The Newt and Demon - Book 5 Chapters 10,11,12 (Patreon)

Chapter 10

You Gotta Try

The damage to the eastern gate was extensive. Theo’s wards might have prevented a complete annihilation of the wall, but it didn’t stop the elemental from running wild. Chunks of frozen [Living River Water] had impacted buildings as well, adding to the list of things that needed tending. The alchemist picked his way through a field of the ice, watching as the precious reagent melted away. He couldn’t stuff his inventory full of the stuff fast enough.

Broken Tusk’s administration was busy examining the effects of the damage. Even now, only an hour after the attack, the wall was rebuilding itself. Stones, surrounded by glittering motes of light, lifted themselves from the ground. Other stones appeared from nowhere, forming out of raw magic. All the while the resources of the town drained, patching the damage magically. More interesting than that was the effect that the nation had on the damage.

The [Kingdom Core] that powered the Southlands Alliance also drew on its own energy. It drained away its stores, helping the town’s rebuilding process. The magic was thick enough in the air to see, casting everything in a gentle shimmer of blue and purple. Theo sneezed after inhaling a thick cloud of magic. He didn’t stop to question how that worked, moving on to collect more precious river water.

Despite the damage, celebrations had already kicked off near the town square. Someone had lit a massive bonfire, and a gathering of citizens was dancing around it. The newest batch of elves played tinny instruments and beat on hide drums. Theo spotted Tresk amongst them, having the time of her life.

“I may have miscalculated.”

Theo turned, finding Xol’sa looking pensive. The planar elf rarely held a look of guilt on his face, but this was close enough to it. The alchemist clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Clearly. The boss was too difficult.”

Xol’sa shrugged, tapping a pen into a length of parchment. “If we recalculate for the other dungeons, I think we have… a problem.”

“When don’t we have a problem? What is it?”

“I need to instigate a wave from every other dungeon. That should purge the magic well enough.”

The last thing Broken Tusk needed right now was another wave. Theo thought for a while before responding, but the answer was clear. If they allowed the power to build in the other dungeons, it would only be worse. Xol’sa wasn’t one to mess his calculations up, which was strange. Perhaps his new position as a dungeon engineer had thrown him off. Whatever the problem was, it needed to be sorted.

“What level are we talking about? For the [Mountain Dungeon] and [Hills Dungeon]?”

“Those dungeons have grown very little. I’d estimate they’re between Level 15 and Level 20. But we can do more to dampen their strength before they come.”

“How?”

“Clearing bosses and monsters within.”

“Folks don’t like running those dungeons,” Theo said with a sigh. “And I don’t blame them. They’re a pain in the ass to get to.”

“Doesn’t matter. It has to be done.” Xol’sa slouched for a second, then straightened himself. “I’ll need Aarok to cooperate. Can we give an incentive for clearing those dungeons?”

“Of course. If we need to. What about the [Swamp Dungeon]?”

“The adventurers run that daily. We shouldn’t have a problem. That’s also the dungeon I have the tightest grip on, as it’s close to my tower.”

They didn’t bother discussing the [Ocean Dungeon]. Of all the dungeons around town, that one was the weakest. Xol’sa had theories why that was. Based on the position of the dungeons, the [Swamp Dungeon] and the [River Dungeon] were in the direct path of the power flowing from the heavenly realms. From there, it spread like tendrils throughout the world. The stronger a sequential link was, the more power a dungeon was given.

“Boiling it down,” Xol’sa said, tapping his chin with his pen, painting it with ink. “There’s nothing important in the chain after the [Mountain Dungeon] or the [Hills Dungeon]. Which gives me more cause for concern. There are more powerful dungeons somewhere in the world. And we’re feeding them a steady diet of Drogramath’s power.”

“Yeah, I try not to think about that.” Theo scooped up another chunk of ice.

“Understandable. When I level my [Dungeon Engineer’s Core] more, I’ll have more information for you. Until then, we’re just guessing.”

Aarok didn’t take the news very well, but there was nothing anyone could do. They needed to kick off a monster wave as soon as possible, then another after that. What he didn’t mind was the need to soften the dungeons before the wave was triggered. He saw it as a chance to sharpen his soldiers. Long-term engagements to military action weren’t uncommon. So he claimed. The half-ogre’s eyes twinkled a bit too much when the idea entered his mind.

“Round everyone up,” Aarok said, rubbing his hands together as he turned to Luras. “We’ll split them into teams. Send them into the dungeons until they drop.”

“Sounds fun,” Luras said, turning away with a chuckle.

“You’re sadistic,” Theo said. “I like it.”

The administrators roped Theo into a tour of the town. He wanted to complain, but it was a good chance to see the damage. From the wall, it was hard to tell which buildings had been hit. The Newt and Demon took a glancing blow, as did the manor. Whisper’s butcher had some of the worst damage, but that didn’t stop the toora woman. She was cutting meat outside on a long wooden table as though nothing had happened. Sledge’s sawmill had a collapsed roof. The worst of the damage came to Theo’s farm, outside the protective walls.

“That’s hardly surprising,” Alise said, folding her arms. “I think your golems are dead.”

“They’re beyond dead.” Theo stooped low, scooping up a pile of scorched vines. “How did they even get burned?”

“No idea. I hope they weren’t worth much.”

That was the point of the exterior farm, though. Only the golems worked that farm, meaning that no one was ever at risk. Those golems were fairly cheap and easy to make. Constructs were a field that Theo had made little progress in. After he sorted the power system out, he dropped it as an important project. One day he hoped to have self-sufficient golems, but the methods to create siphoning systems eluded him.

