The Newt and Demon - Book 4 Chapters 58,59,60 (Patreon)

Chapter 58

Beach Stuff

Hills rolled far into the distance, racing to the edge of the horizon. All parts of Tero’gal were unnamed and unexplored. A vast virgin landscape only explored by the spirits that lived here. Those lost souls seemed reluctant to explore with their master’s approval. Or perhaps they were happy enough with the growing village near the spring. Theo had fallen into the realm for some peace and was joined by Tresk and Alex. After some tea and sweets—provided by Benton, of course—they hiked in a random direction.

Standing on a spar of strange, glittering rocks, Theo looked out over his domain. It was hard to tell how much time was passing within the realm. And it was hard to care with the view they had. The alchemist felt as though he had a better idea where this was going. Logical extrapolations of the information he had led him to face an interesting reality about this private realm. Most gods shaped their world to be what they wanted. From what little Khahar had said about Khahak, it was shaped as a fortress for the Arbiter. Uz’Xulven’s shadowy realm was formed to be a bridge between worlds. Benton’s realm was the embodiment of winter and death.

But Tero’gal was different. It was formed from the bond of the Tara’hek. If there was an ideal that formed the world, it was one of cooperation and friendship. And it was a world. That’s what Theo was coming to realize. The bond was forming an entire place outside of mortal reality. He had theories about where Fenian’s goal would take them, most of which involved the formation of realms.

“Because what is it that sets the mortal realm apart from the heavenly realms?” Theo asked. “Second question. Do you think we can move through our realm easier?”

Tresk shrugged. “That was my first thought, but… Nah. I can’t think of it any other way than interdicting myself from one point to the other, and it doesn’t work.”

Perhaps you should study with Xol’sa. Learn more about how planar magic works.

Theo stroked Alex’s slender neck, nodding with approval. The goose was getting larger by the day.

“Yeah, maybe. Hey, how about we just enjoy the view for about five seconds before we talk shop. Good?”

The alchemist nodded, gazing off into the distance. There was something unsettling about the world, as it didn’t experience night. Tiredness and the passage of time were a suggestion here. But even more disturbing to him was the lack of alchemy ingredients. Perhaps that was a hint brought by the heavenly system as to the realm’s origin. There was a field of plain Earth wheat growing in the prepared field. Before he had harvested most of it. At first, he thought those little things were hints. Some kind of connection to Earth. Through the lens of time, Theo realized it was likely a reflection of subconscious things.

The group walked without aim, climbing the mountains to the west, then descending into a valley below. The ground leveled out in time, then dipped until something came into view. Far in the distance, resting like a sheet of piercing blue with little specks of white, was a body of water. Inspired by the spirit of discovery, they pressed on for timeless hours before reaching the water. The strand of white sands was marked with beach grasses and palm trees dotted along the coast.

“Salt water!” Tresk shouted, splashing around with Alex. Waves came with slow, lapping motions.

Theo popped his shoes off, storing them in his inventory, and waded until he was waist-deep in the warm water. He studied the sandy bottom, looking for life. But there was nothing to find. The realm only seemed to generate plant-life. Given enough time, would other life evolve? Likely not.

“I’m thinking about ecology lately,” Theo said, swishing his hand through the water.

“Oh my god, Theo. Is this our beach episode?” Tresk asked. “Slap on the sunscreen and break out the cooler!”

“There is no sun, and I don’t have a cooler.”

“Alright. Spoilsport,” Tresk said. A crate appeared in her hands suddenly. She waddled back to shore, dropping it down. She then produced two lengths of Starbristle cloth that looked suspiciously like beach towns.

“Did you prepare for the beach episode?” Theo asked, approaching cautiously. “What’s in the box?”

“Snacks. Beers. You know. Beach stuff.”

Theo popped the lid open, finding an array of snacks and open-topped mugs of Rivers mead. With a great shrug, he plopped onto his beach towel and grabbed a beer. Cheese and dried sausages were becoming a popular snack in Broken Tusk. Whisper had a large part in that effort.

The alchemist took a sip of his cold mead. Tero’gal was different than the Dreamwalk. Everything felt muddy in the dream realm. It was as though he was experiencing things through a sieve. Everything was sharp here. Almost a perfect analog to the mortal realm. Time was the only sense that came in fits and starts. Tresk grabbed her own beer, and a fistful of snacks before laying down on her towel.

“We’re past the honeymoon phase,” the Marshling declared.

“I don’t know. I still like you.”

“No, with the realm. We’re just enjoying our time here, rather than grinding experience constantly.”

That had been a topic that had crowded Theo’s mind lately. He was getting very good at relaxing. That was a necessary feature of the leveling system, though. While more effort meant more levels, there were roadblocks. The blockaids that kept him from leveling could be mental, but they could also be skill-based. It was always good to take a back-seat and enjoy the beach episode.

The pair took turns speculating as to how big their realm was. All members of the Tara’hek agreed it was larger than the Southlands Alliance. Benton had informed them that this kind of growth would have been dangerous. If they didn’t have the protection of the Arbiter, other realms might get interested in them. Especially when Tero’gal rose out of the minor realms, finding itself with more competent gods who didn’t need to follow the rules of a child’s sandbox. But it was all speculation.

Theo had thought of seeding reagents within Tero’gal, but that plan fell apart before it started. Plants that bore alchemical ingredients didn’t seem to spread. He was reminded of how the nuggets in his mine spawned. They were generated as nodes, rather than naturally occurring material. It was the entire reason Broken Tusk was successful. Whoever pulled the strings behind the scenes had given him an unfair start.

Tresk and Theo stuffed their beach episode stuff into the shared inventory to walk the length of the white sands. Alex waddled close behind them, darting off to play in the water here and there.

