[Ward Propagation]

Toru’aun Demon Mage Skill

Rare

Infuse your wards with a feedback loop that consumes raw power.

Effect:

Double the length of all your wards.

Not every ability pick was going to be amazing. Some were just alright, but at least this one had great utility. If his magic could linger for a longer time, he wouldn’t have to tend his little rock barriers outside of the town. He selected those, then moved on to a pathetically sized boulder the golems had collected.

For now, Theo was warding the stones with [Lesser Hallow Ground], and some [Lesser Reveal]. It was unlikely that the undead would make it this far, but the ghosts got him thinking. When they attacked the town, there was little defense against them. Now with his rocks running off the [Detect Enemy] trigger, he’d feel safer. His mind lingered on defensive weapons as he walked the wall’s exterior. It was too difficult to walk the section of land between the eastern gate and the area near Ziz’s quarry, so they mounted the battlements from the inside.

“Do you think I’m too paranoid?” Theo asked, looking down at a pair of golems. They were shoving their weight against a giant boulder.

“Damn, I don’t think you’re paranoid enough! There could be ghosts anywhere. Undead rolling up the hills in a blink—we’d never know!”

“I’m having trouble here. Even with the connection I can’t tell if you’re joking.”

“Oh, I’m as serious as a heart attack. Just the thought of those boney bastards at Gronro gives me the creeps. We gotta purge them all, Theo. They gotta die.”

“Not sure if you can kill an undead. They’re already dead, right?”

“You know what I mean.”

“We’re already doing everything we can to develop the adventurers in town. I’ll be happy as long as the rail gun works.”

“Nah, we gotta think bigger. Like… We gotta think about making an undead nuke.”

“Not sure about that one. I have a few ideas for anti-undead weapons, but a nuke isn’t one.”

“Bah. No fun. Why not?”

That was hard to explain in a few words. Theo thought about it as they walked around. The effect of bombs didn’t normally compound. The best he could do was make an improvised bomb… Maybe dunk it in a barrel of [Hallow Ground Essence]? The alchemist wasn’t confident that the mechanics would work out on that one. It would make more sense just to bomb all the undead back to the hells.

“Thinking on that…”

“You didn’t answer the question!” Tresk shouted, stomping her foot.

“You can read my mind.”

“Yeah, but it’s rude.”

Theo explained why an anti-undead nuke might not work. He wasn’t confident either way, but Tresk was happy with any explanations.

“So, people often say ‘hells’. But we don’t have hell, do we? Not the way we had it back on Earth.”

“Your mistake is equating this place to the old place, my dude. It’s just a way of saying things.”

They moved off to hang out at Ziz’s quarry for a while. The masons were resting and planning for their next move. They were a group in town that seemed like their own country. While they interacted with everyone, and were true Broken Tuskers, their level of organization and drive was unending. The Half-Ogres were happy to chat, and even happier to make fun of Theo for taking a day off. As always, they offered beer.

“It’s impolite not to accept, Theo.” Tresk had already chugged down several mugs. “Nothing wrong with a little day drinking.”

Theo popped [Mana Pills] as he walked around the quarry, warding whatever he could find. He stooped low, inspecting the plants that grew there. Nothing alchemically valuable seemed to grow in the northern hills, aside from stray [Stone Flowers] and [Roc Berry] bushes. One plan he had from long ago had never come to fruition, and it was mildly disappointing. With so much godly power in the air, making plants grow faster, he expected that power to change the local reagents. Alex joined him near a bush, poking at it with her bill.

I feel your disappointment.

“No… I mean, yes. I’m moderately disappointed.” Theo took the [Stone Flower] in his hands, watching it crumble. The uncultivated version wasn’t of much use. “But you can’t hold it over yourself when something doesn’t work. You’re going to fail in life. But the more you fail, the better you get.”

Alright, dad.

“Oh, you’re sassy today.”

Alex honked. I’m close to getting my nature affinity. So close.

Shadows swirled behind Theo. He didn’t turn to regard Sarisa when she came out from the shadow of a pile of stone. “I’m organizing a garden party tonight.”

“Oh?” Theo turned, regarding his assistant. “What’s the occasion?”

“Bilgrob’s arrival. I just wanted to know who to invite.”

“The normal people… Make sure to invite Salire, though. I don’t want her to think I’m neglecting her.”

“Not to be rude, sir…”

“I don’t have eyes for her,” Theo said, shaking his head. “Well, maybe I do. But not in that way, it would be weird. Like a teacher getting with a student, you know?”

“I’m not sure I do.”

“From the start, Salire just wanted to learn alchemy. When she couldn’t she settled for the shopkeeper position. Now, she might get a core. I’m the teacher, she’s the student. There’s trust in that, Sarisa. Trust I don’t want to break.”

“Also you’re leashed to an angry lizard.”

Theo looked over at his angry lizard, who was downing another mug of beer with the Half-Ogres. There were a lot of Marshlings in town, but that one was his. When he first heard about the life-partner bond, he was told it would leave him devoid of romance in his life. He had pushed it out of his mind, but those were rumors. Things that Throk said in the early days of his arrival in Broken Tusk. The system message he saw when he took the bond didn’t mention that at all.

“I’m wondering how much of what people understand about the Tara’hek is true. I don’t think it places restrictions on romantic interest.”

Sarisa scoffed, looking down at herself. She looked all around, as though searching for other examples of romantic partners. “Surely not. I’d be running through every house in town if I was the Archduchess. If you know what I mean.”

“I’m afraid I know exactly what you mean.”

Theo reached for the familiar silver chain at his neck. Something that hadn’t hung there since he was on Earth. No matter how much he practiced away that motion, it never faded. He wouldn’t trade his bond with Tresk for anything. She was a powerful ally. But that hole in his heart still throbbed occasionally. Jagged edges that would never be smoothed clean by time seemed to prickle in his chest. Made worse by the idea that maybe she had survived. Against all odds, maybe she made it to this world.

The alchemist almost stumbled forward. Powerful arms wrapped themselves around him. The unmistakable smell of the swamp and onions. Slightly wet skin pressed against his cheek. “Not everything ends like in the stories, Theo,” Tresk said. “Not every love is the same.”

Theo rose to his feet, bringing Tresk with him. She dangled from his neck, unwilling to let go. He placed his hand over hers and nodded. “I suppose we have a garden party to attend.”