“Nah,” Theo said, stacking plant matter into a pile. “They’re cheap. They’d be cheaper if the containment core didn’t melt when they died. But, it’s a chance to fuse a higher-level core.”

Alise watched as the alchemist made several piles of plant matter. He had enough spare [Alchemically Treated Drogramathi Iron Cages] to build more, so why not? But the golems he had been crafting were all classed as ‘lesser.’ As he infused the core, bound it to the pile of wilting plants, and shoved a [Mana Construct] into the mix, excitement washed through him.

“Oh, he’s gonna be a big boy,” Theo said, watching as the golem rose to life. “I used a Level 20 core. Should be the second tier this time.”

“It’s gross,” Alise grimaced, watching as the plants writhed on the ground.

The plants coiled around the core, pulsing with energy. Then it sprung up, assuming a much larger version of the old [Lesser Plant Golem]. Theo felt the creature pull on his willpower, challenging him for a moment. The sensation was more difficult to manage than the older version. This would reduce the amount of golems he could have on the lodestone network. It would only be worth it if the new golems pulled their weight. The alchemist inspected his creation, nodding with approval.

[Plant Golem]

[Alchemy Construct]

Level 23

Plant Golems excel at tending to the natural world, while also having mild combat capabilities.

Containment Core: [Alchemically Treated Drogramathi Iron Cage]

Monster Core: [Fald Interloper] (Level 23)

Medium: [Plant Matter]

Alchemy Slates: [Mana Construct]

Power System: [Mana Construct]

Siphon System: None

Additional Modifications: None

“Clean this mess up,” Theo said, jabbing a finger toward the ruined field.

The golem shambled off.

“Should you be so mean to it?”

Theo thought for a moment. He shrugged. “Golem! You look great!”

Alise huffed. “You’re trying to get a rise out of me, aren’t you?”

“Maybe. Do you know anything about constructs?” Theo asked, working on another identical golem.

“Not much. I’ve always thought of them as a shared craft between artificers and enchanters. I guess they’re also shared with alchemists. Maybe just Drogramathi Alchemists.”

“That’s… really accurate.” Theo nodded with approval. “Everyone approaches the constructs differently. I soak mine in essences, Zarali infuses hers with mana. I’m not sure what Throk does, but I’m certain he can do constructs. I’ve had a problem with the golems for a while. They can accept modifications, but I’ve never done much with those.”

“Let me guess, you can’t spare the time to experiment.”

Theo finished another golem, feeling the sense of mana draining from him mingle with his fading willpower. Even latched to the lodestone network, the golems were drawing too much from him. “Two is enough for now. Hopefully, they can do the job of five. No… Yeah… Maybe. I need to make time, though. They’re so cool.”

“Autonomous workers are always good,” Alise agreed.

“Hey, help me pick up all this ice before it melts,” Theo said, scooping up a small chunk of ice.

Alise joined with him, stuffing ice into her inventory. The most annoying part about the process was stooping so low, then snatching up the cold ice. Even Theo’s new coat couldn’t stop the cold from seeping through his gloves.

“From the description on your golem, it seems like you’re supposed to use a different power source.” Alise assumed a pensive posture, crossing her arms and tilting her head to one side. “It takes refined mana, right?”

“Yeah, the mana needs to be refined. The golems cannot run off of raw power. Throk was working on the battery system that elven construct used, but it was beyond him.”

“That’s sad. Seems like something Throk could figure out in a minute.”

Throk always figured stuff out quickly. Theo had given the topic thought in the past, determining that the marshling artificer was running into a wall because of his approach. Instead of thinking about the idea of creating a battery and going from there, he was trying to reverse engineer it. If the alchemist had learned anything about elves, it was that they were always creating amazingly complex things. And those things were complex for the sake of complexity. But there were more problems than that.

“The only reason the [Mana Constructs] work is because they’re magical. The system handles everything for me. I don’t have to worry about charge, discharge… whatever the magical version of current and resistance is.”

“It’s worth looking into. I heard your combat golems did some decent fighting.”

“Did they?”

Theo searched the lodestone network, finding that several [Lesser Copper Golems] had been damaged during the siege. He was disappointed that they didn’t report it to him, but it hardly seemed to matter. The damage was on the surface, and they had already raided Throk’s stores of copper to replenish themselves. Something worth investigating was how golem tiers were influenced by materials. Was there such a thing as a [Copper Golem]? Or did the next rank need to be an [Iron Golem]?

The alchemist shook his head, disconnecting from the network as Alise said something about how brave the golems were. She really liked golems.

“The more I think about it,” she continued. “The more I realize how neat the golems are.”

“I can see a situation where I have a lot of golems. Maybe if Tresk let me borrow her willpower.”

Not happening.

Theo clicked his tongue.

“Why not borrow it from your special realm?”

Well, that was a thought. But Tero’gal didn’t really have a will of its own. It kinda did. But not really. Maybe?

“I’m undecided,” Theo said. “Seems like controlling a golem with other golems. I don’t know if that would work.”

“Worth a try!”

Theo shrugged. Alise was right. He had already discovered so many things by just trying. He closed his eyes, letting his mind drift through the realms. Tresk could do this way better than him, but he had watched her enough to get the general idea. The surprising thing was that the realm felt closer than ever. Instead of drifting through the void, the alchemist felt his mind edge toward the temple. With some effort, he connected his lodestone network there. It felt strange.

“Did it work?” Theo asked, watching his golem working in the distance. “The golem is still moving. The mental load feels lighter. Success?”

“Success!” Alise shouted, tossing a chunk of ice at Theo. He caught it, stowing it in his inventory. “See? It’s always worth trying.”