“Surprised we haven’t turned this place into a way to produce more stuff,” Tresk said. “We got some workers, after all.”

“I’ve thought about it. But I have a few problems with the idea.”

“Like what?”

“Fenian convinced me he was doing the right thing because all those souls would just go to the heavens. What happens when we capture those souls and force them to work forever?”

“Free labor?”

“It’s just another kind of torment. Why not make this place more like the heaven from my Earth’s lore?”

“Which one?”

Theo shrugged. “One of the good ones. Where you just hang out all day. Live the good life.”

“I’m not opposed to the idea. Hells, the only reason I brought it up was because you’re always pushing for more things. More production. More people. Levels. So on.”

“Yeah, I’m working on it.”

“And you’re doing well. I’ve been having a great time relaxing. Enjoying your company.”

And my company, right? Alex asked.

“Of course.”

The group’s aimless wandering produced nothing but exploration. The landscape of Tero’gal was vast and varied, but each section was always warm. Even the mountain passes were only slightly colder than the lowland areas. Without access to the land mass’s edge, they could watch their point of return in the sky. The scene they viewed moved even slower than before. By the time the group wanted to leave, they had found where the beach curved. They poked their heads into a dense jungle, but went no further before piercing through the realms.

Uz’Xulven didn’t interdict them as they returned to the mortal plane. The Bridge was silent. Theo took that as a good thing, stumbling as he landed back in the manor where he started. Tresk ran off, leaving him with Alex. The pair took seats in one of the many rooms in, giving the alchemist time to review the day’s administrative reports.

Alise was writing one, which he watched in real-time. The lizard-folk had little natural resources to offer. According to the administrators they were a shamanistic people who valued connection to spirits over worldly things. But their lands had a lot of dungeons, resulting in an excess of both items and cash. Azrug was interested in scooping up those items, and Squeak was interested in stone for their temples and metal for their smiths.

After reading the report for a while, Theo left with Alex to check up on Salire. She had cleaned everything out and was running some first tier [Lesser Healing Potions] to get experience. The alchemist worked with her for a while, running her through mana-control drills. When he summoned a drop of his mana into the real world, it blazed with purple fire. Hers was like a dim ember, barely casting enough light to be visible.

“You’ll get it in time,” Theo said, unconfident in his words.

“I know. Gotta keep practicing.”

Theo departed from the lab. Three people were on his mind lately. He stood outside of the tannery and took a deep breath. There was absolutely none of the foul smell that had previously marked the area. He knocked on the front door and waited. Perg cracked the door, a wide smile painting her face when she spotted the alchemist.

“Been a while,” she said, nodding to him.

“Yeah. You know how it is.”

“Archduke and all that.”

“Yeah. How is it going?”

Perg threw the door open, revealing the pits of her seed core tannery. “Going well enough. Let me show you around.”

The tannery had come a long way. Perg was processing hides manually before Theo showed up. He replaced the arduous dehairing and curing process with an alchemical one. Now she did everything with the seed core building, making it even better. But she only made leather. She sold the cured leather at market value and nothing more.

“You should take over Luras’s old workshop,” Theo said, looking down in a pit of slime. The building had an upgrade that eliminated the smell. Thank god.

“Yeah? Sounds like more work.”

Theo shrugged. “Hire someone, then. That building is just sitting there—someone should take it over. Have you considered taking an aligned crafting core?”

“I’ve thought about it.”

“Think about it some more. You know I’m always looking for stuff to fund.”

“Moneybags over here.”

“Don’t be a stranger, Perg. Stop by the manor. Hang out.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said with a wink.

Theo left the tannery with a strange feeling. Half-way to Nira’s smeltery, he realized what it was. People usually just did what he said because he had money and means. But Perg was living her best life. Just making leather stuff and enjoying her time off. The alchemist was understanding why that was a good thing.

Nira had gone absolutely ape-shit with her smeltery business. Theo didn’t remember approving more smelters, but there were more smelters. Three buildings now stood in a row, all with the double-crucible upgrade. She had at least twenty people working while she stood back, supervising. The alchemist approached her, clapping a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She spun around, fists up as though ready to fight.

“Oh. Just you,” Nira said, relaxing. “Thought you were Gridgen.”

“You guys having trouble?”

“No. He likes to scare me,” Nira said, turning her attention back to her workers. She shouted curses at them, instructing them on the proper way to work the crucibles.

The heat that came from the triplet smelters was unreal. Parts of the cobblestone road were blackened by the constant heat. No plants grew near the buildings, creating a ring of charred earth. As expected, Nira wouldn’t say a word unless required by law. The alchemist was happy just to watch the process, making sure his investment was running smoothly. While he had invested money to get the smeltery running, the ingots produced here and sold at market value funded public works.

That thought made Theo feel better, anyway. He departed the smelter without saying another word to Nira. The Midnight Damsel was half-way between the town’s heart, and Dead Dog Mine. Gridgen and his wife Sarna had done an excellent job running the mine so far, and they hadn’t changed the name given by Tresk. The weird tentacle dogs were still spawning in there, so why not?

Of all the industries in town, mining was the busiest. Theo climbed the hill that led to the mine, passing by more people than he remembered meeting. Most would have a [Miner’s Core]. Those that didn’t would have some kind of laborer’s core. Neither operator of the mine was outside, so the alchemist plunged into the dimly lit interior. They had expanded the first tier of the mine significantly, giving them access to more copper. The next level down, where the iron spawned, had even more tunnels carved out. Only the Drogramathi Iron level had seen little progress.

Theo found his way to the gate system, letting himself and Alex through, until they arrived at the familiar room. It was the place where he had first found the goose’s egg. A Tworgnoth artifice that bound the creature to him forever. The alchemist pressed his hand against the stone, feeling the heat from below. A Wisdom of the Soul message popped up with information he had already assumed. It was likely that there were expansive caverns below.

“And it’s reasonable to assume that there are monsters down there.”

Could be, Alex said, honking.

“You remember nothing about this artifice. Right?”

Nope.

“No secret knowledge about what’s below?”

Noooope.

Theo lingered near the old, spent artifice for a while. Footsteps echoed through the tunnels. The alchemist turned, spotting Gridgen descending the ramps with a wide smile on his face. He had his young son, Gasem, with him. “We’re still waiting for permission to dig deeper.”

That was a hairy situation. Theo could give the order to dig deeper, but he didn’t want to go over Aarok’s head on this one. It wasn’t a matter of who was right and who was wrong. It was a matter of the town’s safety. Assuming there were monsters below was a good idea, but that wasn’t the end of the story. Once they cracked through, they would need a workforce to manage it. Guards, artifice weapons, and so on. Time that the workers didn’t have right now.

“I’d rather be on my toes about this, Gridgen. Anyway, how are things going in the mine? Is everyone good?” Theo asked.

The miner kneaded his shoulder, then shrugged. “Everyone is fine. Just fine. Some folks were talking about more pay, but I don’t know. Not sure what we’d do with the money.”

Theo nodded. He hadn’t worried about that problem until that exact moment. But this was going to be a common theme over the next few weeks. That brought into focus the need to have a ferry between the alliance and the lizard-folk. Everyone was getting stir-crazy being locked behind the walls of Broken Tusk. No, it wouldn’t be a singular solution. He couldn’t predict what kind of vacation people wanted to go on. The alchemist would focus the town’s efforts on getting the maglev ready, and operating the ferry.

“People need to spend their money,” Theo said. “What if you could visit Gronro or Rivers? Within a day.”

“You’re talking about the new transport system, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That would be nice. Get out of the town. See some of this alliance we’re a part of.”

Theo scratched his chin, letting his thoughts form on the matter. He sifted through his administrative reports, finding that Ziz was working on the maglev now. That was good. So long as Throk could pull himself away from his work, the project would be done quickly. The alchemist made notes in the administrative reports, allocating more funds to the project.

Broken Tusk was fairly flush with cash right now. There was no reason to sit on it like a dragon hoarding wealth. As always, the alchemist wanted to distribute that money into the town through investments. And there was no better way to do it than with massive projects that defied logic. He chatted with Gridgen, getting a tour of the newly expanded mine, as he dug through recent reports. He focused on the report brought back by the expeditionary force. They took basic measurements of distance on the way to the lizard islands.

“Gods. How am I going to do this conversion?” Theo asked as the pair finished their tour of the iron level of the mine.

“Huh?”

Theo watched as Gasem played with Alex. The basic unit of measure they used here was a halm. Meaning that all the reports from the ship came back in halms, ahthalms, and so on. The alchemist ruffled his hair and pulled on his horns as he tried to do the conversion in his head. A halm was about half a foot. So the distance from Broken Tusk to the islands was approximately the same distance to Gronro. Maybe a bit further.

“Gridgen. Tell me the truth.”

The miner shifted nervously on the spot. “Alright.”

“Is it unreasonable for me to build a train over the ocean?”

“Uh…” Gridgen’s eyes darted around the mine. “Is this one of those questions that you’ll take ‘yes’ as an answer?”

“No.”

“Then I think it’s a great idea.”

Theo nodded. “Throk is going to be pissed.”

Chapter 59

Azrug, the Loremaster

Throk was pissed. The angry little Marshling had stopped shouting just long enough for Theo to make a few sounds—not quite words, but grunts of objection. Hands on hips, the artificer glared at the alchemist.

“You’ll want trains that go to the damn moon after this,” Throk said, letting off a series of curses Theo had never heard. His voice turned from angry shouts to a low mutter. “He must be bored. The damn alchemist has been drinking too much of his own supply.”

“I’m not bored. I just think—”

“No, you’re bored. Where is my daughter? Can’t she come to talk some sense into you? Do you know how expensive something like that would be? How deep is the ocean between here and the islands?”

“I hadn’t considered it. But a connection between—”

Throk interrupted again. “Let’s make a deal,” he said, clapping his hands together. His face had shifted from anger to one of an annoyed parent. “You have other projects, right?”

“I do.”

“Do one of those. Leave me alone while I iron out the problems with the rail. Then you can bother me with another impossible task.”

Theo didn’t feel dejected by the way Throk shot him down. He had come to the artificer’s workshop to pitch the idea, not order him to begin construction. But the Marshling’s sharp words had brought everything into perspective. There was a project he was interested in working on. And he was more than a little bored with the town’s progress. His mind went back to that place in the mine. Where sections of the stone were warmer than others.

“I appreciate you,” Theo said.

“Yeah. I know.”

As Theo left the artificer’s workshop, he had genuine concerns about the mine project. He had put it off for a reason. But the miners and the military were two parts of the town that weren’t completely buried in other projects. They were available for work, and could likely start immediately. The alchemist made his way to the Adventurer’s Guild building, checking the various reports in his interface. He passed by citizens as he wrote his proposal for the mine, including a plan to use his Toru’aun magic on the iron gates for added protection.

“Worst case scenario,” Theo said, reading as he wrote the message out. “We’ll nuke whatever is down there.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” Sarisa said, coming up behind him.

“Do you really think it’s a bad plan?”

Sarisa shrugged. “Salire is looking for you.”