How the load was reduced was interesting. Tero’gal, or more likely Tresk, was fighting back. Theo had the sense that there was a throughput limit. A willpower bandwidth, or something like that. Like many things, it required testing. But it was enough to get the alchemist started down that road. If there was a tangible connection between his willpower and the realm, it was worth exploring.

The golems went about their duty, cleaning up the ruined farm. The damage done to the small building near the farm would be repaired. Eventually.

“Yeah. Always worth a try, isn’t it?” Theo scooped more ice into his inventory.

“Not to bring business into this, but…” Alise cleared her throat, putting on her best smile. “I hit a roadblock with Pogo.”

Pogosophoro was the dragon that lived under Broken Tusk. It was a recent discovery with unknown implications. Of course, the creature was placed there by Khahar. Her purpose was to protect the underground passage leading to the town, but eternal life hadn’t been kind for her motivations.

“How so?”

“Well, they don’t want what we’re selling. Trade is going to be difficult to establish with the rock-folk. And the dragon ignores me half the time when I go to see her.”

“Can we be happy with her as a silent guardian? Do we know what monsters live underground?”

“Can we be happy? Absolutely. Aarok and his soldiers have done some scouting. Like the overworld, the underworld is filled with towns, dungeons, and monsters. Like a mirror society of ours.”

It was hard for the alchemist to form an opinion about the new area below his town. The situation felt like a towering stack of blocks, threatening to fall over at any moment. Not because it would boil over, causing conflict, but because of the threat of the unknown. There were too many new things down there that they didn’t understand, and it would only get worse. A formal alliance with a dragon meant little if he didn’t understand the dragon’s intentions.

“These people always have an ulterior motive. That’s all I know.”

“I agree,” Alise nodded fervently. “That was my first thought! Since I started my position, I’ve watched as powerful people drew themselves to you. Like frogs to Salire.”

Theo heard the croaking of a frog-like creature in the distance and shivered. He shook his head, remembering the tower of blocks. “That’s why I don’t want to push it too hard. They’re doing their own things, and we can’t babysit them.”

“That’s fine by me. For now, we won’t worry. There are other things that concern me, though. How worried are we about an attack from Qavell?”

“The king is dead, right? He should be, anyway. We can only prepare for when they come marching down. Ah, I have an idea.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s focus our efforts on purging the lands north of Gronro. We can always feign ignorance if they come knocking.”

Alise sighed. “Of course. What else can we do? I have reports from Rivers and Gronro that the first round of treatments you sent are working well. Especially in Gronro, where the corruption is the worst.”

“Yay. You’ve been reading my reports, right? We have a mass-production method. I’ll have third tier [Hallow the Soil] potions soon. Then we simply need a distribution method.”

Alise only nodded a response, picking more of the ice up. Theo went into his thoughts, both testing the connection with Tero’gal and pondering their situation. Throk’s sprayers were pretty good. Maybe they could strap backpack artifices to people’s backs, then have them head out into the cursed lands. That seemed dangerous. Mortars, maybe? Rail guns that shot the potions out over the landscape? More feasible!

“Oh,” Theo said, turning to Alise. “What if we make an airship that shoots the potion down? That would be cool. Right?”

“While it might be cool, Throk has concerns about that idea.”

Theo’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, he told me about magical interference. An airship needs powerful anti-magic enchantments to work in areas of strange power.”

“Even Gronro reports the occasional malfunction with their artifice sprayers. If only we had a wizard in town that specialized in warding,” Alise said, feigning a dramatic sigh. “Then all our problems would go away.”

The way Alise thought of Theo as a wizard in any regard was kind. He was a fumbling alchemist, trying his hand at the most simple form of warding he could get his hands on. Creating a bubble of anti-magic around an airship was simple to think of, but much harder to implement. It was a problem of creating a bubble that prevented magic from entering, while not affecting the magical artifices on board.

“Well. Like you said, I gotta try.”

Alise smiled. “You gotta try.”

Chapter 11

Faux Coins

Tresk’s latest imagining of Gronro was lazy. Theo stood on the imagined walls, looking down at what she imagined to be the area. It was rendered without enough resolution, painting the entire area as blocky and unimpressive. The alchemist cut his arm on a sharp edge as he leaned over the wall, cursing the marshling’s name.

“I can’t be bothered,” she said.

The remaining cleanup in the mortal realm had gone well enough. Theo had been satisfied with their progress. After excusing himself for dinner and a bath, he plunged into the Dreamwalk with Tresk and Alex. While the marshling’s rendering wasn’t ideal, it was good enough.

“We face two problems,” Theo said.

“Three.” Tresk held up three fingers. “The undead, Uharis, and Qavell.”

Theo ran his fingers along the edge of the jagged walls, nodding. The most concerning of those issues was Qavell. Alran, the spymaster within Broken Tusk, had no new information on the city. That was more concerning than anything, seeing as he knew about things happening a world away. The alchemist’s initial thought was that the crowned prince would launch airships, taking the path between the mainland and Gardreth to reach the Southlands Alliance to the south.

“The undead are a work in progress,” Theo said, shaking away the thoughts of Qavell’s prince. “We need to talk to Glantheir if we want the Uharis plan to work out. And Qavell? That’s the wildcard. How hard is it for you to talk to those in the high heavens?”

“The Prime Pantheon has a lot of magical warding over their realms. I can send a message, but that’s about it.”

If Uharis and Sulvan took Glantheir’s cores, they would be bound by the god’s passive nature. That would neuter them, removing them from Theo’s list of enemies. At least they would become inquisitors in a righteous cause.

“Let’s make Glantheir a priority. We know he saved the continent when Balkor fell the first time. Maybe he’s interested in finishing his good work?”

“That’s worth a short.”

Maybe ask the dragon? Alex honked.

“Good luck moving the dragon.” Theo grumbled.

“Yeah, I’ve been disappointed in old Pogo. I tried to pick a fight with her yesterday, but she didn’t move.”

“Let’s not add the dragon to our list of problems.”

Theo, Tresk, and Alex discussed their problems for some time before splitting up. The alchemist shifted the scene to an area outside of Broken Tusk, near the river. It was far more pleasant than the low-resolution form of Gronro. That place was depressing enough as it was. It needed nothing to help it along. Instead, he turned his attention to his leveling progress. As expected, both the Tara’hek and Governance core were stubbornly locked at level 30. The upside to the problem was that his alchemy and herbalist cores were now lined up in levels. Both sat at 25, ready to roll over to 26 at any moment.

The connection between Drogramath’s two cores was stronger than ever. Theo closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts inward. The heat from the stills he had imagined rolled over him for a moment, but then he felt the firm connection between the cores. After Drogramath had told him he was a champion, a minor change had settled into his soul. That sensation was a kind of unity he couldn’t explain. Like the town’s synergy feature, they seemed to work as a pair.

Theo labored away in the Dreamwalk, writing notes in his interface as he worked. By the time dawn came, he had enough experience for both cores to hit Level 26. The [Toru’aun Mage’s Core] joined with the festivities, hitting Level 16. All this activity caused the alchemist’s personal level to roll over to 26 as well. He woke in his bed with a fresh point to spend.

“Ding!” Theo said, placing a single point into Dexterity. He felt a rush of agility fill him as it tipped to 20.

That was the last point Theo planned to place into Dexterity for a long time. With gear and core bonuses, every attribute was at 20 or higher. But it was a problem for another time. The alchemist noticed several notifications in his administrative interface, requesting meetings. He wanted to ignore Alise’s request, but it seemed urgent. Throk wanted a meeting, which was rare. Finally, Salire needed help in the lab.

“Could you stuff some food into the shared inventory?” Theo asked. Tresk hadn’t dashed out of the room yet. She only nodded before rushing downstairs to get breakfast.

The alchemist rose, stretched, patted the goose, then headed off for Throk’s workshop. The old marshling woke early and didn’t take breakfast, unlike much of the town. As expected, he was waiting in the artificer’s lab with a grumpy expression. With his hands resting on his hips, and his short stature, he looked like a child throwing a fit for candy.

“Airships?” Throk asked. “Really?”

“That conversation was private and not meant as a work order.”

“I’m busy enough as it is without airships.”

“Are you?”

Throk kicked at the ground, some of the grump fading from his face. “Not really. Rail is done, isn’t it? We’re not doing the over-the-sea rail for a while, are we?”

“So, what you meant to say was ‘Theo, can I please work on the airship project?’”

“Yeah. Come here. No, not in the workshop. Out back.”

Theo followed Throk around to the back of the workshop. Resting on a log was something that looked suspiciously like an old-era Earth jet engine. Turbines with an intake on one side, and a narrowed exhaust on the other.

“If you’re building a jet, I’m all in.”

“A what? No. This is a hover engine. I’ve been working on it since I got my core, but a few skills revealed the secret to make it work. Well, skills and something else.”

“What’s the ‘something else?’”

“Money! Yeah, it’s literally powered by gold coins,” Throk said, laughing as he slapped the engine’s side. A part fell off, clattering to the ground. “Yeah, let’s not turn it on. Bit of a test.”

Throk was in a better mood today than Theo had expected. But an engine that ran on gold coins wasn’t gonna work. “Tell me we have a better idea than a gold-powered hover engine.”

“There are a few problems. Right? Ignore all the issues with magical interference and you have an artifice that requires massive amounts of refined mana to run. To the workshop.”

Theo followed Throk into the workshop. There were too many strange machines to count, but one stood in the center of the room. It appeared to be a massive hydraulic press, only with far too many extra doodads hanging off the side. The marshling had a look of pure pride on his face as he approached the machine.

“Care to guess what this is?”

“Turtle crusher.”

“Close.”

Theo inspected the thing for a while longer. It was a press. That much was clear. As the alchemist came closer, he looked at the plate of the artifice press. He then noticed the function of some artifices on the side of the machine, but could not put it all together. Only when a Wisdom of the Soul message popped up did he get it.

“Discount coin press?”

“There it is!” Throk shouted, pumping his fist in the air. “This is a makeshift version of a coin press. It cannot create system-generated currency. What it can do is refine power and press it into magically reactive metal. Tworgnothi or Drogramathi metals should take to the process.”

Throk held up a coin-like object for inspection. Theo took it in his hand, flipping it over. Both faces were blank, but it felt enough like a real coin to fool him. There was magical potential stored inside.

“Explain something to me,” Theo said, appreciating the heft of the purple-black coin. “Motes are refined pieces of mana, right? Have you run tests to figure out how your coins compare to motes?”

“Think of it this way. A single mote has about 10 mana worth of energy. These ‘coins’ sit at about 200.”

“That’s absurdly impressive. What’s the catch?”

“Yeah, they’re hard to make. I have the plans all made up, but I need two buildings the size of your manor and another building the size of your lab.”

Theo blinked slowly. It took little mental math to know that three large artifices meant only one thing. Explosive failure. “Where do you plan to put these buildings?”

“Oh my. You doubt me?” Throk said. He was on a streak. “Follow me, dear alchemist.”