Theo grumbled, turning around and heading straight for the Newt and Demon. The budding alchemist was working with a customer, but handed him a note about her work. There was a problem with her run of [Hallow Ground Essence] that needed attention. Something about the distillation process going wrong.

“Well, this is interesting.” Theo lifted a flask of sludgy, black liquid.

The essence that Salire had distilled was considered alchemical junk by the system. He inspected the Drogramathi Iron still, finding caked-on residue clinging to the sides. Theo scraped a piece off with his knife, holding it up to the light. Drogramathi mana flowed from his chest and into his arm, surfacing through his fingers to light the offending residue on fire with purple flames. Something about the way it was deconstructed was wrong. The smoke it produced didn’t have the right scent, and the appearance of those fumes was too dark.

“I can’t say that I’ve seen this before.” Walking to the far side of the lab, the alchemist withdrew his old copy of Basic Drogramath Alchemy. He flipped to the first section on distillation, reading through text he had memorized long ago.

“She’s new, right?” Sarisa found a chair to drag over, then sat down. She smoothed the ruffles in her illusory dress. “New people make mistakes.”

“Hmmm. Mistakes are one thing, but this entire batch is ruined. I’m assuming she ran this at the right temperature, so what happened?”

Theo ran through everything he could think of. He had never seen a batch of essence be ruined so thoroughly. And it wasn’t as though the essence had failed to distill because of her skill. The [Hallow Ground Essence] could be brewed by someone at Level 1. Technically. He dismissed the idea that his champion status could be the reason, moving on to more logical things. By the time he was inspecting the equipment itself, Salire had finished working with the customer.

“I don’t know what happened, sir.” The Half-Ogre’s ochre skin paled to a pale shade of yellow-brown. She had a look of worry on her face.

“First rule of alchemy. Add this to the book. Unless you blew the lab up, you haven’t made a mistake. Were these the truffles grown in my mushroom cave?”

“Yes. I used them just like you showed me. I focused on the [Hallow Ground] property and everything.”

“Curious.” Theo scanned the lab, finding loose truffles on a table.

This wasn’t a problem with the equipment. And it wasn’t a problem with Salire’s technique. Theo had taught her himself, and she had created many [Lesser Mana Potions] on her own without incident. The truffles were more temperamental, but not by much. Compared to something like spirit plants, the [Swamp Truffle] behaved much like [Spiny Swamp Thistle Root]. It was very placid. An extremely stable reagent for what it did. He picked up one half-way processed truffle. The core of the thing looked different than he remembered. Slight striations of blue ran through it, mottled here and there.

“This is the sample you used?” Theo asked, sending a series of instructions to all his golems. He recalled them through the lodestone network, sending them into the mushroom caves.

“Yeah. Just the stock your golems collected.”

“You’ll be happy to know that you made no error,” Theo said, holding the mushroom up for her to see. “Can you spot the problem without examining the item?”

“Uh... It looks normal. Right?”

“What happens when you examine it?”

Salire shrugged, coming close to press her hand against the mushroom. “Looks normal. [Swamp Truffle]. I can’t see the first property, though.”

Theo ordered his golems to purge the mushroom caves, separating them into four distinct storage crates. They went to work as he inspected the new mushroom.

[????]

[Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Mushroom]

Epic

A unique hybrid mushroom created from a Manashroom and a Swamp Truffle.

Properties:

[????] [????] [????]

“Now that is a first,” Theo said. “You said that this was a [Swamp Truffle]?”

Salire nodded. Theo felt a tingle in his mind, then a Wisdom of the Soul message popped up.

[Wisdom of the Soul]

It is like that this mushroom was spontaneously hybridized in your mushroom cave. This is likely a rare occurrence, but the close proximity and rapid cultivation of the mushrooms forced this to occur. Both the name and description are placeholders. You should contact a Loremaster.

Theo sent an alert to the town without hesitation, splitting his concentration to check on the golems. They were working to identify and remove the hybrid mushrooms. Once Azrug arrived to inspect the mushrooms, he could provide more information. Until then, the alchemist wrote everything down and explained it to Salire and Sarisa. No one in the room knew this could happen, and it was an amazing turning-point for his various cultivation projects.

A few sharp knocks came at the door for the lab. Sarisa opened it, bowing slightly as the young Lord Merchant entered. “You rang?” he asked with a smarmy grin.

Theo tossed the truffle across the room, nodding with approval as the man caught it. “Got something interesting for you. We accidentally created a new kind of mushroom.”

“A new mushroom? Just for me?” Azrug asked, laughing. “Oh, you spoil me. Let’s see…”

Ribbons of white-blue mana laced their way around Azrug’s body. Theo grimaced at the uncontrolled technique. Somewhere in the alchemist’s mind, he remembered that the loremaster was just a boy. Likely somewhere between fifteen and eighteen years old. After a few moments of untamed mana, a smile played across his face.

“The good news is, my [Loremaster’s Core] worked on the truffle.”

“What’s the bad news?” Theo asked.

Azrug tossed the mushroom back, which Theo caught deftly. He inspected the mushroom again.

[Azrug’s Truffle]

[Alchemy Ingredient] [Hybrid Mushroom]

Epic

A unique hybrid mushroom created from a Manashroom and a Swamp Truffle. This mushroom combines the holy power of the Swamp Truffle with the freezing properties of the Manashroom.

Properties:

[????] [????] [????]

“Did you just name the truffle after yourself?” Theo said, looking up in disbelief.

“Yep. The system said that every [Swamp Truffle], [Manashroom] hybrid will be named [Azrug’s Truffle] from now on.”