Theo felt a shiver run up his spine at that phrase. Fenian always called him ‘my dear alchemist,’ and the utterance of the phrase left a wider hole in his heart than he expected. Throk led the way through town as the pain in the alchemist’s heart eased. There was always a risk when taking on a god. All that pain washed away when the alchemist spotted a strange structure near the quarry. There were rolling fields filled with large boulders between the quarry and the eastern wall. No one built there because it was too annoying to level the ground. Now there was a massive stone structure made of glittering marble.

“What the hell is that?”

“My blast chamber. Come on.”

The ‘blast chamber’ was stupid. Theo approached the gate of the chamber, gawking at the thickness of the walls. It was about five-times as thick as the walls that surrounded the town. Each layer of stone was supported by a layer of metal. Massive metal sheets, thicker than the alchemist’s forearm, provided a shielding layer. And, of course, inside there were three massive buildings. They were all made of Tworgnothi Copper and Drogramathi Iron, sitting beneath a wooden roof to shield them from the elements.

“You already built them.”

“Of course I already built them. This is my artifice coin pressing operation. I need your blessing before I start production.”

“All right. Explain how this crap works.”

“Sure!” Throk said, more chipper than Theo had ever seen him before. “The two things on the side are industrial power condensers. They suck power from the air, then turn it into mana using artifice condensers. I already had that one figured out, so it wasn’t a problem to make bigger versions of them.”

“Those are the things most likely to explode. Right?”

“Yeah. When power is refined into mana, it becomes volatile. The key was to use Tworgnothi Copper in the condensers and containers. Raw mana is… weird. Burns everything it touches. So, containment is necessary. The next thing we have is the press. When you compress Drogramathi Iron until it’s red hot, you can infuse it with mana.”

Theo didn’t want to approach the machines. He had a deep understanding for how dangerous this stuff could be. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust Throk. When a person messed around with crafting recipes far above their level, bad things happened. Alchemy was a great example, as it was always volatile.

“The discs you’re manufacturing… Can they power the towers?”

“The towers, the rail. Everything.”

“Why doesn’t the press melt when you’re making them? Isn’t it made of Drogramathi Iron?”

“The press is made from an alloy of Drogramathi Iron and Tworgnothi Copper. The same stuff I made the carts out of.”

“You’ve outdone yourself. I’m giving you my blessing, let me know if you need it in writing.”

“I will. Alise is going to be mad, but look at that wall.”

“I saw the wall.” Theo edged backwards out of the work yard. “Not sure how I didn’t see you building this thing.”

“Me and the boys threw it together over the course of two days. No big deal.”

Throk shared a few more details about his new machines. Theo was interested in a small version of the power siphon, which the artificer claimed he could do with ease. If they were compact enough, it would be a step in the right direction to create golems that could go forever without needing to be recharged. The alchemist departed from the new, massive artifices and headed off to his next meeting.

Alise was in an ongoing meeting with the other administrators in the town hall. They were talking about their next steps on several things, including the undead. To his surprise, they didn’t have a problem with Throk’s new project. That resulted in several hours of boring meetings about almost nothing. While Alran was there, he provided no new information about the state of Qavell. What he had to add to the meeting was slightly troubling.

“I lost contact with all my spies in Qavell at the same time. They were compromised simultaneously, or… something else.”

“I don’t like ‘something else,’” Theo said.

Alran shrugged. “I can offer no more information. Magical interference, maybe? But my skill normally pierces through the most ardent defenses.”

There was nothing more they could glean from the matter. The meeting ended, freeing Theo to work on the thing the meeting was about. He laughed as he made his way to the Newt and Demon, where a small group of frog-like creatures had gathered. One frog left a trail of frost wherever it went, while another left little pools of fire. The alchemist waded through the creatures to enter his shop. Several made it inside, and they were unceremoniously tossed out the window.

“Do we have any frog repellent?” Salire groaned. The hard-working woman was up on the third floor, working in the lab.

“I don’t think so.”

“Next time Bilgrob wants to heal me, just let me die. This isn’t worth it.”

“I’ll make a note.”

Theo had seen a few frogs in town, but nothing like this. He decided that Bilgrob’s spell attracted every frog-like creature, but those things had to travel to reach their destination. If they didn’t do something about it soon, it might become a problem. But unless the frogs found their way into the stills, they wouldn’t impede the creation of potions. It took a while for the alchemist to get his apprentice’s mind off of the frogs, but they got to work.

“Everything is ready,” Salire said, gesturing to the various equipment she had cleaned and prepared.

The most annoying part about creating third tier potions was the alcohol infusion. Salire and Theo had worked to create 5,000 units of [Bound Enchanted Dilution] for each reagent. They split the batch in half, using five stills for [Hallow Ground] and five stills for [Sow]. The labor itself wasn’t terribly hard, but the alchemist had worked up a sweat by the time they rested.

“Great job,” Theo said, sagging into a chair. “We have enough suffuse potions, right?”

“We should. At least for a test run,” Salire said, finding her own chair. “Have you read the reports from Gronro?”

Theo had, in fact, ignored the reports from Gronro. They were running tests on the soil and had come up with a rating system.

“The more green the soil, the more they figure it’s corrupted. Our current second tier potion is doing a good job, but…”

“There’s too much area to cover.” Theo nodded. Of course that would have been a problem. Every square halm of land between Gronro and Qavell was corrupted. And corruption spreads more corruption. It was an endless loop.

“I ran some numbers.” Salire produced a notebook from nowhere. “At our capacity, we can clear the land in about twenty years.”

Theo groaned. This wasn’t a problem they could solve with alchemy alone, but he didn’t have any other means. Not unless Glantheir took mercy on Uharis and Sulvan. Or sent some of his elven clerics over to help clean the land up.

“But we can halve the time with the third tier potion.”

It wasn’t very encouraging, but it was a start. Theo and Salire worked on their book while they waited for the stills to finish the run. The alchemist wanted to do anything to take his mind off the next part of the process. Creating primal essences to bind with the [Suffuse Potion] was labor-intensive. Instead, they fixed mistakes in the book and created more based on their current industrial process.

“I had another idea,” Salire said, crossing a long section of information out. “We could make a regular alchemy book.”

“Hmmm.”

Before making the recipe for mundane alchemists to use [Swamp Truffles], Theo would have disagreed. But there was no such thing as too much information. Salire was already delving into normal alchemy more by the day. It was a way to distract herself between her duties in the shop or in the lab. Unlike Theo, she didn’t have a nation to run, giving her free time to do interesting projects.

“There’s a cultural connection with the Drogramathi concerning mundane alchemy,” Theo said, lounging in his chair. “Most Drogramathi don’t settle down. As far as I know, this is the first industrial operation of his alchemy.”

“I had never seen a dronon before you. You hear stories about folks running into them, but that’s it. They show up, get what they need, then leave.”

“They’re given instructions from the various dronon patrons to hide. Why? I don’t know. Seems like they’re fighting each other, rather than fighting against the other races of the world.”

“Do you think that’ll change?” Salire asked, sounded hopeful.

“Not soon. The patrons have to change first. That doesn’t seem likely.”

The stills bubbled away over the hours. The internal storage of the building filled with third tier essence. Theo and Salire whittled the time away, talking about whatever and working on their books. When the timers went off on the stills, the alchemist rubbed his hands together. It was far too exciting to get a crack at a third tier suffuse potion.

Chapter 12

House of Healing

Theo fell into one of the many uncomfortable chairs in the lab. He sagged as he chugged a mana potion, wiping sweat from his brow. Creating suffuse-bound potions was annoying, especially at scale. The vents above the lab sucked wisps of smoke, clearing the foggy air. Salire waved her hand in front of her face, trying to clear away what fumes lingered.

“We need to experiment,” Theo said. The sense of emptiness left in his chest from low mana lingered. Even after chugging several potions. “To find out if this is worth it.”

“Are you good?”

“Well enough to continue.”

The plan was to create large barrels of the new [Hallow the Soil] potions. After they were ready to stew, the alchemist could take them to Tero’gal. Since every suffuse potion needed time to sort itself out, that was the only way to deliver large quantities of the new potion. Theo and his assistant worked on stuffing as much stewing essence as they could in distinct barrels. The mixing potion emitted the scent of tilled earth and grave dust. It was a heady mixture that had them both reeling on their feet.

“Let’s get some air,” Theo said, waving for Salire to join him.

The pair found their way out onto the streets and into the heat of the Season of Fire. Covered in a sheen of sweat, they wandered across the street to the manor. Upon entering, they were blasted by a wave of cold air. Sarisa and Rowan kept the place chilly. Sinking into soft armchairs, Theo and Salire let out a joint sigh of relief.

“That might have been the largest run I’ve ever done. And I still need to take them to Tero’gal.”

“Oh!” Salire brightened considerably. “Maybe I could come with you!”

Mortals shouldn’t tread in the mortal Dreamrealm. But Theo and Tresk had ignored that fact several times already. “Why not?”

If only it was as easy as saying it, though. Theo and Salire relaxed for an hour before finding the energy to stand. They returned to the lab, stuffing the barrels of mixing essences into the alchemist’s inventory. They waited for Tresk to respond, which took her longer than it should have. She was with the teams weakening the [Hills Dungeon] and the [Mountain Dungeon]. Once she gave the go-ahead, he felt her will flood through his body.

“Ready?” Theo asked, grasping Salire’s arm.

“Ready!”

The lab fell away around them. Salire shouted in fear as they fell over the Bridge of shadows. Theo groaned as he felt the master of this realm beckoning him forth. Since Uz’Xulven had been on friendlier terms lately, he obliged.

“Quick stop.”

Salire screamed as they angled toward the bridge, floating down to land on the semi-solid surface of the Bridge.

“Busy body!” Uz’Xulven shouted from the shadows.

“Hey, Uz. What’s up?” Theo asked. Salire’s eyes darted around, taking in every detail of the realm. It wasn’t a friendly place. Almost every surface was a mixture of shadow and semi-realized stone. The entire place was muted in color, almost monochromatic. The Queen of the Bridge of Shadows did not show herself.

“Thought you ought to know. Fenian is doing better.”

“Is he still in Hoi’ch?”

“Yes. Still trapped in Balkor’s damned realm. Ah, who is this scrumptious little mortal you’ve brought?”

Salire squeaked, tensing up.

“My apprentice.”

Uz’Xulven stepped out of the shadows, gliding across the bridge. She kept herself cloaked in shadows, as was normal. Only the faintest outline of her form was revealed. “I like her.”

“She has a knack for alchemy. Hard to ask for more than that in a student.”

“Agreed. So, why are you here?” Uz’Xulven asked, tilting her head to one side.

“I thought you summoned me.”

“Ah. See, you were drawn here without knowing why you wanted to be drawn here. That happens sometimes.”

Intent often mattered in this world. Perhaps there was a layer that ran deeper than that. A need to see something through, even if Theo didn’t know what it was he needed to do. It only took a few moments of thought before he realized what he wanted to ask.

“Can I use the bridge to reach the High Heavens?”