Were all traders this smarmy? Was it the destiny of everyone who made their living selling goods to be just a bit of a dick? Theo still found it impossible not to smile. He flicked the trader a gold coin, shaking his head. “Thanks.”

Azrug chatted with Theo for a while before leaving. The young Half-Ogre had been enjoying his time as the town’s chief merchant. He learned fast, as most people in this world did, and had settled into striking deals with whoever would come to Broken Tusk. According to the reports, he was also instrumental in the ousting of Alran Cherman from the mayor position in Rivers and Daub. He now focused his efforts on creating his store and stables. As the young man departed, the alchemist took a bite of the truffle.

“Make a note.” Theo spoke through a mouthful of mushroom. It had an unpleasant flavor, like pennies mixed with a scoop of earth. “Unless you have a sufficiently advanced herbalist core, you can’t spot hybrids.”

[Property Discovered]!

Eating the [Azrug’s Truffle] has revealed the property: [Hallow Frost]

“Interesting. This will require experimentation.”

“As does everything, huh?” Salire no longer looked dejected. But she seemed worn. “I thought I really messed up.”

Several shambling [Lesser Plant Golems] entered the room, carrying the untainted truffles. They placed them down on a table then left, off to serve their other duties. “I’ll make sure the golems put each type of mushroom in a different crate. I suggest that you try again with the right mushroom.”

“Thanks!” Salire said, most of her cheery attitude returning in moments.

“We’re off. Let me know if anything else goes wrong.”

Theo and Sarisa departed, heading for their original destination. But this was the life of an alchemist. One who had taken on an apprentice. If he was truthful with himself, he would say that he wasn’t ready for one. That he hadn’t spent enough time in this world to be deserving of anyone’s respect, let alone passing knowledge down. That must have been what most champions thought when they were chosen by a god. The difference was that most people who were chosen knew they were chosen.

The alchemist lingered in the street for a moment, eyes locked on the temple. “Do you think Drogramath would answer if I called?”

Sarisa shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

He made his way to the temple anyway, standing on the massive marble steps for quite a while before heading inside. It was mostly empty, with a few people standing in quiet reverence off in the corner. Dimly lit as it was, those figures were rendered as little more than shadows. Theo stood before the dais, looking up at the place Drogramath once occupied. He prayed, begged, and cursed in his mind. But nothing happened.

“Guess he doesn’t want to talk,” Theo said, turning on the spot. “Perhaps he can sense my intentions.”

Sarisa and Theo left the temple behind. He couldn’t deny that there was a great sense of comfort when he was within the temple. It was as though a small piece of Tero’gal was there, hiding just below the surface. He made his way to the guild, then searched around for a while before he found Aarok in a meeting. He spoke with a member of Gronro’s little army, signaling the alchemist to sit and wait while they concluded their business.

Theo busied himself with notes as he waited, detailing everything that happened with the hybrid mushrooms. The [Hallow Frost] property might be interesting to use, assuming it was just a combination of the [Freeze] property with the [Hallow Ground] property. That would make for an interesting set of potions. More than likely, it was something else entirely. A random variation on both things, taking either the best or worst pieces of each.

“How can I help you, Archduke?” Aarok asked. He had bags under his eyes, and a worn expression on his face.

“I’d like to start a war with an unknown subterranean race of horrific lizard-monsters. By the end of the day, if possible.”

“See? If you actually spoke like that, we’d get more done. You wanna crack the mine?”

“Yeah, I would. First, I need to know if you’re doing alright. You look tired. Are you getting enough help with your duties?”

Aarok’s booming laugh filled the room. A genuine smile spread across his face, tusks glittering in the afternoon light. “Never let it be said that Theo Spencer isn’t a concerned leader. I was up all night doing some training with the boys. I have plenty of help, but thanks for the concern.”

“Just checking. So, the mine.”

“Yeah, we can crack on through. How many people do you want on standby?”

“All of them.”

“Yeah, I’ll just casually assemble the combined forces of three towns.”

“Surely you mean two towns.”

“Don’t call me Shirley. Just kidding. Tresk said that the other day and I can’t stop thinking about it. Rivers has a few recruits. You want to crack through today? Of course you do.”

Theo explained the only idea he had so far. The miners were convinced that there was a passage, or a cavern directly under the place where they had found Alex. He wanted to send a golem down there to check it out before anyone else got their hands dirty with adventurers waiting to defend the tunnel.

“In the worst case, I can nuke the opening. Or we can collapse the tunnel.”

Aarok shrugged. “Each approach has tactical merit. I know you’re eager, but give me a day to get everything together.”

“I have an idea,” Theo said, withdrawing an old communication crystal from his inventory. He held it tight in his hand, then felt the magic activate.

Theo! Why are you using this old thing? Fenian asked.

Come over to the guildhall. I need to ask you a few questions.

Oh, yes sir. I love when you’re so commanding.

Theo returned the crystal to his inventory before the Elf could say any more weird things. He talked with Aarok about mundane things, drilling down to make sure the Half-Ogre was doing well. He loved his position as a military leader, claiming that it felt like he was back to training for the irregulars. After a few minutes, a knock came at the door and Fenian stepped in. The Elf took a seat.

“Both limbs working?” Aarok asked.

“Better than ever. I used to have a scar on my left arm. Like the arm, the story is lost. A cruel fate,” Fenian said with a heavy sigh. “What was it you needed, alchemist?”

Theo explained the plan, and asked if Fenian would join them as they breached the mine. But he didn’t want to dig surface-deep with the trader. He wanted to go deeper. “Would you know anything about some hidden civilization of lizard-folk waiting for us underground?”

“Well, now that you mention it…” Fenian trailed off, tapping his chin with his newly regrown finger. “I’ve read tales of underground monsters and Elves. The tomb of house Southblade in Tarantham is said to be connected to one such system of caverns.”

“Is this a story or the truth?” Aarok asked.

“Likely true. I’ve only poked my head into that underworld. There was an underground dungeon back home that I took care of.”

“And the hidden part?” Theo asked.

“What?” Fenian asked.

“This is the part where you do some sly wink without telling me what the truth is. You want me to fling you through multidimensional space? We need a little more trust.”

“Oh, you’re crabby today. Fine. You found your familiar’s egg in that mine, right above the spot where you’re going to dig through. I have been plotting with several godly figures for a few centuries. As well as a few mortals. You know how it is. Anyway, someone seeded a few things on the mortal plane for you to find. Including Alex’s egg. Tworgnoth planted the device that kept her alive. Tworgnoth does nothing by accident. He is a plotter. A schemer.”

Aarok let out a frustrated sigh. “So, a Demon god wanted Theo to find the tunnel? Is that a good thing?”

Fenian shrugged. “I think so. They’ve held up their end of the bargain so far by giving him the tools he needs to succeed. The things required to support us while we enact the grand plan.”

“Oh, there’s that bit of mystery!” Theo said, jabbing a finger at Fenian. He smiled playfully, then punched the Elf in the arm.

“Ack! That’s still tender, you savage!” Fenian shouted, rubbing his arm.

“As long as we have your swords ready, we’ll face down whatever is under the mine.”

Theo felt much more confident with Fenian around. The man was a monster in combat. A damned dragon could fly out of the hole, and the Elf would take care of it. But the words he spoke lingered in the air like a stale smell. Things had been organized for the alchemist’s transition, but not for his benefit. These circumstances were designed to aid another group to do something.

“I do have a schedule to keep, my dear alchemist,” Fenian said. “You must hurl me across realities after we crack through the mine.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it,” Theo said, waving him away. “I’ve been practicing. Might even be able to drag you to Tero’gal.”

“Oh, that would be lovely.”

Chapter 60

Laying Down the Law

A strange, disjointed landscape spread as far as Theo could see. The tunnel, made of something between marshmallow fluff and stone, was lit by fairy lights that danced on currents of air. Tresk had done her best to imagine what the tunnels under the mine would look like, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the fluff. But it was all speculation.

Dinner had been the usual who’s who of people popping in for the free food. They had enjoyed a nice bath before dropping into the Dreamwalk. It had taken Tresk several tries to get something resembling a cavern system going, and Theo wasn’t sure it was worth the effort. Instead, he imagined them back in a place he was all too familiar with. The scene shifted in an instant, bringing them to the area near Tworgnoth’s artifice.

“Hey! I thought that was pretty accurate,” Tresk said.

“Accurate to what exactly? No, it doesn’t matter,” Theo said. His thoughts wandered away from the mine. “This is weird, but I have a good feeling about whatever is underneath here.”

How could you possibly know? Alex asked, ruffling her feathers. She shot a small gout of fire, punctuating her thoughts.

That wasn’t a question easily answered. Theo’s intuition had always worked in weird ways within the Dreamwalk. But after taking the [Wisdom of the Soul] potion, it had redoubled its strange efforts. The time he spent dreaming now felt more hopeful than ever. Before, all those thoughts from other people clouded his judgment. They formed layers over the real ‘Theo’, making him feel more like a puppet going through the motions.

“You’re thinking too much about ‘self’,” Tresk said, shaking her head in disapproval. “You have too many versions of you in your head.”

“I’ve put a lot of thought into it. Maybe it isn’t worth retreading old wounds.”

“Agreed. You were Theo the killer, the regretful soldier, the puppet of Drogramath, the bosom buddy of Tresk, and now you’re something else.” Tresk placed her hands on her hips, grinning. “Summarized it pretty well, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, that was pretty good.” Theo knelt down, pressing his hand against the warm rock. He was imagining the warmth, but it still felt good. “Let’s talk cores. Levels. Progression.”

I’m making great progress, Alex said, spreading her wings wide and flapping to create a breeze in the tight mine.

“We aren’t,” Tresk said, giggling. “So there’s a cap at 30, huh?”

“I’m certain we need to get our personal level to 30 to advance.”

Theo’s two Drogramath cores were on the verge of hitting level 25. They were becoming more stubborn with every level, making it a slog to achieve any progress. Tresk had experienced something similar with her [Shadowdancer’s Core] and her [Assassin’s Core]. Like the alchemist’s pair, those cores seemed tied to each other. But she was closer to 30 than him by this point, edging toward 28 in both of those cores.

“Mine are stuck at 24,” Theo said, scratching his chin. “They’ll roll over at any moment, but you know. Kinda annoying.”

“We just gotta grind, grind, grind!” Tresk waved her hands through the air with a flourish. The scene before them shifted to a familiar scene from Tero’gal. The sprawling fields and sparse homes with a constant breeze that carried pleasant scents.

Theo took a deep breath and smiled to himself. Some part of that private realm carried itself into the Dreamwalk, connected by some unseen strand of power. For dramatic effect, he snapped his fingers and summoned a row of Drogramathi Iron stills and crates of imagined supplies. “I have a feeling about the mortal realm’s system.”

“Uh-huh,” Tresk said, screwing up her face. A dragon appeared in the air, frozen in place. “What might that be?”

“Fenian and Khahar said as much. There’s something wrong with it. The progression is all messed up. As though we were never meant to get past level 30, let alone 100.”

Tresk seemed disinterested in what he had to say. But she paused for a moment, scrubbing the top of her bare head with her nails then letting out a breath. “We should hit level 30, then see what we think. Use Tero’gal to figure out how it was meant to be.”