Uz’Xulven laughed. “Oh, my. You are ambitious, aren’t you? Where are you planning to go?”

“The Realm of Healing.”

Uz’Xulven blew raspberries. “That stuffy realm? Why? Oh! The upstarts on the moon. Right, I heard whispers of your plan.”

“Can we do it?”

“Hmmm.”

There was a long pause. The longer Uz’Xulven remained motionless, the more worried Theo got. There was a gap of power between the realm. While he had been breaking the rules for the realms, this was something that seemed one step too far.

“Alright! Sure. Why not? Let me just knock…”

Another long pause. The realm shivered in response.

“Oh!” Uz’Xulven said, jumping on the spot. “He responded quickly. That’s surprising. A door will appear on the other side. Take it to return to my realm, then you can head off to do whatever weird alchemy stuff you had planned.”

An archway appeared on the bridge. Right in the center. It was an ornate wooden door, trimmed on all sides with gold inlays. A single red gem sat at the top of the frame. As the door cracked open, Theo felt a different kind of power rush through. Each patron had a different flavor to them. Uz’Xulven was always shady, giving the power in her realm a feeling of deception. This was an original power altogether. The alchemist felt a sense of comfort and love fill his soul.

“Are we…” Salire asked, trailing off.

“See you in a second, Uz,” Theo said, grabbing Salire by the hand and pressing on. They passed through the door without issue, although the alchemist’s stomach turned slightly. He was blinded white light that seemed to come from everywhere.

Once his eyes adjusted, Theo looked upon Glantheir’s realm. They stood at a marble footbridge outside of a massive silver city. Elves were gathered near a river, playing harps and eating berries. They looked up for only a moment before returning to their leisure. Salire stammered, her head raising slowly as her eyes traced a path over the central spire of the city.

“Come.” A command issued from everywhere and nowhere at once. Theo and Salire were sent hurtling through Glantheir’s realm, stumbling to stand in an open-air room. Elves gathered here and there, pouring over books and writing things down. Standing at the head of the plain room was a man clad in equally mundane garb. He spun on the spot, revealing his visage.

Glantheir was the plainest-looking elf Theo had ever seen. A shirt and slacks that had seen wear over the years, barefoot, and long blonde hair. He had similar features to that of Fenian, too sharp and angular. But there was a kindness behind his green eyes, a fact made more clear when he smiled. Creases formed in the corners of his eyes as he held his arms wide.

“Welcome. Yes.”

“Huh?” Theo asked. He cleared his throat, straightening up. Salire’s eyes were darting everywhere and she was stammering. The alchemist kicked her in the shin. She stood up straight, eyes locked forward. “Excuse me, lord. ‘Yes’ to what?”

Glantheir laughed, the creases near his eyes doubling. “Please, don’t do that. Don’t call me ‘lord,’ Theo.”

“What should I call you?”

“Glantheir. The Holy Storm. John. Whatever works for you,” Glantheir winked.

“Okay. Now, the ‘yes.’”

“I’ll grant cores to those fanatics as long as they accept my terms. Come, have a seat. I’ve cultivated an Earth-like grape here in my realm.”

The furniture in the realm was simple. Wooden things that were roughly carved. Salire was sweating. When she sat down near the patron, she was shaking. Glantheir smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. In a moment, she relaxed.

“You’re not the first person to travel through the realms. When I joined the Prime Pantheon, mortals came and went over the Bridge of Shadows regularly. These realms were more like amusement parks. The mortal realm was a playground.”

“Until Balkor ruined it?”

“No. It was ruined long before Balkor pulled his little stunt.”

An attendant came, holding a bowl of purple grapes. She placed it on the table, bowed, then left the room. Glantheir plucked one grape, popping it into his mouth. Theo tried one, finding them similar enough to Earth grapes. Not that he had anything but grape-flavored stuff.

“Did you die at the end?” Glantheir asked. “The end of Earth.”

“Yeah. When the sun swallowed us.”

“That’s good. Others were taken before us. They have met… interesting ends.”

Theo leaned in, his mind spinning. The picture of what happened after Earth was destroyed was confusing. He was sent far into the future, compared to the founding members of this planet. Sixty-thousand years, to be exact.

“You’re from Earth,” Theo said. He wanted to hear himself say it.

Glantheir smiled again. “I was. I fled Berlin.”

Theo’s stomach twisted itself into a knot. The taste of the grape on his tongue had soured in an instant. The only thing he could think about was getting out of Glantheir’s realm. Running as far away from it as possible. But the Elven God of Healing’s soft smile spread a radiant comfort throughout the room. He pressed two fingers into the alchemist’s forehead. In an instant, the sense of guilt was gone. Just gone.

“I forgive you.”

Those three words resonated through Theo’s soul. Somewhere and sometime distant, he felt both Tresk and Tero’gal rumble with recognition. Sheets of guilt fell away. The patina of the past was scoured clean, leaving only the brightness of the alchemist’s soul.

Glantheir stood, swiping his hand through the air. Every other elf in the room vanished. “About Uharis and Sulvan. I have one rule. Infinite forgiveness. If I couldn’t follow that rule, how could I hope to make my followers do the same?”

“You… you…” Salire stammered. “Healed the continent. Didn’t you?”

Glantheir turned, nodding to her. “I healed it. I blessed it. I allowed life to flourish. Until the others in the Prime Pantheon put a collar around my neck.”

“Why would they do that?” Theo asked, finding his voice once again. It came with more confidence this time, as though it no longer filtered through a layer of the past.

“They like to control things. They thought the system was fine the way it was. No reason to change something that challenged their power. But Yuri has done more for us than any other god. Then Fenian risked his life to save Balkor. Balance is restoring.”