Theo imagined a grinder and got to work on the stills. Tresk seemed interested in talking now, which was an interesting thing to observe. Her mind felt more focused than usual, as though she was exerting great effort to narrow it to a point. “Great idea. What do you think we’ll find?”

“That whoever made our world is dumb.”

A harsh assessment that Theo wished wasn’t true. But where did the fault of stupidity lie with the system? Who created the system in the first place? There were too many questions to be answered, and not enough time to consider them. Tresk dropped the subject and ran off to fight her dragons. Alex joined with her, eager to grind out her familiar levels and hone her ability with the nature affinity.

Theo focused his efforts on understanding what went wrong with Salire’s distillation. He had a good idea before he had left the lab, but it was important to replicate her mistake in a safe environment. After less than an hour of testing, he confirmed her problem was with a property mismatch. She had focused on the [Hallow Ground] property when distilling the truffle, but the hybrid mushroom didn’t have that property. He set up several batches of the [Hallow Frost] property.

The system that controlled the Dreamwalk fought back against his actions, but Tresk corrected it. In Theo’s mind, it felt like a mother lording over her children. Snapping out only once when the child got out of line and setting them straight. It wasn’t the parenting he would have done, but the system wasn’t a child. It was a…

“What even is the system?” Theo muttered to himself, working the knobs and gauges of his stills.

In this world, that was like asking ‘what are atoms?’ Or something else that a science-minded person would understand. Theo had always been woefully uninformed about the technology of his own world. If someone were to ask him how the weapons he used daily functioned, he would draw a blank. Something about plasma, or supersonic rounds. Science must have been predictable for those that understood it, but the system was far more understandable. The guns he used back on Earth didn’t come with an item description.

Theo created enough [Refined Hallow Frost Essence] for testing. He withdrew a flask of the completed, second tier essence and swirled it around. The liquid was similar to both the [Freeze Essence] and the [Hallow Ground Essence], displaying bands of silver that mingled with blue-white. He got the impression of a banishing cold. A perfect mixture of both essences. Unlike the binding method he used to produce the suffuse potions, the hybrid reagent had created a blending of the two properties. From the outside, the alchemist had the impression that this would make a throwable potion. Somewhere between a bomb and a drinkable potion. There was a strange middle-ground with potions. Sometimes they seemed designed to be used as bombs, and would be useless without modification.

It was always best to create a second tier potion for testing. The third tier ones were better, but it was a waste of time. Especially in the Dreamwalk. Theo performed his standard brewing method for the potion, adding the catalyst to watch the reaction. While dreaming, the reactions were never as impressive as in the waking world. He watched the essence swirl tepidly. The smoke that rose from the top came in thin wisps. The alchemist leaned in, inspecting his newest creation.

[Hallow Frost Potion]

[Potion]

Epic

Created by: Theo Spencer

Alignment:

Drogramath (Middling Bond)

Grade: Excellent Quality

Apply to a surface or creature to create a zone of denial.

Effect:

Applying this to any surface, including creatures, creates a one pace circle with the [Hallow Frost] effect.

Targets inflicted with [Hallow Frost] will take banishment damage every time they act. Actions include spells, abilities, movement, attacks, and so on.

“That’s a weird one,” Theo said, tapping his foot.

The effect on the potion was completely unexpected. It had combined concepts from both properties, but the way it came out was weird. This was unlike any base potion Theo had ever created. Surface-application potions at this tier weren’t a thing. Those potions had to be modified to create an surface effect. The [Hallow Frost Potion] would be a candidate for Throk’s sprayer artifice. It would also make an amazing weapon for fighting the undead.

Theo could imagine a few scenarios where this potion would be useful. A fighter could cover themselves in the stuff, then wade into a group of undead. Depending on how long it took for the banishment damage to take hold, they might be unstoppable. The alchemist continued to grind experience as he thought of the applications. He felt himself creeping toward level 25 in his Drogramath cores and his personal level as he labored. That level would come with another big decision.

The Dreamwalk’s end came with a rush of sensations. Theo watched as his [Drogramath Herbalist Core], [Drogramath Alchemy Core], and his personal level all rolled over at the same time. Combined with the sudden ejection from the dreaming world, the alchemist’s head swam. He dismissed the notifications and laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling of his luxurious bedroom.

“That was a trip.”

“Stay in bed,” Tresk said, popping out of her bed and patting the alchemist on the forehead. “I’m off to grab some grub.”

The single attribute Theo had to pick wasn’t the hardest decision he had ever made. His Dexterity was still quite low, especially when compared to his Wisdom. Since he wanted to be better at throwing things, he put his point into dex and inspected his attributes sheet.

Theo Spencer

Drogramath Dronon

Level 25

Alchemist

Core Slots: 5

Stats:

Health: 105

Mana: 190

Stamina: 115

Strength: 20 (+11)

Dexterity: 18 (+8)

Vigor: 20 (+8)

Intelligence: 26 (+9)

Wisdom: 30 (+7)

Points: 0

“Good to know that my name changed there, too,” Theo said. He hadn’t checked his attribute sheet in a while, but the system was catching up with him.

Now came the arduous task of sifting through hundreds of skills to pick from. Theo had little interest in spending his free skill on his [Governance Core], and his Drogramath cores had enough skills to make him happy for now. If he needed something from those two cores to break the Level 30 barrier, he would buy them at Level 30. That forced him to turn his attention to his [Toru’aun Mage’s Core]. That core was going to become more important as time went on—he knew that instinctively.

Theo’s [Toru’aun Mage’s Core] currently had three skills. [Sensitive Weaving], which decreased his rate of interruption while casting, [Surface Application] which made him better at applying wards to things, and [Ward Propagation] which made wards last longer. He sifted through the skills he could pick for the core, finding that most were blocked by level requirements. The alchemist went back to double-check that there was nothing exciting for his other cores before settling on a Toru’aun skill.

[Linked Wards]

Toru’aun Demon Mage Skill

Epic

Allows the user to link their wards.

Effect:

Wards can now be linked to work together. This operates outside of the spell crafting system, and must be done by an ad hoc basis.

Wards that are linked may produce new effects, increased durations, etc.

Wildcard skills were fun to use. Theo understood enough about Toru’aun’s wards to know this would be an interesting one. In all his time working with her magic, he found wards to be independent things. They didn’t play well with each other, and revealed now possibilities of linkage. The alchemist’s mind unfurled, applying his knowledge of the art to hint at powerful spellwork. This was something he would need to consult with Xol’sa on, but he knew it was the right choice. Even without the popup he got from Wisdom of the Soul.

The skill linked with his core seamlessly, allowing a trickle of knowledge to flow into his mind. First and second tier wards were made different by the addition of more spellwork layers. This new skill added something similar to discrete wards. They would no longer be closed systems, but pieces of a whole Theo could exploit. He let his mind wander as he rested in bed, imagining how the wards could interact. Like the fabric of the spells, he could interlink two shielding wards. Instead of springing forth to shield one target, they could combine to make a larger shield. The same concept applied to field-based damage wards, revealing wards, and so on.

Theo headed down for breakfast, finding that his friends were already digging in. He helped himself to a few chunks of a fruit he didn’t recognize and fell into his thoughts. Fenian was there to remove him from the sanctity of his mind, kindly questioning him about his abilities in Tero’gal. Fortunately, Tresk was there to answer. She was confident that she could fling him to any realm she wished. The alchemist had his doubts about it, but Balkor’s realm was dead. He imagined it wasn’t in the high heavens at all.

After breakfast, Theo made his rounds through town. Aarok and his people needed time to organize. That was the claim, anyway. Gwyn had voiced her objections about cracking the mine, so the administrators went into meetings to sort it out. The alchemist excused himself from those duties, finding his way to the lab instead. A sense of pride flashed through his chest when he spotted Salire working the stills. She was creating a batch of [Hallow Ground Essence], something he smelled before even entering the building.

“Much better when you use the right ingredients,” Theo said, checking to make sure the product she was creating met his expectations.

“I really thought I messed up last time,” Salire said.

Theo nodded. She had messed up, but it was no fault of her own. Unlike Salire, he didn’t have such complex things as hybrid reagents to deal with. He had every advantage handed to him, almost making a mockery of her learning experience. But he wouldn’t let that get him down. Not when he had someone to share alchemical delights with.

“Remember the first rule.”

“Right. No one blew up.”

The upgrade pipe system in the lab allowed Theo to check their supplies of essence at a glance. There were a few orders that needed filling, so he stuck around to brew some potions before opening up the mine. With the vent system functional above, he didn’t bother opening a window. That would only let the cold air out and letting the humid air of the season in. There was no end in sight for the Season of Fire. There were forty-nine days left under the oppressive weather. If the last change was anything to go by, it would be sudden.

Salire required a few nudges in the right direction for her brewing technique. She might have been a natural at the art of alchemy, but it didn’t hurt to lay a solid foundation for her. The alchemist couldn’t complain about her lack of practice with her mana. He remembered a time before Xol’sa was injured. A time when all he did was put that training off. Like most things in alchemy, cultivating a base of knowledge took time. And grinding.

Theo noticed the administrators hadn’t sorted their disagreements out. Even though it had been several hours since they began their meetings. Some were concerned about the dangers of opening the mine. The alchemist couldn’t decide if his feelings of annoyance were justified or not. His people were moving at the pace of politics and it irritated him. He snapped out of his concentrated annoyance when a pair of thumbs pressed firmly into the muscles in his shoulders. Spinning around, he saw Salire with a smile on her face.

“Turn back around.”

Theo did so, summoning his administration screen once again. Salire kneaded the tense muscles in his shoulders. “I’m trying not to be a dick with my administrators.”

Salire pressed the heel of her palm into the center of his back. Something cracked, sending a wave of satisfaction through the alchemist. “You’re the archduke, right?”

“That’s my problem‌,” Theo said, wincing as the Half-Ogre cracked another row of vertebrae. “No one voted for me.”

“There’s a fatal flaw in your logic. No one voted for the administrators, either.”

Theo felt the shadows stirring somewhere in the lab. His magical senses weren’t developing well, but Sarisa practically tore a hole through them when she came out of hiding. “I vote that you lay down the law. Assert dominance.”

Salire found another tight muscle in the alchemist’s back and worked it into putty. He let out a breath, still holding himself back from yelling at the administrators. It could be as easy as ordering them into line with his interests. But they ran the town most of the time, leaving him to do whatever he wanted. If he took away their ability to govern when he was gone, what was the point of having them?

“It comes down to one simple fact,” Sarisa said, making herself known by slamming the end of her spear into the ground. “This isn’t an administrative issue. This is a military issue.”

That was the piece he was missing. This wasn’t the concern of the Lord and Lady Administrators. This was Aarok’s decision. One could argue that the military leaders of Gronro and Rivers had a say, but not the administrators. They weren’t discussing how to plan a road or feed their people. The conversation was about exploring the caverns beneath the town.

The alchemist turned, placing a hand on his apprentice’s shoulder. “Thanks for that. You too, Sarisa.” He titled to one side, feeling a few more bones crack in his back. “Much better. Let’s go lay down the law.”