There were too many questions to ask and not enough time. Theo found it hard to tangle with the new emotions that spread through his body and mind. He just got magical trauma therapy from a god. How did someone move forward from that? Reflexively, he wanted to apologize for what he did to Berlin. But there was no need. It had been forgiven absolutely. It was as though it never happened at all.

“So, we can count on you?” Theo asked. “To help us, going forward?”

“You’re positioned to do more than anyone else can. Yuri took the Throne of the Arbiter to leave that gap. A gap in the rules of the monitor system. Look. You can even drag mortals through the realms. Curious!”

“How should I proceed with Sulvan and Uharis?”

“You and I have a connection, now,” Glantheir said, picking another grape. He popped it in his mouth. “Invite me to your realm if you need help with them. I’ll even give you a hint. You’re connected to both of them. If you reach out with the power of your realm, you can talk to them on the moon.”

“On the moon…” Salire said, trailing off. Her eyes were fixed on the middle-distance. This was too much for her, and Theo was getting worried.

Theo felt a strange sensation racing through his mind. This wasn’t the first time he had experienced it. Any time he interacted with Khahar, Fenian, or heavenly beings, a sense of being overwhelmed filled him. But the grace given by Glantheir had removed something from his mind. Any weight tied around his neck was just gone. Confusion was replaced by confidence.

“We’ll figure it out,” Theo said, reaching a hand out to shake.

Glantheir smiled, yet again, and shook his hand. “Glad you’re on board. You’re free to stay in the House of Healing. If you find that troubled mind coming back, stop by. Have some grapes. We have hacky sack tournaments weekly.”

Theo considered staying. But as he looked at Salire, who had begun pulling her limbs in to form a defensive ball, he decided to go. The alchemist nodded to his apprentice. “We should go. For now. But I’ll be back, John.”

Glantheir laughed, gesturing. The same fancy door appeared in the room’s center, and Theo dragged Salire through. The scene shifted the way it had before, and they were suddenly standing on the bridge. Uz’Xulven was there, waiting with her hands on her hips.

“He’s hot, right?” she asked.

“No comment,” Theo said, centering his focus on Tero’gal. “He was nice.”

“He was…” Salire trailed off for a few tense moments. “He was hot.”

“Right?” Uz’Xulven wiggled her eyebrows.

“We’re off,” Theo said. “Stop by the realm if you need to talk. I’ve got potions to age.”

Uz’Xulven nodded, dropping some of her bravado. Under that veil of shadows, there might have been a faint smile. Nothing to match the shining brilliance of Glantheir’s dazzling teeth, but still. Theo pushed through the void, dragging Salire along behind him. She didn’t make a sound as they tumbled through the realms. A moment later they landed in Tero’gal, welcomed by crowds of spirits. Belgar was among them, clapping a hand on his back.

“Welcome! You wouldn’t believe the time we’ve been having! Khahar has brought us the gift of football!”

And so he had. In one nearby field, the spirits had established goals, and a field painted with all the lines. Theo’s instinct was to cast aside his responsibilities and play a few rounds. The alchemist shook his head, focusing on the woman standing next to him. He took Salire by the arm and led her to the cottage. As expected, Benton’s archway sprung up. The bear followed close behind, sensing someone in need of some hot tea and sweet scones. Belgar seemed to understand what was happening, breaking off from the group to calm the rowdy spirits.

Theo explained what had happened. Apparently, mortals weren’t meant to gaze on the true form of prime gods that way. Even someone as pure as Glantheir was too much for her to handle.

“Just a bit of shock,” Benton said, draping a fur blanket over Salire’s shoulders. She was hunched over the table, visibly shaking. “Once we get something warm in her belly, she’ll brighten up.”

“I hope so,” Theo said, looking across the table at his apprentice. He realized now that he should have dropped her off in Tero’gal before heading into the Realm of Healing. “We got to meet Glantheir, though.”

“Oh, really?” Benton asked, raising a furry brow. “How was he?”

“He was…” Theo hesitated. What words could he use to describe someone so plain? “He was kind.”

“That’s what I’ve heard. A guy like that has no place in the Prime Pantheon. Amongst such snakes.”

“Agreed. Things really have calmed down in the heavens, haven’t they?”

“Yep. After the Arbiter standardized the time scale, things got more stable. Feels like everything flows better.”

Benton poured tea for everyone before removing sweets from his godly inventory. He set them down on the table, removing the thin cloth that covered them. Theo went for the lemon-flavored ones, the way he always did. Salire reached out a hand, a hand growing steadier by the minute, and grabbed a berry-filled one. She brought the mug of tea close to herself, allowing the steam to wash over her face.

“Getting better,” she said, although most of the color had drained from her face.

Benton laughed. His belly laugh was always a comfort. “No need to worry about me. Just a low-level god here. I don’t have the heights of power that Glantheir wields.”

“How powerful is he?” Theo asked. He really knew little about Glantheir.

“Strong enough that he could have taken the Throne of the Arbiter. But they say his vow is absolute. He refuses to kill, no matter what. Even when he purges the undead, he accepts their souls into his realm.”

Theo let the silence set in around the room. Only the sound of the crackling fire pushed through to his mind. There was a new stillness in his thoughts that he didn’t want to consider. If he had known the kindness of Glantheir from the start, maybe things would have played out differently. Even with everything that happened, he knew kindness didn’t defend towns.

After a long while of silence, Salire finally spoke. “I’d like to play that weird game.”

“Football?” Benton asked with a chuckle.

“Soccer,” Theo corrected.

“Khahar said it both ways.”